The amusement market in India is continuing to grow at a rapid pace in India according to Rohit Mathur of CSML, operator of shopping mall based FECs across the country.
“While new locations continue to open, it is the amount of money the existing locations are taking that is driving business,” he said, “and this is a promising sign for the market. People are spending more money on amusement than they ever have.”
It would seem that locations are also growing in size as new developments continue to open across the country, offering more than just the traditional video game style arcade. Mathur himself is in fact planning on opening five new outlets in 2012 as his most recent location gets ready to open any time now.
According to Mathur operators in India are also beginning to make the move away from some of the lower quality, cheaper Chinese products available on the market and more towards US and European made products. Mathur for instance, bought five Infinity Blade Touch FX machines from Canadian manufacturer Adrenaline Amusements while visiting the recent IAAPA show, held in Orlando, Florida.
“India is still a very young market,” he said. “But it is quickly catching up and jumping on to the latest innovations and launches rather than the second hand products the market has been used to for so long.
“We are a country with a lot of potential future business as we have one of the largest youth populations (under 25) in the world. In five to 10 years time these under 25s are going to have children of their own and the market will be ready for it.”
