Chairman
Taiwan Lottery Co
POWER SCORE: 798
POSITION LAST YEAR: NIL
CLAIMS TO FAME
- Heads one of Asia’s largest lotteries
LIKE MAINLAND CHINA, Taiwan has a dual Welfare Lottery and Sports Lottery structure under government control. Unlike China, Taiwan’s lottery operations have been awarded to private companies and have been allowed to expand into online sales without interruption to the present day.
Taiwan Lottery Co is the operating company behind the Welfare Lottery arm, and Steve Hsieh, a former secretary-general of Taiwan’s executive branch of government, has evolved into a veteran gaming figure after taking over the lottery in 2010.
With the DPP government renewing Taiwan Lottery Co’s license to run the Welfare Lottery for another decade earlier this year, Hsieh’s leadership has been vindicated, especially given some controversy during his 2008-2009 stint as secretary-general of the executive branch under a KMT government.
As with the Taiwan Sports Lottery, the Welfare Lottery is operated by the Chinatrust Commercial Bank, with partners including Greek gaming heavyweight Intralot, and recent years have seen revenue go from strength to strength despite pandemic disruption.
And it is the Welfare Lottery, whose government revenue is directed to the needy and the underprivileged, that is the champion of the industry, pulling NT$131.7 billion in sales in 2021 (US$4.8 billion at the time) and looking set to improve slightly on that figure this year.
For the full list of 2022 Asian Gaming Power 50 winners, click here.
