Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | September 2009 54 Silver Heritage needto be in Asia’,” he explains. Inspired Gaming’s core product is a multi-wheel roulette game, which enables participants to play up to four different wheels from one single terminal—a design unheard of until very recently, according to Mr Bolsover. “It’s a fantastic product for Asia, where people love to watch a whole bunch of tables and follow rolls of luck.” Silver Heritage also represents Slovenia-based company Royce & Bach, an automated roulette game supplier, and Cadillac Jack, an American slot machine manufacturer new to Asia. “Their slots do well in certain American markets that are similar to some of the Asian markets we operate in,” states Mr Shepherd. Surroundings matter Silver Heritage says it is actively managing assets in all its venues to ensure a good return on investments. As well as slot product innovations, the company focuses on the design and decor of its electronic gaming areas. In January 2008 it launched the Millionaire’s Club at Dansavanh and spent US$120,000 redecorating the premises. Future investments in the range of US$500,000 to US$2 million will further enhance the company’s offer. “Our aim when renovating our gaming areas is to make them the best available in the local market. That creates excitement among the customers and drives more people to the casino,” says Mr Shepherd. The company assists local operators in running their electronic gaming areas, conducts promotions for all of the games within the space, and cross-promotes sports betting, slots and poker, he explains. He cites excellence in marketing and venue management as reasons that border casinos prefer to form partnerships with Silver Heritage rather than its market rivals. “They trusted us to choose the best mix of games, now they’re trusting us to bring in the players as well, and for that we get a higher percentage of the revenue share,” explains Mr Shepherd. “We realised we had to do more because casinos largely disregard slots, choosing to spend their marketing money elsewhere— that’s why they have us buying the machines for them in the first place,” he reasons. Putting on the style Recently, the company expanded its themed gaming area concept with the addition of Club 19 at Dansavanh Golf Club in Laos, which opened in January 2009. To golf enthusiasts ‘the 19th hole’ is a euphemism for the clubhouse or bar where players meet after a game to socialise and discuss their round. Club 19 takes that clubhouse idea and adapts it for the gaming market. The boutique scale gaming facility welcomes golfers and club members to bet on sports, play poker, and try their luck on EGMs following their round out on the greens. Silver Heritage’s new association with golfing is helping to move its offer up market and has boosted the quality of players it attracts, claims Mr Bolsover. Quality venues have become central to Silver Heritage’s ongoing growth, says the company. It plans to open two to three boutique venues like Club 19 every year from now until further notice. It says it has shifted its focus from growth based on expanding its universe of machines to growth based on maximising the yield of existing and new machines. It says this is achieved by securing the best partners and the best locations. Mr Bolsover hopes the club concept will open newmarkets for the group in The Philippines in the short term, and Vietnam in the not- too-distant future. SHL has even been approached by a company in New Zealand who like the Club 19 concept. For its Club 19 strategy, Silver Heritage formed a partnership with Robert Trent Jones (RTJ), one of the world’s foremost golf course design and golf course architecture companies. RTJ is redeveloping Dansavanh Golf Course into a destination for foreign enthusiasts of golf. RTJ has worked on projects all over the world including Dubai, New Zealand and Vanuatu. Mr Shepherd is confident the partnership will eventually open doors to markets beyond Southeast Asia. Silver Heritage’s business plan is to expand the business threefold or even fivefold in the next three years. Measured on a slot machine basis, that could take the business from 850 machines to between 2,500 to 4,250 machines. “We won’t just measure success in terms of machine numbers. We want to be known in the industry as a company that manages venues extremely well and where possible actually improves them—that’s the case whether it’s an electronic gaming area in a casino or a gaming area at a general entertainment resort,” says Mr Bolsover. “Managing our gaming assets with increased efficiency will also mean achieving better returns for our shareholders.” After a few rounds of golf, test your luck at the roulette (top), playing baccarat (center) or sports betting (bottom) in ‘the 19th hole’