MACAU BUSINESS By José Carlos Matias
Growth in Macau
Light & Wonder CEO Matt Wilson sees room for growth in Macau’s competitive market as the slot machine supplier introduces new games catering to the new crowds on the gaming floors.
fixated on the competition. “We are not really focused on the competition; we’re focused on supplying the best products for casino operators,” he tells Macau Business. Slot machine suppliers have been busy upgrading machines
on casino floors in line with the government’s new technical standards initiative, which will see all properties gradually change their games until the end of 2026. While that process, as instructed by the industry regulator Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), will take shape gradually, Light & Wonder is focused on “building on the great franchises that players know and love.” An example is the Duo Fu Duo Cai Grand, a product they are bringing to the market.
Philippines as a testing ground The CEO of Light & Wonder acknowledges that in other markets less constrained than Macau in terms of slot caps, it is easier to bring in and test new products, such as the Philippine market. “In the Philippines, as an example, which is a wild growth market, we are introducing lots of new products to that market. So, I guess the idea will be to test and learn in the Philippines and bring back the successful things that give us a high chance of success.” Operators and suppliers have been bullish on the Philippine
market as gaming revenue this year may surpass the 2019 tally, according to an estimate by the country’s gaming regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR). While noting that “the near-term focus is on putting the right
“I always say, remember the lady that brought you to the dance”
20 NOVEMBER 2023 M
acau’s market for slot machine suppliers has been highly competitive over the years, even more so under the new 10-year gaming concession
arrangement, which allocates the number of tables and slot machines per concessionaire, bringing the compounded figure to 12 thousand. Global gaming company Light & Wonder, formerly known as
Scientific Games, is one of the major players in town, and CEO Matt Wilson is positive about enhancing their foothold. While acknowledging that Macau is “obviously a very competitive market,” Wilson says the Nasdaq-listed company, which recently joined the Australian Securities Exchange, is not
level of investment into the markets in Asia and around the world that are delivering results for us over the next few years,” Macau will always be Macau. “I always say, remember the lady that brought you to the dance. You know, Macau has been great to us,” stresses Wilson, who was based in Macau between 2008 and 2012 when he was with another major slot machine supplier, Aristocrat. He finds the city’s gaming industry recovery something “fantastic to see,” especially considering that “only a year ago, many were questioning whether Macau would fully recover.” Matt Wilson emphasises that the SAR market “has been very resilient for a long time.” So, “I would say, question the Macau gaming market at your peril.”
In the second quarter of 2023 alone, gross gaming revenue
generated by slot machines had reached 71 percent of what was recorded in the second quarter of pre-COVID 2019, according to data from DICJ. In early September, the investment bank JP Morgan estimated that Macau’s mass market GGR was reaching 93 to 94 percent of pre-COVID levels. “We want to be a partner in perpetuity in this market,” Wilson concludes.
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