Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | March 2009 20 Weike F or David Kinsman, CEO of Singapore- based gaming machine manufacturer Weike Gaming Technology, it’s all about the game. “The player doesn’t play the box. He doesn’t play the cabinet. He plays the game,” he reminds us. Mr Kinsman was in Macau last month to oversee the installation of several banks of Weike’s new INFINITY series of slot machines at Venetian Macao. The INFINITY platform and gaming machine range secured GLI-11 approval late last year, and its performance and appeal will determine whether Mr Kinsman can take Weike beyond its established markets in Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Two of the INFINITY series games installed at Venetian Macau have already been performing well in Weike’s established markets, includingOriental Fantasy—“one of the two top games in Singapore,” according toMr Kinsman—andYokoso Japan. The third is a new game, Cat Safari. Thebest performingslot games todate in Macau have all featured high volatility, which bodes well for Oriental Fantasy’s chances in the market. Mr Kinsman attributes the success of Oriental Fantasy in Weike’s other markets to the game’s volatility.“Players love games with volatility. They don’t love every volatile game, but the stand-out games that really do well in the field—from any manufacturer—usually have a fair amount of volatility.” Macau boon Macau’s slot machine market is set to explode. Although the city’s overall casino revenue is falling because of declining revenue in the still-dominant VIP baccarat market, it appears mass market and slot revenue are holding strong. Part of the reason for that appears to be a greater emphasis on marketing slots at Macau’s casinos. Macau’s casinos had previously neglected slots because the big money was made in the VIP rooms. With the decline of the VIP market, and margins on VIP business already having been decimated by the junket commission war, slot machines offering a stable and safe return are becoming a more compelling investment. Despite the economic gloom, for Weike—voted “Best Asian Manufacturer” by the judging panel for the Inside Asian Gaming - 2009 Supplier Awards —it could be boom-time in Macau. Mr Kinsman reveals that “within the next three months, we’ll have four different locations [in Macau] running Weike equipment, including our METG [multi- player electronic table game] tables” The METG range includes the five-seat Revo, which, according to Mr Kinsman, is the market leading electronic gaming table in Asia. The Revo has been available for about four years around the region, and Mr Kinsman adds “technology-wise it’s a great product. Very reliable. Very secure. We have hundreds of them in the field, and it’s been tested and tested and tested.”The Revo offers To Infinity and Beyond Weike Gaming Technology pushes into Macau with its new series of slot machines Oriental Fantasy on the INFINITY highboy David Kinsman