GGRAsia – Weike eyes bigger market share with new products

Weike eyes bigger market share with new products

May 18, 2016 Newsdesk G2E Asia 2016, Trends & Tech

Singapore-based electronic casino games and systems specialist Weike Gaming Technology (S) Pte Ltd expects to grow its footprint in Asia with the launch of new products, says Daven Tay (pictured), executive director of Weike.

“We expect to gain market share in Macau,” Mr Tay said, referring to the new casino openings planned for 2016 and 2017 in the city’s Cotai district. “That’s our target, but the new products we have should perform well in other markets, like Singapore and the Philippines,” Mr Tay told GGRAsia.

Weike is displaying a range of new offerings in slots, electronic table games, jackpot links and standalone games at this year’s Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia. The three-day G2E Asia 2016 runs until Thursday afternoon.

The company is showcasing its new Multi-player Electronic Table Game series, the METG GEN 3. The METG series currently has strong popularity with players in Southeast Asia, especially in Vietnam, according to Weike.

“The GEN 3 has a new cabinet with a slimmer design. It’s more advanced as it has a more powerful motherboard and a high-resolution monitor,” said Mr Tay. The product was developed with a modular design, which makes it easier to customise installations. It offers operators the option to configure the product either as a fully automated or partially automated table game, the latter option with the assistance of a live dealer.

The GEN 3 keeps some of the key features of the METG series, like Weike’s patented card peeping technology. “The design still looks and feels like a live gaming table,” Mr Tay said, adding that the company has received “very good feedback” from customers regarding this new product. The next step, he said, would be to increase the number of seats to accommodate a total of seven players, compared to the current five.

Weike is also boosting the number of games for the Infinity-X slot cabinet. Mr Tay said the firm is aiming to diversify the themes it offers. “We are trying to change a bit the direction, and instead of just being very strong in Chinese themes, we start to develop some Western themes,” said Weike’s executive director.

The company has already introduced some of these new titles at clubs in Singapore and Malaysia. Casino regulators in Macau, Singapore and the Philippines have meanwhile approved a few of the new games, which should be launched in these markets soon.

At G2E Asia, Weike is also showcasing the prototype for a new multi-game cabinet it plans to launch in the fourth quarter of 2016. The cabinet features the theme of Chinese classic literary work “Journey to the West”.

Mr Tay said the company had already completed a round of trials and the cabinet was currently undergoing the necessary tests with international gaming testing laboratories. The next step would be to gain the approvals from several jurisdictions in Asia.

“We really want to launch this cabinet this year… I believe this will be a great milestone for Weike. It comes with a very powerful motherboard, three high-resolution screens and a very strong theme,” said Mr Tay.