Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JAPAN NOV 2020 54 2020 POWER 50 ALVIN CHAU CEO AND DIRECTOR Suncity Group CHAIRMAN AND DIRECTOR Suncity Group Holdings CHAIRMAN AND NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Summit Ascent Holdings 取締役兼CEO サンシティグループ 取締役会長 サンシティグループホールディングス 非業務執行取締役会長 サミット・アセント・ホールディングス CLAIMS TO FAME 評価理由 6 POWER SCORE パワースコア: 2,719 POSITION LAST YEAR 昨年の順位: 6 Expanding Suncity from junket promoter to casino owner and operator via Hong Kong listed arm Increasing dominance in Macau junket market Top Macau native in city’s leading industry • • • • • • 香港に上場する子会社を通じてサンシティをジャンケットプロモーターから カジノオーナー兼事業者へと拡大 マカオのジャンケット市場で支配を増大 街をリードする産業でトップのマカオ出身者 アルヴィン・チャウ(周焯華) TO DESCRIBE ALVIN CHAU’S YEAR as eventful would be like calling the COVID-19 pandemic a mild case of seasonal flu. Already facing a retraction in Macau’s VIP gaming revenue due to a slowdown of economic growth in China and increasing scrutiny of capital outflow by Beijing, the junket sector was blindsided by COVID-19 which saw borders between the nations slammed shut and most international travel put on indefinite hold. In August, China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced that it had established a “blacklist” of overseas tourist destinations it said were disrupting the nation’s outbound tourismmarket by opening casinos targeting mainland Chinese customers. While none of those destinations were identified, the Ministry was widely believed to be referencing Southeast Asian jurisdictions such as the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam. Suncity Group has VIP rooms in all three. Meanwhile, rumors circulating online questioning Suncity’s liquidity as a result of such challenges forced Chau to go public with details of the junket’s financials – an unprecedented move for an industry that has traditionally preferred to sail under the radar. Following more rumors of a “bank run” on some Macau junkets, Chau stated, “We have the capability and enough capital to offset any bad debts and chip deposits of all clients. I would like to reiterate that Suncity is a very stable financial platform.” Despite this, Suncity Group’s listed entity has continued to plow ahead with its aggressive move into the world of casino operations.