Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming september 2016 28 Asian Gaming POWER 50 2 0 1 6 has enjoyed in revitalizing Hong Kong racing and leading it confidently into the 21st century. Nearly one-quarter of the world’s top 25 races are now run in Hong Kong. The club has had more than 20 horses in the world rankings in each of the last three seasons – up from the one it had when Engelbrecht-Bresges joined the club in 1998 as director of racing. To ensure the streak continues, two high-profile stakes races will see their prizes boosted by a combined HK$6 million in 2016-17. Class racing prizes will rise more than 5% on average. In all, a record HK$1.1 billion-plus is scheduled to be awarded. Commingling of wagering – bets placed on Hong Kong races from overseas – is “a key growth driver going forward,” as the CEO put it and took a huge step forward in 2014 when the United States was added as a partner. With the United Kingdom and Canada joining during the first half of this season, the club projects the commingling turnover to grow another 25% this year. Engelbrecht-Bresges also gets high marks for his pursuit of closer ties with China. The strategy got into gear in 2014 with the opening of a betting venue in Beijing and has really taken off with the construction of a 150-hectare training center in the Conghua district of Guangdong province. It’s scheduled for completion in 2018. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges CEO Hong Kong Jockey Club Power 1,571 last 42 Score year Claims to fame Driving force behind the modernization and revitalization of the HKJC Manages over HK$200 billion in betting turnover 17 Kazuo Okada CHAIRMAN Universal Entertainment Power 1,567 last 10 Score year Claims to Fame Opening the biggest casino resort in the Philippines Steve Wynn’s deposed partner, embroiled in a bitter lawsuit over his ousting New resort carries many signs of his Wynn history, including its name: Okada 18 Turnover was down 1.7% in the Hong Kong Jockey Club season that ended in July, but Chief Executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges expects to reverse that handily in the new season with the addition of five more races, beefed up purses and expanded and upgraded areas for fans to enjoy the action at the club’s two courses. Despite the dip in turnover, the first in seven years, the 2015-16 season generated the second-best volumes in HKJC history. That’s good news for the city of Hong Kong. The Jockey Club, which is run as a non-profit, is the city’s largest taxpayer and benefactor of charitable and community causes. Certainly it’s hasn’t dimmed the success Engelbrecht-Bresges