Casino battle heats up in Macao

25.08.2006, Lesen Sie hier den Bericht über «Casino battle heats up in Macao»

The Las Vegas Sands on Wednesday upped the ante in its high-stakes battle with tycoon Stanley Ho for dominance over Macao's gaming market, opening a $100m expansion of its Sands Macao casino - the world's largest with more than 700 tables. The move comes less than two weeks after Mr Ho complained publicly about the competition arising from the 2002 liberalisation of Macao's gambling industry, in comments that have riveted the former Portuguese enclave.

Competition will further intensify on September 6, when Steve Wynn, the US gaming magnate, opens his first casino in the territory. Featuring a 600-room hotel, Wynn Macao will be the territory's first truly integrated casino and resort project.

"What was already the largest casino in the world just became larger," Mark Brown, Sands Macao president, said on Wednesday as he unveiled the 250-table expansion that will increase the casino's capacity by more than 50 per cent to 710 tables. Mr Brown, former chief executive of Trump Entertainment Resorts in Atlantic City, New Jersey, moved to Asia in April to assume control of operations at the Sands Macao.

The Las Vegas Sands, Controlled by Sheldon Adelson, is investing another $2.3bn in The Venetian Macao, a 700-table casino and integrated resort facility that is scheduled to open in the middle of next year. Mr Adelson's lieutenants would not be drawn on the recent comments by Mr Ho. The tycoon said that competition from the Sands was putting pressure on his bread-and-butter VIP gaming operations, threatening both job losses and "social stability" in the territory.

However, in a low-key ceremony held to mark the expansion's formal opening, Mr Brown and Walter Power, Sands Macao's vice president of operations, emphasised the job creation and promotion opportunities created by their company's investments. After the expansion, the casino's pay-roll will increase 25 per cent to some 8,000 employees, 85 per cent of whom hail from Macao.

The market share of Mr Ho's gambling flagship, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, has fallen from about 85 per cent to 70 per cent since the Sands Macao opened in May 2004. According to statistics compiled by Macao's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, gross revenues from VIP baccarat – the game of choice in Mr Ho's VIP halls – declined slightly last year after years of 25-35 per cent growth.

Mr Ho's complaint has engendered little sympathy in Macao, where liberalisation of the gaming industry has sparked a frenzy of construction. "I'd expect a man in Mr Ho's position to say something like that – his business is under a lot of pressure," said one gambling industry executive.

"The Monopoly game is over," added an executive at one of Macao's five-star hotels, which have lost market share to cheaper competitors serving the influx of thrifty Chinese tour groups.

Das Wynn Macau ist ein Hotelkomplex in Macau der Volksrepublik China.

Das Wynn Macau verfügt über 600 Hotelzimmer und Suiten, rund 200 Spieltische und 375 Spielautomaten. Zudem gibt es fünf Restaurants, ein Einkaufszentrum und ein Atrium.

Die Eröffnung war am 6. September 2006.

On September 6, 2006, Wynn Macau debuted as the second property in the Wynn Resorts family, and the company’s inaugural resort in China.

With its 594 stylish rooms and suites, a sumptuous spa and salon, delectable fine- and casual-dining restaurants, and a refined selection of luxury brands, Wynn Macau ushered in a new era of sophisticated resort choices in the burgeoning Chinese territory. The opening of the all-suite Encore Tower in 2010 increased the total number of Wynn Macau accommodations to 1,004 elegant rooms and suites. Since Wynn Macau opened, Forbes Travel Guide, Michelin and other industry experts have consistently recognized both towers with awards that solidify the resort's reputation as a top destination among discerning travelers.

Wynn Macau, Limited is traded on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and is also a subsidiary of NASDAQ listed Wynn Resorts, Limited.

Wynn Macau, owned and operated by Wynn Macau, Limited, opened to the public on 6 September 2006 at the center of casino activities on the urban Macau peninsula. In December 2007, Wynn Macau completed an expansion, adding more gaming space and additional food and beverage and retail amenities. In 2008, Wynn Macau became the only hotel in Macau and one of only five hotels in Asia to receive the coveted Mobil Five-Star award. In April 2010, we opened Encore at Wynn Macau.

		
 
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