Inside Asian Gaming

December 2013 | INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 17 IN FOCUS was just one of many topics covered by speakers who participated in the design sessions at G2E. Here are some of the trends with the potential to impact current and future casino design that were discussed and dissected at the show. China Trade Asia continues to be the nexus of current casino development, with multiple projects in various stages of development throughout the region. Indeed, Steelman Partners alone has its hand in dozens of potential Asian developments, a list that includes the second- phase development of the Ho Tram Strip in Vietnam, as well as the California-inspired design for Dragon Hill, which will be located in the northern part of the country, and the recently opened Solaire Resort & Casino in the Philippines. Steelman is also involved in creating a master development plan for PAGCOR casinos in Manila. Other projects include a proposed gaming area in Cambodia, which will include a massive theme park and 10-12 casinos; a gaming property on the Taiwanese island of Matsu; a master plan for casino development in Vladivostok, Russia; and casino expansion and refurbishments in Sydney and other Australian cities. The taste for casino development throughout the region is such that massive gaming projects are being announced in some pretty esoteric places, such as Yap Island, roughly 800 miles from Manila, where a Chinese developer announced plans to build the first underwater casino. Still, no matter where these properties are based, they are being developed with one type of consumer in mind: the affluent Chinese gambler. Mr Steelman was not the only architect or operator to notice this trend. “Everyone is designing for the Chinese customer,” said Peter Wu, a 20-year gaming veteran who worked for casinos in Macau and Singapore and was most recently the senior vice president of international casino marketing alliances for Baha Mar in The Bahamas. “Everyone is looking to capture the Chinese customer. The challenge is that there are a lot of important elements that need to be included in a casino’s design to accomplish this task.” To start, the casino developer and designer must be aware of the type of consumer they want to attract. Traditionally in Macau, Singapore and elsewhere in Asia there have been two extremes: the mass-market gambler or the high-limit VIP. Recently, however, a new market segment has emerged that most developers are now targeting: the premium mass-market. According to Mr Wu, the premiummass-market customer tends to play with cash and bets on a comparable level as a VIP. “These players were lumped into the mass market but played like VIPs, without being treated like VIPs,” he said. “They were an untapped customer base and gaming companies are now starting to show them the love.” From a development standpoint, what needs to be considered when designing a property to attract the premium mass-market Chinese gambler? Mr Wu listed five points: • Access —When a Chinese gambler comes to a casino resort, they are primarily interested in one thing and one thing only: to gamble. They demand quick and easy access to table games and the amenities needed to play the games longer. “While at the Sands Macao, I noticed the busiest area of the casino was a tight space sandwiched between the noodle shop, restrooms, cage and hotel lifts,” Mr Wu said. “When it comes to gambling, the Chinese are all Sands Macau pioneered many of the VIP features now standard in most Asian casinos. Vietnam’s recently opened Ho Tram strip with amenities designed to appeal to the premiummass-market player.