Price: £2.50
March 28 – April 3, 2014 • No. 2361 • www.coinslot.co.uk
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COINSLOT
Industry news Seaside amusements Category C Report B2B Listings Latest machine charts Classfied ads and opps Jabro Surreal Soccer Comment & Analysis
COMMENT
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Overall, it does appear strange that there will be so many rates for gambling taxes... However, it appears unlikely that this complexity will change any time 39 soon.
Tax cut for bingo, tax rise f BUDGET 2014
Overall, the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget announcements were something of a mixed bag for the amusement and soft gaming industry, with good news for the bingo and single site sector contrasting with the lack of a decisive move in terms of FOBT siting allowances. The key elements of the Budget, with reference to the UK coin-op sector, are as follows: • Duty on bingo will be cut to 10 per cent, and the duty on fixed odds betting terminals will be raised to 25 per cent. • Alcohol duty will rise in line with inflation, apart from Scotch whisky and ordinary cider, duty on which has been frozen. • Beer duty will be cut by another one pence, and fuel duty is frozen. • 15% place of consumption (POC) tax will come in with effect from 1 December 2014. • The main rate of corporation tax will be reduced to 21 per cent from April 2014 and further reduced to 20 per
cent from April 2015. The small profits rate remains unchanged at 20 per cent. BACTA’s chief executive Leslie MacLeod-Miller said of the cut in bingo duty: “We are delighted for our colleagues who supply bingo that their voice has also been heard resulting in a reduction in bingo duty for accounting periods
Bingo boss salutes ‘vis OPERATORS
ick Harding, chief executive N of Praesepe, owners of the Beacon Bingo chain which includes Europe’s largest bingo club in Cricklewood,North West London, has praised the government for having the vision to halve the rate of duty on bingo to 10 per cent. In a statement issued after the Budget speech, Harding said:“At last we have a government which has had the vision to support the UK bingo industry and who recognises how important it has been to generations of players for over 50 years. Reducing the unfair tax burden which the previous government had imposed on UK Bingo PLC
means that clubs all over the country will now be able to start to reinvest and provide their players with t h e modern facilities that they deserve. I have no doubt that millions of UK bingo players will
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ESSENTIAL GUIDE
INDUSTRY
Category C finally holds high hopes for the future
Budget boost for bingo 12
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39 March 28 - April 3, 2014 • No. 2361 • www.coinslot.co.uk
x rise for FOBTs
Government should apply logic to B2 machine entitlement POST-BUDGET REACTION
In the wake of last week’s Budget, BACTA’s chief executive Leslie MacLeodMiller has praised the trade body’s lobbying power, despite an unfavourable outcome regarding the siting of FOBTs. aving had time to reflect on last week’s Budget announcements, BACTA CEO Leslie MacLeod-Miller, said that the change to the rate of MGD on B2 machines from 20 per cent to 25 per cent has to be seen in the context of the current political debate concerning £100 a spin games and gives a direction for where government policy might be heading. BACTA’s position has always been clear that it supports social responsibility and the trade body does not believe that games should be provided if they damage the vulnerable, but that the government should adopt a consistent policy. MacLeod-Miller told Coinslot:“If the Secretary of State believes there is no reason why B2 machines should not be made available by bookmakers, logically the government should allow these machines to be offered by other adult only premises, including bingo halls and adult arcades which are currently only allowed to offer machines at £2 a spin. “If the government will not allow all adult premises to offer £100 a spin machines immediately,then no adult premises should be permitted to offer them until the research concludes that they can be offered responsibly. “BACTA and other industry sectors were dismayed by the comments of SG Gaming and Inspired suggesting that the code of practice which is being proposed for £100 a spin games in bookmakers which will include mandatory time and spending limits to be offered to players, should be adopted across all machine and premises types. The current issues concerning £100 a spin games have no relevance to games in other
H
starting on or after 30 June 2014. This sets another important precedent for government showing support for our industry and we continue to collaborate closely where appropriate with other sectors on a range of activities through the newly formed Industry Group for Responsible Gambling.”
es ‘visionary’ Chancellor be raising a glass to George Osborne over the coming weeks and will be making him their ‘Caller of the Year’.” “Bingo provides a source of gaming entertainment for millions of citizens of all ages throughout the country. The Beacon Bingo clubs play an important role in the communities they serve and Conservative MP Brian Binley, whose constituency includes the Beacon club in Northampton, has gone on the record stating the bingo sector plays a more useful role in society than some social services that the government provides.The decision to reduce the duty by 50 per cent represents a ringing endorsement of the
sector and a victory for common sense.” Larry Kehoe,operations director responsible for the development of the Beacon Bingo brand, concluded:“We were delighted to be part of the Boost Bingo campaign organised by The Bingo Association and many thousands of our customers signed the petition which was taken to Westminster.The decision will allow us to implement more of the initiatives we have been working on to improve further the bingo experience for our customers and to continue to deliver fantastic value for money entertainment in a safe, secure and socially responsible environment.”
premises types where the maximum stake is £2 (or £5 in relation to B1 machines in casinos). “The Secretary of State, the Minister, MPs, local authorities and vocal stakeholders all recognise that the ‘serious concerns’ regarding B2s are confined to these games and there is no suggestion that the long-standing commitment to social responsibility across the industry for those who offer other games, is in need of fundamental action in terms of policy. Indeed, BACTA continues to build upon its social responsibility credentials and will shortly launch its Social Responsibility Manifesto. Under these circumstances the recognition by Treasury that games which stake more than £5 are really in a category of their own,is further welcome confirmation that a firm distinction is drawn based upon stake.”
BACTA’s chief executive believes that the Budget, which reflected changes to the Finance Act following the Triennial Review, was a reminder of the importance of BACTA’s lobbying power. BACTA fought very hard for relief under MGD for low stake and prize machines, particularly at the seaside. The 5 per cent rate for pushers and other games which formerly applied to the 10p/£8 cash games, has now been increased to 20p/£10 cash games to reflect the change in the triennial for pushers where the stake and prize has increased to 20p/£20 of which the cash prize is no more than £10,is particularly welcome. This is a direct result of BACTA’s vigorous lobbying campaign during the implementation of MGD which also saw exemptions for B3A and tournaments. It should be noted that while 5 per cent will apply to 20p/£10 cash games, these remain Category C games under social law as the stake and prize limits for reel based Category D remain unchanged. McLeod-Miller concluded:“This will present another opportunity for innovation for manufacturers of Category C games and we are grateful for the support of Treasury and the Minister, David Gauke for this concession.”
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Coinslot March 28 - April 3, 2014
Industry Chancellor delivers major shot in the arm for bingo sector BINGO
The UK bingo sector celebrated a huge boost from the Chancellor last week as bingo duty was halved from 20 per cent to 10 per cent in the 2014 Budget.
third of a million bingo customers who backed a campaign to boost their favourite game are celebrating, after the Chancellor reduced the tax burden on bingo clubs in almost 400 communities across Britain. In last week’s Budget, George Osborne reduced the duty on bingo clubs from 20 per cent to 10 per cent, exceeding the campaign call for a 5 per cent reduction. It means bingo clubs across England, Scotland and Wales have been given an extra boost and can now fulfil their commitment to invest in new premises, modernisation
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and jobs. The Boost Bingo campaign, run by The Bingo Association, gathered more than 330,000 petition signatures from bingo players across Britain. Over 50 MPs supported the campaign, either in their constituencies by visiting their local bingo club, or on the floor of the House of Commons. The campaign reached a climax when the petition was delivered to the Chancellor’s residence at Number 11 Downing Street, on February 26. Nearly two hundred bingo players joined MPs for a celebratory procession past the Houses of Parliament. Rob Halfon MP,Brian Binley
MP, Therese Coffey MP, Peter Aldous MP, Philip Davies MP and Meg Hillier MP came out to meet their constituents and give their full support to the Boost Bingo campaign. Announcing the change the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne MP,praised his colleagues in Harlow and Waveney and the “vigorous campaign to cut bingo duty” before saying:“They want the rate cut to 15 per cent,I can go further - bingo duty will be halved to 10 per cent’” Miles Baron, CEO of the Bingo Association, said: “This is the most fantastic news - everyone is
absolutely delighted. The decision to reduce duty by 10 per cent means bingo clubs will get an even bigger boost than we had hoped for.” He added:“As chief executive of The Bingo Association, I would like to say an enormous thank you to the 330,000 people who backed the Boost Bingo campaign by signing our petition, to the dozens of MPs who visited their local clubs and asked questions in the House, to PLMR who supported us with our campaign, and of course to the Chancellor… for recognising the importance of bingo clubs in nearly 400 communities across Britain.
“Bingo operators identified a programme of investment that would be freed up by a 5 per cent tax reduction. Now that we have secured a 10 per cent reduction, operators will be relooking at their investment and modernisation plans, to stimulate the industry. Bingo fans across the country will be celebrating!” Bingo’s steady reinvention from a dying, archaic pastime for old ladies to a modern, vibrant game for all adults continues apace, then, while machine manufacturers and distributors alike will be keeping a close eye on the sector’s fortunes in the coming months.
Budget triggers immediate Rank investment BINGO INVESTMENT
Rank Group has revealed plans for new bingo clubs as a result of Tthehethree Chancellor’s announcement on bingo duty. Rank has committed to a programme of investment and job creation in its bingo clubs as a consequence of last week’s Budget announcement that bingo duty would be reduced from 20 per cent to 10 per cent. The duty reduction brings the taxation of bingo into line with most forms of gambling in Great Britain, including sports betting, football pools and online gambling and
closer to the effective level of sales tax for general retail. Rank, which currently operates 97 Mecca Bingo clubs across Great Britain, revealed that as a result of the duty change it was now able to invest in the modernisation of the bingo industry through the development of three new clubs. In addition, the future of a number of existing clubs would be secured. Rank Group chief executive,Ian Burke said:“The announcement is an important boost for Britain’s bingo clubs, which provide a range of social and economic benefits for the communities they serve. By bringing bingo duty into line with other forms of gaming entertainment,
the government has created a basis for renewed investment and innovation.” Rank has identified a number of towns and cities in Britain where, in the light of the Chancellor’s announcement, it would like to develop new clubs. Now the group will complete more detailed market research, commercial negotiations, planning and licensing. Importantly, the new clubs will be used as a base for innovation,testing new concepts and new technologies to reposition its bingo clubs for the future. Rank’s hope is that this process of innovation, research and development will trigger successive rounds of reinvestment nationwide.
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INDUSTRY AMUSEMENTS LEISURE
B2B COMMENT NEWSWEEK REPORT The essential guide to the UK’s Category C sector. The key issues and key products that are driving the genre forward. 12
B2 machine tax rises to 25 per cent FOBTS
The Campaign for Fairer Gambling claims that the government’s increase on FOBT tax to 25 per cent isn’t necessarily the best idea.
hancellor George Osborne’s announceC ment to increase tax on B2 machines (FOBTs) to 25 per cent has caused something of a stir among MPs. Rather than reducing the maximum stake on FOBTs from £100 to £2, thus creating the ‘fair playing field’ the coin-op industry wants, Osborne has used the tax system to squeeze the LBO sector. In 2013, Osborne introduced Machine Gaming Duty (a 20 per cent tax on all takings) to replace
Amusement Machine Licence Duty (a fixed charge of £2,500 per machine). In last week’s budget statement, George Osborne increased FOBT tax to 25 per cent.The move has caused predictable consternation in certain quarters and saw Ladbrokes’ and William Hill’s share prices drop in the immediate aftermath of the announcement. Ladbrokes fell 5.7 per cent while William Hill fell 4.4 per cent in just ten minutes, having traded roughly flat immedi-
ately before the Budget. Adrian Parkinson, consultant for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, stated: “A 25 per cent tax rate on FOBTs may well wipe £78m off the bookmakers’ profits - but does little to protect those affected by problem gambling. “It will be suggested that this move will slow down the proliferation of betting shops on high streets, but the addictive nature of FOBTs means the bookmakers will still be raking in huge sums.The government should be looking at dealing with the root of the problem - the high stakes and high intensity play of FOBTs, rather than tax the losses of those addicted to them.” Matt Zarb-Cousin, another consultant for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, added:“A £2 per spin cap on FOBTs would bring about economic, social and commercial benefits and could be implemented today.” Ultimately, from a coinop perspective, the level playing field has failed to materialise, but the high street betting sector, which until now had boomed while coin-op had struggled, will feel hard done by as compared to the Budget fortunes of the bingo and single site sectors. Somehow, though, the playing field has been levelled albeit only by the addition of a new player HM Treasury.
RGA admits to black market fears REMOTE GAMBLING
to the Budget the draft Finance Bill, IThenandresponse Remote Gambling Association has restated its view that a rate of 15 per cent for the new point of consumption tax is too high and that the regime still does not appear to make allowances for bonuses and incentives. The RGA said: “This heightens the risk that British licensees will lose significant market share to black market operators and will undermine the
regulatory objectives of DCMS and the Gambling Commission.” The government is going ahead with its proposal to introduce a point of consumption tax for remote gambling and has included the details in the draft Finance Bill. From
December 2014, operators will have to pay 15 per cent duty on the gross profits they make from bets placed by customers who are located in the UK. The DCMS’ pre-legislative scrutiny of the proposed regulatory reforms stated that: “In setting a tax rate for remote gambling, the Treasury should bear in mind that too high a rate would be liable to drive customers and companies into the unregulated, black market.” The RGA believes that the government does not appear
to have taken account of its view. Clive Hawkswood, CEO, RGA concluded: “The reason that the vast majority of well-known British companies operate from other jurisdictions is that the UK tax burden is unreasonably heavy and makes it very difficult to compete in the international market. This new regime has given the government the perfect opportunity to correct past mistakes and it is very worrying that despite all the evidence it has not done so.”
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Six arrested after row over AWP GUN CRIME
ix males have been arrested after a man threatened a Bolton pub Sworker with a gun in a row over a fruit machine. The alarm was raised by a worker at The Claremont Arms in Halliwell Road, Bolton, last week after a man
brandished a gun.The incident happened after the bar worker asked the group, who were playing on a fruit machine, to buy a drink. They refused and one of the men revealed what is thought to have been a gun.They then walked off. Police have now arrested six people, boys and men aged between 15 and
26, on suspicion of firearms offences. Five have been bailed pending police investigations, and a sixth person is still in custody. Police said the weapon has been seized and is being forensically tested. Any witnesses are asked to call police on 0161 856 5761.
New coin-op trade show scheduled for October EVENTS
With the outlook for the UK amusement and coin-op industries at its most positive for several years, the industry is set to benefit from the launch of a new coin-op show, taking place in London at the end of the summer season.
he UK amusements industry will see the launch of a new trade event this year. The Autumn Coin-Op Show is scheduled for October 1516 at Chelsea Football Club, Stamford Bridge, London. Organiser Karen Cooke explained the thinking behind the new show:“In recent years we’ve received numerous requests from UK companies for an event at which they can gain feedback on new products prior to their launch during the January show season. We believe the time is now right, evidenced by overwhelming support and firm commitments from companies
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eager to secure space at the two day event. The show will concentrate on the requirements of the UK and will take place at a unique venue and at a traditional time in the coin-op calendar, after the summer season and prior to EAG International.” Harry Levy of Harry Levy Amusements was among those to welcome the new initiative: “As a manufacturer the Autumn Coin-Op Show will provide us with a great opportunity to gain essential feedback from our customers, prior to product launches in the New Year. Our industry is a sociable one and over the years we’ve lost some of the
traditional opportunities to get together at the end of the season. We’re very happy to confirm that we’ll be exhibiting at this new show.” Reflex Gaming’s Quentin Stott confirmed his company’s participation, saying: “Reflex Gaming is highly focused on the UK market and we’re excited to be taking part in the Autumn Amusement Show and enjoying the social and business opportunities it will inevitably bring.The industry finally has a sensibly priced two day show at a prestigious central London location and we hope manufacturers and visitors alike will
get behind the event to ensure its success.” Crown Direct’s managing director Dean Harding has confirmed that his firm will also be taking part, and the show’s organisers have also received bookings from several other leading coin-op companies. Cooke is keen to ensure that the new event reflects the needs of its participants: “Over the coming months we’ll be developing the programme for the two days. We’re anticipating a friendly, intimate event and those companies considering exhibiting should contact me as soon as possible to avoid disappointment,” she urged.
BBPA delighted at beer duty cut PUBS
reaction to the Budget from the British TBeerhe2014andimmediate Pub Association was one of delight as Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne cut beer duty by a further penny a pint. The beer duty escalator was also scrapped by the Chancellor. Commenting on the second, historic beer duty cut in the
Budget, Brigid Simmonds, BBPA chief executive, said: “This is fantastic news, and George Osborne is again the toast of Britain’s brewers, pubs and pubgoers. It will protect over 7,000 jobs over two years, mostly jobs of younger people in Britain’s pubs.” She added: “It also shows that the government has understood our case, that taxes on British beer had become far too high, and
action was long overdue. I hope this becomes a trend in future budgets for this British-made, lower-strength drink.” The potential implications for the single site operating sector are all positive. Drinking in pubs will remain (just about) affordable and will hopefully not just slow down the rate of pub closures but also boost footfall levels by bringing a few more lapsed customers back.
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Bob Rudd goes green OPERATORS
fter releasing positive year-end accounts, A single site operator Bob Rudd is firmly set on growth and acquisition over the next few years. This being said the company is currently looking to invest in an energy efficient fleet strategy. Bob Rudd has committed to becoming more environmentally friendly by lowering CO2 emissions across its fleet. Not only will this benefit the wider environment but it also relieves taxation pressures for the company and its staff. The company currently has a fleet of circa 90 cars and 10 vans, 80 per cent of which are below the government’s recommended 95 C02 level. Bob Rudd himself has just taken delivery of a BMW i3, the first fully electric car the company have tested. Rudd will be putting the car through its paces over the coming weeks to see if it is a practical option for renewing the fleet. It is company policy to buy all of the vehicles as opposed to hiring them, as they can offset the costs in the first tax year. Rudd listed the benefits of offering a low emission fleet as follows - first year write off, low benefit in kind charges, very low, if any road tax and high miles per gallon on fuel consumption.
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Scientists predict summer scorcher FORECAST
easide amusements could be in for a bumper Ssummer after forecasters said it could be the hottest the UK has ever experienced. Scientists at Justus Liebig University in Giessen,Germany,have calculated a 75 per cent chance that this summer will be a very hot one, with Britain set to experience an El Niño weather pattern. Professor Armin Bunde said the El Niño weather pattern would see waters on the Pacific equator rise higher than usual, leading to hotter temperatures
Earlier this month traders in Weymouth welcomed a great start to the season as sunshine brought temperatures approaching 20C with it. Ciaron Telford, of Weldon Family Amusements, told local press:“It’s good to see the sunshine so early this year because it does put a smile on people’s faces. I hope it stays.” In response, bookmakers have cut the odds on temperatures exceeding the 25.6C March record set as 38.5C in Faversham, unusually warm weather in 1968 in Mepal, Camacross the globe. It is even thought that Kent, in 2003, might be bring benefits for seaside bridgeshire, after gauges operators around the went well above the 12C the UK’s hottest tempera- topped in 2014. average for the month. March has already seen country. ture, which was recorded
Grumpy Cat plush recalled Child exits Rank Group due to choking hazard GAMING
inch Grumpy Cat in laying position,a five inch long sitting Grumpy cat and a four anz, the manufacturer inch Grumpy Cat key clip. of the Grumpy Cat Aimed at children aged plush line, has received six three and above, the toys reports of the cat’s eyes depict the glum expresdetaching and causing a sion of the cat that has potential choking hazard become an internet sento children. Thousands of sation. the stuffed toys are being Ganz is urging cusrecalled due to choking tomers to immediately hazards. take the recalled toys away While no injuries have been reported, the firm is Commission to recall three from children and contact them for a free replaceworking with the Con- styles of the plush. The recall is for the eight ment or a full refund. sumer Products Safety PLUSH
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olin Child, the Rank Group’s C senior independent director, has resigned from the board with immediate effect. Child joined the board of Rank on 1 January 2012 and became senior independent director and chairman of the nominations committee on 1 July 2013. He became chairman of the audit committee on 17 October 2013. Rank’s chairman and
chief executive, Ian Burke, is leading the search for a new senior independent director. A further announcement will be made when a successor has been identified. Burke said: “On behalf of the board of Rank I would like to thank Colin for his commitment and hard work during his time with Rank. The board is extremely sorry to see him go.”
BALPPA hails Parliamentary lunch a success TRADE BODIES
ark, pier and attractions trade group PBALPPA held its Parliamentary lunch on March 10 in the Churchill room at Westminster. It was attended by 65 BALPPA operating and trade members and 25 MPs and Lords. Chairman Bob O’Connor spoke on the value of tourism to the UK and how all political parties should be aware of the effect of legislation on businesses.
Clive Efford, Shadow Tourism Minister, spoke about his new found understanding of the breadth that an organisation such as BALPPA has in the visitor attraction and
tourism industry. He understood the case that had been made for cutting VAT on tourism but couldn’t commit so close to an election and hoped there would be more
opportunity to debate tourism in the near future. Dan Jarvis was awarded the BALPPA Parliamentary Champion award for his previous work with BALPPA on tourism
issues. Jarvis said a few words of thanks and wished all the BALPPA members well in what is a great industry. BALPPA chief executive Paul Kelly concluded: “The BALPPA members who attended the luncheon felt it had been a great success and were looking forward to engaging with their local politicians on the key subjects such as de-regulation of school holidays, zero hours contracts and cutting VAT on tourism.”
Gambling Commission strengthens senior team APPOINTMENTS
Commishas continued its TpushhesiontoGambling bring in a range of industry expertise with the engagement of two senior industry figures ahead of the implementation of the changes proposed in the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Bill. Ladbrokes customer services director Sue Harley and Roger Parkes, former director of group compliance at Betfair, will both work with the Commission in coming months to provide expertise and insight to support the Commission’s work in regulating remote gambling operators based offshore. Harley joins the Commission in early April on a fixed term contract. As an executive director, she will take on responsibility for a broad policy and management portfolio. Parkes is already working with the Commission, providing additional experience and input into the Commission’s preparations for implementation of the Bill. These arrangements supplement the expertise in the Commission’s existing cross-functional teams in areas such as enforcement, legal, intelligence gathering and player protection. Jenny Williams, CEO at the Commission, said “Sue and Roger’s experience and industry knowledge will prove invaluable as we move towards implementation of the changes to remote gambling regulation.”
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Coinslot March 28 - April 3, 2014
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FEC
Former Dreamland owners consider judicial review
Management at The Lido Family Entertainment Centre have called on Facebook critics to remove negative comments about plans for a retractable roof.
Worthing FEC calls on critics to support roof plans orthing’s The Lido FEC has hit back in the face of criticism of its plans for a new a £1.25m retractable roof. Some residents of the seaside resort took to social media site Facebook to demand that the FEC instead reinstate the swimming pool that was built over in 1990. Manager Martin Barrett took to Worthing Lido’s own Facebook page to call on those making negative comments to retract them. He wrote:“We appreciate people have opinions,
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Email: al@sjc.co.uk
but it has proved impossible to tolerate the level of blatant negative propaganda. Therefore we kindly ask for false statements to be removed from certain Facebook group pages. “This will avoid endangering all possible funding and the need for us to pursue legal action and compensation. Comments like these are damaging to The Lido and for Worthing as a tourist destination to gain additional visitors.” It is hoped the retractable roof would help turn the FEC into a
year-round attraction that would double the number of visitors, as well as create 30 to 50 part-time and fulltime jobs. With funding coming from the government’s Coastal Communities Fund, it would be built by the same company that designed structures for The O2, London Zoo, Lord’s cricket ground and London 2012 venues. Plans for the roof have been submitted to Worthing Borough Council and if permission is granted, work is scheduled to start in the autumn and be com-
pleted in two weeks. Joe Skilton, manager of Worthing Lido’s amusement arcade, told local press that a swimming pool would not be as popular as the rides currently housed on the site. He commented: “The rides do draw in a lot of people during the winter. If there was a pool there would be no-one here at all.” Able to withstand winds of up to 90 miles per hour, the roof would operate via weather sensors and be capable of closing in minutes. Once in place, the area
within the lido could also be used for Christmas fares and even a temporary ice rink during the off season. Philippa Bradbury, the FEC’s PR and marketing manager, urged people to support it: “The pool closed down in the first place because it was making a big loss.As a business model it doesn’t work. “If we don’t get the money for the roof, which we won’t without public support, it will go to another town. It won’t go to somewhere else in Worthing.”
Summons issued over South Parade Pier repairs PIERS
ortsmouth City Council has said it is to issue the owners Pof South Parade Pier with a summons regarding work to make the structure safe. The council had ordered Dawn Randall and Fred Nash to make the pier safe within seven days or see it take control over two
weeks ago. Council leader Gerald VernonJackson said it had requested necessary work to stop people from going under the pier and to protect anyone under the canopy be carried out. Randall has reportedly insisted she and co-owner Nash were given until March 31 to carry out the work.
She also said that contracts for the pier’s sale had been exchanged on March 7, but did not reveal who the new owner was and how much it had paid. She did confirm that it had not been sold to the South Parade Trust, despite the trust claiming Nash and Randall had offered to sell it to them, subject to price and contract.
AMUSMENT PARKS
he former owner of Margate’s Dreamland Tamusement park are reported to be considering asking for a judicial review into the decision that saw it lose control of the site. Last October, DreamlandLive lost its case at the Court of Appeal against the compulsory purchase order that handed ownership of Dreamland to Thanet District Council. The three judges that oversaw the appeal ruled against DreamlandLive and said a government inspector had been entitled to conclude that the project to turn the site into a heritage amusement park was “operationally viable”. DreamlandLive - which had put forward its own proposals for an amusement park and up to 500 homes - claimed the council and the Dreamland Trust’s scheme was not financially viable and that the CPO should not have been made. Judicial review aside, the Dreamland Trust now plans to open the heritage amusement park, complete with the restored Grade II-listed Scenic railway roller coaster and other historic rides, in 2015
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Coinslot March 28 - April 3, 2014
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WMC saved by members now faces new threat WORKING MEN’S CLUBS
A long-established working men’s club in Preston, Lancashire, which recently enjoyed a stay of execution under a new committee, faces a new threat from local residents and the police. lub Ramblers in Preston is fighting to stay open after complaints from residents. Owners of the club, previously Fishwick Ramblers Working Men’s Club, will be battling to stay in business when they appear before councillors this week. The private members club has applied for a premises licence to continue serving alcohol and putting on
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entertainment. After complaints from residents about the behaviour of drinkers and noise problems in the neighbourhood, however, the police have raised objections to the city council’s licensing sub-committee. In a letter to the sub-committee, Sgt John Lovick revealed Lancashire Constabulary objected to the club’s licence application “on the
grounds of crime and disorder and public nuisance.” He also said there were insufficient measures in place for the police to make a decision on whether the club could trade safely.A report from the council’s environmental health department states that the authority was informed in October last year that the club had changed its name and amended its rules.
Coastal towns outshine cities in TripAdvisor awards TOURISM
Even with the unpredictable weather, accommodation at the UK’s seaside resorts has been voted amongst the most popular in the world. he UK’s seaside towns have proved to be Tamongst the most popular destinations in the latest awards issued by global holiday review website TripAdvisor. A total of 26 UK properties secured awards in theTripAdvisor 2014 Travellers’ Choice awards for hotels, up from 14 in 2013. While London again scooped the most awards of any UK town or city, it was smaller seaside towns that generally outshone the larger cities – with Torquay, St Ives and Blackpool all landing more awards than anywhere else outside the capital.
The All Seasons Guest House in the seaside resort of Filey, North Yorkshire, came in second in the list of the world’s top ten hotels, while Lauriston Court Hotel in Llandudno was judged by holidaymakers to be the world’s third best bargain hotel. Three of the top four in the list of the world’s best B&Bs were English seaside resorts,with the UK home to six of the top ten, including first and second place,as well as boasting a further nine in the top 25. Devon was revealed as the UK’s biggest winning county after Greater London, with
eleven hotels securing awards across five of the seven categories in this year’s awards – more than New York and Rome combined. James Kay, TripAdvisor spokesperson, commented: “For the twelfth year running, these awards recognise the finest hotels across the globe,according to those that really matter - the travellers themselves. “To see hotels in Devon outperforming those in global tourist hotspots like NewYork and Rome demonstrates just how well the hotel industry here is performing.”
The report adds that in November the police applied for a review of the club premises certificate on the grounds of crime, disorder, public nuisance and a failure to operate the CCTV surveillance system as required. The club had subsequently promised to operate the CCTV properly, restrict drinking-up time to 30 minutes, keep music at an acceptable level and urge
drinkers to leave the club quietly. The Ramblers was taken over by members Sandy Smith and Tracy Bamber last May because it was struggling financially. Smith told local press:“They were losing money hand over fist.Being members, we put it to the committee that we that we would take it on and we have bought them out. It is a family club and we are trying to keep the traditions going.”
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GB Media Marketing Services provides a complete communications service. With a management team boasting decades of international industry experience, GB Media is the only company of its type in the gambling space, employing teams of designers, marketers, journalists and business development executives.
For more information please call John Sullivan +44 (0) 1204 396 397 or email jsullivan@gbmedia.eu
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Essential Guide to... Category C
COMMENT
TRADE BODY 32
Win £100! Sounds good, doesn’t it?
This week’s machine charts
33 Classified sales, job and business opps
37 Jabro Surreal Soccer season
BACTA looking to the future With increased stakes and prizes for Cat C machines now in effect, trade group BACTA is making plans for the next Triennial Review and setting out its stall for the remainder of 2014. t’s been three months since the government enacted a new £100 jackpot limit for Category C machines, with operators across the country keen to upgrade their existing stock amid tentative reports of climbing cashbox figures. Trade body BACTA has been maintaining an overview of the Cat C market in the wake of the Triennial Review and sees some cause for optimism. “It is still early and there is a mixed picture depending upon location and type of premises,” said chief executive Leslie MacLeod-Miller, “but there are reports of positive movement and clearly the increased prize gives the opportunity for the manufacturers to be even more creative in developing games that serve a complex market.” Ahead of the review in 2013, BACTA were hard at work developing the case for a jackpot increase. “BACTA produced important research showing that consumers would favour a £100 prize above the £70 prize,” said MacLeod-Miller. “We had presented this research to John Penrose and the DCMS team as a background to the £70 prize and it has been consistently quoted as evidence in the economic case for uplift.” The trade association were also key in ensuring that all facets of the industry work together to convince the government of the need for a rethink.“BACTA led the creation of the cross industry submission to the Commission and DCMS for the last Triennial and all sectors inputted
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Essential Guide to
Redemption Machines & Prizes 2 weeks Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
into the dataset, liaising closely with the BBPA and AMLR,” said MacLeodMiller. Not resting on their laurels,BACTA have been preparing the ground for the Gambling Commission’s next analysis.“Cat C is very competitive market and the industry needs as much opportunity to innovate and remain competitive,” said MacLeodMiller.“We have announced that we are beginning to look at strategies and data framework for the next Triennial review remembering also that technical standards also need to be constantly revised whilst still demonstrating social responsibility.” With this review some years off, however, the group has assembled a list of priorities it hopes to tackle during 2014.“BACTA has announced that it will be re-launching its commitment to social responsibility in May with a series of initiatives,” said the chief executive.“We are proud of our strong record on social responsibility and are the only sector that has a dedicated compliance staff who serve members in providing social responsibility training, test purchasing and general advice. BACTA was the first sector to introduce a uniform compliance toolkit for each of the appropriate BACTA divisions.” The group will also continue to support its members as and when the need arises.“Social responsibility is our number one priority,” said MacLeod-Miller,”but there are always threats to our sector and we will be there fighting for every BACTA member regardless of their size and business type.”
Despite being the long-established and familiar ‘entry level’ slot machine genre, the Cat C sector is undergoing a number of changes as the industry looks to make these stalwart machines even more appealing to the masses in the wake of the £100 prize uplift.
alex lee foreword egardless of what goes on once that loose change has dropped into the coin mech, Cat C R machines have long been the ‘industry standard’ amusement with prize piece or, from a player’s perspective, the omnipresent ‘fruit/quiz machine’. This situation hasn’t come about by luck alone and despite much speculation surrounding the future direction of the Cat C machine, the sector has thrived due to solid manufacturing practises and a lot of hard work and creative thinking on behalf of the UK coin-op supply chain. Nowadays, Cat C machines are many and varied due to the knowledge that different venues attract contrasting demographics and what might be a cashbox winner at one location could just as easily be a shocker at another. Furthermore, the country’s foremost manufacturers, distributors and operators have supported the Cat C sector for decades, so there are plenty of reasons to be upbeat about a machine category that has matured despite the Gambling Act, the smoke ban, the credit crunch and consecutive recessions. With the Cat C sector now encompassing a number of different game types, features and cabinet designs, the market has grown to the point that products that might have once set out to compete with each other can co-exist and help keep the sector buoyant. Due to coin-op’s versatility, knack for innovation and an awareness of what brands work, the Cat C sector is looking pretty strong right now, despite those well-publicised pre-MGD fears. What the biggest curmudgeon couldn’t deny is that there now exists a raft of entertaining, diverse Cat C products out there with imaginative gameplay features. Now that the £1/£100 stake and prize level is beginning to establish itself, the big test now is how industry stakeholders can help make the sector thrive against a backdrop of mobile gaming, appdriven entertainment and a bunch of consumers who, with all due respect to Cat C’s founding father, the reel-based ‘fruity’, want a bit more quality entertainment for their quid.
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Essential Guide to ... Category C Sector Overview Raising awareness
Old vs New
Payout variance
Cat C on site
To inform players of the changing stakes and prizes for Category C machines, operator Gamestec ran a competition to win 100 prizes in 100 days. “This promotion spanned both analogue and digital products for the first time,” said the company’s commercial director, Peter Davies.
Although hi-tech Cat C machines often showcase the leading edge of the sector’s technological development, there remains a robust market for classic lo-tech machines. “There is always a need for lo-tech machines, particularly for the non-pub arena such as arcades and bingo,” said Reflex Gaming managing director, Quentin Stott.
There is no statutory minimum percentage payout for modern Cat C machines, although manufactures must make information available about a game’s category, payout percentage and whether they are compensated or random. Legacy machines, defined as those that were in use before 31 August 2007, are required to enforce a minimum payout of 70 per cent.
According to government regulations, Cat C machines are only permitted in certain locations, including arcades, pubs, bingo halls and casinos. The number of machines allowed in each venue depends on what kind of licence it possesses, with both arcades and bingo premises permitted to house an unlimited number of Cat C devices.
SWOT ANALYSIS
Prize uplift, while long overdue, has reinvigorated the sector Now imbued with a prize figure that actually means something, the Category C sector can build on the hard work it has undertaken ever since the maximum payout was an altogether more modest £25. ith the recent Budget announcement that the beer duty escalator has been scrapped and the price of a pint is to go down by a penny, the single site sector can continue to build on the opportunities that Cat C machines bring. Both the AWP and SWP product genres, as evidenced by the machines and content showcased in Coinslot this week, have some seriously strong offers despite the much-advertised demise of the pub sector in terms of sheer numbers.The obvious positive response to pub closure rates is of course that it’s as much about the survival of the fittest as it is about the unfairness of the Smoke Ban,the beer tie and the fact that supermarkets are still permitted to sell alcohol almost as loss leaders. Furthermore, as a number of coin-op stakeholders have brought to the attention of Coinslot, the pubs that have survived tend to be popular, well-frequented and keen to site as much Cat C entertainment as is permitted. With this challenging backdrop, latest £1/£100 stake and prize levels notwithstanding, the Cat C sector has developed into a multi-strand concern that looks strong enough to support the needs of pubs of all types, rather than becoming fragmented to the point of collapse. Let’s not forget, as well, that there are plenty of AGCs
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and bingo halls that have Cat C machines on site and both these styles of venue have been keen to get involved with taking the latest available equipment. Indeed,many could argue that the timing of the latest Triennial and the Cat C prize uplift within,while not perfect,did give January’s EAG International a bit of a boost in terms of prototype products and talk of potentially richer pickings for the sector. Nowadays,the Cat C sector has a number of distinctive styles, including hi-tech, lotech, reel-based, video-based, community and the latest initiative Cat C Lite, with the unifying elements being the £1-£100 stake and prize level and gameplay which continues to tread a fine line between its skill and random elements. In addition to the Cat C machines deployed in the 49,000 pubs across the UK, there are a further 47,000 AWPs across all gambling sectors in the UK (AGC, bingo, LBO and casino) according to the latest available BBPA and Gambling Commission figures.Add to these numbers those in operation in working men’s clubs and service stations and one could reasonably estimate that there are more than 100,000 Cat C machines on site in the UK,despite the word ‘decline’ being oft-linked to both coin-op and pub numbers these days.
SWOT ANALYSIS CATEGORY C STRENGTHS
tive can still be questionable in certain subgenres
• Cat C is very much ‘part of the furniture’ in pubs, AGCs and bingo, thereOPPORTUNITIES fore very approachable/non-intimidating from a • £100 prize level is a meaningful amount to player’s view players and has given developers • All the major manufacturers and disrenewed impetus tributors heavily involved in continuing • Updatable content via the sector’s progress dongles/CDs/online lessens need for • £1 now universally seen as an ‘impulse shipping, reducing costs and making it easier to bring new games to market spend’, therefore £1/£70 stakes still • Community and multi-stake games on the acceptable to players up, as well as more creative SWP content WEAKNESSES THREATS • Competition from other forms of digital entertainment and reduced consumer • Spectre of more pubs becoming food-led spend • Mobile gaming on tablets/ • Value for money from player’s perspecsmartphones/laptops
Judging by evidence based on the recent EAG and the myriad of varied Cat C products seen in Coinslot in recent weeks, UK manufacturers intrinsically know how to better serve the interests of both the operator and the player. Undeniably,the main players in the coin-
op industry have enjoyed the big shot in the arm that the recent Triennial handed them, reinforcing the underlying belief that Cat C games of all types can continue to be prolific cashbox earners, regardless of their guise in terms of what is presented to the player.
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Essential Guide to ... Category C Market Perspectives NATIONAL OPERATIONS
‘Our machine deployment has been undertaken sensibly’ Nigel Davis, head of machines for Praesepe, outlines the AGC and bingo group’s strategy on implementing the new £100 jackpot Category C gaming machines.
oinslot: Three months on from the new Cat C legislation, how would you assess the impact of the new £100 prize? Nigel Davis:The impact has been very positive indeed, and overall we are very pleased at the way in which the manufacturers have interpreted the £100 opportunity and the response the games have received from our customers.The focus group research we undertook last autumn and which we shared with our colleagues in the manufacturing sector at November’s Machine Symposium, has proved incredibly useful. It has helped us to gain the maximum benefit from the new jackpot and, as importantly, helped us to avoid the pitfalls which our players signposted in the research. Our key strategy has been to introduce new games on £100 and not to convert existing and popular games from £70 to £100.We see £100 as being the best offer to date and one which can compete and indeed beat legacy machines.
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outset, but we have not seen this as gaming’s equivalent of the Le Mans start. Our machine deployment has been undertaken sensibly and backed up by our own experience, the response of our customers and empirical data. It’s clear that one size does not fit all and there’s no value in taking a gung-ho approach to something which is so fundamental to the health of the business.
sis on communicating with our customers and explaining any changes to the offering. The communications activities are divided into messaging and channels.At the outset we took the strategic decision not to focus on the new jackpot level but to focus on new games - making a virtue of £100 when players could already play for a £500 jackpot seemed slightly confusing. We have used every channel possible including digital, SMS, POS window disCS: Which Cat C products are currently the plays, stickers, posters, tent cards as well as our new Jackpot FM internet radio stastrongest performers for Praesepe? To tion. We have also made certain that our what would you attribute their success? ND: Four games stand out: SG Gaming’s customer-facing staff are fully briefed and Rainbow Riches Money Mad Mushrooms, aware of new game deployments in Blueprint’s Luck of the Irish, Astra advance of them going live.The human eleGaming’s Bullion Bars and Project’s Find ment of being able to ask staff how a game plays is really important but frequently The Lady Two Card Gamble. overlooked. CS: Does the new £100 prize also affect community Cat C gaming? CS: Are you optimistic about Cat C perND: For some games the answer is yes. For formance over the summer period? example,SG Gaming has an interesting con- ND:The weather plays an important role cept by which they are offering commu- in determining footfall whether you opernity play across different games. Essentially ate in a town centre or at the coast. Baromthe debate comes back to the need to offer eters in summer 2013 may have been ‘set CS: Have you consomething new and not to be accused of fair’ but the heat wave was not kind to verted all of your short changing players by simply convert- inlandAGCs.Having said that,as a company bingo and AGC we are as optimistic and upbeat as we have estate to £100? If not, ing successful £70 products. ever been.The strategy that we have folwhen do you envislowed to ensure that £100 is an opportuage full conversion? CS: What marketing initiatives have you ND: Each one of our embarked upon to communicate the new nity grasped has given us the best opportunity to build on the success venues has had £100 £100 prize to your guests? games from the ND:As a company we place great empha- achieved so far.
BINGO OPERATOR
Resurgent Gala mixed on Cat C future message of support in the recent UK budget and strong performance from gaming machines have A combined to give Gala Bingo a buoyant start to 2014. “We are very pleased with the start to the year,” said managing director, Simon Wykes. “Admissions are in growth, EBITDA is ahead of budget with machines performance yet again the stellar performer.” Among the company’s machine portfolio are a range of Cat C machines, themselves bolstered by a recent jackpot increase. “The £100 prizes will clearly help and initial signs are encouraging,” said Wykes. Gala have found success in the past by combing modern technology with classic products. “Server based Cat C content, particularly community gaming, performs well,” said Wykes, “and there is still a significant and loyal following for Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
some of the older analogue kit.” The company’s strong opening to 2014 has paved the way for the company to realise some of its long-held ambitions. “The budget changes to GPT will enable us to finally open Southampton, years after we acquired the site and will herald the start of a multi-million pound refurbishment programme across our estate,” said Wykes. However, Gala are reticent to invest in the new ‘Cat C Lite’ machines, brought about by a decrease in Machine Games Duty on machines with lower stakes and prizes. “I’m sure we will trial some but it’s hard to see the economics working,” said Wykes. “If machines generally cost the same to purchase why would you invest in lower stake content that significantly under performs higher stake content?”
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Essential Guide to ... Category C Market Perspectives OPERATIONS
PUBS
Gamestec perfects Cat C rollout In the wake of the change to Category C stakes and prizes, Gamestec initiated a complex logistical plan to upgrade the majority of their existing machines. or nationwide operator Gamestec, the creation of a new £100 jackpot limit created considerable logistical challenges. However, with a few months grace following the decision of the Triennial Review the company was able to transition smoothly to the new standards, says commercial director, Peter Davies. “Thanks to considerable detailed pre planning which began immediately after the announcement of the Parliamentary committee vote endorsing £100, implementation has been swift and relatively straightforward,” he said. That said, Davies paid tribute to the hard work his team had put in to make the transition a success.“Thorough planning upfront meant that once the green light was given we were able to mobilise our staff who, it’s fair to say, performed prodigiously. Having clocked up a total of 300 workshop hours in the run-up to implementation, they amassed a further 1,100 man hours on the road and on site to complete the week one roll out.Tight control of conversion kit inventory and the quality of the kits has supported a swift and effective roll out where the pace has been maintained.” In total, Gamestec completed more than 10,000 conversations in eight weeks, including more than 3,000 analogue and digital machines. “Communication was central to the success of this operation,”said Davies. “In advance of the roll out we engaged with every customer to understand their priorities.We amended our ring around process to ensure that communication with every site was robust and every customer knew exactly when we were coming, what was going to be achieved and the benefit to them. This led to jobs being completed first time.” With the machines in place, early performance indicators on the new £100 jackpot Cat C machines have been positive.“Some games have taken longer to bed in with players than others, but now they have we are seeing year-on-year growth against an average annual decline,” said Davies,“so the signs are good.We have to be somewhat cautious, though, as year-on-year figures will be impacted by poor pub trading due to poor weather in the first few months of last year.The run up to Easter and performance of first generation dedicated £100 machines (rather than conversions) will be a key indicator to ongoing revenue impact, but again so far performance indicators are good.” Recent weeks have also seen the Machine Games Duty on 10p/£20 games drop to five per cent, creating the ‘Cat C Lite’ category. “We are looking forward to the first results from the Cat C Lite products we are installing,” said Davies. “We fully expect this product to appeal to players who currently play machines elsewhere, other than pubs, and who are currently put off by complex hitech games or, indeed, by the cost to play.”
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Quenching pub thirst for the £100 jackpot Reflex Gaming was well prepared to meet the needs of pub operators looking to upgrade their Cat C machines to allow for the new and improved jackpot limit. ith the new stakes and prizes regulations for Cat C products now in full W effect, operators around the country are clamouring to install the latest machines to ensure that they provide the most attractive offering to their customers. Pubs have increasingly turned to Reflex Gaming to provide them with updated games.“Operators were very keen to get their machines upgraded as soon as it was possible,” said gaming managing director Quentin Stott. “As implementation followed the Christmas break, it was incumbent on us to supply our kits in advance, so we worked closely with our customers to get their upgrade processes moving as swiftly as possible.” As expected, the new jackpot has stimulated increasing interest in Cat C machines, particularly among pub goers. “It is still early days, but there has definitely been a very positive effect thanks to the new £100 jackpot,” said Stott. “This is particularly noticeable where there has been a machine change to £100 in the site.Where machines have just been upgraded to the new jackpot in the same location, the impact has been less discernible. Now we are getting the first wave of machines going on site that have been specifically designed for the new jackpot and the ini-
tial results are looking very positive indeed.” The success of these machines can, in part, be attributed to their unique position in the market. “The £100 jackpot is the highest proposition for that environment,” said Stott,“and this is clearly an attractive proposition for players over other categories. The pub sector is still very much fashion-based, with a regular turnover of new concepts and games going into topearning sites and cascading down through estates. So players have the advantage of constantly refreshed machines to play.” Away from the pub sector, Reflex sees potential for the ‘Cat C Lite’ machines in other kinds of venues. “A change in the fiscal law meant that we had the possibility to create a new 20p/£10 machine which attracts the lower rate of 5 percent Machine Games Duty,” noted Stott.“Our view is that it might prove to be ideal for AGC and Bingo, where customers tend to have a higher dwell time. In this environment we feel that it might attract players away from traditional Category D machines and offer value for money to the locations, due to the lower MGD rate.We have therefore created the Starlight - a fourgame Category C compendium and we are eagerly waiting to see how it will perform.”
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Bell-Fruit values quality over cost-cutting Quality remains the vital component of the Category C sector, a fact that has never strayed from the focus at BellFruit Games. Which is all the more reason that when it comes to entertainment and delivering the best formula for the player, cutting back can only threaten your opportunities for going forward.
he drop in Machine Games Duty (MGD) to 5 per cent on devices with a 20p/£10 prize configuration has prompted speculation about the sector’s growing potential. However, Bell-Fruit Games’ sales and marketing director, John McLoughlin, argues that entertaining the player remains the most important factor in ensuring success. “What will motivate operators to buy these machines is the cashbox performance,” he said.“The reduction in MGD is welcome, but this does not affect the player, who does not benefit directly from five per cent rate of
T
MGD. From the player’s perspective it is all about the quality of the game experience. If we get this right it will be reflected in the cashbox performance which,in turn,will be reflected in sales volumes.” In addition to working on attractive ‘Cat C Lite’ games, Bell-Fruit has continued to develop a wide range of titles that challenge traditional gaming divisions.“Historically hitech players have been associated with the pub market and lo-tech players with the bingo and AGC markets,” said McLoughlin.“Products such as iPub, on which both hi and lotech games are available, have demonstrated
that there is a market for both types of game within the pub environment. Our task is to come up with the variety of games that will appeal to all types of machine players.” However, the company remains aware that, in certain venues, natural restraints make certain games more suitable than others. “There is certainly some truth in saying that lo-tech games are most popular in bingo halls, where machine play takes place in the periods between bingo sessions,” said McLoughlin. “In this environment simple games that are not feature-rich are likely to be most popular.
SINGLE SITE
Paragon Category C content gives 25 per cent revenue boost Thanks to the addition of appealing new Category C games like roulette, Andy Grey, partner at Red Rose Leisure, has seen a significant uplift in revenue from its Paragon terminals. Since Red Rose Leisure installed Games Warehouse’s Category C and “D content on the 39 Paragon terminals at sites that have the appropriate licence, it has really opened them up to a wider audience. Some traditional Category C pub players have definitely come across to the Paragons, as when we have checked the statistics to see what games are being played, use of the Category C content has continued to increase. We take care to set the menus up properly to ensure the higher-played Category C and D games are clearly visible on the front side, and in the year that we have had the content on the Paragons there has definitely been a 20 to 25 per cent increase in revenue. Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
The version of roulette has been particularly great. There are a lot of Eastern European workers in the area in the North West, and they like to play numbers game. Their grasp of English might not be the best, but they understand the numbers and when we have spoken to them on site visits a lot of them told us that they like the Paragon because of the Category C and D numbers games and the roulette game that we have been able to add to it. Paragon’s Category C and D games are also very easy to understand as well. There aren’t buttons all over the machine like you would find on a regular Category C AWP cabinet, making them user friendly and opening the terminals up to a wider potential player base.”
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DISTRIBUTORS
RLMS prepared for Cat C influx With new stakes and prizes debuting alongside Cat C tax reductions in early 2014, RLMS has capitalised by stocking up on a range of exciting new machines. ith the gaming industry now well into 2014, RLMS has been able to W take a closer look at its prediction that this would be a major year for Cat C.The early signs are positive, with machines built to the new £100 jackpot standard increasing posting good numbers. “RLMS Sales have had a fantastic start to 2014,” said managing director, Chris Boulton.“The first significant volumes to move were the Bell-Fruit Games hitechs, with retailer nominations from the off and single site operators happy to invest in the likes of Turbo DoND, Powerplay and Worminator.” With those initial successes in mind, RLMS are have placed a number of brand new products into the field for testing.“The second tranche of models are in the throes of being tested and I have to say the performance is outstanding,” said Boulton. “Mega Rich, Crazy Chair Gold £100 and Time To Play DoND £100 all look set to be injection models of choice for April and May across the many different pub retail estates, as well as other multi-site venues. In short, we couldn’t have asked for a better start.” In addition to the adjustment to stakes and prizes for Cat C machines, the Machine
Games Duty on 20p/£10 machines was lowered to 5 per cent.“There’s a buzz from many sectors on the opportunities around 20p/£10 Stake & prize combination,” said Boulton. “Whilst this is still Cat C, and hence can only be operated within adult areas, it allows the operator to offer true amusement style games at only 20p play, but with plenty of interaction and activity because of the stake and prize ratio.” With machines in this class proving popular with operators and players, RLMS has been sure to stock up on a number of new products.“This style of play will be available on both multi-players, such as Bullion Bars Classic and Party Time Classic, as well as the new R-Cade 777 from Astra, a model which will be as comfortable sat in an AGC, bingo or indeed pub environment,” said Boulton. “In addition, we’re just about to test two new games from Bell-Fruit in the new Mini-Eclipse cabinet, Monopoly Fortunes and Double DoND, both of which have this stake and prize option.”
Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
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GAMES DESIGN
Blueprint expects strong start to continue
Astra drives Cat C deve
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s a leading supplier of gaming machines and digital content, Blueprint Games is taking a measured approach to the new era of Cat C products. “We have seen a positive reaction from an operator and a retailer perspective to the new jackpot so far,” said managing director, Simon Barff (pictured, left). “As new games are developed to £100 this sector will improve still further, as we maximise the opportunities offered and learn from the players’ reaction.” This growth will be largely driven by the development of new machines, as designers get to grips with the possibilities opened up by the new limits on stakes and
SIMON BARFF (LEFT) AND ANDY HALL, SALES AND OPERATIONS MANAGER
prizes. “We will see with the new games coming through, which have been created specifically for the new jackpot, how designers have achieved a better balance in the game play,” said Barff. “As for lo tech games, we will see a better chance of replicating the style of B3 £500 games to the lower £100 jackpot.” However, despite the revitalised Cat C market still in its infancy, operators have been keen to jump on board. “The uptake of both our analogue and digital range of Cat C has been excellent,” said Barff. “All our King of Games (Digital) units are now on £100 and the upgrade on Alice and the Mad Hatter was 100 per cent.”
Making use of the knowledge and expertise of its sister companies has allowed Astra to emerge as one of the leaders in the newly altered Cat C market. ollowing the introduction of new Cat C stakes and prizes, Astra Games design director,Andy Dinning has been pleased with the immediate growth he’s seen in the market.“£100 has presented a much needed boost for all sectors and Astra Games is benefitting from some very encouraging figures which,in turn,signifies growth within the player base,” he said.“The pub sector has a real appetite for Astra video product in the form of iPub and it’s fair to say we are the market leader in the digital sector. So when you have the passion for games and the creative solutions with an acceptable jackpot level it does stand to reason that growth will be achieved.”
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Astra has also been quick off the mark when it comes to designing machines that take advantage of the new standards. “Astra has designed games that embrace the new jackpot,” said Dinning, “100-1, Ton-up andTotally Bonkers,each of which has been designed with the objective of appealing to the player whilst delivering a great gaming experience.” This ability to quickly conceptualise and execute designs that respond to changing market conditions is a result of a carefully considered business strategy. “I chair a creative think tank involving each of the Astra Gaming Group of companies that allows collaboration between all of our design teams and encourages
REFURBISHMENTS
Cat C rebuilds on point for Concept With new jackpots and tax regulations shaking up the Cat C market, Concept Games are well placed to provide operators with a cost-effective rebuild and game design service. mong the most popular services from Leeds based Concept A Games is to deliver a new lease of life into well-worn classic machines. By revamping these older products and bringing them up to new standards, operators can secure attractive machines from their gaming floor without having to shell out for a new device. Thanks to the recent jackpot increase, the desire for new machines has increased. Cost sensitive operators are looking at companies such as Concept for a sensible alternative.“Our company has found that the price gap between new and rebuild has grown larger,” said Concept’s David Garforth,“so we represent very good value for money as our product also performs well inAGC sector.” With the gaming industry only a few months into this new jackpot regime,sales have been building slowly, but Concept expect interest to increase as the year advances.“It’s never a stampede,especially these days,”said Garforth, “but sales are good and of course it’s word of mouth that brings most sales, so triennial update sales always gather pace as the year goes on and the games prove themselves.” With changing stakes and prizes come changing design specifications, for both the internal and external features of a game.“Standard reel based games have remained along Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
the similar simple format,” said Garforth,“but the inner program design has structurally changed as the jackpots have got bigger.” The size of the jackpot also has an impact on a machine’s external design.“The bigger jackpot games tend to be no frills more serious format,”said Garforth,“but this year we have developed more light hearted comedic artwork and sounds for our lower stake product like GoldenWinner and Silver and Gold.” In addition to the new jackpot rules,tax on 20p/£10 machines has also been relaxed in recent months, with Machine Games Duty dropping to 5 percent.Concept predicts that these machines are likely to be big earners in years to come.“The 20p/£10 is a perfect stake and prize and always has been,”said Garforth. “Five games for a pound in the Northern towns especially works really well and the machine could not have a better hit ratio.” In addition to lower cost per play,the addition of a reasonable jackpot will make this popular with both casual and dedicated gamblers. “The £10 jackpot and repeats make this a more serious players game,”said Garforth,“unlike the 10pmachinewhichhasalwaysbeenatimeconsumer for the player who just wants to stay all day.I feel that this product will play a huge part inAGC operating in the forthcoming years.”
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MANUFACTURING
24 Seven hit the ground running
development cross pollination of ideas,” said Dinning.“I believe that the creative solutions offered by Novomatic, Astra, Bell Fruit and Empire all add to a better offering and that has to be seen as a big step forward for the business. Put simply, there is no other company able to deliver that in the UK.” The company has also been exploring the options opened up by the reduction of Machine Games Duty on Type 2 - or Cat C Lite - machines to 5 per cent.“I see great opportunities with Cat C Lite and the appeal is widespread,” said Dinning.“Currently we have demand for reel based in the arcade and bingo sectors and massive demand for video across our customer base.We have taken advanced orders in the pub sector and with the co-operation of our sister company Gamestec we see steady and sustainable demand.” As a softer gambling experience, the changing regulations open up Cat C games
s a relatively new entrant into the Category C sector, 24 Seven Gaming A consider the recent adjustment to
to a new audience.“Astra views Cat C Lite as an appealing alternative to SWP and a very attractive proposition to bring back a more active profile for the players,” said Dinning. “In short, Astra applauds any opportunity to deliver great games and plans many game pack releases to accommodate demand.”
stakes and prizes to be quite timely. “All Cat C product is now being measured on a level playing field,” said managing director, Simon McCarthy, “which has to be good for the operator, as it ensures good quality product is purchased. Operators have been extremely busy with the replacement and injection of new £100 product - so feedback has been limited. However, from what I can see there is a definite increase in performance.” Building on this early success, the company is keen to push on to create newer and even more profitable machines. “It is our opinion that through continued development of analogue product, business should continue to grow at a slow but
steady pace,” said McCarthy. “This is extremely encouraging for us.” The company is also intent on ensuring that the industry is prepared to argue its case at the next triennial review of stakes and prizes. “We need to work together to collate all the necessary data to put before government to ensure an easy a path as possible for the next review of stakes and prizes,” said McCarthy. “To do this we must engage and ensure key data is collated and provided to the appropriate departments of the government. Clearly, the very early indications are that the £100 jackpot is a positive move - we need to work towards a future increase in both stake and prize while still remembering that, above all, it is entertainment we are selling.”
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Essential Guide to ... Category C Market Analysis CONTENT DEVELOPERS
OPERATIONS
Cat C options prove a success
Kossway tackles jackpot challenges
Nick Hardy, marketing director for Games Warehouse, explains how the Paragon Category C Gaming Menu has proved to be a welcome addition for the independent, single site sector. Just over a year ago, Games Warehouse again broke new ground in the touchscreen multigame arena with the unveiling of a Cat C Gaming Menu for the nation’s 10,000+ Paragon SWP terminals. This unique development enables operators to explore the‘hybrid’route and introduce an additional gaming opportunity to players at extremely low cost.In fact,in software terms, the additional cost is precisely zero.The fairly ‘flat’ reception it received from many of the largest operator and retailer customers was dispiriting to say
“
Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
the least.These are the same people who forever ask us what we are going to do about machine performance – and yet here is a concept that is truly revolutionary rather than just run-of-the-mill ‘innovative’. We engaged with major customers through every step of the development process,and were given every encouragement that this was exciting and welcome.And so it indeed proved to be... but just not with them. Across the smaller and more truly independent areas of the single site sector, the Paragon Cat C Gaming Menu has proved to be a welcome addition.As our own recent
research showed, over 22 per cent of all Paragon terminals in the UK have the Cat C content option activated and earning for them.That’s more than 2,000 machines. From the outset, the objective of the Paragon Cat C exercise was to facilitate the easy utilisation of spare AWP permits in thousands of UK pubs and present ‘table’ games such as Roulette in a more playeracceptable format than that offered by an upright ‘fruit machine’ terminal. Huge pub retailers who choose to group these hybrid machines alongside traditional AWPs when preparing statistics, instead of identifying them as a separate product, may say that it doesn’t work. But they are comparing apples to oranges.As a product enhancement to the previous Paragon, designed to offer more to a wider player audience, our Cat C option is a success.As has been seen, it is perfect for the smaller independent operator serving the tens of thousands of independent outlets.The former has neither a vast capital expenditure budget nor hundreds of surplus old AWPs in stock; the latter is a true entrepreneur who is happy to trust his local ‘expert’. Circumstances have therefore enabled us to ‘segment’ Paragon and deliver a product that can be tailored to suit different markets.This was not the journey we originally intended to take, but we have arrived at a more than satisfactory destination. Any operator with a tight budget,who is already operating Paragon and wants to offer additional Cat C content to his customers, should snap this option off at the elbow not least because our own unique version of Roulette is in fact the very best execution of this timeless classic available to the UK pub player. And so the situation we now find ourselves in with regards to Cat C takes us back to the very beginnings of Games Warehouse. Back then, a dozen years ago, Gamesnet and itBox were offering something new - but exclusive - to the customers of their national operator owners. The fantastic opportunity that presented itself to us was to provide an alternative to these products for the remainder of the operating community and so we became the ‘independent’s friend’. In the case of the Cat C option for Paragon, history seems to be repeating itself, and we are once again delivering competitive advantage to the independent operator.”
ith the government’s Triennial review of stakes and prizes W prompting a change in Cat C jackpots, operators such as Kossway Automatics have been faced with the momentous task of upgrading machines for venues across the country. “£100 implementation has proved to be quite a challenge,” said sales director, Rob Hill. “Kossway looked closely at all the AWP models on our estate and planned carefully for the purchase of kits for the best machines only. This will ensure this equipment not only provides longevity for us but also provides our customers with the highest earning equipment.” Rather than travelling to apply upgrades to machines currently in use, Kossway opted to centralise their operation. “We made a decision not to fit any kits on site,” said Hill. “We felt a machine change in addition to the new jackpot would have more of an impact and that kits fitted in our in-house technical department will result in fewer service issues.” With so many of the company’s venues keen to upgrade, this strategy has allowed Kossway to ensure standards remain high. “The majority of our venues have been delighted to upgrade to £100,” said Hill. “This increase is long overdue and essential to drive income forward.” This confidence in the potential of the new stakes and prizes has been vindicated almost immediately, with many of venues reporting good results from their new machines. “The early signs are very positive,” said Hill, “and we have seen very large increases in some cases. The challenge is now with the game designers to utilise this new jackpot to the maximum and provide operators with some much needed new ideas with regard to content.”
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Products ASTRA GAMES With new stakes and prizes in effect, Astra Games are exploring their options for both traditional Cat C titles and the nascent Cat C Lite sector.
Astra pushing hard on Cat C stra Games has undertaken a two-pronged assault on the Category C market in a bid to capitalise on the implementation of the Triennial Review of stakes and prizes and the emergence of the new ‘Cat C Lite’ genre. The first component in Astra’s Cat C arsenal is Magic Games 100 Ultra, a compendium of 12 games boasting four incredible titles from the prestigious Novomatic stable.They comprise Roaring Forties, Fruit Sensations, Hot Chance and Mega Joker and feature alongside eight other games in one of the industry’s most iconic cabinets, the FV623. According to Sales and Marketing Director Alan Rogers the addition of the four new Novomatic games brings an enviable dose of kudos to the Magic Games platform.“Astra Games is delighted to have been afforded the opportunity to go to the market with games of this pedigree,” he said.“We serve a highly discerning customer base comprising operators and retailers who demand products of the highest quality.These games fulfil that brief in spades.” Turning to Cat C Lite – the Cat C derivative first pioneered by Astra – the company has three highly desirable options
A
in R-cade777, Bullion Bars and Party Time. Focusing specifically on R-Cade777,Astra has successfully created an eightstrong suite of games comprising Lucky Bet Roulette, Deal or No Deal East & West Wing, One Hundred to One,Win Wishes,Jack and the Giant Jackpots,Mega Free Spins Golden Key, Party Time Bingo and Cops ‘n’ Robbers Lucky Streak. “R-Cade777 is an exciting and compelling new product initiative based on what the industry is informally calling ‘Category C Lite’, a machine classification that enables a 20p/£10 stake/prize configuration that attracts the lower, five per cent rate of Machine Games Duty (MGD),” said Rogers.“That has to be good news for customers,who can now access a value-for-money product that offers a slightly more compelling prize option yet remains at the softer end of the gaming spectrum.” Astra Games are keen to remind stakeholders that games that fall within the ‘Cat C Lite’ bracket qualify for the five per cent rate of MGD applicable from February 6 2014 according to the Machine Games Duty (Types of Machine) Order 2014. As such they are subject to any future change in MGD that may subsequently be imposed on a ‘type 2 machine’.
24 SEVEN GAMING
24 Seven creates new from old Only a short period into the lifetime of 24 Seven Gaming, the company has established itself as a major player in the Cat C conversion and rebuild market. t is now 14 months since the launch of 24 Seven Gaming and during this time, the company has created a base Isoftware platform for its customers’ existing product, which forms the basis of its game development. “This is a major part of the strategy at 24 Seven – to offer operators a cost effective and reliable market conversion and rebuild vehicle to utilise their second hand stock,” says 24 Seven gaming managing director, Simon McCarthy. The first of the company’s range of Cat C products utilising this format and platform to be released in 2014 was Crazy Vegas. This game was initially launched on £70 and was subsequently updated to the £100 jackpot and offers a proven game style. Initial results have been extremely promising. “We wanted to launch with a game that would offer operators a safe bet for strong cashbox returns,” said Simon. In a separate and strategic development, 24 Seven can now also provide game content using the Heber (Pluto 6) technology. The first game to be designed for this system is called Wok Around The Clock, which is housed in the new Orbit Plus cabinet. “We believe that this continues to show our long-term
commitment to the UK Cat C analogue market place,” adds Simon. Wok around the Clock, sees 24 Seven take a completely different approach in a bid to explore the new possibilities of the £100 prize. We wanted to take our game design to a different level with several additional features to maximise player enjoyment. The reaction from customers at the EAG was extremely gratifying.” 24 Seven is lucky enough to have secured two of the most experienced distribution partners in the UK market for its Category C games in Wessex Coin and Blue Monkey Gaming. “Now we have the product and the route to market, we can confidently look toward the future, particularly given that the £100 Triennial has opened up new opportunities for the manufacturing sector,” concludes Simon. Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
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Essential Guide to ... Category C Products BELL-FRUIT GAMES
BFG firing on all cylinders in Cat C sector Bell-Fruit’s ever popular Deal or No Deal series has been repurposed for the new £100 Cat C jackpot, joining a range of new hi and lo-tech machines. ell-Fruit Games is firing on all cylinders in the Cat C market segment, with a compelling blend of games that fulfil player demand in both the lo-tech and hi-tech arenas.With the implementation of the £100 jackpot now firmly in place, the Nottingham manufacturer has lost no time in developing a range of games designed to maximise cashbox potential from the new payout and boost player appeal. On the lo-tech front, the firm has introduced two new games in Double Deal or No Deal and Monopoly Fortunes,both of which
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are presented in the Cut Down Eclipse Cabinet. The former can operate in stand-alone mode or connected to others to give a community game experience. Monopoly Fortunes is a three-reel game with holds and nudges and can also be operated as a stand-alone model or connected for community play. Turning to hi-tech,Bell-Fruit has launched Deal or No Deal Crazy Chair Gold and Time to Play Deal or No Deal. Crazy Chair Gold incorporates a classic Deal or No Deal super feature with LED values that can ramp up to
£100.Time to Play, meanwhile, includes a brand new feature from BFG – the Timed DOND activation. Watch the timer count down from five minutes or less to zero. Collect eight red boxes and you get an extra blue box.When the timer reaches zero and you have a blue box, you are automatically awarded Deal Or No Deal – wherever you are in the game. According to sales and marketing director John McLoughlin, Bell-Fruit’s pursuit of excellence across the Cat C genre,including hi and lo-tech game styles, is essential for
maintaining healthy demand and serving the different needs of the player base.“Our aim is to constantly deliver games that can cater for all tastes across a variety of venues,” he noted.“We want the Bell-Fruit brand to resonate positively with machine players of all persuasions and to achieve that you simply can’t be a one-note symphony.” The new arrivals join current Cat C models Worminator and Mega Rich, both of which have achieved major approvals.
BLUEPRINT GAMING
Blueprin digital an With a strong background in digital Cat C machines, Blueprint Gaming has made the leap into analogue with predictably positive results.
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CONCEPT GAMES
Concept Games combines new with old Energised by jackpot increases and tax reductions, Concept Games has produced a range of new Cat C products inspired by classic machines. eeds based Concept Games has announced their new range of Cat C £100 products for AGC operators Lat the turn of 2014. The company are proud to be one of the few companies who continue to support reel based gaming in the UK. Concept - who support the popular range of machines originally manufactured by UK manufacturers Bell Fruit and Electrocoin - has once again manufactured a full range of new Cat C games for use with these popular brands. The range starts with affordable software and decal kits, designed to fit all casino models as well as a selection of flat top and sit down machines. Also available are a series of four single player
rebuild machines, namely Silver & Gold, Bullion Club 100, Random Club 100 and Jackpot 7's. Concept has also covered the original Golden Winner machine to create a great new three-player rebuild called Golden Winner Deluxe. Concept's David Garforth commented that, "the £100 machines do seem to have helped get Cat C back on its feet after the loss of players to B3. The new jackpot seems to have helped justify the 50p stake, which we felt was possibly the stumbling block under the last £70 triennial review." “As well as the £100 jackpot, a new MGD tax reduction on 20P/£10 to 5 per cent has to be this year's big breakthrough,” said Garforth. “This price of play and jackpot
eprint produces both tal and analogue Cat C lueprint Gaming has been the UK market leader in the provision of digital B Category C product for some time now, with its King of Games compendium leading the way.The company began producing analogue Cat C machines fairly recently, in response to customer demand, and the machines are also performing very strongly. “Our success in both digital and analogue Category C games is due to the high pedigree of our software teams.We are dedicated to driving the digital income forward still further from what is already a strong base and so we have appointed a dedicated digital content manager to help achieve this,” says Simon Barff, managing director of Blueprint Gaming’s Machine Division. “Since the introduction of the new £100 jackpot we have noted a substantial increase in income from our installed base of King of Games machines, ranging from 12% to as much as 35%. Clearly King of Games is more than bridging the gap between digital and analogue in single sites,”he said. King of Games, which is housed in the Genie cabinet, has a full game menu with £100 content with further titles being released throughout the year. Of the current crop, Luck of the Irish, a five winline
multi-stake game, is performing very strongly, as is Superspins Bar X. Slot-style game Golden Pharaohs and casino-style games like Hotpot Roulette and Chase the Ace are also becoming increasingly popular with players. In addition, Blueprint Gaming has added a new Black Jack game, in which players try to beat the dealer to win the jackpot. Blueprint’s latest analogue Category C machine, Paddy’s Payday, received full retailer approvals this month. It follows on from the success of the previous analogue Cat C machine from Blueprint;Alice and the Mad Hatter, which was also housed in the Sunlight Cabinet. “Orders for Paddy’s Payday have been coming in thick and fast, however, with our build schedule, we have managed to satisfy customer demand,”says Blueprint’sAndy Hall. This strong run of reel-based machines is set to continue withViva LasVegas,which is Blueprint Gaming’s next release and which is performing very well on site test. The cabinet features a striking dualcoloured red and green frame and a vibrant glass festooned with Vegas dancing girls. Viva Las Vegas has already picked up major pub retailer approvals and more are expected to follow.
moves the old Cat D forward in AGCs on in leaps and bounds - giving manufacturers the ability to create a very appealing category, whilst moving 10p players onwards out of the Cat D timewarp.” Concept has also created a full range of 20p/£10 products in line with their £100 products and tests on these products are showing great results. “In order for Cat D to move on, an answer to low spend gaming was needed,” said Garforth, “now it is here, the 20p stake will facilitate a much more exhilarating game for players – early results are more than promising.”
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KITS FOR ALL ELECTROCOIN CASINO MACHINES BAR X CASINO/BAR X 5/BAR X 10 BIG 7/RED BAR/MAGIC 7/MAGIC 10 BAR X 7/DIAMOND 7S/JACKPOT BARS ALL £425
£100 NEW MACHINES RANDOM CLUB 100 £1695 BULLION CLUB 100 £1695 JACKPOT 7S £1695 SILVER AND GOLD £1995
20P £10 KITS
ALL ELECTROCOIN CASINO MACHINES £295 RANDOM GOLD FLAT TOP £295 BAR 7 FLAT TOP £295 SEVENS ABOVE FLAT TOP £295
20P £10 MACHINES
GOLDEN WINNER THREE PLAYER £5995 SILVER AND GOLD £1995 REDEMPTION TICKETS JUST ASK!!! WE CAN CONVERT MOST THINGS TO REDEMPTION TICKETS AT GREAT AFFORDABLE PRICES
CALL DAVID, TIM OR DIANA: TEL. 0113 2798216 MOB. 07884 585898 Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
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Essential Guide to ... Category C Products EMPIRE GAMES
GAMES WAREHOUSE
Holy Grail leads Empire’s Cat C crusade
Know when to Hold’em The cashbox classic, Heads Up Texas Hold’em, returns to Paragon as a Category C gaming option from Games Warehouse. ack in the early 2000s, when all the High Street pubs were packed every night and the highly ambitious itBox connected terminal still existed, one of the most innovative and successful SWP games ever created was Heads Up Texas Hold’em Poker from Alternative Universe. This brilliantly unique development challenged the established definitions of ‘skill’ and attracted a whole group of new SWP players through its ready association with the online poker boom that was just catching fire at that time. With graphics that replicated the online sites of the day, and game play that was repeatedly proven to demand player skill to achieve success, the game deservedly attracted new players and dominated the SWP cashbox for many months. And then disaster struck: the Gambling Commission outlawed the game because it failed to meet certain new criteria, namely those that referred solely to presentation and had absolutely nothing to do with whether or not it was a
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EMPIRE’S CRAIG BEER (LEFT) AND STEVE YOUNG WITH THE HOLY GRAIL
Bridgend-based gaming machine manufacturer Empire Games has launched its latest hybrid Cat C, The Holy Grail.
game of skill, which is demonstrably was. This arbitrary ruling was never challenged and this truly great version of this classic game was a goner. Fast-forward a decade later and the original Heads Up Texas Hold’em game is back on Paragon. Thanks to last year’s introduction of the Cat C Gaming Zone as a Paragon software option, the development team at Games Warehouse has been able to work with the original Alternative Universe team to reconfigure this cashbox classic as a Cat C offer that is fully compliant and meets all of the required technical standards for an AWP. “This is no quick or cosmetic re-hash,” said Games Waerhouse marketing director Nick Hardy, who was himself a ‘guinea pig’ when the original game was tested over 10 years ago. “This is a fantastic recreation of one of the best SWP games ever released and operators of our Cat C Menu can look forward to it giving their Paragon cashboxes a welcome boost.”
oused in the Barcrest Horizon Plus cabinet, and offered as a hybrid, Empire Games’ new The Holy H Grail Category C innovation can be operated as either a dual stake category C game or alternatively as a fixed or dual stake category B4 game. The Holy Grail sees the player commence on a quest to find elusive treasures with the ultimate Holy Grail being the main prize.The game is played using four base reels where ‘three of a kind’ wins can be achieved from left to right or right to left or, alternatively, ‘four of a kind’ wins can also be attained. Each win allows the player to instantly engage in the feature whereby he spins the feature reel to progress around a lapper trail.The lapper consists of Bonus Nudges, adding to cash and feature columns, as well as collecting castle towers, crystal balls and bonuses. Each active position can be Hi/Lo gambled to increment again. Collecting three Castle Towers activates the top board which allows the player to climb and swap columns where treasures such as winning streaks, cash knockouts, cash strikes and crystal balls.At the top of each column is the ultimate prize of Mega Streak which guarantees the Jackpot. Collecting three Crystal Balls opens up a ‘take it or leave it’ prize board feature whereby the player participates in seeing prizes from two columns of awards being extinguished and being offered a cash sum from the wizard to which the player has to decide to take it or reject it.The player will be left two cash outcomes whereby a final offer is made and if rejected the cash value depicted on a hidden reel is revealed. If the player can light the three crystal balls‘Red’then the column of lower awards are removed completely giving the player a better chance of winning higher values. Empire managing director Craig Beer said:“All in all The Holy Grail offers both the player and the operator a unique playing experience with the versatility to be able to operate it on a multitude of venues thereby extending the longevity of the product and giving better value for money.” Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
REFLEX GAMING
Reflex Gaming launches new jackpot Repurposed classics join new machines out on test to create a varied Cat C offering from Reflex Gaming. eflex Gaming has an excellent and varied range of Category C machines to suit all kinds of venues. RLet’s Get Jackpotted, which gained an almost clean
values are eliminated and the player is offered a cash value based on the values remaining. This machine will be followed by Fiddle ‘A’ Fortune, sweep of retailer approvals on £70, continues to perform which takes players to the Emerald Isle.This will come out extremely well on site at the new £100 level. It has been fol- on site test by the end of March. Once again it offers multi lowed by Alice Queen of Hearts, which was launched at the stake/multi win line options, with one win line becoming London shows and has already gained no fewer than seven active on 25p, five win lines on 50p and five win lines and a bonus red feature active on £1. Normal Feature entry may major retailer approvals. Best of British has just gone out on site test. It is a multi be boosted to Super Start or Mega Start via the red Fiddle a stake machine offering a two-reel bonus on 25p, a four-reel Fortune symbol on reel three. For the arcade sector,Reflex Gaming has the Apollo £100 bonus on 50p and a reel bonus on every game on a £1 stake. Players advance up the grid with different start points for digital Category C housed in the attractive Starlight cabithe feature.The Best of British feature starts with the best net.This is a five game, single monitor, video compendium values – it offers a ‘take it or leave it’ style of play where featuring three reel-based games, one poker and a roulette.
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ith the £100 jackpot increase on the horizon, the team at RLMS Sales knew W they needed to fill their warehouse space with analogue multi-players complete with iconic branding. These machines needed to be fresh enough to appeal to new players, without alienating the more established player base. The game play also had to compete with legacy style gaming machines, giving little and often,to make for a highly interactive game,yet with the excitement and appeal of being able to enter into the £100 Streak feature, with Jackpot repeat. In short, they needed to be attractive enough to make a centrepiece in any adult gaming environment. Members of the team were also keen to offer stake and prize flexibility for operators, in the event that they wanted to turn down to Cat D or take advantage of the new Cat C Lite combo of 20p/£10, both of which attract only five per cent MGD for the operators. The resultant product output, notes Tony Glanville, sales director for RLMS, are the two brand new models from the Astra camp, Party Time Streak and Bullion Bars Streak, both of which are being shipped
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To make best use of the fresh jackpot regulations, RLMS has secured a range of multi-player machines from Astra. out to customers during March and April. “We first saw these models at EAG and they really did look the part,” said Glanville. “There is very little competition for this style of game from any other manufacturer and they represent an excellent opportunity for operators who are thinking of replacing tired and worn looking legacy three-players which may be upwards of 15 or 20 years old. Furthermore, with the support from Astra, we can offer these multiplayers out on an attractive, interest-free, six-month payment plan, which is being well received by many of our customers.” Chris Widdowson, key account manager added:“The walk up factor for these two models will really appeal to the player base.Whilst it’s early days as to whether the PartyTime or Bullion Bars has the edge, it really is down to the operator with the local knowledge of their players’ preferences, as to which they go for. Of course, where undecided, I shall be offering my professional opinion and recommend both, side by side.” The Streak three-players are available for pre-Easter delivery from RLMS Sales, with payments that can be spread right through to September.
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All games offer a multi stake 25p or 50p play, with a £100 jackpot. Lady Luck Band of Gold is Reflex Gaming’s ‘Cat C Lite’ offering, housed in Reflex’s mini-cabinet.The game takes advantage of the lower 5 per cent Machine Games Duty level, but benefits from the recent Cat C technical standards.Players can choose from 10p/20p play with a £5/£10 jackpot, depending on the level of their stake. “This is the first of a new breed of products being developed for AGCs and bingo halls which aim to increase the average stake from those players preferring low stake,value for money games,”says Reflex gaming managing director Quentin Stott.
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www.rlms-sales.com sales@rlms-sales.com
UK pub group Greene King has pledged to recruit over 2,000 apprentices this year. “As our business grows, we are proud to offer the apprentices that join Greene King the opportunity move straight onto a career path to allow them to fulfil their true potential,” said HR director, John Smith.
By making a better busine top priority, the Chancello that successful and confid the key to transfo growing econom one that is felt in high streets.
JOHN LONGWORTH, DIRECTOR GENERAL COMMERCE, GIVES HIS REACTION TO 2014
RIPON 01765 640 900 KINGS LYNN 01553 692 817 SKEGNESS 07879 841 151
PLUSH & GIFTS
Whitehouse Leisure ‘blown away’ by demand rane and redemption prize specialist Whitehouse Leisure is already doing some seriously brisk business ahead of the traditionally busy Easter trading period. The firm has added a number of new lines since the turn of the year and believes that the industry is very upbeat about its range of licensed plush and gifts along with its latest line of resin prizes aimed squarely at pusher beds. The company’s Ian Whittingham explained: “We’ve brought in a number of new Despicable Me 2 designs for 2014. Last year, the brand was by far our biggest seller and it’s already continuing to attract huge orders this year with purple Minions and Minions in costumes proving popular as well as Gru, Agnes and Unicorn characters which feature strongly in the movie.
C
B2B Juke Box Specialists
In addition to DM2 plush, Whitehouse has launched a number of redemption prizes such as mugs, breakfast sets, keyrings and backpacks. “We’ve had repeat orders upon repeat orders for these,” he added. Whittingham revealed that Whitehouse has also acquired some strong new Disney lines for 2014. “These really take it to another level,” he enthused. “Doc McStuffin was the biggest retail brand in 2013 and we’ve now added it for the leisure sector this year,” he added. Furthermore, Whitehouse has massively increased its resin range of prizes, which are intended to be positioned in redemption centres and on pusher beds. “We have a totally expanded range this year and there is a great variety in both generic and branded designs. These are high quality both in terms of manu-
CURRENCY
New £1 coin to bring a new level of cash handling security kim@arionmusic.co.uk
After 30 years of service, the current £1 coin will be retired and replaced with the ‘most secure coin in the world’. ust six months after the Bank of England announced it would start introducing Jpolymer banknotes - starting with a new £5 note featuring Winston Churchill in 2016 the Royal Mint has unveiled new shapeshifting plans of its own. In an effort to reduce the rate of counterfeit coins entering general circulation, the nation’s coin manufacturer intents to introduce a replacement £1 coin in 2017. The new 12-sided prototype coin will be constructed from two different coloured
Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
metals and utilise multiple layers of cutting-edge technology. It will be the most secure coin in circulation and would allow the UK to rapidly reduce the amount of counterfeit coins, the Royal Mint stated. The coin will contain Integrated Secure Identification Systems (iSIS) enabling not just coins, but the whole cash cycle to be more secure, protecting the public, vending machine operators, retailers and the wider banking system. Commenting on the new coin, David
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MARKETPLACE
B2B Juke Box Specialists
er business environment his Chancellor has recognised nd confident companies are to transforming Britain’s economic recovery into is felt in homes and on eets.
DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE BRITISH CHAMBERS OF IS REACTION TO 2014 BUDGET
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Mum’s bowl free Namco Funscape has launched a Mother’s Day offer that will see Mums receive a free game with the purchase of at least one full-price adult or junior game on Sunday, March 30.
B2B Marketing Get great PR from the industry experts
S&J communications
INTERNATIONAL JCM SECURE KURSAAL VALIDATION ash handling provider JCM Global has been chosen as the preferred supplier C of bill validators to Casino Kursaal in San
facture and the brands themselves, which means they are very collectable. We’ve added Care Bears, Thomas the Tank Engine, Fireman Sam, Barney and a big range of Disney branded products such as Winnie the Pooh, Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Donald and Daisy Duck, all supplied in display boxes. Whittingham believes the present Whitehouse collection to be as strong as it’s ever been but revealed there are some ‘fantastic’ new products still to be introduced throughout the year.
Sebastian, Spain. The venue made its decision following a four week trial of the company’s iVizion validator, which will now be rolled out across the casino. “Casino Kursaal is one of Spain’s most important casinos, and we are honoured and humbled to have been chosen,� said JCM EMEA general manager Payam Zadeh.
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Bellis, chairman of Innovative Technology and a wellknown figure in the cash handling industry, commented: “This announcement has everyone in the industry talking. With information yet to be released on the actual size of the coin I would hope for a coin thinner than the existing ÂŁ1, which is currently one of the thickest coins in circulation worldwide. My personal preference will always be for circular coins but I would welcome the extra security measures outlined to help combat the level of counterfeit ÂŁ1 coins.â€? A public consultation will be held over the summer focusing on how to manage any impacts before a final decision is made on the precise specification of the new coin, including the metal composition.
For a quote call Chris Jones +44 (0)1273 699900 ! # """ !
oth slot machine and VLT manufacturers welcomed Suzo-Happ’s range of B video LCD buttons at this year’s Enada Spring show, which took place in Rimini, Italy, last week. The group had a wide range of products on show at the exhibition, including the 42-inch Interactive Pro Table, AES ready hoppers and the Bill-to-Bill banknote recycler. Harald Wagemaker, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Suzo in the EMEA region, said: “New products and new solutions not only create new demand from our existing customers but bring in new clients. This great feedback reflects our growth strategy for Italy.�
Distributor of snooker and pool accessories and manufacturers of genuine Superleague tables and spares.
Telephone
01952 586226 B2B Prizes
sega.prize@sega.co.uk
Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
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Analysis
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 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 4 3 2 5 6 7 8 9
DOND Winfall BFG DOND Lucky Streak BFG DOND Powerplay BFG Bank Job - Rob the lot QPS DOND The Big One BFG DOND Pure Gold BFG Galloping Jackpots REF Worminator QPS DOND Turbo BFG DOND Double Chance BFG
Taken from a representative number of sites around the UK Supplied by national operator
1 2 5 3 6 4 -
Magic Lotto Ultra Novomatics King Of Slots Blueprint Mega Bars Big Hit Project Big Party Astra A Bet Astra Lady Luck Reflex Triple 8 Barcrest Rainbow Kings Astra Casino Star Reflex Casino King TS22 Project
MUSICCHARTS
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
2 4 8 9 6
X3000 Multigame Amatic Magic Games 100 Ultra Novomatic Find the Lady 2 card Project Encore T7 (GP3) SG Gaming Magic Games 3 Novomatic Alice’s Wonderland £100 Reflex Magic Games 3 (s/d) Novomatic Triple 7 (GP2) SG Gaming Bullion Bars Arena Astra Triple 7 (GP1) SG Gaming
Based on data from a minimum of 10 locations. Supplied by Praesepe
FEC - adult This Last Week Week Name / Manufacturer
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 -
Magic Games U/R Novomatic Rainbow Riches Party Barcrest Free Play 70 Project Find The Lady 70 Project Super Big 7 S/D Electrocoin Party Time Aerna (4 Player) Astra Rainbow Riches Party Barcrest Magic Games S/D Novomatic Party Time Classic (3 Player ) Astra Magic 7’s Random Electrocoin
Based on data from four sites Amusement Equipment Co Ltd
Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
Need for Speed The Grand Budapest Hotel 300: Rise of an Empire The Lego Movie Non-Stop Ride Along The Book Thief Escape from Planet Earth Mr Peabody & Sherman Under the Skin
Based on data supplied by a representative number of UK sites Supplied by RLMS Sales
CATEGORYD (10p/£5 Max.) AGCs
NEED FOR SPEED
3 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 -
2 2 1 4 5 6 3 8 9 10
UK Jukebox Chart http://www.sound net.net/ www.soundnet.net
Party Time Classic (3 Player) Astra Party Time Classic (3 Player) Astra Bullion Bars (3 Player) Astra Gold Rush Stampede (4 Player) Barcrest Adders And Ladders (4 Player) Vivid Rainbow Riches (3 Player) Empire Party Games (4 Player) Astra Party Time Arena (4 Player) Astra Party Time (3 Player) Astra Crazy Fruits Bellfruit
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10
Happy Pharrell Williams Rather Be Clean Bandit Money On My Mind Sam Smith My Love Route 94 feat. Jess Glynne Timber Pitbull feat. Ke$ha Dark Horse Katy Perry feat. Juicy J Tsunami (Jump) Dvbbs feat. Tinie Tempah Hey Brother Avicii Shoot Me Down David Guetta feat. Skylar Grey Trumpets Jason Derulo
This Last WeekWeek Name
GEORGE MICHAEL: SYMPHONICA
This Last Week Week Name / Manufacturer
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Albums
Members clubs 1 2 3 4 5
This Last
Based on data supplied by Soundnet
Based on data from four sites Amusement Equipment Co Ltd
CATEGORYB4 (£2/£4000 Max)
Highest Earning Tracks on Sound Leisure jukeboxes
Public Enemy Reflex Street Casino 2014 Storm Flamin’ 400 Reflex Judgement Pay BFG Magic Six JPM
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
3 2 1 6 9
Symphonica George Michael Kiss Me Once Kylie Minogue Girl Pharrell Williams A Perfect Contradiction Paloma Faith The Take Off And Landing of Everything Elbow In The Arms Of An Angel Nicholas McDonald Love In The Future John Legend Going To Hell Pretty Reckless Home Kian Egan If You Wait London Grammar
Downloads This Last WeekWeek Name
Based on data from representative sites. Supplied by sector professional
DUKE DUMONT FT JAX JONES: I GOT U
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
2 5 3 1 6 7 4 9
I Got U Duke Dumont ft Jax Jones My Love Route 94 ft Jess Glynne All Of Me John Legend Happy Pharrell Williams Tsunami (Jump) DVBBS & Borgeous/Tinie Tempah Dark Horse Katy Perry ft Juicy J Rather Be Clean Bandit ft Jess Glynne Word Up Little Mix I’m A Freak Enruque Iglesias ft Pitbull Money On My Mind Sam Smith
Classified
Crown Direct Cricklewood Electronics Leeds Leisure DC Payments JNC Sales
33 34 34 35 35
UK Amusement Supplies 35 Recruitment 36
To advertise: Contact Kathryn Norris on 01204 396 397
Business Opportunities
Wanted
R SALE WANTED FO LEASEHOLD ARCADE
BUSINESSES WANTED
B3 B4 FRUIT CMS MACHINES CHAMELEON HUMBERSIDE CAT C/B3 AREA
Town Centre, Crawley, Sussex
Adult Gaming Centres and
Telephone
AMR AMUSEMENTS on 01179 822238
Family Entertainment Centres.
Wanted
In Hampshire and
WANTED
West Sussex areas Funds Available with the ability to make quick decision.
ANY CONDITION DEAD OR ALIVE Highest prices paid always 07973 188493
WANTED
TICKET CRANES AWP’S
Telephone Phil on 07894 915971
EX1
BEST PRICES PAID
01179382552
BEST PRICES PAID
01179382552
For Sale
FOR SALE
Magic 6 club (B4) machines tÂŁ400 Jackpot tAll stakes tÂŁ1300 each Telephone 07768 275044 PINBALL HEAVEN LTD
PARTS/REPAIRS/ACCESORIES & SERVICE MACHINES BOUGHT & SOLD LARGE STOCK OF PINBALL PARTS ALWAYS AVAILABLE
TEL 01772 816677 EMAIL SALES@PINBALL.CO.UK For Recruitment please see Page 36
New & Used Machine Prices Cat B3 ÂŁ2 Stake
T8 VEGAS PARTY PERFORMER 22 KING OF SLOTS SLANT CASINO KING TS22 KING OF SLOTS VISION BIG PARTY 500 A-SERVE MEGA 7 / D&J / MEGA BARS MEGA GAMES SLANT JACKPOT KING RUMPLE WILDSPINS
ÂŁ7,995 ÂŁ7,995 ÂŁ7,795 ÂŁ7,495 ÂŁ6,995 ÂŁ6,995 ÂŁ4,495 ÂŁ2,995 ÂŁ995 ÂŁ995
Cranes E CLAW 900 TWIN E CLAW COSMIC
ÂŁ8,995 ÂŁ4,995
Multiplayer Gaming SUPER REPEATER 3 PLY ÂŁ14,495 RAINBOW PARTY 3 PLY ÂŁ14,495 BULLION BARS STREAK ÂŁ10,995 CRAIC IN FUN 3 PLY ÂŁ5 ÂŁ8,495 PARTY TIME CLASSIC ÂŁ5 ÂŁ8,495 BULLION BARS CLASSIC ÂŁ8,495
Pushers SWEET FALLS COIN/TKT ÂŁ18,495 MRY GO ROUND COIN/TKT ÂŁ16,995 BIG PRIZE WINNER ÂŁ4,995
WANTED
Redemption
WIZARD OF OZ 2 PLY ÂŁ12,995 EXPLOSIVE ÂŁ11,995 TICKET MONSTER ÂŁ11,795 CONNECT 4 MINI ÂŁ8,995 HARPOON LAGOON ÂŁ7,995 MONOPOLY ÂŁ7,495 DOWN DA CLOWN ÂŁ6,995 RAINBOW SHOOT TO WIN ÂŁ5,995 MILK JUG TOSS ÂŁ5,995 DOODLE JUMP ÂŁ4,995 TEMPLE RUN ÂŁ2,995
Kiddy Rides GALAXY SPACE FLIGHT ÂŁ6,995 HOT WHEELS ÂŁ6,995 SPORTS CAR GT ÂŁ3,250
THIS WEEKS SPECIAL
Telephone 07906 556866
WANTED
SUPER BIKES BEST PRICES PAID
01179382552
For Sale
F O R
S A L E
UDC - Family Bowling (Ticket)............................ ÂŁ850 Football Fortune (Ticket) 4pl .............................. ÂŁ850 Unis - Xball (Ticket) throw balls at screen game .....ÂŁ795 Coastal Double Jam (Basketball-Ticket) ..............ÂŁ475 Falgas ghost hunter whacker (Ticket) .................ÂŁ375 LAI lighthouse (Prize) ......................................... ÂŁ295 Cromptons Frantic fruits (not fully working) ....... ÂŁ295 Football Table (Home Edition) .............................. ÂŁ175 7X4 Pool Table .....................................................ÂŁ150 Collectors original machines Taito Crazy Balloon............................................. ÂŁ995 Konami The Simpsons ........................................ ÂŁ325 Konami Xmen ..................................................... ÂŁ325 Newton Leisure PRICES OR NEAREST OFFER
NO VAT
07939 600444
jay5n@hotmail.co.uk
DONKEY DERBY FACTORY REBUILD
> Full playpod re-spray > Led lighting > All new artwork and buttons > Repainted race track > New sounds > Available for Easter
1x Cash version ÂŁ7995 1x Ticket version ÂŁ8495 Mike Ansell - 07980 679961 OfďŹ ce - 01430 470788
HOT HOT 500 B3 NIN NE GAME MENU NE ONLY
ÂŁ3,250 +VAT
All prices subject to VAT and Carriage
gaming...and so much more!
VDOHV#FURZQGLUHFW FR XN
VDOHV#GHLWKOHLVXUH FRP O #G LWKO L
Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
33
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Leeds Leisure Ltd
34
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TELEPHONE - 01132 040885
CLUB MACHINES
COPS & ROBBERS JUDGEMENT DAY (NEW) ............. £1,895 FLAMIN 400 (NEW) ............................................................. £1,895 PUBLIC ENEMY (NEW) ...................................................... £1,895 FUN IN THE SUN .....................................................................£695 ROCKY ........................................................................................£195
£100 JACKPOT SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN TENNERS
£1,395
£100 JACKPOT DOND EAST AND WEST WING
£995
CASINO LOW TECH
JACKPOT 100 DIGITAL ....................................................... £2,995 CASINO RANDOM GOLD £100 .......................................£895 CASINO POUND STRETCHER £100 .................................£895 DOND CASINO CRAZY CHAIR ........................................£695 MAGIC GAMES 2 ......................................................................£395 MEGA JACKPOTS (£35) ..........................................................£395 FULL HOUSE ..............................................................................£395 RANDOM GOLD .....................................................................£395 POUNDSTRETCHER ...............................................................£395 CASINO DOND (VIDEO)......................................................£350 CASINO WHEEL OF WEALTH .............................................£295 DOND CASINO .......................................................................£295 ROLL X .......................................................................................£295 JOKERS WILD CLASSIC ..........................................................£295 CASINO MAGIC 7S ................................................................£275 FANTASTIC 5 (VIDEO) ...........................................................£250 CASINO BAR X 10...................................................................£245
Tim Stanhope, Keith Parker or John Hood Tel: 01132 040885 Fax: 01132 560180 John mobile: 07766 247876 Email: leedsleisure@aol.com Unit 59/62L, Springfield Commercial Centre, Bagley Lane, Farsley, LEEDS LS28 5LY
777 ,%%$3,%)352% #/ 5+
B3 £500
KING POTS £1...........................................................................£995 STAR ATTRACTION ................................................................£895 WORLD OF GAMES ................................................................£795 SUPER 500 ...................................................................................£695 COPS N ROBBERS....................................................................£595 PARTY SLOTS .............................................................................£495
£100 JACKPOT AWPS
JACKPOT 100 (DIGITAL) .................................................... £2,995 BEST OF BRITISH...................................................................... POA STREETS CASINO (DIGITAL) ........................................... £1,795 SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN TENNERS ....................... £1,395 SHOOT THE LOOT.............................................................. £1,195 DOND BANK ON IT .......................................................... £1,075 DOND ELIMINATOR........................................................... £1,075 DOND EAST & WEST WING ................................................£995
£100 JACKPOT DOND ELIMINATOR
£1,075
£100 JACKPOT BEST OF BRITISH
POA
VIDEOS
HOUSE OF THE DEAD DELUXE 46” TFT ..................... £1,695 TIME CRISIS 3 DELUXE....................................................... £1,695 CHASE HQ 2 SSD ................................................................. £1,095 BATTLEGEAR 4 SSD ................................................................£995 ARCADE MULTI-GAME (NEW) ...........................................£995 TABLE TOP ARCADE MULTI-GAME (NEW) .....................£895 FAST & FURIOUS U/R..............................................................£795 ARCADE CLASSIC UPRIGHT ...............................................£595
£70 AWPS
STAR WARS DEATH ASSAULT ..............................................£295 RAINBOW RICHES DUBLIN YOUR MONEY ...................£295 RAINBOW RICHES ON THE FIDDLE.................................£275 HOT HOT HOT ........................................................................£195 TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT ............................................................£195 SAFE CRACKER.........................................................................£195 PACMAN POWER ....................................................................£195
AIR HOCKEY
AIRBOY XTREME MINI ....................................................... £1,495 GARLANDO SPEEDY 7FT ......................................................£745
BOXERS
JAKAR BOXER MATRIX ..........................................................£795 PRO BOXER................................................................................£495
0,%!3% #!,, 4)- /2 +%)4( /. /2 */(. /. s 6)3)4 /52 7%"3)4% 777 ,%%$3,%)352% #/ 5+ 5.)4 , 302).'&)%,$ #/--%2#)!, #%.42% "!',%9 ,!.% &!23,%9 ,%%$3 ,3 ,9
FOR SALE
PC TOWER REPAIRS
RANGE OF OBSOLETE DECALS AND KITS
BARCREST ASTRA PARAGON ETC.
AVAILABLE FOR £5/£35/£70 JACKPOTS. Please call:
01132 040885
Call Leeds Leisure on 01132 040885
£100 CONCEPT
CONVERSION KITS FOR RANDOM GOLD POUNDSTRETCHER CASINO BAR X 7 CASINO BIG 7
£445
Please call:
01132 040885
UPCOMING FEATURES MACHINE SPARES & COMPONENTS Issue 2362 - 4th April
REDEMPTION MACHINES & PRIZES Issue 2363 - 11th April
CAT B3 Issue 2364 - 18th April
NORTHERN SHOWCASE (CROWN DIRECT) Issue 2365 - 25th April Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
JNC SALES
LOOKING FOR CHEAP CAT D FILLERS? ONLY 5% MGD
TECH CAT D HIBELL FRUIT
BULLYS PRIZE BOARD
£345
TECH CAT D HIHORIZON BARCREST
MONOPOLY ROAD TO RICHES
CASH ATTACK
£395
MONOPOLY ROAD TO RICHES ..£395 POKER FACE ..........................£345 COPS N ROBBERS VIDEO ......£345 MONOPOLY WONDERS OF WORLD ..£345 JUMPIN JACK CASH .............£345 BULLY’S STAR PRIZE ............£345 DOND WHAT’S IN YOUR BOX ..£295 DOND BEAT THE BANKER .....£295 GOLD DIGGER ........................£295 CARRIBEAN CASH .................£245 BULLYS PRIZE BOARD ..........£245
ANY 4 FOR £795
Many more models available
£195
ANY 4 FOR £695
AKING GREAT TR IDES IE KIDD
DANCE STAGE EUROMIX 2
NEW
DDR SUPERNOVA
£1,795 WAS £1,995
PUMP IT UP PRO LCD WAS £2,495 ..............NOW £2,295 DANCE STAGE EUROMIX 2 WAS £2,195 ................NOW £1,995 DDR FUSION WAS £2,195 ................NOW £1,995 DANCE STAGE EUROMIX 1 WAS £1,995 ................ NOW £1,795 DDR SUPERNOVA WAS £1,995 ................ NOW £1,795 PUMP IT UP PREX 3 WAS £1,495 ................NOW £1,395 PUMP IT UP EXCEED WAS £1,495 ................NOW £1,395 DDR DANCE STAGE WAS £1,495 ................NOW £1,395
KIDDIE JET SKI
£4,495
£1,995
£195
Many more models available
TEL: 0117 9382552 AFTERSALES TEL: 0117 9382225
UCTIONSS GREAT REED MACHINE ON DANC
CASH OR BUST
SPACE RAIDERS .................... £195 VORTEX ................................. £195 SHOW ME THE MUMMY ......... £195 OPEN THE BOX ...................... £195 CRAZY CASH POINT .............. £195 COCK A DOODLE DOUGH ....... £195 PHIL THE POWER .................. £195 CASH OR BUST ...................... £195 STAR WARS NEW HOPE ......... £195 INDIANA JONES .................... £195 ROB DA BANK........................ £195
UNIT 1, CCT BUILDINGS, GREENSPLOTT ROAD, CHITTENING TRADING ESTATE, AVONMOUTH, BRISTOL. BS11 0YB 777 *.# 3!,%3 #/ 5+ s 3!,%3 *.# 3!,%3 #/ 5+
USED £3,995
BANANAS AND PYJAMAS
£1,495 KIDDIE JET SKI NEW (INTERACTIVE) .. £4,495 KIDDIE JET SKI (INTERACTIVE) ...£3,995 PUPPYLAND CAROUSEL ....£2,995 KIDDIE MOTO ..................... £2,495 KIDDIE BALLOON RIDE ....... £1,695 BEAR IN A BOAT................. £1,595 KIDDIE COASTER ................ £1,495 JAY JAY THE JET PLANE .. £1,495 BANANAS IN PYJAMAS ...... £1,495 BARNEY ON A TRAIN ......... £1,495 FORKLIFT ............................ £1,195 TWEENIES .............................£995 NESSIE DINOSAUR ................£895
Prices valid for 1 week only
ALL MACHINES FULLY WORK-SHOPPED, PAT TESTED AND ADIPS TESTED AS STANDARD FOR FULL STOCK LIST OF OVER 1500 MACHINES, PLEASE VISIT WWW.JNC-SALES.CO.UK
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(01253) 868 868 Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
35
B 2 B
36
Recruitment
B 2 B
SENIOR TECHNICIAN WANTED
Sceptre Leisure are looking to recruit
REGIONAL DIRECTOR Based from our Preston depot.
Bell Leisure has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Technician with experience to join our team, working for one of the East Coasts leading and fastest growing leisure Companies.
This challenging yet rewarding role involves the overall responsibility for our depot serving the North West area.
We need a person that’s highly motivated with a sound knowledge of amusement machines and the ability to resolve electromechanical problems as they arise. The Senior Technicians position would entail the successful applicant being able to work directly under our Technical Director. You would be working with some of the latest and most advanced technology in the industry and maintaining it to the highest standards.
s Experience of the amusement machine sector within the licensed trade.
An excellent salary will be negotiated with the opportunity of promotion as our company continues to grow. If you think you have what it takes for a career in our family entertainment complexes then we look forward to hearing from you. $SSO\ LQ WKH VWULFWHVW FRQÀGHQFH WR george@bellleisure.com or alternatively call 07894451326 for more information.
Running circa. 3,000 machines and the team of staff that supports this requires a multitude of skills, including but not limited to the following:
s Track record of building and developing customer relationships. s Ability to manage a team including collectors, installers, engineers, workshop technicians and administration staff. s Knowledge of P&L accounts; being able to manage revenues and costs. s A desire to use entrepreneurial skills to enhance the business. The successful applicant will become part of an ever growing organisation with depots nationwide and a strong head office support network. If you feel you would be suitable for this role, or would like to find out more, please contact Debbie Arnold. operations@sceptreleisure.co.uk t: 01772 69 42 42 or alternatively send your CV to Debbie Arnold, Sceptre Leisure, 139 Brookfield Place, Walton Summit, Preston, PR5 8BF
Best of British
To subscribe, email:shaworth@gbmedia.eu or asullivan@gbmedia.eu
01204 396 397 Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
2361-p37-Surreal soccer_Coinslot NEW 25/03/2014 14:18 Page 1
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Sponsored by
Current Team Position Name
Manager Name
Weekly Points
Total Points
1
AMG FIRST 11
2
ABOVE STANDARDS
Terry Farr
56
Lee Clarke
56
3 4
BOWLERS BOYZ
Andy Bowler
THE PERFECT TEAM
Tom Clarke
5
EVAN TENNER BACK NOW
6
Weekly Points
Total Points
Current Team Position Name
Manager Name
Current Team Position Name
Manager Name
1297
36
SHELL'S ELEVEN
Michelle Martin
24
1087
71
MICK McCARTHY'S MISFITS
Stoo Evans
44
988
1290
37
THE TEAM THAT WIN
Hugo Illingworth
32
1087
72
HOT CHIPS
C Edenborough
28
986
63
1257
38
CAREFREE ALDON
Glyn Petrie
31
1085
73
ESSEX BOYS 1
Steve Hawkins
36
986
68
1257
39
MUCKING FUDDLERS
Chris Skelly
37
1083
74
ABSOLUTE REAMSTERS
Alex Lee
22
978
Stuart Heyden
68
1257
40
IFUN@SUNDANCERS
Shaney Pashley
31
1082
75
ABSOLUTE RANKSTERS
Alex Lee
25
973
SHERWIN A TEAM
Mark Sherwin
66
1253
41
KEEDAYS FINEST
Peter Holmes
27
1075
76
RICK'S BOYZ
Andy Bowler
19
971
7
SOUTH OF THE QUEENS
David Lees
58
1239
42
CASHBOX KINGS
James Illingworth
55
1070
77
AINT GOT A KALOU
Stuart Heyden
42
967
8
LE COINSPINNERS
Lee H
54
1233
43
NES UNITED
Chris Bell
30
1068
9
ANGRY BALLS
Laurie Carpenter
45
1197
44
RAYLEIGHS REJECTS
Jody Buckley
49
1066
78
STEVIE G LUCKY 11
Shoppers Luck
29
950
10
SUSHI SLIPPERS
Derek Lewis
41
1170
45
LLL UNITED
Tim Stanhope
37
1063
79
BRAMBLEBOYZ123
Andy Bowler
32
941
11
BAYERN OTHER STRIKER
David Lees
52
1170
46
AMG OOOOSSSHHH
Ian Pawson
52
1061
80
DONKEY LASHERS
Andy Williamson
21
939
81
EE BAH GUM
Simon Shaw
39
936
16
930
3
925
12
COSMIC FIRST 11
Terry Farr
40
1168
47
HAMMERTIME
Brian Wright
44
1058
13
MOTHYS MARVELS
Scott Yarham
46
1167
48
COMRIEAUTOMATICS
Jack Craddock
28
1053
82
BEADLES 1
Peter Hemmings
BURSNELL'S BULLETS
Jo Bursnell
Weekly Points
B 2 B
Total Points
14
JABRO LIONS
Tony Brookes
68
1153
49
DELAYZIGITS
Dave Delay
17
1052
83
15
FC CLACTON UNDER 10's
Stuart Heyden
55
1149
50
HOLTY'S HOTSPOTS
Tony Holt
29
1046
84
RANGERS RETURN 2
Ashley Temple
35
924
1043
85
AMS VXR GJ
Roger Jarrett
35
918
BEST SELECTION
John Jennings
34
908
16
AMG LEISURE
Carl Bearman
36
1146
51
S.A.S FC
David Holmes
21
17
GILLSGILLSGILLS
Colin Smith
35
1145
52
COSMIC SECOND 11
Terry Farr
22
1042
86
18
CAREFREE WEEMAN
Glyn Petrie
16
1139
53
ESSEX BOYS 2
Steve Hawkins
43
1041
87
HOLIDAY MONEY
Darrell Webb
25
899
19
KEEPLAYERS
Peter Holmes
28
1136
54
PARAGON ACADEMICALS
Nick Hardy
32
1039
88
DIBBS ELEVEN
Tracey Dibben
13
884
20
JACKSONS SUPER BLUES
Phillip Nelson
44
1136
55
I WANT DIRTY KNEES 2
Jorzoe-FTM
34
1035
89
DO IT THEE SEN LAD
Simon Shaw
24
879
21
CHEEKY MONKEYS
Matty Sirett
33
1134
56
BUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE
Harry Leaveme
49
1034
90
LLL BELLES
Amelia Stanhope
23
876
22
THE ELDORADO TRACTOR BOYS
Stoo Evans
54
1134
57
BEADLES 2
Peter Hemmings
19
1031
91
M.O.T
Bill Knowles
30
863
23
CAREFREE BAZZA
Glyn Petrie
21
1133
58
SCUM ON THE RUN
Nathan Holmes
38
1031
92
ESSEX'S FINEST
Dave Clarke
9
858
24
KEEDAY RESERVES
Peter Holmes
31
1132
59
JJ'S SHOPPERS 11
JJ Lucky
27
1027
93
FERGIES FINEST
Kevin Temple
19
850
25
JAMIES SHOPPERS 11
Jamie Lucky
45
1131
60
AMS YID ARMY
Jason Jarrett
47
1025
26
DYNAMO KEBAB
David Lees
51
1125
61
ALL THIS AND MORE
Gary Newman
36
1022
94
LLL ACCIES
John Hood
13
846
27
LLL WANDERERS
Jake Parker
42
1119
62
SHOWBOAT ALLSTARS
Ray Harris
30
1018
95
AK BABES
Andy Water
29
838
28
KEEDAY LEGENDS
Peter Holmes
23
1108
63
RANGERS RETURN 1
Ashley Temple
38
1017
96
COINSPINNERTRONS
Coopertron
20
831
97
JOHNNYS SHOPPERS 11
John Mitchell
19
827
TOWER POWER
Tony O'Brien
14
822
UPHILL SKIERS
29
JOHN WARK'S MILKMEN
Stu & Stoo
13
1105
64
DANS DESTROYERS
Daniel Barber
26
1015
30
EASY MONEY
Steve Barber
28
1103
65
JO'S ASSETS
Joanne Crooks
25
1009
98
31
11 UNDER PAR
Ross Evans
48
1097
66
BIG PRIZE WINNERS
Harry Leaveme
34
1007
99
Bill Knowles
15
813
Simon Shaw
19
792 762
32
THE REAL DEAL
Dave Columbine
28
1096
67
WARWICKS WINNERS
Warwick Tunnicliffe
19
996
100 SEE THE AT' TOP
33
JACKSONS JACKPOT XI
Gareth Cammack
30
1093
68
JABRO BOYS
Tony Brookes
42
994
101 LAC DE GURSON
Bill Knowles
32
Reece Newman
34
748
Warwick Tunnicliffe
8
676
34
CLUB TROPICANA
Warren Roffey
41
1089
69
DIDCOT GOALBUSTERS
John Carpenter
19
988
102 2 THE TOP
35
LLL CITY
Keith Parker
35
1088
70
BEACON BATTLERS
Harry Illingworth
28
988
103 WARWICKS ELEVEN
N ONG O OIN FEES G !
Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014
2361-p38-39-Comment_Coinslot NEW 25/03/2014 13:45 Page 1
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Coinslot March 28 - April 3, 2014
Comment Good Budget news tempered by new £1 challenge
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“We are not amused”
alex lee comment hile it’s nigh on impossible to remain apolitical while commenting on a Budget, I’d like to give it my best shot.While parity with - or indeed a ban on - FOBTs remains nothing more than a pipe-dream for the coinop sector, at least those ‘lucky’ enough to be permitted to operate them have been hit in the pocket with a tax rise to 25 per cent. No ‘level playing field’ in that case, but certainly a touch of schadenfreude. In more positive news, the reduction in bingo duty from 20 per cent to 10 per cent should see something of an uplift in that particular sector with hopefully a knock-on effect in footfall and machine takings. Similarly, the scrapping of the beer duty escalator and the 1p cut per pint should give the single site sector reasons to be a little more cheerful, especially as the £1/£100 begins to establish itself in its many and varied gameplay guises. Talking of £1/£100, the UK coin-op industry faces a serious challenge ahead of the new, 12-sided £1 coin coming into circulation in 2017 to replace the current nugget.While the cash handling equipment
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manufacturers will understandably be working flatout, operators around the country will be once again forced to dig deep as they look to upgrade their equipment in order to accept the new coinage. The new £1 coin, billed by the Royal Mint as “the most secure coin in the world”, is on its way because of concerns about the 30-year old coin’s vulnerability to counterfeiting, with an estimated 45 million forgeries in circulation. Talk of 2p coins becoming ‘tokens’ if they ever went out of circulation is suddenly relevant to £1 coins. Just a thought… Ironically, the upcoming coin is based on the design of the old threepenny bit, the 12-sided coin which was in circulation between 1937 and 1971, so the Royal Mint’s solution to 21st century forging techniques is to release what amounts to an update of a coin that existed pre-decimalisation. Upon announcing its imminent arrival,the Royal Mint declared that a competition will be held to decide what image to put on the‘tails’side of the coin. I’m sure industry stakeholders will have a polarised view on that particular piece of artwork.
Good news for bingo and single sit
Two major coin-op sect per cent and the beer d
alex lee media watch pub goers and workers were the big winners Pin theensioners, Budget - as well as Worcester’s Gala Bingo hall, according to the Malvern Gazette. Chancellor George Osborne delivered a budget based around tax cuts, cheaper booze, a freeze in fuel duty and help for savers. It was also aimed at chasing the grey vote - with a new “pensioners bond” being launched for over 65s, allowing them to save up to £10,000 with a return rate of four per cent. Beer duty has been slashed by 1p for the second year running, duty on ordinary cider has been frozen while taxes on cigarettes will rise two per cent above inflation. During his address in the commons, Osborne also revealed growth forecasts for the economy have been revised upwards to 2.7 per cent for 2014, with the Office for Budget Responsibility saying the UK is outstripping all advanced nations.
Worcester MP Robin Walker said: “There was a lot of good news in there, it wasn’t a shock budget about big headlines but a lot of small, positive things.” In a surprise move Mr Osborne also said he was slashing bingo hall tax in half, down to 10 per cent, saying the numbers of them had “plummeted by three quarters over the last 30 years.” It came after 300,000 people signed a petition calling for the taxes to be reduced. Gala Bingo Hall in Foregate Street, Worcester was just one of the backers to it. West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin said: “There are some great pieces of news for hard-working local people in this budget. I have many pensioners and savers in my constituency and I know that they will welcome some of the important changes to pension rules and tax free savings. “Overall, I think that this is a budget which will leave most people better off and reward hard-
working people while creating the right conditions to create new jobs and continue on the important task of reducing the deficit.” Elsewhere, plans for a new £14m casino and hotel-led development in central Bath have been recommended for approval despite the impact the project will have on the historic fabric of the spa town, according to the Insider Media website. The scheme, within the Bath City Conservation Area and World Heritage Site, requires the demolition of several properties and alterations to a grade II-listed building to make way for a 148bedroom hotel, a casino and two new restaurants. Located close to Bath’s central shopping area, the application site is in an area populated by restaurants, offices, a theatre and comedy club, and bounded by Saw Close, Upper Borough Walls, Bridewell Lane and Westgate Street. A number of listed buildings
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2361-p38-39-Comment_Coinslot NEW 25/03/2014 13:50 Page 2
Coinslot March 28 - April 3, 2014 39 “Players at Beacon Bingo in Redcar will be delighted not only that their campaign to cut the duty from 20 per cent to 15 per cent has been successful, but that the Chancellor has gone further by cutting it to 10 per cent. Bingo is a harmless social form of gambling and, from having talked to many players that day, it seems to me exactly the kind of thing that we should not penalise too heavily, as opposed to the highstakes FOBTs visited on us by the Labour party. I totally support the rise in taxes on those machines, of which we would like to see less.”
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IAN SWALES, LIBERAL DEMOCRAT MP, REDCAR
“ ”
quote unquote
“The 1p cut in beer duty will make a difference, any cut always does. Things are going okay because we have a good core of regulars in here. But costs do go up and my accountant always says we can’t absorb it, so it gets passed onto customers. So the cut is good news.” COLIN KENWRICK, LANDLORD, BERKELEY ARMS, WORCESTER
“The betting industry was left to ponder a further attack on the sector with an increase in taxation on category B2 machines (FOBTs). The tax burden was increased from 20 per cent to 25 per cent, with the consequence of almost immediate falls in the share prices for both Paddy Power and Ladbrokes. It is estimated that the increase will raise a further £75m from an industry that already pays in excess of £1bn in tax.”
Winners and losers in the tax game In the wake of last week’s Budget, the Deloitte betting and gaming group has commented on the implications for the betting and gaming industry
barney horn politics
EWEN MACGREGOR, BOND DICKINSON
“Rank Group, which operates 98 Mecca Bingo clubs, saw its shares jump by more than 6 per cent on the announcement (to cut bingo duty in the Budget) to 153p, up from 143.1p on opening (15:21).” IAN SILVERA, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES
gle site sectors
or coin-op sectors received a boost in the recent Budget, with bingo duty reduced by ten and the beer duty escalator being scrapped.
including the Gala Bingo Club, a former theatre, and the Loft Club, now The Market pub, are located on the site as are The Clinic, which is currently vacant, an office building at 12 Bridewell Lane, the Regency Garage, which is closed and used partly for storage, and a small weighbridge kiosk building. Of these buildings, the development proposes the demolition of the former Regency Garage, the Clinic building, the weighbridge kiosk and 1-2 Bridewell Lane. A significant part of the grade II-listed Gala Bingo Hall has also been earmarked for demolition and alteration, with the retained elements forming part of the new casino. The Market building would provide an entrance to a new four-storey building to be developed which would incorporate two ground floor restaurants. The hotel would provide 148
bedrooms over four floors with a maximum capacity of 296 guests, while the casino would be spread over three floors including bars, dining and private function/meeting rooms with a 900 capacity. The two ground floor restaurants would have space for 290 covers inside and a further 140 outside. The casino, which has been granted a provisional licence, will be operated by Groupe Partouche SA in partnership with Global Gaming Ventures (Bath). The hotel will be operated by Z Hotels. In a report to be scrutinised by councillors, planners recommend the development for approval, subject to conditions, and say it would bring activity and vibrancy into an important and historic site. And finally, plans for Harwich’s first bingo hall in more than 30 years could prove unlucky for some if they get
given the go ahead amid fears for noise disturbance, according to the Harwich and Manningtree Standard. Owner Mike Gibbons wants to convert the former snooker hall in Kingsway into a bingo establishment. The hall has been closed for seven years after it was found not to be a viable business. Top Draw Bingo Ltd will operate the hall if the plans are approved by Tendring Council. Gibbons said: “There isn’t going to be much noise it is a bingo hall and is played in complete silence. We are using the amplifying equipment to put the caller’s voice around the room.”
Chancellor’s announceon gambling taxes will Thavehements delighted certain sectors whilst dismaying others. As expected, the Budget confirmed the 15 per cent place of consumption (POC) tax will come in with effect from 1 December 2014.This has huge implications for the online betting and gaming sector. To a certain extent the proposal simplifies the existing rules and ensures all gambling by UK consumers is subject to UK tax,regardless of the operator’s location. However, it will increase operating costs and could lead to further consolidation in the market. Online gambling operators are unlikely to be able to pass on the costs to consumers, but could be forced to cut back on marketing and player promotions. The Chancellor also confirmed the Government will consult on extending the horserace betting levy (currently 10.75 per cent) to offshore bookmakers adding another significant cost to offshore operators receiving bets on UK races. However, the real surprises came in relation to bingo duty and machine games duty on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) which are played in land-based betting shops and some casinos.The Chancellor announced the bingo duty rate will fall from 20 per cent to 10 per cent for accounting periods starting on or after 30 June 2014 following a successful campaign by the bingo industry giving a welcome boost to bingo halls. There had been strong rumours the Chancellor was considering reducing bingo duty to 15 per cent, which would have brought an element of consistency to gambling taxes - both betting duty and the POC tax are at 15 per cent.The reduction to 10 per cent goes much further than expected with
the government estimating this will cost the Exchequer £30m for 2014/15 and £40m a year from then on. Whilst pleasing the land-based bingo industry, the Chancellor more than balanced this out by announcing that with effect from 1 March 2015 the machine games duty charged on FOBTs will rise from 20 per cent to 25 per cent. This will lead to a significant cost to betting shop operators estimated by the government to be £75m-£90m per annum once the change is introduced. As it currently stands, the intention is that this will apply to all games played on FOBTs including B3 games which will be taxed at a lower rate if played on a B3 machine. Overall, while there has been much talk of simplifying taxes,the position has become increasingly complex with seemingly similar gambling experiences being taxed at different rates.As an example, once the changes have gone through, duty on roulette will be charged at 15 per cent if played online, 25 per cent if played on a FOBT and between 15 per cent and 50 per cent if played in a casino depending on the gaming turnover of the casino. All landbased gambling businesses also pay a significant amount of VAT which they cannot recover. Overall, it does appear strange that there will be so many rates for gambling taxes; 3 per cent (financial spread bets); 5 per cent lower MGD rate; 10 per cent (spread bets, bingo duty); 15 per cent (betting duty, remote gaming duty, pool betting duty); 20 per cent (standard rate machine game duty); 25 per cent (higher rate machine games duty) and 15-50 per cent (casino gaming duty). However, it appears unlikely that this complexity will change any time soon.
2361-p40-newsweek_Coinslot NEW 25/03/2014 12:26 Page 1
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Coinslot March 28 - April 3, 2014
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Newsweek WOMEN 1ST ANNOUNCES 2014 CONFERENCE DATE Women 1st, the initiative that aims to increase the number of women working in senior positions in leisure and the wider tourism and visitor economy sector, has announced that its third annual conference will be held at the Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square in London on July 3. The event will feature a number of high-profile keynote speakers, along with two panel sessions with senior leaders and a choice of interactive workshops to help delegates boost their careers, confidence and charisma. Speakers already confirmed for the event include: Carla Buzasi, editorin-chief of The Huffington Post UK & AOL UK; women’s empowerment guru and Women 1st patron, Lynne Franks; and psychologist Dr. Linda Papadopolous, who
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EAS Amsterdam may be biggest yet ith more exhibitors booked for this year’s EuroAttractions Show, organiser IAAPA believes it could be biggest in the event’s history. Already the largest conference and trade fair for the attractions industry in Europe,it is set to take place inAmsterdam’s RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre on September 23-25. EAS 2014 will feature more than 380 exhibitors showcasing the latest products and services for the indus- than 8,500 visitors from 80 countries. try and is expected to attract more Karen Staley, vice-president of
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has appeared on television and radio programmes as diverse as Big Brother and BBC News. Last year’s Women 1st’s Conference attracted over 150 delegates. Simone Roche, director of Women 1st, said: “This is a brilliant opportunity for women working in leisure to meet people and make new
contacts, hear first-hand advice from senior leaders, and boost their own skills and confidence. “The conference
IAAPA Europe,said:“In 2009 we had one of our best shows inAmsterdam. “With numerous projects going on in the attractions industry in the north western part of Europe,it’s logical to return to this world-class European city.” During EAS, the RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre will be the meeting point for the E8.6bn leisure and attractions industry in Europe. The show floor will feature the latest products for amusement and theme parks, water parks, family
isn’t just for women either. Anyone with an interest in the diversity agenda is welcome to attend.” ENTERTAINMENT UNIVERSITY HEADING TO DUBAI he next meeting of the Foundations Entertainment University is to take place at the
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entertainment centres, cultural attractions, shopping centres, casinos, resorts,arcades,golf centres and concert facilities. In addition to the trade show,EAS will offer a diversified programme with conference and networking events. European industry leaders will give presentations on innovative technologies, storytelling, safety, inpark spend,events,human resources, water parks, family entertainment centres and indoor play facilities.
Dubai World Trade Centre on April 7-8, to coincide with the Dubai Entertainment Amusement and Leisure Show at the same venue. Foundations Entertainment University is an educational workshop and seminar program covering all aspects of market and financial feasibility, planning, design, financing, develop-
ment, marketing and managing a location-based entertainment business for long term success. Project types covered include family entertainment centres, bowling, laser tag, children’s entertainment and edutainment, play cafes, eatertainment, hybrid cinemas, small amusement parks and many others.
EDITORIAL Editor: Alex Lee Email: al@sjc.co.uk Tel: 07772 280 299 Assistant Editor: James Walker Email: jw@sjc.co.uk Tel: 07816678021 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
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Calendar UK EVENTS MARCH 2014 26 TiLEzone London Transport Museum, UK www.tileweb.org
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS MARCH 2014 26-28 China Attractions Expo 2014 China National Convention Centre Beijing China www.caapa.org
APRIL 2014 8-10 DEAL 2014 Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE www.dealmiddleeastshow.com
MAY 2014 8-10 GTI Asia Taipei ExpoTaipei World Trade Centre, Taiwan www.gtiexpo.com.tw/taipeien
UK EVENTS JUNE 2014 4 Park Avenue Open Day, Park Avenue, London, UK www.electrocoin.net
JUNE 2014 18-20 Asian Attractions Expo, China National Convention Centre, Beijing, China www.iaapa.org/AsianAttractionsExpo
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