Inside Asian Gaming

July 2009 | INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 45 Briefs Star turn StarWorld Hotel & Casino on Macau peninsula has won another hotel industry award—this time in China. The property, developed and managed by Macau gaming licensee Galaxy Entertainment Group was named ‘Best Hotel Brand for Customer Satisfaction’ at the 2009 China Hotel Industry Golden Horse Awards. As far as investors are concerned, the bottom line matters more than engraved crystal tablets in the boardroom. But from anecdotal evidence StarWorld certainly seems to be punching above its weight in terms of its footprint in the market, by capturing the imagination of visitors to Macau. This may be instructive for the industry as a whole, given that StarWorld doesn’t really have much of a mass- market offer. It has become a destination venue for visitors of all backgrounds because of its high quality environment—particularly its hotel accommodation, bars, food and entertainment. “Receiving an award in a customer satisfaction category is extremely rewarding and it is a recognition of our commitment and dedication in providing personalised, attentive and sincere services,” said Ciarán Carruthers, StarWorld’s Chief Operating Officer. The China Hotel Industry Annual Meeting & China Hotel Forum describes itself as the largest and most prestigious event for hotel industry leaders in China. The event is supported by the World Tourism Organization and Chinese government bodies. Indian flight trick The low cost airline Viva Macau has chosen an interesting time to announce plans for a direct service between Macau and India. Macau’s rival casino jurisdiction Singapore is less than six months away from launching the first of two integrated gaming resorts and is widely tipped to attract lots of Indian tourists. “We hope to start direct flights in the later half of the year, inmost likelihood between Macau and Mumbai,” says Reginald Macdonald, Viva Macau’s Chief Executive. In the first half of 2009 Macau saw a quarter on quarter spurt of around 25% to 30% in the number of Indian nationals visiting the former Portuguese territory. In real terms, however, the numbers are still tiny. In the four months from January to April this year there were 23,607 tourist visits by Indian passport holders. On an annualised basis that represents only around 0.23% of the 30 million tourists who came to Macau in 2008. Auspicious eights Eight is famously a lucky number in Chinese culture and Austrian Gaming Industries will be hoping that proves to be the case after acquiring a controlling stake in Octavian Global Technologies, a provider of gaming and lottery systems. Austrian Gaming Industries (AGI) made the announcement of the deal during G2E Asia. AGI—a wholly owned subsidiary of the Novomatic Group—is already strong in game platforms and content, while Octavian specialises in systems, so the fit should benefit both parties. “With Austrian Gaming Industries’ and Novomatic’s expertise in cabinets and games and Octavian’s focus on systems and games, we are very excited about the further opportunities that will open up for both companies,” said Jens Halle, Managing Director of AGI. “This move will serve to formalise our working relationship. Austrian Gaming Industries will now offer Octavian systems solutions as an option alongside its own product offering,” added Harmen Brenninkmeijer, founder and CEO of Octavian. Octavian was established in 2001. Its gaming products are marketed under four groupings: OctaSystems; OctaGames; OctaSupplies and OctaLotto. Octavian products have been supplied to more than 30 countries. The Novomatic brand is already a top sales performer in multiple jurisdictions, especially in Europe, South America and Asian markets such as the Philippines. The company is currently making a push to raise its profile and sales in the Macau market. For G2E Asia, Novomatic showed off its Super-V+ Gaminator machines with Macau-specific content. Derby day debut Racing Card Derby (RCD), a GLI 11-approved electronic game involving bets on video-style animations of horse races, made its debut at G2E Asia 2009 in Macau. RCD uses a live dealer with single or multi-deck capabilities to deal the game, which the makers describe as fast, exciting and easy to play, with 42 possible bets. The table is slightly smaller than a standard sic bo table and has English and Chinese characters. RCD has an easy to understand betting area, with bet options including red or black, exact quinella, multi-pay tierce (trifecta) and winner. Multi-coloured electronic lights display all winning combinations. “The characteristics of the animated horse race and screen layout give more to the player in entertainment value than most casino tables,” claims Anthony Brown, RCD Director. Octavian Stand at IGE London