SEE YOU IN VEGAS!

It’s been a full year at Asia Gaming Brief. As well as the eBrief headline digest the team brings you daily, and the timely print editions, it’s been full swing on the field. Building from a number of social functions and a fullon third edition of the ASEAN Gaming Summit in Manila, AGB went on to host the inaugural Mekong Gaming Summit in Phnom Penh in September. Hailed a success, the event examined the risks and rewards of emerging markets of Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.

Next stop for the AGB team is…. Vegas, for the yearly gathering of the global industry on US soil. This edition of Asia Gaming Briefings dedicates its focus section to what has been hailed as the game changer for the American gaming industry - Sports Betting - and what it means to Asia’s sporting chances. Covering a myriad of angles, we start by giving voice to the rising popularity in Asia of virtual sports. With 3D animation graphics and motion capture technology, it’s now a challenge to differentiate virtual from the real thing.

Our second article focuses on expert opinion on the emerging markets with the most potential, and probably no surprise to hear that India and Japan come out on top. While Japan has no current plans to legalise online gaming, it’s still seen as one of the easier grey markets in Asia. No focus on sports betting could ignore Australia and we take a look at the “turf ” war for supremacy of the market being wagered by Victoria and New South Wales.

Lastly, politicians and regulators in the U.K. are expressing increasing concern about the number of Asia-facing operators sponsoring U.K. sports teams, attempting to cash in on the huge popularity of the Premier League across most of the Asian region.

Also in these pages you’ll find the most relevant happenings across the 22 Asian gaming jurisdictions.

In Macau, we examine how the look and feel of the gambling environment for the big spenders has evolved as their tastes, demographics and expectations have changed and how designers are re evaluating the concepts that create a unique experience.

In the Philippines, where the online industry has been the focus of attention in recent months, the country’s land-based sector has been making steady strides, with the opening of a new resort near the Clark Freeport Zone and progress in Cebu.

Turning to Cambodia, the online ban has raised more questions than answers: Mey Vann, director general at Cambodia’s Ministry of Finance, pulls no punches: “it’s gone and it’s not coming back,” he says, but for industry insiders the situation may not be so clear cut.

Across to Japan we take you through the promise and perils that the Yokohama bid holds and what that means for Osaka, left with the aftertaste of an operator exodus.

In this Supplier Special report we lift the veil on what you’ll find first hand on the G2E 2019 showfloor at the Sands Expo and Convention Center from October 14 -17. The show boasts the largest gathering of global, commercial and tribal gaming professionals in North America, with more than 27,000 gaming industry professionals in attendance. The exhibition also welcomes 90+ new exhibiting companies at its 2019 show.

If you are in Las Vegas for the show, feel free to reach out to the team at Asia Gaming Brief. For a meeting drop a line to g2e@agbrief.com. See you in Vegas!

On behalf of Asia Gaming Brief

Rosalind Wade & Luis Pereira

Publishers