25
银河大师
MASTEROFTHEGALAXY
学的知识，改进布局和结构，使我们更加有效
且高效地运作。
如果你在20年前问我是否幻想过自己会经
营一个数十亿港元的博彩集团，我根本就不知
道那是什么（笑）！就像有句中国老话说得那
样，是命运的安排，不知怎样命运让我来到澳
门，并且有这个黄金机会来打造一个数十亿港
元的博彩帝国。我很高兴有这个机会。我肯定
我们做的事情是正确的，并期待着一个美好的
未来。
TheLui clanhas strong family ties,with the
titleofGalaxy’sChairmanstillheldbyFrancisLui’s
father Dr Lui CheWoo, who founded Galaxy’s
parent company in 1955. However, there is no
question Galaxy’s driving force is Francis Lui
himself,whogoesby the titleViceChairman. His
sister,MsPaddyLui, is alsoanExecutiveDirector
of thecompany.
TheWaldowas an instant success and the
Galaxy EntertainmentGroupnever lookedback.
July2005sawGEGbecomethefirstMacaugaming
companyto listontheHongKongStockExchange.
Galaxy had another busy year in 2006, opening
four more gaming properties: Rio (February),
President (April), Cotai’sfirst casinoGrandWaldo
(September) andfinallyGEG’s first flagshiphotel
andcasino, StarWorld (October).
StarWorld raised the bar for GEG, boasting
500 world-class hotel suites, 16 VIP gaming
rooms,five-starsurroundings, truly international-
standard food and beverage offerings and of
course the eye-catchingly slender andbeautiful
Galaxy Ambassadors (with their Amazonian
minimum height of six feet) strolling the lobby
andentrypoints.
But StarWorldwas just ahint ofwhatwas
to come. The jewel in the crown was always
going to be a multi-billion dollar integrated
resort at Cotai, which would rival or even
exceed the mega-resorts of the modern era
Las Vegas strip. With the benefit of its parent
company’s more than 50 years experience as
a property and construction conglomerate,
Galaxy Entertainment Group has made that
dream a reality with the grand opening of
GalaxyMacau, thenewGEG flagshipproperty,
onMay 15.
And to think all this started with just 34
gaming tables, in a humble retrofitted former
officebuilding.
With this kind of stupendous success, it is
little wonder Mr Lui commands such respect
within theMacau gaming industry, a real-world
example of that now somewhat sexist but still
evocativeexpression,“leaderofmen”.Onemight
expect arrogance or hubris from such a person,
but instead I found amuchmore humbleman,
exceedingly well spoken, whose voice could
almost be described as soft. But there was no
mistaking thequietdetermination,quickwitand
sharp focusbehindhiswords.
AndrewScott
Mr. Lui, thank you verymuch for your time. It’s
a great honour and pleasure to have you here.
Itmust be a verybusy and exciting time for you
with Galaxy Macau opening. Let’s start at the
beginning.Asayoungmanstudyingengineering
at theUniversityof California at Berkeley, where
did you think your professional lifewould take
you, and could youhave possibly imagined you
would end up running a multi-billion dollar
entertainment andgaminggroup?
FrancisLui
Well, first of all, I had a very good few years
at Berkeley. It’s a fine institution where I met
a lot of friends and learned how to get a
structure up. You see, our family background
has always been in construction and property
development, so at that time my father said,
“Well, maybe you should go into engineering
and study at the finest engineering school”,
which was Berkeley at the time. So I did that.
It gave me very regimented thinking and a
disciplinedbackground. Itapplies tomyday-to-
day lifewhere Iamable toanalyseproblemsand
developmore systematicways. Not only that, I
was able toapply that engineering knowledge
and refine layoutsandstructuresso thatwecan
bemore efficient and effective.
If youhad askedme20 years ago if I had a
dream tomanage amulti-billiondollar gaming
business I wouldhavehadno ideaof that at all
(laughs)
! So it’s like theChinese saying, it was a
matterof fateandsomehow fatehasaskedme to
cometoMacauandhavethisgoldenopportunity
tobuildupamulti-billiondollargamingempire.
I’mverydelighted tohave thisopportunityand
I’m sure that we’re doing something right and
we’re looking forward toagreat future.
第十期
2011
年
5
月
/6
月
|
ISSUENO.10MAY/JUN2011
