Local culture must survive in gambling hubs, scholar says

Sytze Kingma

Scholar and expert on gaming studies, Mr Sytze F. Kingma, from the VU University Amsterdam, believes that preserving local culture and heritage in gambling hubs is crucial for Macau’s economy and the welfare of its local community. Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar on Global Gambling held yesterday at the University of Macau, professor Sytze Kingma, an expert on gaming studies who is particularly focused on Europe and the Netherlands, said that “the local culture must survive.”
Visiting Asia’s gaming hub for the first time, the scholar found Macau impressive, and recognized that there’s much more to this city than gambling. “What I found interesting to see is that, for instance, in the Netherlands there isn’t only gambling but there is also heritage. The heritage element is interesting for tourists, but also for the local community,” he said, adding that Macau possesses similar features.
“I hope that Macau regulators will maintain these two cultures and that it will not become too dominated by the casino industry. So that there are also other economic sources and points of interest for tourists to visit. And other kinds of jobs for people living here,” he added.
When comparing gaming between Macau and the Netherlands, he says that Macau policies are more liberal than those in the Netherlands.
However, Holland Casino, which has the legal monopoly on gambling in the Netherlands, is not making a profit. “So they could look at Macau and learn how they manage casinos here. For the other way around: Macau has to be very careful in maintaining proper regulations, so that casino companies don’t dictate how profits are shared, or how much tax is paid over profit, or where the money can be invested in, or how casinos will be,” he said.
In his opinion, the local government should always remain in control. “In the Netherlands, perhaps there is too much control, whereas Macau runs the risk of not having enough regulation and control of casinos,” he added.
Holland Casino has 14 casinos in the Netherlands. Some of them, he explained, have been integrated into historical areas, which tourists visit often. He believes that one of the reasons why they are not making a profit is related to mismanagement, and the reluctance to adapt to changes, as some casinos date back to the 1990s.
At the seminar, he recalled how the gambling world has first seen “a Las Vegasization,” where many integrated resorts and casinos were inspired by the American gambling city. But that has changed, particularly in Asia, where Macau was able to gradually play a bigger role.
Professor Sytze Kingma thinks that future gambling hubs or integrated resorts in Asia will look to Macau for inspiration rather than looking all the way to Las Vegas.
“When there’s an interest of developing a casino resort in other Asia regions, they will probably look at Macau because as we discussed big investors from the United States [when establishing casinos here] had to change the way they operate, and the way they manage casinos,” he stressed, adding that foreign operators have learned how to adapt to the Asian market.
Sytze Kingma is an associate professor in organizational space and technology at the VU University Amsterdam. He is an expert on gaming studies, particularly keen on studying gambling activities, taking into account temporal and special settings.
He believes that time and space are crucial when studying gambling, while politics, economy and culture are also important elements that should be taken into account.
Yesterday’s talk is part of the Casino and Development in Asia Seminar Series, which is organized and hosted by the UM’s Department of Sociology, at the Faculty of Social Sciences.