Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming September 2015 58 In Search of New Directions The current weakness across Asia’s gaming markets calls for fresh ideas to increase yield, reduce costs and identify untapped revenue streams. That’s just what the third annual edition of the Macao Gaming Show plans to deliver I t behooves businesses facing headwinds in their current markets to seek new opportunities. That doesn’t necessarily have to involve looking abroad. Sometimes it’s just a matter of thinking bigger. Intent on helping Asia’s beleaguered gaming operators to do just that, the Macao Gaming Show, organized by local trade body Feature Macau Gaming Equipment Manufacturers Association (MGEMA), has confirmed a wide-ranging series of discussion topics at its conference track, which, as part of the expansion of its scope, has been rebranded Macao Tourism and Culture Summit with Gaming Topics. The Summit will be held alongside the three-day MGS expo from 17th to 19th November at The Venetian Macao. In keeping with the times, this year’s Summit theme is posed as a challenge to attendees: “New rules, new vision, new opportunities: how is Macau planning to channel gaming to power a new entertainment mix for tourism and culture?” As MGEMA Chairman Jay Chun explains, context is critical to understanding the likely evolution of Asia’s gaming marketplace over the coming years, and to that end, the impact of China’s ambitious ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative will be huge. The initiative was announced two years ago and was initially billed as a network of regional infrastructure projects to develop ‘New Silk Road’ trading routes via land and sea connecting China to the West. The scope of the initiative has steadily expanded, however, and now includes promotion of enhanced policy coordination across Asia, financial integration, trade liberalization, and people-to-people connectivity. China’s efforts to implement this initiative will have a major influence on the region’s economic architecture, from patterns of regional trade, investment and infrastructure development, not to mention the flow of Chinese tourists, which remains a primary consideration in assessing the viability of a gaming resort in a particular location. Announcing the rebranded and widened remit for the Summit, MGEMA Secretary As MGEMA Chairman Jay Chun explains, context is critical to understanding the likely evolution of Asia’s gaming marketplace over the coming years, and to that end, the impact of China’s ambitious ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative will be huge.