Inside Asian Gaming

COVER STORY Contents august 2015 Cover Photo: ©Thomas Hansson | Dreamstime.com 20 Brisbane Picks a Winner A year ago, things looked bleak for Echo Entertainment Group, Australia’s No. 2 casino operator. Arch-rival Crown Resorts had been licensed to break Echo’s monopoly in Sydney. Echo faced a new assault on its Queensland stronghold as the state government proposed new integrated resort developments in Brisbane and Gold Coast, where Echo still enjoyed exclusives. Brisbane’s Queen’s Wharf IR site was adjacent to Echo’s Treasury Hotel and Casino that, stuck in a landmark building that it couldn’t expand, would be overwhelmed by an IR on its doorstep. But last month, Echo scored a critical win over Crown by securing development rights for Queen Wharf. IN FOCUS 10 End of the Line? As gaming concessions approach expiration, Macau and Beijing hold all the cards. CASINO MARKETING 38 Getting More From the Majority Casinos have been profitable getting the lion’s share of play and proceeds from the top 20% of their customers. However a greater contribution from the other 80% of patrons may be needed to assure success going forward. GAMBLING AND THE LAW 28 Casinos Coming to Cuba – Again Now that diplomatic relations between Havana and Washington have been restored, what are the odds of Cuba reclaiming some of its former gaming glory? TECH TALK 34 Creating Chic Abbiati’s regional presence gets a boost from its new line of stylish and secure casino currency. 36 Excelling On All Fronts DLV’s new cabinet and multigame package provide further fuel for its steady Asia expansion. CYBER SECURITY 6 Fixing a Cyber Hole To protect the gaming enterprise from hackers, operators need to better detect and resolve “leaky” apps. BRIEFS 42 Regional Briefs 44 International Briefs 46 Events Calendar