Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming November 2014 8 Cover Story about four to five hours to get to any location that we need to be.” There’s also the devotion to the region, which is what summoned these companies into being in the first place. “Something like a new regulation: perhaps for the big suppliers, the international guys, they have to go through a corporate chain before they can get an answer,” Mr Poh contends. “And they have other markets to consider, and then whether the decision they’re making is actually for the good; it may not be, because their other markets are bigger than Asia. For us, Asia is our market. Asia is the biggest market for us. So concentrating on Asia itself, it’s very easy for us to make sure we handle all the regulatory changes, and make sure our guys that create the products visit Asia and they’re in tune with the psyche of the customers that are here.” The operators you might expect to benefit from this the most, those with similar regional roots and a regional focus, while they don’t disagree, naturally they view the dynamics from their own perspective. “I think everyone is happy to try machines if the supplier looks like he’s going to help you out and be a partner,” says Tim Shepherd, executive director of Hong Kong-based Silver Heritage, which runs a popular casino outside Hanoi and owns and operates more than 1,000 slots around Southeast Asia. “These companies we’re talking about, they have a very specific focus, they build for a specific market,” says Joseph Pisano, an industry veteranwho has held senior roles with IGT and Entertainment Gaming Asia and now heads the Jade Group, a slot distribution and management company based in the Philippines. “Companies like Aristocrat and IGT, they have very large assets in the industry. When they look at products they look at it more on a global scale.” IGT is one of Jade’s clients, a list that includes European slot giant Novomatic and Seoul-based Hydako, the latter a decidedly smaller name with some well-designed games centered on an outsized cabinet called the Super Giant that features a 42-inch screen. Hydako’s games are deployed in Macau and in casinos on South Korea’s Jeju island. At Manila’s new Solaire Resort & Casino, they’re ranked the second-best performer on the floor, according to Mr Pisano. But that doesn’t mean smaller is necessarily better, he says. “I think the biggest difference is product, and your small suppliers, your Aspects, your Hydakos, their product range is very limited, and for very specific markets. Some of the Macau companies have products that work in Macau, but they really haven’t been tested outside of Macau yet. LT is one company that has been able to operate basically in a monopoly environment where they haven’t been exposed to competition.” Aspect CEO Justin Nguyen likes heading a Chinese company whose motto, “Created by Locals for Locals,” is “a good indicator,” he says, “of both our advantage and our game development strategy”. But, he adds, in the end everyone’s looking at the same bottom For us, Asia is our market. Asia is the biggest market for us. So concentrating on Asia itself, it’s very easy for us to make sure we handle all the regulatory changes, and make sure our guys that create the products visit Asia and they’re in tune with the psyche of the customers that are here.” Ray Poh | chief operating officer, Weike Gaming Technology “The advantage is in the larger properties. If you’re operating a large property you’re going to have a larger product range. You can afford to put in some Aspect, some Hydakos, some Weike. … It’s great to have them. It gives your casino floor points of difference. At the moment, if we look at the industry it’s basically Scientific Games and GTECH.” Joseph Pisano CEO, Jade Group Border crossing between Thailand and Poipet, Cambodia