Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | March 2012 44 Briefs Regional Briefs SJM profit climbs 49% in 2011 SJM Holdings Ltd. (HK: 880) said it’s in advanced talks with the Macau government to build a new casino after 2011 profit rose 49%, reported Bloomberg . Net income climbed to HK$5.31 billion (US$685 million), the company said in a statement to Hong Kong’s stock exchange. That matched the HK$5.31 billion average of nine analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg . “My concern remains with the falling market share,” Kenny Tang, Hong Kong-based general manager of AMTD Financial Planning Ltd., said following the results announcement. SJM “is still in talks and there’s no concrete plan. It will take several years before it can build a new casino.” SJM will pay a final dividend of 43 Hong Kong cents a share and a special dividend of 22 cents, compared with a final dividend of 30 cents paid in 2011, the casino operator said. Earnings per share rose to 95.4 cents from66.2 cents a year earlier, while gaming revenue gained 32% to HK$76 billion, the company said. SJM, with casinos including Grand Lisboa and Ponte 16 on Macau Peninsula, had a 29% share of Macau gross casino revenue in 2011, down from 31.3% in 2010. Its market share may fall to 26.5% this year, said Richard Huang, a Hong Kong-based analyst at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets. “Macau is a supply driven market, not demand driven,” he said. “If you have new projects, that will boost demand.” SJM has applied to develop a 70,468-square-meter integrated resort in Cotai which will include mass market and VIP gaming, lodging, dining and entertainment. The project, which will take several years to develop, is subject to government approvals. SJM’s VIP gambling revenue climbed 36% to HK$52.8 billion in 2011. Revenue at Casino Grand Lisboa increased 46% and profit gained 41%, according to the company’s announcement. Weike marches into battle with two new slot games Singapore-based Weike Gaming Technology has launched two new games—Warrior Mulan and Samurai King—to add to its catalogue of strong Asian-themed slot products. “We have established a core of successful games that continues to develop a loyal following with players and provides outstanding performance for our operators,” said Andrew Masen, Weike’s Vice President of Slot Gaming, announcing the additions to the company’s catalogue. “The launch of these new products—Warrior Mulan and Samurai King— show we are committed to building on that strong foundation, in developing and regularly releasing new and exciting games.” Gus Noble, Weike’s Senior Sales manager in Macau, added: “We are very excited about the success of Weike Games in Macau and the regular release of new games is designed to build on our initial success. One of our games—Oriental Temptation—has produced record weekly turnover and net win numbers for a major casino in Macau. We had a great year in 2011 with successful machine trials at major casinos. Now 2012 is poised to be a break out year for Weike Gaming in Macau with a presence on most of the major casinos’ floors.” Taiwan’s GAMA Ray casino management system gains GLI certification Taiwan’s GAMA Technology Co. Ltd, has received Gaming Laboratories International certification GLI-13, GLI-16 and GLI-17 on its casino management system. The system, branded as GAMA Ray, has been installed in gaming venues in Laos and the Philippines and in 20 amusement arcades in Taiwan. Later this month GLI Peru is also expected to grant the system certification in that country. GAMA Technology was set up in 2010 and specialises in developing bespoke casino management systems. The company’s services cover wide area link management and Internet protocol-based networked jackpots and member data systems that can be shared across multiple locations. GAMA says one of its specialities is integration of all cashier functions—including hand pay, ticket-in-ticket-out (TITO) and cashless transactions—via a single workstation. GAMA also offers promotion management in its suite of services, covering reward points, loyalty credits, and lottery points. In Taiwan GAMA also provides blacklist notification on undesirable clients for arcade venues. Singapore’s Casino Control Act under review The Singapore Government is currently reviewing the Casino Control Act, which among other things, governs the operations of the two Integrated Resorts (IRs) in the city-state, reports Channel News Asia . This was disclosed by Minister S. Iswaran in the Prime Minister’s Office, who added that the review is timely, with the casinos at both Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands each reporting around 135,000 visitors last year. Mr Iswaran also heads a multi-agency SJM’s flagship Grand Lisboa