Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | March 2008 38 Zone Authority (CEZA) through First Cagayan Resort and Leisure Corporation (FCLRC), we have the advantage of Asia’s first regulatory regime for online gaming. It’s totally legal, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Most importantly, we receive constant support fromCEZA Administrator, Mr. Jose Mari Ponce, and FCLRC’s President and Legal Council, Mr. Alfredo B. Benitez and Ms. Katrina L. Nepomuceno, whom are all fighting to legalize online gaming in the region as well. I think the Philippines is going to be the capital of online gaming in Asia.” Mr Hsu knows a few things about how to negotiate a deal. He is a former legal adviser to the UK government on Taiwan affairs and has delivered lectures to the United Nations on Chinese law. He also has a deep knowledge of gaming law and the implications and obligations of operating online in Asia. Experienced team Othermembers of the iFaFa team include executives with experience of developing online gaming products in Asia, and of running online gaming businesses in the UK and Asia. iFaFa also claims experts with more than 40 years of Asia-focused marketing experience, a former vice president of Atlantic City and Las Vegas casinos and staff with investment banking background in London and of guiding businesses toward public listings and through mergers and acquisitions. “In Asia, you have to know the Asian way and you need the right advice,” says Mr Hsu. “Be cautious about who you trust, but don’t think about killing your competitor. Work together and live together. There is room for more participants in this market.” iFaFa products Software iFaFa software canbe fully customised,allowingclients to select between different components including single or multi-player skins,streamedmusic or sound and interactive chat.iFaFa ensures that software complies with the requirements of target markets and with industry accepted standards. The company’s software has been tested and certified by Technical Systems Testing, which is recognised throughout the online gaming industry as a world leader in Internet platform testing. Live streaming iFaFa’s game products include live baccarat, live blackjack, live roulette, and live sic bo .The company uses advanced video streaming technology for its live dealer games. Its platforms allow players to see real dealers perform actions such as dealing cards or spinning roulette wheels in real time via a live video stream broadcast over the Internet. All live dealer games come with the option of streamed sound. Studio iFaFa provides comprehensive services including a professional live gaming studio and operations team. As with the software, everything can be customised to meet clients’ specifications. iFaFa works with casino consultants from Las Vegas who periodically review all policies and procedures in its operations department. The company says croupiers and supervisors go through a rigorous training programme to ensure they are proficient in all current games, as well as those being developed for future release. Hosting iFaFa provides experienced and skilled engineers to set up and manage hardware and software systems that have built-in redundancy and security. Clientsarethenfreetofocusonadministrativeandmarketingresponsibilities. Web servers, report servers, encoders, firewalls and routers are located in a secure off-premises hosting centre managed by iFaFa’s operations unit. The company also supplies operational hardware, including cameras, dealer terminals and casino equipment, as well as providing a dedicated account manager to assist online casinos from setup to implementation and operation of all iFaFa systems. Consultancy and support iFaFa says it can guide new operators through the entire start-up process and can provide advice and support on company incorporation, gaming license applications, registration of websites, taxation and payment systems. All products and services are backed by a round-the-clock multilingual client support team.