Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | February 2013 16 Tech Talk LT has no presence in the city- state. It’s SHFL’s games that dominate, unconstrained by patent litigation with LT that has hampered their spread in Macau. SHFL’s share of Singapore’s ETGs is estimated at 48% (more than 70% at Marina Bay Sands), and the company is estimated to have about half the market in the surrounding region as well, and these markets are expected to grow by 1,500 positions or more with MGM Grand Ho Tram opening in Vietnam this quarter and Entertainment City Manila and a second NagaCorp casino in Phnom Penh coming on line over the next few years. Slovenia’s Alfastreet runs a close second after SHFL with an estimated 40% of the market. Novomatic, Aruze and Interblock also have some share. This is worth mentioning because at a 25% premium to slot win averages, a rough benchmark believed to hold true in Macau, it’s a robust business for all concerned. Company reports don’t break out ETG performance in either market, but they are considered slots under Singapore regulations, and it’s no coincidence that Singapore boasts some of the highest averages in daily win per slot to be found anywhere. Marina Bay Sands, whose results are published by listed parent Las Vegas Sands Corp, reported $616 in daily unit win in 2011, before deducting for discounts, on an average of 2,366 machines. That was more than twice the average at The Venetian Macao, and it was achieved in spite of strict rules in the city-state that ban advertising targeted at locals, who comprise upwards of 30% of the market. The latest figures available as of this writing show daily unit win at MBS holding at a creditable $630 through the third quarter in what has been a down year for both MBS and Sentosa. Extrapolating from this performance it’s possible that Singapore’s e-tables are booking in the neighborhood of $800 per seat per day, maybe more, which at Marina Bay Sands might have been good for about US$44.2 million in the third quarter, or more than one-third of its total slot haul in what is arguably the most lucrative machine gaming market in the world pound for pound. In Macau, at the end of 2012 there were approximately 1,300 terminals in stadium installations in Sands China’s five properties and in Melco Crown’s City of Dreams. There were another 2,200 or so spread around town in various automated stand-alone configurations, with sic bo actually enjoying the largest single-game share, according to Union Gaming. The live multi-games generated MOP895 million in revenue last year (US$119 million), up from MOP153 million in 2010—and it all belonged to LT Game, which is battling SHFL in the Macau courts. The dispute flared into open war at The Venetian during last May’s Global Gaming Expo Asia. SHFL was determined to exhibit its Rapid series of live games and Rapid Fusion multi-games at the show. Macau customs officials descended on the company’s stand, summoned by LT, and a burlesque of sorts followed: white sheets were thrown over the games to hide them from view. SHFL took its case to the show’s organizers, the American Gaming Association and trade show giant Reed Exhibitions. The sheets were removed then replaced as lawyers from the two sides hashed it out. They were pulled off for good finally on the second and final day of the expo. Though frozen out of Macau, SHFL’s Rapid Fusion e-tables are growing in popularity across the region