Inside Asian Gaming

IAG MAR 2021年3月 亞博匯 42 On the numbers alone Asia has huge potential with a population of around 4.7 billion – much more than Europe where online gaming is already hugely successful. 僅就數字而言，亞洲擁有約47億人口——相較 網絡博彩已經非常成熟的歐洲而言，潛力要大 得多。 COLUMNISTS I n the March 2020 edition of Inside Asian Gaming I presented my case for authorities to consider allowing online gaming in Macau. Since then, numerous voices have been advocating the same. The reasons are obvious: Macau’s GGR fell 79.3% year-on-year in 2020; the overall number of tourists fell by 33 million people to 5.9 million; and the unemployment rate stood at an all time high of 2.9% (and amongst first-time job seekers around 6.27%). As an economy that is over-reliant on brick-and-mortar gaming, what other result could we expect? There are two other “obvious” reasons leading this urge to push online gaming forward. One is the upcoming expiry of Macau’s gaming concessions and the expected overall revision of the Macau gaming framework. The other is that online gaming has been provided for under Macau Gaming Law since 2001! In my view it makes total sense to foster discussion of the possibility of implementing online gaming – and now is the time to do it! Almost 20 years have gone by since the brick-and-mortar gaming market opened to new players. For more than 15 years the incumbent sports betting concessionaire has been able to accept players placing their bets online. And for the last 10 years we have had the opportunity to watch the growth of online gaming operations worldwide; our neighbors in Asia are seriously looking at it as well. The government has announced its intention to put revision of the legal framework on gaming up for public consultation. Scholars, legislators and industry stakeholders are currently diverting their focus to the re-thinking of Macau’s economy engine. It is therefore up to them to bring this matter to life. Interestingly enough, neither the Chief Executive nor the DICJ