By Ben Blaschke
The main gaming floors of Japanese casinos will be dominated by slot machines, comprising at least 45% of total floor space upon opening growing, according to a white paper released in full by consulting group Global Market Advisors (GMA) this week.
Titled White Paper: Japan Integrated Resorts, the paper notes the vast difference in game preferences between Japanese and Chinese players with locals in Japan historically preferring electronic games, including local favourite Pachinko, over traditional table games.
“The single greatest misconception a casino operator can make is to assume that Japanese gamers will play the same games as those players that frequent Macau,” GMA said of China’s love affair with baccarat. “The Chinese have a table game-centric gaming culture and have long embraced Baccarat and Sic Bo. While the Japanese enjoy Oicho-Kabu, they have a long-established history as a machine-centric gaming culture, as they are enthusiastic Pachinko players. Pachinko in turn spawned Pachislots, a hybrid product that combines the convoluted wagering/redemption system of Pachinko with the entertainment value of modern slot machines.”
With Macau’s gaming floors dominated by baccarat – which has historically accounted for more than 90% of the city’s gross gaming revenue – a Japanese gaming floor would likely look very different.
“The authors of this white paper believe that casino operators will initially allocate 45% of their gaming floor to slot machine gaming, 5% to electronic table games and 50% to table games,” it said. “It is also expected that those ratios will change with slot machines gaining an increasing share of the casinos’ square footage, at the expense of table games.
“While table games are expected to be popular, the authors believe that slot machines will have a far more prominent place in Japanese integrated resorts than other Asian markets. The Japanese enjoy electronic gaming and Japanese slot machine manufacturers already understand the kinds of themes, symbols, music and game math that are appealing to Japanese players. One can expect that slot manufacturers including Aruze, Konami and Sega Sammy will research and develop slot machines that will appeal to the adult population.”
GMA’s research across various gaming destinations in the region also revealed that, when it comes to table games, Japanese players generally prefer blackjack to baccarat.
“Blackjack is expected to be a popular table game,” the white paper said. “Baccarat tables, with their large footprint, are not expected to dominate the gaming floor as they do in Macau. Rather, games such as Mini-Baccarat, whose table footprint matches Blackjack, will allow operators to quickly adjust their game mix to match the needs of the market.”
