PacificNets Tony Tong Optimistic About the Future of Slots, Poker Machines in Asian Casinos

On June 8th, 2008, gaming innovators are hoping that by manufacturing culturally appropriate slot machines and poker machines, they can pry away Asian players from always playing baccarat and other card games and try out these new technological innovations. In the face of rising labor expenses and the growing need to diversify gambling profit away from the usual casino table game, casino facilities in the former colony of Macau are hoping that new gaming innovations like in poker and slots will attract more customers.

Tony Tong, the chief executive officer of PacificNet, a gambling technology organization commented that there are a lot of games in the gaming market like in the slots market with gaming themes like Star Wars, Spiderman and others. He added that Asian players usually have an emotional attachment to the games that they love like baccarat and they are trying to change that. PacificNet employs around five hundred gambling designers and engineers from the countries of Macau, Hong Kong and China aiming to outwit international rivals.

If Tong succeeds in his endeavor in promoting slot machines and poker machines as alternative for the usual card games like baccarat, it will help relieve the pressure on the bottom line of gaming establishments because of the increasing salaries of dealers. While gambling revenues in Macau surpassed the overall gambling revenues of the Las Vegas strip last year, government data states that up to eighty-eight percent of it was wagered on baccarat tables, where a single dealer serves around twelve players at a given time.

Chinese players usually tend to stick on a table that they feel are lucky, leaving other tables and games empty. Government figures states that only 4.3% of the city's total profits were from slot machines compared with the overall slots profits in Las Vegas which is sixty percent. Some gaming analysts are doubtful on whether slot machines can really prosper in Asian casinos because most Asian players like traditional casino games.

The head of Shuffle Master, Mark Yoseloff commented that this concept needs further study. But Tony Tong is optimistic that slot machines and poker machines will be more in demand in the near future.

Monday, 07 July 2008
Marissa Patterson