G2E Asia got under way at the Venetian in Macau on Tuesday, with leading international suppliers mixing with their Asian counterparts once again.

IGT IGT

Asia is undoubtedly the fastest growing market globally and, as many exhibitors suggested, could well be the world’s largest. Aside from Macau and Singapore, which continue to post impressive gaming revenue figures, the Philippines in particular is considered to be the region’s hotspot.

Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea, Cambodia and Vietnam continue to develop at a rapid pace. Although several exhibitors InterGaming met with suggested that this year’s event seemed to get off to a slow start, others said the number of key decision makers in attendance made the show worthwhile. As most are based locally, many it seems prefer to spend only a short time at the show before returning to their offices.

Of particular interest at this year’s G2E is the sheer breadth of locally-attuned product on display. The large slot machine manufacturers are clearly aiming to capture the potential of this market by tailoring their products to Asian players. IGT, for example, has opened a studio in Beijing and Aruze Gaming continues to develop product in Japan and Australia.

There has also been a significant increase in the number of electronic table game products on show. This category of machines has proven popular over the last few years in what has traditionally been a live table game environment. A full show report will be included in the July issue of InterGaming.