Can Baccarat Hold On To Top Spot?
It is without a doubt that Baccarat has been one of the most popular games in the casino world since the beginning of time. In terms of revenue generated by this casino game, in 2018 itself, it generated about $33 billion for casinos on the island, being the Top Spot taker in the world’s largest gaming center.
Among the $33 billion generated last year, VIPs of the casino contributed significantly to that staggering amount, as it had brought up to $15 billion last year, which is a 10% increase from 2017’s results. Apart from the VIP tables, revenue generated by the game of baccarat increase by up to 21% last year, contributing to about $10 billion of the total revenue for the casino.
However, the profit contributed by the baccarat table has been fluctuating looking past last year’s results (with VIP revenue declining consistently from the year 2013 to the year 2016. Clearly, baccarat still forms the bedrock in the special administrative region.
Although baccarat has already become the most popular casino game generate the highest amount of cash, does it mean that it is already the best form of which the players can enjoy? Does it still need any modification to better the experience for the players?
Alex Czajkowski, the CMO at RTG Asia, has shared his opinion as to why he thinks this game is so popular. He says: “Baccarat has been played forever in Macau, and that’s certainly part of its appeal, but it’s the low hold on either side of the bet, banker or player, of 1.064% and 1.228% respectively, that keeps the players at the tables. It’s practically a 50/50 bet.”
Before the game became popular among players from the East, baccarat was all dressed up. According to former Nevada Gaming Control Agent, Mr. Bill Zender who is a casino dealer and executive and who is now working as a consultant, he told Forbes that back then the casinos had big double tables, all dealers at the baccarat tables had to be in fancy tuxedos and women in evening gowns. “It was very James Bond”, according to Zender.
As Asians picked up the game of baccarat, the high rollers gave less emphasis on the dressing and the pageantry, it became about the actual game and the potential cash it may bring.
So, what steps can casinos take to ensure that potential is reached in modern-day baccarat?
In order to remain relevant and its popularity, it has to find a place in the online world, although this would be less relevant to the high rollers or the VIP who would rather play spend big money to play the game in a live casino with all its whims and fancies attached, it is nonetheless important for the everyday players or to attract new talent.
Czajkowski says: “Asians love gambling and, ironically, the mechanisms governments put in place to control the consumption of gaming limit access to Macau and limit the number of tables at the casinos such as me88 online casino in Singapore.
“This pushes minimum bets up and only encourages players to visit the Philippines or Cambodia or go online. Going online is an easier choice.”
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