Inside Asian Gaming

Oct 2007 | INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 37 munications industry in the early 1990s.The rise of the BPO industry in the Philippines has also provided excellent inbound and outbound telecoms facilities for the I-Gaming industry. Additionally, an influx of foreign telecoms companies investing in the Philippines has contrib- uted to a significant decrease in telecoms costs, and First Cagayan offers lower high-quality bandwidth costs than other online gaming jurisdictions. Meanwhile, First Cagayan provides Internet Data Centers (IDCs) employing the latest technology to host gaming operations 24/7. New innovations Most online gaming operators started operating with and still continue to run Random Number Generator (RNG) systems, whereby the computer generates a sequence of numbers that lack any pat- tern to ensure fair gaming and security for players. Although RNG systems are fair and reliable, Asian players tend to place less trust in them, and some losing players may feel the game could have been manipulated. This led to the adoption of live video streaming among online casinos. With live video streaming, players can see the game is played in real time, with no delays and no potential for manipulation. Players thus have greater confidence in live video streaming than in RNG systems. ESL and gaming software giant Playtech have pioneered the use of live video streaming, whereby online players can see live dealers at the gaming tables. As an added feature, players can also interact with dealers by means of internet chatting while the dealing takes place. The latest development to be licensed and regulated in CSEZFP is Proxy Betting, whereby players can send a representa- tive to a land based casino in Cagayan to place bets on their be- half. The principal communicates with his proxy through a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone. Players sitting at their com- puters thousands of miles away can see their proxies playing in the casino through live video streaming. Launched at 6 tables in December 2006, Proxy Betting has expanded rapidly, and is now available at 90 tables run by 2 operators. Future plans First Cagayan recently presented a 10-year development plan for the CSEZFP. The plan includes the creation of a self-sustaining, sup- portive industrial zone in Sta. Ana, Cagayan. As the industrial zone is still in its early stages of development, several licensees are operating out of CSEZFP-regulated locations such as the RCBC Plaza Building in Manila. According to First Cagayan President Alfredo Benitez, the top priority is the construction and operation of a casino complex that will jumpstart the development and leisure sector in the zone. This development plan is expected to drive more investors to the region. First Cagayan Vice-President Renato Nuñez predicts that once the in- dustrial zone is complete, many gaming operators will be enticed to move their operations to Cagayan. Another feature of the development plan is the construction of a 22-hectare leisure, gaming and resort complex (out of a 100-hectare beach front property). The plan also involves widening of the San Vicente Naval Airport and the lengthening of its runway to accom- modate larger planes carrying more passengers. Investment in the region is expected to double CSEZFP’s pres- ent revenue and make it the central hub of the Asian online gaming industry. First Cagayan is keen to work with online gaming operators and software developers to develop new and improved technologies to enable players from all corners of Asia to place their bets over the internet in ever more innovative ways. The appropriately named beach-front Sun City Casino site