Inside Asian Gaming

DECEMBER 2018 INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 79 renewal. The 13 Hotel was recently granted a hotel operation license, however in terms of adding a gaming license it is placed in a similar situation to Suncity Group, Golden Dragon Group and other casino investors hoping that new gaming licenses will be issued – and they will be a beneficiary. In the event that new gaming licenses are indeed introduced, more integrated casino resorts and more amenities will become available, not only providing the potential to strengthen the global status of Macau’s gaming industry, but creating competition among the SAR’s new and existing gaming operators in pursuit of market share. This in turn promises to be a bonus for the players themselves – better promotions, better customer service and improved visitor satisfaction. Since Macau overtook Las Vegas as the leading gaming center in the world, interest from travelers keen to experience all that Macau has to offer has spiked. In gaming terms at least, the Cotai Strip has become the new Las Vegas Strip, including its very own scaled-down Venice canal and Piazza San Marco at the Venetian, half-size Eiffel Tower at the Parisian, 4D Batman ride and figure 8 Ferris wheel at Studio City, and the House of Dancing Water resident show at City of Dreams. Many of these are now iconic attractions – to this day, 50% of visitors to COLUMNISTS Macau visit the Venetian even though it has been around for 11 years. Today, it still attracts over 27 million visitors a year, not far off the annual 30 million tourists visiting Venice, Italy. On the flip side of the coin, over 100,000 people in Macau are either employed in gaming or gaming related industries and one-fifth of Macau’s entire active labor force In the event that new gaming licenses are introduced, more amenities will become available, not only providing the potential to strengthen the global status of Macau’s gaming industry but creating competition among the SAR’s new and existing gaming operators. Eleven years after it opened, the Venetian Macao still attracts 50% of all Macau visitors to witness its grandeur.