Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming May 2016 40 want to sit at that crowded table? Isn’t this the kind of tourist Macau would like to see more often? And if so, then don’t we have to make sure he or she is having a good time both on and off the gaming floor. While Macau gets cosy in the trappings of the new normal, its regional competitors have already identified the opportunity. They are not, for the most part, legally bound to a compartmentalized approach to gaming and to decade old monopolies, and they will be quick to capitalize on this. As you may have already realized, part of the issue lies with laws and regulations that have lost touch with present times. Yet Macau’s legislative and executive powers are not the only ones to blame. In a sophisticated jurisdiction it is as much the responsibility of the regulator to review proposals to change the rules as it is the responsibility of the operators to put them forward. After all, as with many other aspects of this industry, the issue at hand requires an open, forward thinking dialogue between business and government. This discussion should happen sooner rather than later. Because the game is changing. And Macau had better change with it. these, a punter has to leave the gaming floor and get to one of the few SLOT stands scattered through town or strategically placed in a dark corner of one of SJM’s properties. That is because, in contrast to what happens in Vegas, Macau Gaming Law mandates that sports betting may not be operated within the casino’s premises (paragraph 6, article 3 of Law 16/2001). More than that, casino concessionaires are prevented, under their respective concession contracts (paragraph 2, clause 1), from operating pari-mutuel wagers, including wagers on horse and greyhound races, interactive games, as well as (with some exceptions) lotteries, raffles and the like. And that’s no fun, is it? Unfortunately these are only some of the many regulatory limitations to gaming in Macau. While other jurisdictions are adding skill-based games to their casino floors in order to attract video-game savvy millennials, Macau is stuck with the classic, and not always consensual, definition of game of chance. You would have to go all the way back to 2010 to find the latest addition to the published list of approved games here. The lucky newcomer was “Dragon Phoenix,” the Asian version of two up, a centuries old game of chance very popular with WWI Australian soldiers. The issue is not only about what you can play, but also about how you are allowed to play it. Social gaming, in-room gaming and on- premise mobile betting are currently nowhere to be seen in Macau. The harsh reality is that, with the exception of electronic table-games, Macau is no longer paving the way. Its gambling offering will quickly fall behind the times and its casino floors are simply no fun. You just have to walk onto one to realize it. Yes, there are cultural differences at play, but isn’t part of the plan to appeal to other Asian markets? Aren’t Asian millennials as fun-seeking and tech-savvy as their counterparts in the West? Yes, maybe the house take in these games are not as high as good old baccarat. But does that young Asian middle-class visitor, drawn in to see an expensive world-class show, Rules of the game In failing to embrace on-premise mobile gaming, Macau has fallen behind foreign jurisdictions. If you take a moment to look at the gaming offering in the world around us, you will soon realize that a lot has happened in the past few years. From Fantasy League to camel races in Alice Springs, you may now place bets on pretty much anything, at anytime, from any possible device with internet access.