Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming December 2014 16 Machines and the Man Macau’s slots market is heading for its best year ever, and Bally-SHFL’s Ken Jolly is making sure the reels keep spinning I f we’ve learned anything from Macau’s current travails it’s that its future depends on its transformation into a true mass gambling destination. Fortunately, it’s a future that is already unfolding. The evidence is there to behold on its slot floors. Just ask Ken Jolly, who runs Asian operations for Scientific Games’ newly acquired Bally and SHFL brands. He’s had a front row seat from the beginning. A decade ago, when few could have foreseen the enthusiasm with which the Chinese would embrace slot machines, Mr Jolly was general manager for Aristocrat’s Asia Pacific division. He led the division in those seminal years from the end of the monopoly era to the beginnings of the mass- market boom on Cotai when the Australian slot giant led the way in identifying what players wanted and developing the maths and themes that would fit the bill. It was all new then, and the experience would allow Aristocrat and Mr Jolly to play an instrumental role in shaping those tastes. Fast forward to today and machine gaming is motoring forward in Macau more powerfully than ever. While the city’s total gaming take has fallen almost 19% since the first quarter, battered mainly by sharp declines in VIP play, slot revenue through the third quarter is up 6.5%. It’s a fact that’s largely been lost amid the general handwringing. And what’s really impressive about it is that it’s been achieved in defiance of substantial declines in slot numbers. The average of 12,900 units for the January-September period is down 22% from 2012’s peak of 16,585. Yet revenue this year is on a pace to hit a record MOP15 billion, surpassing 2012’s by more than 13%. That’s a US$1.87 billion market. Those 12,900 machines are booking US$400 each in average daily win, a performance any other jurisdiction in the world would die for. With Bally-SHFL, Ken Jolly is still in the forefront. He’s got a portfolio at his disposal that is unmatched in the industry for breadth and sophistication. SHFL’s Duo Fu Duo Cai linked progressive has taken Macau’s casino floors by storm and is growing in popularity not only across Asia but worldwide. Bally’s Asia focus is becoming steadily more compelling as well. The Fusion line of live and virtual-dealer electronic table games is delivering top sellers in markets from South Korea to Singapore. In utility products for the pit the company is No. 1 in the world, a position that’s been enhanced recently with the release of the innovative Safe- Bacc, an eight-deck shuffler for baccarat that delivers cards directly to the shoe. Inside Asian Gaming caught up with Mr Jolly at last month’s Macao Gaming Show, where he shared his thoughts on the future of machine gaming in the region and the integral part that SG-Bally-SHFL will play in helping to take it forward. Insights