Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | December 2012 46 INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS Caesars Appoints New Chief Financial Officer Caesars Entertainment Inc. went outside the gaming industry and named Donald Colvin as chief financial officer on 15th December. Mr Colvin served in a similar position with ON Semiconductor Corp from April 2003 until October. Before joining ON Semiconductor, he held a number of financial leadership and CFO positions with Atmel Corporation, European Silicon Structures and several financial roles at Motorola Inc. Mr Colvin replaces Jonathan Halkyard, who left the casino operator in the summer to become CFO at NV Energy. Mr Donald brings to Caesars more than two decades of financial leadership experience and a track record in driving financial strategy, managing complex balance sheets, executing and integrating acquisitions, and increasing shareholder value,” Caesars Chairman Gary Loveman said in a statement. “His experience will be a valuable addition to Caesars Entertainment, as we execute our strategy to expand our distribution network and further improve our capital structure.” Mr Colvin is a director and chairman of the audit committee of Isola Group and was previously a director of Applied Micro Circuits Corp. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and an MBA from the University of Strathclyde in Scotland. “Caesars has a strong operating business and ambitious growth plans,”Mr Colvin said.“I look forward to working with Gary, the senior management team and my new colleagues to drive the company’s future growth and success.” TransAct Signs New EPICENTRAL Contract Across All Spielbanken BW Casinos TransAct Technologies Incorporated, a global leader in market- specific solutions, including printers, terminals, software and other products for transaction-based and other industries, announced on 29th November that it has signed a new contract to install the EPICENTRAL Print System across all Baden-Württembergische SpielbankenGmbH&Co. KG(“SpielbankBW”) groupcasinoproperties in Germany. The EPICENTRAL® Print System will be connected to 500 slot machines and is projected to go live in various stages in 2013. The initial installation will be at Casino Konstanz, with EPICENTRAL being extended to Spielbank BW’s other prestige gaming operations at Casino Baden-Baden and Casino Stuttgart. “We are delighted to announce our first international contract to install the EPICENTRAL Print System at Spielbank BW casinos,” said Bart C. Shuldman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TransAct Technologies. “Spielbank BW casino properties pride themselves on their customer service focus and the promotion of responsible gaming. The EPICENTRAL Print System will allow casino management to deliver these objectives to their patrons directly at the slot machine.” As part of the installation process, Spielbank BW has upgraded all printers in their slotmachines to theTransAct Epic950®printer inorder to ensure full usage of the EPICENTRAL Print System.“EPICENTRALwill be a key element in our responsible gaming strategy and gives our management teams the ability to track, manage and communicate with our valued customers across our gaming floors in real time,”said OttoWulferding, CEO of Spielbank BW Casinos.“We believe that such a flexible, coupon-based print system at the machine will enhance our marketing activities and our support for our visitors and regular clients.” Adelson Political Bankroll to Grow After contributing as much as US$150 million to Republican campaigns and causes to become the top GOP political donor this year, Las Vegas Sands Corp Chairman Sheldon Adelson isn’t putting away his checkbook. Instead, the billionaire casino magnate has vowed to double his contributions during the 2016 wide-open White House contest, becoming an unparalleled political power broker courted by Republican leaders on Capitol Hill and presidential hopefuls alike. Mr Adelson’s millions also may help rebuild the Republican Party in Nevada and finance efforts to reach out to Hispanics, a key voting bloc, GOP insiders and fundraisers say. “By the time 2015 rolls around, Mr Adelson will probably be on a first-name basis with every Republican candidate serious about pursuing the nomination,” said Jennifer Duffy, an analyst with The Cook Political Report. Indeed, this year Mr Adelson and his wife, Miriam, had become first-name friendly with GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, as the Las Vegans gave $30 million to a political action committee, Restore Our Future, that backed Romney’s campaign. Mr Adelson, a passionate supporter of Israel, attended a foreign policy speech Romney gave in Jerusalem last summer. And the Sands boss met Romney in private several times in Las Vegas. “I don’t know how it is that Sheldon Adelson got in the front row,” Romney joked at a private $1 million fundraiser on 21st September at Red Rock Resort. Behind the scenes, Mr Adelson also met with Romney’s running mate, US Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who could be a presidential candidate in 2016. And the political kingmaker chatted with US Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who campaigned in Las Vegas for Romney and is a potential 2016 White House contender. At a post-election Republican Governors Association convention in November, state leaders paid their respects to Mr Adelson while One of Spielbank BW’s casinos Money’s no object—Sheldon Adelson