16 Kevin Kelley
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, MACAU
Galaxy Entertainment Group
POWER SCORE: 1,359
POSITION LAST YEAR: 16
CLAIMS TO FAME
Helped launch the Venetian Macao in 2007
Decades of experience in senior management, specializing in mass market
Kevin Kelley was handed the key role of Chief Operating Officer for Galaxy Entertainment Group’s Macau operations in 2015, having built a reputation for getting the job done. Three years on and that decision continues to pay off.
Galaxy, more than any other Macau gaming operator, continues to show how it’s done – combining iconic resorts boasting a comprehensive array of offerings with the very best service the city has to offer. Kelley’s appointment was a nod to Galaxy’s evolution from a VIP-reliant business to one more mass market-ready and the company is now a dominant player in both sectors. As has become the norm, both sectors saw strong growth in 3Q18 with VIP up 14% year-on-year and mass up 9%.
While predictions of a coming downturn promise to impact all Macau concessionaires, Union Gaming analyst Grant Govertsen is particularly bullish on Galaxy, stating in a recent note that “we continue to view Galaxy as the best operator in the market today and would expect them to notably outperform in the event of a down market, given customer preference for Galaxy product/experience with all other things being equal.”
One potential setback facing Galaxy is expected delays to the company’s Phase 3 launch – originally scheduled for 2019 – until mid-2020. Yet that seems to be only delaying the inevitable for a company with a strong track record of giving the market what it wants.
And Kelley is certainly no stranger to high pressure situations. His 40 years of industry experience include previous roles as Senior Vice President of Operations at Las Vegas Sands – where he helped open the Venetian Macao in 2007 – as well as various senior positions with Station Casinos in Nevada.
Kelley was handed a difficult assignment given the state of the Macau market at the time of his appointment, but Galaxy boss Francis Lui couldn’t have asked too much more from him in the three years since.
For the full list of 2018 Asian Gaming Power 50 winners, click here.
