In this regular feature in IAG to celebrate 21 years covering the Asian gaming and leisure industry, we look back at our cover story from exactly 10 years ago, “The Asian Gaming Power 50,” to rediscover what was making the news in September 2016!
Back in 2016, Inside Asian Gaming’s annual Asian Gaming Power 50 was published in September – paying homage to the tradition that had begun back in 2008.
Needless to say, it was a different time to the November release the industry has since become accustomed too. And some of the names on the Power 50 a decade ago highlight just how much can change in a relatively short space of time.
In 2016, Las Vegas Sands Corp founder Sheldon Adelson, who passed away in 2021, was No.1 on the Power 50 list and in the middle of a run of six consecutive years at the very top.
In fact, only four of the Top 10 that year are still in the mix for those elite positions today: Francis Lui who ranked second, Genting’s Lim Kok Thay in third, Melco’s Lawrence Ho in fourth and Sands China’s Dr Wilfred Wong who rounded out the Top 10 in tenth spot.
Who else was in that group? Steve Wynn, who unceremoniously exited his own company in 2018, was fifth, followed in consecutive order by SJM’s Angela Leong, then-MGM China CEO Grant Bowie, another SJM veteran in Ambrose So and Crown Resorts owner James Packer in ninth.
There were plenty of other interesting names just outside the Top 10 as well. Jim Murren, at the time the CEO of MGM Resorts and now Chairman of the UAE’s General Commercial Gambling Regulatory Authority, was at No.12, while Suncity’s Alvin Chau, Genting Singapore’s Tan Hee Teck, Kazuo Okada and NagaCorp’s Dr Chen Lip Keong were all prominent.
Do you remember these names who also appeared on the list in 2016: Star Entertainment Group’s Matt Bekier, Crown’s Rowen Craigie, Macau Legend’s David Chow and Best Sunshine’s Mark Brown?
Of course, the 2016 list also provided a preview of some names that would move much higher on the list over the ensuing decade. MGM China’s Pansy Ho is now a contender for top spot, Wynn’s Linda Chen is edging the Top 10 and Tom Arasi, who ranked 50th in 2016 but moved much higher in his time at Bloomberry Resorts Corp, could be moving back into the mix in the future now that he is at Galaxy Entertainment Group.
Preparations are now underway for the 2026 Asian Gaming Power 50, to be held at Galaxy Macau on Friday 6 November, as we wait to see who has been shaking and moving in the corridors of power this time around.
