Robot roulette dealers, animated playing cards and dice-waving game tables were on display in Macau’s gambling hub on Tuesday, with experts predicting the end of a two-year casino revenue slump.
The atmosphere was lively with about 200 exhibitors displaying their products at the Global Gaming Expo Asia – from miniature horse racing tables to colorful crab machines that boast huge pieces of golden dragons.
Macao’s casino revenues continued to fall in April, falling for the 23rd straight month due to China’s economic slowdown and Beijing’s crackdown on corruption.
However, April sales of 17.34 billion patacas ($2.16 billion), down 9.5% year-over-year, was less than analysts expected. Businesses are seeing signs of hope that the tide of losses could turn.
The stabilisation comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping seeks to shift from the city to a family-friendly public market to supplement mainland high rollers that have stifled public luxury due to a crackdown on corruption.
The battered VIP sector accounted for the bulk of gaming revenues in China’s semi-autonomous city, a former Portuguese colony.
In his opening speech at the game exhibition, analyst Aaron Fisher said sales could rise again by the end of the year, driven by the opening of new casino resorts.
“Macau is shifting away from the first version,” added Fischer of brokerage CLSA.
“It’s really transitioning from VIP to low-value mass market customers.” 카지노사이트 순위
The 1700-room flower-themed resort Win Palace, which features a lake with a gondola, and U.S. casino mogul Sheldon Adelson’s The Parisien, which features a miniature Eiffel Tower, will open in 2017.
“Sentiment has been fairly strong lately. The market is showing signs of bottoming out,” game analyst Ben Lee told AFP ahead of the event.
But Lee said city authorities and casino operators need to do much more to focus the industry on mass market consumers.
“Macao doesn’t have the infrastructure yet to attract the family sector at the moment. We’re talking about logistics, attractions, language and simple old service friendliness.”
Enclave opened two large hotels and casino resorts in 2015 aimed at public market visitors.
Studio City, which boasts the world’s first eight-man rollercoaster, began last October with star-studded fanfare featuring Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Since the opening ceremony of Galaxy Phase 2 last spring, the company has received a heated response with the creation of a spacious rooftop water park complete with torrents.
Las Vegas, the Asian gambling hub, has overtaken the U.S. in revenue to become the world’s casino capital since it opened up to international competition in 2002.