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December 5 – December 11, 2014 • No. 2397 • www.coinslot.co.uk

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Industry news Seaside amusements Content Feature Latest Machine Charts B2B Listings Classified ads and opps Comment & Analysis Newsweek

There is a palpable change of mood amongst the membership.

Members who left are coming back. A clear strategy is emerging which will help us keep focus on the things we need to do...

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About the report HIGHLIGHTS

The RGT’s report consists of seven documents: Report 1 - Theoretical markers of harm for machine play in a bookmaker’s: a rapid scoping review.

Report 2 - Identifying problem gambling: findings from a survey of loyalty card customers.

Report 3 - Using industry data to identify gambling related harm.

Patterns Of Play: analysis of data from machines in bookmakers.

Understanding of Return to Player messages: findings from user testing.

The role of stake size in loss of control in within-session gambling.

Changes in machine gambling behaviour: headline findings from a follow-up study of

participants to the Health Survey for England 2012, Scottish Health Survey 2012 and the British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2010.

The report states: “The behaviours of problem and nonproblem gamblers overlap.

Perfect prediction of problem gambling is impossible, however, problematic behaviours can be distinguished. Trade-offs will need to be made: policy makers and industry must accept that to intervene with problem gamblers you are likely to also intervene with some non-problem gamblers.” Meanwhile, the coinop sector will not be surprised to hear that, as part of the ‘Patterns Of Play’ section, the report states: “B2 games were the most popular. 73 per cent of all bets

Beacon breaks world record in BINGO

With an unparalleled jackpot award of £100,000, Beacon Bingo in Cricklewood has forged new ground in bingo prize history - and a place in the Guinness Book of Records. largest bingo venue in broke new ground TagainheEurope this weekend, with the unprecedented award of £100,000 to one lucky player for a single game of bingo.

Sunday evening saw over 2,000 hopefuls descend on Beacon Bingo on Cricklewood Broadway in north London for its ‘Colossus’ event, where they were treated to refreshments and live entertainment throughout the evening, with several smaller prize amounts of £10,000 and £1,000 also up for grabs.

A deathly silence descended upon the capacity hall as the final, grand-jackpot game was called.

The still was broken suddenly by the ecstatic cry of the triumphant player, Shiban Binaku, accompanied by the cheers of his fellow players amid the pop of confetti-bombs.

“I just cannot believe that I have won it, I still feel like I am

dreaming,” claimed Binaku.

“I have family here in London and in Kosovo and it’s hard sometimes as they struggle for extra money.” He added: “It’s nice to know that I can help and I can treat them at Christmas and in the New Year, they really deserve it.”

Beacon’s marketing manager Phil Gibbs claimed Binaku’s win was well deserved.“He’s a local guy who regularly plays down there with his friends, and the icing on the cake was that he’d just had a baby boy the night before.”

The size of this single-game prize-win is a first for the bingo sector: as such Binaku is now eligible for recognition as the holder of a Guinness World Record.Throughout the evening, the total amount awarded by the club was £160,000.

Part of the Praesepe group, Beacon Bingo operates nine bingo clubs nationwide. Gibbs is emphatic about the prestige gar-

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4 December 5 - December 11, 2014 • No. 2397 • www.coinslot.co.uk

RGT makes distinction between problem and non-problem gambling REPORT

were on a B2 games and roulette was the most popular type of B2 game. The popularity of B2 games increased throughout the day and by 10pm over 81 per cent of sessions were B2 games only.”

And finally, the ‘Changes in machine gambling behaviour’ section states: “Machine gambling behaviour is clearly dynamic and changes over time,

with people starting, stopping and switching machine gambling. This means there is a likely to be a diverse range of experiences among machine players at any given time. Responsible gambling interventions and communications should reflect this diversity and reach as many different types of people as possible.”

ecord in £100,000 jackpot prize

nered in awarding such impressive prizes.“It sets another milestone in bingo history for Beacon,” he said.“There’s simply no other club in Europe which can boast that they paid out £160,000 pounds in a single night.”

The Cricklewood club made a fitting setting for the historic win:“Colossus” represented the second big-giveaway night since the club’s extensive £500,000 refurbishment completed in August.

“The investment has allowed

us to offer our customers an experience unlike anywhere else,” remarked Steve Lightfoot, general manager of the venue.

“That’s thanks to the addition of top-of-the-range games, new décor and high quality facilities.”

For Lightfoot, the fallout of such a historic win is a spotlight on the binding function the club fulfils for the locality: “Bingo plays such an important and positive role in bringing local communities together - and I am in no doubt that this event will equally do just that.”

Ground-breaking research commissioned by the Responsible Gambling Trust has distinguished between problem and non-problem play on gaming machines. he RGT, a national charity committed to minimising problem gambling and gambling-related harm in Britain through effective education and prevention techniques, has published worldleading and independently conducted research into gaming machines in licensed betting offices that shows it is possible to distinguish between problem and non-problem gambling behaviour.

The programme of research was commissioned by the Responsible Gambling Trust to build the knowledge base available to identify harmful machine play and to understand what measures might limit harmful play without impacting on those who do not exhibit harmful behaviours.

The research has been conducted independently by leading experts in gambling behaviour and social research, and reviewed by a panel of international academics to ensure it meets the standards expected of high quality academic research.The findings of the research have been provided to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Gambling Commission to inform policy decisions they may wish to make with regard to these machines.The findings will be presented to the industry at the Responsible Gambling Trust’s annual ‘harm minimisation’ conference on 10 December.

Marc Etches,chief executive of the Responsible Gambling Trust, said: “This research speaks for itself.The government,the gambling regulator and the industry all asked us to provide wholly independent research using industry-held data to help inform policy decisions and we have delivered a ground-breaking set of

T

papers in just ten months.When we started this programme there was no credible research into gaming machines in LBOs. Our understanding of these machines and the way people use them is now greatly enhanced.”

He continued:“The bookmaking industry deserves credit for opening itself up to scrutiny. We hope that everyone will consider carefully how the findings of this ground-breaking research can be used to help all gamblers to make better informed decisions and, in particular, to protect those that are vulnerable to gamblingrelated harm.”

Neil Goulden, chairman of the Responsible Gambling Trust, said: “The researchers have shown that it is possible to distinguish between problem and non-problem gaming machine play,and they have provided

many important insights about player behaviour.This research has huge potential to inform the industry’s approach to minimising gambling-related harm and we strongly urge the industry to make every effort to improve how problem behaviour is more effectively monitored and managed in the future.”

ProfessorAlex Blaszczynski,chairman of the independent review panel, said:“It is important to highlight the substantive and world-leading contribution to our understanding of problem gambling made by this research.This programme represents the first collaborative endeavour between multiple industry operators and independent researchers. It is of outstanding significance.”

The research is published online at www.responsible gamblingtrust.org.uk.

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BACTA CONVENTION 2014 There was a spring to BACTA’s step this year as the industry gathered for its AGM. The trade association showed a sign o its voice must be heard. And why not? The noises coming out of the London assembly were the most positive for many yea

Graf looks forward to continued collaboration

Sensible legislation can unleash creativity and innovation PRESIDENT’S SPEECH

ACTA president Steve Hawkins believes that by working together with the government and the Gambling Commission the coin-op sector’s creative potential can be realised. He told delegates at last week’s annual conference:“We will need help from our regulators and from our government, and with that help the creative power of our industry to deliver fun, gambling or otherwise, will be unleashed. More players, more machines,more venues, more fun, all means prosperous businesses with more jobs and more tax receipts for the government.”

He continued: “Our high street members have particular issues to address.At the seaside we have to ensure that this essential part of the Great British holiday is not constrained by unnecessary red tape or silly taxation. Many of these businesses are dealing not just with machine regulation, but health and safety, food safety, etc.Whilst many of these measures are perfectly sensible they all come with a cost and sensible regulation is a must.

“Turning to operators in Division 2, I know from my own business just how hard it is. Our principal market,the pub, has continued to disappear from villages, towns and cities across the country.

Clubs have suffered too.Many have closed as well and machines have lost players to the bookies.

“I believe the operating side of the business has got to have a serious conversation with the pub and club sector

B

about how it goes about stimulating the market.We are in partnership, one of our new BACTA values,and we need to prove it by a collective approach to addressing a common problem. There is scope. Machine penetration in pubs is down to 1.2 machines per site and SWPs number around only 15,000.

Given each liquor licence has an automatic entitlement to two gaming machines this is a shockingly low number.

“Healthy markets help our manufacturers. Creativity needs to be unleashed by sensible regulation and positive intervention, but we also need the value chain to feed back the money necessary for innovation, research and development.

“More players are out there.We know that.We have to give them what they want.

Whilst increased fun, great places to be and a social responsible industry are all part of the persuasive case to make to these players, we have actually got to get out there and tell them.”

Hawkins concluded: “There is a palpable change of mood amongst the membership. Members who left are coming back.A clear strategy is emerging which will help us keep focus on the things we need to do.”

GAMBLING COMMISSION

to delegates at the recent BACTA conference, Gambling Commission chairSmanpeaking Philip Graf spoke of how he is looking forward to further collaborative work with the coin-op sector’s trade body. Graf also warned that industry stakeholders would be wise to serve their players’ better interests as much as those of their shareholders.

Graf stated: “Gambling is recognised by government as a mainstream leisure activity.

It provides safe enjoyment for millions, jobs for many thousands and a significant contribution to the economy from which the country as a whole benefits.

“However, public tolerance for gambling, and any growth in gambling, is likely to be sustained only by ensuring, as far as possible, that commercial success is built on the ‘good’ money coming from consumers choosing to tion to our income stream and spend their leisure time and money on gamoffset some of the commercial bling and not from ‘bad’ or financially risky pressure we are under. money, coming from those who have difficulty “The gaming machine part of controlling their gambling, or from criminals or the amusement machine industry the black economy. is restricted in what it can charge “I will continue to beat the drum about the customer like no other indus- player protection and the major part that try I know.That means that every operators play here - from knowing when and time the Bank of England pats itself how to intervene with individual customers to on the back because inflation has preventing underage gambling and implehit the 2 per cent target, my mem- menting effective self-exclusion. bers are going,‘That’s another 2 per “We expect all licensed operators to not cent off the bottom line’. just comply with licence conditions and “If we haven’t had a price codes - that is the bare minimum - but to be increase on a particular machine able to demonstrate that social responsibility say over two triennial reviews,the is a key component of their business. And cumulative effect of inflation that looking after players is as important to even at 2 per cent is basically the Board or partners of an organisation, as wiping out any margin we are still looking after their shareholders. clinging on to. Secondly, for many “This means that the whole gambling members who can’t recover VAT, industry needs to work more closely together they get a 20 per cent added hit to to deliver the licensing objectives rather than, every cost.These facts they need as has happened previously, different sectors to be recognised.The £1 coin is having a go at each other.” changing in 2017 to look someGraf concluded: “From early discussions thing like the old thrupenny bit. with the new BACTA leadership, we mutually The cost to the industry will be recognise the value of tens of millions of pounds and no working together on compensation. In our case, the improving player proteccost won’t end up being passed tion. There is a renewed on to the consumer. buzz around BACTA and “I will be writing to the Chan- we at the Commission cellor shortly to point this out to look forward to working him and to suggest that an appro- with John White and his priate reduction in MGD ought to colleagues collaborabe made to offset the albeit unin- tively over the tended impact on our sector.” coming years.”

White calls on industry to attract new players CEO ADDRESS

s part of John White’s wideranging address to BACTA A members and guests last week, the trade body’s CEO focussed on the need to attract new players to coin-op entertainment. He explained: “What I see in our industry particularly is a very narrow focus on an existing market. We are all rightly concerned about the player and their experience of the machine whether in the pub,AGC or FEC. We should and do spend a lot of time thinking about this player they are after all our core customer.”

White added:“But if we count the players that have played in the past seven days they only represent 2 per cent of the population and only 13 per cent of the population have played a machine in the past 12 months - no doubt a good chunk of that on a seaside holiday.And they are getting older.

“I have not heard anyone yet speak to me about the 98 per cent of the population that don’t play machines regularly or the 87 per cent that don’t play them at all.

Isn’t this a market we should be looking to understand?

“If we could just persuade a small percentage of this bigger market to enjoy our offer this would make a very helpful addi-

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INDUSTRY AMUSEMENTS LEISURE B2B COMMENT NEWSWEEK REPORT It’s all about content which is why the kep players are upping their game to deliver the best games. 13

wed a sign of purpose and steely determination that or many years; BACTA has found its mojo again.

FROM LEFT: TONY BOULTON, JASON FROST, MARC ETCHES (RGT), MATTHEW HILL (GAMBLING COMMISSION) AND STEVE HAWKINS DISCUSS THE INDUSTRY’S FUTURE AT A Q&A SESSION DURING LAST WEEK’S BACTA CONVENTION

Silver underlines commitment to player protection COMPLIANCE

BACTA’s head of compliance Phil Silver announced a number of new initiatives and publications at last week’s annual conference, along with a new strategy of making the trade body’s activities regarding ‘safe’ gambling more visible.

hil Silver gave an impassioned speech to delegates at BACTA’s annual conference last week, stating that while the trade association was proud of its efforts in terms of compliance, player protection and transparency, the body,with help from the government, the Gambling Commission and internal commitment it could make UK soft gambling even safer.

Silver stated: “BACTA should be proud to remind doubters that our pedigree of involvement in shaping social responsible awareness and best practice is highly regarded. We are proud of this reputation and we will strive to ensure that our already high standards continue to rise.

“Out of control gamblers do not remain customers for long. Preventative measures for persons with gambling disorders or showing potential for becoming so is beneficial not only for the gambler but also to those operating gambling venues.”

Silver added:“The British amusement industry has a long history of serving its customers and we are committed to ensuring that the public, the government and the Gambling Commission have confidence in the way we conduct our business.

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“The best way to secure that confidence is to demonstrate that we embrace the spirit as well as the letter of the 2005 Gambling Act.To this end, and to promote trust, we are committed to doing more than the minimum required by law to promote responsible gambling.”

BACTA is committed to increasing the visibility of the ways in which it puts in place social responsibility and demonstrates its effectiveness. The trade body’s toolkit has been amended taking into account recent changes to the LCCP, slimmed down and made more user-friendly.

Silver continued:“Today we are launching the publication of a training workbook designed for members of staff who interface with customers in AGCs and licensed FECs.The training book will be made available to every member of staff employed by members who operate age restricted premises. It is essential that we offer the facility of ensuring that the training content has been implemented.To this end we will continue with our evaluation audits.”

Silver reminded delegates: “BACTA has continually adapted and revised its age verification protocol and methodology in line

with the Commission’s thinking and we meet regularly with the regulator to review progress made.

“We recognise that there is a discrepancy between BACTA’s pass rate and a lower rate recorded by local authorities and the Commission undertaking age verification tests using under 18 year olds.

“We also recognise that this is one area where we have to improve our performance so as to protect the vulnerable and to assist in generating trust.”

In order to achieve this aim, BACTA is committed to exploring three areas: • To further revise its protocol so as to minimise the variables identified.

•To undertake qualitative research in an endeavour to understand the extent to which children and young people frequent AGCs and adult areas.

• To maximise the importance of members training their staff and constantly monitoring the effectiveness of such training.

Silver concluded: “I am pleased to announce that BACTA has begun the process of seeking independent accreditation through the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) for our age verification testing regime.”

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RLMS flies into the Vortex with ticket redemption launch

Upbeat Project have high hopes for TiTO CATEGORY B3

Project are preparing to embrace the TiTO powered future, with the company’s first ‘ticket in ticket out’ machine about to make waves on the high street.

REDEMPTION

Distributor RLMS Sales is stepping out with a new venture for 2015 with the launch of the F5 Vortex, a new ticket redemption booth that it has been working on throughout 2014, in conjunction with the product’s designer, Marcus Sheehan.

LMS Sales,a name that has become synonymous with the supply of gaming machines, is set to move into the world of redemption in 2015.

MD Phil Boulton told Coinslot: “We’ve worked with Marcus Sheehan and Birthday Blaster for the past couple of years.We salivated at the prospect of a coinop Vortex and Marcus and his team have come up with a fantastic product with a unique way of handling the prize tickets.We have been trialling it since April on high profile sites and it really has proven to be a hit with both the paying public and site operators. It’s ticket redemption with a difference, falling into the

R

‘experience’ category, allowing a £2 price of play,with customers leaving the booth feeling exhilarated and with redemption tickets as their prize. Based on this successful test period, we have committed to the first build with its official launch at EAG 2015.”

Boulton added: “The F5 Vortex is for any venue which has a ticket redemption offering as part of its portfolio of amusement machines. Our target markets are holiday parks, FECs and bowling alley operators. F5 Vortex will add to their existing offering yet with the confidence that there is nothing quite like this! “ There were initially four machines built which have been

tested with national operators in a variety of venues including bowling alleys and holiday parks throughout the summer and an FEC on the south coast.

Boulton continued:“We were delighted with the response from players which fed through to really good cashboxes offering a fantastic ROI.We learned a lot from the trials and Marcus has improved the production model, making tweaks where necessary.

There is nothing else like this on the market.

“As with all products, there’s a material supply chain.So Marcus and Birthday Blaster are behind the concept and product design and, given the fact that we are part of Bell-Fruit Group, it made

absolute sense that Bell-Fruit got involved and are adding value on the engineering and assembly.

This will result in a quality assured product, as is the case with all products that leave the Nottingham factory.

RLMS will show the new machine for the first time at EAG 2015 and the first production models should be available from mid-February, as this is when some of the larger holiday park operators plan their new machine installations ahead of Easter.

He explained: “We have already taken pre-orders on the F5 and that’s before any prelaunch which is kicking off now.”

Cronin identifies Ireland as potential coin-op gold mine

LEGISLATION

t the recent BACTA annual conference, Lucy Cronin, forA merly of Euromat and now of

land, the Gambling Bill is due for publication in early 2015, but enactment is not expected until international business commu- 2016.”

The new Gambling Bill,which nications consultancy Instinctif Partners, spoke of how domes- will replace Ireland’s outdated tic coin-op stakeholders should legislation which dates back to take advantage of Britain’s the Gaming and Lotteries Act involvement in the EU, with par- 1956, stipulates that operators of gaming machines will require ticular reference to Ireland.

Cronin told delegates:“In Ire- a licence. Furthermore, its main

provisions will bring in different categories of licences and requirements for gaming arcades (open to adults only) and amusement centres. For casinos, meanwhile, a limited number of gaming machines will be allowed, a figure which is currently pegged at 25 per location.

Cronin explained: “The ‘restriction’ of gaming machines presents a commercial opportunity: where quality can be provided and compliance assured, market share will be found.”

Currently, there are 1,672 machines licenced with the revenue commissioners in Ireland.

Cronin added that‘as a very conservative estimate’ a further 30 per cent unregistered machines exist in the marketplace, due to the fact that there is no meaningful enforcement.

Ireland currently only has one or two main distributors, there-

fore there is very little competition, and the actual machines on site are ‘significantly older’ than those in the UK. Cronin added:“Ireland is a relatively small market, of four million people, but it is underdeveloped and new revenue streams are to be had when the new legislation comes into being.”

In addition to the opportunities that updated gambling laws could bring to UK manufacturers and distributors in Ireland, Cronin pointed to the fact that there are a further ten jurisdictions in mainland Europe, all of which are EU members, currently undergoing updates to their specific gambling laws.

Highlighting the EU notification procedure, she concluded: “There are market opportunities across the EU for UK-based manufacturers and distributors, so it pays to get to know your MEP.”

roject has completed the development work on its first TiTO Penabled machine and has confirmed that it is now going live with a number of customers. The news comes less than two months after the TiTO enabled eight game compendium, Fortune Hunter 500, was unveiled at the Autumn Coin-Op Show (ACOS).

Commenting on the initiative Project managing director Tony Boulton said: “We showed the TiTO enabled Fortune Hunter 500 at ACOS in October and have been busy in the interim making final adjustments to what is an extremely important and much awaited initiative for the low stake gaming sector in the UK. Wherever TiTO has been introduced it has been a resounding success and in 2015 I believe the majority of industry wide B3 sales will be on TiTO.” He added: “We are keen to see the benefits of what should be a significant reduction in fraud and a maximisation of machine uptime, both of which will enhance profitability for our customers. Players will be aware of TiTO through exposure to it in LBOs - as well as the majority of casinos - which suggests there will be a high degree of acceptance when it’s rolled out on the high street. The research that has been undertaken suggests strongly that TiTo will deliver a positive player experience measured in convenience, privacy of payout and portability of winnings. We believe TiTO represents a major landmark for UK low stake gaming and one which will provide an important fillip to the business.”

Operators have the flexibility to purchase Fortune Hunter 500, either in a conventional format with note acceptor and recycler or TiTO enabled. The ‘ticket in ticket out’ configuration comes with a smart unit with operators purchasing a £199 ticket cassette when they are ready to run TiTO.

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Haley disappointed with PPL licence uptake

Is the future of FOBTs in doubt?

REGULATION

For AGC operators, they deliver bookies with an unviable competitive advantage. But with serious social implications at stake, new plans to restrict wage limits on fixed odds betting terminals are gathering momentum. hares in bothWilliam Hill and Ladbrokes took a hit this week as plans to drastically reduce the current stake-limit of fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) were revealed by The Independent.

The opposition campaign, headed by Newham Council in east London,comprises of 80 collected local authorities seeking to redress social disruption caused by the machines which have been targeted for heavy fire by gamblingaddiction support groups.

Both companies suffered a 5.6 per cent drop in share price at the announcement, coming as it does at the closing end of what has already been a challenging year for betting shops, which earlier this year saw the announce-

S

ment that an imminent hike up to 25 per cent of MGD will apply to FOBT terminals from 2015 onward.

Under current legislation, at maximum rate,users are able - although in the majority unlikely - to stake up to £100 for every twenty seconds of play. Although the empirical evidence has failed to provide a smoking gun, critics continue to link this figure to increased rates of gambling addiction, money laundering, as well as violence and abusive behaviour towards staff within betting shop environments. Geographic distribution of shops has also been cited as an aspect of elevated concern.

“There are more than twice as many betting shops in the most deprived areas

compared to the least deprived,”Adrian Parkinson told The Independent.

Parkinson, who heads The Campaign for Fairer Gambling which has driven the current effort towards regulatory change, has certainly won the PR battle on this matter, albeit with rather more emotion than hard core analysis and research.

However, it’s a line that has clearly proved alluring to vote hungry local politicians, as he indicated:“With fixed odds betting terminals causing real social harm in those communities it is no wonder that councils across the country are mobilising against the government’s inaction on this issue.”

If successful, new legislation would restrict maximum stake to £2 per spin - a

OPERATORS

ransfield’s Chris Haley, BACTA’s diviD sion two chairman, has move which would hollow out the estimated £40bn waged annually on the machines.

With an election looming, the Labour party was quick to add comment on the new proposals.“Local authorities must be empowered to deal with the clustering of betting shops and FOBTs,” shadow gaming minister Clive Efford MP told the newspaper. “Labour will ensure councils can reduce the number of, or remove, FOBTs in betting shops if local people perceive a problem in their area.”

Whilst the Gambling Commission officially has no comment on the issue, in contrast to the proposed restrictions, previous indicators have actually suggested

a preference towards increased deregulation of FOBT spin rates.“We need to shift the focus away from blanket controls such as limits on machine stake and prizes and machine numbers,” director of regulatory risk and analysis Matthew Hill told the think-tank Policy Exchange earlier this year, “and tailor it more closely to individual gamblers.”

The debate continues, as do the stakes - not on the machines, however, but in the ballot box. Hard talk means votes, and in Newham, probably among the worst run councils in Britain, it can be argued that there’s nothing better than an easy target to steer attention away from its other high profile social issues.

expressed his disappointment with the relative lack of pubs paying for a PPL licence. In his annual chairman’s report at last week’s AGM, he told industry stakeholders: “It is estimated that around half of pubs do not have PPL licences. This means effectively that those pubs that do, and the operators that supply them with music, are subsidising the sector out of their hard-to-earn profits.”

He continued: “The situation has worsened with the widespread use of tablet devices and streaming services in pubs. Many publi-

BFG’s Goldsbury shortlisted for photography award AWARDS

or the second year running, Bell-Fruit Games Fassembler Barry Goldsbury has been shortlisted in the Amateur category for the prestigious EEF Make it Britain Photography Competition. On this occasion it was his striking image titled ‘Inside the Fruit Machines’ that captured the judges’ attention.

A relative newcomer to competitive photography, Goldsbury is now looking forward with anticipation to the awards ceremony at the House of Commons on December 11,where he will be accompanied by BFG operations director John Lowton. In last year’s EEF competition, he made the shortlist for his stunning shot of reel bands on the BFG production line.

He commented:“This is only the second photography competition I’ve entered, but again I’ve managed to achieve shortlist status. I’m all the more delighted considering some of the incredibly strong competition I’m up against and I’m thrilled to be attending the finals in London.”

Lowton added:“We’re fortunate to have a wealth of talented people working with us here at Bell-Fruit Games people who bring lots of different skill sets to producing the very best games. Barry’s eye for detail and his ability to capture such remarkable images have earned him a rightful place on the EEF shortlist and we’re very proud that he’s succeeded in doing so for the second year running.”

cans do not realise that they still need appropriate licensing.”

In terms of BACTA’s stance, Haley revealed that the trade body had a ‘very positive’ meeting with PPL recently.

He explained: “In particular it was noted that they are looking at 12 monthly direct debits and highlighted that four monthly direct debits are currently available. There is a 33.3 per cent discount for paying up front.”

BACTA, confirmed Haley, will be ‘very engaged’ with the PPL going forward.

2397-p10-Amusements_Coinslot NEW 02/12/2014 13:03 Page 1

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East Riding arcades given good practice accreditation AWARDS

A new scheme has rewarded five seaside arcades on the Yorkshire coast for operating with the very highest of standards for their customers. ive amusement arcade operators have become the first to gain accreditation as part of a unique pilot scheme aimed at promoting and rewarding good practice and responsible gaming.

The gaming accreditation awards, which are a joint initiative between BACTA and East Riding of Yorkshire Council, are the first of its kind anywhere in the country.

The scheme provides a system of support and

F

PIERS

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outhend Pier could have to close if £2m isn’t found to address serious structural concerns discovered during a full survey of the mile-long landmark earlier this year.

A new report, produced for Southend Council by engineers Hemsley Orrell Partnership, warned that although the pier is mostly “in fair to good condition”, degraded parts of the structure could force the railway on it to close in two years.

Without the necessary investment, the report stated that the entire pier would have to close to the public in five years. £500,000 is needed straight away to tackle high-priority repairs, while £2m is needed longer-term to replace beams and timber and rejuvenate the pier’s general infrastructure.

Southend Council said it

advice to local businesses to promote public health initiatives and safeguard adults and children from harm.

John White, chief executive of BACTA, said:“I really do applaud East Riding of Yorkshire Council for this initiative.

“This is the first time a scheme like this has been run anywhere in the country and I will be urging other local authorities to look at what has been done in the East Riding and adopt their scheme.

“Arcades are about members of the public coming along and having fun, which is delivered in a modern and safe way and this initiative gives that reassurance that the premises are well run.”

The council is working with the amusements industry and BACTA to jointly raise standards and reduce the level of inspection required by the council.

Since October last year, 21 gaming premises were jointly assessed by officers from East Riding of York-

Report reveals urgent need for Southend Pier investment

shire Council and BACTA. They were assessed on seven standards including, crime prevention, public health initiative and safeguarding systems.

Taylor Made Fun, based in Bridlington, was the overall winner of the scheme, with Smiles for Miles, who are based in Withernsea, runners up.

Leisureland and J Noble and Sons, both based in Bridlington, and W&J Shaw, based in Withernsea, were also accredited.

Councillor Jackie Crack-

Support Herne Bay Pier has won a £50,000 TBigheproject Lottery Fund grant as part country to protect their heritage.”

Lynne Jones, Southend Pier manager, said: “Southend Council has been exploring the idea of having a partner to either run the whole pier, or parts of it.

“I can’t comment on an option that isn’t in front of us, but change is inevitable and anything that is good for the pier, the town, and our customers should be considered.”

The pier’s management has not ruled out an increase in the admission fee, in order to help with ongoing maintenance costs.

dards remain at the high level we currently have across the East Riding.

“This is the future for the licensing trade in the East Riding and we want to show the rest of the country a very good example of best practice. The council is keen to find new ways to support local businesses and are pleased we have also been able to keep licensing fees low for the operators.”

MoreInformation WWW.EASTRIDING.GOV.UK.

Herne Bay Pier project wins £50,000 in public vote REGENERATION

would carry out the repairs and hasn’t ruled out privatising parts of the iconic attraction to help finance the repair works.

Speaking to local press, Clacton Pier operator Billy Ball explained that a lack of space for attractions would make it difficult to implement a scheme of privatisation.

He commented: “Southend is tricky because there’s very little space you can use to monetise it. I don’t think a private operator would solve Southend Pier’s issues.

“I think there needs to be government funding put in place for all piers in the

nell, portfolio holder for community involvement and performance at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, congratulated those owners who gained accreditation.

She said:“This is a fantastic scheme and the arcade operators must be congratulated on their accreditation.

“This pioneering joint initiative is a different way to deliver regulation sideby-side with the trade, using recognition of good practice, promoting safeguarding and ensuring stan-

of the ITV Meridian People’s Millions programme.

The money will be used by the local project,which is run by the Herne Bay Pier Trust, to regenerate the pier and surrounding area.

The trust aims to create a community space on the pier that will make it a focal point for local people and seaside visitors.

Speaking to ITV News, pier trustee Doreen Stone said the project would be hugely important in the effort to revitalise the resort.

She commented: “This means so much to Herne Bay because the pier is such an essential part.Thank you to everyone that voted,and also

this is a community effort that supported the pier trust.

They have all been brilliant.

“This money is going to make a big canopy so that when we start to regenerate the platform we can have a lot going on for these lovely people, no matter what the weather.”

The retractable canopy will cover a stage and seating area, allowing groups to stage music, dance and theatrical performances in all conditions.

The People’s Millions is a public vote that determines which deserving cause will

win the contest and take the funding back to their community.

Dawn Austwick, chief executive of the Big Lottery Fund, said:“People’s Millions is a great way for local people to get behind hard working projects doing great things for their local communities.

Adam Crozier, chief executive of ITV Television, commented: “The People’s Millions is an exciting way for people around the UK, through the ITV regions, to win up to £50,000 of Lottery money to improve their communities.”

REGISTER NOW!

THE AMUSEMENT & LEISURE SHOW

13 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 15 JANUARY 2015 ExCeL London www.eagexpo.com Presented by

B AC T A

ing c u d o r t In a new ng uri o b h g i ne show

Representing the British Amusement Industry

See T W O GREAT SHOWS one vis in it!

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Coinslot December 5 - December 11, 2014

Leisure

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TO COMMENT ON ANY ARTICLE

Email: al@sjc.co.uk

IAAPA calls for EU action to improve business environment for parks THEME PARKS

During the recent Euro Attractions Show in Amsterdam, IAAPA launched its manifesto - European Amusement Parks and Attractions: Driving Leisure and Tourism in Europe.

And, not surprisingly, its shopping list is extensive.

new manifesto from theme park body IAAPA contains eight challenges for the sector along with solutions that IAAPA Europe believes will help parks and attractions to keep on growing, investing and attracting tourists to the benefit of the European economy.These challenges were laid out to senior members of the European Parliament including Andreas Schwab MEP,Wim van de Camp MEP and Lambert van Nistelrooij - at a meeting in Brussels on November 4, a day after the

A

new European Commissioner for tourism, El bieta Bie kowska, took office.

From a global perspective, international tourism in Europe is falling behind other destinations, the trade body believes.According to Karen Staley, vicepresident of IAAPA Europe, amusement parks can help to arrest this trend:“When politicians think leisure and tourism they need to think amusement parks and attractions because our members are attracting record-breaking numbers of visitors and in turn jobs

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and investment for Europe.”

Amusement parks and attractions deliver nearly 150m visitors per year, which are responsible for around €10bn of direct and indirect economic benefit to Europe, and this investment stays in Europe because many of the sector’s specialist suppliers are based here. However, IAAPA Europe believes that this performance could be bettered if the business environment could be improved. “As our sector looks forward to the next five years we see that in several areas there is still work to be done if our members are to have the best conditions for growth,”said Staley.

One of these challenges is the rate of VAT applied to amusement parks, which has risen by more than 20 per cent since 2007 (from 12.7 per cent to 15.3 per cent) compared to only an 8 per cent increase in the standard rate of VAT. In his presentation, Pelle Johannisson, senior adviser to the Liseberg Group, Sweden,

said:“Research conducted

by IAAPA Europe shows that reduced rates ofVAT for amusement parks is a winwin for governments as well as amusement parks and attractions.They have a positive impact on jobs, investment as well as on the overall tax take.”

The most important point on the agenda remains the issue of safety in the sector. Miikka Seppälä, CEO of Särkänniemi, Finland, made a plea for governments to raise the standards from 2004:“The safety of our guests is our number one priority and we want it to be

Watford to benefit from new entertainment centre

THE AMUSEMENT & LEISURE SHOW

DEVELOPMENTS

13 – 15 JANUARY 2015 ExCeL London www.eagexpo.com cing Introdu w e an ouring neighb w sho

Presented by

B AC T A Representing the British Amusement Industry

Presented by

www.attractionsexpo.co.uk

See T W O GREA SHOWST one vis in it!

new entertainment scheme inWatford will see A the integration of two existing shopping centres. Shopping centre owner Intu has been granted detailed planning consent to redevelop Charter Place inWatford,Hertfordshire in a scheme which will include a 450-seat, nine screen multiplex cinema and leisure complex, along with a new restaurant hub.

The £100m,1.4m sq.ft project will see the substantial refurbishment of the existing Intu store and its integration with the adjoining Charter Place shopping centre,which was bought by Intu Properties

the number one priority for politicians too!The industry in Europe is well ahead of the existing EN standard so we need Europe to commit to bringing its own standards up to our level.”

A number of other points are also discussed in the manifesto,including honest competition between the public and private sectors, an integrated tourism policy, attention to the specific employment market of the amusement park sector, accessibility for disabled visitors, sustainability and the promotion of innovations in the sector.

Appeal after fire caused at Weymouth bingo club CRIME

in April 2013.

A new public square is also to be created, with the aim of hosting events such as street theatre and music shows.The development will create around 1,125 new jobs across the hospitality, leisure and retail sectors,along with up to 630 temporary posts during the construction phase.

Work on the entertainment centre is expected to start next year,with the new venue scheduled to open in 2017.

in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses Pafterolice an attempted arson at the seaside town’s Gala Bingo venue.

A number of pillows were set alight using lighter fluid around 11pm on November 22 at the rear of the premises on Queen Street.

Anyone with information is asked to call DC O’Connell of Dorset Police on 101 quoting reference 465/22.

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23 This week’s machine charts

Essential Guide to...

Games Content OPENING REMARKS

24 B2B listings and industry marketplace

Stott on digital Reflex Gaming managing director, Quentin Stott, explains the theory of diversity that underpins his company’s vibrant digital content.

27 Classified sales, job and business opps

Everyone has been looking for the ‘killer’ digital game for years - Russell Hoyle and Colin Daniels used to talk about it back in the day. But maybe we should really be focusing on something more fundamental than a game that will change the face of digital content. Instead, we should look to give a selection of good quality games to the player, which really benefit from their video presentation and are therefore more enjoyable to play.

At Reflex, we take what we are doing in terms of our hi tech Category C game development and move it to video while making use of the medium to really enhance the game play.Digital development gives us the ability to also put a variety of game styles into one cabinet - such as slots or card-style games - which give players a number of options to increase interest.

Digital definitely has a part to play in the pub retail sector but it is still a supporting role in comparison to the analogue machines that are still the stars. Perhaps it is not surprising that it is still the major man-

“

ufacturers of analogue machines that are having most success in developing video content. Reflex only designs video game content for our own machines - we do not supply it to other platforms.We feel that it is important for the Reflex brand to ensure that our content cannot be found elsewhere. This has worked well for us so far.

We certainly feel that the biggest challenge in getting pubs to accept more digital content, is not player acceptance but getting the commercial model right. Digital video-based products require more expensive components and therefore the price has really been the elephant in the room when it has come to discussions with customers.The combination of a high price and a general lack of performance has hindered the take up of digital thus far.What we have got to do as game designers is to help the player migrate by capturing the imagination with innovative use of the digital medium - but the commercial model must stack up as well or we will end up with something that is simply not fit for market.

Reflex’s Royal £100 ten-game digital compendium, housed in the Video Atom cabinet is available to rent on a two-year contract, during which time it will be supplied with fresh proven content from Reflex, including hi-tech and slot style games.This will allow operators to move the machines to new locations, or update existing ones on site. Once the two years is through, they simply return the machines back to Reflex.

VIEWPOINT

Content is king - when it’s compelling and relevant rowing numbers of industry stakeholders are awakening to the fact that the cusG tomer experience is paramount. As BACTA DECEMBER 5 - DECEMBER 11, 2014

alex lee foreword

The inevitable shift from analogue reels to digital, argues Alex Lee, has begun in earnest, and the sooner that developers maximise this opportunity the better.

EAG Preview One Month Away

CEO John White recently said of a quickfire experience he had of AWP machines: “Five pounds for no fun is simply not a sensible way to sustain and develop a market.”

In order to enhance the customer experience - within the parameters set by the Gambling Act - the likes of Blueprint, Storm and Reflex have taken to spending time and money on research and development of more compelling digital content. Distributors such as RLMS Sales, meanwhile, have bought into the vision of content providers that want to give themselves a competitive edge by offering players something a little different from what has become a decades-long norm.

While the concepts of free plays and education about machine features ahead of players committing their coins are still at the foetal stage, companies such as those named above are making a concerted effort to offer something that is not just different from analogue reel-based gaming but also better.

It is (currently) a fact that gaming machines are constrained by standards that have limited

the ability of the manufacturers to innovate, but BACTA is set to hold meetings with the Gambling Commission to discuss what manufacturers and developers can do to bring some more fun back into machines above and beyond what they are already doing within what is a tight regulatory framework.

The advantages of digital content over analogue are pretty much overwhelming. It’s a blank canvas, it’s a medium which can be quickly dropped, fine-tuned or updated and, while adhering to the many terms and conditions of the Gambling Act, a form of entertainment that can conceivably take a number of exciting new directions.

All the leading UK manufacturers are taking digital content seriously as a new generation of players emerges, likewise they are all looking at ways to maximise synergy with app-based gaming and social media. Given that the low-stake gaming sector of domestic coin-op made do with analogue gaming for so long while consoles, handhelds and smartphones took innovation and technology by the horns, it’s good to see that - finally - soft gaming in the public space is waking up to the potential of creative digital content provision.

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Essential Guide to ... Games Content Sector Overview SWOT ANALYSIS

Digital now critical for coin-op profits The creation and provision of digital content has upped the ante in coin-op circles, with some of the country’s major manufacturers and distributors pushing forward soft gaming which takes a marked stepup from analogue reels. number of the UK’s major coin-op players, particularly in the soft gaming sector, currently specialise in creating and distributing top-level digital content.A trio of forward-thinking manufacturers and a leading distributor in particular have grasped the opportunity to truly take coin-op into the 21st century.

Blueprint Gaming, for example, is now one of the country’s leading suppliers of digital content to land based venues, server based gaming networks and online and mobile casinos.

As a member of the Germany-based Gauselmann Group, the firm can draw upon the resources within the group to offer the highest quality product backed by the financial strength and stability of one of the largest privately owned gaming companies in the world.

Recently, operator Sceptre Leisure launched three new exclusive digital AWPs to the UK market, namely Titanium, Palladium and Rhodium. The machine launch built on Sceptre’s partnership with Blueprint, taking digital machine numbers for Sceptre to over 2,000 and making them one of the largest digital operators in the sector.

The new digital brands will replace the King of Games which is to be phased out across the UK pub estates, to be operated exclusively in AGCs. The three new machines will benefit from increased security, real time connectivity, gameplay analysis, enhanced attraction facilities and exclusive game content.

The three machines will have varying game menus with Titanium being touted as ‘the ultimate, all-encompassing product with maximum content’.

Titanium, Palladium and Rhodium are exclusive to Sceptre, fully supported by Gauselmann and Blueprint as part of an on-going future commitment, which will see constant evolution of digital game content, supported by the highest standard of cabinets.

Reflex Gaming, meanwhile, unveiled a new concept in digital Category C gaming at the recent ACOS, with a compendium designed to move through retailer rent bands, in exactly the same way as a reelbased game.

Royal £100 is a ten-game digital com-

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Coinslot DECEMBER 5 - DECEMBER 11, 2014

pendium housed in Reflex’s Video Atom cabinet, that will be available to rent on a two-year contract, during which time it will be supplied with fresh content from the Newark-based firm.

Royal £100 will be provided to operators for the rental term, allowing them to move the machines to new locations, or update existing ones on site. Once the two years is through, operators simply return the machines back to Reflex. New compendium titles are also being developed, allowing operators to follow Royal £100 with other digital machines from Reflex.

“We have examined the existing methods for introducing digital to the Category C retail sector and so far we feel they have, in the main, failed,” said Quentin Stott, managing director of Reflex Gaming.“The problem is that the investment for many operators is too onerous and then the machines are supposed to stay on the same piece of carpet for years and years to be updated with new games.

“In effect, rather than trying to change the market in order to increase video Cat C penetration, we are adapting our strategy to fit the current commercials.There will be no major investment necessary as operators can just take it on rental.In addition, we have something that most other suppliers don’t - a suite of retailerapproved games.”

Elsewhere, Shropshire-based Storm Games’ latest digital product Street Casino 2015 is now available on a number of different cabinets and includes brand new releases with the launch of five further games on the menu.

StreetCasino 2015 includes the release of a new hi-tech slot Popeye Spinach to Win it, plus other new titles including Captain Cashfall 20-line slot, Rolling Red 7’s five-line slot, Popeye V Brutus 20-line slot and Lucky Money 20-line slot.

“The release of all this new content means that the Street Casino 2015 product now has a library of 16 games for the operator to choose from,”explained Storm Games product director Paul Rothwell.

Rothwell believes that the new 2015 version of Street Casino is by far the best as it now gives the operator the option to switch between category C and category

B4, a big step forward enabling the operator far more flexibility on the product.

Street Casino 2015 is also available in Storm’s new 22ins widescreen Tempest MK11 cabinet with switchable percentage options to suit arcade, bingo and the bar market.Operators with existing Street Casino products can upgrade their machines to include the latest switchable content with a simple USB drive update available direct from Storm Games.

And finally, Burton-based RLMS Sales, one of the UK’s key suppliers of hi-tech Cat C product featuring the latest digital content, is busy dealing with the annual pre-Christmas rush of orders.

The firm’s Karen Sarosi revealed:“This season we are blessed with an abundance of fantastic models. Customers are spoilt for choice, all are performing brilliantly and it gives the operators ample opportunities for machine changes, thus optimising life time value of the models.”

On the supply chain, managing director Phil Boulton concluded:“Some customers plan meticulously and will order product the moment a new model is approved, whereas others may leave it to last minute, but want machines delivering within a few days. This is the ‘value add’ of a distributor. We have to second guess the likely demand of particular models based on machine performance and likely retail approvals then order stock from the manufacturer, in order that we can reduce lead times to customers, who sometimes cannot wait four weeks for a build.”

SWOT ANALYSIS DIGITAL CONTENT STRENGTHS • Novelty factor still much in evidence • Unsuccessful content can be quickly removed and replaced with new/different content • Digital content is by definition more relevant to younger players WEAKNESSES • Gameplay styles and stake and prize levels strictly regulated • Digital content still often replicates/has marked similarities to analogue OPPORTUNITIES • Digital content affords programmers and developers a blank canvas up to a point • Equally applicable and relevant to almost every single genre of coin-op • Content can be geared towards new generation of players and create synergy with popular apps THREATS • Temptation to create ‘everything for everyone’ can dilute core offer • Still a ‘trust issue’ among older players regarding payout levels

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Essential Guide to ... Games Content Market Analysis DISTRIBUTOR

Visuals and versatility Tony Glanville of RLMS Sales shares his insights on what he sees as a player-attractive, operator-friendly medium.

S: How significant a role does licensed content play in the current cadre of digital content?

TG: In the digital arena, licensed material doesn’t have such a significant role to play as they do in other markets, like the predominantly reel-based pub market .

Our major suppliers of digital content, Project and Astra, don't have any licensed games within their current portfolios, but what they do have are extremely strong brands of their own like Reel King and Mega Bars, which players instantly recognise.

There are also certain non-licensed game styles which are extremely popular: the best illustration of this is with Novomatic and the ongoing success of its Magic Games within the Cat C market.

Within the B3 arena, Magic Lotto has been in the market for some time but remains a consistent performer both models generate renewed demand at the introduction of every change in stake or prize.

There are also popular non-licensed game genres: such as poker. This is Project’s forte and they have two extremely popular Cat C digital poker games in the market presently: with Find the Lady Ultimate Gamble and Chase the Ace Double Jackpot.

However, there are always exceptions to the rule - and the bestselling game we have had this year is the Cat C Bell-Fruit Games Deal or no Deal Winfall, which takes an exceptionally strong licence and enhances a product that combines traditional reels with a top feature game which is presented to the player in a digital format.That gives players the best of both worlds.

C

CS: What sectors seem most receptive to new digital content?

TG: For RLMS, the markets which were first to embrace digital content on a broad scale were the AGC and bingo sectors. Within those sectors, the strongest market for digital is the B3 category.

We’ve seen traction build over time for more digital content in the Cat C market, and the introduction of the £100 jackpot Coinslot DECEMBER 5 - DECEMBER 11, 2014

this year has further pushed forward strong digital offerings from both Astra and Project.

The AGC and bingo players have adapted to the new game styles and the way that they’re presented effortlessly.

It blew all the old arguments of customers not trusting digital presentation completely out of the water.

CS: Which elements of game design are most directly associated with cashbox earnings?

TG:This, of course, is the black art of the game designers and statisticians who create the magic. From a lay man’s perspective, the most popular elements that we see in games that prove to be most popular are multi-win lines, free plays features, cash pots and community features.

CS: How important is the role of graphics and visual appeal in the development of new digital content?

TG: The presentation of the game is extremely important. In their home environment, players have become used to having entertainment presented to them visually in high definition on state of the art platforms. It follows that when players visit an establishment to play, they are looking for good quality graphics and for them to be presented on high spec technology.

As an industry we need to produce content that not only has a strong initial visual appeal, but is also sufficiently engaging for players to want to come back and play time and time again. The industry does not disappoint and manufactures and game design teams should be applauded for the standards they achieve in the presentation of their games.

CS: How significant is the role of the digital compendium in the current industry climate?

TG: Ever since they were first presented, digital compendiums have been in vogue.They’re a logical solution for operators who want to ensure that they have a multitude of game styles available to

TONY GLANVILLE, SALES DIRECTOR, RLMS SALES

suits all players.

Two of our most successful selling machines of 2014 have been the Astra B3 Slotto 500 which contains 22 games, and Astra’s R-Cade Cat C which houses 17 games. The technology now permits operators to drill down into the individual game data and analyse which specific games are the most appealing, which in turn allows for the content to be managed more effectively within the compendium and tailor them accordingly.

Whilst a machine may contain a variety of games, operators do not necessarily make all the content available at all times, and instead will often retain a number of titles within the product’s content library. This allows them to manage the front menus and to drip-feed new games to the player to keep the offering fresh.

Again, there are exceptions to the rules. When MGD replaced AMLD the majority of operators took up their full 20% entitlement of B3’s, which had been financially unviable up to that point.

We then saw a number of single games become popular and reintroduced into the product mix: most notably Project’s Mega Bars range, which has a strong following in the single game dedicated format.

The presentation of the game is extremely important. In their home environment, players have become used to having entertainment presented to them visually in high definition on state of the art platforms. It follows that when players visit an establishment to play, they are looking for good quality graphics and for them to be presented on high spec technology.

“ ”

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Essential Guide to ... Games Content Market Perspectives CONTENT PROVIDER

CONTENT PROVIDER

The march of progress Storm Games is invested exclusively in digital content. For product director Paul Rothwell, digital trumps analogue, but the recipe for cashbox success remains multifaceted.

In the majority of venues, digital can now outperform analogue.”

So claims Paul Rothwell, product director at Storm Games.

The Shropshire-based gaming kiosk manufacturer has ten years’ worth of experience dealing exclusively in digital gaming.“Whilst there’s always the odd exception to the rule, as the quality and acceptance of digital products get stronger the industry will increasingly rely on the digital medium.”

In this respect, Rothwell singles out the bingo and arcade sectors as pioneers.“Arcade and bingo players are straight onto the new content releases with an instant spike in game play,” he remarks.“The pub sector can take longer to react to new releases but once a new game gets a following with players the rewards can be greater.”

A mixed pub customer demographic inclusive of any older, more traditional player-base may explain the disparity in uptake. But as far as Rothwell is concerned, skill in design can assuage even the most skeptical of players.“Good games explain themselves along the journey of game play to suit new and seasoned players alike,” he tells us.“Players need trust and familiarity, we provide that by creating software which can emulates analogue while offering the player more choice.”

Familiarity comes in many forms, and here Storm doesn’t shy away from utilising licensed content to build and maintain its following.“Since the addition of our Popeye-licensed games to the menu screens across our range of products, we have seen a significant increase in game play,” Rothwell attests.“Licensed brands build trust with players so they play an important role for us.”

And here’s where technology plays an integral part in the proceedings.

Aided by the continuing pace of graphic design quality, Storm can render its licensed characters with pixilated perfection.

“That’s essential to ensure our players become immersed in game play,” adds Rothwell. “We have both 2d and 3d graphics professionals to ensure that we improve the visual appeal on every new game we release.”

All this is well and good, but when it comes to that most important element that of cashbox taking - it’s difficult to tie down a single element of digital game design.

As Rothwell surmises: “You employ anything and everything that can keep the player pressing PAUL ROTHWELL, PRODUCT the button to start the DIRECTOR, STORM GAMES next game.”

“

Coinslot DECEMBER 5 - DECEMBER 11, 2014

ANDY HALL, OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, BLUEPRINT GAMING

Making the leap Blueprint Gaming are establishing a digital presence within the hitherto resistant pub market. For operations director Andy Hall, good gameplay must underpin the analogue/digital cross over.

S: How significant a role does licensed content play in the current cadre of digital C content?

AH: Licensed product is always a draw for the player as it has instant recognition. However, a game’s success is down to the experience the player has.If you take our Luck of the Irish game on B3 and Cat C, this is rated at the number one position across both categories and has no affiliation to a licence CS: Which sectors seem most receptive to new digital content?

AH: We have seen great traction with digital product on the AGC and bingo sectors and I think this stems back to the introduction of Section 16/21 where games design was predominantly digital. However, we are now seeing digital making its mark on the pub sector. In this respect our own machine King of Games Gold, housed in the Genie cabinet, is helping lead the way.

attracts the player and keeps their interest.

CS: What kind of provision do you make for new players when developing new digital content?

AH:We have been working with the AGC sector and brought to market tournament-play on our B3 content earlier this year.This has proved to be very successful and has brought new players to the terminals. Not only does it promote the game, it gives the players a learning experience of what the games are capable of, all with the added benefit of playing for fun.

CS: What measures do you make to ease the analogue audience into digital AWP? AH: It comes down to recognition of the graphical content. Our recent analogue game, Let’s Get Kraken,has been very successful in the pub sector.This has now been included as part of our latest King of Games Gold compendium and has again proved one of our best games within the compendium. It has the same graphics, with a few animations which bring it to life, CS: Which elements of game design are most but the big draw is the game play. Get that right directly associated with cashbox earnings?

AH: Most elements contribute to cashbox.With and the players will have the same experience all games design, there’s a fine line for success on digital as they would on analogue. on both digital and analogue. It’s all about the player having the best experience they can CS: How significant are the role of digital comhave - then they return to play that game. pendiums in the current industry climate?

AH: It’s really important to offer compendiums. Blueprint want to attract new players CS: How important is the role of graphics and and keep the old. Our content management is visual appeal in the development of new digidone side by side with our customers and tal content?

AH: Blueprint’s graphics and visual appear- together we will pick out the best games and ance is the best on the market and that is just add new titles coming through. Having choice one of the elements that makes our games suc- on the terminal is great, because it doesn’t just cessful. We are working closely with our cus- cater for one genre of player. It also allows the tomers to bring them the right visual transfer of recognisable games from one enviappearance for their environment, so it ronment to another.

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OPERATOR

Digital success is maths driven Praesepe’s player-driven decision making keeps variety alive in its digital/analogue split, as the company’s head of machines, Nigel Davis explains. s an approximation, what is the split between digital and analogue machines A in Praesepe venues?

like certain games or game styles they won’t play them - but we also use player forums and focus groups to ensure that we are NH:We operate a diverse estate comprising always in touch with their requirements and AGCs, FEC’s and bingo clubs in venues situ- the underlying trends and shifts in taste. ated throughout the country: as such the split between digital and analogue products Do the elements contributing to the sucvaries. For example, 100 percent of our B3 cess of a hi-tech machine differ from those gaming products are digital, compared to of a lo-tech title? just 5 percent of our Category D products. NH: At the risk of sounding like a gaming In total just over 60 percent of our Category machine fundamentalist, the defining charC games are digital although in our bingo acteristic of a good game lies in the maths clubs the figure drops to under 50 percent. not in the delivery,and a good game is a good The key point to make here is that our game. AGCs are fundamentally different policy is not based on a dogma or a particu- from pubs, in so far as we provide gaming lar school of thought, rather its driven by entertainment as a primary activity.As a conmarket forces, essentially by what the play- sequence, AGC customers are more disers in a particular venue want. Clearly cash cerning when it comes to gaming and of box plays a big role in this - if players don’t course, they have a much broader choice of

NIGEL DAVIS, HEAD OF MACHINES, PRAESEPE

machines.They come through our doors in order to play machines and what makes a game work is the maths, whether it’s a hitech or a lo-tech title.

NH:The first digital games arrived some ten years ago and since then there has been a process of evolution with advances in affordable technology driving change.The nature of the beast means that process is almost inevitable, which is important as the What kind of digital games prove the most gaming sector has to explore ways of conpopular with customers?

NH:From our experience the biggest advan- necting with a younger demographic that tage of the digital genre is that games design- feels totally at ease with technology.

It’s impossible to say what the future ers aren’t limited to the dimensions of the glass, with video screens able to flip and holds, which is what makes the proposimerge into each other. This enhanced flexi- tion and the opportunity so exciting.In the bility means that digital as a medium is best short term I think we could or should be suited to players of community games, both looking at how digital gaming could interface with social media - for example.This in bingo and AGCs. style of developments may be an irrelevance to some of our current players but What kind of innovation would you like to not to the ones we need to attract over the see in the development of future digital next decade. content?

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Essential Guide to ... Games Content Products STORM GAMES

BLUEPRINT GAMING

Decade of Digital Storm Games has been developing digital content for over ten years, with no stray from the course. As director Paul Rothwell attests, “digital is all we do here”. product range from Storm Games has evolved significantly over past few years: from a single screen category C pub offering, to the Tlatesthethedigital state of the art brand-new 22” widescreen HD dual-screen products,

The gift of the Gauselmann Membership of the Gauselman group benefits Blueprint Gaming with an insider’s perspective on the latest innovations in digital game development: the result is a rich product portfolio spanning the breadth of category type. hen it comes to digital games design, Blueprint Gaming has expertise in a number of sectors, including online mobile, B3 and Category C. What’s more, the company recognises when a hit game in one category might work well in another - a cross pollination which brings fresh ideas and players to their products. It’s is all about recogniszing what is the right offering for different types of venue.While one glove certainly does not fit all, great game content, features and ideas can sometimes cross over from existing into new categories.

Currently, Blueprint Gaming’s B3 titles hold the top 5 positions across different sectors of gaming. In addition,AGC operators are seeing a rise in cashbox and new footfall thanks to the high performing Category C games designed specifically for this sector.

Recently, Blueprint Gaming released its first digital community game for the AGC and Bingo sectors called Wish Upon A Bonus, which is receiving many plaudits from operators.

The latest content from the Machines Division for the B3 sector includes,Fortunes of Sparta, and Thai Princess. Fortunes of Sparta has a unique base game boasting 144 winlines, whereas Thai Princess has a traditional 20 winline structure, but with more depth to the features available. In addition, Wish Upon A Jackpot and Vikings of Fortune

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will also be making their way onto the highly successful King of Slots menu in the near future.

For the Category C sector, Blueprint has content to cater for all sorts of player needs, finding the right balance between slots-style games and hi-tech offering.The latest titles for this sector include the hit slots game Jackpot Genie and Jackpot Gems.

Blueprint Gaming has the added advantage of being part of the influential Gauselmann Group - a game design and manufacturing powerhouse. While Blueprint designs its own games for the UK market,the company certainly keeps a close eye on innovations at Gauselmann, which helps to keep usthem at the forefront of what is happening globally.

Now Blueprint has the added benefit of the game design prowess from Betcom, which was recently acquired by the Gauselmann Group.The analogue games created

by Alistair Harris and his team are marketleading in the Category C sector.They help to underline Blueprint’s position as a frontrunner in game design.

To this end, Betcom now complements the game content offering on Category C products with titles such as Cop The Loot and Let’s Get Kraken already making their digital appearance. Blueprint is also excited to be adding two new titles to the portfolio; Paddy’s Payday andAlice and the Mad Hatter.

available right across Category C, B4, B3 and B3A for pub, club, arcade and bingo sectors.

The company’s latest digital product for the pub and club sector, Street Casino 2015, is now available both direct from Storm and from distributor Wessex Coin on a number of different cabinets. It includes a brand new hi tech slot - Popeye Spinach to Win It - plus other new titles including: Captain Cashfall (20 line slot), Rolling Red 7’s (5 line slot), Popeye V Brutus (20 line slot) and Lucky Money (20 line slot).

The release of all this new content means that Street Casino 2015 now boasts a library of 16 games for its operator to choose from.

Storm Games aims to keep raising the bar with its digital products and it believes that its new dual-screen Street Casino 2015 is by far one of its strongest offerings to date, giving the operator the option to switch the product between category C and Category B4: enabling tremendous operator flexibility with switchable RTP percentage options to suit all sectors.

This versatility of the newlylaunched machine has translated into early sales. “We started taking orders for Street Casino earlier this month,” claimed director Paul Rothwell. “The resultant demand for both software upgrade and new machines has more than exceeded our expectations.”

Also upcoming from Storm is the imminent launch of a new digital 8 game B3A lottery package: Mega Lotto 2015, with a Category B4 and category C version available from the coming January. The company will also be releasing a brand new digital 8 game B3 compendium, Street Casino 500. The compendium will target the arcade and bingo sectors and feature games from the popular Popeye license brand.

Finally, the new year will also see the launch of Storm’s brand new 22” HD widescreen slant top cabinet, which will feature the very best digital content that the company offers across category B3 and C.

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Essential Guide to ... Games Content Products SG GAMING

RLMS SALES

Content’s the key Group managing director of SG Gaming Phil Horne explains in his own words how the company continues to push the boundaries of digital content provision. hen it comes to gaming machines, content really is king.

Players are more discerning and demanding than ever before, and that presents an opportunity for operators and providers.

To meet player expectations, content must be innovative, varied and exciting: while at the same time retaining the traditional themes and spirit of classic games such as our iconic title, Rainbow Riches Pots of Gold.

At SG Gaming, we are proud to pioneer creative content that appeals to players and meets the business needs of our customers.

We do that in a number of ways: firstly by offering a range of games. Variety is essential, because players don’t just play one type of game.That is why our experienced in-house content team, led by UK director of content development Rick Mountney, focuses on producing a range of innovative content across multiple channels, both in-venue and online.

Cat C community gaming is a strong example. Recently, we expanded the feature to a variety of cabinets and games for the arcade and bingo sector, including the launch of our latest community game Monopoly Hot Properties. In addition to licensed games, we include our own popular games, such as R a i n b o w Riches Money Mad Mushrooms and Money Mad Martians,because we have found players enjoy being able to access a variety of licensed and non-licensed games.

There is also great depth to our arcade and

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bingo content.We’ve introduced exciting new B3 slot games this year, including Ooh Aah Dracula,Wild Knights and Inca Hoots.

We were also able to offer our customers content by utilising key titles and licensed games from our sister company, WMS Gaming.These included Black Knight,Zeus II and Wizard of Oz Over the Rainbow.

Our state of the art networked serverbased platform allows us to deploy new content quickly and efficiently to operators. It enables us to react overnight to new changes such as the £100 triennial announcement, allowing both players and operators to benefit instantly.Across our product range we’ve also implemented a ticket in, ticket out (TITO) solution, which allows players to transfer winnings and credit between terminals and games easily: this solution widens the choice for the player.

Innovative and quality content across a range of terminals is key to any gaming solution and our in-house development team is focussed on delivering leading content that helps drive cash box performance.

PHIL HORNE, GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR, SG GAMING

The Current Forecast is Hot Hot Hot! The latest digital compendium from RLMS Sales offers a tailor-made Cat C solution in terms of style, stake and offered content. oused within the iconic FV623 cabinet and supplied with a note acceptor as standard, Astra’s Hot £100 Cat C digital compendium from Astra has H now been released and is available from RLMS Sales.

“Hot £100 is the next model in Astra’s range of quality Cat C digital compendiums,” remarks RLMS sales director Tony Glanville. “Astra have analysed the popularity of all their games from across the various market sectors and based upon this analysis, have selected 17 strong-performing games for this must-have release.”

The suite of included content has been tailored to offer a wide choice of game styles, select from two menu screens: one for casino slots and the other for pub fruits. Across the two menus the games available cover both hi tech and lo tech styles, as well as roulette, poker, multi-line slots and bingo. “Of real benefit to the operator is that the range of games covers four different price of play options,” Glanville explains. “Dependent on the game, the player can stake at 10p, 25p, 50p or a £1: this ensures there really is a game style and stake amount to suit everyone.”

The Hot £100 package not only contains top Astra titles and brands (such as Reel King) but also incorporates content from other leading developers: Deal or No Deal and the hugely popular Cops n Robbers from Bell-Fruit Games, and from Electrocoin the all-time favourite and iconic Bar-X. With Hot £100, not only is the operator acquiring a great range of games, they also have full control over the management of the content through the back office facility. This means the operator can control the flow of games to the customer: thus, if the operator wishes, they can hold back games in the library and bring them forward in a controlled manor to keep the offering fresh. This type of approach to content delivery is becoming standard practice and avoids the offering becoming over-complicated venue owners can now see the benefits of the “less is more” approach.

“Hot £100 really is hot by name and hot by nature,” says Glanville. “It presents an opportunity for operators to introduce a comprehensive range of games into their venue at a very competitive price point.”

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Analysis

B 2 B NOVOMATIC LEADS, OTHERS FOLLOW

CATEGORYC (£1/£100 Max.)

CATEGORYB3 (£2/£500 Max.)

FILMCHARTS

Single site

AGCs

UK Box Office Chart

This Last Week Week Name / Manufacturer

This Last Week Week Name / Manufacturer

This Last Week Week Name

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 9 7 4 5 10 7 6

DOND Winfall BFG DOND Box 23 BFG Hot Shots REF Hit the Dracpot REF DOND Powerplay BFG DOND Midas Touch BFG DOND Best Offer BFG Fiddle A Fortune REF DOND Powerplay Deluxe BFG Worminator QPS

Taken from a representative number of sites around the UK Supplied by national operator

Slotto 500 Astra Triple 8 Barcrest Wish Upon A Slot Blueprint Magic Lotto Ultra Novomatics Mega Bars Big Hit Project Triple 7 Barcrest King of Slots Blueprint A Bet £100 Astra TS22 Project Lady Luck Reflex

FEC - family

This Last Week Week Name / Manufacturer

This Last Week Week Name / Manufacturer

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Encore T7 (GP3) SG Gaming Magic Games 100 Ultra Novomatic Magic Games 3 Novomatic Bullion Bars Streak Astra Triple 7 (GP1) SG Gaming Encore T7 (GP3) SG Gaming Triple 7 (GP2) SG Gaming Triple 7 (GP3) SG Gaming Find the Lady 2 card Project Find the Lady Ultimate Project

Based on data from a minimum of 10 locations. Supplied by Praesepe

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Members clubs

This Last Week Week Name / Manufacturer

This Last Week Week Name / Manufacturer

Rainbow Riches Party Barcrest Magic Games U/R Novomatic Free Play 70 Project Pure Gold Project Find The Lady 70 Project Party Time Arena (4 Player) Astra Win Wall Astra Sevens Up Electrocoin Party Games (4 Player) Astra DOND Cops and Robbers Bellfruit

Taken from a representative number of sites around the UK Supplied by Amusement Equipment Co Ltd

www.soundnet.net

1 2 3 4 5

3 5 2 4

Highest Earning Tracks on Sound Leisure jukeboxes This Last Week Week

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 6 4 7 5 9

Thinking Out Loud Ed Sheeran All About That Bass Meghan Trainor Real Love Clean Bandit & Jess Glynne Changing Sigma feat. Paloma Faith Blame Calvin Harris feat. John Newman Shake It Off Taylor Swift Bang Bang Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj I Don't Care (Clean) Cheryl Wrapped Up Olly Murs feat. Travie McCoy Budapest George Ezra

Albums

Based on data from four sites Amusement Equipment Co Ltd

FEC - adult 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

UK Jukebox Chart http://www.sound net.net/

Bullion Bars (3 Player) Astra Party Time Classic (3 Player) Astra Party Games (4 Player) Astra Monopoly (4 Player) Mazomma Adders And Ladders(4 Player) Vivid Rainbow Riches (3 Player) Empire Goldrush Stampede (4 Player) Barcrest Party Time Arena (4 Player) Astra Party Time (3 Player) Astra Full house Empire

CATEGORYB4 (£2/£4000 Max)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 The Imitation Game Interstellar Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?

Mr. Turner The Book Of Life The Drop Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Gone Girl Chaar Sahibzaade

MUSICCHARTS

AGCs 3 4 5 9 3 7 8 6

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 1

2 1 3 4 7 5 8 6 -

Based on data supplied by a representative number of UK sites Supplied by RLMS Sales

CATEGORYD (10p/£5 Max.)

23

This Last Week Week

OLLY MURS: NEVER BEEN BETTER

Jackpot 100 Barcrest Fiddle a Fortune Reflex Street Casino 2014 Storm Flamin’ 400 Reflex DOND Live BFG

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

2 1 3 4 8 7 5 6

Never Been Better Olly Murs X Ed Sheeran Four One Direction In The Lonely Hour Sam Smith The Endless River Pink Floyd Wanted on Voyage George Ezra 1989 Taylor Swift Listen David Guetta Sonic Highways Foo Fighters It’s The Girls Bette Midler

Downloads This Last Week Week

Based on data from representative sites.

Supplied by sector professional

TAKE THAT: THESE DAYS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 3 7 5 2 6 4 11

Do They Know It’s Christmas Band Aid 30 These Days Take That Wrapped Up Olly Murs ft Travie McCoy Blank Space Taylor Swift Thinking Out Loud Ed Sheeran Jealous Labrinth Real Love Clean Bandit ft Jess Glynne Steal My Girl One Direction Dangerous David Guetta ft Sam Martin All About That Bass Meghan Trainor Coinslot DECEMBER 5 - DECEMBER 11 2014

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Edinburgh hosts touring arcade exhibition For the next four months the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh will host an Australian exhibition featuring over 100 arcade machines, including classics from the 1970’s and 1980’s as well as more recent offerings such as Dance Central and Rockband to satiate younger visitors.

This research has huge pot the industry’s approach to bling-related harm and we the industry to m to improve how p iour is more effec and managed in t

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Prehistoric perfection for Whitehouse Whitehouse Leisure have inked a deal to produce arcade merchandise for Jurassic World, long awaited follow-up to the celebrated 90s dinosaur flick, Jurassic Park.

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Jurassic Park has become an enormous brand across Europe, and the rest of the world, ever since Steven Spielberg’s 1993 movie captivated the imaginations of a generation. Building on this legacy, the Whitehouse Leisure Jurassic World product range will include amusement and gift quality plush, as well as a comprehensive redemption range, which includes prizes such as stationery, puzzles, key-chains, fossil discovery sets and much more.

Ian Whittingham, business development executive at Whitehouse Leisure, commented on the deal: “Jurassic Park

ARCADE

January and due for UK and global release in the following months, Battlepod promises to be the ultimate in immersive arcade gaming. The closed-in capsule simulator features fans and vibrating seat and controls which respond in time with the player’s actions as they pilot the Millennium Falcon, the iconic X-Wing fighter and other recognisable vehicles from the blockbuster franchise.

With a UK release forecast to coincide with general release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in cinemas, Battlepod could well prove to be the musthave FEC title of the summer.

he arrival of a debut trailer for the hotly anticipated Jurassic World motion picture sent social media into a frenzy this past week, with rabid fans eager to glimpse scenes from this latest addition to the Jurassic Park franchise.

Its release allowed Whitehouse Leisure to reveal that they had secured an agreement to produce the film’s officially licensed merchandise. The deal, agreed

by Copyright Promotions Licensing Group, on behalf of Universal, means that Whitehouse will be producing a range of dino-themed amusement and leisure products in time for the film’s 12 June

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film this week, the world of arcade gaming was similarly set astir at the IAAPA trade show in Florida earlier this month: as Bandai Namco debuted its Star War: Battlepod to awed spectators.

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huge potential to inform proach to minimising gamm and we strongly urge ustry to make every effort ove how problem behavmore effectively monitored naged in the future.

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was a huge hit with families and has become a cult classic. I’m sure that Jurassic World will be another roaring success for Universal. We’re excited to be the official licensee for the brand and can’t wait to show our customers our fantastic range of product at upcoming shows and previews. The timing of the film also works well for our amusement and leisure customers with most visitors wanting the hottest of properties during the summer months.”

Digital past The Internet Archive, a project to make public-domain files available in a centralised location, has added hundreds of classic arcade games to its service. Using nothing more than their standard web browser, nostalgia addicts can play any of 900 games from the golden age of video arcades.

Commenting on the decision, Halle said: “Fifteen years ago I was honoured by the invitation of president and majority shareholder Professor Johann Graf to join the iconic Novomatic Group as head of sales. Later, I was appointed managing director of Austrian Gaming Industries GmbH and, assisted by a loyal team of true gaming professionals, was able to see Novomatic achieve notable success not just in Europe but around the world.

However, although I now feel the need for new challenges and new directions, I will always be grateful for the experience of working together with colleagues and friends and for the satisfaction that I gained from being within one of the gaming industry’s true leaders.”

REDEMPTION PLAYNATION RUBBER STAMPS VORTEX

MANAGEMENT HALLE TO LEAVE NOVOMATIC GROUP he Novomatic Group, which owns UK leading companies Bell-Fruit, TAstra, RLMS and Gamestec, has announced that gaming industry veteran Jens Halle is to leave his joint positions as managing director, Austrian Gaming Industries and CEO of Novomatic Americas Sales.

The move, which was reached by mutual agreement, will see Halle relinquish his roles within Novomatic by the end of this year.

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ationwide operator Playnation has played a vital role in bringing RLMS’s new F5 Vortex amusement machine to market. “When RLMS approached us with the F5 Vortex, I thought it was certainly something different and was interested to see what it could bring to our redemption estate,” said Mark Fields, commercial director at Playnation.

“In truth, I was very pleasantly surprised and it performed very well in the holiday park we had it sited throughout the summer.”

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Jarrett did have one major complaint however: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I do sometimes wonder how much longer we will have to endure Noel Edmonds,â&#x20AC;? he added, jokily. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bring back Mr Blobby, some might say!â&#x20AC;?

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ment will see US bowling equipment manufacturer QubicaAMF Worldwide operate solely under the private ownership of the Quibca legacy partners.

Emanuele Govoni, former CEO of Qubica Worldwide and chief marketing officer of Qubica AMF, will now serve as the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newly appointed chief executive. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With this transaction we are going back to our roots,â&#x20AC;? he commented. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We believe we are positioning our company, and the entire bowling industry, for a new era.â&#x20AC;?

OPPORTUNITY BRISTOL SITE UP FOR SALE over 30 years the Brunton amusearcade in the heart of Bristol has Fbeenorment providing locals and visitors alike with game and entertainment galore. It is hoped that this tradition will continue, as the current owner is hanging up his boots and hopes to sell the venue on to a new operator.

The site is fully equipped and is fully decorated, with a well established reputation and business already in place.

Gamestec launches new website amestec has gone live with a new version of its corporate website www.gamestec.co.uk.

The portal now delivers a sharper, cleaner and brighter experience that is aligned with the brand values of parent company Novomatic.

Visitors to the site will benefit from a more streamlined and straightforward approach to finding information on Gamestecâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s core activities and product portfolio. Dedicated pages have been introduced to offer detailed information on fruit machines (digital and reel-based), quiz machines, music, pool, instant win lotto and amusements.

The site also serves to offer visitors a sharper focus on the rationale behind the Gamestec business and an introduction to the firmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key personnel. Customers and journalists will have a more direct route to information regarding new game developments as well as easy access to the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s press statements. Links to sister companies within the Astra Gaming Group and the corporate social responsibility website Playnice also feature prominently.

Commercial director Peter Davies noted: â&#x20AC;&#x153;While the old website served its purpose more than adequately, this new version brings us much closer to the core values shared by all of the brands within the Novomatic group. We now have a platform from which we are able to promote our business with style, purpose and functionality.â&#x20AC;?

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B 2 B

2397-p30-31-Comment_Coinslot NEW 02/12/2014 14:41 Page 1

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Coinslot December 5 - December 11, 2014

Comment Winds of change continue to blow

“

alex lee comment here were several reasons for delegates to smile at last week’s annual BACTA conference which underlined the coin-op trade body’s determination to better serve its members in 2015 and beyond.

While the B2 disparity remains and the Cat D stake and prize levels are still alarmingly low,delegates could take heart from a number of moments which defined the yearly gathering a stone’s throw from the Houses of Parliament.

The Gambling Commission, often accused of legislating rather than regulating, spoke eloquently through both Philip Graf and Matthew Hill, about how it is more than prepared to work in partnership with BACTA in ironing out misconceptions, promoting fair play and protecting the vulnerable from potential gambling-related harm.This was despite some serious grilling in the Q&A session by the likes of both solicitor David Biesterfield and industry stalwart operator Billy Edwards.

Meanwhile, Instinctif Partners’ Lucy Cronin spoke of the myriad opportunities existing in Europe and Ireland for UKbased manufacturers and distributors. This assertion took BACTA CEO’s John White’s observation that the vast majority of UK adults either don’t play coin-op gambling machines due to straightforward lack of awareness of their charms or a misconcep-

T

tion that they are simply way too complicated to commit any cash to one step further.If indeed the UK coin-op sector has missed a trick (or several) for the past few years then those BACTA members present at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre were reminded that preaching to the converted was no longer good enough.

While every speaker, and indeed every contributor to the brief Q&A session which followed the slickly-delivered speeches, spoke sensibly of where they felt the industry was and where it may be heading, a few words from Jason Frost, BACTA’s vice president, stuck with me the most in terms of encapsulating the trade body’s renewed vigour and determination to safeguard its members’ futures.

Frost stated:“John White, I know, has already been talking to MPs including those on the DCMS select committee and the All Party Parliamentary Betting and Gaming Group.We have met with civil servants and sister trade bodies.Earlier this week I met with Jenny Williams and Philip Graf of the Commission, and in December Steve, John and I will sit down with the Minister for the DCMS Helen Grant. Everyone has to understand that the AGC sector, my sector, has been kicked from pillar to post by a whole range of factors. Until we get treated fairly we will not stop.”

Market rent only option causes f

The recent IAAPA sh debate surrounding t

alex lee media watch n a report by Vending Times, the 2014 Attractions Expo Iattracted 30,500 industry professionals from 116 nations, according to an initial estimate

by IAAPA. The association, which hosts the show annually, noted that this year’s event was the largest in more than 17 years and the third largest in the expo’s history. Moreover, it climaxed back-to-back years of record-setting growth for all three IAAPA shows, which also include the Asian and the European Attractions Expos.

More than 19,400 buyers registered for this year’s IAAPA exhibit, compared with 18,200 for last year’s. Buyers included attractions industry owners, presidents, general managers, directors and managers who connected with manufacturers and suppliers to examine new products, discuss trends and hot topics, learn from experts and enjoy a wide range of educational and social networking opportunities. IAAPA Attractions Expo is the largest conference and trade show for the

$39.5bn global attractions industry.

A total of 1,004 companies exhibited products and services at the show. The indoor exhibit space was completely sold out in September, and the outdoor space was the largest in the event’s history, the association said.

The 110 educational programs on the agenda drew 12,500 people. The business sessions included multiple-day institutes, behind-the-scenes tours, constituency lunches, panel and roundtable discussions, and half-day symposiums.

“The continued growth of all three of IAAPA’s Expos is representative of the strength of the attractions business worldwide,” said IAAPA president and CEO Paul Noland.

Meanwhile, the debate about the new ‘market rent only’ move in pub circles rages on. The Morning Advertiser published both sides of the argument recently. Brigid Simmonds, BBPA chief executive, stated:

“There are real concerns about the market rent-only (MRO) option, which breaks the tie effectively. There are thousands of community pubs where licensees have benefited from the low-cost chance to obtain a pub. There are few industries where you can build a new business for such a small capital investment. If the tie were broken, pub companies and brewers would lose their economies of scale. This, in turn, would reduce the substantial support (£100m per year) they have been giving to licensees, through non-obligatory repairs, rent decreases, barrelage cost reductions, marketing, Wi-Fi, or Sky costs. For new licensees, pre-entry awareness training also adds to this level of support.

“It would also leave pubcos with less capital to invest, which currently amounts to a minimum annual investment of £200m. As a result, many more pubs would become unviable, as the government’s own research shows.

Then there’s small breweries.

2397-p30-31-Comment_Coinslot NEW 02/12/2014 14:42 Page 2

Coinslot December 5 - December 11, 2014 31

“The old lever and single bar slot machine just won’t do any more. Now, slot machines are counting on technology and graphics that rival video game systems to get gamblers in their chairs and money flowing.”

8

TO COMMENT ON ANY ARTICLE

Email: al@sjc.co.uk

KATHARINE TRENDACOSTA, IO9.COM

“ ”

quote unquote

“Ian Barbour, who has autism and other developmental disabilities, started his own vending business in 2012 with the help of Florida’s Vocational Rehabilitation program, and it’s still going strong.”

EMILY JED, VENDING TIMES

“Everybody in the trade knows the name Bushnell.

Today, a second generation Bushnell, Wyatt, son of Atari founder Nolan, heads up a company offering technology designed to invigorate family entertainment.”

STEVE WHITE, REPLAY MAGAZINE

“Neurophysicists have discovered that the spacemapping neurons in the brain react differently when exposed to virtual reality, with a study on rats showing VR makes a significant impact on the brain.”

Change our style - and our substance A significant part of John White’s speech at last week’s BACTA conference focused upon the importance of the trade body’s image and its ability to demonstrate social responsibility.

TOM ANSTEY, ATTRACTIONS MANAGEMENT REPORT

john white politics

uses friction in pub circles

cent IAAPA show proved a great success according to the organisers, while e surrounding the market rent only decision in the pub sector continues.

There is already greater choice of beer in tied pubs. Some 81 per cent offer cask ale, compared to 60 per cent of independents. This is because the pubco undertakes national distribution of beers. Many family brewers sell up to 25 per cent of their beer through pub companies or larger brewers. If this distribution were lost, most small brewers would lose access to this valuable market.”

Greg Mulholland MP, chair of the Save the Pub Group, stated: “Tuesday 18 November will go down as one of the most significant days in the history of the British pub. Celebrations took place in thousands of pubs up and down the country. Then on Thursday, we had the news. The government was accepting NC2 - or rather Part 4 Clause 42 as it has become. It is time for all involved to adjust and move on.

“The most extraordinary part of the BBPA’s mishandling of this whole issue is that now this trade association is predicting doom and

demise for its own members, in a misguided bid to halt something that cannot now be halted. That could become a self-fulfilling prophecy and its members should review whether it makes sense to fund this desperate approach. The reality is that gradual implementation of the clause will allow companies time to adapt. It does not abolish the tie, it stops the abuse of it. So it is time for the BBPA to stop misquoting already dubious figures that don’t relate to what has actually been voted through and to stop talking down its own members’ chances of survival.

“The political fact is that the argument has been comprehensively won. In reality, for all their threats of legal action, the large companies and their well-paid lobbyists and public affairs companies know that. So the message is simple: accept the wind of change blowing through the sector and move to a fairer, more sustainable future. And if you can’t, you should never have been allowed to trade for so long.”

e have to change our style, and, we have to change our substance. Style W is important in changing the narrative about our industry yes, but also important in winning friends and influencing people. In recent years BACTA has come across as confrontational, pugnacious and uncooperative. That approach and the tenor of that approach has won us no friends. In fact it has alienated people we really shouldn’t be alienating. There is nothing wrong with disagreement, robustness and challenge. In fact it should be welcomed as part of the creative dynamic of any discussion, but it has to be done in the right way, a mature way and an intelligent way.

What of the substance? What I mean here is not only the quality of our arguments, but the very fabric or infrastructure of our industry. What are we? What do we believe? Our style will communicate this but does the very heart of the organisation and the industry accord with the often implicit expectations of society?

Business has a covenant with society. In return for our ability to take risks and benefit from the reward success brings, business is expected to behave in a certain way, to accept and discharge its responsibilities to society. If we did not we would have rampant free market capitalism the cared not a jot for the consequences of profit maximisation.We all accept this. Our laws reflect it. But so do our cultural norms.

What BACTA and our industry needs to do is to understand that covenant generally and in the gaming context particularly.

The convenant has been extended by the Gambling Act to include the three licensing objectives. Fairness and the absence of crime go without saying.The player knows what he is getting from our

industry and crime thankfully has never really been a feature of our industry as it has in some other jurisdictions. I think the key licensing objective for our industry is in protecting children and the vulnerable.

Gambling can cause harm.This adds a Codicil to the business covenant that society expects us to address and one that we have to address if we are going to win the support of regulators, government and our potential players.

And address it we have and we will.

There is an enormous amount of good practice out there and some great plans for the future.

What we have to demonstrate is that this social responsibility is part of our DNA, our culture. I am concerned that too much of the debate around social responsibility is based on a dearth of good evidence. There is too much sentiment and not enough fact and sadly disproportionate responses that are neither sensible nor precautionary can be the result.

A key problem for the Commission as well as for the industry is the dearth of quality evidence upon which to base so much of the debate.There is some but not nearly enough. Some is coming on B2s in the bookies, but there is so much we don’t really know.Without it we will always fall back on respective positions that either seek to take an over-burdensome precautionary approach or one that says do nothing because there is no evidence.We need to work together to do the research. It’s not industry’s responsibility, it’s not the Government’s, it’s not the Commission’s.

It’s all of ours. Let’s get on with it, whether through the RGT or some other route. I would like to see a single gambling industry research trust that funds all the research necessary.

2397-p32-newsweek_Coinslot NEW 02/12/2014 16:00 Page 1

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Coinslot December 5 - December 11, 2014

Newsweek RUSSIA PREPARES FOR BIANNUAL AMUSEMENT EXPO he 17th edition of the ‘Exhibition Amusement Rides and Entertainment Equipment RAAPA Expo’ will once again take place in Russia, attracting theme park and FEC operators from around the world. Held between 5-7 March in Pavilion 75 at Moscow’s All-Russian Exhibition Centre, the show aims to the the primary business forum of amusement industry professionals.

This year the show will fea-

T

8 Email: je@gbmedia.eu

TO COMMENT ON ANY ARTICLE

Lucky numbers up for ICE our membership. However, there is still much to be done and I look forward to building a long term relationship with ICE and utilising the unique platform it provides to continue our dialogue with all of our stakeholders including policy makers and politicians.”

Kate Chambers, portfolio director responsible for ICE said:“The Bingo Association has been recognised for its outstanding lobbying activity winning the Best Public Affairs campaign at the prestigious PR Week Awards in October and I look forward to working with Miles and his team to help raise further the profile of bingo and to contribute to the strategic objectives of the Association.”

he bingo sector is set to take a significantly higher profile within gaming’s most influential b2b exhibition.

A new level of involvement for bingo at January’s ICE will see the Bingo Association take a presence on the show floor.The stand will serve as a hub for BingoAssociation members and the international bingo community at large.

Miles Baron, chief executive of the Bingo Association, said:“We are delighted to have struck this partnership with what is undeniably the most influential business event on the international gaming calendar. 2014 has been a landmark year for UK bingo, during which we secured a reduction in bingo duty from 20 percent to 10 percent and increased

T

ture a selection of talks from leading amusement industry experts from Russia and abroad, while the show floor itself will be packed with new products from a variety of sectors, including kiddie rides, arcade machines and redemption games.

EAG CONFIRMS SEMINAR SCHEDULE comprehensive seminar schedule is to accompany January’s sixth annual EAG expo, with an emphasis on both customer service and social

A

media. In a headline event, US FEC veteran Scott Brown, consultant at social media firm We Do Digital, will provide his own insight on aligning social media strategy within FEC business goals. A follow-on lecture will see Brown ruminate on

practical FEC customer service strategies to implement for the coming. The programme, put together by BALPPA (hosts of the newly created Visitor Attraction Expo) run across both days and will be free to attend in all instances.

EAG 2015 will take place at London’s ExCeL centre from 13 to 15 Janaury.

EDITORIAL Editor: Alex Lee Email: al@sjc.co.uk Tel: 07772 280 299 Assistant Editor: Joseph Ewens Email: je@gbmedia.eu Tel: 01273 699 900 Contributors: Chris Webster, Steve Turner Managing Editor: Ken Scott Email: ks@sjc.co.uk Tel: 01273 699 900 ADVERTISING SALES Kathryn Norris Email: knorris@gbmedia.eu Tel: 01204 396 397 Fax: 01204 392 748 SUBSCRIPTIONS Sarah Haworth Tel: 01204 396 397 DIGITAL VERSION Marc Lawton Email: mlawton@gbmedia.eu Tel: 01204 396 397 PRODUCTION Designer: Gina Lloyd Email: gl@sjc.co.uk Ad Production & Pre-Press: Dave Roderick Email: gdk@sjc.co.uk PUBLISHER Director: John Sullivan GB Media Corporation Ltd, Bolton Technology Exchange, 33 Queensbrook, Bolton, BL1 4AY

Tel: 01204 396 397 Fax: 01204 392 748 Email: jsullivan@gbmedia.eu OFFICES Editorial and Production: 3rd Floor, 20 New Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1UF (UK) Tel: 01273 699 900 Advertising and Subscriptions: Coinslot International, Bolton Technology Exchange, 33 Queensbrook, Bolton BL1 4AY Tel: 01204 396 397 Fax: 01204 392 748

Calendar DECEMBER 2014 4-6 Amusement, Attraction & Park Industry Exhibition (ATRAX) Istanbul Expo Centre Istanbul Turkey www.atraxexpo.com

JANUARY 2015 13-15 EAG International Expo ExCeL London ExhibitionCentre, London UK www.eagexpo.com 13-15 Visitor Attractions Expo (VAE) ExCeL London Exhibition Centre, London UK www.attractionsexpo.co.uk

13-16 IMA 2014 Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre Düsseldorf Germany www.ima-messe.com

20-22 The Toy Fair 2014 Grand Hall Olympia London UK www.btha.co.uk/toy-fair

FEBRUARY 2015 1-5 Spring Fair NEC Birmingham UK www.springfair.com

2-4 ICE Conferences ExCel London UK www.icetotallygaming.com/conferences

3-5 ICE Totally Gaming ExCel London UK www.icetotallygaming.com 11-15 IAAPI Amusement Expo Bombay Exhibition Centre Mumbai India www.iaapi.org

Opinions expressed in this publication should not be regarded as the official view of GB Media Corporation Ltd, except where stated.

Views, opinions and recommendations contained in this publication are put forward for consideration only. No action should be taken in reliance upon any such views, opinions or recommendations. Neither GB Media Corporation Ltd nor contributors accept any responsibility for any loss occasioned to any person howsoever caused or arising as a result of or in consequence of action taken or refrained from in realiance on the contents of this publication.

Notes for contributors: Coinslot welcomes the submission of articles for consideration by the editor with a view to publication. Submission of an article will be held to imply that the article contains original unpublished work which GB Media Corporation Ltd may lawfully publish. All submissions are made at the owner’s risk. © GB Media Corporation Ltd, 2014 All rights strictly reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission given, full acknowledgement of author, publisher and source must be given.

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