Technology and privacy. The trade-off between the two has been highly debated as tech has become intrinsic in our lives

After Macau authorities announced their intention for all gaming concessionaires to adopt radio frequency identification (RFID) tables, commonly known as smart gaming tables, a gaming insider believes that the measure will have a "net neutral" impact on Macau’s gaming revenue.

All six gaming operators in Macau plan to install RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tables in the coming months to improve marketing efficiency and productivity, according to Goldman Sachs.

In the second part of the Face to Face sit down with 2NT8 Limited’s Managing Director Alidad Tash, we delve into the shifting role of Macau's junkets, the frontloading of non-gaming spend – now upped to nearly $16 billion over 10 years, and how to align government and private-sector initiatives to benefit both. In addition, RFID tech is placing MGM China far ahead of the competition.

Smart table technology is taking the Asia-Pacific gaming market by storm, with an expert expecting that all major markets within the region will be utilizing some form of the technology by the end of 2025.

By the end of 2025, it is expected that all major properties in Macau, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand will adopt some form of smart table technology, primarily for Baccarat due to its implementation ease compared to other games, gaming analytics expert David Croft told AGB.

The Global Gaming Expo Asia (G2E Asia) serves as a yearly “mecca”, according to Chien-Ee Yeh, President of Reed Exhibitions Asia Pacific, with the event making an IR-centric return on June 4th-6th.

Since coming in four years ago, gaming veteran Walter Power has flipped the script on the Grand Ho Tram Resort, leveraging decades of experience in Macau to shape it into a true integrated resort, drawing the expat crowd from nearby Ho Chi Minh and further abroad.

Brokerage firm Citi forecasts that SJM Holdings and MGM China are likely to emerge as the operational outperformers for the first quarter of 2024 in Macau's gaming industry, underlining, especially, MGM's advantage in the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in gaming tables.

In assessing the long-term prospects of the Macau gaming industry, brokerage firm Citigroup highlights the significant impact of the widespread adoption of smart gaming tables on its growth.