IAG December 2015

Industry
profile
Ken
Ken Jolly is Executive Vice President
for Shuffle Master and also
represents Scientific Games and
Bally in Asia – but has been in the
slot machine industry working for
a variety of companies all over the
world for over 35 years. A perennial
figure with more than a decade here
in Asia under his belt, IAG sat down
with Ken for a chat on the industry
and also get to get to know the man
on a more personal level.
IAG: Let’s start at the beginning. Tell us a
little of your history with gaming over the
years.
Ken Jolly: I have truly been very fortunate
in my career and had a global experience in
the gaming industry by working and living in
different regions. My career started 36 years
ago in New South Wales, Australia, involved
in gaming industry technical operations then
sales, followed by business development
and senior management roles. Over the
last 22 years my international market roles
have included the General Manager of New
Zealand, Vice President of Sales, Service and
Marketing in the Americas (North, South
America and Canada), General Manager of
Sales and Marketing for all of Europe and
General Manager of Asia Pacific for another
global publically traded gaming machine and
products supply company.
Before originally joining Shufflemaster
I served as the Executive Vice President
and General Manager for a global Japanese
gaming manufacturer having responsibility
for Australia, Asia, Europe and Africa. After
joining Shufflemaster as a consultant initially
I helped spearhead Shufflemaster’s Asian
business through a period of growth and
market expansion. In late 2013 Shufflemaster
was purchased by Bally Technologies and
then a year later by Scientific Games. During
these periods I have managed the Asian
business as we integrate.
IAG: How was the transition from Australia
to Macau for you personally?
KJ: After eight years abroad and living in
New Zealand, USA and London I was asked
to develop and manage the business of my
then employer Aristocrat in Asia. As the
company didn’t have an Asian headquarters
or employees living permanently in Asia
then, I did this from Australia for the first
two years with hundreds of hotel nights and
many flights. When it came time to move to
Macau it was easy as I had experience living
away from Australia and had just spent two
years and many nights here. Macau was just
another place to call home. I found doing
business in Asia similar to the rest of the
world, an honest upfront approach rewards
you similarly.
IAG: Any memorable stories from the early
days of Macau?
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inside asian gaming December 2015