Jeff Freeman, president and chief executive of the American Game Association, says Asian casino operators are "absolutely welcome" in the U.S. 슬롯사이트
"As an industry, we welcome the competition," Mr Freeman told GGRAsia on the sidelines of the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia trade show that began this morning in Macau.
G2E Asia is co-hosted by the American Gaming Association and Reed Exhibitions. It runs through Thursday in Venetian Macao.
"Just as American companies are looking for opportunities elsewhere, others are looking for opportunities in the U.S. It\'s a sign of the strength of the market," he said.
Malaysia\'s Genting Bhd, one of Asia\'s largest casino operators, is planning casino projects in Las Vegas and upstate New York to complement existing Resorts World New York City properties.
Mr. Freeman is visiting Macau for the first time. He became the president of the American Game Association last year.
Three out of six casino operators licensed in Macau are subsidiaries of companies based in the U.S., so they are supervised by U.S. regulators. In 2009, New Jersey regulators ruled that female businessman Pansy Ho Chiu King was "inappropriate." Ho is a joint venture partner of MGM Resorts International in Macau, which owns a minority stake in Macau-based operator MGM China Holdings Ltd. With the regulators\' decision, MGM Resorts decided to leave the New Jersey market. However, in February 2013, the Las Vegas company, which still owns 50 percent of Borgata, the market leader of Atlantic City, petitioned the New Jersey Casino Control Commission to restore the company\'s gaming license to Atlantic City.
In a 2009 report, Jersey\'s gaming department wrote that Ho\'s relationship with and financial ties to the game industry mogul Stanley Ho Hung Sun, his father, and "his connection to people alleged to be linked to organised crime makes her susceptible to the influence of inappropriate people."
Mr Freeman says U.S. regulators are beginning to change their views on the Macau market.
"The U.S. regulators are coming here. They\'re looking at the market. The good thing is that the more U.S. regulators see this market, the more impressed they are with the sophistication of the regulatory model in place."
Mr. Freeman is not worried that U.S.-based game operators are increasingly looking for expansion opportunities in Asia. He added that while he remains confident about the long-term strength of the U.S. market, "Asia will continue to be a major area of opportunity."