Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JAN 2023年1月 亞博匯 104 just about casinos but we also have many other events around entertainment, culture, sports. “What we need to do is to change the mindset of international tourists so they can see the other side of Macau.” Raymond Lo, Senior Vice President, General Manager of Macao Altira Casino & Hotel and Mocha Clubs at Melco Resorts & Entertainment, said Macau was already well-positioned to attract foreign tourists provided it’s messaging is correct. “Macau has very profound advantages because in the 13th and 14th national plan the idea was to develop Macau as an international tourism center,” he said. “It is also home to many historical heritage sites accredited by UNESCO, is a city of gastronomy and has this east meets west culture and history, so Macau has all these elements that could attract so many visitors from the outside world. “This kind of integration makes Macau a landmark and a brand as a tourism city, and what we are [looking to do] in the future is to make use of these elements and advantages to further promote Macau.” Also appearing at the MGS Summit were representatives of major industry suppliers on a panel exploring the technical development of electronic gaming machine manufacturing, where it was revealed that Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) may be considering offering a two- year extension to the original 31 December 2024 deadline by which all EGMs on Macau’s gaming floors must be compliant with new technical standards. EGM Technical Standards 2.0, which governs the operation of electronic gaming machines in the SAR, was published in early 2021 and represents the first update to Macau’s EGM Technical Standards since version 1.1 was released in 2014. Lloyd Robson, General Manager, Asia forAristocrat, told the MGS Summit panel, “It was our original understanding that by end of 2024 all compliance was the order of the day, but maybe that will be pushed out further. We will work with the direction the DICJ provides.” TRADE EVENTS