Inside Asian Gaming

August 2016 inside asian gaming 43 simply incorrect,” Ferrar said. “The gaming industry, community and government have been working together for many years to create a properly regulated and responsible industry. “Poker machines are a legitimate leisure activity that many Australians enjoy responsibly. Let’s stick to the facts. Australia has one of the most stringent regulatory environments for poker machines in the world. Regulators impose comprehensive conditions on every aspect of poker machine design and operation. “Bet limits in Australia are among the lowest and play speed the slowest in the world.” Poker machines have traditionally been a highly divisive issue in Australia, particularly in the state of NSW where almost 100,000 machines populate its many pubs and clubs. Nevada is the only state in the world with more. The GTA claims that the cost of transitioning Australia’s gaming machines would total AU$3.6 billion with around 64% of all machines needing to be replaced. “The question must be asked, who is going to meet this cost?” Ferrar said. “Access to direct support and counseling is the best and most effective way to help people with gambling issues. The GTA strongly supports initiatives to direct greater effort in this area.” DICJ to introduce electronic table game regulations in 2017 The Director of Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), Paulo Martins Chan, says the gaming regulator will look to introduce new regulations for electronic table games (ETGs) in 2017. REGIONAL BRIEFS Noting a 2015 Union Gaming report that suggested ETGs enabled Macau’s casino operators to sidestep the live dealer table cap, Mr Chan said, “We don’t agree with people that say there is limitless growth to the number of electronic table games. We do have regulations regarding those. We’ll be doing regulation – this is not in our work plan for this year, but next year.” Mr Chan said the DICJ would wait until 2017 because it was currently busy drawing up amendments to casino entry rules for Macau residents – particularly for dealers. Gross gaming revenue from live multi-game terminals – a version of live dealer games whereby players place bets on individual electronic terminals – rose 11.5% in 2016Q2 to MOP$562 million. Sri Lankan PM says no to new casinos Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has reportedly put an end to immediate hopes of an expanded casino industry in the country, revealing that no investor will be allowed to build new casinos under his watch. Speaking to the media during the International Enterprise Singapore Global Conversations business forum at Singapore’s Shangri-La Hotel, Wickremesinghe explained his response to a question one attendee had asked regarding the previous regime’s support for the casino industry. “I responded that no investor would be provided space to begin the casino industry within Sri Lanka,” the Prime Minister said, insisting good government should not need to rely on casinos to bolster the nation’s revenue base. Sri Lanka has long been considered a largely untapped market when it comes to casinos but despite the likes of Crown, Las Vegas Sands and MGM Resorts all expressing interest an expanded industry has failed to materialize. The current Sri Lankan government has proven to be particularly anti-casino, blocking three major casino projects in early 2015 and imposing a raft of restrictions that threaten the financial security of the nation’s current batch of smaller properties. Last year it imposed a new US$7m fee on the country’s four casino operators, doubled the annual casino levy and added a 25% surtax on casino profits.