Casino Enterprise Management

As previously reported in my article, “Online Gaming in Latin America,” in the April 2012 issue of CEM, there is an increasing number of offshore e-gaming operators looking to get involved in the Latin American market, and there could be some major changes in the way local governments regulate the sector. Casinos, bingo halls and slot parlors are increasingly commonplace in most jurisdictions, and gambling is becoming more widely socially acceptable.

The casino market in Germany is one of the most developed in Europe, yet gambling is tightly controlled and limited, and apart from sports betting, online betting is illegal. Recent controversy surrounding Schleswig-Holstein raises the question of whether there would ever be a liberalized German gaming market and what that market could offer. Read on to learn more. 

In the first hundred days, the people’s representative congress in general has been yielding to the strong leadership of Enrique Pena Nieto, the newly elected president of Mexico. It would appear that Nieto is taking his opportunity of a lifetime and going to do something with it, much like President Roosevelt did after the Great Depression in the United States.

Macau’s gaming revenue has shown tremendous growth in the past decade, from $2.26 billion (USD) in 2001 to $33.43 billion (USD) in 2011. Throughout this period, the VIP segment has constituted about 70 percent of Macau’s total casino gaming revenue, as illustrated in Table 1. Such economic significance has naturally led to the concern of how VIP room contractors control their internal operational risk when millions of dollars in cash change hands.

There have been some major developments in the Latin American market of late. The government of Ecuador has closed all the casinos in the country. There is the looming spectre of nationalization in Argentina. Corruption scandals linked to the gaming industry are once again making headlines in Brazil. And in Mexico, a deadly attack on a casino in Monterrey continues to have wide repercussions nationwide.

Australian gaming venues have been kept busy over the past few years reacting to player industry trends to try and achieve growth. Significant changes in slot machine player trends resulted following the introduction of indoor smoking bans, economic issues, reduced leisure time and a reduction in player numbers, which have all had an impact on revenue levels.

Latin America offers a potentially lucrative market for online gaming businesses. Interactive gambling companies are challenging state-run monopolies and the market is becoming more liberalized in Europe, and in the long-term, Latin America could follow suit. Over the last 10 years, the land-based casino industry in Latin America has been one of the consistent bright spots for the industry.

The new Danish Gambling Act has been long under way. The act was unanimously passed by the Danish Parliament in June 2010 and, after an in-depth investigation, approved by the European Commission on Sept. 20, 2011. The act will put an end to the current monopoly and liberalize the market. It will come into force on Jan. 1, 2012 (all references to the act are at the time of press).

Australians are known for their gambling habits. The saying goes that Australians would bet on two flies crawling up the wall. If proposed gambling reforms are passed in the legislature, will we see an end to this popular saying as well as to many operators in the industry?

Ever since 1997 when the government first privatized casinos, Panama has become an increasingly bright spot in the Latin American casino industry. Originally the property of the state, the privatization of casinos has led to a gaming boom in Panama, which now encompasses not only casino gaming, but sports betting, bingo, lotteries, slot parlors and a recently constructed racino.