Gaming expert: Macau faces tough competition as regional rivals thrive
Alidad Tash
Although Macau has geographical advantages, other aspects such as customer service should be improved amid tourism revivals, said Alidad Tash, managing director of 2nt8 Limited.
The comment was made yesterday at a breakfast briefing organized by the France Macau Chamber of Commerce.
Tash has been in the gambling industry since 2000 at the Venetian resort in Las Vegas. Six years later, he relocated to Macau and has remained here ever since. He led the analytics department of the then Venetian Macao resort.
Tash’s company is a casino and resort service provider, with scope spanning across analytics, data visualization, casino marketing and gambling operations, among other areas.
He was asked whether Singapore, the Philippines, South Korea and maybe even Japan and Thailand have commenced or are considering operating casinos and, if so, whether these places are threats to Macau.
In response, he said that competitions could be fierce as each competitor has their own advantage against Macau. For instance, Singapore is known for its business facilities and services, while Thailand is known for its leisure offerings.
These possible competitions will certainly hurt the Macau government’s ambition of attracting foreign visitors. Additionally, the city’s service standards should also improve. “There is a service barrier in Macau, where smiles are not as natural as those in the Philippines,” Tash added.
There is an upside, according to the response of Tash. In contrast to threatening Macau’s leading position in casino gambling in Asia, the speaker predicts that a thriving casino business within the region may actually support Macau’s further development, such as the modernization of facilities and further expansion of resort projects.
Elaborating on his answer, the speaker said that Macau has been very successful in past decades, a model which has tempted potential competitors to recreate it. These attempts have not been as successful as Macau in its peak, which was USD45 billion a year. For example, the Philippines and Singapore have each only made about several billion dollars.
The speaker also mentioned the case of Japan, describing the project as “crumbled” because “it should have been opened already.” Nevertheless, the speaker believes that “eventually it’s going to happen.”
Tash was also asked for his views on the evolution of entertainment in resorts, as they are obliged to stage more shows and non-gambling activities.
He responded with a question: regardless of the type of non-gambling activities, “be that MICE, museums or shows,” how many will they attract? He pointed out that there are shows or entertainers who are being “locked up” elsewhere, such as Celine Dion in Las Vegas.
Another question he raised for consideration was about the large gap between gambling and non-gambling revenues, although he believes the gap could be closed. He said he was not against the non-gambling development strategy, but doubts the on-and-off mode of shows will be appealing to tourists.
He agrees with the government in the development of sports entertainment, as he said “it is an area that we should grow.”
