• Subscribe
  • Magazines
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
Thursday 31 July 2025
  • zh-hant 中文
  • ja 日本語
  • en English
IAG
Advertisement
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • CNMI
    • Europe
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Latin America
    • Malaysia
    • Macau
    • Nepal
    • New Zealand
    • North America
    • North Korea
    • Philippines
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • UAE
    • Vietnam
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
IAG
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • CNMI
    • Europe
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Latin America
    • Malaysia
    • Macau
    • Nepal
    • New Zealand
    • North America
    • North Korea
    • Philippines
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • UAE
    • Vietnam
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
IAG
No Result
View All Result

Hold or Fold?

Newsdesk by Newsdesk
Tue 14 Apr 2009 at 16:00
7
SHARES
167
VIEWS
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

If poker table supply consistently outstrips demand in Macau it could kill off the game’s brand equity

There’s a saying among stage performers—frequently attributed to the 19th century American showman P.T. Barnum—that you should always leave the audience wanting more. The same could apply to the gaming industry, which is after all a form of entertainment that has its own stage, set of directions and audience.

Brand building for poker in Macau is arguably like working an audience. It’s a delicate process and the market players have to ‘feel’ the mood of the crowd. If table supply gets too far ahead of demand it risks turning poker from a hot game to just another casino sideshow. Not only would persistent table oversupply be bad for the existing poker room contractors, it’s also likely to be bad for the image of the game. A bank of empty poker tables in a Macau casino would send out entirely the wrong message to uninitiated Asian players, i.e., ‘This game is no good’. Baccarat can get away with empty tables during a period of economic recession because the game is already ingrained in the local culture and the consciousness of local players. Poker has no such deep-rooted brand equity in Asia at this stage.

For over zealous competition to kill off poker’s green shoots now would be a great shame. With some gaming analysts predicting as much as a 15% fall in baccarat revenues during 2009 there has probably never been a better time for poker to stake its claim in the Macau market.

Boom in a bust

In the baccarat boom times of the first half of 2008, when baccarat tables in the high roller and mass market sectors were packed with players, casino managers saw poker as interesting, but essentially a niche product. It’s unlikely to move beyond niche status for the foreseeable future. If carefully managed, however, it could punch well above its gross gaming revenue weight because of its business model.

In Macau the rake on player buy-in fees for poker games is typically set at 5% up to a US$200 cap. This compares with the theoretical house edge on baccarat in Macau of 1.52% and the 1% or more commission paid by operators to junkets on the betting chips ‘rolled’ by VIP baccarat players. Despite the house-friendly business model of poker, Macau casino operators also have the comfort zone of opting for a guarantee on minimum monthly income as the price of the  cooperation with a third party poker room operator.

Although poker revenue as a proportion gross gaming win in Macau is miniscule, the poker model does seem to have the additional virtue of attracting people from well educated, high earning A and B social groups willing to engage in complementary spending on high value services such as luxury hotel rooms and fancy restaurant meals.

“We think what’s happened in the United States and Europe over the past years has been extraordinary and we do expect that to continue in Asia. The question is when is it going to take off?” said Jeffrey Haas, President of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour, speaking at the recent Asian i-Gaming Congress & Expo (AiG) in Macau.

“I think in Macau it’s about the diversification of gaming products. Poker is significantly less than 1% as far as revenues are concerned. It is marginal at best today, but with a lot of potential. Poker, as far as casinos are concerned, brings players in, and those players and the people they bring along can then be cross-sold other products,” added Mr Haas.

However, in order to nurture these green and promising shoots, some careful gardening may be required. Balancing supply and demand can be difficult in any industry. To get consumers to pay a premium for a product or service they must believe that it contains inherent value and they must believe their purchase makes a positive statement about them to the wider world.

RelatedPosts

SABA Sports redefines sportsbook deployment with lightning-fast API integration

SABA Sports redefines sportsbook deployment with lightning-fast API integration

Wed 23 Jul 2025 at 04:41
American poker pro Michael Mizrachi just completed the greatest feat in poker history

American poker pro Michael Mizrachi just completed the greatest feat in poker history

Thu 17 Jul 2025 at 11:38
The Star Brisbane postpones poker tournament series due to expected strike action

The Star Brisbane postpones poker tournament series due to expected strike action

Wed 9 Jul 2025 at 14:08
SABA Sports unveils QuickBet Widget: Seamless, smart betting across every digital surface

SABA Sports unveils QuickBet Widget: Seamless, smart betting across every digital surface

Tue 8 Jul 2025 at 12:59
Load More
Page 1 of 5
12...5Next
Tags: AsiaPoker
Share3Share
Newsdesk

Newsdesk

The IAG Newsdesk team comprises some of the most experienced journalists in the Asian gaming industry. Offering a broad range of expertise, their decades of combined know-how spans multiple countries across a variety of topics.

Current Issue

Editorial – Better late than never

Editorial – Better late than never

by Ben Blaschke
Thu 31 Jul 2025 at 07:13

Inside Asian Gaming has in recent weeks been hearing increasing chatter around a possible move by Vietnamese authorities to introduce...

Angel’s Yasushi Shigeta

Angel’s Yasushi Shigeta

by Ben Blaschke
Thu 31 Jul 2025 at 07:08

Yasushi Shigeta, Chairman and owner of one of the world’s largest gaming industry suppliers, Angel Group, sits down with Inside...

The Magic Number

The Magic Number

by David Bonnet
Thu 31 Jul 2025 at 06:41

In this in-depth deep dive into the evolution of the Asian gaming landscape, David Bonnet argues that many regional jurisdictions...

Rashid Suliman – A road well traveled

Rashid Suliman – A road well traveled

by Ben Blaschke
Thu 31 Jul 2025 at 02:45

Rashid Suliman, Vice President of Global Gaming Asia-Pacific for casino solutions provider TransAct Technologies, provides some insight into his unique...

Evolution Asia
Your browser does not support HTML5 video.
Aristocrat
GLI
Nustar
SABA
Mindslot
Solaire
Hann
Tecnet
Tecnet
NWR

Related Posts

Angel’s Yasushi Shigeta

Angel’s Yasushi Shigeta

by Ben Blaschke
Thu 31 Jul 2025 at 07:08

Yasushi Shigeta, Chairman and owner of one of the world’s largest gaming industry suppliers, Angel Group, sits down with Inside Asian Gaming to discuss the company’s evolution into a true industry titan during his 30-year tenure. He recounts how Angel...

Macau’s IP Economy

Macau’s IP Economy

by Pierce Chan
Thu 31 Jul 2025 at 02:01

As Generation Z – those born between 1995 and 2010 – gradually becomes the main force in consumption, the IP economy has risen rapidly in mainland China. The Macau government is also seizing on this trend, introducing a series of...

Keeping it local

Keeping it local

by Newsdesk
Thu 31 Jul 2025 at 01:48

Melco’s House of Dancing Water provides the company a unique opportunity to help develop and nurture local talent while enabling that talent to learn from the world’s best. Melco Resorts & Entertainment’s reimagined House of Dancing Water debuted at City...

7 Deadly Sins

7 Deadly Sins

by Newsdesk
Thu 31 Jul 2025 at 00:28

Global betting company 1xBet threw a memorable party in Manila in June, featuring as brand ambassador none other than world-renowned actress and model Eva Elfie. On 3 June, global betting company 1xBet hosted a private interactive event for its top...

Your browser does not support the video tag.


IAG

© 2005-2025
Inside Asian Gaming.
All rights reserved.

  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
  • NEWSFEED
  • MAG ARTICLES
  • VIDEO
  • OPINION
  • TAGS
  • REGIONAL
  • EVENTS
  • CONSULTING
  • CONTRIBUTORS
  • MAGAZINES
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • Magazines
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • About
  • Home for G2E Asia

© 2005-2025
Inside Asian Gaming.
All rights reserved.

  • English