25 PEOPLE TO WATCH 2025
Right Place , Right Time
David Patent Executive Vice President of Casino Operations , Wynn Al Marjan Island
F
or David Patent , the chance to join the team at Wynn Al Marjan came just at the right time . He was CEO of the gaming analytics firm VizExplorer and the company was going through a transition , so the time was right .
Patent had a long history in the Harrah ’ s / Caesars Entertainment organization , and later was COO at Rush Street Gaming , responsible for opening up some of that company ’ s early casinos . So operations was second nature to him . The interview process at Wynn was not complicated , he says . “ They wheeled out the design drawings for the project , showed me a bunch of materials about it and asked if I wanted to be involved ,” he explains . “ Of course I said ‘ Sure .’ That was a nanosecond decision .
“ To be able to be the first entrant in a non-existent , but incredibly dynamic market where there is so much innovation , growth and development happening ? To be within a half-day flight to 70 percent or 80 percent of the world ’ s population ? To have no competition around you and to be the owner of the leading brand in the world ? How could you not want to be part of that ? It ’ s the opportunity of a lifetime .”
Patent will report to the property ’ s president , Max Tappeiner , who was a member of the 2023 class of 25 People to Watch .
“ Max has been great so far ,” he says , “ and I ’ m looking forward to working closely with him as we approach the opening .”
Patent was involved with Harrah ’ s and Caesars when the corporate culture was the best in the business . He says the Wynn corporate culture should be the model for all gaming companies .
“ It ’ s the absolute dedication to providing the best experience for your customers ,” he says . “ When you do that , your customers don ’ t leave you .”
Although Wynn is a public company with a responsibility to its shareholders , Patent believes that its long-term focus is what makes it great .
“ We ’ re looking at long-term customer value as opposed to customer margins ,” he says . “ That ’ s really how we think about the customers . We want this customer not for five years , but for 20 , 30 , 40 — we want to be the only place that they come to , or at least their preferred place . You can ’ t put a price tag on that , frankly .”
Coming from the supplier side with VizExplorer , Patent has a unique ability to mix his gaming operations experience with his analytical approach to the casino . He ’ s interested in how the players in Europe will respond to the opening of Wynn Al Marjan and also expects to attract lots of visitors from the Pacific Rim . With the expansive resorts in Singapore , Wynn can most likely change the gaming patterns of at least some of those players .
But for Patent , it ’ s going to be an interesting ride . — Roger Gros
Sam ’ s the Man
Sam Hou Fai Chief Executive , Macau
No casino jurisdiction was hit harder during the Covid pandemic than Macau when the Chinese government instituted its “ zero-Covid ” policy . Up until that time , Macau had been smashing every gross gaming revenue record of any gaming jurisdiction in history , reaching US $ 29 billion in 2019 , the last full year before Covid . In 2023 , it had bounced back to about 60 percent of the 2019 total , $ 22.3 billion . In the meantime , however , all of the licensees had to renew their concessions , and under then-chief executive Ho Iat Seng , the companies were required to invest billions of dollars in non-gaming amenities to attract a wider range of visitors and diversify the economy . Most of the companies agreed reluctantly , since most had already sunk billions into non-gaming , with uncertain results .
In his final address on the gaming industry , Ho predicted that in 2025 , GGR would exceed that of 2019 and reach $ 29.9 billion . This should ease the concerns of the concessionaires , but the entrance of the new chief executive , Sam Hou Fai , hasn ’ t been very comforting .
Prior to his election , Sam said about gaming , “ For a period of time , the tourism and gaming industry developed in a disorderly manner and expanded wildly ,” which “ is not beneficial for Macau ’ s long-term development .”
All this follows a serious crackdown on the junket industry , which resulted in the majority of junket operators closing up shop and some even being imprisoned . This has caused the gaming industry to change the way it attracts customers and has forced it to focus more on the “ premium mass ” market , rather than the whales brought in by junkets .
Sam backed off his more critical comments soon after his nearly unanimous election . He said he has five policies that he wants to emphasize : enhancing public governance capabilities and standards ; speeding the development of a diversified economy ; better integrating into and serving the overall development of the country ; improving the institutional mechanism for education , science and technology talents ; and protecting and improving peoples ’ livelihoods .
“ There are about 23,000 dealers employed in Macau , involving thousands of local families , and their employment is part of the protection of Macau ’ s social stability ,” he said .
Economic diversification remains , however , not only one of Sam ’ s principal goals , but also the Chinese government . Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed a desire that the former Portuguese colony can promote healthy and sustainable economic development and diversify its economy . Some of the ways Sam wants to accomplish that is via nongaming tourism , traditional Chinese medicine , finance , exhibition and commerce .
With Macau casino GGR almost back to normal , Sam needs to focus on the economy , and the recent appointment of his cabinet reflects that desire . The appointment most important to the casinos would be Tai Kin Ip , the former director of the Economic Services Bureau , who becomes the secretary for economy and finance . Tai said that he would allocate additional resources for “ appropriate economic diversification .” — Patrick Roberts
34 Global Gaming Business JANUARY 2025