Former Marina Bay Sands executive Andrew MacDonald is set to join the company’s Singapore rival Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), IAG has learned.
According to sources, RWS management held a meeting on Friday night at which the company’s CEO, Tan Hee Teck, informed key staff of the move. MacDonald, who will start from 1 September, will oversee gaming operations and casino marketing across the integrated resort.
His appointment at RWS comes just 12 months after MacDonald stepped down as Corporate Senior Vice President and Chief Casino Officer at MBS operator Las Vegas Sands.
A veteran of four decades in the industry, MacDonald’s career began as a dealer at Australia’s Wrest Point Casino in Hobart, Tasmania, before he became a regulator in Queensland.
He logged stints at Genting, Crown and Jupiters Gold Coast – now The Star Gold Coast – before leaving gaming for investment banking as Managing Director and Co-Global head of Macquarie Capital.
LVS tapped MacDonald to join MBS in January 2010 where he eventually moved into a corporate role in 2012, rising to the role of Chief Casino Officer for the company globally. His duties included casino performance analysis and strategic recommendations for every Las Vegas Sands and Sands China Limited property.
Industry insiders have long said MacDonald has one of the sharpest mathematical minds in the gaming business and his influence on the industry can be felt across the planet – from Australia to Macau, Las Vegas to Singapore – and in his teachings to quite literally tens of thousands of casino workers on the world’s gaming floors.
His appointment by RWS now places him in direct competition with his former employer as he looks to grow the company’s Singapore market share. According to analysts, MBS has traditionally held between 55% and 60% of Singapore’s gross gaming revenues in recent years.
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