IAG introduces the seven members of the judging panel who have determined this year’s Asian Gaming Power 50 list.
Andrew is a gaming industry expert and media publisher, commentator and advisor. He has 38 years industry experience and has lived in Macau for more than 15 years.
He is Vice Chairman and CEO of Inside Asian Gaming (IAG) and parent company O MEDIA. IAG publishes a monthly magazine and a daily email newsletter sent to around 28,000 industry recipients. IAG’s website, asgam.com, is the highest ranked B2B gaming industry media website in the world. Its LinkedIn account has around 31,000 followers.
IAG produces numerous gaming industry business and social events, operates a consulting and advisory unit and publishes several trade show print newspapers. The company recently announced a planned merger with US-based industry news outlet CDC Gaming, effective 1 January 2025.
Andrew completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Australia in 1992 and a Master of Science in International Integrated Resort Management (Honors) in Macau in 2019. He has established and operated a retail sports betting business, a professional casino training school and an IR poker room.
Andrew is a permanent member of the Macau Gaming Management Association, a member of the Poker Tournament Directors Association, a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Directors, a member of the International Federation of Journalists and a member of the Portuguese and English Press Association of Macau.
Ben began his career as a sports journalist in Sydney in 1999, working for a number of leading news publications before his interest was piqued by the TV poker shows that frequented the airwaves late at night. He soon found himself not only playing the game but writing about it too – taking on the role of Editor for PokerNews Australasia and subsequently visiting Macau for the very first time in 2008.
He was appointed Managing Editor of World Gaming Magazine (WGM) in February 2013, later overseeing O MEDIA’s editorial catalogue including High Life, Hengqin Record and more. He was appointed Chief Content Officer in 2017.
In 2016, Ben became Managing Editor of Inside Asian Gaming and has spent his years since then delving ever more deeply into the business of gaming. He was instrumental in the launch of the industry-leading daily e-newsletter IAG Breakfast Briefing in April 2017 and in the development of the IAG Academy Summit and IAG Academy Awards, held in September 2023 and again in September 2024.
Grant Bowie was formerly Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited until his retirement on 31 May 2020. He was responsible for the overall management, strategic development and expansion of the company including the direction and operations of MGM Macau and MGM Cotai. Grant joined MGM in August 2008 as President. Prior to this, he was President and General Manager of Wynn Resorts in Macau from 2003 to 2007. Before arriving in Macau, Grant spent 16 years with Park Place Entertainment Corporation in Australia, holding senior positions in gaming, general finance and hotel operations. His last position held was Area Senior Vice President for Park Place Entertainment Corporation overseeing all Australian operations.
Grant was educated in New Zealand and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of Otago in 1980. He was recognized by leading financial publication Institutional Investor as “Best CEO” in the All-Asia Executive Team survey for three consecutive years from 2015 to 2017.
He is currently a Member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming at the University of Macau and an adjunct professor of Tourism and Leisure Management at University of Queensland.
David Green is an accomplished gaming and governance consultant with experience across multiple jurisdictions. He was previously Director of the Gaming Practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers (Macau) Limitada. An Australian citizen, he is also a Permanent Resident of Macau. He retired as a Partner of PwC in 2004, but rejoined in 2005 to assist in the further development of the firm’s presence in the Asian gaming industry.
He lived in Macau for more than 14 years and worked with the SAR Government in relation to the liberalization and regulation of the casino industry.
David is both a qualified lawyer and accountant, with considerable experience in gaming, including seven years (1995 to 2002) as a member and Chairman of the Independent Gambling Authority of South Australia, which regulated the Adelaide casino, bookmaking, community-based machine games, sports betting and racing industries. He is a former Commissioner for Consumer Affairs in South Australia, in which capacity he represented the state in negotiations for Australia’s new Competition Law. He is a former director of ASX-listed Donaco International, which conducts gaming and associated operations in Vietnam and Cambodia.
David holds a Masters degree in Law from the University of Melbourne, an MBA with Honours from IMD, Lausanne, and a Commerce degree, also from the University of Melbourne. He was admitted to legal practice in Australia in 1977.
Professor Desmond Lam is a life member of Clare Hall at the University of Cambridge and a honorary scholar of the School of Continuing Education at the Hong Kong Baptist University. He is one of the judges for the International Gaming Awards and G2E Asia Gaming Awards and a regional assistant editor for the scholarly journal International Gambling Studies. Desmond has written and presented extensively on IR-related issues and his articles are featured in premier trade publications. He is the author of two books: Chopsticks and Gambling and Casino Management in Integrated Resorts.
Desmond is the recipient of several research and industry awards including the Cambridge Clare Hall Fellowship and the Emerging Leader trophy at the 2016 Asia Gaming Awards.
He has lectured in Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau and Malaysia and has conducted numerous university courses as well as executive workshops in gaming, marketing, tourism and hospitality.
Rui serves as Managing Partner of MdME and is the head of the firm’s Gaming & Wagering practice. He has been based in Macau for the past 13 years, where he is recognized as one of the leading gaming lawyers. Rui regularly acts for gaming companies in Macau and across the Asia-Pacific region. He also assists governments in emerging markets developing their gaming policies and regulatory frameworks.
He is the only Macau lawyer ranked on Chambers and Partners’ Global Guide Rankings: Gaming & Gambling in Global Market Leaders Legal Rankings, and has been distinguished as “Emerging Leader of the Year” in the 2017 Asia Gaming Awards.
Rui is also the global chair of the “Lex Mundi Gaming Solution”, a network of law firms covering over 25 gaming jurisdictions around the world, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the “International Association of Gaming Advisors”.
Heather Scheibenstock has an extensive background in corporate leadership and in the gaming industry. Her experience spans various high-level roles, including non-executive director and sub-committee chair positions across ASX-listed companies, crown land trusts and nonprofits related to disability and health.
She currently serves on the board of Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd, where she is the Chair of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee and a member of the Audit and Risk Committee. She has also been a board member at SenSen Networks Ltd, a leading AI solutions provider, where she was an executive director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee.
Heather’s strategic and operational leadership experience is both local and international, with significant expertise in Asia. She has held senior roles such as Senior Vice President of Table Games at Solaire Resorts in the Philippines, Managing Director of Australian Gaming & Entertainment, and General Manager of the Gaming Executive Leadership Team at Echo Entertainment Group/The Star in Sydney, and Jupiters on the Gold Coast, Australia.
In addition to her corporate roles, Heather is Managing Director of Innovation of Business, a consulting company that provides strategic consulting services to global businesses, focusing on business improvement, growth strategies and change and transformation. She is also a fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia.
For the full list of 2024 Asian Gaming Power 50 winners, click here.
