Inside Asian Gaming

July 2009 | INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 7 Cover Story D elegates at G2E Asia 2009 had a rare treat when slot executives from three different Macau operators—SJM, MGM GRAND Macau and Melco Crown Entertainment—sat down in an open conference session to reveal their thoughts about the current state and future direction of theMacau slot scene.Their candour during ‘Growth in Games: Slot Directors’ Round Table’ was all the more refreshing given the fierce competition in a rapidly growing market. The prevailing attitude among the managers—at this stage at least—appears to be that cooperation on market intelligence combined with competition for customers on the various casino floors will help the market to mature and grow further. Insights This correspondent had the relatively unusual pleasure of leaving a conference session about Asian gaming knowing more about the topic than when he arrived. Some of the credit for the success of the session must go to Aspect Gaming’s Gordon Lee, who acted as moderator. Mr Lee has his own insights into the needs of Chinese slots players as themanaging director of a gaming equipment supplier with a manufacturing base in Shanghai and offices in Macau. His laid back, almost conversational style of questioning made occasionally tricky issues soundsounthreateningthatthecontributors couldn’t help but give a direct answer. Credit must also go to those contributors for supplying answers detailed enough to provide some real insights. The panel members were:Tammy Ng, DeputyManager, Slots, SJM Corporate Slots Division; Peter Johns, Director of Slot Operations, MGM GRAND Macau and Matt Hurst, a former directorofslotoperationsatWynnMacauand currently Vice President, Gaming Machines, at the newly-opened City of Dreams resort developed by Melco Crown Entertainment on Cotai. Mr Ng has an impeccable pedigree in Macau, as his father was an early associate of Dr Stanley Ho in slot operations soon after the latter won a casino monopoly from the Portuguese authorities in 1962. As a result of that and his own industry experience, Mr Ng junior is an expert in that part of the slot market aimed at local players. Mr Johns has wide slots management experience in major markets including Australia and the UK. One of the discussions doing the rounds in the industry is whether Macau’s slots sector will follow an entertainment route or a hard gambling route. Some think slots will have the ability to bring in a new kind One Country, Many Marketing Systems There’s no such thing as a typical Chinese slot player Here and on the following pages: some of the action from last month’s G2E Asia at The Venetian Macao