2020 Pandemic Evolved Casinos

The land casino business in Asia Pacific and beyond was just one of many commercial sectors devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The economic impact on the casino industry is well documented by venue closures and dramatic year-over-year declines in casino gross gaming revenue (GGR).

GGRAsia asked several commentators on Asia-Pacific industries to give their thoughts on what opportunities have been created by the crisis that could benefit the sector in 2021 and beyond.

Consultant Niall Murray, a former senior gaming executive in Macau and Las Vegas and chairman of Murray International Co Ltd, called 2020 "shaking, thinking, acting and forcing the industry to operate dramatically differently."

"Many businesses have been forced to look anew at how to attract, serve and retain customers whose service, health and safety expectations have changed irreversibly," he added.

One particular effect of the crisis has been to increase operator and consumer interest in electronic table games (ETGs). That's according to Joji Kokuryo, a former executive in the Macau market and current managing director of Bay City Ventures, a Tokyo-based consulting firm with a professional interest in pushing for casino liberalization in Japan.

"These products require less human interaction between players and casino operators than regular tables. This is a key feature of the world we live in today," Kokuryo noted.

"ETG typically runs at a much lower minimum bet than the table, but many products have the capability to include more players per game cycle and there are also customizable settings for most player segments," he added.

"Losing human interaction is of course a big deal, so enhancing the player experience will be crucial for ETG manufacturers," the consultant observed.

BY: 무료 슬롯