Category Archives: Casinos

Wynn Macau’s Cotai project

April 28, 2012 By in Casinos, China, Current Market Thoughts, emerging markets, Entertainment, Hong Kong, Stock ideas Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Wynn on Cotai

The reason I see for the recent strength in the shares of both Wynn Macau and its parent Wynn Resorts is a press report that 1128 will receive government approval this coming Monday for its proposed new casino in the Cotai section of the SAR.  The news was first published in the Portuguese-language newspaper Jornal Tribuna de Macau and subsequently in Macau Business.

According to MB, the contract signing ceremony will take place while Steve Wynn is in Macau next week, but the official announcement will not come until the contract is published in the Official Gazette in mid-May.

oops!!

Twice before during the past several months, parties associated with WYNN have, prematurely, announced that the company had received approval for the project.  These breaches of protocol appear to have offended the Macau government and resulted in further delay each time.  In the current case, it appears to me that the leak must have come from the government itself, so the article shouldn’t matter.  When questioned about it, Mr. Wynn said nothing, just that he was hopeful of approval but that the decision was up to Macau.

The Wynn Cotai project, whose design was complete over a year ago, will include hotels, casino(s), restaurants, retail and convention/meeting space.  The size of the casino floorspace isn’t clear, although we know the Macau government is eager to see new projects contain a greater percentage of area devoted to non-gambling activities than has been the case to date.  The project will probably end up costing close to US$3 billion.  Opening could be in early 2016.

The Cotai casino would be good for WYNN and 1128…

Cotai, Sheldon Adelson’s idea for recreating the Ls Vegas Strip in Asia, is becoming the hot new gaming location in Macau.  Also, it’s increasingly evident that both Wynn and Encore in Macau are closing in on the limits of their capacity.  So the new project will provide a concrete (no pun intended) path for future earnings growth–both for 1128 and, by implication, for its parent WYNN.

…and for the SAR as well

After all, Steve Wynn is the premier casino designer in the world.  And his company is a master at catering to high roller gamblers.  It would make no sense for the SAR to deprive itself of his expertise.

approval for another firm coming later this year

The government’s overall idea is to continue to expand its tourism business, but at a controlled rate.  It has announced that this means approving two new projects in 2012.

The two prominent other applicants for permission to build a new Cotai casino complex are MGM China and SJM.  If they’re the two finalists, as they probably are, this presents an interesting–and possibly revealing– decision for the SAR.  SJM, the former monopoly casino operator when Macau was a Portuguese colony, which continues to control about a third of the market, is owned by the Ho family.  Pansy Ho also continues to have significant influence over MGM China, where she has about a 20% equity interest.  Declaration of the winner may give some insight into the direction of government gambling policy.

Macau gaming in March 2012: an okay, but not eye-popping, month

April 4, 2012 By in Casinos, China, emerging markets, Entertainment, Hong Kong, Industry Analysis Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

March results

On Monday April 2, the Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau published on its website monthly results for March in the SAR.  Here they are:

* 1 HKD = 1.03MOP (Unit:MOP million )
Monthly Gross Revenue from Games of Fortune in 2012 and 2011
Monthly Gross Revenue Accumulated Gross Revenue
2012 2011 Variance 2012 2011 Variance
Jan 25,040 18,571 +34.8% 25,040 18,571 +34.8%
Feb 24,286 19,863 +22.3% 49,325 38,434 +28.3%
Mar 24,989 20,087 +24.4% 74,314 58,521 +27.0%

Source: Macau DICJ (Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau)

what they say to me

Yes, it’s the strongest non-holiday month ever in Macau.  Only last October (with Golden Week) and this January (New Year) had higher monthly win for the casino industry.

On the other hand, we don’t see anything like the almost manic surge in the size of the market that we experienced throughout 2011.  We may see some upward bounce in the April and May figures, as the new Las Vegas Sands casino on Cotai opens this month.

There isn’t enough evidence yet to draw firm conclusions.  However, if the right way to read the current figures is that the market is plateauing for the moment around the MOP 25 billion level (this is my guess), year on year growth comparisons should begin to narrow as the second half starts.

Although, again, there’s no clear evidence, I’m reading this potential growth slowdown to be the result of economic slowdown on the mainland.  If so, as the current expansionary measures Beijing is enacting bear fruit, I’d expect the growth rate to begin to expand again.  Timing is the only question.

It’s possible, though, that the plateauing I see is being induced by the leading casinos having reached full capacity–in which case, second-choice casinos should enjoy their day in the sun over the coming months.  And the Macau government should accelerate the pace of its approval of new casino permits.

One other point:  prior to the mammoth overcapacity the Las Vegas casinos by aggressive new construction during the past five years, only about half of that industry’s profits came from gambling.  The rest was food, lodging and entertainment.  One would expect that at least the American-owned casinos would follow the same development model in Macau–a move the Macau government is strongly encouraging.

Over the next five years, then, one could expect the gambling market to grow by at least the rate of Chinese GDP, or by close to 50%, and the industry’s profits to expand by a minimum of another 50%–and maybe much more–as non-gambling businesses expand.

Over the next five months, on the other hand it’s less clear how much there will be to cheer about.  I don’t see any need to sell the stocks;  I just don’t think they’ll run away to the upside.

 

 

Macau gambling: leading indicator for China?

March 14, 2012 By in Casinos, Current Market Thoughts, Entertainment, Hong Kong, Industry Analysis, Portfolio management, Recent Market Action, Stock ideas Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

yesterday’s Hong Kong trading

In Hong Kong trading Tuesday, the major Macau gambling stocks moved sharply upward.  Wynn Macau, a recent market laggard, was the star, gaining 8.6%.  But even China Sands, which is up by over 40% since the Hang Seng peaked last August, rose by almost 6%.

Why?

the Karen Tang effect

According to Bloomberg, Karen Tang, a prominent Hong Kong-based leisure analyst who works at Deutsche Bank, reversed her relatively negative view on casinos in the SAR after meeting with company managements.

Ms. Tang sent these same stocks into a tailspin last August.  That’s when she issued a report arguing that a falloff in demand for high-end luxury cars that was then being experienced in China presaged an almost complete evaporation of growth in the VIP baccarat market in Macau.  Since high-stakes baccarat is the mainstay of the casinos there, this was an especially dire forecast.

Her idea was that the market would begin to slow in the autumn.  Economizing high rollers would make trips already planned–and possibly paid for–but wouldn’t book further visits.  The market wouldn’t contract.  But growth would nosedive, troughing late in the first half of 2012 at a year-on-year rate of, say, +15%, before beginning to rebound.

too pessimistic

I didn’t see the Tang report.  But it was extensively covered in the Asian press.  From those accounts, it seemed the evidence was flimsy and the conclusion much too pessimistic.  As it turns out, Ms. Tang was wrong.  That’s not the important thing (although I’ve been unable to refrain from inserting this conclusion in this post).

rebound already!

What is important is that after a mild slowdown to a “mere” 25% growth rate last December, Chinese high roller gambling in Macau is beginning to accelerate again.  That’s what Ms.Tang found out on her research trip to Macau and published in a note yesterday.

While I was looking at yesterday’s stock prices in Hong Kong while writing this post, I noticed an article from Forbes.com.  It reports the results of a research trip to Macau by a Citibank (never to be mistaken for a research powerhouse) analyst, who says the casinos indicate gambling in the SAR grew by about 40% year on year during the first 11 days of March. That’s substantially ahead of the 28% year on year growth of the market during January-February.  And it’s not that far below the 42% gain the market put up for full-year 2011.

According to Forbes, Nomura Securities (which makes Citi look good) thinks March gaming win will be up by about the same rate as the average of January/February (a two month average corrects for variable timing of the New Year holiday).

The bottom line, though, is that the market is a lot better than the consensus had thought–and is looking up.

stock market implications

casino stocks?…

Given all the lawsuits flying around, this may not be the time to load up on the Las Vegas gambling companies.  Personally, the litigation bothers me enough that I won’t buy more, but not enough to sell what I have.  It seems to me that the Macau subsidiaries are relatively insulated.  I like Steve Wynn.  And Las Vegas Sands is still cheap.

…or indirect plays?

The most important aspect of yesterday’s trading may be the signal that corporate magnates in China are starting to feel a lot better about themselves and their businesses.  The safer way to go is probably to look for sold-off US firms that have a lot of Chinese exposure.

Macau gaming in February 2012: important signs of market strength

March 2, 2012 By in Casinos, China, Current Market Thoughts, Entertainment, Industry Analysis, Stock ideas Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Macau gaming results

Yesterday, the Macao Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau released its report of Gross Revenue from Games of Fortune for the SAR’s casinos during the month of February.  Results were:

* 1 HKD = 1.03MOP (Unit:MOP million )
Monthly Gross Revenue from Games of Fortune in 2012 and 2011
Monthly Gross Revenue Accumulated Gross Revenue
2012 2011 Variance 2012 2011 Variance
Jan 25,040 18,571 +34.8% 25,040 18,571 +34.8%
Feb 24,286 19,863 +22.3% 49,325 38,434 +28.3%

Source: Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau

The monthly figures require a little interpretation, since the important New Year holiday, which prompts a surge in casino visits, fell in January this year vs. February in 2011.  Sure, bears were apparently saying, January looks good.  But that’s only because of the holiday.  Wait until you see how ugly February will be.

Now February is in.  Despite the difficult comparison, gambling revenue grew 22%+.  Looking year to date, and thereby avoiding the issue of the timing of the New Year holiday, the Macau market is growing at 28%+, almost 3x the rate the gloomier analysts in Hong Kong had been predicting.

stock market reaction

The biggest stock market beneficiaries of the Macau government announcement have been Wynn Resorts in the US and Wynn Macau in Hong Kong.  This, despite the uncertainty–and the negative publicity–stemming from the break between Steve Wynn and Kazuo Okada.

The market moves do make some sense.  1128 is the main source of WYNN’s profits, so what’s good for the subsidiary is good for the parent.  And the continuing rapid growth of Macau suggests for 1128 that:

–regulators may approve its application to build in new casino in Cotai more quickly, since possible oversupply of gambling space is less of a worry, and

–the clear appeal of rivals just-opened casinos–just to see them, if nothing else–won’t mean that 1128 will struggle to find customers of its own.

NOTE:

Earlier today, WYNN filed an 8k saying that it had, in effect, received Macau government approval for a proposed new casino to be built in Cotai.  WYNN almost immediately retracted the filing, saying only that it had been made in error.  The stock, which had risen about 7%, was suspended for almost two hours for dissemination of the retraction news.  It hit a new intraday high after reopening but is sagging a bit as I’m writing this.

My guess is that the retracted 8k will prove to be factually correct, but that WYNN’s agent jumped the gun on making the announcement.  If so, what’s most striking to me would be how quickly the approval would have come after Kazuo Okada was removed from the WYNN share register.  Of course, it’s also possible that the approval has been prompted by the absence of the market slowdown Deutsche Bank analysts have been predicting for some time.  It could be that the timing is just coincidence, but I’m not sure that’s the right way to roll.

breakup at Wynn Resorts (WYNN): what happened last Saturday

February 22, 2012 By in Casinos, earnings conference calls, Entertainment, Industry Analysis, Stock ideas Tags: , , , , , 1 Comment

a little history

Steve Wynn is an iconic figure in the casino gaming industry.  Among other feats, he almost single-handedly re-glamorized the Las Vegas Strip while he was CEO of Mirage Resorts.  During the economic downturn of 2000, however, the board of that company accepted a takeover bid from MGM and showed Mr. Wynn the door.

Mr. Wynn then joined forces with Kazuo Okada, owner of a Japanese slot machine company, to develop a new upscale resort on nearby land.  Mr. Okada invested $380 million to obtain a 50% share of the venture.  Needing more money to advance his plans, Wynn Resorts went public in 2002.  So doing reduced Wynn’s and Okada’s ownership shares to 20% each.  Mr. Okada became the largest shareholder in WYNN when Mr. Wynn’s ex-wife received half of his stock in a divorce settlement.

the past year or so

The Compliance Committee of the WYNN board is led by board member Robert Miller, a former district attorney who served as governor of Nevada for ten years.  In February 2011, its investigation into the feasibility of opening a casino in the Philippines uncovered questions about possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by Mr. Okada in the Philippines while obtaining a casino license for himself there.

The board’s concern:  having a major shareholder and board member who could be deemed “unsuitable” to hold a casino license would put existing licenses in jeopardy.  As well, it would likely rule WYNN out as a candidate for new licenses (think:  Singapore, or permission to build a new casino in Macau).

In February 2011 the Compliance Committee opened an investigation of Mr. Okada.  Board worries were apparently heightened by Mr. Okada’s comments at board meetings, his unwillingness to participate in board FCPA training and his refusal to sign the company’s code of conduct.

(Reading between the lines, it also sounds like Mr. Okada continued to pressure the board to participate in his Philippine casino venture–something the board had ruled out–and had been intimating in the Philippines and elsewhere that he was secretly carrying out the board’s wishes.)

In September 2011, WYNN concluded there was a threat to WYNN’s business if Mr. Okada remained a board member/shareholder of WYNN and pursued his Philippine project.  The WYNN general counsel and compliance officer outlined the company position to Mr. Okada’s lawyers.  Mr. Okada said he didn’t see any conflict and declined to take any action.

WYNN then hired an outside law firm, run by a former head of the FBI, to conduct a detailed investigation.  According to Governor Miller, the inquiry turned up a pattern of violations of the FCPA by Mr. Okada and his companies.  Mr. Okada also told the investigators during a lengthy interview that he strongly believes he can continue to give valuable “gifts” to foreign officials, despite the fact this violates US anti-bribery laws.

last weekend

Last Saturday, after consulting with two sets of outside legal experts on gaming law, the WYNN board met.  It removed Mr. Okada as a director.  And it used the power given to it in the corporate charter to cancel Mr. Okada’s shares in WYNN.  It issued him a 10-year promissory note for $1.9 billion, bearing interest at 2% (payable in arrears), in compensation.

my thoughts

…just when you thought you’d seen everything!!

1.  I’m an investor, not a lawyer.  So I have to remind myself that I don’t have the specialized knowledge and training that may be needed to evaluate this situation correctly.

Still, given the array of prominent experts WYNN has assembled, I’d be shocked if the Nevada regulators don’t declare Mr. Okada to be “unsuitable” to hold a casino license in that state once it conducts its own investigation.  If so, I’d guess that undercuts possible legal action by Mr. Okada.

2.  WYNN’s charter apparently gives it the right to immediately revoke the shares of any owner the company finds to be “unsuitable,” which is a determination the board made about Mr. Okada on Saturday.

There’s no question of asking Mr. Okada to sell his holding; as of Saturday those shares no longer exist.

3.  The company charter apparently specifies the manner of compensation for cancelled shares.  Payment is supposed to be based on fair value and can be through a promissary note of at most ten-year maturity, paying an annual coupon of 2%.

Mr. Okada’s shares are “certificated,” meaning there’s either an electronic notation or a stamped notice, if they’re physical shares, saying that the stock has restrictions on sale.  WYNN didn’t say what the restrictions are, but they probably give WYNN the right to vet any potential buyer.  The certification would presumably bind any buyer, not just Mr. Okada.  It stands to reason that restricted shares aren’t as valuable as unrestricted ones.  …but by how much?

WYNN hired yet another expert firm, to determine “fair value” for the Okada holding.  Its conclusion:  fair value is a 30% discount to last Friday’s closing price.

4.  WYNN’s market capitalization was $14 billion last Friday.  So the market value of the Okada holding, were the shares unrestricted, would have been $2.8 billion.  In a sense, remaining shareholders make a gain of $900 million ($2.8 billion minus the $1.9 billion note), or about 8%, on their holdings through the share cancellation.

My guess is that the benefit to remaining shareholders is greater than that, if for no other reason than that the increasingly public tussle between Mr. Okada and the rest of the WYNN board was depressing the share price.  Because this situation is so unusual, however, I doubt Wall Street will assign even 8% extra to WYNN shares.

5.  Can Mr. Okada say he’s been harmed by the WYNN action?  Over the past decade, he’s received almost twice the value of his initial investment in dividends.  He’s now getting a note for 5x that amount.  My layman’s hunch is that his would be a hard case to make in court.

We’re in a wait-and-see situation now, in my opinion.  WYNN has asked the Wynn Macau board to remove Mr. Okada as a director, which I presume it will do.  It would be very interesting if the Macau authorities were to okay 1128’s pending new casino application once Mr. Okada is gone.  Another potential positive would be a speedy determination by Nevada regulators that Mr. Okada is indeed an “unsuitable” individual.