Legal expert Anthony Cabot, a member of the Advisory Board for the three-day industry Summit at this year's Macao Gaming Show (MGS) 2015, has called for frank talk about the Macau and neighbouring markets at the crucial autumn gathering at the Asian industry's premier gaming event.
Talking ahead of his body's announcement on the theme and speaker line-up at this year's conference at MGS (Venetian Macao, 17-19 November 2015), Cabot has advised the industry that it should expect "valuable discussions" on the developing markets both in Macau and beyond into the Asian Pacific region as the Chinese government's major investment programme - One Belt One Road (OBOR) - kicks in.
Speaking to media in Las Vegas, Anthony Cabot, a partner at the influential legal firm Lewis Roca Rothgerber (LRR), discussed the direction of this year's MGS summit: "We all want to hear about the challenges that other regions had during the period of maturation and whether those challenges are applicable to the situation in Macau. Those are the kinds of discussions that are most valuable."
This year’s conference at the Macao Gaming Show delivers an almost perfect piece of timing for gaming and leisure executives from Asia and around the world, a point not lost on gaming law expert Cabot and his Advisory Board members. The Summit takes place in the centre of a region where fundamental changes are currently underway, not just in the opening up of new markets such as Cambodia and potentially Japan, but also through the Beijing-inspired One Belt One Road project. OBOR is likely to transform the entire Asia Pacific region through a programme of vast investment in the infrastructures of key regional hubs from Macau through to the entire ‘Silk Road’ trading area.
“Macau is significant. It’s such a huge market,” declared Cabot. “Other markets may impact Macau, but when you look at the sheer size of it, Macau is the sun and everyone else are the planets.”
So much so, Cabot and his Advisory Board members at the MGS summit have been assessing this development with serious intent as the organisers have been quick to confirm: "Macau is at the heart of this wave of development and this year’s Summit at the Macao Gaming Show will be a significant platform in exploring the ideas and concepts that will deliver increasing revenues and growth."
Cabot, a Lewis Roca Rothgerber (LRR) partner, is a man who clearly understands the marketplace. Described by industry peers worldwide as the ‘absolute master’ of gaming law, he has seen Macau’s influence swell internationally throughout his career. And as part of an expert advisory board line-up for the Macao Gaming Show's annual summit, he sees the diverse international presence at the show as a rare opportunity to put this emerging market in context.
“There’s this interconnectivity between the markets that you just can’t ignore,” he commented. “Taking Nevada as an example - which is where I live and where I work out of - the expansion of the Asian gaming offer has had an enormous impact here. Our baccarat numbers have soared as a result of the interplay between customers coming to Macau and customers coming to the US.”
Having been at the forefront of interpreting and shaping Nevada’s own gaming law during a transitional time, Cabot is cautiously optimistic that discussions between thought leaders from the different markets can bring about fresh insights into Macau’s position.
He concluded: “I’m most engaged when I go to a panel featuring speakers who know about Macau’s gaming economy alongside speakers from more mature markets.
“One of the things MGS does particularly well is that it gives a lot of time and effort to the quality of its presentations,” he commented. “Once you hit on relevant topics, you have informed speakers and you encourage audience participation, then you have a high quality summit, and it’s the quality of the summit that speaks louder than anything else.”
Details of this year’s Macao Gaming Show summit will be unveiled in the coming weeks - to read the Anthony Cabot interview in full, please click here.
For more information and to register for the Summit at this year's Macao Gaming Show, visit
www.macaogamingshow.com.
