Gambling technology is making millions in Asia

A general view of Galaxy Macau is seen in Macau, Sunday, May. 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

If you’re infected with the gambling bug, don’t bother with Vegas or Atlantic City. Instead head to Macau, the former Portuguese colony which is the epicentre of Asia’s multi-billion dollar gaming industry.

Live casino phenomenon

When you look at the developments occurring in Macau, it’s easy to be distracted by the huge new complexes, with their vast gaming floors and full-scale recreations of Venice (no, really). No, growth in the Asian gaming market isn’t restricted to brick and mortar casinos – it also takes in the cutting-edge online casino technology behind the ‘live online casino’ phenomenon.

For those yet to experience one, the action at a ‘live casino’ takes place in a purpose-built studio, complete with roulette, blackjack, baccarat and sic bo tables, manned by croupiers who are as attractive as they are well trained. Online casino players place bets via a visual heads-up display on their PC, laptop, tablet or smart phone. These bets are relayed to the croupier who then performs the necessary actions. All the payouts are calculated automatically. In blackjack for example, all the cards are read by a visual recognition device as they are dealt and fed into the computer controlling the game.

The technology works much as with a live TV studio. Typically, two cameras record the action – one’s manned and shoots the dealer while the other films from a static position above the gaming table. The digital video is then fed through into the studio’s server room. This video can be accessed by the players who receive the footage streamed over the internet via their connected device.

The server software also controls the game. Players connected to the server can send their betting instructions to the gaming control. In the case of roulette, the overhead camera is linked to the OCR software which locates the pocket the ball lands in. As the control software calculates the resulting payouts, so the information is then updated on each player’s screen.

The software also controls a monitor that only the dealer can see. It relays information to the dealer such as big wins and whether new players have joined the game. In the case of blackjack, it also relates information about the actions that players wish to take when it’s their turn to play a hand.

Makati City in the Philippines

Makati City – Asia’s hotbed of live casino action

According to RightCasino, the Philippines lead the way when it comes to live casino studio locations. Two huge buildings in Manilla’s Makati City – the RCBC Plaza and the PBCom Tower – are home to no fewer than six companies who provide live casino functionality. Companies include Playtech, EntwineTech, and Novenix.

Of these, Playtech is by far and away the largest. This Isle of Man-based company have been around since 1999, and has remained at the forefront of the online casino industry. They provide online slots and table games and even run their own online poker network.

Playtech started to expand into the burgeoning online Asian market in 2012. The company had already established a successful live casino in Estonia, but wanted to appeal more to Asian gamblers, and so opened an additional studio in Manila with local croupiers and dealers.

Naturally, Asian companies are benefitting from this upsurge in interest in online gambling. The Philippines-based Opus Gaming provides dozens of websites with casino software, live casino options, and sport books which also include live in-play options. Their clients include M88 who are the Asian arm of Gibraltar gambling giant Mansion.

Also riding high on the success of Asian online gambling is the appropriately-named Asia Gaming. Though the company has only been in existence since 2012 it has grown swiftly to become one of the region’s leaders in the field, offering live casino versions of such local favourites as Sic Bo and Dragon Tiger.

Cutting edge gambling technology