David Snook explores the amusement market in Lebanon
The forecasts for expansion in the Middle East, over the past two or three years, have specifically named two or three countries as having the most potential. The expert observers have issued ‘watch this market’ notices for Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in particular.
As long ago as 2009 in InterGame’s review of the Middle East market, those countries were pinpointed for future FEC development. Syria, as we now know, is in political turmoil, setting back the movement in its amusement machine market probably for some years.
But Lebanon, itself once the hotspot for political turmoil, is now emerging as a significant new market in its own right… New? Hardly, for Lebanon has historically been one of the leading centres for the distribution of games and the Lebanese in particular have provided the industry with some of its major ‘characters’ in the distribution business.
Take Robert Elias, for example. He built up a distribution company based in Beirut and together with others from Lebanon turned the country into a hub for games distribution when Dubai was little more than a fishing village. And Robert Elias continues in the industry to this day, both distributing and operating, although his son Georges is now COO of Robert’s Group and effectively handles the business.
“Lebanon has a long history in the amusement industry,” he said, “especially in the FEC and arcades business. It has been a mature market, but it is also very resilient and keeps recreating itself.”
This article can be read in full in the February issue of InterGame.
