While table games have traditionally been appealing to gamblers in Macau, there is a lot of room for innovation with regards to slot machines, MGEMA chairman Jay Chun told AGB in an interview on Tuesday.
“Slots have been recovering better than the mass market in general, so we have seen them edging ahead for revenue, but they still aren’t as popular here as they are in Las Vegas. That means we have an opportunity for innovation; there’s room for something new to take hold in the slot machine landscape,” said Chun.
“Slot machines tend to be different depending on what country they’re in. Aristocrat is launching a game that’s based on the hit TV show Westworld, but I don’t know if that will appeal as much here in Asia. It depends on what is already popular and recognized.
When asked whether Macau may see the introduction of new game types, such as skill-based games, Chun said while there may still be hurdles ahead, there is opportunity for growth.
“Skill-based games have been trying to make inroads, but there’s always a hurdle of getting the customer’s attention and comfort. eSports are more and more popular, and as more people become comfortable with them, that may bring opportunities for different types of games that are similar in some ways. I can’t tell you how successful one type of game might be or not be, but I do think there’s lots of opportunity for moving beyond traditional slot machines.”
The full interview with Jay Chun will be found in the November issue of AGBriefings, released alongside the MGS Entertainment show on November 14-16, 2017.
Asia Gaming Brief is a news and intelligence service providing up to date market information for worldwide executives on relevant gaming issues in Asia.
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