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Daily Asia Gaming eBrief: Thailand and UAE to be next growth drivers

AGBrief Editorial
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Daily Asia Gaming eBrief: Thailand and UAE to be next growth drivers
Good morning. All eyes are on Thailand and the UAE, as Morgan Stanley projects that these two emerging markets could each contribute $3-5 billion annually in gross gaming revenue (GGR) to the global market. Wynn’s UAE project is poised to benefit from a growing affluent population and increased tourism in the region. Meanwhile, in South Korea, tourism experts are urging the government to establish a dedicated regulatory body for gambling to support the sustainable growth of integrated resorts and address public concerns. In Macau, tourism authorities have raised their Golden Week visitor projections to 130,000 daily, anticipating record arrivals fueled by favorable policies and strong early performance.

What you need to know

On the radar

AGB Intelligence

UAE

Thailand and UAE: Emerging gaming markets poised to add billions in global GGR annually

Thailand and UAE to generate billions in GGR annually

Morgan Stanley projects that Thailand and the UAE could contribute $6-10 billion in annual GGR. With Wynn’s UAE integrated resort project poised for success and Thailand’s robust tourism sector, these markets have the potential to reshape the gaming industry, contingent on regulatory developments.

Corporate Spotlight

Altenar brings premium sportsbook solution to Asia

Altenar brings premium sportsbook solution to Asia

Altenar, a leading sportsbook provider is bringing its global expertise to Asia, looking to expand its operations. Since 2011, Altenar has powered hundreds of online sports betting sites worldwide and is a major B2B provider in Europe and Latin America licensed markets.

1xBet, The most popular gambling games and slots in Asia

For global betting company 1xBet, Asia is a key market for several reasons. This is why 1xBet pays special attention to the Asian market and actively promotes its sports betting platform and the most popular gambling games on the continent.

Industry Updates

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Light & Wonder to convert “Dragon Train” in compliance with injunction

AGBrief Editorial
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Light & Wonder to convert “Dragon Train” in compliance with injunction

Gaming equipment and services group Light & Wonder is diligently working with customers In the United States to convert approximately 2,200 units of the “Dragon Train” game in compliance with a recent judge’s order.

The ruling, issued by the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, followed a legal victory for Aristocrat Technologies, which secured a preliminary injunction against Light & Wonder’s “Dragon Train” citing misappropriation of trade secrets.

In a statement ahead of the Global Gaming Expo (G2E), Matt Wilson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Light & Wonder, described the situation as “an isolated incident” that is being “mitigated effectively,” emphasizing the company’s commitment to ensuring customer satisfaction while adhering to the court’s decision.

Although Dragon Train represented a mid-single-digit percentage of the company’s presence in the North American market, Light & Wonder has reassured its clients that it has a strong portfolio of alternative games to fill the gap.

Matt Wilson, CEO, Light & Wonder

“We are working hard with our customers to install new games as quickly as possible so that Dragon Train is removed from our fleet; that’s our immediate priority.”

Matt Wilson, CEO, Light & Wonder

The company is also focusing on the Australian market, where Dragon Train was previously successful. Following the court’s ruling, sales of the game ceased, but Wilson noted that the firm is actively engaging with customers to offer popular alternatives, including “Lion Link” and “Shenlong Unleashed.”

Lion Link Light & Wonder
Shenlong Unleashed, Light & Wonder

Looking ahead, Light & Wonder plans to develop “Dragon Train 2.0,” ensuring compliance with the judge’s order. 

Wilson expressed optimism about the franchise’s longevity, citing the continued success of similar games. He reiterated the company’s broader strategy, highlighting a $1 billion capital allocation for share buybacks and a robust pipeline of new products aimed at driving sustainable growth in the coming years.

Robinsons plans $177M investment in Philippines for new luxury hotels

Frank Schuengel
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Robinsons plans $177M investment in Philippines for new luxury hotels

Robinsons Hotels and Resorts (RHR), a division of Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC), has announced an investment of over PHP10 billion ($177 million) to expand its hotel portfolio across the Philippines.

In a recent filing, Robinsons announced that the upcoming NUSTAR Hotel at NUSTAR Resort, set to open later this year, will mark the completion of the property’s first phase. The hotel is designed to cater to both local and international guests seeking personalized, high-end experiences.

NUSTAR Resort & Casino, Cebu, philippines
NUSTAR Resort & Casino, Cebu, Philippines

Additionally, the company is developing a new Fili Hotel in Metro Manila. This new property will be a counterpart to the existing Fili Hotel at NUSTAR and will embody Filipino hospitality while establishing a new benchmark for international luxury, according to Senior Vice President and Business Unit General Manager, Barun Jolly.

Looking ahead, the NUSTAR complex will also introduce the Grand Summit hotel brand, increasing the total room capacity to approximately 1,000 rooms. Robinsons describes the Grand Summit as a lifestyle brand that merges local culture with art and design to offer a distinctive, relaxed luxury experience. The company already operates a Grand Summit hotel in General Santos and plans to open another in Pangasinan.

IGT secures 10-year contract extension for North Carolina Education Lottery

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IGT secures 10-year contract extension for North Carolina Education Lottery

International Game Technology (IGT) announced that its subsidiary, IGT Global Solutions Corporation, has secured a 10-year contract extension with the North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL). Effective from July 1, 2027, through June 2037, this extension continues the partnership that began in 2006.

According to the agreement, IGT will deploy its high-performing Aurora™ central system, a feature component of IGT’s integrated lottery solution, OMNIA™. Additionally, IGT will provide upgraded Wizard back-office business applications, up to 8,500 newly launched Retailer Pro S2 terminals, 500 GameTouch™ 28 self-service vending machines, 2,000 lottery play centers, 4,000 Jackpot signs, a dual cellular communication network, and expanded testing capabilities for the NCEL.

Mark Michalko North Carolina Education Lottery
Mark Michalko, CEO and Executive Director of the N.C. Education Lottery

“IGT has been a trusted partner to the NCEL for more than 18 years, supporting our consistent growth and record-breaking sales,” said Mark Michalko, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “Supporting public education is our mission, and we now raise more than $1 billion a year for our state. We look forward to extending our strong relationship with IGT. The new technology that IGT will provide will help the lottery continue to responsibly increase sales and our contributions to North Carolina.”

Jay Gendron, IGT
Jay Gendron, COO of Global Lottery at IGT

“The NCEL is among the top 10 most successful lotteries in the U.S., and IGT is excited to upgrade its retail technology with our high-performing solutions, and help it drive sales growth,” said Jay Gendron, IGT Chief Operating Officer Global Lottery. “IGT’s future-forward technology will provide the systems and equipment needed for the NCEL to work effectively and efficiently for its players, its retail partners, and the good causes it serves.”

IGT’s Aurora platform and related components were developed to drive lottery innovation and profitability. This technology will provide the NCEL with intuitive, user-friendly applications, tools, and reporting capabilities. Components of Aurora, including Performance Wizard, Sales Wizard, Learning Wizard, and Retailer Wizard will streamline operations for optimal functionality. The introduction of IGT’s high-performance, high-volume Retailer Pro S2 terminals will enable the NCEL to easily add new features across multiple point-of-sale terminals simultaneously.

Aurora platform, IGT Lottery
Aurora platform, IGT

As the global lottery market leader, IGT is the primary technology provider to 26 of the 46 lotteries in the U.S., eight of the world’s largest 10 lotteries and 16 of the world’s top 25 lotteries.

TransAct to showcase innovations at NACS and G2E 2024 in Las Vegas

AGBrief Editorial
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TransAct to showcase innovations at NACS and G2E 2024 in Las Vegas

TransAct Technologies, a leading company in software-driven technology and printing solutions, announced today that it will be attending the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS 2024) and the Global Gaming Expo (G2E 2024), both in Las Vegas, from October 8th to October 10th.

At NACS 2024, which will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, TransAct will be showcasing the BOHA!® suite of hardware and software for convenience stores’ fresh food operations. BOHA! is the industry’s leading solution that provides convenience stores the choice of applications for FDA-compliant Grab ‘N Go Labeling, Digital Food Safety, Tasks and Checklists, Kitchen Production, and Temperature Monitoring of Food and Equipment.

NACS show attendees visiting TransAct’s booth (#C6463) at the Las Vegas Convention Center will see how convenience store operators can leverage BOHA! to enhance their fresh food programs.

BOHA, TransAct

The BOHA! suite of solutions will be on full display, including the new BOHA! Terminal 2, as TransAct demonstrates its ability to dramatically improve grab ‘n go labeling with on-demand printing, food prep customized to a location’s daily needs, and digital HACCP-compliant temperature taking for food and temperature monitoring for equipment.

In addition, TransAct will be showcasing BOHA!’s diverse label offerings such as 1”-3” wide grab ‘n go labels and round parfait cup labels to accommodate FDA-compliant nutrition fact panels, along with the capability to build customized and compliant labels on the spot to create new offerings with existing or excess inventory.

At G2E 2024, which will be held at The Venetian Expo, TransAct will be presenting its full lineup of Epic casino & gaming printers, Epicentral casino real-time promotional couponing software, and its BOHA! foodservice technology solutions for casino food & beverage operations.

Epicentral, Transact Technologies

TransAct will welcome casino operators and food and beverage executives from around the world at booth #2423. Products available for attendees to see will include the Epic Edge line of printers, the new Epic TR80, as well as the Epicentral promotional bonusing system. This year, TransAct will highlight its Epicentral SE solution with a demonstration of the integration between Epicentral and the CasinoTrac SlotSUITE solution at booth #2423.

In August, TransAct and CasinoTrac published impressive results from a six-month SlotSUITE deployment across 2,500 games, including:
  • Carded/Rated Play: An increase of 58.6% was observed, with average rated play rising from 17% to 29% over the six-month period.
  • Rated Coin-In: There was a 21% increase in rated coin-in on the games upgraded with SlotSUITE.
  • Overall Coin-In: A 3% increase in coin-in and related win was seen across the entire floor, including games still needing to be upgraded.
  • Rated WPU Increase: Rated WPU increased by 39% among games enhanced with SlotSUITE.
  • Overall WPU: A significant 8% increase in WPU was recorded across the entire gaming floor, even in games not yet upgraded to SlotSUITE.

Evolution debuts first live casino studio in Czech Republic

AGBrief Editorial
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Evolution debuts first live casino studio in Czech Republic

Evolution’s first live casino studio in the Czech Republic is now operational, launching today (Thursday, 3 October) from a cutting-edge facility at the Kajot Intacto casino in Prague.

Evolution’s Prague studio will initially offer Roulette and Infinite Blackjack tables with native Czech-speaking dealers. More live casino tables, including Blackjack, Roulette, Poker, and Baccarat, are set to launch in the coming weeks. These classic casino games will complement Evolution’s well-established online slots portfolio already live in the Czech market.

Gionata La Torre
Gionata La Torre, CEO Europe, Evolution

Gionata La Torre, Evolution’s Chief Executive Officer for Europe, said: “We are honoured to launch the first live casino offering for the new Czech live casino market — and as part of an agreement with the Czech capital’s premier land-based venue, Kajot Intacto Praha. Leading the way in new regulated markets is central to Evolution’s growth strategy.”

La Torre added: “The Prague studio launch opens up huge opportunity for Czech operators, as does the regulator’s approval of our Infinite Blackjack and Roulette. Offering these games with native Czech-speaking dealers will help create a more immersive and engaging experience for players, fostering a strong rapport between dealers and players, which is key to building trust and long-term customer loyalty.” 

Wazdan expands top-performing series with Mighty Symbols™: Jokers

AGBrief Editorial
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Wazdan expands top-performing series with Mighty Symbols™: Jokers

Wazdan, known for its rewarding casino games experiences, unveils Mighty Symbols™: Jokers, featuring mystery symbols in the bonus round.

Set across a 5×3 matrix, players can land either joker or coin symbols to trigger one of two bonus rounds. Building upon the success of previous installments, the new iteration features a Jokers Rampage™ bonus game, triggered by landing six or more of the title character’s symbols.

In this round, players can land joker jackpots, mystery symbols and multipliers, boosting the gaming experience and giving players another chance to win the lucrative Grand Jackpot.

The player-favourite Hold the Jackpot bonus round also makes a return as well as the engagement-boosting, Cash Infinity™, Sticky to Infinity™ and Chance Level™ features which are proven to amplify retention rates.

Wazdan’s latest title exemplifies the successful implementation of its Online gaining™ philosophy, which has been pivotal in yielding tangible results for its partners and allowing players to tailor gameplay to their preferred style.

Andrzej Hyla, Chief Commercial Officer at Wazdan, said: “Our latest release, Mighty Symbols™: Jokers, enhances a beloved series with the inclusion of an exciting new bonus game, providing a fresh experience for both fans of the franchise and new players alike. Featuring Wazdan’s suite of customisable features, we expect our new slot to continue yielding impressive results for our partners and anticipate a great reaction to the game.”

Macau raises Golden Week tourist projection amid positive data 

Viviana Chan
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Macau raises Golden Week tourist projection amid positive data 

Although the Golden Week in mainland China is not yet halfway through, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has concluded that visitor arrivals during Macau’s National Day Golden Week would exceed expectations.

The authorities have revised their visitor forecast, anticipating that this year’s National Day Golden Week will surpass previous years, with an average daily visitor count reaching 130,000—outperforming expectations.

Earlier, MGTO had predicted an average of 100,000 visitors per day during the Golden Week period.

During an interview on Thursday, Cheng Wai Tong, Deputy Director of MGTO, stated that the number of visitors to Macao on the first day of Golden Week reached 138,000, and on October 2, a new single-day record of 166,000 was set.

Cheng noted that the hotel occupancy rate on the first day of Golden Week reached 94.6 percent and is expected to remain high in the coming days.

As reported previously, hotel room bookings for the October Golden Week in Macau have been satisfactory. Analysts from UBS noted a significant increase in fully booked hotels ahead of the holiday, compared to both Labour Week earlier this year and last October’s Golden Week. 

However, hotel prices are approximately 7 percent lower than during the first Golden Week of the year and remain unchanged from last October’s rates.

New multi-entry visa would boost Macau hotel rivalry: insiders

Favorable Policies

Cheng analyzed that a series of favorable policies introduced by the central government this year, combined with collaborative efforts from various sectors, have contributed to a steady recovery in the tourism industry.

A new multi-entry visa for Chinese nationals on package tours was implemented on May 6th of this year, allowing more fluid tourism passage between Macau and neighboring Hengqin. This measure enables mainland Chinese residents participating in package tours to move between the two regions multiple times over a seven-day period.

Cheng revealed that since its implementation until the end of September, 3,500 people have utilized this policy for joint trips between Macao and Zhuhai, with approximately 1,500 of those in September. With more travel agencies participating, the number of users is expected to gradually increase.

Macau allocates land for airport expansion to up passenger capacity to 15M

Viviana Chan
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Macau allocates land for airport expansion to up passenger capacity to 15M

Macau authorities have designated approximately 3.25 million square meters for the expansion of the Macau International Airport, aiming to enhance its annual passenger capacity to 15 million.

The targeted capacity exceeds half of the current level that the airport can handle.

According to a Gazette announcement from the city’s Secretary for Transport and Public Works, this area was chosen following a series of adjustments to the initial land plans. Originally, the airport area encompassed nearly 1.78 million square meters.

Recent changes include the return of a 47-square-meter plot to the government for conversion into a street, along with two plots—measuring 8,526 square meters and 6,860 square meters—that will revert to water.

Additionally, eight reclaimed parcels, totaling nearly 1.4 million square meters, will be leased for airport-related purposes without the need for public tendering.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Macau has confirmed that the expansion project is set to commence later this year, significantly increasing the airport’s capacity to accommodate more passengers—over half of its current limit.

The project, first proposed in July 2016, received approval from the central government in October 2022. Land reclamation will be an essential component of this expansion, involving nearly 130 hectares.

Between January and June this year, Macau International Airport (MIA) received more than 3.73 million passengers—a 91 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023. 

In a broader context, the Macau government aims to attract more international visitors to reduce reliance on the Greater China visitor market. In this regard, the airport is tasked with enhancing its air connectivity.

MGM China market share declines in 3Q24, GGR below expectations: Deutsche Bank

Frank Schuengel
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MGM China market share declines in 3Q24, GGR below expectations: Deutsche Bank

Macau gaming operator MGM China‘s market share dropped during the third quarter of 2024, with the company’s performance falling short of expectations, according to Deutsche Bank.

As of August, MGM’s market share in Macao was approximately 14.7 percent, with July performing better than August, though both months still came in below the second quarter’s 15.9 percent share.

In the latest report, Deutsche Bank analysts predict that if MGM’s September market share remains consistent with the quarter-to-date average of 14.7 percent, the company’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) will likely be around $1.02 billion, which is $107 million short of the Consensus Metrix estimate of $1.12 billion.

The report states, ‘Our updated model assumes market share in September improves upon QTD trends, though we still anticipate a GGR shortfall, relative to Consensus, of $70 million.’

While the analysts expect some improvement in September, they remain cautious about MGM Macau’s overall performance. The report forecasts MGM’s 3Q24 Macau EBITDAR, post-branding fees, to be approximately $273 million, slightly below the Consensus estimates.

From a broader perspective, the investment bank revised its 2024 consolidated property EBITDAR forecasts for MGM Resorts, the parent company of MGM China, lowering it by 3.3 percent.

The outlook for MGM’s Macau operations was revised down by 8.5 percent, while the Las Vegas and regional segments saw smaller adjustments.

Looking ahead to 2025, the forecast for Macau was again reduced, this time by 5.1 percent, while the 2026 consolidated property EBITDAR forecast was adjusted downward by 1.2 percent to $4.9 billion.

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