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GLOBAL GAMES AND GAMING MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2013 I WWW.<strong>G3</strong>NEWSWIRE.COM I WWW.<strong>G3</strong>-247.COMINTERNATIONAL GAMING NEWS I KNOWLEDGE I STATSTICS I MARKET INFORMATION I DIGITAL AND PRINTWWW.<strong>G3</strong>NEWSWIRE.COMWWW.<strong>G3</strong>-247.COM - THE GAMING MEDIA VAULTMexiCoMexican President, Enrique Pena Nieto,increases measures on gaming12CzeCh RepUbliCNew measures to curb slot halls willimpact tax revenues for the capital16USNew York voters have approved as manyas seven full-scale casinos in the state 22PanamaThe final instalment in ourLatin America market focusINTERACT WITH <strong>G3</strong> VIA GOOGLE+,FACEBOOK, TWITTER, LINKEDIN,<strong>G3</strong>I APPS FROM THE APPLE STORE,ANDROID MARKET AND <strong>G3</strong>-247.COMAUStRAliAAquis Casino Acquisitions makes bid tobuy the Reef Casino in CairnsSubscribeSubcribe to <strong>G3</strong>-<strong>247.com</strong> to read every <strong>G3</strong> magazine,download every market report and much more...<strong>Download</strong>The latest magazine is available to digitally download via<strong>G3</strong>-<strong>247.com</strong> or via the App Store and Android Market27
CommentdecemBeR 2013Having worked for magazines in the past whose sole purpose was to postreviews and opinions about products, events and solutions, you tend to findthat there are generally three types of reviews that people will read. The firstare the 8-10 scores that are recommendations of a product, which people readto sort the ‘wheat from the chaff’ around the time of their purchase. If you’re inthe market for a particular product, reading a high scoring review gives you thepiece of mind that you’re making the right decision.4-7 scores are more tricky as people tend to skip these. The only time you’relikely to read a 4-7 review is if you’ve bought the product in question andyou’re looking to reinforce or challenge your own opinions, or you’ve bought acompeting product and you’re smugly reading about the lesser brand withwhich you could have been saddled.Finally, you have the reviews that are often people’s favourites - the stinkersbetween 1-3. There’s a morbid fascination about reading a review about a trulyawful product or event as you re-live that experience through what are usuallyviciously-barbed eviscerations. Movie and drama critics have made this type ofreview their bread and butter, finding ever more descriptive ways to destroycareers and reputations.No magazine in the gaming sectoractually reviews products. There areThere’s a morbidawards for the 8-10 category products,but without the 1-7 ratings, nofascinaTion abouTone knows what the actual benchmarksare and what criteria the prod-reading a bad review,ucts met to win the awards in the firstas you re-live Theplace. It’s a mutually beneficial systemthat seems to keep everyoneexperience Throughhappy. Exhibitions and conferences,viciously-barbedon the other hand, are a different kettleof fish. This month’s ENADA RomeevisceraTions.show review, for example, gets adefinitive ‘1 out of 10.’ediToRiaLeditorLewis Peklewis@gamingpublishing.co.uk+44 (0) 1942 879 291News editorPhil Martinphil@gamingpublishing.co.uk+44 (0)161 236 6669associate editor (maLaGa)Karen Southallkarensouthall@gmail.comconsultantJohn Carroll (BiLLeRBeck)carroll@carrollconsulting.decorrespondentJames Marrison (BUeNos aiRes)jamesmarrison@gmail.comcontributorsJohn MalinDavid AddisonBepi MottesAlexandre RotenbergCamillo BianchiadveRTisiNGcommercial directorJohn Slatteryemail:john@gamingpublishing.co.uk+44 (0)7917 166471advertising executiveJames Slatteryemail:james@gamingpublishing.co.uk+44 (0)7917 166471PRodUcTioNsub editorLisa Nicholssenior designerGareth IrwinProduction managerPaul Jolleyssubscriptions managerJennifer Pekcommercial administratorJohn Pek04
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February 4-6, 2014ICE Totally Gaming, London, UKLocationExCeL London Exhibition Centre,London, UKOrganiserClarion EventsFulham Green, Bedford House69-79 Fulham High StreetLondon SW6 3JW, UKContactSam ChanceTel: +44 207 384 8119Email: sam.chance@clarionevents.comWeb: www.icetotallygaming.comMarch 19-21, 2014ENADA Spring, Rimini, ItalyLocationRimini Fiera, Rimini – ItalyContactSonia BodelliniOrganiserRimini Fiera SpaVia Emilia 155Rimini, Italy 47900Show Times:10:00 - 18:00Final day: 10:00-16:00Tel: +39 0541 744250Email:s.bodellini@riminifiera.itWeb: www.enadaprimavera.itMarch 25-27, 2014FER-Interazar 2014, SpainLocationPabellon 6, IFEMA, Feria deMadrid, Madrid – SpainOrganiserZarkia Hispania SLc/Marques de la Ensenada,No 4-4a, MadridSpain 28004Show times:Tues 25th: 11:30 - 20:00Wed 26th: 10:00 - 20:00Thurs 27th: 10:00 - 15:00Tel: +34 91 310 1072Email:info@ferinterazar.comWeb: www.ferinterazar.comApril 1-3, 2014SALEX 2014, BrazilLocationPavilion of Anhembi, Sao Paulo,BrazilOrganiserGrafite Feiras E Promocoes LtdaAvenue Presidente JuscelinoKubitschek, 1830Tower 2, 13 FloorVila Nova Conceicao, Sao Paulo, SP,Brazil 04543-900ContactOscar ReginatoTel: +55 11 2105 7000Email:info@salex.com.brWeb: www.salex.com.br07
<strong>G3</strong>NewswiresoUTh ameRica Newswww.g3nEwswirE.ComEl Comité dE lEgislaCión laboral dE la AsambleaLegislativa Provincial de Neuquén ha empezado a debatir unapropuesta presentada por el legislador Eduardo Benítez relativaa la restricción de horarios de apertura para los salones debingo, casinos y establecimientos de tragaperras de la región.Si se aprueba este proyecto de ley, los operadores solo podránofrecer sus servicios desde el mediodía hasta las 5:00 horas.la Comisión dEl JuEgo dE Paraguay (ConaJZar)ha anunciado sus planes de implementar la regulación onlinede los casinos. El director de CONAJZAR, Javier Balbuena, afirmóque la Comisión está llevando a cabo un estudio preliminary que se está tomando en consideración monitorizar unaserie de operaciones de juego online en diferentes regiones.El PrEsidEntE dE méxiCo, EnriquE PEña niEto,ha aprobado por decreto presidencial una enmienda fundamentala la legislación sobre el juego mexicana. El nuevodecreto, que entró en vigor a mediados de noviembre, imponeque los operadores ya no puedan ceder a terceros los derechosde operar establecimientos de juego. También estableceun límite de 25 años para las licencias de juego y concedeunos poderes más amplios a la Comisión de Control del Juegode México.Evolution gaming ha unido fuErZas ConCodere para introducir Live Roulette en máquinas electrónicasde juego en Latinoamérica. Este movimiento lleva por primeravez a las pantallas de las máquinas electrónicas de juego elcontenido Live Casino de Evolution, galardonado ennumerosas ocasiones.la igt Cloud sE ha PuEsto En marCha En latotalidad de las propiedades del Aspers Group, consistentesen cuatro casinos. La instalación de la IGT Cloud vincula 103máquinas de los dos casinos más grandes del Reino Unido,ubicados en Milton Keynes y Stratford, así como las de otrosdos casinos, concretamente de Newcastle y Northampton.insPirEd gaming grouP (insPirEd) ha firmadoun nuevo contrato para convertirse en el proveedor exclusivode deportes virtuales de 1960Bet. 1960Bet es el operador deapuestas deportivas más grande de Nigeria, con más de 600establecimientos de apuestas y plataformas de apuestasonline y móviles a través de www.1960bet.ng,www.1960bet.ng/Mobile y www.betland.com.El gobiErno dE EslovEnia ha notifiCado a laCE una nueva ley sobre el juego cuya entrada en vigor estáprevista para principios de 2014. Esta ley sobre el juego regularálas actividades tanto terrestres como online bajo concesióndel Ministerio de Finanzas.tras un ProCEso dE sElECCión En El quEparticiparon cinco de los proveedores de terminales de videoloteríalíderes del mundo, Loteria Romana ha elegido aNovomatic para el suministro de 10 000 modernas terminalesde videolotería (VLT). El acuerdo también abarca el correspondientesistema de videolotería, que incluye un sistemade jackpot, servicios de mantenimiento, piezas de repuesto,logística, etc. en las ubicaciones operadas por Loteria Romanaen todo el país.nEw law rEstriCts slots hoursA committee in the Argentine province isdebating a law to restrict the openinghours of casinos, slots and bingo hallsArgentina - LegislationThe Committee for Labour Legislation in theprovincial legislature assembly of Neuquén hasbegun debating a proposal put forward by lawmaker Eduardo Benitez regarding the restrictionof opening hour for bingo halls, casinos and slotparlours in the region. If the new bill is passedoperators will be allowed to offer their servicesfrom midday until 5am only.The new law aims to: “Prevent compulsive gambling,”which according to the exact wording ofthe bill “causes job losses and the destruction ofthe addict’s home as well as their families.” Thenew bill contains strong sanctions for those foundto be found to be breaking the law and also seeksto protect the jobs of those already involved in thelocal gaming industry.According to local news portal Diario La Mañanade Neuquén, during the debate a number ofdeputies also put forward proposals which wouldcreate a new gaming control board that wouldmonitor the industry and ensure that the newopening hours are being adhered to.Neuquén has been a focal point for controversywhen it comes to gaming with another proposalnow on the table in favour of nationalising casinosin the province. Plans to nationalise casinos wereGross Gaming Revenue Downby almost a Third across ChileCHILEThe Chilean Gaming Control Board(SCJ) has reported that gross gamingincome (win) generated by the17 casinos licenced in Chile stoodat US$36.5m in September — a29.6 per cent decrease when comparedto the same month in 2012.The casinos also received 26.1 percent less visitors than they did lastyear. According to a SCJ, grossgaming income has also declinedby 2.5 per cent compared toAugust when the figure stood atUS$37.4m with visitor numbersalso declining by 3.4 per cent.Annual figures also look to bedown so far this year. So far grossgaming income from January toSeptember reached US$368.1mcompared to US$435.3m whencompared to the same period in2012 - a drop of over 15 per cent.The 17 municipalities and 11regions where they are locatedreceived US$61m in gaming taxrevenue while casinos generatedan additional US$25.7m in tax onentrance fees for the state. On topof this amount the casinos alsogenerated US$58.8m in VAT.first announced in May by the head of the localcasino union and member of the local state legislature,Raúl Godoy.According to Mr Godoy’s proposal, 50 per cent ofall profits would go to the local governmentswhere they are located, 20 per cent to a gamingcontrol board and 30 per cent to the province,which would then be used for education andhealthcare.As the majority of the 23 casino licenses in thestate expire at the end of 2014 their licences willsimply not be renewed if the new law goes ahead.In order for the move to gain momentum it wasannounced in May that locals would be asked tosign a petition on the issue.More than 15,000 signatures have been signed infavour of nationalising casinos in the province ofNeuquén so far.In terms of gross gaming income(win) generated by the casinos, inSeptember the Monticello GrandCasino came in first place with28.1 per cent (US$10.2m), in secondplace was Marina del Sol with11.8 per cent (US$4.3m) whileCasino Rinconada with 11.6 percent(US$$ 4.2m) came in third.Revenue for the remaining 14 casinosin September were EnjoyAntofagasta 8.4 per cent(US$3.0m). Dreams Temuco 7.0per cent (US$ 2.6m). DreamsPunta Arenas 5.6 per cent(US$2.0m). Casino Sol Calama 5.1per cent (US$1.9m). Gran Casinode Talca 4.3 per cent (US$1.6m).Antay Casino & Hotel 3.7 per cent(US$1.3 m). Dreams Valdivia 3.2per cent (US$ 1.2m). Casino SolOsorno 2.8 per cent (US$1.0m).ArgentinaResponding to the abovestory, the head of theProvincial institute ofGaming, eduardo mónacohas outlined his fearsover the new act to curbthe opening hours ofcasinos currently beingdebated in Neuquén.according to mr. monacothe new law willdramatically reducegaming tax revenue, leadto an increase of illegalgambling and to anumber of job losses. mr.mónaco highlighted thefact that the Provincialinstitute of Gamingdistributed more than135m pesos in emergencyfunding alone from July2011 to June this year. mrmónaco’s statements arelikely to be interpreted asa sign that any changes toNeuquén’s gaming lawscould meet withincreasing resistance inthe near future.08
<strong>G3</strong>NewswiresoUTh ameRica Newswww.g3nEwswirE.ComtErmas dE Chillán liCEnCE Endsthe Chilean Gaming Control board hasconfirmed that it will accept the marketwithdrawal of termas de Chillán’s licenceChile - OperationsEl Casino gran Canaria, valorado En 5millones de euros, ha vuelto a abrir sus puertas en Playa delInglés, un animado centro turístico junto al mar, en la costameridional de la isla. La licencia llevaba en funcionamientodesde 1978 en el Hotel Tamariuind St. Augustine, pero suspropietarios, Meliá Hotels y la Sociedad Automáticos Canarios,deseaban trasladarse a unas instalaciones de mayor tamaño ycon mayor capacidad para mejorar sus ingresos.quEEnCo lEisurE, uno dE los CoProPiEtariosdel Club Hotel Casino Loutraki, ha afirmado que el ComitéGriego de Supervisión y Auditoría de Juegos ha invitado a laempresa conjunta que opera la propiedad a dar respuesta a lasreclamaciones según las que supuestamente habría infringidosus condiciones de licencia debido a ciertos impagos ante lasautoridades griegas.la filial Casinos Poland, Cuyo 66 Por CiEnto Espropiedad de Century Casinos, ha abierto las puertas de susegundo casino reubicado en Varsovia. El operador hatrasladado la licencia desde una ubicación desfavorable al edificioMarriott a fin de mejorar su oferta en el principal mercadodel juego de Polonia.novomatiC sE Está introduCiEndo En Elmercado de las loterías electrónicas tras adquirir una participaciónmayoritaria en Betware Holding, empresa pionera deljuego en Islandia y especialista en soluciones de juego onlinepara el mercado de las loterías.KathE ConsultanCy Es una nuEva EmPrEsalanzada por Urbain Thewissen, que anteriormente pertenecía alSeeben-Unibox Group. Tras haber trabajado nada menos que18 años en la empresa belga del sector del juego, el Sr.Thewissen ha decidido crear la suya propia para representar aempresas del ramo que se beneficiarán de la amplia experienciadel Sr. Thewissen en el sector internacional del juego.El gausElmann grouP ha dado otro Paso crucialen sus inversiones y su compromiso con el mercado del juegoy el entretenimiento en el Reino Unido, convirtiéndose en unsustancial accionista minoritario de Sceptre Leisure, el mayoroperador independiente de tragaperras del Reino Unido y elsegundo mayor del país en general.hasta siEtE Casinos a gran EsCala Estánprevistos para las regiones al norte del estado de Nueva York,una iniciativa que ha contado con la aprobación del gobernadorAndrew Cuomo junto con un 57 por ciento de los votantes. «Laaprobación de la Primera Propuesta es un gran avance para losgobiernos locales, los distritos con escuelas y los contribuyentesen general de todo el estado de Nueva York», afirmó.tras El fraCaso dE su vEnta PotEnCial aPokerStars, el Atlantic Club Casino Hotel, un casino de AtlanticCity en dificultades, acaba de presentar un expediente de bancarrotaa fin de contribuir a una eventual venta. La División deCumplimiento Legal en el Sector del Juego de Nueva Jersey haafirmado que espera que el establecimiento se mantengaoperativo mientras se prolongue el proceso del Capítulo 11.The Chilean Gaming Control Board (SCJ) hasaccepted Termas de Chillan’s withdrawal from themarket. In a move which has been labelled as "bad news” by the mayor of the municipality ofPinto, Fernando Chávez Guiñez, the end of theoperator’s licence was officially communicatedmid-November by the SCJ’s Resolution Councilwhich was made up the Secretary of the Treasury ,Undersecretary of Regional Development ,Undersecretary of Tourism, the Superintendent ofSecurities and Insurance and two representativesof the President.The mayor pointed out that the decision meansthat the province of Ñuble could now lose out onthe advantages of having a casino within its bordersas the new licence can now be offered (withsome restrictions) anywhere in Chile. Operatorsmay now offer their tender provided that the projectis not located in the Metropolitan Region ofSantiago, is not in a region that already has threecasinos and is not located within 70 km fromanother already existing casino. As a result thereis no guarantee that the new casino will beinstalled in the province. Indeed, operators coulddecide to look elsewhere given the poor results ofSlot parlour operators to appealagainst new gaming measuresCHILEThe growing number of slot parlourslooks increasingly likely tocontinue to operate despite strictermeasures imposed by local lawmakers in the city of Chillan.Legislators have passed a numberof new measures designed to curbthe growth of illegal slot machinesthroughout the city and accordingto the latest measures slotmachines may no longer be permittedunder the justification thatthey are “games of skill and ability.”Instead new measures clearlydefine that “any system that offerscash prizes or prizes... through arandom number generator” arebanned outside of casinos.The new measures, which wentinto effect on November 1, 2013 area response to the growing crisis inChile’s gaming sector. The ChileanGaming Control Board (SCJ) hasreported that gross gaming incomegenerated by the 17 casinoslicenced in Chile stood atUS$36.5m in September, a 29.6per cent decrease when comparedthe last casino in the region. In October the operatorof the Casino Termas de Chillán S.A . (J.L.Giner)announced that it was withdrawing from the marketand blamed bad market conditions as well asthe location of the casino for its decision. Thewithdrawal needed to be accepted by the ChileanGaming Control Board before it went into effect.The number of visitors to the casino had beensteadily dropping from 16,082 in 2010 to 12,101 in2012. The casino, located in a ski resort and populartourist destination in the Bío Bío region wasfirst granted a license in 2017 and its license wasvalid until 2022. The poor results derived partlyfrom the fact that the casino was located in whatis primarily a ski resort and as a result visitorswere seasonal.Before it closes the company must pay a numberof fines. The casino has so far been fined witharound 7m pesos and the SCJ has added an additional$33.232.960 pesos to the fines.to the same month in 2012. Thedecline in revenues has been partlyattributed to the sharp rise inillegal gaming which has becomean increasingly significant issue oflate. It is estimated that therecould be as many as 150,000 illegalslot machines located in slotparlours with a further 50,000 slotmachines located in small businessesand shops. Known locallyas ‘casinos of the people’ or ‘neighbourhoodslots’ they have beenable to grow so quickly as localgovernments have not drawn aclear line between slot machinesand Skill with Prizes Machines.The issue is becoming increasinglycontroversial with some law makerscalling for regulation of theindustry, while others believe thatan outright ban on slot parloursand illegal slots in small businessesis called for. However, the issueis far from clear cut. Slot parlouroperators in Chillan have launcheda legal action against the newmeasures contesting the municipalregulations.ParaguayThe Paraguayan Gamingcommission (coNaJzaR)has announced plans toimplement onlineregulation of casinos.head of coNaJzaR,Javier Balbuena, said thatthe commission iscarrying out a preliminarystudy and is consideringmonitoring a number ofgaming operations onlinein different regionsthroughout the nation.The news comes on theback of falling taxrevenues and growingconcern that the gamingboard is understaffed.Branding the currentregulations as ‘obsolete,’mr. Balbuena said that thefuture will “require onlinecontrol from experts in iTsystems so that taxassessments may becarried out online.” Thiswill become increasinglynecessary, he said, as thegovernment could soon beimplementing a new taxregime for casinos.10
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<strong>G3</strong>NewswiresoUTh ameRica Newswww.g3nEwswirE.ComPrEsidEnt toughEns gaming lawthe Mexican president, enrique peñaNieto, has increased the measures thegovernment places on the industryMexico - Legislationuruguay - EnJoy and bally EntEr onlinE dEalBally Technologies has signed an agreement to provide itsiGaming Platform solution to Conrad Punta del Este Resort &Casino in Uruguay, which is owned by the Chilean groupEnjoy. “We are excited to announce an iGaming platformpartnership with Bally Technologies which will provide moreoutstanding benefits and entertainment options for our loyalpatrons,” said Conrad Punta del Este Resort & CasinoGeneral Manager Juan Eduardo Garcia. “Even more exciting isthe fact that this online gaming platform will be offered internationallyfrom our property in Uruguay, strengthening thelink between the casino and our overseas customers.”Through Bally’s open iGaming Platform, Enjoy will offer theirplayers online play-for-free poker, slot, and table-game content.This best-in-class content is provided by Bally as wellas a number of other top content providers partnering withthe Company. As a first step, the online games will be availableat the OVO Nightclub & Dayclub, a sophisticated spacein the hotel that will open this month.argEntina - gross gaming tax for buEnos airEsThe Head of Government of the Autonomous City of BuenosAires, Mauricio Macri has summoned the heads of the CityLegislature to find a way that would allow the capital powersto collect gross gaming tax revenue from gaming within thecity limits in order to raise a shortfall of 1.1bn pesos. MauricioMacri has made a number of attempts in the past to collectgaming tax revenue from gaming and the issue continues tobe a focus of significant controversy. Although casinos arebanned by law there are still three large scale casinos in thecapital. These are the two “floating casinos” docked permanentlyto the harbour while the third is under the racetracklocated in the neighbourhood of Palermo downtown. All threehave long been the focus of a bitter dispute between the citygovernment and the federal government as to who shouldreap the tax benefits of gaming. This is because while the cityof Buenos Aires has been autonomous since 1994 it is theNational Lottery Commission which has control over gaming.While a 2007 Supreme Court decision ruled finally that thecasinos came under federal, not city jurisdiction both partiescontinued to battle it out over who should have final saywhen it comes to casino gaming in the city. However, underan agreement reached between the National LotteryCommission the city casinos for now pay less than 300mpesos a year in monthly fees but have so far never paid anytaxes to the city.Macri is hoping to raise additional revenue and it is estimatedthat the casinos should pay no less than 2bn pesos a year intax to the city. So far this source of income has not beenavailable even though in 2011 The Supreme Court decidedthat the City of Buenos Aires had the power to collect taxeson gaming in the city. However lawyers acting on behalf ofthe casino operators were able to appeal to the Court ofAdministrative Matters in order to slow down the process andreturn the issue to the local courts once again for debate.The President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto hasenacted a major amendment to Mexico’s gaminglaws by Presidential decree. The new decree,which went into effect mid-November, states thatoperators may no longer assign the rights to operategaming establishments to third parties. It alsosets a 25 year limit for gaming licences and grantsthe Mexican Gaming Control Board, which is partof the Interior Ministry (SEGOB), wider powerswhen it comes to end the licences of those operatorsfound to be operating illegally.The law does, however, allow for the continuationof slot machines in casinos as the decree wasenacted primarily in order to avoid an imminentruling of Mexico’s Supreme Court regarding thelegalisation of slot machines.In October 2012, a few weeks before leaving office,ex President Felipe Calderon had reformed gamingregulation to clarify that slot machines werebanned, except those which had been given permissionto operate by the government. However,in response to this the Chamber of Deputies challengedthe ruling before the Supreme Court, arguingthat Mexico’s gaming laws prohibits slotEvolution and Codere roll out liveroulette on EGMs in S. AmericaLATIN AMERICAEvolution Gaming has teamed upwith Codere to introduce LiveRoulette on EGMs (ElectronicGaming Machines) in LatinAmerica. The move bringsEvolution’s multi-award-winningLive Casino content to EGMscreens for the first time.An initial roll out went live inselected Codere gaming halls inOctober, 2013. The Live Roulettegames are streamed in real timefrom Evolution’s Live Casino studiosto the screens of the networkedEGMs. Players can placebets, see the live dealer and followevery spin of the ball on the realRoulette table in the same way asif they were playing Evolution LiveRoulette on a PC/Mac or Tablet.The Live Roulette roll out could beextended to other Codere venuesin Latin America and potentially toother markets in Europe.Felipe Ludeña, Chief InformationOfficer at Codere, said: “We areconfident that Evolution’s LiveRoulette on EGMs will be both amachines without any kind of distinction.With the reform now in place the Supreme Courtwill no longer have the legal requirement to discussthe legality of Calderon’s order meaning thatslot machines in casinos may continue to operate.This is because according to the new decree slotmachines classified as "sweepstakes of numbersor symbols through machines” are permitted.The decree comes at a time of increasing scrutinyover the industry. In April a powerful cross partycommittee was convened to look into the gamingsector. Headed by Ricardo Mejía Berdeja its remithas been to investigate how licences were handedout in the past under the previous administrationand to make recommendations as to how Mexico’sgaming laws could be changed in order to fullyregulate a sector that has seen a rapid proliferationin recent years.real crowd-puller and revenuedriver.Their live content providesus with the perfect opportunity togain first-to-market advantage inLatin America with games that areliterally ‘as real as it gets’.”Evolution CEO Jens von Bahradded: “We are delighted to beworking with Codere in a newmarket and in this exciting newarea of Live Casino play.Partnering with such a revered,market-leading player in LatinAmerica and Spain offersEvolution access to countless newplayers, who expect the mostengaging and interactive content.It has always been our plan tomake our live streams available tomultiple interfaces.“This initiative fits perfectly withour mission to deliver a flawlessLive Casino experience acrossmultiple channels and devices.This is another Evolution first, andone that redefines the quality andexcitement of the gaming experienceavailable on a gaming terminalscreen,” said Mr. von Bahr.Panamasouth african operatorsun international andNewland internationalProperties, the developerbehind Trump ocean clubinternational hotel andTower in Panama city,have confirmed theconclusion of a Us$45.5mdeal that will bring a 600slot casino to Panama.This addition to the hotelis scheduled to commenceconstruction in december2013 and is expected toopen in the second half of2014. sun has now boughtthree floors of what is thetallest building in Panamaon a freehold basis andhas secured a 20-yearcasino licence. The casinois slated to be open in June2014. sun plans to invest afurther amount of $60mto build-out and fullydevelop the multiplespaces. encompassing75,000 sq. ft, the casinowill occupy the secondlevel of the hotel andinclude 32 gaming tablesand 600 slot machines.1 2
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<strong>G3</strong>Newswireemea Newswww.g3nEwswirE.ComasPErs goEs livE with igt CloudiGt has announced the UK’s first evercloud link of multiple casinos in the UK asiGt Cloud goes live with Aspers GroupUK - InstallationsdEr aussChuss für arbEitsrECht in dErregionalen Gesetzgebungsversammlung von Neuquénstartete eine Debatte über einen von Gesetzgeber EduardoBenitez eingebrachten Vorschlag bezüglich der Beschränkungder Öffnungszeiten von Bingohallen, Casinos und Spielsalonsin der Region. Falls das neue Gesetz verabschiedet wird, wirdes den Betreibern erlaubt sein, ihre Dienste nur noch von mittagsbis 17 Uhr anzubieten.dEr glüCKssPiElaussChuss in Paraguay(CONAJZAR) hat Pläne angekündigt, die Online-Regulierungvon Casinos umzusetzen. Der Leiter von CONAJZAR, JavierBalbuena, erklärte, dass die Kommission eine Vorabstudiedurchführt und dass es Überlegungen bezüglich der Online-Überwachung einer Reihe von Glücksspiel-Locations in verschiedenenRegionen gibt.dEr PräsidEnt von mExiKo, EnriquE PEña niEto,hat per Präsidialdekret eine größere Novellierung desmexikanischen Glücksspielgesetzes verfügt. Der neue Erlass,der Mitte November in Kraft trat, besagt, dassGlücksspielbetreiber die Rechte zum Betrieb vonGlücksspieleinrichtungen nicht mehr auf dritte Parteien übertragendürfen. Darüber hinaus setzt der Erlass das zeitlicheLimit für Glücksspiellizenzen auf 25 Jahre fest und gewährtdem Mexican Gaming Control Board umfassendereBefugnisse.Evolution gaming hat siCh mit CodErE bEi dErEinführung des Live-Roulette auf EGMs (elektronischenGlücksspielautomaten) in Südamerika zusammengetan.Dieser Schritt bringt erstmals die mehrfach preisgekröntenLive-Casino-Inhalte auf EGM-Bildschirme.igt Cloud ist an allEn viEr Casinos dEr asPErs-Gruppe an den Start gegangen. Der IGT Cloud-Einsatzverbindet 103 Automaten mit den zwei größten Casinos imVereinigten Königreich in Milton Keynes, Stratford sowie mitzwei weiteren Casinos in Newcastle und Northampton.diE insPirEd gaming grouP (insPirEd) hat EinEnneuen Vertrag unterzeichnet, der das Unternehmen zum exklusivenLieferanten virtueller Sportwetten von 1960Bet macht.Mit mehr als 600 Wettbüros und Online- und Mobilwettenüber www.1960bet.ng, www.1960bet.ng/Mobile undwww.betland.com ist 1960Bet Nigerias größter Anbieter vonSportwetten.diE slowEnisChE rEgiErung hat diE Eu übEr Einneues Glücksspielgesetz in Kenntnis gesetzt, das Anfang 2014wohl in Kraft treten könnte. Das Glücksspielgesetz wird sowohltraditionelle als auch Online-Spielaktivitäten regulieren, für dieKonzessionen des Finanzministeriums bestehen.naCh EinEm auswahlvErfahrEn untEr fünfführenden internationalen VLT-Anbietern hat sich die LoteriaRomana für Novomatic entschieden. Das Unternehmen soll10.000 hochmoderne Video Lotterie Terminals (VLTs) liefern.Das Geschäft umfasst darüber hinaus auch ein entsprechendesVideo Lotteriesystem einschließlich eines Jackpot-Systems, Wartungsdienste, Ersatzteile, Logistik usw. an überdas ganze Land verteilten Standorten der Loteria Romana.IGT Cloud has gone live across the full AspersGroup estate of four casinos. The IGT Clouddeployment links 103 machines across the UK’stwo largest casinos located in Milton Keynes,Stratford as well as two additional casinos inNewcastle and Northampton.“We selected IGT because it is as forward-thinkingas we are,” said Mark Beattie, Aspers Group Headof Gaming. “Through the IGT Cloud we have theability to deploy IGT sbX technology across multiplesites to evaluate the performance of games tooffer the best and newest games to our players, ina much more cost-effective manner than everbefore.”Aspers can now utilise IGT Cloud features bothlocally and regionally, enabling slot managers tomake real-time decisions regarding optimal gamemixes on the casino floor. Cloud-driven sbXAnalytics, will also help provide significant insightinto machine performance, with Aspers benefitingfrom instant access to the entire IGT UK AdvancedVideo Platform (AVP) game theme library throughIGT’s sbX system.“The deployment of the UK’s first multi-site cloudLargest Nigerian operator signsInspired Virtual Sports dealNIGERIAInspired Gaming Group (Inspired)has signed a new contract tobecome 1960Bet’s exclusive supplierof virtual sports. 1960Bet isNigeria’s largest sports bettingoperator with over 600 bettingshops, and online and mobilebetting via www.1960bet.ng,www.1960bet.ng/Mobile andwww.betland.com.Inspired will supply 1960Betwith premium virtual sports content,including virtual horses, virtualfootball and virtual greyhounds.Inspired’s current portfolionow includes nine virtualsports and four high-frequencynumbers games, with new sportsand games being launched everyyear.Steve Rogers, Managing Directorof Virtual Sports at Inspired,commented: “Inspired suppliesover 30,000 venues in 33 countriesand in excess of 200 websiteswith its leading virtualsports products. This deal with1960Bet is indicative of the ongoingglobal expansion of our virtualsports products and we’redelighted to be working with1960Bet to boost their entertainmentoffering. Virtual Sports areextremely popular around theworld, especially in countrieswhere sports betting is popular.We have no doubt that our productswill perform well with thelarge number of sports bettingfans in Nigeria.”casino environment with Aspers Group is anothersign of IGT’s pioneering and collaborativeapproach to transforming the gaming entertainmentindustry,” said Sabby Gill, Senior VicePresident International Sales at IGT. “The IGTCloud gives casinos multi-site deployment of sbX,for unprecedented analytical insight into the performanceof their floors. This optimisation providesplayers with the right games at the righttime, enhancing the gaming experience.”Where previously, machine performance couldonly be measured on a terminal-by-terminalbasis, the analytical tools provided by leveragingsbX through the IGT Cloud will enable importantinsight into product performance on a game-bygamebasis. By instantly being able to analysegame data and other key performance indicators,the casino operator can act on strategic informationto optimise floor potential and customise theentertainment experience for the player.SloveniaThe slovenian government has notified the ec of a new Gaming act which is expected to come into force inearly 2014. The Gaming act will regulate both land-based and online gaming activities under concessionsfrom the ministry of Finance, with one five-year sports betting concession available along with 30 casinogames concessions, while the single lottery concession will be reserved for the slovenian national lottery.Dotun Ajegbile, CEO, 1960Bet,added: “We have been closelymonitoring the growing successof virtual sports and have evaluatedall the products available tooperators. Inspired has a proventrack record of delivering themost compelling product rangeand the highest income levelsand we are very excited aboutbeing able to offer this leadingproduct to our customers.”Inspired’s retail, online andmobile virtual sports provide a24/7 stream of virtual betting andare proven to add 10-15 per centto existing sportsbook revenues.Unlike competing products, theschedules and margins are 100per cent operator configurable,and the graphics can be customisedwith branded backgrounds.Also unlike competingproducts, Inspired's products arefully compliant and approved bythe UK and Alderney GamingCommissions and are GLI testedand approved. Inspired offersover 30 product variants in total,including weather variants, eventdurations and track/stadia variants.1 4
<strong>G3</strong>Newswireemea Newswww.g3nEwswirE.Comdas € 5 mio. tEurE Casino gran Canaria hatjetzt in Playa del Ingles, einem quirligen Seebad an derSüdküste der Insel, neu eröffnet. Die Lizenz bestand seit 1978für das Hotel Tamariuind St. Augustine, aber die Inhaber, MeliaHotels und die Sociedad Automáticos Canarios, wollten diesean größeren Standorten mit mehr Kunden nutzen, um ihreEinnahmen zu steigern.quEEnCo lEisurE, EinEr dEr mitinhabEr dEs ClubHotel Casino Loutraki, erklärte, dass das griechische Komiteefür die Überwachung und Überprüfung von Glücksspielen dasJoint Venture dazu aufgefordert hat, zu Behauptungen Stellungzu nehmen, wonach es gegen die Lizenzbedingungen verstoßenhaben soll, indem es bestimmte Zahlungen an dengriechischen Staat nicht geleistet hat.diE Zu 66 ProZEnt im bEsitZ dEr CEntury Casinosbefindliche Niederlassung Casinos Poland hat das auf einenanderen Standort verlegte zweite Casino in Warschau eröffnet.Der Betreiber hat die Lizenz von einem ungünstigen Standortauf das Marriott-Gebäude übertragen, um sein Angebot amwichtigsten Glücksspielmarkt Polens zu verbessern.diE ZuKunft von JPm KonntE siChErgEstElltwerden, nachdem sich herausstellte, dass der EigentümerSimon Herbert einen Vertrag über den Rückkauf derVermögenswerte von JPM International unterzeichnete, das vorkurzem in freiwillige Liquidation gegangen ist.novomatiC bEtritt, naChdEm das untErnEhmEneine Mehrheitsbeteiligung an der Betware Holding, demisländischen Glücksspielpionier und Spezialisten für Online-Glücksspiellösungen für den Lotteriemarkt erworben hat, denelektronischen Lotteriemarkt.KathE ConsultanCy ist Ein nEuEs untErnEhmEnvon Urbain Thewissen, ehemals bei der Seeben-Unibox Group.Nach immerhin 18 Jahren Tätigkeit im belgischenGlücksspielgeschäft beschreitet Thewissen nun eigene Wegeund repräsentiert Glücksspielunternehmen, die von seinerumfangreichen Erfahrung auf dem internationalenGlücksspielsektor profitieren werden.diE gausElmann-gruPPE hat EinEn wEitErEnentscheidenden Schritt in Bezug auf ihre Investitionen und ihrEngagement am Glücksspiel- und Unterhaltungsmarkt imVereinigten Königreich getan, indem sie zu einem wichtigenMinderheitsaktionär von Sceptre Leisure wurde– des zweitgrößtenbritischen Geldspielgeräteaufstellers und des größtenunabhängigen Geldspielgeräteaufstellers.siEbEn grossCasinos sind für diE Hinterlandgebietevon New York vorgesehen, wobei Governor Andrew Cuomo denVorschlag zusammen mit 57% der Wähler unterstützt. “DieAnnahme des „Vorschlags Eins“ ist ein großer Gewinn für dieKommunalverwaltungen, Schulbezirke und Steuerzahler imgesamten Bundesstaat New York”, sagte er.disnEy hat EinE massnahmE angEKündigt, diE imgesamten Glücksspielbereich eine große Anzahl von Herstellernvon Glücksspielautomaten betreffen könnte. Das Unternehmenmöchte Glücksspielautomaten auslaufen lassen und in denUSA im Rahmen seiner familienfreundlichen Strategie dieMarkennamen Star Wars und Marvel nutzen.CZECh ContraCtion on thE Cardsproblem-gambling report highlights thescale of gaming in the Czech Republic andnew measures to curb slot hall operationsCzech - Market UpdateAccording to a new report examining gamblingaddiction in the Czech Republic, over 42,000Czechs suffer from various forms of gamblingaddition and another 168,000 Czechs may haveproblem gambling related issues.The report from the National Monitoring Centrefor Drugs and Drug Addition claims that in thepast year, some 14 per cent of adult Czechs or231,000 people, played slot machines in the country.Video lottery terminals attracted 58,000 peoplelast year and another 310,000 placed betsonline. The survey was conducted on a sample of2,134 people aged 15-64.The researchers found that people with a risk ofaddiction spent annually an average 2,239 crownson slot machines, 6,882 crowns on VLTs and 9,644crowns on online games.In the Czech Republic, there are roughly 7.5 slotmachines and video lottery terminals per 1,000population; in large towns this can rise to as manyas 11 slots per 1,000. Although the number ofmachines has been decreasing in the CzechRepublic in past years, the overall spend has beenrising, reached 135.5bn crowns last year. The volumeof machines has led municipal councils toseek to curb the number of gaming operations.The capital Prague has also issued a decree regulatinggambling under which the number of placesin which gambling is permitted should be loweredfrom 650 to 340. Slots are set to disappear fromrestaurants and gaming advertising will also bebanned. The decree was approved by the CityCouncil, but is yet to be passed by the assembly,which is delaying matters as City Hall stands tolose hundreds of millions of crowns annually intax revenues from the loss of the locations.RomaniaFollowing a selection procedure involving five of the leading international vLT suppliers, Loteria Romanahas selected Novomatic to supply 10,000 state-of-the-art video Lottery Terminals (vLTs). The deal willalso include the relevant video Lottery system including a jackpot system, maintenance services, spareparts, logistics etc. nationwide at locations provided by Loteria Romana. The deal is for a 15 year licence.The agreement signed in Bucharest determines that the joint revenues after joint expenses will be sharedbetween the partners on a 50/50 basis. The agreement also says that the video Lottery system is to beimplemented within a specified time schedule and that the installation of the vLTs is to be in accordancewith the rollout plan and will be secured by a bank guarantee in the amount of €20m. in addition, fair andmutual termination provisions have been agreed upon. also under the agreement, Loteria Romana isgranted a proportionate minimum revenue guarantee in the amount of €75m.Casino Gran Canaria move toPlaya del Ingles is completeSPAINThe €5m Casino Gran Canariahas now reopened in Playa delIngles, a busy a sea resort in thesouth coast of the island.The licence had been in operationat the Hotel Tamariuind St.Augustine since 1978, but itsowners; Melia Hotels and laSociedad Automáticos Canarios,wanted to move to larger premiseswith greater footfall toimprove revenues. The newvenue is located in Buenos AiresHotel in the heart of the resort.Ramos Oscar Gimenez, RegionalDirector Meliá InternationalHotels, said that the CasinoTamarind, the first to be openedin the south of Gran Canaria,closed a month ago, with the newfacilities being used to train thestaff on new games.Most of the staff remains thesame as those that worked in St.Augustine, although the workforcehas expanded by 20 percent to 50 employees.The Casino Gran Canaria boasts a1,200 sq. ft gaming floor with twodistinct areas: a machine room,with the latest technologies, anda live games area with blackjack,French roulette and poker.Despite now being much closer toits competitors, Mr. Ramosstressed that the business, likeevery other sector, has sufferedfrom the economic crisis, but stillcan maintain profit margins thatkeep the activity healthy.1 6
<strong>G3</strong>Newswireemea Newswww.g3nEwswirE.ComuK - hErbErt buys baCK JPm int. assEtsThe future of iconic JPM has been secured after it wasrevealed that Group owner, Simon Herbert, has signed anagreement to buy back the assets of JPM International whichwas recently placed into voluntary liquidation. Synonymouswith the UK coin-op industry and prestigious game developmentthroughout Europe for more than 40 years, the boldmove guarantees JPM’s continued long term future. Re-iteratinghis commitment to JPM and its customers, Mr. Herbertrevealed his intentions pledging: “I believe in JPM and amdetermined it will remain not only a symbol of the UK Coin-Op industry, but gaming in general.“I have purchased the assets of JPM International with thesole intention of continuing its product development in thebest JPM tradition and safeguarding its future. This is a brandwhich has an illustrious past and a bright future,” he promised.Welcomed by the industry as ‘very good news’, JPM nowenjoys a strong position from which it can take advantage ofopportunities created by the recent Triennial Review in theUK, while also capitalising on international developments.Poland - Casinos Poland rEloCatEs in warsawCentury Casinos’ 66 per cent-owned subsidiary CasinosPoland has opened its relocated, second casino in Warsaw.The operator has moved the license from an unfavourablelocation to the Marriott building in order to improve its offer inPoland`s main gaming market. The new venue is located onthe second floor of the towering Marriot hotel in the heart ofthe Polish capital. The entrance to the new venue is next toWarsaws main train station and a popular shopping mall,providing for substantial pedestrian traffic directly in front ofthe new casino location.Century Casinos is currently operating nine casinos under theCasinos Poland brand in most major cities all over Poland.During the November 11 opening party, guests were servedlocal gastronomic specialities and entertained with live musicand a lottery. Whilst the casino is currently offering fourgaming tables and about 30 slot machines, the number ofmachines will be doubled within the next few months.uK - Playnation nEw hq following mboPlaynation, UK supplier of family entertainment solutions tothe leisure sector, has set up its new headquarters inRuncorn. The move follows the management buyout, backedby Palatine Private Equity, earlier this year, and its newappointment of a non-executive chairman, Pets at Homefounder, Anthony Preston. The new office space, in BerkeleyCourt, Manor Park, boasts 21,000sq.ft. and, with all staffmembers in the business together on one floor, aims to createa more collaborative environment. The new headquarteralso includes warehouse space to house its stock of gamingand pet tagging equipment. Playnation, formerly the amusementand leisure division of London-based Inspired Gaming,is a leading supplier of amusement and gaming machines.soCial guidElinEs now in Playthe international Social GamesAssociation launches a set of best practiceprinciples to try to stave off restrictionsUK - Social GamingThe global industry body representing socialgames companies with over 300 million players,the International Social Games Association, haslaunched a set of best practice principles for thesocial games industry and has also commissionednew research into the evolution, use and impact ofsocial games.The ISGA is taking these steps to ensure that thesocial games industry has access to a minimumset of best practice principles that are premisedupon consumer protection, accountability andtransparency. As social games are a relativelynew way of playing games the industry is alsocommissioning a detailed study to investigate theevolution, use and impact of social games.The members of the ISGA have developed theprinciples as a first benchmark to help ensure theindustry acts responsibly and consistently withstandards designed for appropriate consumer protectionin anticpation of government legislationon the issue of social gaming regulation. The principlescover five areas and are intended to ensurethat games and their providers: adhere to necessarylaws and regulations, are transparent in theirfunctionality, treat purchases and paymentsresponsibly, manage player privacy appropriatelyand use appropriate advertising models.Queenco confirms Club HotelCasino Loutraki investigationGREECEQueenco Leisure, one of the jointowners of Club Hotel CasinoLoutraki, has said the GreekCommittee for the Supervisionand audit of Games has invited thejoint venture operating the propertyto answer claims it hasallegedly breached its licenseterms due to its failure to transfercertain payments to the Greekauthorities.The hearing was scheduled to takeplace as this issue went to press. Aspokesperson for Queencosaid:”As of the date of this report,the company is unable to estimateif and to what extent this hearingshall affect the license granted tothe JV for the operations of CasinoLoutraki.”Management at the venue, one ofGreece’s leading casinos, recentlystressed it is not on the verge ofgoing out of business, reassuringworkers that it was not about toapply for bankruptcy and thattheir jobs were safe.Like any entertainment industry, the ISGA understandsthat social games can have a cultural andsocial impact. The research will help ensure thatthe industry can continue to provide a safe andfun form of entertainment to hundreds of millionsof players around the world.The research will comprehensively analyse socialgames from both business and consumer perspectives.It is hoped the research will give a betterunderstanding of the use of social games, theirplace in the digital economy and offer newknowledge and perspectives on the sector for thepublic, players, regulators and policymakers alike.Luc Delany, ISGA CEO, said: “The social gamesindustry is thriving and fast growing – over 750million people play social games worldwide, andsocial games companies are driving economicgrowth. The launch of our best practice principlesreflects our industry’s need to ensure games aredeveloped and operated in a responsible way at atime when the way people play and pay for gamesis changing.”Public Relations Manager, YiannisVrachatis, confirmed the propertywas not seeking protection fromits creditors, but that it has come toan agreement with them.“The consortium of the Casino ofLoutraki has sent to the Court ofCorinth a request to approve theagreement concerning the regulationof the debts with its creditors,”Mr. Vrachatis explained.“The adoption of this agreementby the court will ensure the continuanceof the operation of thecompany and the employment of1,400 workers,” said Mr. Yiannis.Turnover for the first eight monthsplaced Loutraki in second place inthe Greek league of top earningcasinos. Revenue was down 15.2per cent to €55.3m despite attendanceimproving by 11.3 per cent toreach 468,852.Alderney & MaltaTwo eGaming jurisdictionshave signed an agreementto set new standards inbusiness friendlyenvironments. alderneyand malta have been indiscussion for some time toestablish a memorandumof Understanding (moU).Robin Le Prevost,alderney's director ofecommerce developmentsays: ''The moU is anagreement to exchangeinformation betweenregulators on matterspertaining directly to theirareas of responsibility, butit also includescommitments in otherareas that will have adirect impact on ourrespective operators.These areas cover suchissues as player pooling,the ability to offer servicesacross respective bordersand key technologicalissues such as cloudcomputing.”1 8
novomatiC aCquirEs bEtwarEon the acquisition path once more,Novomatic Group has this month acquiredthe icelandic company, betware holdingIceland - SuppliersNovomatic is entering the electronic lottery markethaving bought a majority shareholding inBetware Holding, the Icelandic gaming pioneerand a specialist in online gaming solutions for thelottery market.The deal, which sees Novomatic own a 90 per centshareholding in the Icelandic company, with theremaining 10 per cent retained by the Betwaremanagement, has been completed viaNovomatic’s subsidiary Novo Lottery Solutions.Founded in 1998, Betware has built a very strongposition in the gaming market with its clear corporatefocus of developing and delivering state ofthe art gaming platform and electronic lotterysolutions for National and Private Lotteries andsupporting their online operations. Betware’soffering will now complement Novomatic’s productportfolio and provide a bridge into the lotteryworld. Novomatic, one of the largest conglomeratesof the international gaming industry, willnow focus on building its presence in the lotteryindustry in conjunction with Betware.Operating over 1,400 gaming facilities worldwide,ItalyThe start of Novembersaw a new ownershipstructure at italian slotmanufacturer, magicdreams, with theconsortium mdinternational nowoverseeing all activities ofthe group, including itssubsidiaries omniludos.r.l. and super slot s.r.l. aswell as its national andinternational commercialnetwork. The consortium,which includes twoprivate equity firms, saidit was ‘stronglydetermined to continue allthe activities of the group,enhancing the growingsectors, including onlinegaming and emerginginternational markets.’it stated: “in order to reacha better optimisation andto confer strongercontinuity to the corporateactions, the managementhas been committed toLuca Gerardini, managingdirector of the company,formerly Generalmanager.Novomatic is one of the leaders in Europe for electroniccasino operations and one of the largestgaming technology companies in the world withover 30 years of experience. Both Novomatic andBetware share the mission of offering productsand services only in markets with precise regulatoryframeworks.Thomas Graf, CTO of Novomatic added: “Ouracquisition of Betware has been a logical step tofurther enhancing our competency in electronicand video lottery technologies. Betware’s openplatform architecture is second to none, providingtailor made solutions to any small or large scalelottery operation. It seamlessly integrates a completerange of product verticals including those ofthird party vendors. With our combined resources,know-how and industry expertise we will be ableto offer any lottery operator a 360-degree-solutionfor all distribution channels including online,mobile and land-based, which will be a clearadvantage in an increasingly competitive operatingenvironment.”Gauselmann Group buys intoUK operator Sceptre LeisureUKThe Gauselmann Group has madea further crucial step in its investmentin and commitment to theUK gaming and amusement market,becoming a substantialminority shareholder in SceptreLeisure – Britain’s second largestAWP operator and largest independentAWP operator.The measured, step-by-stepprocess began back in 2008 withthe purchase of a controlling interestin Blueprint Gaming – one themost successful developers ofmulti-platform digital games. Thenext major step was made inOctober last year with the group’slargest investment ever made withthe purchase of the PraesepeGroup for approximately €100m.With over 170 entertainment centresand bingo clubs in the UK, theGauselmann Group is now perfectlyplaced in the Adult GamingCentre (AGC) and bingo club marketthrough the Praesepe Group.“The next logical step has been toinvest in the Category C market –the traditional and very popularpub market,” explained JürgenStühmeyer, Member of the Boardfor Sales at the GauselmannGroup. “Sceptre Leisure plays amajor role in this British pub marketsector, which remains a veryimportant segment for AWPs. Weare very proud to be a part ofSceptre Leisure and very excitedabout future prospects,” he said.The speed at which theGauselmann Group gaming productshave been welcomed to theUK gaming and amusement markethas motivated this furthermajor investment. It was only lastyear in 2012 that the Genie gamingmachine was developed specificallyfor the UK market. It wasfirst premiered at this year’s ICE.Management at Sceptre Leisurewas so impressed by both themachine design and game contentthat a purchase order for 1,000machines was placed there andthen. First deliveries were made inApril of this year and now severalhundred are in operation with therest to follow soon.<strong>G3</strong>Newswireeme Newswww.g3nEwswirE.ComsPain - nEw ConsultanCyKathe Consultancy is a new businessventure launched by UrbainThewissen, formerly of the Seeben-Unibox Group. Having served anamazing 18 years with the Belgiumbasedgaming business, Mr.Thewissen has struck out on his ownto represent gaming companies that will benefit from Mr.Thewissen's vast experience in the international gaming sector.Based in Malaga, Spain, Kathe Consultancy has alreadysigned one international company to its roster of clients andintends to expand with the signing of complementary agreementswith non-competing suppliers and developers."I am thanking all my colleagues, shareholders of the group,suppliers and everybody who worked and collaborated withme during all these years. It was always a real pleasure forme to be a part of this exciting industry," states Mr.Thewissen of his time with Seeben-Unibox, from which hehas parted on amicable terms. Mr. Thewissen's new contactdetails are: email - urbain911@gmail.com and tel - +34 671920 766gErmany - gausElmann CfoThe family-owned GauselmannGroup is set to appoint a new ChiefFinancial Officer (CFO) who will alsorejuvenate its top management.January 1, 2014, will see the appointmentof 39-year-old Diplom-Wirtschaftsjurist AlexanderVleeming, who holds a Master Degree in InternationalTaxation, and takes over the financial responsibility for theinternationally active group. He replaces Ulrich Wüseke wholeaves the company at his own request on December 31,2013 after nearly 16 years in order to spend more time onconsultancy activities.s afriCa - agi tEam ExPandsAGI Africa has announced theappointment of its new Sales &Marketing Manager, DeonValkenborgh, who will join the AGIteam as of the January 1, 2014.Deon has a deep rooted history in thegaming industry, starting his careerin 1989 as a Technician at Morula Sun. Over the years he hasworked at various other units under the Tsogo Sun and SunInternational Groups, filling the position of Senior ShiftManager, Emnotweni, Montecasino, Grand West where hewas appointed Assistant Slots Manager and more recently,Flamingo Casino, where he held the positions of SlotsManager and Acting Gaming Manager.uK - EldridgE Joins oPEnbEtJoe Eldridge has joined OpenBet asChief Product Officer responsible fordefining OpenBet’s core productstrategy and driving innovation. Inthis newly created role, Joe will playan integral part in defining, strengtheningand implementing OpenBet’score product strategy to ensure greater agility across thebusiness whilst maintaining the quality and reliability ofOpenBet’s products. He will also be focused on driving continualproduct innovation, which will be customer-driven andat the forefront of market trends.1 9
InsightBaLLy eURoPe New hQdyNamic FocUs oN eURoPebally Technologies has opened its newoffices in amsterdam and plans a line-upof europe-specific 2014 title launchesThe opening of Bally Technologies' new offices inAmsterdam marks a significant moment in whichthe US company has created its first dedicatedheadquarters in Europe, bringing together its twosmaller offices in the city and installing a stateof-the-artshowroom to demonstrate its latestslot products and systems. Integrated for the firsttime in a European showroom environment, Ballynow has the facility to show customers its entirerange of system products alongside its slots andVLT solutions, demonstrating its CoolSign andBonusing technology that has helped to propelthe company into the position of the largestsupplier of gaming systems on the planet.Speaking to Marco Herrera, Bally Technologies'VP and Managing Director of Europe, he pointsout that the new office is just one part of a muchlarger commitment to the market. "Bally hastaken huge strides to regionalise and decentraliseits business," described Mr. Herrera. "Inthe past, slots and systems have been separatedivisions, but with integration such an importantelement of today's casino environment, bringing acomplete solution to our customers in Europe ishugely important for the future. In 2014 we arelaunching Europe-specific slots; three-reel highdenomination steppers; a concentrated multigamesfocus in the next 10 months and non-maxbet progressives taking the centre stage here inEurope.""Our customer event at the beginning ofNovember included a comprehensivepresentation in which we explained the roadmapfor customers in Europe, with systems and slots,mobile and online delineated in an integratedenvironment," continues Mr. Herrera. "We evenstaged an on-site customer tournament todemonstrate everything working in action - andthe feedback was tremendous. In the past, wecould only demonstrate these systems at a tradeshow or US casino, but now we're able to bringcustomers from across Europe to a world-classshowroom environment where we can fullydemonstrate the best systems solutions availablein the gaming sector."Central to Bally's strategy in Europe is supportfrom the US, with President and CEO, RameshSrinivasan, emphasising the need to strengthenthe company's international teams and ramp-upregion-specific product development. The sameis true of systems, whereby Bally has utilisedNice-based MCC in the past, the integration of thefull portfolio of system products is part of acomprehensive system strategy that has been sosuccessful around the world. "If you look atexisting systems products in Europe," outlines Mr.Herrera, "most have been on site for a very longtime and there's been little evolution of thosesystems. We're bringing the very latest cuttingedge product to our customers in Europe andbelieve this will start a revolution in the systemssector."While Bally's Interactive division is a relativelyrecent addition, the integration within thecompany of all the different elements thatcomprise a one-stop-solution for casinooperators is now fitting together within thecompany. "We are seeing the regionalisation ofeach department within Bally, including theInteractive division," explains Mr. Herrera. "Ballyhas been a centralised company in the past, butthere's a focus from top management down to decentraliseand really strengthen both the officesMarco Herrera,ballytechnologies' Vpand ManagingDirector of europe.in 2014 we are launching europespecificslots; three-reel highdenomination steppers; a concentratedmulti-games focus in the next 10months and non-max bet progressivestaking the centre stage here in europe."and products on the international side of thebusiness. One of the strong messages Ramesh hasfocused upon is a commitment to invest andimprove our products in this and otherinternational markets. While the new office andcustomer event was certainly impressive, weknow our customers will be even more impressedwith the new products we have coming."While it’s early days, those new products arealready showing promise. The two titles alreadyreleased in Europe as a result of Bally’spartnership with content developer High 5 areperforming well above house average. With ahost of additional titles from High 5 in thepipeline and a greater focus internally from Ballyon European-specific content, the company’splan is apparent. "The European-style gamblergames that we're bringing to Europe in 2014 arepart of an aggressive growth strategy," says Mr.Herrera. "At ICE we look forward to talking tocustomers about our new headquarters, recentlystrengthened European sales team, new Europeanspecific products (including Bally's first dynamicmulti-game at ICE) and making ICE 2014 the firstshow in which we will reveal some seriousEuropean specific-products!"2 0
SPIELO brings the best gaming products toplayers around the world through millionsof hours of expertise across all segmentsand channels.From land-based tointeractive, we areBringing Gaming to Life!www.spielo.com© 2013 GTECH. All rights reserved. All trademarks and logos noted hereinare trademarks owned by, or licensed to GTECH Corporation.
<strong>G3</strong>NewswireNoRTh ameRica Newswww.g3nEwswirE.ComlE Comité Pour la législation du travail dEl’assemblée législative de la province de Neuquén a commencéà débattre d’une proposition avancée par le juristeEduardo Benitez concernant la restriction des horairesd’ouverture des salles de bingo, des casinos et des salles demachines à sou de la région. Si la nouvelle loi est votée, lesopérateurs pourront offrir leurs services de midi à 5 heuresdu matin uniquement.la Commission ParaguayEnnE dEs JEux dEhasard (CONAJZAR) a annoncé vouloir mettre en place uneréglementation pour encadrer les casinos en ligne. JavierBalbuena, à la tête de la CONAJZAR, a ainsi déclaré que lacommission serait en train de mener une étude préliminaireet envisagerait de suivre un certain nombre d’opérationsde jeu en ligne dans différentes régions.lE PrésidEnt du mExiquE, EnriquE PEña niEto, aadopté un amendement majeur aux lois mexicaines régissantles jeux de hasard par décret présidentiel. Le nouveaudécret, entré en vigueur mi-novembre, stipule que lesopérateurs n’ont plus le droit d’attribuer les droits d’exploiterdes établissements de jeu de hasard à des tiers. Ledécret instaure également une limite de 25 ans pour leslicences de jeu et renforce les pouvoirs de la Commissionmexicaine de contrôle des jeux de hasard.Evolution gaming s’Est assoCié à CodErE Pourlancer un jeu de roulette en direct sur les machines EGM(Electronic Gaming Machines) en Amérique latine. Ce rapprochementpermettra au contenu Live Casino d’Evolution,récompensé à de nombreuses reprises, de passer sur lesécrans d’EGM pour la première fois.igt Cloud Est allé En lignE à travErs l'ensembledes établissements du groupe Aspers, soit quatre casinos.Le déploiement de la société IGT Cloud permettra ainsi derelier 103 machines des deux plus importants casinos auRoyaume-Uni situés à Milton Keynes et Stratford, à cellesde deux autres casinos situés à Newcastle et Northampton.insPirEd gaming grouP (insPirEd) a signé unnouveau contrat pour devenir le fournisseur exclusif de1960Bet de sports virtuels. 1960Bet est le plus importantopérateur du Nigeria de paris sportifs avec plus de 600bureaux de paris, et organisant des paris en ligne et surmobile via www.1960bet.ng, www.1960bet.ng/Mobile etwww.betland.com.lE gouvErnEmEnt slovènE n’a Pas notifié n’apas notifié à l’Union européenne une nouvelle loi régissantles jeux de hasard et susceptible d’entrer en vigueur audébut de l’année 2014. La loi sur les jeux de hasard estdestinée à réguler à la fois les activités de jeu de hasard endur et en ligne relevant d’une concession accordée par leMinistère des Finances.suitE à unE ProCédurE dE sélECtion imPliquantcinq des plus importants fournisseurs de VLT internationaux,Loteria Romana a sélectionné Novomatic pour lafourniture de 10 000 terminaux de loterie vidéo de dernièregénération (VLT). Le contrat porte également sur un importantsystème de loterie vidéo comprenant un système dejackpot, des services de maintenance, les piècesdétachées, la logistique etc. au niveau national sur des sitesfournis par Loteria Romana.nEw yorKErs aPProvE CasinosNew York voters have approved aconstitutional amendment to expandcasino gambling throughout the stateNew York - LegislationAs many as seven full-scale casinos have beenearmarked for the upstate regions of New York,with Governor Andrew Cuomo supporting theproposal, along with 57 per cent of voters.“The passage of Proposal One is a big win for localgovernments, school districts, and taxpayersacross New York State,” said Mr. Cuomo. “Thisvote will keep hundreds of millions of dollarsspent each year in neighbouring states right herein New York, while increasing revenue for localschools, lowering property tax taxes, and bringingproper regulation to the industry. This vote buildson the landmark agreements we reached withNative American tribes this year, ending expensivecourt battles and unnecessary discord andrestoring hundreds of millions of dollars to localgovernments. Since taking office, my administrationhas focused on reviving the state’s economy,and this vote will further pave the way for the creationof new jobs, construction, and increasedtourism in communities across the state.”The state of New York already has five upstatecasinos run by Native American communities. Theplan from the State Legislature is to initially permitonly four new casinos in the Albany area, theCatskills-Hudson Valley region and part of theSouthern Tier, a region along the northern borderof Pennsylvania. A panel appointed by the StateGaming Commission will award the new licences.The likelihood is that Yonkers Raceway and theDisney plans to shelve futureslots licencing agreementsUSIn a move that could affect a hostof slot manufacturers across thespectrum of gambling, Disneyhas said it wants to phase out slotmachines using Star Wars andMarvel branding in the US in linewith its family friendly policies.Last October Disney bought allthe rights to LucasFilm the filmstudio behind Star Wars for$4.05bn (£2.51bn) whilst its buyoutof Marvel in 2009 has given itcontrol of characters such as IronMan, the Hulk, Captain America.A Disney spokeswoman said thedecision to ‘phase out’ slotmachines linked to its recentlyacquired brands had been inplace for a while but was onlynow being made public. "Marveldiscontinued plans to initiate orrenew slot machine licensingarrangements as part of its integrationwith Disney," the spokeswomansaid. "The handful ofremaining licence agreementshave expiration dates within thenext few years."The spokesperson said that asimilar policy would be adoptedfor slots using branding fromAqueduct in Queens, already two of the largest‘racinos’ in the world will win the right to becomefull-scale casinos. Racetracks at Tioga Downs andSaratoga Raceway are also in the running tobecome full-scale casinos.The Cuomo-controlled state Gaming Commissionis expected to welcome submissions from casinooperators early next year with decisionsannounced later in 2014. Casinos wouldn’t beallowed in the city and its suburbs for at leastseven years although after that time has lapsed afinal project within the city has been earmarked.None of the new casinos would be located nearthe five operated by Indian tribes upstate.Administration officials believe the new casinoswould generate 6,700 construction jobs and 2,900permanent jobs. They would generate US$420min tax revenue much of which will be directed toeducation. The list of operators who have lodgedtheir interest in a New York state developmentincludes Caesars Entertainment, Boyd Gaming,Empire City through its Concord Hotel project,Foxwoods, MGM, Mohegan Sun and Las VegasSands. Their involvement, however, could be disastrousfor Atlantic City.ConnecticutFoxwoods Resort casino is to end its partnership with mGm Resorts rebranding the mGm Grand at theconnecticut casino and removing the name from the hotel tower. mGm spokesman clark dumont saidmGm wants to avoid confusing consumers as it looks to win a licence to open a casino in springfield,massachusetts. That licence would compete with mohegan sun’s plans to open a resort casino in thewestern massachusetts town of Palmer.LucasFilm. Whilst no new slotswould be made with such brandingrelating to the films, it wouldtake several years for brandedslot machines to be removedfrom the market altogether.IGT signed a contract withLucasfilm in July 2003 allowing itto create gaming machines basedon the Star Wars movie series. Aseries of games have since beenreleased. Scientific Gaming alsomanaged to secure a lucrativeand exclusive licensing deal withLucas Film to develop and releasea new online slot based on thepopular 1977 sci-fi movie.In terms of Marvel, WMS Gaming,now owned by Scientific Gaming,released an Iron Man slot at thisyear’s G2e in Las Vegas.2 2
downtown grand synKronisEdDowntown Grand las Vegas opened onoctober 27 with Konami Gaming’sSYNKRoS casino management systemNevada - New Openings“Downtown Grand, by virtue of its size and location,is playing a pivotal role in the continued revitalizationof the area,” said Clark Warren, Directorof System Sales at Konami. “Downtown Grandoffers what CEO Seth Schorr describes as ‘urbanhospitality,’ and we are proud to have been selectedas a partner to help the property manage anddeliver a first-rate customer experience in downtownLas Vegas – one of the most exciting anddynamic areas of the city today.”Located on 3rd Street between Stewart and OgdenAvenues in the Downtown3rd entertainment district,Downtown Grand boasts 634 hotel rooms,nearly 600 slot machines and 30 table games.Guests also enjoy a variety of food and drink from12 unique bars and restaurants throughout theproperty.Downtown Grand breaks the rules of conventionalcasino and hotel design by integrating with thearea and encouraging guests to explore nearbydowntown venues and attractions outside theproperty. “We commend Downtown Grand’s progressivephilosophy, and we are excited theirgaming executives chose the KONAMI SYNKROSSystem to deliver a superior customer experience,”said Mr. Warren. “SYNKROS enables DowntownUSmGm continued to showimprovements in itsfinancial health in itsthird quarter but stillposted losses for thequarter. Revenue camein at $2.46bn, an increaseof 9.2 per cent from thethird quarter of 2012, butthe operator still recordeda loss of Us$31.9mnarrowing by 486.6 percent from third quarter of2012. Jim murren, mGmchairman and ceo, said:"i am pleased to reportanother solid quarterwith double digit eBiTdagrowth and increasedmargins, led by strengthat mGm china and ourLas vegas stripproperties. These resultsare reflective of thecontinued market sharegains from programs suchas m life and our focus oninternational marketingstrategies combined withbest in class collection ofresorts and amenities."Grand to target and reward guests who are interestedin gambling, dining, and socializing in theproperty’s downtown casino environment.”“The success of Downtown Grand is dependent onbuilding a loyal customer base,” said Mr. Schorr,CEO of Downtown Grand as well as Fifth StreetGaming, the company overseeing management ofthe hotel, casino and gaming operations. “Webelieve the SYNKROS system differentiates usfrom the market because of its advanced marketingfunctionality and ease of use.“The ability to offer advanced bonus features andnew entertainment experiences like True-TimeTournaments is a clear benefit to our guests. Weappreciate the many features of the SYNKROSsystem that deliver a richer and more interactivegaming experience than what is currently offeredat many other casinos. We sought a system froma company that is committed to customer service,so we are pleased about the fully integrated solutionand unparalleled support offered by KONAMIand its SYNKROS system,” concluded Mr. Schorr.FutureLogic strengthens USpresence with Wells-GardnerUSFutureLogic has entered into aSales Representative andDistribution Agreement throughDecember 31, 2015 with AmericanGaming & Electronics (AG&E), awholly owned subsidiary ofWells-Gardner Electronics. AG&Ewill be the exclusive distributorfor FutureLogic gaming printerproducts in the upper Midwesternstates, including Illinois, Indiana,Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota andMichigan. AG&E will also be anon-exclusive distributor in 14states, including California,Nevada and Arizona.“We are extremely pleased tohave AG&E aboard. Their knowledgeand experience of selling andsupporting high value technologyproducts within the upperMidwest was vitally important toFutureLogic in entering into thisagreement,” said Nick Micalizzi,FutureLogic’s Vice President Salesand Marketing, North America.“As we diligently build our portfolioof printing and couponing solutions,we want to ensure we havethe right partners to help us createcloser and more value-added relationshipswith our customers. Webelieve that with their reputationfor delivering sales growth andbuilding outstanding customerrelations, Wells-Gardner andAG&E can help FutureLogic meetits long-term growth objectives inthe US.”“The distribution agreement withFutureLogic is a very excitingopportunity for AG&E, as the twocompanies’ goals are aligned andcenter around customer relations,”said Anthony Spier, Chairman andCEO of Wells-Gardner.“FutureLogic‘s printing andcouponing solutions are a great fitfor the current products that AG&Esupplies to the industry nationwide.With a large installed base ofcustomers, FutureLogic’s recognitionof AG&E as one of the partnersto represent their productsstrongly endorses our position.”<strong>G3</strong>NewswireNoRTh ameRica Newswww.g3nEwswirE.Comus - bally rEvEnuE surgEsBally Technologies continues tosurge post-recession posting recordquarterly diluted earnings per shareof $0.97 and first-quarter recordrevenue of $249m for the threemonths ended September 30, 2013.The $249m revenue was up from$235m for the same period last year, representing anincrease of six per cent. Operating income also increased sixper cent to a first-quarter record $57m compared with$54m last year.Revenues from slots sales decreased 14 per cent to $71m ascompared with $83mlast year, driven primarily by theexpected absence of sales of Canadian video lottery terminalunits in the current period compared to 670 units last year.Current period sales included the shipment of 456 units intothe Illinois video gaming terminal market. Revenues fromsystems increased 48 per cent to a quarterly record $76m ascompared with $51m last year.Ramesh Srinivasan, Bally’s President and Chief ExecutiveOfficer, said: “We continue to focus on and execute very wellon all aspects of our core business, while undertaking significantand successful integration planning efforts in preparationfor the planned acquisition of SHFL entertainment,which is expected to close before calendar 2013 year-end.”us - maida rECognitionRutgers University Law-Camden ishonouring James R. Maida,President/CEO of GamingLaboratories International (GLI), bybestowing Maida with the 2013 ArthurE. Armitage Sr. Distinguished AlumniAward. Now in its 27th year, the ArthurE. Armitage, Sr. Distinguished Alumni Award honours aSchool of Law-Camden graduate who has made significantcontributions to his or her profession. Nominees are highlyregarded, active in civic or professional program and trustedwith responsible position. The Award has recognized some ofRutgers Law–Camden’s most accomplished graduates,including governors, attorneys general of New Jersey, notedcivil and criminal trial attorneys, and general counsels toFortune 500 companies.“I am honoured and grateful to Rutgers University foracknowledging the work and efforts my family and I havedone over the years,” stated Mr. Maida.us - futurElogiC rECruitsFutureLogic has hired Chris Wageleas its Business DevelopmentManager for the Northwest region ofthe United States. In his new positionat FutureLogic, Wagele’s sales andbusiness development efforts will befocused in California, Idaho, Montana,Northern Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.Wagele is an industry veteran with a proven track record inthe gaming industry. With over 18 years of invaluable experienceselling electronic components including thermal printersto OEMs and operators in the northwest, Chris is an idealcandidate for this position as FutureLogic continues toexpand its direct sales, service, and support presence acrossthe world.2 3
InsightwiNd cReek casiNoThe wiNd oF chaNGepci gaming selects mei sc advance andeasiTrax following a successful vaTtrial at its two casinos in montgomeryPCI Gaming, operators of Wind Creek Casino,Creek Casino Wetumpka and Creek CasinoMontgomery, Alabama, have made the decisionto specify MEI SC Advance and EASITRAX acrossall new games throughout its properties. Asuccessful value added trial (VAT), whichmeasured SC Advance against its competitors inkey performance metrics, ultimately led to thedecision.SC Advance evolved from the award-winningCASHFLOW SC note acceptor, of which morethan one million units were sold. MEI appliednew technology to deliver greater performancethough an enhanced recognition system, fasternote-to-note speed, improved barcoderecognition and the increased noteset memory.The MEI SC Advance delivers where it mattersmatter most: acceptance rate, jam rate, securityand cost of operation.The Creek Casino, Wetumpka AL was the first tobecome 100 per cent MEI in August. At that time,EASITRAX Soft Count was also implemented toprovide process efficiencies from the slot floor tothe back room. The addition of EASITRAX to SCAdvance creates a comprehensivesoftware/hardware system that has continuallyproven to provide a return on investment in lessthan one year.EASITRAX Soft Count funnels data collected inthe acceptor head into a secure database that canbe accessed to track revenue and analyse slotperformance. RFID technology connects slotmachine asset numbers to a specific cashbox tohelp eliminate hot boxes (cashboxes with notesthat mistakenly omitted from the drop) andincrease operational efficiencies. Operators havedecreased labor associated with cashmanagement by reducing 20-30 seconds on eachcashbox during the drop process by eliminatingwriting, wanding and dedicated cashboxes.Since it was introduced in 2008, EASITRAX SoftCount has been installed in over 100,000 gamesin the US alone. Operators can now expect morefrom payment systems.“We are delighted to be partnering with PCI“We are delightedto be partneringwith pCi Gaming tohelp optimise theircash managementprocess,” said MeiSenior Vicepresident, Eric Fisher. “We taketremendous pride on having a role thatis much larger than being a supplier.“Mei measures itself on the profitabilityof our customers, and we’re confidentthat the combination of SC Advanceand eASitRAx will help pCi gamingreach its goals.”Gaming to help optimise their cash managementprocess,” said MEI Senior Vice President, EricFisher. “We take tremendous pride on having arole that is much larger than being a supplier.“MEI measures itself on the profitability of ourcustomers, and we’re confident that thecombination of SC Advance and EASITRAX willhelp PCI gaming reach its goals.”PCI Gaming Authority serves as the principlegaming and hospitality entity for the PoarchCreeks Tribe. Developed to generate a sustainablerevenue stream to support governmentalservices. PCI Gaming has developed 3 first classCasinos in Wind Creek Casino, Creek CasinoMontgomery and Creek Casino Wetumpka.2 4
InsightGRaToN ResoRT & casiNocaLiFoRNia’s GRaToNoPeNs wiTh 3,000 sLoTsafter years of planning and 16months of construction, thegraton resort & casinoofficially opened its doorsThe US$800m facility is the closestfull-service casino to the Bay Area, andushers in a new level of sophisticationand excitement to Northern California.A traditional Chinese lion and dragondance spread the luck and marked theopening of the casino, which is locatedjust off U.S. Highway 101 near RohnertPark, California. It is owned by theFederated Indians of Graton Rancheriabut was developed and will bemanaged on behalf of the Tribe byStation CasinosSince groundbreaking in June 2012, theGraton Resort & Casino has createdmore than 750 construction jobs andmore than 2,000 permanent jobs andwill contribute millions of dollarsannually to local communities throughlong-term revenue sharing agreements.In addition, more than 1,500 Californiavendors have supplied millions ofdollars of local goods and services to thecasino. “The Graton Resort & Casinoprovides top-notch gaming and diningin a beautifully designed venue for acomplete entertainment experience,”said Joe Hasson, general manager of theGraton Resort & Casino. Within anhour’s drive of San Francisco, theGraton Resort & Casino features anarray of award-winning chefs andrestaurants and Las Vegas-style gamingin a setting that exudes casualCalifornia elegance. The casino features3,000 slot machines and 144 tableGreg Sarris,Chairman ofthe Federatedindians ofGratonRancheria.on behalf of the more than 1,300members of the Federated indiansof Graton Rancheria, we are proudto have achieved this importantmilestone for our tribe and theentire Sonoma community.games offering Blackjack, Baccarat, andPai Gow. The Poker room which is anon-smoking area, features 18 tablesand popular games including LimitHold'em, No-Limit Hold'em, andspeciality games such as Mexican Stud.The High Limit Casino Area includes adedicated table games room featuringBlackjack and Baccarat, plus sixadditional private-gaming salons. TheHigh Limit Slot area offers 48 highdenominationslot machines. Thirteennew restaurants compliment a 8,700 sq.ft. events center can seat more than600 for concerts, large indoorpresentations, business meetings andspecial events.Greg Sarris, Chairman of the FederatedIndians of Graton Rancheria said: “Wehave created more than 2,000 new jobsand brought economic benefits that willextend to Native Americans and non-Native Americans alike.”2 5
<strong>G3</strong>Newswireasia & oceaNia GamiNG Newswww.g3nEwswirE.Coma drEam installation for gtEChDreamworld poipet, Dreamworld pailinand NagaWorld have all installed thelastest System2go systems from GteChCambodia - InstallationsPhiliPPinEs – univErsal shavEs manila ProJECtUniversal Entertainment has signed a deal with a Philippineproperty developer as it looks to move forward with itsUS$2bn Tiger Resorts project in Pagcor Entertainment City.It has signed a deal with Century Properties Group who willdevelop five hectares of the 44-hectare site. Analysts believethat the agreement struck with Kazuo Okada’s Eagle ILandholdings could be a ploy to circumnavigate allegationsthat Universal broke local laws stipulating that only 40 percent of any land involved in such a project could be owned byforeigners.Century, owned by Ambassador Jose E.B. Antonio also confirmedsaid it would buy36 per cent of Eagle 1, the local armof Universal Entertainment Corp. Century will build residentialand retail properties within the five-hectare lot but will notbe involved in any aspect of the casino. In another deal,Universal sold shares in its Philippine subsidiary to FirstParamount Holdings 888, taking the combined Filipino ownershipin the project up to 60 per cent. Manila Bay Resorts,expected to open in 2015.south KorEa - rElaunCh of Casino biddingPoliticians in South Korea have said they will relaunch biddingto ‘qualified’ operators interested in developing resort casinosin the country’s Free Economic Zones. After rejecting applicationsa few months back by Las Vegas-based CaesarsEntertainment and Kazuo Okada’s Universal Entertainment,the government is taking a fresh look at foreigners-onlygaming as a tourism driver. A framework for regulating casinoresorts in the FEZs will be unveiled next month, accordingto the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.In July, the administration of President of Park Geun-hyeannounced a plan to invest a total of US$72bn to completethe development of eight FEZs by 2022, with a long-termgoal of attracting as much as US$20bn in foreign investment.Destination-scale casinos capable of boosting inboundtourism are viewed as an important part of the strategy, andto attract both foreign and domestic developers, the governmentis prepared to provide a friendly tax and regulatoryenvironment sweetened with other incentives.As to why Caesars and Tokyo-based Universal failed to makethe cut, no reasons were publicly given, but it was theMinistry of Trade that specified “qualified” in a statement onthe plan. Caesars, the largest casino operator in the UnitedStates, is labouring under the indusry's heaviest debt load asthe result of a 2008 buyout by private-equity interests.Universal is under criminal investigation in the Philippinesand the US in connection with dealings related to its planneddevelopment of a resort casino in Manila (see above).The South Korean government has approved one FEZ casinoproposal to date - a US$730m joint venture in Incheonbetween Paradise Group, one of the two operators that dominatethe country’s foreigners-only market, and Japanesepachinko giant Sega Sammy Holdings. The resort is slated toopen in phases beginning in 2016.GTECH’s SYSTEM2go slot management systemhas been deployed by Entertainment GamingAsia (EGA) in Cambodia at Dreamworld Poipet,Dreamworld Pailin, and NagaWorld Casino. SYS-TEM2go was installed on 652 slots marking thefirst deployments of GTECH systems in Cambodia.EGA is a leading gaming company focused onemerging gaming markets in Pan-Asia.SYSTEM2go is GTECH’s complete slot managementsystem that offers accounting, reporting, anintegrated jackpots system, and optional cashlessand player tracking in a single package. SYS-TEM2go offers a simplified version to perfectlyaddress operational requirements of each venuein a cost efficient manner.SYSTEM2go Platinum CC edition was selected tomanage slot operations in Dreamworld Poipet andDreamworld Pailin casinos in NorthwesternCambodia. The Platinum CC edition ofSYSTEM2go includes ticket-in, ticket-out andplayer tracking in addition to accounting, reporting,and jackpots. Dreamworld Poipet, a standaloneslot hall in an existing casino, celebrated itsgrand opening in May with SYSTEM2go deployedTaiwan Sports Lottery selectsIntralot for betting provisionTAIWANIntralot has been selected by theTaiwan Sports LotteryCorporation (TSLC), among otherinternational companies, as itssingle betting services partner forthe next 10 years. Intralot willstart offering its world-class bettingservices in the beginning of2014 through the end of 2023.As the betting services partner ofTSLC, Intralot will provide operationalsupport services for sportsbetting, both retail, to a networkof 1,200 Points of Sale countrywide,and interactive, throughInternet and mobile platforms.Intralot will offer a combination ofefficient organisational and highstandards operational supportservices required for successfulbetting games, from planning toimplementation. The range ofservices will include product customization,content management,program and odds compilation,bet acceptance and risk management,training, as well as marketingand consulting services.Ted Lin, CEO of Taiwan SportsLottery Company (TSLC), stated:”Taiwan Sports Lottery Companyhas chosen Intralot as the bettingservices partner taking into considerationIntralot’s global practicesin this field and the existinglong term relationship withTaiwan Lottery Company andChinatrust commercial bank.Meanwhile, TSLC has adoptedIntralot technology for theupcoming ten years. The furtherco-operation would be expectedto be more efficient and effectivein fixed odds betting services andrisk management.”on all of its 300 slot machines. Dreamworld Pailincasino installed SYSTEM2go on 52 of its gamingmachines and has catered to mass market andpremium players since May 2012. EGA had differentrequirements for its operations at NagaWorldCasino. The casino benefits from SYSTEM2go’spowerful jackpot technology linking a single jackpotto 300 slot machines. It is part of theNagaWorld Hotel and Entertainment complexlocated in Phnom Penh, with themed public andpremium gaming halls and modern gamingmachines spanning over 7,000sq.m.“We were looking for a system from a reputablevendor to connect floor-wide mystery jackpots atan affordable price,” said Petrica Cozman, AVP,Slots Operations for EGA. “GTECH’s SYSTEM2goproduct perfectly fits all of those requirements.We have been extremely pleased with the productperformance and support, and we certainly lookforward to the opportunity to expand our businesswith GTECH in the future.”Marios Mitromaras, IntralotGeneral Manager Asia, commentedon TSLC decision: “Our thirdcontract in the country within sixmonths is the result of our longterm investment and the commitmentof our local team. Intralotwill provide to TSLC its portfolioof betting services continuouslyfocusing on the principles ofresponsible gaming and integrity.We look forward to expanding ourpartnership with TSLC.”Dreamworld PoipetJapana formal gaming billcould be presented to theJapanese parliamentbefore the end of the yearin the diet session.Legislators have nowbegun drafting the billwith the aim to seecasinos in operation forthe Tokyo 2020 olympicGames. one new aspectthat has been revealed isthat casinos could be setup in both rural andurban areas. Previously itwas presumed that onlycity licenses would beallowed. chief cabinetsecretary yoshihide sugasaid: “There are greathopes as regards casinos.at the same time thegovernment mustconsider whether this ispossible from thestandpoint of crimeprevention andmaintaining order.”if the casino bill isapproved during the nextlegislative session, Japancould open its first casinoresort as early as 2019.2 6
quEEnsland movE on thE rEEfAquis Casino Acquisitions, the companybehind the bid A$4.2bn Cairns casinoresort bid, seeks to buy Reef CasinoAustralia - Operations<strong>G3</strong>Newswireasia & oceaNia GamiNG Newswww.g3nEwswirE.ComAquis Casino Acquisitions, the company behindthe bid to build a spectacular A$4.2bn casino andresort project in Cairns, is trying to buy ReefCasino Trust, which owns the only casino inCairns Reef Casino for $214m.The move would allow Aquis owner and Chinesebusinessman Tony Fung control of the marketprior to any expansion and perhaps offer him thepotential to relocate the licence. However, Mr.Fung stressed that the potential acquisition wouldbe in addition to the Aquis project and wouldallow the company to begin marketing andattracting Asian tourists to Cairns now rather thanwaiting until 2018.Reef Casino boasts one of Australia’s finest boutiquecasinos, a multitude of dining experiencesand bars, extensive conference and banquetingfacilities, free live entertainment in Vertigo, thelargest indoor LED screen in QLD in The CasinoSports Arena, plus the five-star Pullman ReefHotel Casino with 128 rooms.Table games include Blackjack, Roulette, Mini andMidi Baccarat, Reef Routine, Paradise Pontoon,Sic-Bo, Rapid Roulette and the Money Wheelwhilst there are also over 500 slots and a TABJapanThree of Japan’s biggestcompanies have joinedforces in the hope oflanding the chance todevelop a casino complexin Tokyo.Property developermitsui Fudosan ispartnering with mediacompany Fuji mediaholdings andconstruction companykajima corp in the hopeof developing a hotel,casino in odaiba, nearTokyo Bay should thegovernment legalisecasino gaming.masatoshi satou, mitsuiFudosan's managingofficer, said: "our role inthis project would be toget involved and make acontribution to helpTokyo become a moreattractive city. But it istotally up to whathappens to the bill andthe direction of thegovernment."MACAUSteve Wynn heralded Macau asbeing the driving force behind aseven per cent rise in its thirdquarter revenue before criticisingstates opening to gambling in hisdomestic market of the US.Wynn Resorts brought in net revenuesfor the third quarter of 2013of $1,390.1m, compared to$1,298.5m in the third quarter of2012. “The increase was driven bya 9.6 per cent revenue increasefrom our Macau operations and 1.1per cent higher revenues from ourLas Vegas operations,” said LewisFanger, Vice President of WynnResorts. “We currently have 501tables (273 VIP tables, 218 massmarket tables and 10 poker tables)and 884 slot machines atWynnMacau.”Macau saw table games turnoverin the VIP segment rise 9.8 percent to $30.3bn for the third quarterof 2013 whilst table games winin the mass market segmentMega Wall and dedicated Keno Lounge. Thebiggest shareholders in Reef Casino are CasinosAustria and France’s Accor Group. Sources saythey are prepared to do business but would preferAquis to purchase Casino Canberra as well, aproperty associated with Reef.Shares in Reef Casino increased by 44 per cent toa six-year high on the back of the news. The floatingAquis resort would be located 13km north ofCairns. It would market itself to Chinese touristsand has pitched itself as being bigger than JamesPacker’s Crown casino in Melbourne. It wants tooperate 750 tables and 1,500 slots at a resort that,if approved, would include nine hotels with 3,750rooms, one of the world’s largest aquariums, a25,000-seat sports stadium, 1,200 apartments and135 villas, high-end retail shopping, theatres, a 13-hectare reef lagoon, 18-hole golf course, a conventionand exhibition.Queensland is considering issuing three new casinolicences similar to the Integrated Resorts seenin Singapore as the government looks to boosttourism and create jobs, but a Reef Casino Trustdeal would guarantee Aquis’ entry to the market.Wynn Resorts feels seventhheaven on Macau increaseincreased by 13.5 per cent in thethird quarter to $239.8m.Slot machine handle of $1.2bn forthe third quarter of 2013 was 18.5per cent above the prior-yearquarter, and slot win increased 2.4per cent compared to the prioryearperiod. Win per unit per daywas 11.2 per cent higher at $689,compared to $620 in the thirdquarter of 2012. The average numberof slots in the 2013 third quarterdeclined by 75 machines versusthe 2012 period due to variouschanges designed to enhance thecomfort of the casino floor.Mr. Fanger said: “During the firsthalf of 2013, we began a renovationof the approximately 600guestrooms in the original WynnMacau tower, resulting in anapproximate seven per centreduction in the number of availableroom-nights in the 2013 thirdquarter versus the prior-year period.We expect to complete therenovation by the end of 2013.australia - final grEEnlight for barangarooCrown Resorts has agreed to a final, binding agreement withthe NSW government to facilitate the development of its VIPcasino and six-star hotel at Barangaroo. The deal will allowfor the licensing of Sydney’s second casino, although Crownwon’t be allowed to offer low-limit bets on table games orpokies with the venue only allowed to operate VIP gaming.Premier Barry O’Farrell explained the deal followed the completionof negotiations under stage three of the unsolicitedproposals policy. He confirmed that relevant legislation wouldbe introduced to parliament within a week.“What we have agreed is to introduce legislation for arestricted gaming facility to be allowed to operate atBarangaroo south from November 2019,” he said. This isabout high-worth individuals engaging in gaming. It’s estimated,and on the basis on Crown’s Victorian experience,that five per cent of local gamers would use this facility, butthese are people who would gamble between $300,000 and$400,000 a year, clearly beyond the means of most people.”australia - ainsworth onlinEAustralian slot manufacturer Ainsworthhas agreed an Online TechnologyAgreement with ComTrade Gaming,enabling Ainsworth to leverageComTrade Gaming’s gCore game serverand its extensive online developmentexperience to speed up the delivery ofAinsworth’s award winning land based slot games to aworldwide online audience. The team at ComTrade Gamingwas recognized ahead of its competitors for offering itsexperience in developing Online Casino Products for its new,robust and scalable online gaming platform. This partnershipwill also further illustrate Ainsworth Gaming Technologyintention of becoming a prominent figure within the onlinegaming sector.CEO at Ainsworth Game Technology, Danny Gladstone (pictured)said: “ComTrade Gaming provided Ainsworth with atechnology package and support base to enable Ainsworth toembark upon an expanded interactive strategy. This agreementwill allow Ainsworth to acquire ComTrade Gaming’sextensive online development experience and provide aproven games delivery pathway to selected online markets.”Aleš Gornjec, General Manager at ComTrade Gaming added:“Ainsworth Gaming Technology is a well-respected industryplayer with a history in land based gaming. This just goes toshow that the gap is closing between the online and landbased industries. We believe that ComTrade Gaming’s experienceand development strengths will accelerate Ainsworthgrowth in the iGaming space, and we look forward to developingthis relationship further.”2 7
ExCeL, London4 - 6 Feb 2014“the world’s biggest and bestevent for the internationalgaming industry”.Jens Halle,MD, Austrian Gaming IndustriesSensational ICE is a mouthwateringprospectVisitors to ICE 2014will have the mouthwateringprospectof seeing the entire worldof gaming covering betting,bingo, casino, lottery, online,street and social gaming inwhat is the world’s biggestgaming space comprisingsome 55,000 sqm. ICE isthe only business-to-businessevent to bring together boththe online and offline gamingworlds under one roof andthe only exhibition to providea truly global perspectiveon gaming trends with 65%of exhibitors drawn fromoutside the UK. Alongsidegaming’s mega brands ICEwill also feature a total of 74companies which will bemaking their first appearanceat ICE. It’s credentials like thiswhich prompted Jens Halle,Managing Director of AustrianGaming Industries to describeICE as the ‘world’s biggest andbest event for the internationalgaming industry’.ICE visitors are being encouragedto pre-plan their meetingswith exhibitors to ensurethat they don’t miss out on thehuge commercial opportunitieswhich are available at the Londonevent. The advice comesas research conducted by VividInterface amongst exhibitingcompanies at the 2013 show,confirms that ICE Londonis the international gaming industry’scommercial capital.The Vivid Interface researchshowed that exhibitors held onaverage 52 business meetingsat ICE, a figure, whichwhen applied across all 2013exhibitors, totals some 25,012commercial gatherings.Vivid’s Geoffrey Dixon said:“ ICE is the meeting place ofchoice for the internationalgaming community and thechallenge for visitors is toensure that they are able toIt’s all about business atgaming’s internationalcommercial centremeet with the exhibitors theywant to do business with andclearly the best way to achievethat is to arrange meetingsin advance of the exhibitionopening rather than simplyleaving it to chance on arrival.ICE is simply too popular anevent to risk missing out.”Be part of the most influential business community
“..without doubt, ICE Conferences isthe most worthwhile learning andnetworking programme in gaming”Ron Goudsmit,Chairman, European Casino AssociationTot a l l y G a m i n g2014 event is on course to set new recordsICE Sensational, is the themeof the marketing campaign whichorganisers are hoping will secure the4th consecutive year of growth at whatis the world’s biggest gaming expo.The experiential campaign, will appearthroughout international gaming media,as well as in an extensive print and digitaldirect marketing campaign and innovativesocial media promotions.Kate Chambers, Portfolio Directorresponsible for ICE Totally Gaming said:“The 2013 campaign succeeded in helpingto attract a total of 22,247 uniqueattendees, a 4.3% increase on 2012,8.6% up on 2011 and a massive 17.8%uplift on 2010. The number of visitor days -the average amount of time visitors spentat the event - increased from 1.51 days(2012) to 1.81 (2013) taking the totalnumber of visitor days spent at February’sevent to 40,267. The commitment we aremaking to our stakeholders is to investin the ICE brand with a far reachingand truly ‘sensational’ multi-mediacampaign which connects with the100+ nationalities who we welcometo London each year.”2010 - 18,676Growth in attendance2010 - 20132012 - 21,3362011 - 20,8292013 - 22,247Why ICE Conferences is the bestlearning programme in gamingAttending ICE Totally Gaming, the world’s biggest gamingevent, isn’t just an opportunity to see the totality ofthe international gaming experience all under one roof:it’s also a once a year chance to engage, network and learn fromover 150 of gaming’s most eminent thought leaders courtesy ofthe ICE Conferences programme. Comprising eight dedicatedstreams put together by the ICE team of gaming experts, the programmecovers gaming’s hottest topics and biggest growth areas,delivering a unique opportunity to benefit from over 40 hoursof targeted learning and networking.Featuring gaming’s most respected influencers including MitchGarber, Harrie Temmink, Philip Graf and Luca Frigerio– to name but a few – ICE Conferences really is ‘like otherconferences ...but in colour’.Monday 3rd February: The 6th International Casino Conference.Tu e s d ay 4 t h F e b r u a r y : World Regulatory Briefing,CRM, Loyalty & Retention, Mobile Gaming: Wednesday 5thFebruary : Cybercrime, Security and Regulatory Compliancein Gaming, Monetising Social Gaming, Game Design & Development,Next Generation Lotteries.For more information and to book your placevisit icetotallygaming.com/conferences2014in gaming - register for ICE at icetotallygaming.com
ExhibitioneNada Rome 2013The FaLLoF RomeThe most recent enada rome exhibitioncould be the final curtain on a show thatlacked exhibitor and visitor supportA shadow of the exhibition held four years agoacross four halls of the Fiera di Roma Centre, thelatest instalment of ENADA Roma barelymanaged to spread itself across one and a halfhalls. Exhibition stands stood like islands on theshow floor, the pink carpet - shrunk in the wash -found itself unable to stretch to the edges of thegenerously spaced booths, which required aSegway to travel from one to the next.A reluctance to post the exhibitor list on thewebsite before the show is usually a sign of anexhibition in trouble, but in the case of ENADARoma, the writing had been on the wall severalmonths earlier. Concessionaire afterconcessionaire withdrew from the exhibition,leaving only BetPlus, a concessionaire with a ‘ForSale’ sign upon its door, the only major buyer atthe event in October. BetPlus currently has threepotential buyers circling the Italianconcessionaire with the largest machine estate inthe Italian market.A sword of damocles hangs over BetPlus as itmust sell its concession by the end of the year,due to the failure of the Prefect of Rome to upholdits gaming licence, a consequence of the BPMbanking scandal that resulted in BetPlus owner,Francesco Corrallo, briefly making Interpol’smost-wanted list. Two investment companiesplus a third gaming operator is known to be in themix for the BetPlus licence, about which anannouncement is expected by the end of thismonth (but then this is Italy).Whatever the outcome of the tender for BetPlus,the result will change the landscape of themarket in Italy, most likely putting an end to theENADA Roma event with the last concessionairepulling its support from the event. Each of theconcessionaires that abandoned the show havecalled for there to be a reduction of the eventstaking place in Italy to a single exhibition -namely the ENADA Spring, held in the out-ofseasonseaside resort of Rimini in March.ENADA Roma 2013 - carpeting over the gapsChoosing to put their weight behind the Riminievent, the concessionaires not only withdrewfrom the ENADA Roma exhibition, but theyhosted their own parasitic Open Day eventsstaged during the exhibition hours of the haplessFiera di Roma show. Adding insult to injury,GameNet even went so far as to stage its off-siteconference at the official ENADA-recommendedhotel - the Sheraton Roma Golf. Concessionaireshave made it explicitly clear that they will onlysupport a March exhibition, which from adomestic market perspective is the ideal time ofyear, though from an international viewpoint,well, Rimini it isn’t exactly Rome.The exhibitors have threatened for years toboycott the numerous Italian gaming exhibitions,with an annual number that usual consists offour-five events. However, market conditionsappears to have galvanised the industry.thE italian gaming marKEtA market in limbo best describes the Italian streetmarket at present, with confirmation thatComma 6a+ legislation is expected in 2014, butwith no official go-live dates and a highlyskeptical local audience, means that right nowthe market isn’t a fertile one for sales of anydescription. However, the irony of the one-showRimini policy being supported by theconcessionaires is that it’s highly unlikely thatComma 6a+ regulations will have passed in timefor the March 2014 event. The kick-start themarket needs in the guise of the replacementprogramme is more likely to happen by the end of2014, closer to the ENADA Roma schedule. Whilethere are those seeking to kill the Romeexhibition, the timing of the legislation mightactually ruin their plans. Next year willundoubtedly be a tough sell for both Rimini andRome for the exhibition organisers, but for themarket, the tougher sell is to a cash-strappedoperator base that has to replace its 400,000machine stock in the next two years.The market for VLTs has faired no better in 2013,with numbers actually falling as new locationshave proved impossible to find to meet the56,500 machine quota, with over 6,000 licencescurrently going to waste (at €7,500 for a VLTlicence in Italy - that’s €45m with no return). Theleast productive locations are in fact closing theirdoors while the appetite for investing andoperating new locations during the currentclimate is as appetising as exhibiting annually atfour empty gaming shows.3 0
ExhibitioneNada Rome 2013GeTTiNG wiThThe PRoGRamitalian change machine specialist, vne,took the opportunity at enada rome toshowcase its innovative solutionsDespite proving to be a much smaller show thanplanned, VNE was proud to be a part of theENADA Rome show, presenting even moreinnovations. The home-grown change machinemanufacturers were keen to present theirremote functionality, proving that VNE choosesto lead the market through innovation, havingintroduced remote capabilities over a year ago.VNE has now expanded functionality to enableoperators to utilise a complete remote systemwith five levels of access between door openingand manual refill. VNE change machines are fittedwith a transponder (ibutton) for personnel tobe prescribed pre-programmed access levelsusing VNE software for dedicated personnel.The latest change machines are also fitted witha biometric device that is activated by fingerprintand in addition, all accounting and revenueinformation is now available online.The New Compact Change is ideal for the barmarket. This change machine has been adaptedwithin a new secure slimline cabinet.Furthermore, the New Compact Change hasbeen designed to fit between two slot machines.This is another example of VNE listening tomarket needs and creating the right productsmeet operator requirements.The Viking was also on proud display with evenmore in-built strength and security. The Vikingdoor, for example, comprises of two separatesheets of steel in which the hinges have beenstrengthened. Such reinforcement makes theViking a real heavyweight, entering the ring at150kg. Viking can change notes and coins andvice versa and makes use of the best componentson the market.For the VLT market, VNE displayed varioussolutions, including the Queen Change and theSuper Change VLT. Lorenzo Verona, CommercialDirector at VNE, commented in relation to theENADA Rome exhibition, stating: “Our innovationand flexibility have made us number one inItaly. We have the ability to adapt our productsto optimally match the individual customerneeds. It is this total focus upon detail and customerrequirements that once again made theENADA a great success for us. Our philosophy isto remain ‘one step ahead’.”GoiNG wiTh The FLow iN iTaLyThe long-standing partnership betweensuzo-happ and comestero in italy wasagain on show at the enada roma. Thenew comma 6a+ law remains on thehorizon, but suzo-happ solutions arealready up and working for the futuredemands operators face in italy. italianmanufacturers can fit aes products today,knowing they can be adjusted to the newrequirements once they become enacted.The flow hopper was rightly in the focus ofattention for suzo-happ on the comesterostand. furthermore, the abundant choiceof quality toppers is making strongheadway in italy with several companiesexhibiting their gaming machines withsuzo-happ toppers fitted.harald wagemaker, sales director ofsuzo-happ emea, noted, “The enadaaPex QUiNTeT GRaces eNadaapex gaming exhibited five newgames at the enada roma showacross a choice of pinnacle cabinetsAPEX gaming exhibited its innovative gamingsolutions on the large Betplus stand. Betplus isthe largest concessionaire in Italy and is thepartner for APEX gaming in Italy.APEX gaming launched five new games to themarket – expanding its games portfolio forplayers in Italy.The ENADA Rome saw APEX gamingunderlining its goal to bring greater choice tothe Italian VLT market. APEX gamingdisplayed major cabinets on the Betplus stand– both the upright Pinnacle 22” and the slanttop Pinnacle SL.Johannes Weissengruber, CEO and founder ofAPEX gaming (pictured), attended the ENADARoma and noted: “It is our goal to bring greatervalue to the Italian gaming market. We arekeenly awaiting the approval of our games sothat players in Italy can enjoy the uniquegaming entertainment we offer. Therefore, weare well positioned to bring further choice tothe Italian gaming market.”Suzo-happ’s Rene Huibers and HaraldWagemaker,rome show may have turned out to be amuch smaller show than originallyplanned. for us it remained key to be partof the enada and our commitment to theshow and the italian market was rewardedwith a very busy and successful threedays.”3 1
<strong>G3</strong>-247 ReportPaNamaLatin America’sgaming channelbuilt upon the foundations of itsbanking sector, the gaming sector inpanama has developed into a stableindustry with international interest atall levels, from casinos to bingo, slothalls, horse racing, lotteries and mostrecently, online gamingPanama is one of the most significant banking,business and tourism hotspots in Latin America.Today its skyline is home to luxurious skyscraperhotels and conference centres whilst its inlandarea is also home to 14 national parks, a dozenforest reserves and 10 wildlife refuges. Officiallyknown as the Republic of Panama, the country isthe southern most country of Central America andis situated on the isthmus connecting two continents- North America to South America.It is bordered by Costa Rica on the west, Colombiato the south east, the Caribbean to the north andthe Pacific Ocean to the south.The earliest known inhabitants of Panama werethe Cuevas and the Cocle tribes however when theSpanish arrived in the 16th century these twotribes were massacred and wiped out between1510 and 1535 and the Spanish imported Africanslaves to search for pearls.Rodrigo de Bastidas who sailed from Venezuela insearch of gold was the first European to explorePanama followed by Christopher Columbus a year01 panama has an upper-middle incomeand is a country of stark contrast withover a third living in poverty. its GDpwas around $56.83bn in 2012 andhas a real growth rate of eight per centfor 2013. Unemployment rate is 4.4per cent.02 the famous panama Canal was builtby the Army Corps of engineersbetween 1904 and 1914. in 1977 anagreement was signed for the transferof the canal from the US to panamaby the year 2000. the canal connectsthe Atlantic ocean and the CaribbeanSea to the North of the pacific ocean.today revenue from the canalrepresents a significant portion ofpanama’s GDp.later who established a short lived settlement.Vasco Nuñez de Balboa arrived in 1513 and quicklyestablished the land as a crossroads in the NewWorld.Gold and silver were brought by ship from SouthAmerica and hauled across the isthmus and loadedfor ships for Spain. The route became known as theCamino Real or Camino de Cruces (due to the numberof graveyards dotted along the way).Panama was part of the Spanish empire for 300years but in 1821 Panama then separated fromSpain and formed a union with Nueva Granada(Colombia), Ecuador and Venezuela and wasrenamed the Republic of Gran Colombia. This laterdissolved in 1831 although Panama remained partof Colombia.With the backing of the US Panama seceded fromColombia in 1903 and signed a treaty with the USwhich allowed for the construction of the famousPanama Canal.Until 1968 Panama was a constitutional democracydominated by a commercial orientated oligarchy.In 1968 Arias Madrid took office as Presidentpromising an end to corruption. A week and a halflater he was ousted by the National Guard. Thisculminated in an invasion by the US in 1989.3 2
<strong>G3</strong>-247 ReportPaNamaThe military began to take over and called themselvesthe Revolutionary Government and thistransformed the political and economic structureof the country including social security coverageand expanding public education. In 1972 the constitutionwas changed and Omar Torrijos was putinto power until he died in 1981 in a plane crash.Nicolas Ardito Barleta then won the elections andinherited a country in economic ruin and hugely indebt. During his regime however a well hiddencriminal economy involving drug and moneylaundering schemes were uncovered culminatingin a wave of Chinese migrants arriving in Panamain the hope of migrating to the US. The smugglingof the Chinese was a huge business at the time.The military dictatorship spiralled in the late1980s and the US stepped in which resulted in aninvasion in 1989 which brought an end to the 21year military dictatorship.Although tourism slumped in2009 Panama saw a total ofjust over two million visitors lastyear of which 1.4 million camevia the airport.After the invasion Panama began to rebuild thecivilian constitutional government and today thepolitical landscape is made up of two major parties(Democratic Change or CD and DemocraticRevolutionary or PRD) and many smaller parties.In 2009 Conservative supermarket magnateRicardo Martinelli was elected as the 49th presidentof Panama with a landslide victory.He has since introduced a number of measures tohelp alleviate poverty, pension plans for the elderly,increase in minimum wage and subsidies forstudents.Panama is the most competitive economy in LatinAmerica. It has seen an economic boom in recentyears and is said to be the fastest growing and bestmanaged economy in Latin America. The countryhas the third or fourth largest economy in CentralAmerica and has the largest per capita consumerspend in Central America. The global recessionhas taken its toll however.Meanwhile an expansion of the Panama Canalcosting US$5.3bn began in 2007 and is expected tobe completed by 2015. The expansion project willmore than double the canal’s capacity and enablelarger ships to pass through.The famous Panama Canal was built by the ArmyCorps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977an agreement was signed for the transfer of thecanal from the US to Panama by the year 2000.The canal connects the Atlantic Ocean and theCaribbean Sea to the North of the Pacific Ocean.Today revenue from the canal represents a significantportion of Panama’s GDP.Panama is also constructing a metro system in thecity due to open in 2014 and has free trade agreementswith the US which is expected to boostexpansion for some time. Its main economic sectorsalso include banking, the Colon Free Zone,insurance, commerce, tourism and trading.3 3
<strong>G3</strong>-247 ReportPaNama01 in 1994 the country passed the lawNo 8 – a very modern andcomprehensive law for the tourismsector. the country has declareddifferent parts of the country asSpecial tourism zones which can thenreceive multiple tax exemptions suchas income tax exemption for 15 years,real estate tax and import dutiesexemptions.02 “Currently traditional draw basedlottery games are the only lotteryoffering in panama. We will belaunching the first instant ticketproduct into the marketplace. this isan important opportunity todemonstrate how the products,technology and best practices we usearound the world can be successfullydeployed in selling instant tickets inpanama to help grow our customer’slottery business.”Jeffrey lipkin, senior vp and chieffinancial officer, scientific games.Panama has an upper-middle income and is acountry of stark contrast with over a third livingin poverty. Its GDP was around $56.83bn in 2012and has a real growth rate of eight per cent for2013. Unemployment rate is 4.4 per cent.The country however is renowned for its light taxburden and personal income tax is based on asliding scale of seven per cent minimum of thefirst $9,000 up to a maximum rate of 27 pr cent.Panama is divided into nine provinces – Bocas delToro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera, LosSantos, Panama and Veraguas - and has ten cities.There are also five regions populated by indigenouspeople. Its central spine of mountains is adominant feature and the country is made up ofThe Panamanians have beenplaying the lottery for almost acentury and it is an importantpart of their lives and culture.mountain ranges, forests and some 500 rivers anda hugely diverse wildlife structure in the remoterainforests.Tourism is rapidly growing and its fascinatingnature, tropical islands and varied culture offer ahuge allure for travellers. The country is also asafe country and very accessible. The governmentoffers tax and price discounts to foreign guests,which is also a huge incentive and there has beena significant increase in the number of Europeantourists.Although the tourism industry slumped in 2009Panama saw a total of just over two million visitorslast year of which 1.4 million came via theinternational airport.In 1994 the country passed the Law No 8 – a verymodern and comprehensive law for the tourismsector. The country has declared different parts ofthe country as Special Tourism Zones which canthen receive multiple tax exemptions such asincome tax exemption for 15 years, real estate taxand import duties exemptions.The tourism zones are located in La Amistad,Bastimentos, Arco Seco, Farallon, Metropolitan,Portobello, San Blas, Las Perlas and Darien. Sincethe law was enacted many large hotel chainshave taken advantage of the deal.thE lottEryThe Panamanians have been playing the lottery foralmost a century and it is an important part of theirlives and culture and is commonly referred to as ‘laesperanza del pobre’ or ‘the hope of the poor’.Lotteries have existed in Panama since 1872 whenthe first lottery was established to benefit the educationsystem.The Loteria Nacional de Beneficencia (The NationalCharity Lottery) was founded in 1914 and the profitswere used to cover the cost of the maintenanceof the public hospitals in Panama.The lottery was reinstated in the 1990s to supportlocal charities and hospitals and it is wholly ownedby the government and draws are held onWednesdays and Sundays at 1pm and the peopleare extremely superstitious about these days andtheir numbers and will gather for the drawing,which are broadcast live on television and radio.Tickets are sold via some 10,000 street vendorsand retail locations and street sellers who perchthemselves outside the major supermarkets andtickets start at just 25c for two numbers up to $1.The lottery law was introduced in August 1969 andnational lottery company sales are around $500m.Tickets cost just $2 and you can buy a sheet of 30tickets for $60. First prizes of around $2,000 aren’tlarge and many buy multiple tickets so the maximumprize could be up to $600,000.This year, Scientific Games signed a 10 year contractwith the Loteria Nacional to supply instanttickets under a cooperative services programme.This is a new jurisdiction for instant tickets and3 4
<strong>G3</strong>-247 ReportPaNamaScientific Games is the exclusive supplier ofinstant tickets and related services.Jeffrey Lipkin, Scientific Games’ Senior VP andChief Financial Officer said: “Currently traditionaldraw based lottery games are the only lotteryoffering in Panama. We will be launching the firstinstant ticket product into the marketplace. This isan important opportunity to demonstrate how theproducts, technology and best practices we usearound the world can be successfully deployed inselling instant tickets in Panama to help grow ourcustomer’s lottery business.”The Loteria Nacional deBeneficencia was founded in1914 and profits covered themaintenance of public hospitalsin Panama.horsE raCingHorse racing is a traditional sport in Panama andhas been around since the 19th century and historicallyarrived via the French who had come towork on the Panama Canal. The Club Hipico dePanama (or Panama Jockey Club) was founded in1922. During this year plans to build the standsand clubhouse on the 62 acres of land of JuanFranco were put forward but delayed thanks tothe then President Dr Belisario Porras who wasagainst horse racing. The state had recentlyacquired the National Lottery and Porras thoughtthe racetrack would prejudice betting on the lottery.However he finally approved the racetrack developmentand the Hipodromo opened its doors onOctober 15 1922.After 20 years when the contract expired a newcompany won the bid for the licence. This coincidedwith the 1946 constitution which said all gamesof chance and bets could only be operated by thestate monopoly. So the operating company wasforced to cease operators and the horse track wascontracted to the highest bidder. In 1956 it wasrebuilt and reopened under the name of PresidentRemon who was president at the time (JoseAntonio Remon Cantera). President Remon was astaunch supporter of horse racing but was shot bymachine gun fire in 1955 when he attended theraces at the Hipodromo Juan Franco. Six monthslater the new oval, which was already under construction,was opened and dedicated to his memory.Apparently the joke in Panama is: “How do youarrange to have a racetrack named after you inPanama?” Answer: “Get shot.”The sport was declining in popularity in the USbut reached its peak in the 60s and 70s in Panamaand by the 1980s those involved with military dictatorManuel Noriega were apparently throwingpackets of corrupt dollars into the sport.In 1988 this all stopped when Ronald Reagan frozePanamanian government assets in all US organisationsand the local economy withered, as did thetrack. It struggled on until civil unrest in 1989 andthe track was pretty much left to fend for itself.Resurgence began several years ago when thetrack was privatised and in October 2005 Spanishcompany Codere won the contract to become thenew concessionaire of the President RemonIn 1988 Ronald Reagan frozePanamanian governmentassets in all US organisationsand the local economy withered.Racetrack under its subsidiary company Hipica dePanama SA.Codere now has a contract for 20 years to operatethe track. At the end of 2006 Codere also purchasedCrown Casinos and the following yearopened up the Racino Crown Casino at the racetrack.The casino opened in April 2007 and has339 slots with more than 120 different games and29 tables. The casino also has a bar, restaurantbuffet, entertainment and screens to view thehorse racing, simulcast racing and sportsbook.Codere invested around $13m into the racetrackwhich included the re-modelling of the track. Thecompany also spent $1.35m on the new Turff Betand Sports Bar at the Hipodromo and also in ViaEspaña and $4.8m on the Racino.Spanish company Codere is a leading operator inthe Latin American market with 116 bingo halls, 51sports betting centres, three racetracks and casinosin Spain, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia,Mexico, Panama and Uruguay. In Panama Coderecurrently operates a total 12 casinos. The companyhas been active in the Latin American market forthe last six years which began with the concessionof the Hipodromo Nacional de Maroñas inUruguay followed by the racetrack in Panama andthen the Hipodromo de la Americas in Mexico. Inthese three countries Codere operates ‘super3 5
<strong>G3</strong>-247 ReportPaNamaagencies’ for horse race betting, where via simulcastthe public can follow and bet on live races athome and abroad. These are called Turff Bet andSport Bar both in Panama and Brazil.There are five Turff agencies in Panama – TurffVia España, Turff Phone Bet, Turff David at theHotel Plaza Mirage, Turff Crown Hipodromo andTurff Hipodromo President Remon.Today the Hipodromo employs 300 people andhas approximately 148 race meetings per yearwith eight races per session including the famousClassico de Caribe series. There are two tracksand the average length for the main track is 1,600metres. The stand has a capacity for 8,000 visitorsseated and 15,000 standing and a capacity for1,000 stabled horses. It is located just 10 minutesfrom the centre of Panama City.Meanwhile Codere has expanded its services andnow there are 88 betting agencies in PanamaCity, four inside the Hipodromo and 24 in the restof the country.In 1985 Tote was launched in Panama under theadministration of the state and this was the firsttote betting system which was operated byScientific Games Racing. In 1998 after the privatizationof the racetrack the company continuedwith the Scientific Games system.Meanwhile race wagering is contracted to privatecompanies by the gaming board - Junta deControl de Juegos - and is heavily taxed by thegovernment. Annual revenue for the race wageringsector is around US$11.3m.Codere is a leading operator inthe Latin American market. InPanama Codere currentlyoperates a total of 12 casinos.Outside of the racetrack poker rooms and bingohalls have entered the market more recentlyalongside a well organised sports betting industry.Codere controls some 81 per cent of the bettingshops making it the largest bookmakingfranchise in the country.Sportbooks can be located at betting shops at theracetrack or in casinos and bets can be placed onmost sporting events. Prior to 2005 this sectorwas in a decline but increased immensely afterthis date. Today the annual sports betting revenueis around US$11.6m.CasinosUntil the late 1990s the gambling industry wasrun by the Panamanian government and therewere just a handful of casinos. However in 1997the government began an aggressive privatisationprogramme which included the gamingindustry and as such the various sectors such as01 outside of the racetrack poker roomsand bingo halls have entered themarket more recently alongside a wellorganised sports betting industry.Codere controls some 81 per cent ofthe betting shops making it the largestbookmaking franchise in the country.02 Until the late 1990s the gamblingindustry was run by the panamaniangovernment and there were just ahandful of casinos. however in 1997the government began an aggressiveprivatisation programme whichincluded the gaming industry and assuch the various sectors such ascasinos, lotteries, bingo, slot halls andrace and sports betting all began togrow rapidly.casinos, lotteries, bingo, slot halls and race andsports betting all began to grow rapidly.Gaming and Services de Panama (CIRSA) won a 20year contract to operate slot hall areas and in 1998two other concessions were awarded the administrationof the eight government run casinos at thetime including Thunderbird Gaming and AntonioMartinez Segui. These companies paid a total of$6.5m.In 1998 El Decreto Ley 2 was approved and thispaved the way for much of Panama’s gamingindustry.Operators began to compete for various licences3 6
<strong>G3</strong>-247 ReportPaNamaand the government appointed the Ministry ofEconomy and Finance’s Junta de Control de Juegos(JCJ) as the gaming control board to regulate theindustry and oversee the financial regulation, tax,inspection and licensing process. The JCJ wasestablished back in 1947.Between 1997 and 2009 a total of 56 operationallicences were awarded of which 15 were for casinosand 30 for Type A slot parlours, 10 for sportsbetting and one bingo licence.Today there are 67 concessions to operate gamingfacilities which include 17 ‘fully fledged’ casinoswhich are all operated in five star hotels. There arealso 28 electronic casinos/slot halls and 13 betting03 Gaming and Services de panama(CiRSA) won a 20 year contract tooperate slot hall areas and in 1998two other concessions were awardedthe administration of the eightgovernment run casinos at the timeincluding thunderbird Gaming andAntonio Martinez Segui. thesecompanies paid a total of $6.5m.shops and a bingo hall. The majority of the casinosare located in the city.There are a total of 1,637 slots and 190 table games(including poker) at the casinos whilst the oneRacino at the Hipodromo Remon has 339 slots and29 table games.In total there are some 12,000 class III slotmachines in Panama and over 250 gaming tables.There are an additional 3,500 slots operated inbars and cafes which have a maximum bet of $3.The casinos last year saw a combined income of$600m whilst bets made on slot machines in bothcasinos and slot parlours between 2000 and 2010amounted to $6.5bn. Gross earnings for casinosduring that same 10 year period came to $10.6bn.Contributions to the government amounted to atotal of $76.4m from the gaming industry in totalwith $37.4m from Type A slot machines Class and$24.3m from casinos.In the first 10 months of 2012 some US$2.1bn werebet on gambling activities with $1.3bn bet on typeA slots, $269.7m on table games and $28.5m onsportsbooks.The Type A slot is responsible for around 70 percent of the gross gambling yield and casinos areresponsible for over 20 per cent. The rest is dividedbetween horseracing, sports betting and bingo.The casinos were primarilydeveloped as a draw for thetourist industry with some onlyto be attached to luxury five starhotels.The JCJ covers all types of gaming from raffles,tombola, bingo, slot machine halls, casinos, bettingand sporting events. At least 80 per cent ofthe gaming establishment’s profits must be handedover to the government.The casinos were primarily developed as a drawfor the tourist industry and as such there weresome rules and casinos can only be installed inluxury hotels or five star hotels with more than300 rooms. The development of the casino industryalso allowed foreign investment to enter thecountry and today the industry supplies work forover 7,000 people and is one of the biggestemployers.In the mid 2000s the industry was booming ascasinos opened up at a fast rate particularly indowntown Panama City. With only 3.5 millionpopulation however there are more Panamaniansplaying than tourists and the government began tore-address the situation. By 2006 there was a haltin the number of casino licences issued and talksof ways to restrict gaming and control it and gamblingaddiction programmes were set up.Several operators applied for licences in 2006including Trump Ocean Club, Los Faros dePanama and Ice Tower. It is only now plans arecoming to fruition for some of these.Today it is thought around 35 per cent of visitors3 7
<strong>G3</strong>-247 ReportPaNamaSun International is to operateall on-site gaming at the trumpocean club when the75,000sq.ft. venue opens itsnew casino mid-2014.to the casinos are tourists and the number isexpected to increase with the increase in touristsvisiting the country.Codere is currently the largest operator of thecasinos in Panama and has a total of 3,272 gamingmachines and 12 casinos which operate under the01 in August 2010 Codere’s panamaniansubsidiary company Alta Cordillerapurchased a 63.6 per cent stake inthunderbird Resorts’ six casinos inpanama which operate under theFiesta Casino brand.02 New casino operations are now due toopen next year at the trump oceanClub which announced last year thatSun international will operate their onsite casino due to open in mid 2014.the 75,000 sq.ft casino will be locatedon the Mezzanine level and include 32gaming tables and 600 slots,restaurant and bar/lounge. there willalso be a Salon privee on the 66thfloor for private gaming whilst the65th floor will be reserved privatesuites for the elite clientele.Fiesta and Crown Casino brands including theHipodromo racino.Codere began its entry in Panama in 2005 with thepurchase of the Hipodromo racetrack followed ayear later by the purchase of Crown Casinos.Initially Crown Casinos were opened in Panamacity in 1998 with three casinos. In 2007 Codereopened the Crown Casino racetrack Racino.In 2008 Codere opened the Crown Casino RadissonColon 2000 and in 2010 the company then purchasedsix new casinos from Canadian companyThunderbird.The company has now invested $4m to open a new3 8
<strong>G3</strong>-247 ReportPaNamacasino and remodel the existing Crown casinosand created a new image for the casino brand. InApril the company opened the reformed Crown ElPanama which is the first of the six casinos to berenovated.Furthermore El Panama casino has now had aTITO system installed and also launched theCrown Club system to offer promotions and discountsto clients. Turnover in 2012 for Codere’sPanama operations topped €92.5m with EBITDAof €14.2m.In August 2010 Codere’s Panamanian subsidiarycompany Alta Cordillera purchased a 63.6 per centstake in Thunderbird Resorts’ six casinos in03 in March this year Sonestainternational hotels Corporation alsoannounced the opening of its firsthotel in panama called the RoyalSonesta hotel and Casino. located inthe city the hotel has 304 rooms andwill be managed by Colombia’s GhlGrupo hotels as are the sister hotels inColombia, peru, ecuador and Chile.in 2005 Codere purchased theHipodromo racetrack followed ayear later by the purchase ofCrown Casinos.Panama which operate under the Fiesta Casinobrand.The deal for $38m was a strategic move by Codereto enable its new Fiesta Casino brand to run alongsideits Crown Casino brand which it purchased in2006.The six Thunderbird casinos had been operatedunder long term property lease arrangements bythe Thunderbird group and the sale meant thecompany could develop, own and operate its ownintegrated resorts anchored by casinos. The companyhad been active in Panama for 11 years previouslyand had a 30 per cent market share at thetime.CodErE’s fiEsta Casinos• Gran Hotel Nacional & Fiesta Casino is locatedin the business banking district of David which isthe capital of Chiriqui – the land of coffee andbananas! It is situated in a very traditional hotelwhich has 117 rooms and suites. The 16,673 sq.ftLas Vegas style Fiesta Casino is open 24 hours aday and houses 280 slots and 10 table games andtwo poker tables.• Fiesta Casino DeCameron in Farrallon is in thePacific area. The casino has 50 slots and seventable games.• Gran Hotel Soloy and Fiesta Casino is in theshopping district of Panama City and the casino is3,444 sq.ft in size and it has 193 slots, six tablegames whilst the hotel has 220 rooms.• Hotel Barcelo Guayacanes is a four star hotellocated in Chitre in the Azuero region, a cosmopolitancity on the pacific coast of Panama. It is anewly built hotel and has 64 rooms and eightsuites. The casino has 80 slots and four tablegames and one poker.• Hotel El Panama and Fiesta Casino is located inthe banking and hotel part of Panama City andalso houses a convention centre for up to 3,000delegates. The hotel was opened back in 1951 andrenovated in 1990. The five star hotel has 335rooms and its 20,000 sq.ft casino has 320 slots, 16table games and five poker.• The Radisson Colon 2000 Hotel and Casino islocated near the cruise port just outside the ColonFree Zone. The 7,535 sq.ft casino has 93 slots andnine table games whilst the hotel has 84 rooms.CodErE’s Crown Casinos• Crown Casino Continental is situated at theContinental Hotel in Panama City which was formerlyknown as the el Riande Continental. Thehotel has 365 rooms and a swimming pool. The7,535 sq.ft casino on site has 150 slots and ninetable games.• Crown Casino Granada is located at the RiandeAeropuerto Hotel just two minutes from the internationalairport of Tocumen. The hotel has 183rooms whilst the casino has 40 slots and tablegames.• Crown Casino Sheraton is located at what wasonce called the Hotel Caesar Park (now Sheraton)in Panama City. The hotel is made up of colonialcharm architecture and is a European style casinowith three restaurants. The hotel has 361 roomswith views of the city of the Panama Bay. Itopened in September 1998 and is one of the mostprestigious casinos in the country. The casino has316 slots and table games.The gaming board appears to bewilling to offer further casinolicences and in 2011 offered fournew licences for large scalevenues to open.• Crown casino Plaza Mirage is located at thePlaza Mirage Hotel in David, Chiriqui.• Crown Casino Colon 2000 is located in Ciudadde Colon in the Hotel Radisson and reopened inSeptember 2010 under the Crown Casino brand.This was the latest of the Crown casinos to openand Colon is a popular stop over for cruise linerswith around 40 per cent of visitors arriving inPanama on cruise ships.• Crown Casino Hipodromo is the Racino locatedat the racetrack. There are 339 slots and 29 tablegames.othEr Casinos• Casino Majestic in Panama City is owned byCirsa. It is located in the heart of the city in theshopping centre Multicentro and connected to theHotel Radisson Decapolis. There are 500 slots and30 table games on two floors plus a VIP room andbars. The casino is 53,820 sq.ft in size. Cirsa alsooperates 28 electronic casino slot parlours inPanama.3 9
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<strong>G3</strong>-247 ReportPaNamaCASINOS: 17SLOTS: 1,637TABLE GAMES: 190SLOTS REVENUE: $193m (type A)TABLE REVENUE: $53mLOTTERY: loteria Nacional debeneficenciaLOTTERY RETAILERS: 10,000 streetvendors.LOTTERY REVENUE: $500mRACETRACKS: 1RACINOS: 1SLOTS IN RACINO: 339TABLE GAMES: 29RACE REVENUE: $11.3mSPORTS BETTING: $11.4mBINGO: 1REVENUE: $1.1mSLOT HALLS: 28SLOTS: 8,000TABLE GAMES: 40SINGLE SITE SLOTS: 3,500TOTAL GAMING GGR: $2.1bnIce Tower was another cancelledproject. This super tallskyscraper was planned for thecity and would have been 381metres high with 104 floors.• Veneto - A Wyndham Grand Hotel was built in2005 in the heart of the city in Via España inPanama City and is owned by SilverEntertainment LLC. The 17 floor hotel has 327hotel rooms and four restaurants and two bars.The casino houses 625 slots and 42 table gamesand 14 poker plus a racebook and sportsbook. Thiscasino is said to be the largest contributor in gamingtax of all Panama’s casinos. New York companySilver Entertainment is a hospitality and gamingcompany established in March 2007 by TheAndalex Group. The company acquired the gaminglicence in 2007 and as such this was SilverEntertainment’s first venture into Latin Americaand the company’s first acquisition. The casinowas previously owned by Moises Haskey, AlbertoDaniel Btesh and Abraham Btesh. The WyndhamGrand Hotel collection is a brand in the Wyndhamfamily offering five star accommodation. TheAndalex Group was founded in 1989 by AllenSilverman and specialises in acquisition, developmentand construction.• Royal Casino at the Marriott in Panama City isowned by Marriott International with 400 slots,25 table games and five poker tables.• The Princess Casino Panama is located in theFour Points Hotel by Sheraton in the city at theWorld Trade Centre. The casino has 400 slots andtable games and VIP lounge. The casino is operatedby the Princess Group.• Four Points by Sheraton in the Free Zone Colonis located in the Millennium Plaza. The hotel has237 rooms and various facilities.The gaming board appears to be willing to offerfurther casino licences and in 2011 offered fournew licences for large scale venues to open by theend of 2011.New casino operations are now due to open nextyear at the Trump Ocean Club which announcedlast year that Sun International will operate theiron site casino due to open in mid 2014.The 75,000 sq.ft casino will be located on theMezzanine level and include 32 gaming tables and600 slots, restaurant and bar/lounge. There willalso be a Salon Privee on the 66th floor for privategaming whilst the 65th floor will be reserved privatesuites for the elite clientele.Sun International acquired the space at the OceanClub and the rights to operate the casino for$45.5m and the company now plans to invest$60m to build and develop the casino.The Trump Ocean Club is built on the Panama Bayin Punta Pacifica and is a 70 storey hotel in theshape of a yacht sail and was the first internationalventure for the Trump Hotel Collection. It is thelargest hotel in Latin America and has 369 roomsand 47 suites.It will house shops, business centre, spa and isTrump’s first investment in Latin American market.In March this year Sonesta International HotelsCorporation also announced the opening of itsfirst hotel in Panama called the Royal SonestaHotel and Casino. Located in the city the hotel has304 rooms and will be managed by Colombia’sGHL Grupo Hotels as are the sister hotels inColombia, Peru, Ecuador and Chile.There are two restaurants, bar, fitness centre,sauna, spa and beauty centre. The casino androoftop swimming pool will open later this year.In April the first phase of the Hard Rock PanamaMegapolis opened bringing the Hard Rock brandto Latin America. The 66 storey hotel is in PanamaCity and was developed and owned by theMegapolis Investment group and managed locallyby DeCameron Hotels & Resorts.The hotel has 1,499 rooms including 796 suites.The Hard Rock Café is attached in the MulticentroMall next door. Megapolis Investment Group ispart of the Elhayek Group headed by JacoboTorres with real estate portfolio around Panamaincluding Panama’s first shopping mall,Multicentro and has interests in HotelsDeCameron Panama which owns the RadissonMegapolis and is also co-owner of the MajesticCasino (Cirsa).There are 28 slot halls whichhave almost 8,000 slots in totaland 40 table games. Around3,500 slots are operated in thebars and cafes.Other projects like Los Faros de Panama neverreally got off the ground. This was a skyscraperproject which included an 84 storey building.Construction began in 2006, but was cancelledfive years later due to financial problems. Therewas talk of a casino at this location but for nowthe project is merely a hole in the ground.Meanwhile, Ice Tower was another cancelledproject. This super tall skyscraper was planned forthe city and would have been 381 metres highwith 104 floors. Excavations began in 2007 buthalted three months later and cancelled. Again acasino was talked about for this venue.Although Panama could in many aspects become4 1
<strong>G3</strong>-247 ReportPaNama01 last year Cirsa opened its latestcasino in tocumen which was 1,300sq.m and has 300 machines. Cirsasaw its operating profit increase by 11per cent last year to €322m thanks toits business in latin America. thecompany currently has 31 casinos, 80bingos and 154 gaming arcadesdivided between Spain, italy and latinAmerica. the company says 33 percent of its business comes from latinAmerica.02 the slot parlours are also often largesized and can house anything from 30to 200 slots and often go under thename of casinos. Casino profits havebeen affected over the last few yearspartly due to the economic climateplus the number of slot parlours openand the introduction of a minimumwage in 2010.the next Las Vegas the government’s fundingissues are still struggling.In 2004 the government introduced a FiscalFairness Programme aimed at reducing debt andraising taxes. Casinos came under attack and in2005 a proposed five per cent tax rate on prizesof over $250 was suggested for the casinos with a10 per cent tax on prizes of more than $300 onslots. Of course it was impossible to put intopractice and lobbying brought the proposal to ahalt. Casinos are currently taxed at seven percent on payouts of more than $300 on slots withno additional tax on tables.In 2009 the government looked at ways of raisingtaxes to help fund police and social securitycosts and initial proposals said it would doubletax on casinos from 10 to 20 per cent on grossincome to bring in $70m.The law was passed as part of a fiscal reformpackage in September 2009 and also imposed afee for the rights to run a casino. Hotels with casinoson their premises now have to pay $1m tooperate whilst slot parlours pay half a milliondollars.Monthly gross income tax for casinos wasincreased to 15 per cent (from 2012) whilst slotparlour tax increased to 19 per cent (from 2012/13)and would rise to 22 per cent after 2014.However association ASAJA believes thisincrease could see contributions to the statedropping by $60m over the next six years.Meanwhile there is also the question of saturation.Much of the gaming industry revenuedepends on tourism. Many of the casinos in thehotels are built to a large scale often 40,000 sq.mor more in size and can offer up to 500 slots.The slot parlours are also often large sized and canhouse anything from 30 to 200 slots and often gounder the name of casinos. Casino profits havebeen affected over the last few years partly due tothe economic climate plus the number of slot parloursopen and the introduction of a minimumwage in 2010.Meanwhile the association Asociacion deAdministradores de Juegos de Azar are calling formore transparency in dishing out licences after theFour Points Sheraton Hotel was given a licencedespite having less than 300 rooms and was a fournot five star hotel.slot hallsIn 1997 a resolution was passed which permittedthe operation of Slot Halls type A and full casinos.There are 28 slot halls which have almost 8,000slots in total and 40 table games. Around 3,500slots are operated in the bars and cafes.Slot machines are divided into three class types –A, B and C.Class A (casino) machine allow players to use cashand don’t have a payout ceiling limit and can onlybe operated in casinos or slot halls.Class B machines can only read and pay out viaplayer cards and have a maximum bet of $5 andmaximum payout of $5,000. These can be locatedoutside of casinos and slot halls.Class C machines can only accept cards but theirmaximum bet is limited to $3 and payout is $200maximum. These machines were approved in May2012 and can only be located in bars and billiardhalls.Type A machines performance has been exceptionaland today makes up around 70 per cent oftotal gaming revenue.The main operator of the slot parlours is Cirsawhich operates 28 Fantastic branded electroniccasinos (slot halls) in total in Panama with a totalof 7,500 slots and 35 table games. The majority arelocated in the city with some outside in Chorrera,Vista Alegre, Chitre, San Miguelito, Cocle and alsoin Colon.All have bars-restaurants and large screens hostingsporting events and some also have live music,karaoke and DJs. They all hold on average 200slots plus multiplayer American roulette and arebetween 500 and 800 sq.m in size on average.In these slot halls there are three non Fiestabranded electronic casinos which include theMagic Casino Dorado which is located in the shoppingcentre El Dorado in the city. The size is 866sq.m and offers slots and multiplayer Americanroulette; Magic Casino 12 de Octubre is located inthe shopping centre Metro Plaza in the city. Thearea is 279 sq.m and it houses multiplayer rouletteand slots.4 2
<strong>G3</strong>-247 ReportPaNama03 in 2002 panama adopted regulationsgoverning the licensing of electronicgames of chance and sports bettingvia the internet. the regulationspermitted master licences to begranted which are valid for up to sevenyears. A licence fee is US$40,000.there is also an annual licence fee ofUS$20,000.04 there are about 24 gaming websitesnow established in panama such as2-4-1bingo.com, amigobingo.com,betonline.com, zexcasino.com,pokereale.com, juegoyak.com,casinorodeo.com05 betonline and bestline Sports mergedin 2005 and now run betonline.comwhich is a full sportsbook, racebookand casino and the company is run byCeo eddie Robbins iii. in 2009 theylaunched a new website betonline.agto avoid seizure by the US.Cirsa also operates the only bingo hall operator inPanama and the venue is called Casino Bingo 90.Bingo is the least developed and least popular sectorof the gaming industry and its peak in the marketwas back in 2000 when its revenue reached$1.7m. Today it stands at around $1.1m.Bingo 90 is located in Veraguas in Panama City. Itis open daily from 11am to 5am and there are 216slot games. This was recently renovated and housesthe latest slots and new bingo salon and restaurant.Last year Cirsa opened its latest casino inTocumen which was 1,300 sq.m and has 300machines.Cirsa saw its operating profit increase by 11 percent last year to €322m thanks to its business inLatin America. The company currently has 31 casinos,80 bingos and 154 gaming arcades dividedbetween Spain, Italy and Latin America. The companysays 33 per cent of its business comes fromLatin America.onlinE gamingPanama is of course the banking capital of LatinAmerica and in 2002 Panama adopted regulationsgoverning the licensing of electronic games ofchance and sports betting via the internet.The regulations permitted master licences to begranted which are valid for up to seven years. Alicence fee is US$40,000. There is also an annuallicence fee of US$20,000The master licence holders can then grant sublicenceswhich are subject to the annual fee andapplicants must also pay investigation costs duringthe application process. However gamingcompanies are then essentially able to operate taxfree when accepting foreign wagers.This is basically because Panamanians cannot beton Panama online gaming sites and thereforeoperators, bar their payment to the JCJ, can thenclaim their income is from a foreign source andexempt from income tax and profit participation.The gaming board has given authority to consultancyfirm International CybergamingCorporation which means every operator is sublicensedby this company and only they can issueonline licences to third parties.Cybergaming is responsible for collecting the fees,monitoring game payouts, record all transactionare available for inspections and compiling withregulations.There are about 24 gaming websites now establishedin Panama such as 2-4-1bingo.com,amigobingo.com, betonline.com, zexcasino.com,pokereale.com, juegoyak.com, casinorodeo.comBetonline was set up in 1991 and is one of thebiggest companies in the online field. It operatesout of Panama City and offers a sportsbook in allmajor sports and leagues. There are also the virtualcasinos with table and card games and blackjacktournaments.Betonline and Bestline Sports merged in 2005 andnow run betonline.com which is a full sportsbook,racebook and casino and the company is run byCEO Eddie Robbins III. In 2009 they launched anew website betonline.ag to avoid seizure by theUS.Panama: vital statisticsCapital: panama CityPopulation: 3,559,408Land Area: 75,420 sq.kmMedian age: 27.8 yearsLanguages: Spanish (official) and englishEthnic Groups: Mestizo (70%), Westindian (14%), white (10%) and AmerindianCurrency: balboas (pAb)Government:Constitutional democracyChief of State:president Ricardo Martinelli berrocalHead of Government: president RicardoMartinelli berrocalElections: president and vice presidentelected on the same ticket by popular votefor five year terms (not eligible forimmediate reelection and must sit out twoadditional terms before becoming eligiblefor re election.) last election May 2009.Next due 2014.4 3
ExhibitioneiG BaRceLoNaNetent’sElizabethLennhede andTrevorWestacott.continuing its roll-out of slot licences,net entertainment brought south parkto eig for the first time, a gamecontaining a number of unique featuresFirst unveiled at the ICE Totally Gaming inFebruary, South Park is the latest NetEntertainment game to be based on a classicbrand following on from last year’s release ofScarface, also launched at ICE, and the 2011release of Frankenstein.“South Park has a cult following around the worldand we are truly proud to bring it to the gamingmarket,” comments Per Eriksson, President andCEO of Net Entertainment. “We have had somegreat success with branded games in the past, likeFrankenstein and Scarface, and our focus onquality and innovation means we always deliverthe very best gaming experience for players.South Park is our biggest game yet and we aretremendously excited about its potential.”2013 has been a great year so far for the Swedishgames developer with agreements signed withLadbrokes and William Hill and a globalframework agreement signed with GTECH,alongside three agreements with existingcustomers for delivery of Live Casino, with afurther customer launching Live Casino in thethird quarter. There were also three agreementssigned with existing customers for delivery ofmobile games with a further six customerslaunching mobile games in the third quarter.Mr. Eriksson, said: “The third quarter showedstrong development as we launched a total ofnine new customers and signed agreements withfive new customers, including gaming operatorsLadbrokes and William Hill, two of the largestoperators in the world. Net Entertainment hasyear after year showed proof of the company’sability to generate good results for our partners,which has led to an increased demand for ourproducts. This, in combination with a highcommitment throughout the entire organisation,has led to several new agreements with some ofthe largest operators in Great Britain. I am excitedabout what the market in Great Britain cangenerate for Net Entertainment in the futurewhen all operators are fully launched.Discussions are also ongoing with all the largeNeTeNT PaRked iN The RiGhTPLace wiTh BRaNd New deaLsoperators that have yet to sign up with NetEntertainment. In addition we signed aframework agreement with platform supplierGTECH.”Mr. Eriksson added: “Revenues showed positivedevelopment compared to last year whichprimarily was a result of good underlying growthwith our existing customer base in combinationwith the addition of 22 new customers that havebeen signed in the last 12 months. The agreementthat was signed with GTECH is a frameworkagreement which allows Net Entertainment tooffer the company’s casino portfolio to GTECH’splatform. GTECH is one of the world’s largestsupplier of gaming content to so called WLAoperators (World Lottery Association), which areoften government owned gaming monopolieswhere Net Entertainment historically have had avery low market share. The agreement withGTECH means an opportunity to increase thepenetration in this market.”Revenues for the first nine months increased by18 per cent whilst operating margin was up 30.3per cent with 17 new license agreements signedand 14 new customers’ casinos launched.Live Casino, meanwhile was launched at thebeginning of 2013. “During the summer a newscalable version of Live Casino blackjack waslaunched where the tables allow an unlimitednumber of simultaneous players and during thefourth quarter traditional blackjack will belaunched,” Mr. Eriksson explained. “Currently theproduct is in an early stage with a total of 22customers signed for the product of which ninehave been launched. When the product reachesfull capacity it is expected to generate goodrevenues for the company. Mobile gamescontinue to grow strongly, but the product is stillin an early stage. We see a continued demandfrom customers to develop more mobile games.We will therefore increase the investments inmobile games to further strengthen NetEntertainment’s leading position.”4 4
ExhibitioneiG BaRceLoNamoBiLe RoLL oUT coNTiNUes aT sheRiFF GamiNGsheriff gaming was showcasing a bevyof new games including, the unique fourreel las vegas fever, extreme, the latestrelease in the smarT mobile gaming lineand dr. magoo’s adventure for mobile‘Las Vegas Fever’ is a 3D animated slot gamefeaturing 15 lines, four reels and a bonusmultiplier reel. Sheriff Gaming’s spokespersonEric Roskamp said: “We’re very excited about therelease of Las Vegas Fever, which is one of ourmost unique games to date. Las Vegas Fever isour first 3D animated slot game to contain abonus reel, which awards players with a bonusmultiplier on every winning spin. The bonus reelalso has symbols on it that can trigger twodifferent Wheel of Fortune bonus games, for thepossibility of even bigger wins on any winningspin. The Las Vegas Fever design is eye-poppingand the game is packed with bonus features. Thisgame truly delivers the exciting and glitzy LasVegas experience to our online players in acomplete entertainment experience.”The web-based release of ‘Extreme’ brought slotsto a new dimension earlier this year, and now themobile release aims to give mobile players a slotsexperience a similar experience.Bas Meijers, Chief Content Development,Sheriff Gaming.line to include a wide variety of our games inmobile format.”One of the most exciting and compelling mobiledevelopments from Sheriff Gaming is that thegames are provided in HTML5 format. Thisensures that once downloaded, they appear rightin the device browser, which enables the playerto access the same games on their computerwithout having to go via an app store. This ishugely important to the operator since there is noadditional rev-share with any app store providerand no additional provider regulations andlimitations.The SMART platform will cater to the mostpopular mobile devices including Apple iPhone 4,4S and 5 and Android SMART phones. The gamescan also be downloaded and played on tabletsincluding Apple iPad 1, 2, 3, 4 and AndroidTablets. To ensure the optimum gamingexperience, Sheriff Gaming has redesigned thegames to work perfectly on all these devices byadapting them to take into account the differentresolutions, touch interface and smaller screens.The games have also been made a lot smaller infile size, which allows for a faster download.Mr. Roskamp added: “The development of SMARTand our mobile game roll out is a landmarkopportunity for Sheriff Gaming to bring its unique3D content to a mass market. This year alone weare aiming to launch between 10 and 15 slotgames and 3 table games that operators canpromote to their players via mobile and PC. Weare really excited to have the technology topromote our games across multiple channels andin more than 20 different languages and thisannouncement undoubtedly reiterates SheriffGaming’s reputation as the gaming industry’sleading light in 3D mobile game development.”Sheriff Gaming’s spokesperson Jason O’Shea said:“Extreme has quickly become a very populargame after it was released earlier this year. Thedemand for this game has been so high that weknow that it will be a big hit with mobile playersas well. Plus, Extreme’s deep space design looksfantastic on mobile devices! Extreme has been abig hit since its 2013 web-based release thanks toits unique ‘Extreme’ bonus features and cooltheme. It was a clear choice for us to roll outExtreme in our line of mobile games as well.”‘Dr. Magoo’s Adventure’ meanwhile is a 20 line,5-reel adventure themed slot that transportsplayers to a deserted tropical island in search oflost treasures. Mr. O’Shea said: “Dr. Magoo wasone of the first 3D animated slot games that wereleased and it is still one of our most populargames to date. Dr. Magoo’s long-time popularityand loyal player following made it a clear choicefor integration into our new line of mobile 3Danimated slot games. Players love Dr. Magoo’sexotic adventure theme, the generous bonusfeatures and the rich graphics - which are also aperfect match for mobile players. We’re sure thatDr. Magoo’s Adventure will be as successful inthe mobile market as it has been with our onlineplayers. In the coming months, Sheriff willcontinue expanding our SMART mobile gamingNew cLoUd BackUP UNveiLedmulti-jurisdictional hosting providercontinent 8 Technologies showcasedits new cloud backup product at eigContinent 8 Director of Global Sales, PeterWilliams, who was one of seven Continent 8representatives to attend EiG, described itsnew product: “Our Cloud Backup provides theideal solution for any organisation that isconcerned with data loss and regulationrequirements, whether they have a data centrepresence or not. It allows our clients to quicklyrecover lost files, documents and critical data,protecting them from potential businessdisruption and long-term damage that lostdata can cause. EiG is one of the biggest tradeshows in our calendar and it has been anotherpositive year for the team.“As a data centre provider to the online gamingindustry, it’s a very important opportunity fornetworking and meeting potential customersface-to-face. This year, EiG has allowed us tohighlight the ongoing expansion of our globalprivate network, as well as the opening of ournew Dublin data centre and the completedmajor expansion of our Isle of Man facility.“Overall, we wanted to show that we arecontinuing to develop our product set to allowonline gaming companies to operate acrossmultiple jurisdictions. Regulation in the globalonline gaming industry continues to be one ofthe major talking points at such events, withthe focus at EiG being on the process ofregulation beginning in the US recently,”concluded Mr. Williams.4 5
ExhibitioneiG BaRceLoNamicrogaming was in spain on the vergeof a major milestone for the company;the imminent launch of Thunderstruck iion hTml5, meaning the slot is nowavailable across all platforms.Originally launched in 2010 on the casinoplatform through download and Flash, theThuderstruck II’s following has grown over theyears as its reach has extended throughQuickfire, land-based platform BetStone andmost recently the multi-player platform.Thunderstruck II launched on mobile withAndroid compatibility in February this year andhas now been developed in HTML5, ensuring thegame is at players disposal no matter the devicethey are playing on.Strengthening its network of accessibility is atestament to the slot’s popularity as gamerscontinue to immerse themselves in the mythicalworld of Asgard, realised by sharp graphics,animations and memorable characters. The slot,sequel to Thunderstruck released in 2003, is afive reel, 243 ways to win game with a host ofopportunities including wilds, expanding wilds,scatters, free spin bonuses and multipliers. Theslot also includes the Paytable Achievementsfeature where players can keep track of theirwinnings and once the win ranges have beencompleted their paytable turns gold.Neill Whyte, Head of Product Channels,Microgaming, explained: “Thunderstruck II is oneof our most successful games and we aredelighted that players can experience the worldrenownedslot on any platform and desiredchoice of device. We recognise the importance ofdeveloping games with cross-platform capability;our achievement with Thunderstruck II signifiesthe start of things to come.”Also set for November was the launch of Racingfor Pinks, a game available on Microgaming’sdownload, Flash and Quickfire platforms.Racing for Pinks is a 5x3 reel, 243 ways to winvideo slot themed on street racing, a genre whichhas become prevalent within popular culture,particularly within the movie and video gameindustry. The slot combines pin-sharp graphicswith fast-paced gameplay and provides plenty ofwinning opportunities. Wilds, scatters and freespins are all on offer during this action-packedgame. The scatter symbols trigger a free spinsbonus where players can win up to 30 free spinswith up to a 5x multiplier.The bonus feature is the highlight of the game;players must pick a racer from either the Blue ormicRoGamiNG ThUNdeRsTRUckBy ToTaL PLaTFoRm coveRaGeMike Hebden,head of Games,Microgaming“Racing for pinks is a great addition toour slot portfolio; the game will reallyappeal to players looking to get in on theaction of car racing. the combination ofan exhilarating theme, apt soundtrack,sharp graphics and a wealth of gamefeatures, will make this slot a newfavourite among players.”Red team and must progress through five racelevels. When a player successfully picks all fivewinners from all five races, players win theultimate prize, a high-revving 175x multiplier tothe player’s total bet.Mike Hebden, Head of Games at Microgaming,said: “Racing for Pinks is a great addition to ourslot portfolio; the game will really appeal toplayers looking to get in on the action of carracing. The combination of an exhilarating theme,apt soundtrack, sharp graphics and a wealth ofgame features, will make this slot a new favouriteamong players.”Microgaming remains the world’s largest providerof online gaming software with innovative andreliable software provided to over 400 onlinegaming brands worldwide in 24 languages. It hasoffered compliant solutions for the regulatedmarkets in which it operates, including: Italysince 2009, Denmark since January 2012,Belgium since May 2012 and Spain since June2012.The most recent feather in its cap is Tanzania,Africa’s first regulated online gaming marketwhere Quickfire, powered by Microgaming, isproviding its gaming content to the first onlinecasino and games operator approved andregulated by the Tanzanian government; Dunia, anew online gaming site operating under the brandiplay8.Ashley Sandyford-Sykes, Head of Quickfire, said:“The introduction of our 24th licensedjurisdiction highlights Quickfire’s global reachand augments our position as a leading supplierof gaming content, worldwide. We are thrilled tobe the first supplier to enter this newly regulatedmarket; with our vast experience, Dunia hasmade a sensible decision launching withQuickfire.”4 6
ExhibitioneiG BaRceLoNaintegrate seamlessly with third party content,manage relationships with its customers, andconduct cross-promotional activities with thebrand’s hotels. It provides a truly comprehensivecustomer view, allowing access to relevantgaming product information all in one place. Itmanages all facets of a customer’s business witha single view.“The Game Office connects seamlessly to allverticals, allowing the operator to identify how itsbusiness is doing on every level, from theindividual player to product verticals. Thispowerful knowledge can be used to createcampaigns, cross-promotional activities, etc. Theend result is smarter business: higher conversionand less churn.”eiG saNdwiched By caesaRsaNd GoLdeN NUGGeT deaLshaving been announced at g2e in lasvegas, amaya gaming’s deal to providecaesars interactive entertainment withboth its amaya game office onlinegaming platform and extensive suite ofonline casino gaming content, was stillon everyone’s lips at eig in barcelonaThe landmark deal, Amaya’s first sale of its newAmaya Game Office will cover both web andmobile applications in New Jersey.The fact that Caesars Interactive is one of thelargest online, mobile and social gamingcompanies focused on casino entertainment andis a subsidiary of Caesars EntertainmentCorporation, which is home to four land-basedentertainment destinations in Atlantic City, hasnot been wasted on anyone..Amaya’sJoannaMaddock andFredrik KjellUnder the terms of the agreement, Amayaanticipates receiving a share of the revenuegenerated by the website portal in New Jerseyand a percentage of the revenue generated by theonline casino games licensed by Amaya to CIE foruse in the portal in New Jersey.“This is an immense win for us, one that shouldextend our online gaming footprint significantlyin the United States as well as contribute to ourrecurring revenue in future years,” said Mr.Baazov. “It is the direct result of the investmentswe have made in both our Amaya Game Officeplatform, which has gained significant traction,and in preparation for our entry into the emergingregulated online gaming industry in the UnitedStates.”“Caesars liked the fact that Amaya Game Officeallows it to tailor its product offering andIt enables comprehensive Customer RelationshipManagement, including bonuses, campaigns,cross-marketing, affiliate services, customerservice and VIP management.The Amaya platform, the Game Office, is built in amodular architecture enabling flexibleintegration of third party products. This givesoperators the power to choose best-of-breedproducts in every business area, from games toback-office tools.Almost immediately following the conclusion ofEiG came the second endorsement of AmayaGame Office with a similar deal to with GoldenNugget Hotel & Casino, who operates four GoldenNugget Hotels and Casinos in Atlantic City, NewJersey, Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada, andBiloxi, Mississippi.Then came a deal with BetSoft to enable theextensive range of tier-1 operators currentlypowered by Amaya’s casino offering to easilyhandpick new content from BetSoft Gaming withno additional integration required.The addition of BetSoft’s games, expands uponAmaya’s casino offering of more than 300 games,including the best games from a range ofindustry-leading providers including Novomatic,Aristocrat and SHFL and Amaya’s own offering ofquality games, including branded content.“It’s been a real seal of approval to secure the firstsale of Amaya Game Office with probably thebiggest casino operator in the world. Sincepurchasing OnGame Poker in November last yearthere has been a huge amount of integrationwork. We only launched Amaya Game Office inspring. The fact that it has been taken on byCaesars is testimony to that hard work and thequality of the platform,” said David Baazov, CEOof Amaya Gaming Group.“the Game office connects seamlesslyto all verticals, allowing the operator toidentify how its business is doing onevery level, from the individual player toproduct verticals. the end result issmarter business: higher conversionand less churn.”David Baazov, Ceo Amaya.“Our strategy is to offer the very best games onthe market from leading and innovative providerswith one single integration for our partners,” saidMr. Baazov after the show. “Betsoft’s latest Flashand HTML5 games are some of the mostmemorable and engaging in the industry. Theirdedicated focus on producing exceptional mobilegames complements our product strategy and welook forward to distributing them to our customerbase.”4 7
ExhibitioneiG BaRceLoNaplaytech was in barcelona havingrecently launched mini baccarat andultimate blackjack mobile live casinogames on a native ios version forbet365. The development of both gamesfollows the successful launch ofplaytech’s roulette on a native iosversion earlier this yearThe Playtech games shown at EiG are unique asthey operate on a native iOS platform, whichallows operators to provide their client base witha high quality live gaming experience at their fingertips,anytime, anywhere. Once players downloadPlaytech’s Mobile Live Casino games fromthe Apple App Store, they can enjoy eitherUltimate Blackjack or Mini Baccarat on theiriPhone or iPad.Playtech has worked very hard to ensure theconvenience of these products is not compromisedin their quality. Similar to the desktop version,the broadcast shows multiple viewpointsthat give players the excitement of a real casino.Shimon Akad, Playtech’s VP Operations, said:“This launch is extremely exciting as Playtechlaunches its second and third native iOS MobileLive Casino games successfully. We are verypleased to offer a high quality real-time casinothat will allow players to enjoy the excitement ofa real casino at a touch of a button. We are confidentthat the convenience of these products coupledwith Playtech’s classic casino games will bea strong addition to any operator suite of products.”The show was also the first time Spain has seenGame-specific and Free Spin Bonuses for all itsgames.The all new Game-specific Bonuses allow operatorsto grant players bonuses specific to a particulargame, category of games or on a particularplatform. This exciting feature introduces a newlevel of flexibility for operators aiming to createtargeted promotions, as the bonus funds are forspecified games.The unique Free Spins Bonus feature providesoperators with an alternative promotional toolfor slots players. This is a particularly goodacquisition marketing tool as it allows operatorsto introduce new customers to a game with minimalmonetary commitment.“this launch is extremely exciting asplaytech launches its second and thirdnative ioS Mobile live Casino gamessuccessfully. We are very pleased tooffer a high quality real-time casino thatwill allow players to enjoy theexcitement of a real casino at a touch ofa button. We are confident that theconvenience of these products coupledwith playtech’s classic casino gameswill be a strong addition to any operatorsuite of products.”Shimon Akad, Vp operations, playtech.Mr. Akad said: “We believe these features representthe future of how operators target customersand have already received very positive feedbackfrom some of our larger licensees.”The recent launch of a Games Tab for its licenseeand established betting and gaming operatorLadbrokes, is part of Playtech's open games solution,integrates Playtech games with third partygames via a single platform.The Games Tab which is called "Vegas" onLadbrokes' website is the first step in the implementationof Playtech's complete turnkey solutionfor Ladbrokes and the commencement ofmigration work between the two companies.playtech’s new SalesDirector, Pedro Extremera.New Games aNd a New FaceSuch addition to the Ladbrokes website will feature70 games but will offer Ladbrokes access toover 400 games and an easy launch process forany new games Ladbrokes would like to offer inthe future.It also provides Ladbrokes with a cross-platformcapability that includes the ability to see theentire player lifecycle across all games in the"Vegas" Games Tab.In a competitive market such as gaming this is atremendous advantage as it gives operators thedata necessary to maximise player value via promotionaltools. Game-specific bonuses, emailcampaigns and banners are just some of the toolsavailable to operators on Playtech's completeplayer management solution called the IMS.Cross-platform is a term central to Playtech’sethos with a single solution for all games that canbe tailored across multiple channels, howevercross sector has proved just as apt in 2013 withdeals from gambling companies from every spectrumof the wider industry.Central to this cross-platform solution is the abilityto offer players a single, unified login andauthentication process with the same contentoffered across all channels and platforms.On the mobile front, the recent launch withBetfred is just the first step toward a rich mobile4 8
ExhibitioneiG BaRceLoNaoffering set to be released next year.Having recently developed its Mobile Hub,Playtech has revolutionised its delivery tomobile, making it easier for operators tocentralise and customise their entiremobile offering. Playtech’s initial offeringincluded a selection of 20 table and slotgames including several popular brandedslots, giving players access to theirfavourite Playtech content on-the-go.However, following casino, Betfred introducedbingo and live dealer games, bringingits players multiple products via oneuser interface on their mobile devices.Currently, Betfred is live with roulette onAndroid devices with iOS and HTML5 versionsof roulette, baccarat, and blackjacktables to all smart phones and tablets. Theproduct’s first tier broadcasting serviceprovider delivers the highest up-time inthe market, making it an optimal choicefor Betfred players looking to easily connectto the same live tables through theweb, their mobile devices or tablets in aseamless manner - anywhere, anytime.2013 has also been notable for Playtech’spartnership with land-based Casino GranMadrid to broadcast Live Dealer Games forthe Spanish market.Live casino games must be broadcast froma physical casino in Spain. Dedicated spaceprovided at Casino Gran Madrid togetherwith Playtech’s advanced live gamingtechnology delivers a customised solutionfor Spanish players, available now to newand existing Playtech licensees in Spain.The studio includes roulette tables, top-oftheline cameras broadcasting in HD quality,native Spanish dealers interacting livewith players via real time chat, and brandedtables for licensees, both private andshared.iNTRaLoT LaUNch The GaBLeTintralot interactive showcased its latestproducts including the gablet, universalmobile and universal gaming experienceUniversal Mobile features an innovative multiplatformapproach, based on the latest HTML5technology, adapted to seamlessly scale from themobile phones and tablets up to the latest Gabletstations. The industry-unique Gablet is multifunctionalplayer tablet, with impressive 22’’touch screen and advanced gesture-based navigationenables Triple Play servicesIt embraces modern user experience design,introducing new concepts of interactivity withthe player that combine game data, game logic,graphic animation and streaming video. UniversalMobile seamlessly connects to the company’sReal Money Gaming Platform, as well as the newSocial Gaming Platform that secures uniqueWallet, Player and Social graph features, and actas a focal point for an optimized and personalizedplayer journey across all gaming verticals andplayer touch points.Babis Karathanasis, Director of Multimediasystems at intralot, shows the GabletThe three main verticals are Lottery, SportsBetting and Gaming. Mobile Lottery has been createdfor all lottery games, such as keno doublematrix game and scratches, among others. Theplayer enjoys gesture and overlay-based navigation,with direct thumb-driven access to relevantinformation, quick picks, favourites, but also personalisationthat renders traditional lotterygames as true entertainment experience. The latesteditions of Intralot Interactive Instant MobileGames enriched with vivid gaming content thatcombines proven game mechanics with graphicalfront ends, appeal to the lottery player, providingadditional entertainment value and furtherincreasing the lottery performance.Mobile Sports Betting meanwhile offers Intralot’sbest-in-class HTML5 Mobile Sports applicationthat supports the prematch and live betting experienceby providing quick access to sophisticatedbet slip mechanics, supported by informative andrelevant information tools. Users connect to thecompany’s i-FLEX Betting Platform, takingadvantage of optimised in-running content management,and robust and efficient game engines.BiNGo sPeciaLisT oNLiNe moveFebruary saw the launch of Bingo iOS appfor one of its major licensees, Sky Bet. SkyBingo players can now access 11 rooms ofbingo action and two slot games on theirmobile devices simply by using the sameaccount set up online, creating a seamlessplayer experience between the web andmobile platforms.In France, Playtech has successfully integratedand migrated the online pokeractivity of Unibet to Playtech’s leadingnetwork in France - iPoker.fr, marking anextension of the existing relationship withPlaytech beyond its current games offeringand further strengthens the relationshipbetween the two groups.Zitro ebusiness division made its first appearance at an international event with itsown stand at eig. The Zitro ebusiness division presented a product of great quality to avery specialised public, ready to dazzle the online industry. division director, raisbusom, called the exhibition a “great success”, helping to “create a brand in theigaming sector which is already making a big impact amongst the major players.”4 9
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ExhibitioneiG BaRceLoNaFace maTch FoR NeTveRiFyJumio has just launched Jumio facematch; the latest in the company’s idverification technology, netverify.Providing customers with real-time IDverification, it allows operators to turn theirplayer’s smart-phone or computer into an IDscanning terminal that makes it fast and easy tocapture and verify their ID and other credentialsto meet KYC requirements and reduce fraud. TheID verification process only takes about 60second from start to finish.European Marketing Director David Pope said:“Jumio Face Match brings an additionalauthentication factor to the Netverify process. Inaddition to asking customers to present a realcredential Jumio now compares the photo in thecredential to the customer’s actual face. Use it forall your transactions or just the higher risk ones.Netverify provides an intuitive and satisfyinguser experience that takes less than a minute tocomplete. Documents are scanned and validatedusing our proprietary computer visiontechnology. If the document is fake or tamperedwith, we’ll catch it. All data is transmitted andstored securely using 256 bit encryption. Weadhere to strict24/7 system monitoring standards.It creates a user experience that customers loveand reflects well on your business.”Each successful scan is Netverify Certified withthe operator provided with digital documentationto meet their business process requirements.“This data is easily accessed through ourcustomer portal,” Mr. Pope added. “Netverifyimplementation can be customised in keepingwith your existing app or site design. It validatesand extracts info from IDs at a fraction of the costof traditional methods. Eliminate the costs ofmanual document handling. If your customer’scomputer is not equipped with a webcam we alsoprovide for manual upload of the documentimage. You determine what information and formof ID or document to request and at which pointin your business process you wish to validateyour customer’s credentials.”Jumio’s real-time customer identificationsolution went live in the summer with Mr. Green,one of the high growth licensees in Malta. Jumio’sNetverify enables Mr Green’s customers to usethe camera on their computer or mobile device toscan their ID document which is then validatedby Jumio’s technology to ensure that players arewho they say they are and that they are of legalage.David Pope,europeanMarketing Director,Jumio.“Netverify provides an intuitive andsatisfying user experience that takesless than a minute to complete.Documents are scanned and validatedusing our proprietary computer visiontechnology.”Further exicitng news from Jumio seesPokerStars, the world’s largest poker site,integrating Netverify into the PokerStarssoftware. This new feature is now operational inItaly, and will be deployed worldwide in comingmonths. Jumio’s Netverify will enable PokerStarsCorrelsense has achieved some notablecolumn inches with William Hill, who recentlydeployed Correlsense’s SharePath to retain itsVIP customers. Senior Vice President ofWorldwide sales John Reuben (pictured withowl right) explained that VIP players typicallyplace larger bets, wager more frequently andcan generate up to 80 per cent of companies’revenue depending on the games or sportingevents involved. “Ensuring that VIPs alwayshave an easy, fast and uninterruptedexperience is the only way to ensure retention.Website speed is critical. Just a quarter of asecond difference can cost your businesssignificant revenue. On average, 25 per cent ofusers will leave a website if it takes more thanfour seconds to load. If VIPs experience astalled or failed bet, your customer serviceteam must be alerted quickly before they go tothe competition.”customers to quickly and easily verify theiridentity by uploading their ID documents orpresenting them to their computer webcam fordocument authentication.“Jumio offers a new and unique approach in theidentity verification market and we are pleasedand excited to be working closely with them tohelp develop and deliver an innovative andexciting customer verification solution.PokerStars’ commitment to safety and security issecond to none. This innovative new feature willallow us to provide better and faster service toour customers, while maintaining very highsecurity standards,” said Richard Bregazzi, SeniorVerifications Manager at PokerStars.“When an industry leader such as PokerStarsselects Jumio to assist with its verificationprocesses, it’s a great endorsement of Jumio’snew approach to the market. Our ID credentialsvalidation service not only provides a greatcustomer experience and helps identify underageplayers and cybercriminals, but it also helpsPokerStars manage the cost and the logisticsrequired to manually verify customer identitydocuments,” said Bjorn Evers, Director at Jumio.Correlsense’s SharePath is a software platformthat helps online gaming firms provide realshaRePaThwiNs wh BackiNGattracting, winning and keepingcustomers, is a constant challenge inthe online sector. This is especiallyimportant when it comes to the top tierof bettors: the vip customerstime, proactive customer service andultimately increase their lifetime value.Unlike waiting for customers to complain ortake their action elsewhere, SharePathcollects real-time data on 100 per cent ofplayers. This allows customer service repsthe ability to provide immediate help whenthere is a site issue that affects bettors –particularly VIPs. Furthermore, IT, customerservice, and business stakeholders will bealerted when VIP bettors experience failedbets or deposits. SharePath allows operatorsto understand their players in greater detail,knowing which customers are impacted byissues and proactively reaching out to keepthem on the site; identify your mostimportant customers and provide them withpremium customer service by tracking theiractivity.5 1
ExhibitioneiG BaRceLoNaeNTeR ThedRaGoNThe aim at williams interactive has beento replicate the slot experience enjoyed onwms gaming slot machines in land-basedcasinos on internet and mobile platforms.This has been achieved splendidly with gamessuch as THE WIZARD OF OZ Ruby Slippers, KISS:Shout It Out Loud!, Bier Haus, Spartacus Gladiatorof Rome and BRUCE LEE Dragon’s Tale.“This isn’t an easy process,” explained RoryShanahan, Head of Marketing for WilliamsInteractive, “but our designers have beenmeticulous and are doing a fantastic job. We’vesigned up plenty of gaming sites for integrationwith our Game Server across the UK andScandinavia, and we’re delighted to have recentlyadded Bet365 to that list with games expected togo live with William Hill and Sky Bet, amongothers, by the end of the year. We’re looking at arolling four to six month theme launch roadmapwith some very unique game dynamics for theworld of online gaming including Colossal Reels,with side-by-side five by four and five by 12 reelarrays, as well as Double Money Burst with sevenunique ways to trigger the feature round andoversized symbols during the free spins. The aimhas to be to combine the game, the brand and thevisuals with great math models. Colossal Reelshas proved the most popular game engine we’vereleased so far – the sophistication of our gameengines and the appeal of our math models issetting our games apart from those currentlyavailable online in Europe.”That accolade could be about to be challengedthough by Williams Interactive’s latest game;BRUCE LEE Dragon’s Tale, a game that hascombined Williams Interactive’s creativeworkforces in Chicago, Sweden and India.Following on from the player favourite Bruce Leeon built on the Money Burst game engine, thesequel brings the brand to life on the first onlineslot game built on the proven Super Multi-Playgame engine. Each wager covers 80 lines ofaction across four independent reel sets with anyWild of Feature symbol on the main reel setreplicating to the same location on each of thesmaller reel sets, increasing the chance of bigwins.Whilst Stateside the market continues to warmup with Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey set toallow online gaming, Williams Interactive hasbeen busy deploying its next-generationPlay4Fun Network with operators such asAffinity Gaming, who operates 12 casinos acrossfour states, and with the Snoqualmie tribe inWashington.The Affinity Gaming deal will see the platformcustomised to its A-Play loyalty program. Thisfirst-of-its-kind deal allow Affinity to use thefree-play Play4Fun Network online gamingplatform to build an online community byproviding players at its 12 Affinity Gaming casinosnew ways to enjoy their favourite casino slotcontent between visits to the casino floor; ontheir computers, tablets and mobile devices.Affinity Gaming’s Play4Fun Network is live bythe date of printing.The cloud-based open architecture of theWe’re currently finalising deals with keyoperators in New Jersey, whilst as partof the winning response to theDelaware lottery online gaming RFpalongside (new parent company)Scientific Games and our partner in themarket 888 holdings, we are now aprimary supplier in Delaware for realmoneyonline gaming going live in thecoming weeks.”Rory Shanahan, Williams interactive.platform makes it a flexible and scalable option,able to accommodate both the short- and longtermfree-play gaming goals of the company’sland-based casino partners. Williams Interactivecan use the platform’s API to integrate premiumthird party content, from bingo to table games andmore, to provide additional ways for operators toengage multiple player tastes and preferences. Ituses proven social gaming mechanics to increaseits ability to engage and retain players byrecognising their game activity over time withleader boards, access to new unlocked contentand more. Slot games already available throughthe Play4Fun Network include Invaders from thePlanet Moolah, Brazilian Beauty and SuperJackpot Party.In terms of the play for cash market, Mr.Shanahan said: “Our two biggest markets will beDelaware and New Jersey where online slots willbe allowed. Nevada looks like it will continue tomove ahead with online poker only for now.We’re currently finalising deals with keyoperators in New Jersey, whilst as part of thewinning response to the Delaware Lottery onlinegaming RFP alongside (new parent company)Scientific Games and our partner in the market888 Holdings, we are now a primary supplier inDelaware for real-money online gaming goinglive in the coming weeks.”The trio will provide a full turnkey solution forDelaware’s online gaming platform, content, andoperational services including internet poker,casino table games and casino slot themes.5 2
ExhibitioneiG BaRceLoNaacQURiNG a New skRiLL seTskrill was in barcelona gearing up to thelaunch of its new mobile app whichallows customers to manage their digitalwallet account and send and receiveinstant payments to anyone, anywhereand at any time.The App, which is available on Android and iOSplatforms, will transform the Skrill user experiencewhen sending and receiving money anduploading and withdrawing funds. Customerswill also be able to view and search their transactionhistory and VIP account holders and merchantscan easily switch between their multipleSkrill accounts.Customers will have fast, secure access to theirSkrill account with a five digit pin number. Thereis no need to repeatedly enter a username andpassword for each account, which reflects theSkrill ethos of making online payments ultrasecurewhilst enabling quick and convenienttransactions.money transfer business with a new service thatmakes sending money cheaper, faster and easier.Skrill iT can cut money transfer fees in half,allowing hundreds of millions of expatriates tosend more money home.Available in over 200 countries for senders andreceivers, Skrill iT (www.skrill.com/skrillit)brings the power of the Internet to money transfer.With just a few clicks, money can be sentsecurely to people in 40 currencies, using just anemail address. That money is received instantlyand can then be transferred to a bank account, orwithdrawn from more than 1.9m ATMs worldwideusing the Skrill Prepaid MasterCard.Skrill’s Adrian Toshkov and Anett NemethSmartphone ownership has now reached morethan 50 per cent of the population in France,Germany, Italy, Spain and UK and the mobileApp launch signals Skrill’s focus on innovationand providing relevant content. For example,customers will now receive exclusive merchantpromotions and offers via the new App.Skrill views mobile technology as a key driverfor enabling merchants to improve interactionand engagement with their customers based onhow consumers are using mobile technologywhen making transactions.Mark Carter, VP of Mobile at Skrill commented:“All the features of our new mobile app havebeen designed to enhance the customer experienceand simplify the process of money managementon the move. Merchants will also benefit asthey gain direct insight into customer behaviourin order to tailor offerings accordingly. The Appwill help with the acquisition of new customersand these customers should enjoy the compellingnew user experience. Mobile paymentsinnovation forms a key aspect of our futureplans at Skrill. We recognise that relevant andsmooth payment experiences present a hugeopportunity to provide consumers with an optimisedmobile payment solution and enable merchantsto build a closer understanding of theircustomer base, whilst significantly increasingmobile payment conversion rates.”Skrill is also looking to transform the US$608bnShFl’s Vice president of online Gaming Michael Daly, Katie Lever, General Counsel andexecutive Vice president and Louis Castle, Chief Strategy officersociaL GamiNG oN The caRdsshfl showcased its first online slotoffering at eig, which included some of itsexisting land-based slot titles, like oink!and cats, hats, & bats, while progressiveonline versions of Three card poker andultimate Texas hold'emThis was being shown alongside its renownedsuite of speciality table games available foronline play, which already includes playerfavourites like Three Card Poker, Ultimate TexasHold'em, Casino War, Fortune Pai Gow Poker,Mississippi Stud, and Let It Ride, to name a few,in addition to blackjack with Bet the Set "21",Royal Match 21, and King's Bounty Blackjackside bets.SHFL’s Chief Strategy Officer, Louis Castle, said:“Using thin-client, elastic cloud technology,SHFL's state-of-the-art online platform andiGaming products are designed to fit seamlesslyinto a variety of online operations, includingreal-money, free-to-play, mobile, and socialgaming. We’ll have more coming online towardsthe end of the year and are close to making anannouncement regarding our development of asocial gaming product.”5 3
ExhibitioneiG BaRceLoNaNMi’s Julian Borg-Barthet and AndrewRosewarne.Nmi oPeNsoFFice iNvaNcoUveRhaving been a household name ingambling compliance testing andauditing in europe for more than 35years, nmi was at eig having recentlyopened a new office in vancouver, britishcolumbia, canadaAndrew Rosewarne, Director, NMi Gaming, said:“We have seen increasing globalisation of thegaming industry and many of our well establishedcustomers have operations on both sides of theAtlantic. The Vancouver office will be able to offerlocal expertise and a convenient time zone fordevelopment teams based in the Americas. TheVancouver area is a great location for NMi toestablish a presence in North America. Thecombination of high quality local talent andproximity to our existing customers and majorgaming markets was very attractive to us.BUiLdiNG FRom The BoTTombetconstruct was showing its completewhite label Turnkey solutions and betshop set up and management servicesOn show at the EiG conference in Barcelona,Spain, BetConstruct displayed a completerange of products for online and land-basedgaming companies, Sportsbooks, Poker, Skill,and Casino Games, Live Dealer, marketing andrisk management tools.Trade Show Project Coordinator TatevcoUNTiNG FoR The hoUsecounting house, a canada-basedpayment service provider thatspecialises in worldwide paymentsolutions provided a strong presenceon the eig exhibition floorPetrosyan explained how the Malta-basedcompany serves over 40 partners based inEurope, Russia, Central and South Eastern Asiaincluding OlyBet, the online arm of Balticscasino operator Olympic Entertainment,Profitbet, the only betting office in Kazakhstanwith a license to broadcast sports eventsonline, Top Sport, the leading sports bettingcompany in Lithuania, and Melbet, a privatelimited liability company organised andexisting in UK.“Our customers are demanding coverage of moreand more jurisdictions so we are lucky to havethe resources of the NMi group behind us to allowus to invest in this type of expansion. We arecontinuing to grow in a controlled way with newbusiness arriving every week, and we have anamazing rate of customer retention, whichdemonstrates that our customers reallyappreciate the way we operate.“We are confident that if we extend the customerexperience here the trend will continue in NorthAmerica and Richard D’souza and his team willgrow in the same way as our other operations,”concluded Mr. Rosewarne.Counting House used EiG to introduceoperators to its robust suite of paymentprocessing services for paying in and cashingout, as well as their unsurpassed internationalbanking expertise.Counting House facilitates inbound andoutbound payments in local currenciesthrough a robust network of worldwidebanking facilities, eliminating the need forclients to establish complex internationalbanking relationships of their own. CountingHouse’s Canadian location offers internationalcredit card processing, cheque processing,direct debit and bank transfer collection,making it easier for gaming companies to offerfamiliar local currency payment options toplayers worldwide. It offers the ability to payinternational players by local currencycheque, original card credit or electronic fundstransfer, enhancing player satisfaction andgoodwill.5 4
ExhibitioneiG BaRceLoNaahead oF TheGamiNG cURvegaming laboratories international hascarved itself a massive slice of theregulated igaming certification marketGaming Laboratories International (GLI) hasalready been approved as an iGaming test labfor many burgeoning regulated iGamingmarkets, such as British Columbia, Denmark,Germany, Quebec and Nevada. Indeed it testedand certified the first interactive gamingsystems to go live in regulated jurisdictionssuch as Alderney, Isle of Man, First Cagayan(Philippines) and the United Kingdom.GLI works with the vast majority of Internet,mobile phone, and interactive T.V.stakeholders, and is the premier test lab fornew markets testing internet, mobile and iTVplatforms, random number generator (RNG)certification, back-end infrastructureassessments, base website/user interfaceevaluation, game evaluations, jackpotcontroller evaluations, live dealer andSportsbook platforms amongst a host of otheronline evulations.Martin Britton, GLI Europe Managing Director,said: “This is an incredibly exciting time in thegaming industry generally and in the iGamingside of the industry specifically. For years wehave been forecasting the convergence oftechnologies, and now that time is at hand,which is a very significant and interestingdevelopment for operators and for players. Thisalso presents some challenges for regulators,and at GLI, we have a global force ready to helpwith everything from consulting totesting/certification to IT security testing.”Gaming laboratories international’s JamesIllingworth and Martin Britton.RaFT oF deaLs deLiveRs a home RUN FoR BaLLybally Technologies’ ‘single view of theplayer’ aims to provide operators withenterprise-wide analytics and the abilityto conduct multi-channel promotionsand bonusing to patrons on the casinofloor, at home, or on the moveRecent deals to supply online slots to Britishoperators Rank, William Hill, Paddy Power andMr. Green have been followed up with deals tobring games from other suppliers online as itlooks to complete its interactive offering.The integration of both Ainsworth’s andInterblock’s online content provides anotherbusiness-to-business offering and allowsoperators to use world-class technology whilstmaintaining control of their operations throughBally Technologies.Slots from iSoftBet will strengthen the portfoliofurther whilst a deal with Cantor Gaming willbring sports wagering into the online mix,meaning that with Bally’s existing expertise inonline poker, all online and mobile bases havebeen covered. The company’s plan to buy SHFLwould only strengthen its interactive hand evenmore.It’s all been timed perfectly with the opening ofthree states in Bally’s domestic market of NorthAmerica. Bally Technologies’ Senior VicePresident of Games Derik Mooberry, said:“Operators using the Bally iGaming Platformhave the unique ability to offer players a wideselection of content, enabling them to maximisetheir revenue and competitive advantage.”Jeffrey Allen, Senior Director of NetworkedGaming at Bally Technologies, said: “We arenicely positioned now if the US continues to openup. We are already providing play for freeversions of our iGaming platform to the GoldenNugget casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City aswell as to Mohegan Sun’s casinos in Connecticutand Pennsylvania, The Stratosphere in Las Vegas,Aquarius Resort and Casino, and two ArizonaCharlie’s casinos. As a purely business tobusiness provider of technology, of course BallyTechnologies will be involved in the onlinemarkets of Nevada and New Jersey and we lookforward to further states opening up on the backof these.”5 5
InteractiveevoLUTioN GamiNGdawn of a new ageif ever you have the chance to visit evolution gaming's studios in the latviancapital, riga, you should jump head-first at the opportunity. not only is it arevelation that can't adequately be described in words, the experience will changeyour preconceived views of online gaming, forever.Believing that you understand the functioning of alive online table gaming environment is like lookingat the face of a watch and thinking you understandhow it works. Having visited enough onlinegaming enterprises to understand the gulfbetween land-based and offline is so severe as tooften be brutal, the visit to Evolution Gaming is arevelation – it's the first time we've seen an onlinegaming environment acting and behaving with thesame scrutiny, the same values and the sameregard for procedures and customer security as aland-based gaming environment.In January 2013, Evolution Gaming's studios inRiga became the largest single-site live table gamingenvironment in Europe with 100 tables inoperation 24/7. Those tables and systems, mannedby 1,000-plus staff (predominately speaking severallanguages), had expanded to over 115 at thetime of <strong>G3</strong>'s recent visit, spread across six individualgaming floors in the studio complex in Rigaplus an external studio in Murcia, Spain.Plans are afoot to locate an additional studio outsideof the Latvian capital for the first time, on theisland of Malta, already the location of the corporateheadquarters of the company. Evolution havingsecured a Maltese gaming licence (April 2012)is now in the process of moving its internationallive dealer component to the island for the start of2014 to create its third stand alone studio withextra capacity for additional tables and dealers.dEdiCation is what you nEEdSignificant changes to the type of service offeredhave had a knock-on effect on the size and scaleof Evolution's business. The shift towards bespokeenvironments for operators has meant that inaddition to Evolution Gaming's generic live tablegaming services, dedicated tables and environmentswith client-specific backgrounds and bluescreenbackdrops, and even dedicated fullybrandedstudios complete with dedicated dealerteams in licensee uniforms, have increased thedemand for studio space.Most clients begin with the generic service, withstandardised dealer uniforms, layouts and generalcasino backdrops to create their initial online livetable gaming environment. However, to ensurethe greatest level of control over the player experience,operators then seek to evolve their serviceto customers by moving towards dedicated offeringsthat not only reinforce their brand, butincrease revenues at the same time.Branding is a hugely important factor in the successof the dedicated tables environment. If youlook at the largest live online table gamingproviders, they each have differentiated theiroffers with dedicated, fully branded offerings."We have customers, such as 888.com, that createfun and engaging promotions for their players,just as you'd find in the land-based environment,"comments Evolution Gaming's COO, SvanteLiljevall. "Some of our operators bring localcelebrities to act as hosts, chatting with playersand encouraging interaction with the dealers. It'sthese personalised experiences that help to createthe land-based experience in the online environment."Evolution has evolved its products and services togive its customers a player's perspective of theiroffering. Branding creates drama, helps to avoidfraud, builds trust and fosters a true VIP environmentthat's instantly recognisable for players andoperators alike. "From an operator's perspective,dedicated tables extend what is the most importantaspect of their business - their brand," underlinesMr Liljevall. “What dedicated tables alsooffer is the ability to cross-sell other products.”Operators can also create their own TV deliverychannel, which operates separately to their websitebut uses the same live table stream. In thecase of Live Casino for TV players can use theirtablet simply as the betting interface while viewingthe live game action on their TV screen.“Offering consistently high-quality branded servicesvia multiple channels and devices builds the“Some of our operators bringlocal celebrities to act ashosts, chatting with playersand encouraging interactionwith the dealers. It's thesepersonalised experiences thathelp to create the land-basedexperience in the onlineenvironment."5 6
InteractiveevoLUTioN GamiNG"We will be supporting all the major mobiledevices," states Mr. Bjurle. "Everything that we'veseen suggests the continued dominance of thesmartphone and tablet device around the world,and so support for iOS and Android, for the S2, S3and S4 and Note II phones from Samsung throughto Samsung Galaxy and Google Nexus 7 and 10-inch tablets, is hugely important to give playersaccess to live table gaming wherever and whenvalueof the dedicated team serving the operator’scustomers, allowing players to know their dealerteams, which helps build a rapport and real relationships.Dealers talking to guests and playersand interacting with them is the ultimate connectionbetween land-based and online in the creationof the same recognisable environment. It'sthe same environment on the PC/Mac/mobiledevice and the extension of land-based promotionsonline and vice-versa."Expansion is part of Evolution's DNA, but it's theblending together of different specialist skills, thecombination of table gaming and technology, oflive customer interaction, gaming security andintegrity that's the real evolution taking place inRiga. Watching a demonstration of the company'smobile gaming solutions, by Evolution ProductDirector, Fredrik Bjurle, takes this carefullyorchestrated amalgamation to the next level. Asmobile gaming looks to unseat desktop gaming inthe not-so-far future, Mr. Bjurle shows live gamingseamlessly playing on both iPad and iPhonedevices. Having initially supported iOS devices,but now incorporating Android, the Evolutionservice allows players to access live table gamingdirectly through their browser or dedicated Apps.As mentioned earlier, a further iteration of theEvolution mobile gaming solution allows playersto view their game on a television screen whileusing the tablet solely as a touchscreen bettingdevice.ever they want." Legislation ultimately dictatesthe boundaries of mobile gaming, but geolocationis one of the tools that can be used to enforce therules, preventing players from accessing gaming innon-licensed areas either within a location orwherever they may be around the world. Fixing awi-fi or 3G/4G connection enables games to beblocked where inappropriate and allowed inspaces that could see players in land-based environments,for example, taking their live gamewherever they choose to roam. The interconnectionof Evolution Gaming's systems with a casino'sexisting back office solutions means that bonusing,tracking and comping can be integrated intothe mobile experience, combining the data to createa complete picture of the player and theiractivity. Off-site play can be incentivised withredeemable vouchers for on-site play, with dedicatedhosts and brand ambassadors assigned toboth 'mass' and 'VIP' players to create the sameseamless experience both off- and online.5 7
InteractiveevoLUTioN GamiNGthE Cannibal in your PoCKEtThe big question that's being hotly debated by thebrightest in the online sector, is the effect thatmobile gaming will have on desktop play. There'san argument that mobile will cannibalise PC gaming,while others believe that the ability to playwherever and whenever the player chooses willextend the play window and increase revenue asa result. "We believe that live online casino gamingis well suited to the tablet experience in particular,and that we have created a solution thatwill engage existing and new players, extendingtheir playing time."In this case it's the breadth of the offer fromEvolution that is important. One day a player maydecide to play solely at their desktop, the nextpurely through mobile or tablet and then via acombination of devices. It's the breadth of offerthat actually concentrates play. And it's the dedicatedenvironment, which forms the ultimate,over-arching branding experience across eachdevice, that holds the key to operators being ableto close the access loop to the player. "It's allabout maintaining the customer relationship andexperience with your brand," emphasises Mr.Liljevall. “Companies such as paf use dedicatedstaff and a totally branded environment to reinforcetheir brand message and cross-promotetheir whole range of offers to their players.Nevertheless, our ability to offer the right mix ofgeneric and dedicated tables – in volume and“Companies such as paf usededicated staff and a totallybranded environment toreinforce their brand messageand cross-promote their wholerange of offers to their players.”across the broadest range of devices – remainsvitally important. Our generic tables, which alsoinclude VIP tables available to all operators, stillaccount for a substantial proportion of our business.”There are both subtle and significant differencesbetween generic tables and dedicated tables withseveral variations of the service in-between.Any operator can use the generic tables, whichalthough shared by multiple operators, can stilloffer various branding options (see the Mr Greenexample later).If an operator wants to take the first step tobranding, a dedicated table on the main gamingfloor at the Riga studios can be considered andequally offers flexible options for operators who,perhaps, have a number of sub-brands. Operatorswith a minimum of three dedicated tables canchoose to have a complete dedicated environment– with more flexibility for branding and customisedservice delivery.The key point is that Evolution offers near limitlessflexibility for licensees, with various optionsand stepping stones towards a fully-fledged dedicatedenvironment.Mr Green is a case in point. This operator usesEvolution's London Roulette but with its own customisedMr Green blue-screen backdrop. On onelevel London Roulette is a generic table withnative speaking English dealers. Evolutionrecruited mature male, native speaking Englishdealers with land-based gaming experience fromacross the UK and then created an opulent casinoenvironment with blue-screen technology. Anylicensee can offer London Roulette and so enabletheir players to enjoy playing at the live tables insuch an environment.However, by dropping in its own blue-screenbackdrop, Mr Green has been able to personaliseand brand the London Roulette service as its own.William Hill, meanwhile, is an Evolution clientthat has taken full advantage of the scope ofEvolution’s dedicated environments by operatinga VIP hosted set-up. With its own dedicated studiowithin Evolution's studios in Riga, and VIPhosts to offer a unique service to its High Rollers –5 8
InteractiveevoLUTioN GamiNGjust as in a land-based casino – William Hill hascomplete control over the look and feel of theenvironment and is able to maintain close VIPrelationships with its customers. Indeed, the volumeof tables dedicated to William Hill in the Rigastudios matches the complete live table gamingoffering from some of Evolution's competitors andgives a clear picture of the size and scale of theEvolution business.Moving between the Alpha and Bravo studios inRiga gives an overview of the different environmentscreated by Evolution, from generic studios(which closely resemble a real casino environment)with standard outfits and layouts to veryspecific branded sets with dedicated tables andbackgrounds, which feel much more like a TVnewsroom, with closed-sets and staff uniformsand environments all branded and themed. Astage further are the VIP areas within these dedicatedstudios, where minimum bets are obviouslyhigher on the VIP tables, but there's also differentlighting, subtler colours and heightened dealerbehaviour. There's also a mix of human andmachine shuffling of cards within the studios,depending again on the operator preference.Finally, the completely blue-screen environmentof the Lottomatica service is different again, withpart of the broadcast going straight to a TV channelin Italy, and dedicated picture-in-picturetechnology giving the player access to a variety ofgaming options. The effect is to create an environmentthat feels like an Italian TV talk show withlive table gaming as its theme.ComPlEtE immErsionThe launch of Evolution Gaming's new ImmersiveRoulette is a game-changer for the live onlinetable gaming sector. The merging of HD televisionbroadcasting with live table gaming has to be seento be believed. It's unashamedly the coolest technologywe've seen in the online sector as multipledifferent camera angles and a constantly changingmix of 15-plus camera sequences, including slowmotionreplays, deliver a roulette experiencethat's the equivalent of watching a Formula Onerace or HD football broadcast on a massive HDTV. It's a dynamic, fun, visually varied experiencethat is certainly the closest that online gaming hascome to touching the land-based gaming experiencewhen it's enlarged to crystal clear clarity ona 65-inch, 16:9 ratio HD screen. ImmersiveRoulette also features an extended betting period,made possible by the completely random runningorder of camera sequences. This not only adds tothe drama and excitement of Immersive Roulettebut is also an important safeguard againstunscrupulous parties using special equipment tomonitor and predict the movement of the wheeland the ball. In terms of the betting window,whereas the dealer would usually state “No morebets” and then spin the wheel and ball, now thedealer can start the spin and let players continueto place their bets for several more seconds."Our vision behind Immersive Roulette is to createsomething new and completely different forour customers," explains Richard Hadida,Evolution Creative Director. "We are investing incutting-edge technology to create something thathas not been developed before." It's not thecheapest solution to create this level of HD andslow-motion multi-camera set-up, and with suchincredible detail comes the need for perfectionfrom the dealer and the table environment itself.Just as blu-ray has brought new life to the backcatalogue of films from the past, special-fx andmake-up from those times haven’t faired as well.An immaculate image demands an immaculateperformance in all areas!It's not only through technology that Evolution isevolving. New additions to the table gamesoffered include established proprietary table“We are seeking to create theland-based casino experienceonline and reach out to ourcustomers' customers to enablethem to enjoy the very bestexperience possible."games such as 3 Card Poker and multi-game solutionsthat enable players to simultaneously playseveral tables at the same time and incorporateside bets, such as Perfect Pairs, into the live gamingmix. It's another step towards the integrationand merging together of the online and landbasedgaming experience and another example ofthe completeness of the Evolution offer. "Ouroperational approach has been one of the keys toour success," states Mr. Liljevall. "We are seekingto create the land-based casino experience onlineand reach out to our customers' customers toenable them to enjoy the very best experiencepossible."it’s all aCadEmiCBy all rights the studios in Riga should be inchaos, but instead the hundreds and hundreds ofyoung dealers move in synchronised patternsfrom briefing rooms across corridors into studiosand back again with reassuring fluidity. If aHollywood studio set were run with the precisionof a military academy – that would be the closestexperience to the coordinated fluency ofEvolution's Riga enterprise. It's exactly like peekingbehind the clock face and watching the gearsmesh perfectly. Electronic displays on the studiofloor show exactly the shift patterns to be followedby the dealers, with bespoke softwarecoordinating exactly "where" and "when" everyoneshould be at every moment of the day.5 9
InteractiveevoLUTioN GamiNGYet at the same time Evolution prides itself on tailoringit products and services to the needs ofindividual licensees. As any creative person willtell you, structure and routine are vital to the creativeprocess. “Without such levels of organisationthe performance simply would not happen.”Indeed, the Riga studios are alive with 1,000-plusenergetic staff all extremely well-rehearsed in theperformance of live gaming, the skill of dealershipand the discipline to be part of an operation thathas all the mechanical moving parts of a realland-based casino, live studio and online gamingcustomer service environment. It's like watchingthe moving parts of a human clock, performingand engaging with an audience through bluescreentechnology, HD slow motion camera-workat over 200 frames per second, capturing everynuanced detail, and understanding each facet ofevery one of the combined elements intimately.It's deeply impressive.Risk-mitigation and security are formidably visiblethroughout the operation in Riga. The integrityof the gaming environment is the equivalent, oreven greater, to that of a land-based location. Theneed to ensure that every wheel is perfect, thathands are dealt correctly in a space that couldn'tbe more perfectly designed for card-trackers andthe wheel-clockers. And when you add a HDroulette feed into the mix the integrity of the gameyou deliver has to be immaculate. "When youcompare us to land-based and RNG-based environments,we need to be better than land-basedand provide greater integrity than the RNGworld," underlines Mr. Liljevall.Moving between studios you find a 'Walk of Fame'framing the faces of dozens of the current bestdealers; the average age is mid-twenties with 85per cent holding, or in the process of securing,higher degrees in education. The faces on the wallare part of the 25 per cent of Evolution dealingstaff who don't make a single mistake in anygiven month. It's an impressive figure given the"We are talking to regulators ineach of the States movingtowards regulating onlinegaming and have already gainedapproval in New Jersey.”850-plus dealers, with more than 120 of themspeaking in nine different native languages onsite.Head into the control centre, the technologicalbrain of Evolution's operation in Riga, and you'regreeted with a Nasa-like display wall featuringgraphical representations of every table in operation,depicting their condition and the number ofplayers currently online at each table. Additionalscreens show the status of the equipment, anyadditional security issues and CRM details.The latest studio built in Riga – studio numberthree – is under a state of constant expansion andso the new studio in Malta will help to providemuch needed space, adding 1,300sq.m. and up to afurther 50 tables to the mix. "Our decision to opena new studio in Malta has been driven by our needfor extra capacity and desire to further enhancesecurity and disaster recovery back-up. Ideally,we wanted to have a second facility on anothercontinent, but having seen Malta upgrade itsinfrastructure we are confident that it is the rightplace to site our international teams. It will alsohelp with recruitment and retention as not everyonetakes to the Latvian winters!"livE in amEriCa"We are talking to regulators in each of the Statesmoving towards regulating online gaming andhave already gained approval in New Jersey,"explains Helen Hedgeland, Head of Marketing, ofEvolution Gaming's focus on the US market. "Forthe last 12 months we have been working withregulators to help them from the perspective ofthe live online gaming offer. In fact, not only werewe successful in our New Jersey licence application,currently we believe we are the only livetables online gaming supplier to be approved bythe New Jersey regulators. In terms of the offer,there are several routes, including an individualoffer tailored for specific casinos, or a single studiocatering for everyone. The latter would bemore beneficial from a time-to-market perspective,but every operator is different, so we're discussingevery opportunity and eventuality."6 0
InteractiveevoLUTioN GamiNGEvolution Gaming is a company that's becomeproficient in exploiting new market opportunities.Its expansion into the Italian gaming marketrequired Evolution to place its own offices in Italy,a strategic decision and level of investment thathas proved to be hugely successful from a culturaland revenue perspective. Providing bespoke solutionshas become something of a USP for the companyand in moving into new markets to addingnew games, technology and expanding studios,Evolution continues to drive its business forward.Asked why Evolution Gaming has not diversifiedaway from its specialist subject into providing acomplete online gaming suite of products,Hedgeland leaves the door open for such a developmentin the future, but adds: "To date ourabsolute focus has been on being the best at providinglive table online gaming, rather than beinga jack-of-all-trades provider of an average suiteof products, which may ultimately be an easierchoice for the operator, but would disappoint fromthe player perspective. Several of our customershave up to three live table gaming suppliers providingservices to their sites, but we know that wecontinue to outperform all our rivals. We coulddeliver a smorgasbord of products, but believethat our carefully planned move into mobile is a“We're looking to expand ourmarkets to include NorthAmerica. Our first-moveradvantage in New Jersey willhelp us adapt our products tothe market and take a leadingposition from the outset.”much more advantageous solution. All our tablesare accessible through our mobile platform,allowing players to play on any table across multipledevices. That's the kind of product developmentthat we're interested in providing to ourcustomers."During the formation of Evolution Gaming, thefounders initially sought to create an Asiafocusedbusiness, but changed tack, understandingthat while the unregulated Asian market wasover-supplied, a European-based company providinghigh quality services to regulated marketswas, in 2006, unique. Asia remains off the agendafor Evolution at present, but North America is fullsteamahead with a complete product roadmapand discussions underway with some of thelargest land-based providers in the US marketongoing. "Our focus for the next period of timewill see the roll-out of our mobile solutions with aview to becoming the leader in this live dealersegment," said Hedgeland. "At the same timewe're looking to expand our markets to includeNorth America, both the US and Canada. Ourfirst-mover advantage in New Jersey will certainlyhelp us adapt our products to the market andtake a leading position from the outset. Doublezero American roulette is a new product andwe've been re-writing the software to accommodatethe change and to integrate tipping functionalityfor the dealers."Exactly where the physical environment wouldneed to be sited has not yet been determined,whether it be a dedicated studio or glass-walledenvironment on the gaming floor of an existingland-based casino – all the options are beingexplored right now. At the same time Europeremains a market of opportunities for Evolution,with Holland, Greece, the Czech Republic andSwitzerland all part of the roadmap for the futureand part of a considered, strategic plan. Like theworkings of a clock – it's all just a matter of time.6 1
InteractiveiGT iNTeRacTiveLetting the players play –wherever and whenever they wantleigh nissim, igT commercial director of interactive, speaks to g3 about hiscompany’s strategy of providing the same content across all platforms.What is the importance of providing cross-platformcontent, from an operators’ perspective?It is more than important – it’s vital for operatorsto provide cross-platform content. There are verysound commercial reasons to say this and somesensible, practical ones too but, ultimately –whether it’s land, online, social or mobile – peoplesimply want to consume the same games whereverthey are.Let’s start with mobile. Our partners are typicallyreporting a minimum of 30 per cent additionalrevenue growth via mobile – some much higher.In a competitive market such as the UK, an operatorsimply can’t afford to overlook this level ofpotential revenue and customer generation.Cleopatra makes for a very interesting case study.After hitting land casinos all over the world in2001 Cleopatra soon became a top performer andhas remained so ever since. The game waslaunched online five years later and has been arunaway success. The figures are astronomical. Ithas recorded more than 600 million cash transactions,passed the 2.5 million hour-mark of totalcash play and paid out over £800m. Then there’smobile. The iPhone native app has been downloadedthousands of times since it came out inAugust 2009. J2ME and smartphone launchessoon followed and the game runs at more thanthree wagering transactions per second. That’s alot of spins.Or take one of our star games from land-basedcasinos, for example, Golden Goddess – a top performerworld-wide – has just launched online andhas gone straight to the top of our games list for allmetrics. Another example of cross-platform contentproving to be successful.The point is that great games are great games. Wemake sure that they are tailored to specific platformsand devices, which enables our partners tomaximise performance and yield. No other majormanufacturer can match our level of coverage.Smartphones have penetrated the market to thepoint of ubiquity and then there are tablets, whichhave added a whole new dimension.Technology researcher IDC predicts tablet sales,at 84.1 million units, will have outstripped thoseof personal computers, at 83.1 million, during thefourth quarter of 2013. While these figures reflecta seasonal fluctuation because of the Christmasmarket, a permanent PC-tablet switch is expectedto happen by as soon as 2015.Another important consideration is that a strongcross channel presence also makes marketing toplayers a far easier, not to mention more fruitful,task for operators.When catering for different platforms, how is itpossible to ensure a consistent level of quality?It takes a lot of commitment – of time, effort andresources – and you have to be dedicated to theend goal right from the outset. All of our developerswork across all channels in order to guaranteethe consistency of player experience, whetherthat’s on land, online, on mobile, on tablet or onsocial. That means ensuring the quality is identical,that the game mechanics are spot on, and thatthey are tried and tested to the limit.Across the company, our budgets for research anddevelopment runs into hundreds of millions ofdollars – we obviously benefit from this withinInteractive, providing resources and expertisethat our competitors don’t have access too.As well as staying ahead of the curve when itcomes to innovation, we also do our best toensure that players can reach our content.Multiple operating systems, upgrades, newdevices – these all provide opportunities andchallenges, so we have to be nimble to adjust,plan and react accordingly, to protect the playingexperience. Again, not all suppliers are set-up toachieve this across an ever-changing landscape.Similarly, when your product is targeted at differentplayers in a range of languages and territories,how do you create a universal appeal?Leigh Nissim,Commerical Director ofinteractive, iGt“talking about tablets nowreminds me of the earlybuzz and excitementaround mobile a few yearsago as smartphones werereally beginning to take off.Some of the things you cando with tablets are just jawdroppingand it is no wonderthat players absolutely lovethem with their increasedscreen size, richer graphics,advanced animation andsuper quick downloads.”6 2
InteractiveiGT iNTeRacTiveThere’s an awful lot that you can, and need, to doin order to make a product universally appealing.We call it ‘market attuned content’. It benefitseven the most popular titles. Adapting to a localaudience can make the difference between failureand success – and the difference between adecent success and a great success. We consider anumber of aspects as part of this. For instance,what are the player preferences in a particularcountry? How do we need to vary the mathvolatility? Do the themes work; what can we do tomake them more engaging for this particularaudience? Is the title popular in the local casinos?Ultimately, there will be certain games that don’tcompletely break down national boundaries.However, the benefit of working with a globalsupplier with a proven track record is that theyknow which games work in which regions andwill help create the optimum operator portfolio.You shouldn’t force a game into a market – if thefeedback is telling you that it doesn’t work as wellin say, Italy, as it does in Canada, then there is areason for it. For example, we recently releasedShe’s a Rich Girl in Europe and Canada. The titleknocked the ball out of the park in Canada; it waspopular in local Canadian casinos, breeding aloyal following and game brand recognition,whilst its performance in Europe did not demonstratethe same levels of gameplay. This is a clearcase of locally attuned content.And talking specifically about the tablet market,what opportunities are there here and how big doyou think it has the potential to be versus mobileand desktop?Talking about tablets now reminds me of theearly buzz and excitement around mobile a fewyears ago as smartphones were really beginningto take off. Some of the things you can do withtablets are just jaw-dropping and it is no wonderthat players absolutely love them with theirincreased screen size, richer graphics, advancedanimation and super quick downloads. I’m constantlyreminded of this when at home in front ofthe TV – my wife is playing games on her iPadand the kids are too – if I let them! Wi-Fi and aricher playing experience will drive this market,as will liquidity and product improvements suchas with bingo and poker. Why lock yourself to aPC in the office when you can play on the sofa?To satisfy demand and meet expectation the contentmust be optimised to the device. At IGT weare taking a dual approach. The first part is toensure that our game consoles, the wrappersaround the games, are optimised for tablet displayand usage, with the second firmly getting behind6 3
InteractiveiGT iNTeRacTivethe tablet market with the launch of tablet-specificRoulette and Blackjack games. They maximisethe device’s power and unique assets. Thenext stage is getting content to the player quickerand we will soon be achieving this by launchinggames concurrently across desktop, mobile andtablet.Why do you think branded content works so wellacross multiple platforms?By its very nature, branded content is moreexpensive. The cost factor of getting the license inthe first place and then satisfying the licensee’scriteria is not cheap or easy – nor should it be.Given this initial level of investment you have tofollow up on it and produce a game that lives up tothe reputation of the brand. If you don’t then theyield will fail to justify the outlay. Then there arethe trust and the marketing benefits. What betterseal of approval, for example, than the officialGhostbusters, Monopoly or Transformers stamp?So, in summary, we try and invest in a name andbuild the best games possible to do justice to thebrand, its license and players’ expectations ofgames like these.The fundamental rule is that branded contentshould sit alongside and be supported by original,in-house, IGT-developed titles. We use ourdecades of experience to present the perfect marriageof blockbuster branded games and IGT playerfavourites.What exactly is today’s mobile and tablet playerlooking for from their games?You might think that mobile and tablet players areone and the same, but they are not. Sure, there arecertain overlaps, but there are a number of keydistinctions.Mobile has been driven by pre-match and in-playsports betting, so speed and easy consumption is afactor, while for certain verticals, tablets provideeven richer gameplay with additional features,with poker perhaps being a good example.However, it’s not simple to categorise the channel– you have to also consider the game type andplayer entertainment values.Currently, it is fair to say that there is some discrepancybetween disposable income of the averagetablet and mobile player. But then it doesn’talways suit a player to play on tablet versusmobile. Or vice versa. Besides, not everyone has atablet at the moment. There are a number ofdemographics to consider. The subtle differencesare why the market is continuing to develop.As we reach the end of 2013, tell us a little aboutIGT Interactive’s plans for next year.This year has been a transformative one for IGTInteractive. An incredible amount of work hastaken place across the company to ensure that wecontinue to lead the gaming world and remain atthe cutting edge of entertainment and technology.We laid down our marker when unveiling ourbold new brand positioning at G2E in September.It says everything about our outlook and objectivesand the feedback has been overwhelminglypositive.A lot has happened behind the scenes at IGTInteractive during 2013 and our partners and theirplayers will benefit from this massively next year.We’ve adjusted legacy arrangements for gamedistribution, making sweeping structuralupgrades by moving partners to IGT Casino rgsacross desktop and mobile in order to providethem with more premium content. With theseeven stronger foundations in place we are strivingfor improved performance and higher yields forour partners.Following our launches in Italy, Canada andBelgium in 2013, our drive to be the supplier ofchoice in regulated markets will continue in 2014,with the launch of New Jersey, which we’re veryexcited about. Spain is committed to regulatingslots, so we’re planning our strategy for that markettoo. We are set to continue our progress inCanada, Italy, Belgium and Denmark as well, withthe launch of mobile, more games and someinteresting marketing features around our games.And we’ll go even further. We are aiming toincrease our game volumes, launching titlessimultaneously across channels where possible.We already provide unrivalled support to ourpartners but we will be taking this to the nextlevel with further focus on our capabilities in thisarea.In terms of the industry as a whole, what trendsdo you expect to develop?Mobile is the topic that has dominated conversationin the interactive space for a while now but,for the operators that truly crack mobile, thenumbers will be stunning in 2014 as other verticalsbegin to get closer to the performance levelsof sports betting.In the United Kingdom, the Point of ConsumptionTax is going to create many openings and challengesin equal measure. It is likely to facilitatesome structural change and most likely a certainlevel of consolidation. Further regulation, particularlyin Europe and North America, is incrediblyexciting as markets open.There is so much in front of IGT and our industryas a whole. We are well positioned and determinedto capitalise on these opportunities for thebenefit of our customers and the players whoenjoy our games.6 4
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