Ben Lee has a reputation for defying Asian gaming’s conventional wisdom. That reputation can obscure Lee’s more important standing as one of the most astute observers of the region’s casino industry. For example, Lee foresaw the “political risks” to Macau in early 2014 while everyone was laughing their way to the bank ahead of a gaming revenue crash that ran for more than two years.
Managing partner at IGamiX Management & Consulting – the name is a derivative of “intelligent gaming executives” – Lee’s experience ranges from vice president of casino marketing for Sands China precursor Venetian Macau to operating partner of leading Saipan electronic gaming parlor Club C. For this reporter, attending the ASEAN Gaming Summit in Manila and meeting with the city’s integrated resort operators indicated that the Philippine casino sector, the fastest growing in Asia last year, continues roaring ahead. Lee, who spoke at the ASEAN conference, shared his view of Philippine gaming in the interview excerpted below.