In part two of our series with Lau Kok Keng, Head of Intellectual Property, Sports & Gaming, Rajah & Tan Singapore, we discussed the potential of the United Arab Emirates market.
He also emphasised the importance of understanding market nuances, particularly across Asia, where each country has its own unique regulatory, cultural, and consumer dynamics.
iGaming Expert: What steps and lessons would you give to operators looking to enter the UAE market as it opens up in the future?
Lau Kok Keng: The UAE is in the early stages of regulated gaming, and the legal and regulatory framework is still very much evolving. Operators looking to enter the UAE market should stay abreast of all legislative and policy updates, build relationships with government agencies, local partners, and community leaders to understand cultural sensitivities and regulatory expectations.
The UAE is likely to adopt a highly regulated and tightly controlled model, with a strong emphasis on anti-money laundering, responsible gambling, and social safeguards. Operators must be prepared to meet stringent compliance standards.
The UAE is also a conservative society with unique cultural and religious considerations.
Marketing, product offerings, and customer engagement must be tailored accordingly. Any investment in the UAE market needs to be a long-term one, with investment in local talent, training and infrastructure necessary.
iGX: What are some of the unique challenges facing international operators seeking to establish a presence in Asia?
International operators face several unique challenges in Asia due to its sheer diversity. Even for Southeast Asia alone, there is a patchwork of markets with uneven regulation, licensing, and enforcement that makes entry planning fragile.
In some countries like Singapore, stringent licenses, capital requirements, and strict advertising and responsible-gambling standards create a high barrier to entry. In others, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, gambling is, according to the law, largely prohibited or tightly restricted, pushing operators toward informal channels or grey markets, which come with elevated regulatory and reputational risk.
The Philippines offers a regulated path, but the POGO sector has contracted sharply since the crackdown began a few years ago, and the outlook remains highly uncertain with a ban on online gambling looming. Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos have shown rapid growth potential, but shifting laws, unpredictable policy shifts, and local ownership or JV requirements complicate market access.
Payment processes in Asia also vary widely – banks and processors may block or throttle gambling-related transactions, and cross-border remittance rules and tax regimes differ by country. Political risk, corruption vulnerabilities, and the need for local partnerships or licenses also pose challenges.
Thailand would have been a potential success story to write and develop, but political deadlock and poor management of its casino legalisation efforts have instead given international operators a preview of what could happen in a market where regulatory regimes are upended and where the Government is unable to convince its people of the net positives, which the gambling industry can offer to them.
All is not lost, though. Early lessons learnt can be put to good use in a rethink and reformulation of its approach to casino legalisation before launching a reloaded version of the Thai Entertainment Complex project.
iGX: How crucial is it that operators and suppliers understand market nuances before looking to tap into a new audience across the Asian market?
Understanding market nuances is absolutely crucial. Asia is not a monolith – each country has its own regulatory, cultural and consumer dynamics. Operators and suppliers who fail to appreciate these differences risk regulatory breaches, reputational damage, and commercial failure.
Key areas to understand include the regulatory environment (where licensing, compliance, and enforcement standards vary widely), cultural attitudes towards gambling and entertainment (which differ by country and even by regions within countries), consumer preferences in terms of product offerings, payment methods and local habits, language and communication channels, among others. Effective localisation is essential for customer engagement and the development of the right marketing strategies.
Operators who invest in local research, partnerships and talent are far more likely to succeed than those who take a one-size-fits-all approach.
iGX: What can industry stakeholders in Asia do to convince lawmakers of the benefits of establishing a regulated gaming market and avoid the pitfalls observed with Thailand’s attempt to bring casinos to the country?
Industry stakeholders should first and foremost proactively participate in regular public consultations, provide data-driven evidence of economic and social impacts, and address the concerns of all stakeholders openly. They should be seen to advocate for and help design robust social safeguards, including exclusion programmes, entry levies, and support services for problem gamblers. Successful models like Singapore already exist, where it has been demonstrated that economic benefits can and have been balanced with strong regulation and social responsibility.
The model of many casino operators today is not to build standalone casinos, but to have casinos as part of a wider integrated entertainment complex with many more offerings than simply gambling. Industry stakeholders should try to build broad-based coalitions by working with tourism, hospitality, food & beverage, sports, music and entertainment businesses to demonstrate the wider economic benefits of regulated casino gambling.
Finally, they should support public education by investing in campaigns to inform the public about the realities of regulated gambling, dispel myths, and build trust and confidence.
They also need to demonstrate long-term commitment to sustainable, responsible growth, not just short-term profits. By doing so, in partnership with government and civil society, they can help lawmakers see regulated gaming as a tool for economic development rather than a social risk.
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