Despite regulatory uncertainty and a relatively high risk profile, land-based operators will be closely watching developments across the Indochina region over the coming months. Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar offer varying degrees of opportunity for operators keen to invest in the region. “Southeast Asia is a hot market at the moment with lots of new development, especially in Vietnam and Cambodia,” Stephen J. Karoul, president and CEO of boutique casino consulting company Euro-Asia Consulting, LLC, told AGB. But these markets are not without significant political and operational risk. Perhaps the most appealing of the four is Vietnam. “I think Vietnam has the greatest likelihood of moving towards a contemporary model of casino regulation, and it is certainly likely to elevate the standard of compliance above that of the other emerging jurisdictions around it,” David Green, former gaming practice director with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Macau and founder of gaming consultancy Newpage Consulting, told AGB. The early signs...
