Wynn To Seek $1.6 Billion In Hong Kong IPO: WSJ

IPO Follows Record Revenue In Macau Last Month And Indications That Beijing Will Loosen Visa Restrictions F0r Mainland Chinese

Macau, the "Vegas of the East," is bouncing back to life after a tough year

The Wall Street Journal reports today that Las Vegas-based casino operator Wynn Resorts is looking for as much as US$1.6 billion (HK$ 12.6 billion) “based on pricing set over the weekend for a Hong Kong listing of the company’s Macau assets next month.” This IPO could precede others by foreign casinos in Macau, as the article notes that Wynn competitor Sheldon Adelson may also be eyeing a Hong Kong listing for his company as it emerges from the global economic downturn — which put a sizeable dent in several construction projects that had been slated for the Venetian Macau last year.

The relatively quick rebound of the Chinese tourist (or, even more likely, Cantonese gambling enthusiasts from Hong Kong, Shenzhen and elsewhere in Guangdong province) has injected a much-needed dose of optimism among major companies in Macau, which depend greatly on the continued spending and investment of mainland Chinese visitors and companies as well as the capital and expertise of foreign casino operators like Wynn to keep the former Portuguese colony’s growing economy running smoothly.

Over the weekend, Wynn and its bankers set a price range of between HK$8.52 and HK$10.08 per share for the IPO, the person said. The company is offering 1.25 billion shares, equivalent to 25% of the equity of Wynn’s Macau operations, the person added. The company had earlier been expected to raise about US$1 billion in its offering.

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Wynn Resorts, run by Steve Wynn, whose namesake luxury casinos operate in Las Vegas and Macau, has also already secured investments in the IPO from a number of Hong Kong tycoons, this person said, including property developer Walter Kwok and retailer Thomas Lau. These so-called cornerstone investors, which also include members of Malaysia’s Quek family empire and several other funds, will invest a total of about US$250 million.

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Wynn has relatively modest expansion plans under way in Macau. An expansion of its Wynn Macau property, known as Encore at Wynn Macau, is slated to open next year, with a budget of about HK$5 billion, according to a regulatory filing by Wynn this month.