Macau-based casino operator Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) will lean on the expertise of a former Melco Crown executive in the execution of its expansion ambitions in Japan.
In a statement, GEG announced on Thursday the appointment of Ted Chan Ying Tat as its Chief Operating Officer – Japan Development. Chan will be responsible for overseeing the company’s bid for a Japanese integrated resort license.
Chan was tapped for the position because of his extensive gaming resort, hospitality and business development experience that he gained “through many years of involvement at one of Macau’s integrated resorts,” according to GEG.
In a statement, GEG Vice Chairman Francis Lui said he’s confident Chang will “successfully drive the execution” of the casino operator’s “Japan international expansion ambitions.”
Chan made a name for himself in the global gambling scene after Melco Crown Entertainment plucked him from a unit of the Amax brand in November 2008. After four years, Chan was appointed as Melco’s chief operating officer. Chan decided to step down from his post in November 2016, citing “personal reasons.”
For international brokerage Sanford Bernstein, hiring Chan to lead the company’s Japanese expansion is “positive for Galaxy.”
“The company has been positioning itself as a strong potential candidate for a Japan integrated resort development if the gaming process were to move forward,” Bernstein analysts Vitaly Umansky, Zhen Gong, and Cathy Huang said.
Meanwhile, GEG also announced the nomination of Michael Mecca to the company’s board of directors.
Mecca was GEG’s president and chief operating officer for its Macau operations in 2009, before he was appointed president for international development in 2015.
“Galaxy has had an office in Tokyo for over three years and has been actively involved in discussions surrounding legalization of casinos in Japan. While Mike Mecca has been leading the effort on international development opportunities, including Japan, the time was ripe to put a seasoned well experienced executive on the ground to heighten the effort as legalization moves potentially closer to fruition,” the analysts said.
