NEWS Asia has biggest New dice game


gambling firms Casino operators from the Far East show their strength in a top-50 list


Asian companies dominate the latest list of the top 50 gaming firms by market capitalisation, produced by Global Betting and Gaming Consultants (GBGC). The list, updated at the beginning of January, sees seven Asian companies in the top ten. Although Las Vegas Sands of the U.S. is the world’s biggest gaming firm by market cap, the second, third and fourth places are all taken by Asian companies – Sands China, Wynn Macau, and Genting Singapore respectively. SJM Holdings and Galaxy Entertainment, both of Macau, take the sixth and seventh spots respectively, while Genting Malaysia is eighth and MGM China Holdings is tenth. Apart from Las Vegas Sands, the only non-Asian firms in the top ten are Wynn Resorts, at number five, and International Game Technology (IGT), the sole supplier, in ninth place.


Asia’s casino firms are not just big, they are also among the best for giving value to their shareholders


Said Lorien Pilling, GBGC’s Research Director: “The inclusion of so many Asian-based firms in the GBGC 50 Index simply reflects the fact that Asia has become the largest gambling region in the world, overtaking Europe and North America. Macau will post another set of record gaming revenues for 2011, while the integrated resorts in Singapore have both been successful in their first full calendar year of operations.” GCGC predicts that by 2015, Asia’s casinos will account for 48 percent of the global market, thanks to continuing growth in Macau and Singapore as well as new operations in the Philippines and Vietnam. The possible development of casino resorts in Japan could also help push up Asia’s market share. A recent forecast by PricewaterhouseCoopers broadly concurred with GBGC’s outlook, although it suggested that Asia would have a slightly lower market share of 43 percent in 2015, up from about 30 percent today. Asia Pacific is predicted by PwC to overtake the


US as the world’s biggest casino market in 2013, powered particularly by Macau but also by Singapore, the Philippines and, in the future, possibly Japan. And Asia’s casino companies are not just big, they are also among the best at delivering value to shareholders, the GBGC research suggests. Galaxy Entertainment’s share price rose by 53 per cent over the last year, while stock in two other Macau operators, Kingston Financial and Melco Crown, rose 51 and 45 per cent respectively.


on a roll in Britain Qilin gets a thumbs-up from punters and management at Grosvenor sites


Most innovation in casino gameplay is, let’s face it, little more than minor tweaking of established favourites: whichever variant you opt for, all Blackjack is fundamentally the same product, for example.


But occasionally an all-new game does come along. And one such, Qilin, is receiving positive reviews from trials at two sites of Rank Group’s Grosvenor Casinos chain in the UK.


Named after a Chinese dragon, Qilin is a simple game with three dice in a tumbler unit.


Players see the dice begin to tumble; the unit is then


covered until all bets have been laid, at which point the result is shown. Said Paul Brady, General Manager at Grosvenor’s


Portsmouth Gun Wharf venue: “Qilin is very easy to play and deal, and we’ve had a game every night.” His opposite number at G Casino Thanet, Peter Donnelly, reported: “Interest has been strong, especially with new players and the Poker fraternity. We’ve also had a number of players say that it’s good to see a dice game back on the gaming floor.” “We are constantly seeking to keep the mix of gaming in our outlets fresh and interesting for customers. Qilin made a strong impact the first time we saw it and we are happy with the results so far in the two clubs. The future of the game in Grosvenor Casinos will be decided when the trial finishes,” confirmed Kevin Graham, the operator’s Head of Table Gaming.


Whichever variant you opt for, all Blackjack is fundamentally the same product. But Qilin is all-new


What’s its secret? At


ICS-Europe, which holds the rights to the game, British agent Paul


Sculpher said: “Qilin ticks the most important box critical for any new game – the basics can be explained in 20 seconds to a new player, giving them enough information to play the simplest bets. Qilin is a game which can be enjoyed by new weekend players and by the more seasoned gamers.”


And the company’s Managing Director Marco Guldenaar opined that the visual presentation of Qilin is an important factor too.


“One of the Grosvenor dealers in Portsmouth commented during training that she was confident that the game would attract attention purely due to the ‘flashing lights and bright colours’,” he said. “I’m a great believer that simple elements of a game’s appeal should not be underestimated”.


INBRIEF


EASTERN PROMISE Japan may allow slot machines and table games in resorts and hotels. The move to ease tight controls on gambling is seen as a reaction to the success of nearby Singapore and Macau in attracting gamers. A study by Osaka University has predicted that a Japanese land- based gaming sector could be worth up to $44bn.


IN CONTROL Revenue from gambling tax in Peru will increase to $112m this year and to $150m next year following the introduction of a new system, SUCTR, connecting all slots to a data centre for monitoring by regulators and tax authorities. There are believed to be more than 70,000 slots in Peru, in around a dozen casinos and 700 slot halls.


JUST THE TICKET Eurocoin is now exclusive distributor outside the US for Slot-Tickets Worldwide’s Pull2Win tabbed ticket.


TRIBAL DEBUT As we went to press the Navajo Nation’s Northern Edge casino near Farmington, New Mexico, was set to open with 750 slots, ten table games and six poker tables.


SPANISH BONANZA Most major online operators are likely to apply for licences to offer their services in Spain, according to a new study from MECN. Said Martin Oelbermann, Director of MECN and co-author of the study: “Many operators lost a significant amount of money in the liberalised French market – therefore, operators became more sceptical. But the Spanish model seems to convince them.”


EMPIRE BUILDING The developer of the Horseshoe, the first casino in Cleveland, Ohio, is to acquire the city’s Ritz-Carlton hotel and an office building, both adjacent to the casino site.


MORE MEMBERS Four new members have joined the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM). They are Carmanah Signs of Canada; DiTronics Financial Services of Las Vegas; international law firm Greenberg Traurig; and Taiwan’s Portwell.


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