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www.euroslot-online.comSPAIN MARKET REPORTMadrid led the way in allowing video slots in 2009, a policysince adopted elsewhere.Online gamingOfficially, the online gaming market in Spain to date has beensmall, with about ¤45m spent annually on lotteries and somesports betting. However, it is estimated that a far greater figure– as much as ¤1.6bn – might be spent with foreign operatorsillegally taking Spaniards’ bets. There are believed to be around370,000 Spaniards betting online.This, and of course the pressing need for the fiscally-strappedcountry to raise new revenue, have led to the biggest change inthe Spanish market for some time – the introduction in May lastyear of the new gambling law originally announced in 2007.Spain’s regulatory structure has been bifurcated for decades.There has been a national legal framework for gambling in placesince 1977, and that has continued to remain in force, but thebulk of regulatory decision-making has been devolved to theautonomous communities since 1985.The 1977 framework did not, of course, envisage the arrival ofonline gaming, and that has led to some anomalous situations –for example, the autonomous community of Madrid went aheadwith legalising Internet gambling before the nationalgovernment, ironically based in the same city, had done so.The new rules should bring some clarity to this situation andthe first online gaming operations authorised under them arenow established.A new supervisory body, the Comisión Nacional del Juego(National Gaming Commission), is being created withnationwide oversight of licensing.A further new body, the Consejo de Políticas de Juego(Gaming Policies Board), will advise on regulatory andenforcement policy, and include representatives from theregions.Taxation for the majority of games has been set at 25 percentof gross gaming revenue, after the government – followingprotests from the likes of the Remote Gambling Association –did a U-turn on earlier plans to levy taxes as a percentage oftotal stakes.This page was sponsored by:JULY/AUGUST 2012 27
TECHNOLOGY FOCUSwww.euroslot-online.comMaking the connectionThe addition of Internet features is transforming thejukebox and the photo booth alike, reports Jon BrufordWhile the explosive growth of e-gaming on PCsand smartphones has been the most visiblechange in the gambling and amusements marketbrought about by the Internet, the makers of placebasedtechnology such as photo booths andjukeboxes have not failed to exploit the potential ofonline either.For example, new photo booth products fromDigital Centre such as New Generation, The Strip,Mega Strip and Mega Combo combine touchscreentechnology with Internet connectivity to addrelevancy for the user, as the firm’s Paul Jacobsexplains: “The photos have a code and Web address,Myphotocode.com, printed along the left side.The customer can then use his or her smartphone,home computer, iPad, laptop, or whatever to sendcopies of the photos to themselves or friends.Simply go to the Website and type in the code andthen send via email, or send directly to Facebook orTwitter.“For the operator, it turns the photo booth into aneven greater revenue producer because thecustomers will take more pictures knowing they cansend them via social networking. Also, the operatorcan remotely access reports, so it’s doublybeneficial.”At rival Apple Industries, president WarrenFriss agrees – and enthuses about hiscompany’s technology, adding: “Last yearwe launched our Smile 2.0 software,which is our photo sharing software.On any photo booth we sell now, inaddition to getting your strip ofphotographs, you can now also getthem emailed to yourself, friends orfamily, post direct to Facebook, andtweet from the booth.“Additionally, of course, beingonline gives the operator tremendousadvantages because the booth cansend them reports that they’reworking, how much revenue isgenerated, how much paper is left soit can be monitored remotely, howmuch cash versus card action there is,and so on. There are huge benefits.”It’s these additional features thatcan drive new revenue for operators,or alternatively allow operators to addvalue for customers.. If the operatorwants to charge a pound or a eurofor customers to share their imagesonline, the benefits are obvious – notleast because it doesn’t cost theoperator anything extra for thecustomer to carry out the operation.But as Friss points out, the newfeatures have a bigger impact whenthe services are free, and “50 or 60percent of people are emailing theirpictures to themselves, with postingit on Facebook second most popular,and tweeting a distant third”.A further benefit is that even if an operatordoesn’t charge for allowing people to email theirimages, the booth can collect the email addresses ofits customers, eventually giving the operator avaluable customer database for marketing andpromotional purposes (although data protection ruleshave to be borne in mind).The booth can collectthe email addressesof its customersAnd the evolution is not over – upsells are thefuture, says Friss: “We’re also going to be adding theability to have people purchase not just photos, butmugs, keychains, screen-savers and more that can beupsold to the consumer when their picture is taken.”This is particularly smart when you take intoaccount the strong figures recently posted in aFuturesource Consulting report on photomerchandisein Europe, which notched up animpressive 11 percent growth last year to reach a totalvalue of more than ¤470m. Much growth is expectedto come from sources such as the mobile market, butHot propertySlender and compact, Tab Austria’s MaxFire Jukebox HD gives users direct accessto the latest songs and videos as well asclassics from a century of music history,with updates daily. The jukebox adaptsautomatically to the needs of each venue,and also stands out thanks to its design,the firm says.Hardware and software work seamlesslytogether; an intuitive user interface designprovides an optimal overview with its 32-inch touchscreen, so all the Max FireJukebox HD features can be in view.This compact and multifunctionaljukebox is ideal for the diverse needs ofbars, pubs and restaurants, says TabAustria.28 JULY/AUGUST 2012 THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF THE AMUSEMENT AND STREET GAMING INDUSTRY
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