At G2E Asia 2012, Weike Gaming Technology will show off its new wave of games that are proving a hot ticket with the region’s leading casinos
Singapore-based slot manufacturer Weike Gaming Technology returns to G2E Asia this year following a year of strong sales performance as it continues to raise its profile in the region.
Weike was set up in 1998, and over the next decade built a solid business supplying slots, electronic table games, progressive jackpot link and gaming management systems to smaller-scale gaming venues in Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines.
Seeking to enhance the appeal of its products as a prelude to entering new markets, in 2008, Weike appointed Andrew Masen to head its game development. Mr Masen, Weike’s Vice President, Slots Gaming, previously helped establish Stargames as one of the leading slot suppliers into the highly competitive Australia market. Under his guidance, Weike’s development teams have been rolling out new games featuring world-class maths and graphics, with Warrior Mulan, Samurai King, Experience Macau, Grand Pharaoh and Amigo Fiesta among the latest releases.
“We have established a core of successful games that continues to develop a loyal following with players and provides outstanding performance for our operators,” comments Mr Masen. He adds: “Our continuing strength is in developing a unique and distinctively Asian-themed game library, thus acknowledging our Asian heritage and gaining a loyal following in these casinos. We are starting to see our games titles becoming some of the most popular in their denomination.”
Gus Noble, Weike’s Senior Sales manager in Macau, added: “We are very excited about the success of Weike Games in Macau and the regular release of new games is designed to build on our initial success. One of our games—Oriental Temptation—has produced record weekly turnover and net win numbers for a major casino in Macau.”
Weike’s new wave of games are being snapped up by the region’s leading casinos, including Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore; as well as Galaxy Macau, Venetian and Sands Macao, Sands Cotai Central and City of Dreams in booming Macau. Weike machines will also be installed at the upcoming MGM Grand Ho Tram, Vietnam’s first casino resort.
Club commitment
While Weike products are moving with conviction into the region’s major casinos, the company remains committed to serving the club market. Weike recently held a product launch of its slim-line dual 22” screen Infinity X cabinet for a group of Singapore club representatives, giving them an opportunity to view the new cabinet and play some of its latest games.
Weike has had a long association with Singapore club groups and supplies them slot machines, gaming management systems and wide area jackpots. Currently, Weike has over 10% market share on club gaming floors and that is growing steadily, with Weike leading the charge to provide new machines to Singapore clubs last year, following changes in legislation that spurred many clubs to renew their slot floors.
Other offerings
In addition to its slot games, Weike continues to enjoy strong sales of its market-proven ‘METG’ multi-player electronic table games. On Inside Asian Gaming’s recent visit to Vietnam, we noticed Weike’s METGs enjoyed a strong presence at the slot clubs connected to the major hotels—offering electronic baccarat and blackjack in a market where live table games are not yet allowed.
At G2E Asia, Weike will be showcasing its Infinity Roulette product. According to Weike, the new platform, which can also support baccarat and other upcoming games, stacks up well against competing products in the market. Infinity Roulette comes with a Cammegh wheel, player-friendly user interface with large 22” wide screens, live video streaming to all terminals, and with a flexible modular design that allows up to 128 terminals to be configured according to the operator’s preffered lay out.
In addition to its machine offerings, Weike also provides systems, and is currently the only supplier in Asia with approved fully operational wide area gaming management systems and jackpot links. Weike systems and links are approved to GLI 12 and GLI 13 standards and are in operation in Macau, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Weike’s wide area networks have been in operation at some of the club groups in Singapore since 2009. The networks have been running reliably and given the clubs a much-needed weapon in the battle to keep their businesses running following the arrival of the city’s two new integrated resorts, which not only boast multi-billion dollar amenities, but also benefit from a more favourable gaming tax rate. This has prompted more and more clubs groups in search of a competitive boost to link up their venues with Weike wide area systems and links.
