Online Gambling Finally Arrives in Macau

Players in Macau casinos can finally play online as new digital technology arrived in the province. Macau casinos are renowned for their reluctance to embrace the new type of gambling but it seems that the tide is turning as online gambling was finally launched this week, after several years of preparation.

The online offering at present remains very small compared to the traditional options and queues for the technology are expected to be long, but the first steps have been taken to bring Macau more into line with other casinos from around the world.

A new era of gambling 

With the arrival of online gambling in Macau, casinos can begin to offer the same facilities as others around the world. Online play is commonplace in casinos in Las Vegas but up until now, Macau had been resistant to the changes.

The MGM Macau casino, part of MGM China, launched online gambling – the first in Macau – this week. In the casino are now eight fixed terminals supplemented by a further four handheld tablet devices, providing players with the option to bet online. A variety of games have been made available, copying the models already implemented successfully in other casinos globally.

There are currently seven different games that Macau punters can access and for now at least, they’ve all been kept deliberately as low denomination. This was felt to be essential to enable the regulators to make sure everything is working properly before they allow higher bets.

Set for expansion 

Although the initial online offering may be fairly modest, if all goes well there are plans for expansion. It has taken since 2015 to launch online play in Macau and the regulators are keen to take a slow and steady approach, which has traditionally been their preference for online play.

The operator chosen to partner with MGM Macau, IAS, has approximately 80 different products that can be rolled out online, so the potential for expansion is vast. This includes both sporting bets and table games.

Over the coming months more games will be introduced and newer terminals will also be installed, with plans to also sign up other casinos in Macau. IAS says that at present the main requests from Macau operators are for casino table games and that they’re working hard on increasing what they’re able to offer, with more expected early in the new year.