Casino industry leaders met in Macau on Tuesday for the Global Gaming Expo Asia, a three-day fair of gambling innovations at the glitzy Venetian Macau hotel.
The largest gaming event in Asia, showcasing the industry’s latest products, services and technologies, is taking place amid a decline in growth rates in Macau’s gaming industry as China’s economic boom slows.
The gaming sector has, however, boomed in Asia over the past decade, led by Macau which now generates six times the gambling revenue of Las Vegas thanks mainly to high-rolling Chinese VIPs.
Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam are also staking their claims to regional market share, with several mega-resorts in the pipeline.
“You’ve got tremendous growth here,” said Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association, which organised the event.
“As new facilities open, more and more people will want to come to see the new facilities... it adds to the dynamism and the attractiveness of Macau,” he said, pointing to a record growth in gaming revenues in March and new casinos opening in the city.