Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming June 2016 6 Dr Allan Zeman is an Asian business icon. A former clothing importer, he moved to Hong Kong in 1975 to pursue his growing business interests in the region and soon found himself playing a key role in the development of the city. Zeman was responsible for turning Lan Kwai Fong into the thriving bar and restaurant district it is today. He is also heavily involved in the gaming, construction, shipping, fashion and film industries and sits on the board of a number of companies including Wynn Resorts, Alibaba, the Hong Kong Airport Authority, Hong Kong Tourism Commission and many more. IAG CEO Andrew W Scott sat down with Dr Zeman to chat about the future of Macau. Cover Story By Andrew W Scott IAG: Let’s start with the crackdown on corruption that has impacted the Macau gaming industry so heavily. The word crackdown implies temporary – something that starts and then ends – but will there be an end? Allan Zeman: I think the crackdown, if that’s what you want to call it, will not end. The crackdown will continue. I think that the system before in China was such that although it was illegal, it was the norm. China is still a developing society and I’ve seen it happen in other countries too. I’ve seen it happen in many Southeast Asian countries and it still exists in many of them. When President Xi Jinping came into power, he realized that social media was changing perceptions. In the old days, nobody knew. But once you start to see government leaders going out to cut a ribbon at some event and wearing a high priced watch, on their salaries, people start to say, “Hey, where do these guys get the money?” Corruption was becoming rampant to the point where it was part of society because the GDP of China was growing 13, 14, 15% and there was a lot of different kinds of money in the economy to make up that number. The government realized that this would destroy the Communist Party – destroy China as a whole – because more millennials were becoming much more aware thanks to social media. There was a change taking place. The government was clever enough to realize that they had to clean up or change the perception. Xi Jinping arrested Bo Xilai first and then Zhou Yongkang – they are a few great examples of Dr Allan ZemaN talks Macau