Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JAPAN MAY 2020 20 “We can’t say, ‘Look, we’re here to get all the Asian guys to come from overseas or all the locals.’ We can’t survive on that. We’re building this to be a diverse property that will cater to all different types of customers.” – RWLV President Scott Sibella Resorts World Las Vegas President Scott Sibella リゾートワールド・ラスベガスのスコット・シベラ社長 T hirteen years after the legendary Stardust Hotel was imploded to make way and eight years after Genting Group acquired the site, Resorts World Las Vegas may have gotten its timing just right. The US$4.3 billion integrated resort at the north end of the Strip figures to take a starring role in Sin City’s post-coronavirus grand re-opening as the leading new attraction of the 2021 US summer vacation season, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Genting opening its flagship mountaintop property outside Kuala Lumpur. For perspective: While Sheldon Adelson was pushing package tours, Steve Wynn was flogging booze along the Strip and MGM was making movies, Genting Highlands, now known as Resorts World Genting (RWG), opened, launching what grew into the largest IR complex in Asia. Reversing the tide of Las Vegas operators crossing the Pacific, Genting brings to the Strip a wealth of experience from the region that’s become the epicenter of global gaming. Moreover, RWG thrives in Malaysia, where the government bars Muslim citizens, a majority of the population, from its casino. Thriving under those conditions should translate well to Las Vegas, where non-gaming spending accounts for two-thirds of revenue. Genting’s decades of success in Malaysia under founder Lim Goh Tong and Lim Kok Thay, who succeeded his father as chairman in 2003, paved the way to winning one of Singapore’s two coveted casino licenses in an international competition. Resorts World Sentosa, featuring a Universal Studios theme park, water park, destination spa and world class aquarium, has earned billions of dollars and legions of admirers in its decade of operations. But RWLV isn’t about what Genting has done in Asia, nor what it’s done as the largest casino operator in the UK or owner of three cruise lines plying the globe. “We’re bringing a state of the art property that will enable the guest experience to be seamless and like no other on the Strip,” RWLV President Scott Sibella says, “an incredible, beautiful property that will have amenities for all aspects of guests that come to Las Vegas.” A former MGM executive, Sibella adds, “You see, COVER STORY 「『いいか、ここにいるのは海外からアジア人客 全員に来てもらうためだとか、地元の人全員に 来てもらうためだ』なんてことは言えない。 それ では生き残れない。これを建てているのは、あら ゆるタイプの顧客に対応する多様な施設にする ためだ」 – RWLVスコット・シベラ社長