CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Macau Slot Co Ltd
POWER SCORE: 565
POSITION LAST YEAR: 50
CLAIMS TO FAME
- Oversees Macau’s only licensed sports betting operator
FOUNDED IN THE MID-1980s under Stanley Ho’s STDM gambling empire, Macau SLOT Co Ltd holds the only sports betting concession in Macau.
But exactly how long that’s the case remains to be seen, with the government revealing earlier this year that while Macau Slot’s concession had been renewed for another three years until June 2024, it is no longer exclusive. It’s a significant change in Macau’s ever-evolving gaming landscape, with the idea of liberalizing Macau’s sports betting industry having long been touted as a means of diversifying the casino economy.
For now at least, CEO Stephen Ho can take heart in the fact his company still provides the SAR’s only online gambling of any form (horse racing aside).
Macau Slot was granted Macau’s only franchise to accept betting on football in 1998, adding basketball two years later. In 2002, when the Macau SAR Government was handing out concessions to casino operators, Macau Slot became the holder of Macau’s only sports betting concession – a monopoly concession it has held until now.
However, even sports betting hasn’t been immune to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic: Macau’s gross revenue from instant lotteries and sports betting reached just MOP$543 million (US$67.9 million) in 2020, according to information from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau.
For the full list of 2021 Asian Gaming Power 50 winners, click here.
