In this interview with CalvinAyre.com’s Stephanie Raquel, Shaun McCamley of Global Market Advisors discusses how proxy betting solutions and social games can help give casino operations in Asia a chance to build additional revenue.
Asia is—at this moment—the largest gambling market, but it’s also a very difficult one to operate in due to restrictions that stem from outdated government laws. Shaun McCamley, of Global Market Advisors, said “tough times” are ahead for operators, which is why they should start looking at other offerings to build brand and bring in additional revenue.
One of these programs is proxy betting, which involves having a trusted intermediary sit at a casino VIP table who will relay real-time card info to a gambler. The gambler, usually Chinese mainland residents, would then instruct the intermediary on how much money to wager on a particular hand.
McCamley, however, was quick to point out that proxy betting shouldn’t be confused with online gambling, since the two don’t share a connection except for that fact that the gamble can see a table game at real time.
“It’s just a live feed, which goes up through your cameras and, through server-based technology, gets broadcast out to the internet,” McCamley told CalvinAyre.com. “And really all you need to do is set your proxy system up. It’s just a very, very basic web interface—that’s for the user—some very good cameras because obviously you want good, quality pictures and that really is the most expensive part of your budget is getting good cameras and getting them well-positioned on your table.”
McCamley recently set up his own “cost-effective” system in one of the casinos in Vietnam, shelling out less than $50,000, which he said he was able to make back “within 15 minutes of the gaming action.”
Another offering that casino operators should also look at is social gaming. Considered a growing trend in Asia, McCamley expects social gaming to catch the eyes of government officials soon.
“A few years ago we wouldn’t even entertain them because there was no revenue component. In some people’s view, a waste of valuable resources. Why would you waste money on a product that doesn’t make money? But that’s changed a lot now, and the social games that we see now are very casino game-oriented,” McCamley said. “There’s a lot of slot machines starter games and it is in an unregulated environment, so likely, I would think we’re going to be seeing in future government particularly around southeast Asia are going to be looking at if they should really re-visit that because of the casino style content and whether they should be looking at regulating these sorts of games. I think if I was a smart operator now I’d be looking at some help as to how they can best take that next step and consider that regulations may be coming.”
