Working Toward Long-term Sustainability in Macao
Paulo Martins Chan, Director of the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) of Macao, will open his keynote speech by reiterating that Macao has been working very hard to diversify its economy to achieve long-term sustainability. In 2018, the Macao government will persist with the policy of “moderate scale, regulated management and sustainable development”, which means the gaming industry will not pursue expansion in scale, but focus on improving quality and utilize existing integrated resort clusters to facilitate development of non-gaming elements, ultimately achieving long-term sustainable growth and development.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: What’s Happening in the Asia Market?
Japan is inching closer to Integrated Resorts, Macau is about to start its gaming license renewal process and the Philippines market is continuing to evolve. But that’s not all. Cambodia and Vietnam are offering new gaming opportunities, Myanmar is considering whether to allow casinos and Nepal’s first legal casino has recently opened. This panel will explore the current state of affairs while evaluating what the market has learned from its past and what it is doing to shape its future. Moderated by Alidad Tash, Senior Vice President of Gaming and Strategy, for 2NT8 Limited, the panelists are:

• Kamal Bhattarai, Nepal Consul General
• Mike Bolsover, CEO, Silver Heritage
• Pedro Cortés, Senior Partner, Rato, Ling, Lei & Cortés – Advogados (Lektou) 
• Grant Govertsen, Managing Director & Head of Asia Equity Research, Union Gaming Macau
• Rui Pinto Proença, Partner, MdMe Lawyers
• Vitaly Umansky, Senior Research Analyst, Bernstein

• Karl Bennison, Chief – Enforcement Division, Nevada Gaming Control Board
• Wulf Hambach, Partner, Hambach & Hambach
• Alexandra Hoskins, Chief Operating Officer, Senet Legal
• Jennifer Roberts, Associate Director, UNLV International Center for Gaming Regulation

In recent months, the issue of gaming licensing suitability has risen to the forefront of much discussion within the global gaming industry. As suitability requires conformance with societal expectations and norms that change according to place and time, it is important to delve into the concept and its ramifications .Why does suitability really matter? Who needs to be considered suitable? Is the industry as a whole doing too much or too little? This session of legal experts will evaluate how suitability is defined in different jurisdictions, whether attorneys are best equipped to deal with cross-border implications of a party being considered unsuitable to operate gaming establishments, the ethics of advising clients on regulatory investigations into their backgrounds and more. Moderated by Scott Scherer, a Partner, with Holland  & Hart, the panelists are:

• Tracey Elkerton, Global Head of Compliance, Aristocrat
• Rui Pinto Proença, Partner, MdME Lawyers
• Marie Antonette B. Quiogue, Senior Associate, Romulo 

The Latest Trends for Integrated Resorts
In the eight years since the term “Integrated Resort” first emerged to describe Singapore’s casino complexes they have been an ongoing topic of discussion for gaming expansion worldwide. With Japan, Vietnam and Queensland, Australia all looking at new opportunities for IRs, how has the IR model changed and what does the future hold? Will the new opportunities be more of the same or will we see a paradigm shift in what the newest properties will offer? Moderated by Dr. Bo Bernhard, Ph.D., Executive Director for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas International Gaming Institute, the panelists are:

• Jan Jones Blackhurst, Executive Vice President of Public Policy and Corporate Responsibility, Caesars Entertainment
• Ed Bowers, Executive Vice President of Global Development for MGM Resorts International, and CEO and Representative Officer for MGM Japan
• Geoffrey Davis, CFA, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Melco Resorts & Entertainment 
• Michael Farrell, Project Executive Director. Queensland Australia Department of Innovation, Tourism Industry Development

Finance Challenges for New Markets and Operators
Asia continues to be at the forefront of new gaming market opportunities with projects proposed and currently under development in Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and beyond. What are the leading financing methods being pursued by operators in new markets such as these where regulatory structures aren’t as well established? Let our panel reward your investment in time with information as to how the world of finance works in Asia. As Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest”. Moderated by Jack Hernandez, the Director and Head of Structured and Leveraged Finance, Hong Kong, for Union Gaming Group, the panelists are:

• Michael J. Bonner, Co-Managing Shareholder - Las  Vegas, Greenberg Traurig
• Christophe Forsinetti, Chief Operating Officer, JSM Indochina
• Kelly Gass, President, San Marco Capital Partners
• Raymond Lin, Partner,  Latham & Watkins
• Kevin Wong,  Managing Director, Y Q Global

Online Gaming: Looking Back to Move Forward
How do markets where online gaming isn’t currently offered evaluate if, when and how to legalize online gambling? How is the online segment adapting to new considerations like the growth of blockchain technology? What challenges will regulating cryptocurrency gambling pose? Featuring online experts from around the world, this session will evaluate how the gaming industry is planning for the future by first reflecting on its past. Moderated by Julian Harris, a Partner with Harris Hagan in London, the panelists are:

• Santiago Asensi, Managing Partner, Asensi Advogados 
• Mark Hemmerle, Vice President of Legal & Compliance, Vantiv Entertainment Solutions / WorldPay
• Julian Hoskins, Principal, Senet Legal
• Jorn Starck, Executive Director, Alderney Gambling Control Commission