GAMING: THE NEW FRONTIERS
A white paper released in Macau last week by gaming testing laboratory and technical consultancy BMM International LLC, known as BMM Testlabs, has spotlighted some of the issues and opportunities that could await gaming venues in the not so distant future.
One of the not surprising finds was that suggestion that slot machines must become more interactive in order to attract a new generation of players.
“The industry can no longer merely hope that casino floors will attract and retain tomorrow’s patrons” and must incorporate existing and emerging technologies, said the paper, written by Robin Bernhard, BMM senior manager for marketing and education.
The consultancy believes that slot machines must go beyond chance-based games, namely by taking on skill-based challenges such as bringing e-Sports into the casino floor, as well as by allowing for simultaneous betting on sports, e-Sports, and table game stadium gambling.
The white paper also calls for more controversial steps, such as adding biometric identification that could, for instance, allow for cashless gaming, including new forms of currency such as virtual currencies like bitcoin.
The Monetary Authority of Macao – the city’s de facto central bank – prohibits banks and financial institutions from serving any entity involved in cryptocurrency. Digital or virtual currencies are not accepted as currency at the city’s casinos.
In addition, even BMM acknowledges that “in a world of data breaches”, gamblers could be wary of providing their personal information to casino operators that would make it “less private to be a patron”.
BMM’s white paper adds that with micro-climate air cleaning technology available, it could soon be possible to introduce localised climate control in each slot machine, thus allowing gamblers to smoke without causing inconvenience to other casino visitors.
Macau’s Health Bureau is currently reviewing 404 requests from casino operators for the installation of upgraded smoking lounges, said to have better air extraction equipment than mandated under the current regulatory regime. After January 1, 2019, old-style smoking lounges will no longer be allowed inside the city’s gaming venues.
The number of slot machines in Macau’s casinos has increased by more than 4,000 since 2014, topping 17,200 as of September 30 this year. But revenue from slot machines was up just 2.6 percent year-on-year in the first nine months this year according to official data. Moreover, revenue from slot machines accounted for less than 5 percent of the overall casino GGR generated in the nine months to September 30.
Source:ggrasia.com
