Asian-Pacific Market Continues to Grow

The region to have major influence on gambling industry

According to estimates presented by PricewaterhouseCoopers, by 2014, the Asian Pacific region that includes Macau in China, as well as Singapore, South Korea and Australia will gain a major influence in the shaping of the global gambling industry. The company’s report, however, did not involve online gambling sector, mostly due to the prevailing uncertainty in terms of US legal affairs in this domain, which makes any sort of prediction difficult. Still, it is certain for the most part that Asia's and Australia's fast-growing gambling industries will account for nearly as much of the world market as the United States.

It was further predicted by PricewaterhouseCoopers that in the next three years, the market will generate $62.9 billion. In 2009, the companies’ revenue in those markets amounted to $21.8 billion, whereas in the United States, 2009 gambling revenue was $57.2 billion, including all commercial and American Indian casinos. PricewaterhouseCoopers expressed their expectation for this number to boost to $68.3 billion.

The 2009 revenue derived by American Indian casinos was $26.5 billion, and the report projects that by 2014 it will grow 2.7 percent per year to $30.3 billion. The company’s forecasts also included commercial gambling in the US, which it assessed will grow to $38 billion in 2014 from $30.7 billion last year. Apart from that, they also estimated that regional casinos outside Nevada and New Jersey will be growing 6.1 percent per year and gambling revenue in Atlantic City dropping 3.2 percent per year. Gambling in Nevada is expected to grow 4.1 percent per year and generate $12.5 billion in 2014.

In addition, the company stated in the report that Macau has already reached the level of the world's top single gambling market, and that gambling revenue will increase by almost 25 percent each of the next five years, reaching $45.1 billion in 2014, which would actually be higher than commercial gambling in the States.

According to PWC, Macau is already the home of two out of four top gambling companies in the world - Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts, whose gambling revenue in the enclave diminishes their U.S. gambling revenue.