Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming November 2015 6 W itha cinematic theme, widescreen entertainment choices, high wattage star power from its kitchens to the opening night gala stage and no VIP gaming tables, Melco Crown has raised the curtain on Studio City, Cotai’s latest integrated resort production. Melco Crown Co-Chairmen Lawrence Ho and James Packer hope their US$3.2 billion resort will be a show-stopper. Macau’s gaming industry hopes the show it stops is 17 consecutive months of declining gaming revenue. Studio City follows a new script for Macau IRs. Its 250 gaming tables granted by the government are all for mass market players. The resort has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in entertainment features, headlined by a reported US$70 million for The Audition , a short film starring Academy Award winners Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, director Martin Scorsese – all of whom attended the resort opening for the film’s debut – and Brad Pitt. Studio City bills itself as “Asia’s Entertainment Capital” with non-gaming attractions including a world’s first Batman ride, multi-stage magic show, Asia’s highest figure-eight Ferris wheel and a 5,000 seat arena where Madonna will do two shows in February, following opening night performances by Mariah Carey, Aaron Kwok and South Korea’s Sistar. “A baccarat table is a homogenous product,” Mr Ho, who is Melco Crown’s CEO, says. “What we really use to stand out from our competitors is entertainment and attractions.” He adds that Melco Crown “understood what the government wanted” regarding more non-gaming activities to make Macau a more compelling tourist destination. The resort was virtually complete when it opened to the public on October 27, missing just a handful of retail outlets and a pair of signature restaurants, including record setting Michelin star chef Alain Ducasse’s Rech, due to open next year. It’s been a very long time coming – but it’s finally here. IAG Editor At Large Muhammad Cohen was at the grand opening of Macau Studio City and took an in-depth look at the latest integrated resort to open its doors in Cotai. Cover Story Lights! Camera! Action! By Muhammad Cohen , Editor At Large Muhammad Cohen also blogs for Forbes on gaming throughout Asia and wrote Hong Kong On Air , a novel set during the 1997 handover about TV news, love, betrayal, high finance and cheap lingerie.