Up-to-date Trends and News about development of Gaming Entertainment Industry

[Source: http://www.documentarytube.com/articles/the-live-casino-experience]

Fierce competition exists in the gaming entertainment industry. Take Macau as an example: there are several international casino operators doing their business in Macau, including Galaxy Entertainment, Las Vegas Sands, SJM Holdings and Wynn. These years casinos have put so much efforts to stand out from the crowd.

Trends

1. Online Gaming and Marketing

A lot of casinos want to explore the market of the young generation. Some casinos are developing gambling app and sort of social gambling to attract younger customers. It is more challenging and exciting to compete with their friends in gaming. Some casinos may also carry out online marketing to promote their business. Some websites will track users’ web browsing history, if users are found to be interested in gaming, they will some advertisements about casinos and gambling. In other words, online marketing can focus on targeted customers who are really interested in gaming. In this way, advertising can be more efficient and effective.

[Source: http://www.wagered.com/gambling-online-poised-take-off-2017/]

2. Entertainment for the whole family

Nowadays casinos are no longer casinos only. In order to widen the customer base, casinos start to have close association with the hospitality sector. Casinos try to be more “kid-friendly” by providing some entertainment where all family members can enjoy. The trend is that more casinos are open with theme parks, water parks, golf courts, cinemas, theatres, etc. With more facilities which suits different age groups, people are more willing to go to the casino with their family. As a result, it can increase the resort and casino revenue.

[Source: https://www.oyster.com/las-vegas/hotels/slideshows/best-kid-friendly-hotels/slide14/]

Latest News

1. Strict Regulations in Macau

Due to the anti-graft campaign and closer monitoring on VIPs in China, Macau’s gaming revenue dropped about 30% in 2015. The figure has a downward trend till now. As a result, many large casino operators witnessed a 50% drop in return on assets and equity in 2015. Although the number of VIPs in Macau is around 100,000 only, their spending accounts for more than 55% of Macau’s gaming revenue. These high rollers contribute a lot to casinos’ profit. So the strict regulations on VIPs leads to significant drop in gaming revenue in Macau.

[Source: https://stcharles.ameristar.com/]

2. Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines are going up

China had rapid GDP growth recently. Chinese citizens are having higher income and the size of middle income group are increasing as well. With higher purchasing power, it can benefit the casino development and expansion in Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. Other than Macau, Chinese tourists may also consider visiting the casinos in these countries. The most popular one among these casinos should be Genting Malaysia. It attracts more than 19 million visitors per year. It is not only a casino, but a resort with a total of 10,000 hotel rooms and 170 dining and shopping stores.

[Source: https://www.noticiasinteresantes.com/mejores-hoteles-del-mundo/]

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Learning Reflection

Gaming industry is really highly competitive. Casinos over the world have to be innovative and think of unique selling points to attract visitors to come. They can also try to explore new customer groups to broaden their customer base. More amenities should be provided to the visitors so that the whole family can have fun in the resort. It is so important to have hospitality elements in gaming industry if the casinos want to attract more visitors and earn more revenue.

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Reference

[1] 10 Casino Trends for 2017. (2017, February 07). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from https://www.casino-magazine.ro/en/10-casino-trends-2017.html

[2] Genting Highlands. (2017, December 05). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genting_Highlands

[3] The Future of Casinos and The Hospitality Industry. (2017, September 01). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from https://careertechnical.edu/news-and-events/future-hospitality-industry/

[4] Top 4 Trends Impacting the Global Casino Gaming Market through 2021: Technavio. (2016, December 19). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161219005506/en/Top-4-Trends-Impacting-Global-Casino-Gaming

[5] Tisdall, N. (2016). Industry trends - casinos and gaming. Scotiabank Economics.

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