Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming March 2015 40 Feature The United States Playing Card Company is on a mission to increase sales and support to Asian casinos with its customer-focused mind-set Strong Suit A s far as the global playing cards business is concerned, Asia is where it’s at. That’s a result of the widespread practice of “squeezing cards” in baccarat—where players slowly peel back each card dealt to them, usually loudly and emphatically expressing either delight or disappointment as the result is revealed. In the process, the cards are mangled and can therefore only be used once. Card squeezing not only prolongs and heightens the drama and excitement of each round, but importantly, also feeds the belief among many Chinese players that they can influence the outcome of the game by channeling their energy into the cards. That belief, bolstered by the other prevalent belief that the outcome of each round can be predicted by referring to past patterns, underlies the insatiable appetite for baccarat among Chinese players. Of course, the other big reason casinos in Macau have a much higher propensity than their international counterparts to use each deck only once is that much larger wagers are involved. Compromising the integrity of the games at Macau’s tables costs much more than any potential savings from reusing cards. The United States Playing Card Company has been supplying playing cards since 1867, and its brands, including Bee, Bicycle and Congress, remain the most internationally recognized in their respective categories. Although USPC is the undisputed market leader in the US, Asia is dominated by a competing supplier. The most coveted of Asian markets is Macau, where the popularity of baccarat results in the consumption of more than 100 million decks of cards a year. USPC has its focus set firmly on that market, having opened a Macau office in December 2011. “My role is to grow the USPC and Bee brand globally, but a large part of that is in Macau,” says Brand Manager Kyle Nicholson. “It’s a brand that has heritage. At one time we dominated the market. We’ve had steps back, but we think we can listen to the customer more now and hopefully become a leader again.” He emphasizes a number of “important differences” which he says set USPC’s products apart. “If you look at the core product, our cards, we’re the only manufacturer in the world that makes our own paper stock, and that allows us to do unique things. For example, we can control for the unique climate of Macau. So if you think globally, Las Vegas in the US is a desert, in Macau you have a very humid climate. We can manufacture the paper in slightly different ways to compensate for the unique climate of each market, which prevents card-warping. The unique properties of our cards also resist dirt accumulation. This prevents jamming of the shoes. And any type of jam, any stoppage of play, costs properties money. And for games where cards are reused, our cards are more reliable in the shufflers, so you can keep those cards on the tables longer without jamming.” He adds, “We’re also 100% recyclable. If you look at competitors, “Our shoe provides incredible value for properties, especially with its overdraw protection function.”