Macau: Baccarat Side Bets Skyrocket in Popularity

Whereas a few years ago, baccarat side bets were not all that popular, they are now all the rage, according to the latest data from Macau. As it turns out, side bets are currently responsible for roughly half of all baccarat gaming revenue.

Side Bets Are All the Rage

Inside Asian Gaming reported that Clayton Peister, the managing director of casino analytics specialist Differential Labs, commented on the matter at the recent G2E Asia conference. The event, which took place at The Venetian, allowed Asian casino stakeholders to address many of the hot topics in Asian gaming.

Peister’s speech focused on recent data, which suggests that baccarat side bets contribute some 45-50% of all baccarat revenue in Macau. This figure shows a dramatic shift from a few years ago when not that many players relied on side bets.

Piester attributed the change to the flexibility of smart tables, which has provided operators with more room to innovate and experiment with side bets and table layouts. Furthermore, the data-driven nature of such products has provided casinos with a better understanding of what players want and need, as well as their

This has allowed casinos to enhance side bets and increase their revenue share. Inside Asian Gaming understood that a few years ago, side bets comprised only a small part of baccarat revenue and less than 1% of turnover. Now, they comprise 5% of turnover and a staggering 45-50% of baccarat turnover.,

True to Piester’s words, casinos continue to expand their smart table inventory, as well as their side bet offerings. In the past two years alone, casinos have petitioned for approvals of several new side bet types.

Operators Have Recognized the Potential of Side Bets

Bryan Jenkins, managing director of Angel Australasia, a company that develops and supplies smart tables, provided further insights into the matter. According to him, the recent trend shows that operators have recognized the potential and value of side bets.

Jenkins said that in the past, side bets were not all that clear and developed, which is why they were not all that popular either. This has come to change now, as side bets dominate baccarat gaming.

Now you can see with the amount of side bets we have here and proliferating around Asia that people are recognizing that they can test side bets and know exactly how much they are getting out of it.

Bryan Jenkins, MD, Angel Australasia

Jenkins added that this also makes side bets easier to test and find what works and what does not.

Macau Could Adopt Higher Side Bet Hold Percentage

In Singapore, Las Vegas Sands’ iconic Marina Bay Sands casino recently shifted its theoretical hold percentage on rolling play from 3.30% to 3.70%. This has dramatically increased side bet engagement among visitors.

Jenkins therefore believes that Macau would soon adopt a similar measure too to further realize its die bet potential.