Macao Polytechnic Institute (MPI) has recently published the second issue of Global Gaming & Tourism Research. Launched in 2020, this academic journal aims to promote the sustainable development of the gaming and tourism industry. While serving as an exchange platform for gaming and tourism research, Global Gaming & Tourism Research also seeks to provide support for science-based decision-making across the public and gaming sectors. After its inaugural issue was published, Global Gaming & Tourism Research has attracted significant interest from various sectors. The second issue of the journal publishes ten academic papers on gaming and tourism with contributing authors from the United States, Mainland China and Macao. Among them, there are seven papers in the section of gambling research and three papers under the tourism research section.

Prof. David G. Schwartz, a world-renowned gaming historian and the former director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, discusses the impact of COVID-19 on Las Vegas and its operational strategy in his article “Learning from Las Vegas in 2020: Lessons on Evolving after Crisis”. The author points out that the pandemic has caused the disappearance of international tourists in Las Vegas, and the source of high-quality tourists from different regions of the United States has decreased, too. In response to the new reality, the large-scale integrated resort operators in Las Vegas are changing their business model, moving from a traditional hub-and-spoke model to a regional decentralized model. The risk of over-reliance on a particular source can be dispersed through the development of various regional markets.

Professor Zeng Zhonglu, Associate Professor Ji Chunli and Dr. Man Ian Wong Kun of the MPI’s Centre for Gaming and Tourism Studies discuss innovative thinking in gaming and tourism research from different perspectives. Zeng Zhonglu proposes new ways of thinking and innovation in his article “A Study of the Development Strategies for Macao’s Gaming and Tourism Industry Based on Design Thinking”. Specifically, Traditional innovation mainly relies on technology advancement or the market; however, as their materialistic needs are increasingly met, people are pursuing beyond product functions. Therefore, innovation based on meaning creation has gradually become the third force in innovation. Meaning creation requires a designer's thinking mode. Such innovation process first starts with creativity rather than data analysis. Products or services should focus not only on their functions, but also on the emotions of the customers. Ji Chunli discusses the influence of the positive flow experience that people have when participating in certain activities, as well as the conditions for flow formation. This research provides an important reference value for the design of gaming and tourism products in Macao. Man Ian Wong Kun explores the biological mechanisms related to gambling addiction by reviewing the findings of neurotransmitter system, neuroendocrine system, genes, structural brain abnormality and brain dysfunction in her article “Born to Be Gambling Addicted? – The Biological Perspective of Gambling Disorder”. Such findings indicate that the biological performance of gambling disorder may be ascribed to some genetic defects, other addiction problem and mental illness, or the result of neurological adaptation caused by behavioral addiction; further research on biological mechanism could be one of the important means of improving the effects of the intervention on gambling behaviors in future.

The journal also includes articles by Li Hai, Ho Hong Wai, Ma Erdan et al. under its gambling research section. In “Research on the Behavioural Characteristics of the Chinese Sports Betting Lottery Customers: An Empirical Study of Six Cities in China”, Lai Hai et al. analyzed the data of 1,093 lottery customers in six Chinese cities and found that compared to the “low-value group”, lottery customers of the “high-value group” are mainly self-employed and business owners. They are older and have a lower educational level. They purchase lottery tickets more frequently every week, spend longer time on lottery tickets every day, and spend more money on lottery tickets every month. The study helps to gain a deeper understanding of the gambling behavior of Chinese lottery customers. Ho Hong Wai presents a comprehensive review of the regulations and practices of Macao’s VIP gaming business in his article “Macao Junket Business: Some Regulatory Issues”. Ma Erdan et al. found that enhancing the organizational commitment of employees could help increase their sense of job security in “The Mediating Effect of Organizational Commitment on Occupational Commitment and Job Security: A Study of Casino Employees in Macao”.

Academic papers under the tourism research section include the latest studies by Zhou Guangpeng, Tang Juan, and Wong Ngan Hong et al. In “Tourism Development Concept through Time Travel Perspective”, Zhou Guangpeng, through his observation and contemplation, proposes the concept of re-examining the essence of tourism from the perspective of time travel. Compared with the impossible physical penetration and spiritual travel at home, tourism has become an alternative way of time travelling owing to its immersive and multi-sensory experience. The perspective of time travel perspective is suggested to provide specific guidance and lessons for tourism enterprises in market positioning, promotion and scenic area planning. “The Development of Macao's Cultural Tourism Resources from the Perspective of All-for-one Tourism” by Tang Juan et al. attempts to introduce the perspective of all-for-one tourism by systematically sorting out Macao's cultural tourism resources. A SWOT analysis was conducted for the future development of Macao’s cultural tourism resources along with a number of suggestions. Wong Ngan Hong argues in “Multicultural Tourism Model: A Discussion on the Development of Macao’s Industrial, Food and Religious Tourism” that Macao’s tourist model in recent years has primarily focused on gaming or its surrounding industries, and such model is relatively simple. It is recommended that Macao should develop other tourism models, including Industrial heritage, gastronomy, religious tourism, etc.

For further information, please visit our webpage at Global Gaming & Tourism Research.

Global Gaming & Tourism Research welcomes contributions by experts from home and abroad. For article submission, please contact Zeng Zhonglu (Professor of the Centre for Gaming and Tourism Studies, MPI) at globalgaming@ipm.edu.mo.