One of the world’s leading consulting firms when it comes to the casino gaming, hospitality and airline industries, Global Market Advisors (GMA) claims the future gaming floors of Japan will be much different than they are now.
GMA believes slot machines will have a much bigger share, also adding that blackjack will become the player’s favourite, while baccarat will drop in popularity.
GMA thoroughly analyzed the situation, stating that the biggest misconception is to assume that Japanese players have the same taste as those in Macau, China’s Special Administrative Region.
A Different Gaming Culture
Unlike the Chinese, which have a table game culture, Japanese gambling culture is centered around machines. While Baccarat and Sic Bo are very popular among the Chinese, the players in Japan enjoy Oicho-Kabu and Pachinko.
The authors of the report believe that 50% of Japanese gaming floors will be allocated to table games, with 45% to slot machines, while only 5% will go to table games, at least at first. In the future, it is expected that those ratios will change in favour of slot machines, at the expense of table games.
GMA claims table games won’t lose popularity in years to come, but the firm predicts the rise of slot machines, especially in Japan, where electronic gaming is very popular and where manufacturers already understand the desires of players and the mechanisms of the market. It is expected that Japanese slot manufacturers, including Aruze, Konami and Sega Sammy will focus their attention to the development of those slots that will suit the needs of the adult population.
New Trends
GMA added that this rise in slot machines popularity would be more noticeable in Japan then on other Asian markets.
When it comes to table games, it is expected that blackjack will become more popular. This rise in popularity will come at the expense of baccarat tables, which won’t dominate Japanese gaming floors, at least not as they do in Macau.
Operators will have to adjust their offer to match the needs of the market, so it is quite possible to see new gaming solutions.
