Citing the Lusa news agency, J.P. Morgan says that Macao casino revenues for January came in higher than expected, at $1.1 billion. The shocker, though, is the revision of market-share figures, which previously had shown Stanley Ho and Sheldon Adelson each holding a quarter of the market. Lusa’s revised numbers show Ho thrusting Adelson firmly into second place — 28% to 22%. This is a sobering setback for Las Vegas Sands, whose CEO had forecast the demise, at least a dramatic downsizing, of Ho’s casino empire.
Let this also be a lesson to those us (present company included) who thought Vegas swankiness would trump customer loyalty to Ho’s older — some would say seedier — product. The “B” plotline is that Wynn Macau‘s market share is 17%, only five points behind Sands Macao and Venetian Macao despite far less capacity. Galaxy Entertainment (13%), Melco Crown Entertainment (11%) and MGM Mirage (9%) divvy up the remainder, with the latter paying the price for being last into the market and a reportedly disadvantageous location. This is one race where those who bet on the tortoise over the hare will be chagrined.
Speaking of Stanley Ho, he and an associate have dropped $284,000 into the coffers of the New South Wales branch of Australian Liberal Party. This is significant because Ho made a run at a New South Wales casino years ago but was deemed “unsuitable.” Don’t be surprised if the Liberals suddenly discover him to be cleaner than a hound’s tooth.
Shakeup at Sands. With its Macao and Singapore projects lagging badly, Las Vegas Sands has tasked a new executive team for its Asian portfolio. Senior Vice President Leonard DeAngelo comes by way of Penn National and, before that, a different kind of Sands — the vanished Sands Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. Former Langham Hotels & Resorts executive Nigel Roberts has been named president of behind-schedule Marina Bay Sands.
Executive VP Brad Stone has been promoted to the newly created role of president of global operations and construction, which puts him in charge of design and building for all Sands projects worldwide. It’s a thankless task but expectations for Sands have fallen so low that if Stone effects even a modest improvement it will seem a triumph.
