Inside Asian Gaming

November 2016 inside asian gaming 13 Equally important, in recent months, the Macau SAR Government has channeled efforts into encouraging the casino operators to place more focus on increasing the mass market revenues. The logic in this process is that the slots and ETGs are the main engines to drive revenues, so to damage this with caps would have a tough impact on the economy – especially when operators cannot look to other sources for income generation such as table games because table caps are already in place. One area, though, that could help alleviate pressures on the Macau mix is the status of the Live Dealer ETG. Macau is slightly out of step with the rest of the world in this area insofar as it’s the only jurisdiction that considers it a table game. The United States, Canada, Europe, Singapore and most of Australia consider it as an ETG under the EGM category. Queensland, Australia considers it a semi-automatic table. So this is a particular gray area that could be examined. Regulatory consistency is very important not just to the future of businesses in our own domestic marketplace, but within the global industry. Macau plays a key role on the international stage and I think it would respond very positively to certain revisions. BB: Back to MGS, there has long been discussion about whether Macau can sustain two gaming trade shows per year. What does the future hold in this regard?   JC: The MGEMA has long argued that the marketplace will determine what happens here. That said, it’s probably not down to the exhibitors or the visitors as to whether we have two shows Cover Story than they have been for some time. And the two casinos are a crucial bonus to the city. They bring new offerings and a fresh impetus to the marketplace. Obviously there are no conclusions as of yet. We are all playing our part to drive the economy forward and that’s a key focus. But I have tried to emphasize this point above all – Macau has a plan in hand. And it’s an enticing one. This is what will shape the city going forward – economic diversity. The two years of decline have only reinforced the argument that the economy has a strong dependency on one single sector, which is something we are addressing. That sector, gaming, is still the lifeblood of Macau and that will remain so. But our future is about building a diversified industrial base around it that will protect and inspire our economy for the long term. BB: DICJ Director Mr Paulo Chan recently said the government would be introducing new regulations regarding ETGs next year. As someone with a particular interest in this segment, what are your thoughts on the government’s plan, which could potentially cap ETGs as it has with live dealer tables? JC: Macau already has ETG regulation and we should remember that the home market has been working within this framework during what has been an unprecedented economic downturn. As for the prospect of capping ETGs, I don’t think Macau will introduce a cap. The case to do so is not compelling and it doesn’t really sit comfortably in an overall plan to bring revenue into an economy that has been striving for recovery.