IAG introduces the nine members of the judging panel who have determined this year’s Asian Gaming Power 50 list.
Andrew W Scott is Vice Chairman and CEO of Inside Asian Gaming (IAG) and CEO of parent Complete Media Group (CMG), one of the most influential gaming media and event platforms worldwide, with a strong Asia-Pacific focus. His career spans high-stakes gambling, regulatory advocacy and media leadership, giving him unique insight into the global gaming ecosystem.
Born in Australia, Andrew began his professional career in the mid-1980s with a Chartered Accounting firm, working in financial accounting, income tax, audit and liquidation, while also frequenting casinos. In 1993 he launched a sports betting business in Vanuatu before returning to Australia as a base to travel extensively, visiting over 200 casinos across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. A regular guest on leading Australian programs including Four Corners, Sky News, A Current Affair, Today Tonight, and The Midday Show, he helped shape debate on gambling fairness and regulation.
Relocating to Hong Kong in 2005 and Macau in 2009, Andrew founded O MEDIA and launched World Gaming. In 2015 O MEDIA acquired IAG, then an English-only monthly magazine. As CEO, he expanded its magazine, grew asgam.com, launched the daily IAG Breakfast Briefing, added Chinese-language coverage, and built a thriving events business. On 1 January 2020 he was also appointed Vice Chairman. On 1 January 2025, IAG merged with US-based CDC Gaming, both becoming subsidiaries of newly formed CMG, of which Andrew became CEO.
Named 2014 Macau Person of the Year, Andrew is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Directors, a permanent member of the Macau Gaming Management Association, and former Vice Chairman of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Macau.
Ben began his career as a sports journalist in Sydney in 1999, working for a number of leading news publications before his interest was piqued by the TV poker shows that frequented the airwaves late at night. He soon found himself not only playing the game but writing about it too – taking on the role of Editor for PokerNews Australasia and subsequently visiting Macau for the very first time in 2008.
He was appointed Managing Editor of World Gaming Magazine (WGM) in February 2013, later overseeing the company’s editorial catalogue including High Life, Hengqin Record and more. He was appointed Chief Content Officer in 2017.
In 2016, Ben became Managing Editor of Inside Asian Gaming and has spent his years since then delving ever more deeply into the business of gaming. He was instrumental in the launch of the industry-leading daily e-newsletter IAG Breakfast Briefing in April 2017 and in the development of the IAG Academy Summit and IAG Academy Awards, launched in September 2023.
Grant Bowie was formerly Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited until his retirement on 31 May 2020. He was responsible for the overall management, strategic development and expansion of the company including the direction and operations of MGM Macau and MGM Cotai. Grant joined MGM in August 2008 as President. Prior to this, he was President and General Manager of Wynn Resorts in Macau from 2003 to 2007. Before arriving in Macau, Grant spent 16 years with Park Place Entertainment Corporation in Australia, holding senior positions in gaming, general finance and hotel operations. His last position held was Area Senior Vice President for Park Place Entertainment Corporation overseeing all Australian operations.
Grant was educated in New Zealand and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of Otago in 1980. He was recognized by leading financial publication Institutional Investor as “Best CEO” in the All-Asia Executive Team survey for three consecutive years from 2015 to 2017.
He is currently a Member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming at the University of Macau and an adjunct professor of Tourism and Leisure Management at University of Queensland.
Professor Davis Fong, PhD in Quantitative Economics from Tsinghua University, is Director of the Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming as well as Professor of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management in the Faculty of Business Administration, University of Macau.
Pursuit of academic interests has led him to study different aspects of gambling and related issues, such as the social and economic impacts of gambling, Chinese gambler behavior, gambling disorders, responsible gambling, visitor profile studies, casino operations, tourism management and more. Prof. Fong has been responsible for more than 50 gambling and tourism related research projects for the Macao SAR Government.
He was appointed by the Government as a member of the Tourism Development Committee and of the Consultative Committee of Statistics, MSAR (UM Representative). Appointed by the Chief Executive, Prof. Fong was a former Deputy of the Sixth Legislative Assembly of Macao (2017~2021).
David Green is an accomplished gaming and governance consultant with experience across multiple jurisdictions. He was previously Director of the Gaming Practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers (Macau) Limitada. An Australian citizen, he is also a Permanent Resident of Macau. He retired as a Partner of PwC in 2004 but rejoined in 2005 to assist in the further development of the firm’s presence in the Asian gaming industry.
He lived in Macau for more than 14 years and worked with the SAR Government in relation to the liberalization and regulation of the casino industry.
David is both a qualified lawyer and accountant, with considerable experience in gaming, including seven years (1995 to 2002) as a member and Chairman of the Independent Gambling Authority of South Australia, which regulated the Adelaide casino, bookmaking, community-based machine games, sports betting and racing industries. He is a former Commissioner for Consumer Affairs in South Australia, in which capacity he represented the state in negotiations for Australia’s new Competition Law. He is a former director of Donaco International, until recently listed on the ASX, which conducts gaming and associated operations in Vietnam and Cambodia.
David holds a Masters degree in Law from the University of Melbourne, an MBA with Honours from IMD, Lausanne, and a Commerce degree, also from the University of Melbourne. He was admitted to legal practice in Australia in 1977.
Professor Desmond Lam is a life member of Clare Hall at the University of Cambridge and an honorary scholar of the School of Continuing Education at the Hong Kong Baptist University. He is one of the judges for the International Gaming Awards and G2E Asia Awards and a regional assistant editor for the scholarly journal International Gambling Studies. Desmond has written and presented extensively on IR-related issues, and his articles are featured in premier trade publications. He is the author of two books: Chopsticks and Gambling and Casino Management in Integrated Resorts.
Desmond is the recipient of several research and industry awards including the Cambridge Clare Hall Fellowship and the Emerging Leader trophy at the 2016 Asia Gaming Awards.
He has lectured in Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau and Malaysia and has conducted numerous university courses as well as executive workshops in gaming, marketing, tourism and hospitality.
Ronald Pineda, or “Peepo” as he is fondly called, is a highly respected and visionary leader in the gaming industry, admired for his strong leadership, innovative thinking and integrity. With more than 30 years of combined regulatory and operational experience, he is recognized for delivering results while upholding the highest standards of fairness, operational excellence and commitment to responsible gaming practices.
He spent more than three decades with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), holding senior leadership positions in both Casino Filipino operations and the Corporate Licensing & Regulatory Group. Rising to Vice President and serving on the Executive Committee, he played a pivotal role in modernizing gaming operations, enhancing efficiency and helping PAGCOR consistently achieve and exceed its revenue targets. His initiatives included the deployment of advanced gaming technologies and cost efficient strategies that strengthened transparency and compliance.
Currently, he is President of Boom Games and Leisure Corporation, a PAGCOR licensed gaming operator, where he oversees overall business strategy, operational performance and compliance across multiple gaming initiatives. His leadership focuses on sustainable growth, service excellence and responsible gaming practices, ensuring the company delivers value to its stakeholders and trusted entertainment to its patrons.
He is a partner of gaming-focused advisory True Gems Inc, serves as Director of Hong Kong-based technology company Thenix Solutions Limited and remains a sought-after consultant for gaming companies in Asia and Europe.
Rui is the Managing Partner of MdME and heads the firm’s Gaming practice.
He acts for casino operators, sports betting companies, technology providers and gaming regulators in Macau and across the Asia-Pacific region. He has been distinguished as “Emerging Leader of the Year” in the 2017 Asia Gaming Awards and has been consistently ranked Band 1 on Chambers and Partners’ Asia-Pacific: Gaming & Gambling.
Rui founded and has chaired the “Lex Mundi Gaming Solution”, a network of law firms covering over 25 gaming jurisdictions around the world, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the “International Association of Gaming Advisors”.
Heather Scheibenstock has an extensive background in corporate leadership and in the gaming industry. Her experience spans various high-level roles, including non-executive director and sub-committee chair positions across ASX-listed companies, crown land trusts and nonprofits related to disability and health.
She currently serves on the board of Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd, where she is the Chair of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee and a member of the Audit and Risk Committee. She has also been a board member at SenSen Networks Ltd, a leading AI solutions provider, where she was an executive director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee.
Heather’s strategic and operational leadership experience is both local and international, with significant expertise in Asia. She has held senior roles such as Senior Vice President of Table Games at Solaire Resorts in the Philippines, Managing Director of Australian Gaming & Entertainment, and General Manager of the Gaming Executive Leadership Team at Echo Entertainment Group/The Star in Sydney, and Jupiters on the Gold Coast, Australia.
In addition to her corporate roles, Heather is Managing Director of Innovation of Business, a consulting company that provides strategic consulting services to global businesses, focusing on business improvement, growth strategies and change and transformation. She is also a fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia.
For the full list of 2025 Asian Gaming Power 50 winners, click here.
