Why hardware still drives performance in Asian casinos
Despite predictions that software would eclipse hardware in casino gaming, operators and suppliers in Asia say cabinet design, ergonomics, and visual appeal continue to shape player engagement, revenue, and floor strategy as electronic table games (ETGs) and slots expand alongside traditional tables.
During a panel discussion at G2E Asia @ the Philippines event in December, Vincent Tang, Vice President of Sales Asia Pacific of Interblock Asia Pacific, Eddie Au, COO of LT GAME LIMITED, and Shirley Tam, Executive Vice President – Casino Marketing, Tiger Resort Leisure & Entertainment Inc. (Okada Manila), discussed the future of land-based gaming.
Cabinets resist the ‘blank box’ theory
For more than a decade, the gaming industry has speculated that casino machines would evolve into generic “blank boxes,” with value concentrated almost entirely on software. The industry experts said that theshift has yet to take hold across Asian casino floors, where suppliers continue to invest heavily in cabinet design and proprietary features.
Au compared the trend to the evolution of smartphones. “When the first iPhone came out, I still remember Bill Gates emphasising that the importance of smartphones is in the apps,” he said. “But when you look forward 10 years, we are still competing with the camera on the phone, the screen size.”
Au said gaming machines have followed a similar trajectory. “It’s supposed to be the games and the Quantums are called. But you see the cabinets are getting bigger, the screens are getting bigger, you’re getting more LEDs and so on.”
While software and content remain central, Au said the industry has yet to reach a defining breakthrough. “The games, I believe, are still the core and the most important part. But we haven’t got it completely right. We haven’t got the iPhone for slot games yet.”
Visual appeal and ergonomics remain decisive
Tand, meanwhile, said physical presentation continues to play a role in how players choose machines.
“On the gaming machines, it’s still very much attracted by the hardware, the sounds, the illusions of lighting and all these things,” he said. “You can have a good match of games, but a strong game in a boring cabinet would not perform.”
Tang said the difference is evident on the gaming floor. “You might have a moderate rate on average game, but in really outstanding cabinets, you fly, just fly.”
He described the response as instinctive. “We are visual beings. You like beautiful things. I like the cabinet, it’s so sexy, light. Those are good comments because you attract people.”
Operators test innovation through analysis and trials
From an operator’s perspective, new products are evaluated through structured testing rather than novelty alone. Tam said trade shows remain helpful in identifying new ideas.
“If there is some compelling new product, we’re willing to work with the vendor and test new products on our gaming floor,” she said. “Then we do proper analysis and do optimisations and lay some around the floor to see whether they’re more VIP driven or mass market-driven type product.”
Revenue share models face practical limits
Revenue share arrangements between operators and suppliers continue to face resistance in parts of Asia, particularly where outright purchase allows faster returns.
Tam said such models can be explored, but must make commercial sense. “It’s something that we’re willing to explore with vendors, but we have to see if it actually benefits both parties at the end of the day,” she said.
She added that gaming floor space is a constraint. “Whether or not the product is worth taking up valuable floor space on the gaming floor.”
ETGs as a bridge between mass and table play
The potential crossover between slots, electronic table games, and traditional table play remains a subject of debate. Tang said ETGs increasingly act as an entry point.
“The ETG is really giving the experience, a step in for beginning to play,” he said. “You start with the mass market, and then you go to the ETG, and then you go to the high-end where it’s table.”
He added that this progression supports marketing strategies. “You have a crossover in this thing, and then of course it’s on revenue.”
Tam was more cautious based on operational experience. “Table players are table players, slot players are slot players,” she said. “There is a very small segment that does crossover.”
“You do have to find the right product and put it in the right area to drive that cross-product plan,” she added.
High-value players remain loyal to tables
At the top end of the market, Tam said crossover remains rare. “High-value table players tend only to play tables,” she said. “There is that very minimal crossover play.”
As a result, operators continue to separate product segments. “We do tend to segregate the products by themselves,” she said.
Side bets highlight regulatory variation
LT Game has begun introducing side bets to its live multi-game products, although regulatory approval remains a limiting factor in some Asian jurisdictions.
“In Macau, we are still on the passive side,” Au said. “The side bet has to be approved to operate on the table.”
Once approved, operators show interest. “They are willing to add all these new types of side effects because obviously that brings extra revenue,” he said.
Au noted that ETGs simplify deployment. “It’s easier to instrument that electronically rather than just to change the table layout.”
Smart tables, automation, and data boundaries
Electronic table games are increasingly positioned as smart tables, offering automation and digital controls. Tang said this has driven adoption. “You instantly reduce a lot of manpower. Automatic payout reduces all the errors,” he said.
He added that operators can tailor content to the regulatory body’s conditions. “You can enable any games or disable whatever according to each region, regulatory approval.”
Data collection, however, raises privacy considerations. Tam said operators are proceeding cautiously. “We’re treading a fine line between data privacy and the data that an operator or any vendor would like to collect,” she said.
She added that future use will depend on regulatory comfort. “The more data we get, the more beneficial it is to us in terms of doing marketing analysis and optimisation of the floor. It is worth looking at in the future.”
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