Inside Asian Gaming

September 2008 | INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 25 Eight to Watch Numbers are important in Asia. The Beijing Olympics officially started at 8.08 p.m. on the eighth day of the eighth month of 2008. There was no particular rationale for our picking eight gaming businesses to highlight here, though there could have been some unconscious tendency towards relating their good fortune to Asia’s magic number. The list is also not presented in any particular order. We merely seek to inform readers of the companies we’ve encountered recently that give us cause for optimism despite the turmoil in financial markets and recent plunge in values of publicly traded gaming stocks. The chosen companies range from those involved in traditional land-based activities to those providing 21st century delivery platforms for gaming via handheld computers. Most listed gaming companies have experienced some stock discounting during the current market turbulence. We believe the listed members of the Eight to Watch represent excellent potential value at current pricing. This is because of product, business model, innovative approach and management. In our view, these companies’ pursuit of excellence also adds value to the marketplace by bringing the best out of their competitors. Eight to Watch Companies with potentially bright futures in Asian gaming Inside Asian Gaming was stunned by the rich graphics of Jumbo Technology’s 3DVirtual Dealer, Jessie, who was proudly on display at this year’s G2E Asia. Taiwan-based Jumbo produces a wide range of electronic versions of traditional table games including baccarat, sic bo , roulette and bingo. The Baccarat Queen Series featuring Jessie offers clearly superior graphics to similar offerings from major international competitors. Jumbo explains that Jessie’s realistic facial expressions were simulated using a real model and motion capture technology, then transferring the results to 3D animation. All of Jessie’s movements, from her inviting smile to her hand movements when drawing cards, appear absolutely natural. The company tips its Genetic Sic Bo product as another potential hit in Macau. Unlike competing products from European manufacturers, Genetic Sic Bo uses normal- sized dice, as opposed to giant ones, and true to the traditional version of the game, the dice are covered when they are being rolled—recreating the fantasies of Chinese movies where heroes are able to determine the outcome of the roll by peering through to the dice with x-ray vision, or even using super-hearing to listen to them. Robot Baccarat uses a robotic arm to turn cards, getting around the restriction on dealers being employed in gaming venues in Vietnam, for example, and allowing it to be placed in some amusement arcades in Taiwan, where casinos are banned. Jumbo Technology Co