Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming June 2016 12 Industry profile IAG: Thanks for taking some time out to chat with us Christopher, can you tell us a bit about your early years and your memories from before you entered the gaming industry? Christopher Rowe: It’s funny – you say before the industry but there really was no before the industry. I was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey and my father was with Harrah’s casino at the time. We basically followed Harrah’s. We went from Atlantic City to Memphis, Tennessee where the company’s former headquarters were located then to Las Vegas. I spent my last couple of years in high school in Las Vegas. I had some fun jobs at that point – I was a life guard on the Strip, I worked at a Country Club and then I transitioned into the suppliers’ side of the gaming industry. IAG: Would it be fair to say then that you were always destined to work in the industry? CR: I’d like to think I could have changed that but if you believe in fate, that’s probably the case. My father started off as Director of Entertainment looking after computers in Atlantic City. Then he made Riding the wave Given his father Bruce is considered a legend of the gaming industry following a career spanning more than three decades with Harrah’s, GTECH and Bally, it comes as no surprise to find Christopher Rowe making similar strides with leading slot machine manufacturer Aristocrat. Having previously spent time working in Las Vegas and Sydney, Rowe moved to Macau last year to take up the role of Sales & Business Development Director – Asia Pacific. He spoke to IAG’s Ben Blaschke about his journey.