May 20, 2015 Newsdesk G2E Asia 2015  
The slump in gross gaming revenue (GGR) in Macau means slot machine suppliers must ensure new products to the market can perform well under the new conditions, says managing director for Asia Pacific at Aristocrat Leisure Ltd, Vincent Kelly (pictured).
“With the changes that we have seen recently in Macau, we believe that gives us a greater responsibility to ensure that the products that we are talking about to our customers can really, really work out for them,” Mr Kelly told GGRAsia during the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia trade show.
The three-day event, taking place at Venetian Macao, ends on Thursday. Around 180 firms are exhibiting at the show, including several electronic gaming machine manufacturers.
“We see, as a result of the changes [in the Macau market], mass becoming more important” to casino operators, the Aristocrat executive stated.
GGR in Macau fell 38.8 percent year-on-year in April to approximately MOP19.17 billion (US$2.40 billion), official data show. It extended to 11 months the year-on-year decline in the city’s monthly casino revenue tally.
First quarter mass-market GGR in Macau, including slots and electronic table games, fell by 27.0 percent year-on-year to approximately MOP27.11 billion. VIP baccarat GGR fell even more during the January to March period – 42.1 percent in year-on-year terms. Slot revenue slipped 26.3 percent in the first quarter, to approximately MOP2.91 billion, from MOP3.94 billion in the year-prior period.
“The opportunity for our customers and us particularly in Macau is that casino customer participation in slots is relatively low as a percentage compared to many other markets,” Mr Kelly said.
Slot revenue accounted for 4.5 percent of Macau’s overall GGR in the first quarter of 2015, up from 3.9 percent in the year-prior period.
New products for Asia
Despite the downturn in Macau, the number of casino properties in Asia is set to continue increasing in the near future. Aristocrat is “heavily involved” in several of the upcoming casino openings and floor expansions taking place across the region, Mr Kelly stated.
The next new casino inauguration in Asia is Galaxy Macau’s Phase 2, operated by Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. Its opening is scheduled for next week.
When Galaxy Macau Phase 1 opened in May 2011, Aristocrat said it had achieved a floor share of about 70 percent, which it claimed at the time was “a record for any casino opening in Macau”. Mr Kelly did not provide floor share estimates for Aristocrat at Phase 2. He said: “I am sure we will be playing a very important part in their business.”
Aristocrat is now introducing to Asia Pacific its newest Hyperlink product, called ‘Fortune Tree’. The Chinese New Year-themed link launched with titles ‘5 Dragons Deluxe’, ‘Fortune King Deluxe’ and ’50 Dragons Deluxe’.
During the Hyperlink feature on ‘Fortune Tree’, a cumquat tree reveals red packets and the player selects the red packets to award one of four jackpot levels.
“The feedback on Fortune Tree has been very good,” Mr Kelly told us.
“We also have had some very nice feedback on what we are doing with our so-called ‘Entertainment Series’ in terms of how we are broadening our portfolio and more directly addressing the mass market than our content may have done in the past,” he added.
The Entertainment Series – or E*Series – library includes ‘Magic Flower’ and ‘3 Emperors’, two Chinese-themed game families.
In addition, Aristocrat is deploying the first units of its latest cabinet, the Helix, in Asia. Mr Kelly said he expects the distinctive features of Helix – including the LED backlit full HD displays and rear surface ambient lighting – will play well with Chinese gamblers.
May 09, 2023
Apr 11, 2023
May 22, 2015
May 21, 2015
Jun 09, 2023
None of Macau’s six gaming concessionaires have so far applied for a form of “exemption” from the full 40-percent tax rate on casino gross gaming revenue (GGR), as potentially applicable...Jun 09, 2023
Commercial opportunities for utilisation of...Jun 08, 2023
Gaming content and equipment maker Konami says it is...Jun 07, 2023
Casino gaming content and hardware provider Light &...Jun 06, 2023
Electronic table games (ETGs) supplier Interblock dd is...Jun 05, 2023
Random number generator (RNG) testing tools are among the...Jun 01, 2023
Alfastreet, a manufacturer of electronic gaming machines,...Jun 01, 2023
Casino equipment maker Sega Sammy Creation Inc is tweaking...Jun 01, 2023
The iGaming segment in Asia “has grown rapidly” since...May 31, 2023
Showing slot machine players – via animations on the...May 31, 2023
Macau stocks in likelihood “have been punished too much...May 31, 2023
There are foreign companies still interested in investing...May 31, 2023
Thailand could pass the necessary enabling legislation for...May 30, 2023
China will remain a key market for Asian gaming...May 30, 2023
Alejandro Tengco (pictured in a file photo), chairman and...May 30, 2023
There are “plenty of reasons” for the global gaming...May 30, 2023
Gaming equipment provider International Game Technology Plc...May 30, 2023
The Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia 2023 Special Edition:...May 29, 2023
Austria-based gaming equipment maker and operator Novomatic...May 25, 2023
Sports betting and online casino operating platform...May 24, 2023
The business performance in Asia of gaming content and...May 18, 2023
The organisers of Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia 2023...May 17, 2023
Gaming content and equipment supplier Light & Wonder...May 16, 2023
Casino equipment maker Sega Sammy Creation Inc is to...May 09, 2023
Casino slot machine and digital gaming content provider...May 05, 2023
The Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia event in Singapore is the...May 04, 2023
An adviser to a Thailand parliamentary committee mulling...(Click here for more)
”We believe the intrinsic value of IGT’s market-leading businesses and diversified cash flow profile is not currently reflected in our stock price and the timing is right to assess opportunities that may enhance value for IGT’s shareholders”
Marco Sala
Executive chair of casino equipment supplier IGT