A diagnosis of inherent problems in implementing internal marketing in Macau and Singapore casino companies

With spectacular growth in demand since opening the market to foreign competition, executives within the Macau casino industry seem to have focused their attention to enhancing capacity and opening new casino properties. Meanwhile, the Singapore casino market is expected to overshadow that of Las Vegas in the very near future. Despite such optimistic prognosis, the long-term scenario for the casino industry in both jurisdictions could spell trouble. It seems most casino operations in major Asian markets have not devoted adequate thought to their service culture and internal marketing strategy. With overall capacity in Asia slated to increase significantly in the next couple of years, the labour shortage for casino companies in Macau and Singapore will get more acute. Current impressive revenues notwithstanding, increased capacity will also put pressure on marketing to attract and retain valued customers. In light of these developments, we review five key challenges to internal marketing practices for casinos in Macau and Singapore: culture, climate, recruitment, compensation and training.