Welcome to the GI Huddle, Marcus! Could you give us an intro into your earlybackground and tell us a little bit about how it all started in gaming for you?
My first entry into the gaming industry was with Sands China. I was recruited into Sands China to be based in Macau; but before that, I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart. I’ve tried various forms of industries, various forms of businesses.
I then started my own bakery, I’ve run a wakeboarding centre and I’ve dabbled into defence contraction, as well with the Government in Singapore. So when I was headhunted into a role in gaming in Macau, I was so excited and I just plunged in.
I have to ask after hearing those examples; how do the bakery, defence and gaming industry compare?
It’s weird! It’s all life experiences. Singaporeans, we need to serve time in the national service and I was a weapons specialist. I came in contact with some of my suppliers and they said ‘Hey, you have got a great personality and let’s try this out’. I tried it out right after my national service in the Army.
It was a little bit too boring for me because one tendering process takes about eight to nine months and right after that, when I was travelling to the Philippines, I just encountered this really nice bun they had called ensaymada and we did that for a while.
Margins are great, but it’s a terribly hard-working business, so although I admired all the chefs – it was too much work. And then the wakeboarding was really fun and in the sea right? So it was a trend, and I got into it, and it was real fun. But that was not my calling, I knew there was something else that was waiting for me. I was trying bits and pieces of everything here and then until I got involved with Sands China. That’s what I decided I wanted to do for the rest of my life because it just feels so comfortable.
I think Marina Bay Sands is currently the best property in the world right now
Absolutely. Let’s get straight into your time with Sands and obviously, there’s the Marina Bay Sands as part of your experience as well, which is a fantastic property.
I think honestly, it is the best property in the world right now. In actual fact, my duration with Marina Bay Sands was just three months. I was with Sands China in Macau for a good 12-odd years. With me being from Singapore, I decided to come back to Singapore because my wife was expecting my first child. I came back to Singapore and realised that it’s too good of a property – you don’t really need me. So I then took on the challenge with Crown.
But having said that, I think Marina Bay Sands is currently the best property in the world. They have the right hardware and I think they have the right software; they have the right team on board. It’s just fantastic and they’re embracing a lot of technology along the way – all customer preferences. You can get your room key card without having an actual key card: you can just use a phone. I think they are really innovating and I can only see great things coming from Marina Bay Sands in time to come.
How did your time compare when you were in Singapore and when you were in Macau? My first impression would be that when you’re working in a Macau casino, there’s a lot more focus on the gaming itself. Is that correct?
In actual fact we have different teams and Sands China is such a big company, right? The whole Sands group is such a big company. We have various teams and I’m in charge of my own team. The way I've done it all these years, ever since I started, is that I understand that gamblers – and the game itself – it’s the same everywhere in the world. What we're selling is the experience that comes with it and surrounds it.
