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FEBRUARY 2015 • EDITION 148

TWITTER/@ICASINOREVIEW • WWW.CASINOREVIEW-ONLINE.COM

ICE

Preview THE KEY PLAYERS AT ICE 40 Mixing it up in Macau Asia & Oceania 14

ITALY PREPARES FOR NEW TAX RULES Europe 8

THE BUSINESS NEWSPAPER FOR THE GLOBAL CASINO INDUSTRY

MARKET

Despite achieving encouraging growth across select markets in eastern Europe and the UK, the European casino industry still faces numerous hurdles as it seeks to return to pre-recession levels, writes James Walker.

Challenges and opportunities: ECA report sets the scene for gaming in 2015

A EUROPE

lthough gaming markets across Europe continue to readjust in the wake of the biggest economic downturn since the end of the Second World War, the industry still has a long way to go on its journey to recovery, new data from the European Casino Association (ECA) indicates. Released in time for this year’s ICE exhibition in London, when the spotlight shines brightly on Europe’s casino, gaming and wider out-of-home leisure industries, the ECA’s 2014 European Casino Industry Report points to stuttering growth across the region’s major markets. “When we compare the 2013 revenues of the 25 ECA member countries on a year-by-year basis, we see

that only eight countries have shown an increase,” said Ron Goudsmit, chairman of the trade association, in the report’s keynote. “These increases vary from a modest 1.9 per cent in Estonia to a leap of 75.9 per cent in Hungary, and are often explained by structural changes in the respective markets.” The other six countries that saw improvements in their results were Latvia, Romania, Lithuania, Slovakia, the UK and Poland, with a rise of 4.8 per cent, 5.1 per cent, 7.4 per cent, 10 per cent, 10.2 per cent and 18.2 per cent, respectively. Like Hungary, Poland has been benefiting from the reduction in street machines, which should be banned altogether by the end of 2015, the report stated. In the UK, the growth

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of 10.2 per cent was mostly realised by one new casino and the table games in London casinos, especially American roulette followed by blackjack. In Latvia, Romania, Lithuania and Slovakia the rise in overall results was mainly due to slot machines. “Unfortunately, with 17 countries showing a decrease in revenues, the European casino industry is not out of the woods, yet,” Goudsmit added. “The largest drop in revenues happened in Greece with another -9.7 per cent, causing a total drop in revenues of -52 per cent compared to 2009. Other countries that were severely hit include Italy, Romania, Slovenia and the Netherlands, with results falling between -7.1 per cent in Italy, to -6.4 per cent in the Netherlands.

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“Compared to previous years, the decrease in Italy was less severe thanks to improved results in table games. The smallest decreases happened in Spain with -1 per cent, and Switzerland with -1.7 per cent.” According to the report, common factors for the decline in revenues in the European casino industry since 2008 include the recession, stricter regulations, the introduction of smoking bans, ongoing competition from illegal online operators and from street machines, arcades and video lottery terminals. “Last but not least, bottom lines of land-based casino operators throughout Europe are burdened by heavy gaming taxes, the levels of which date back to the days when the gambling landscape looked entirely different,” Goudsmit said. With the global gaming industry set to descend upon London for ICE Totally Gaming in the first week of February, the ECA report is likely to be a key talking point among delegates at the show. And although stakeholders would certainly have welcomed more positive industry data as they prepare to head to the sprawling ExCeL centre this year, the opportunities for manufacturers and suppliers of casino equipment are brought into focus, as operators look to refine their current offering in the face of increased cross-sector competition. “On the upside, we see a growing interest among European operators to attract Asian customers who come to Europe for business or tourism,” Goudsmit added. “It is an opportunity to make use of all of the wonderful locations spanning Europe, which are rich with beautiful, historic sites and which make this continent unique; to experience the local hospitality and the many different cultures; to get a taste of the original local flavour, something that cannot be found anywhere else.”

CR148-p04-06-World_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 14:13 Page 1

News World

MARKET

Six years of negative numbers belie a sense of optimism in Nevada, as Vegas losses continue to shrink towards zero, according the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s 2014 report.

D UNITED STATES

Vegas loss recovery continues through 2014

espite the confirmation of a sixth consecutive year of losses for Las Vegas casinos, the mood in Nevada is positive, as the sector shows its most tangible signs of recovery since the easing of the global economic crisis. During the 2014 fiscal year, the state’s casinos reported combined losses of $743.7m (E653.6m). A notable change from just 12 months earlier, when the 263 ‘major’ casinos factored into the study posted a $1.3bn (E1.14bn) loss. These are, in fact, the smallest losses since 2009, when the recession began to exert its most toxic effects on Las Vegas. In order to qualify for consideration in the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s (NGCB) yearly Gaming Abstract – the source of these latest fig-

2 | casinoreview February 2015

ures - casinos must be pulling in revenue of over $1m (E885m). This is a figure which has itself risen by seven, to 270, another sign that fortunes in America’s gambling capital are slowly improving. “It’s the smallest net loss and highest net revenue since the peak,” confirmed NGCB analyst, Mike Lawton. Gaming revenue, however, continued to suffer. Vegas long ago lost its status as the world’s leading gambling location to Macau, exemplified by figures for this year’s gaming revenue, which, at $10.6bn (E9.3bn), was just 44 per cent of overall income. A full 15 per cent lower than in 2009. Macau, however, is suffering its own gaming decline and there has been some suggestion that with China’s crack down on corruption making it harder for

NEVADA ONLINE POKER SLIDE CONTINUES evada’s intrastate online poker industry also continued its long struggle through November 2014, according the latest Control Board figures. Total internet gaming win for the month was a mere $641,000 statewide, a 42 percent drop from the same period last year and a 3.6 percent fall from October, 2014. This was the fifth month in a row that overall win has decreased, however if there’s any small solace online operators can take from the results, it’s that this was the smallest of these consecutive decreases. Plus November also saw the shut down of Ultimate Poker, which was expected to leave a bigger dent on the sector’s revenue.

VIP gamblers to move cash across the border, Vegas may well regain some of its lost ground. Slots and other coin-op devices continued to provide the biggest slice of the Vegas gaming income, with its $6.7bn (E5.9bn) accounting for over 63 per cent of gambling dollars. Revenue from the pit, which includes Keno and Bingo, was the other major contributor, posting $3.5bn (E3.1bn) in revenue, or 32.9 per cent, of casino gaming income. However, Nevada’s biggest resorts are increasingly padding their finances with other lucrative operations, including hotel bookings, food, beverages, retail and entertainment. 2014 was a record breaking year for these non-gaming sectors, as they accounted for the remaining 55.5 percent of

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YXYXYXY GEORGIA / MACAU / UNITED STATES

ICR NEWS WORLD 2-7 EUROPE 8-13 ASIA & OCEANIA 14-21 AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST 22-23 NORTH AMERICA 24-31 SOUTH & CENTRAL AMERICA 32-33 COMMENT & ANALYSIS 34-37 POLITICS 38-39

CASINO LICENCE

INVESTMENT

New York to consider fourth casino licence

Further investment for Galaxy Macau MACAU

UNITED STATES

fter approving the locations for a trio of destination gaming resorts in December, the New York Gaming Facility Location Board (GFLB) has re-opened the bidding for a fourth licence following criticism from elected officials and residents of the Southern Tier region. The decision from the GFLB means that the $750m (E635.6m) casino resort planned for Monticello in the Catskills, the $300m (E254.2m) project in Schenectady and the $425m (E360.2m) gambling hall in the Finger Lakes area will still be considered for commercial casino licences by the New York State Gaming Commission but these could now be joined by a fourth venue. State legislation allows for up to four casino licences out-

side of the New York City area. The area along the border with Pennsylvania and near the city of Binghamton will now be separated from the neighbouring Finger Lakes region and allowed to bid for this vacant licence. Kevin Law, chairman for the GFLB, stated that there was “no harm” in soliciting new proposals solely for the Southern Tier as suggested by New York governor Andrew Cuomo but that any new tenders had to be an improvement on earlier projects. “Hopefully, there will be multiple bids to choose from but it should be made clear that

a recommendation of no additional licenses is a possibility,” said GFLB member Dennis Glazer. However, the decision has drawn criticism from other areas that failed to have their proposals approved by the five-member GFLB including the city of Newburgh, which is 70 miles north of New York City and is struggling with an unemployment rate of 8.5 percent. “We ask for a fair process that includes Newburgh where all proposals can be analysed and vetted on the merits,” read a letter from mayor Judith Kennedy.

n an attempt to diversify its business in Macau, casino operator Galaxy Entertainment is planning to spend a total of $7.4bn (E6.5bn) on a series of developments including one that will recreate New York’s Broadway theatre district. Galaxy Entertainment, which is controlled by billionaire developer Lui Che Woo, invested $419m (E371.5m) to acquire the Grand Waldo complex from Get Nice Holdings in 2013 and has since spent over $644.9m (E572.2m) to transform the property and its surrounding area. Known as Phase Two of the giant Galaxy Macau development, the more than 1.1m sq.m new site will offer six

OPENING casino revenue during 2014. Hotel occupancy was the largest non-gaming contributor, generating $5.15bn (E4.5bn) or 21.5 per cent of total casino revenue. For nine months of the year the level of room occupancy in Vegas sat well above 80 per cent, with only December recording figures below 75. The Gaming Abstract also includes a breakdown of casinos by county, which reveals that beyond the Strip, Washoe County’s 36 casinos bucked the statewide trend to see revenue rise by 1.4 per cent to $1.4bn (E1.3bn). The region, which borders northern California, has however, never been able to return to the highs of 2000. During that year income was 28 per cent higher than in 2014 - a decline credited to the creation of Indian casinos in neighbouring areas.

Casinos Austria reveals details of Batumi venture GEORGIA

asinos Austria International (CAI) has announced that it is to open a new casino in Batumi, Georgia on the Black Sea coast. The new resort will feature 13 gaming tables and over 100 slot machines, covering a total of 1700 square metres. The space will be situated inside the unfinished Hilton Hotel and Residences complex (pictured), which will accept its first guests during July of this year. The casino is projected to open during early Summer 2015, with CAI will acting as

managing partner in a joint venture with a local Georgian business. They will join a market which already boasts five major casinos, catering primarily to Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish visitors, crossing the border from countries in which largescale casinos are not currently permitted. The initial announcement was made by CAI general manager Karl Stoss, as the global operator came under fire from Rudolf Kemler, head of state asset managing company Österreichische Industrieholding (ÖIAG), who had claimed that Casinos Austria was in need of restructuring. Stoss disagreed, noting that the casinos in the CAI’s home country had seen a visitor increase of 6.5 percent during 2015, accompanying a sales increase of 2.5 percent. VLT’s also showed strong growth during the year, climbing 15 percent.

hotels with some 4,000 rooms alongside suites, villas and a pair of spas when it opens on May 27 in addition to Broadwaythemed entertainment from hawkerstyle vendors to live world-class performers. Galaxy Entertainment has also committed to constructing a 3,000-seat theatre as part of $12.8bn (E11.4bn) in total investment for the Cotai Strip to help transform the area into a global centre for tourism. “What we do is to make it more diverse, from entertainment, leisure, culture and art, we will continue to expand,” said Lui. “This is to meet the requests from the country and Macau.” He stated that major hotel brands due to open later in the year to ‘serve all customer segments’ at Phase Two will be a 250-room Ritz-Carlton, 1,000-room JW Marriott Hotel and the 350-room Broadway Hotel while the complex is also set to include theme parks and ‘family-friendly’ entertainment alongside an outdoor dining area and a total of 40 restaurants and 20 retail outlets. February 2015 casinoreview

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News

ARMENIA / JAPAN

World

ICE 2015 Preview 40-63

TALKING JAPANESE “WHILE PRIME MINISTER ABE INDICATED HIS INTENTION TO RELY ON INTEGRATED RESORTS TO PROMOTE HIS GROWTH STRATEGY, HE CANNOT GIVE IT TOP PRIORITY FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY...” LEGISLATION Japan is aiming to attract 20 million visitors by 2020

Following the reelection of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Japanese government is pressing ahead with plans to open its first casino resort.

JAPAN

Hopes revived for Japanese casinos as government outlines ‘20/20’ vision ccording to the latest figures released by the Japan National Tourism Organisation, the number of foreigners visiting Japan annually surpassed the 13m mark in 2014, setting a new record. Now the country aims to build on this success, with the government setting a target of 20m visitors in 2020 - the year of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Hopes that Japan could have its first casino resort by the time it hosts the 2020

Olympics have been raised after the re-election of prime minister Shinzo Abe. Abe had sought early passage of the casino bill as a catalyst of Japan’s growth strategy, but his Liberal Democratic Party dropped it late last year due to lack of parliamentary time. Back in power, members of Abe’s cabinet are preparing to resubmit the Integrated Resorts Bill to the next ordinary session of the Diet (Japan’s parliament), which begins on January 26.

Speaking exclusively to International Casino Review, Akiyoshi Tsuruoka of Gaming Capital Management News said an Integrated Resort Caucus is aiming for early legislation. Some investment analysts have said that the country’s gross gaming revenue could make it second only to Macau in the Asian casino market if the bill were ever to pass. However, Tsuruoka said this was unlikely to happen

before July: “There are important issues such as security, as well as deliberation on the budget in this ordinary session of the parliament, and both the Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party are opposing to the bill. “There are also arguments for and against the bill within the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, so we cannot foresee

whether the parliament will pass the bill during the session until June 24 or even during the extended session till July.” After a snap election last December, the ruling coalition was returned to the Diet with a landslide, taking 326 out of 475 seats, one more than before parliament was dissolved in November. This meant the coalition kept its two-thirds majority, allow it to pass laws without the approval of the Diet’s upper house, even if it loses its majority in next year’s upper house elections. However, Tsuruoka explained there were still plenty of hurdles ahead for the bill: “While prime minister Abe indicated his intention to rely on integrated resorts to promote his growth strategy, he cannot give it top priority for economic recovery given there is still much controversy around the issue of gambling, including addiction among the citizens. “In addition, since the local general elections are scheduled in April, it would be very difficult to obtain the other parties’ consent for the bill.” Yoshihisa Inoue, general secretary of Komeito, has already expressed his view that Japan should pursue economic growth without depending on gambling. Regardless, Tsuruoka said that more than 20 cabinet members in charge of the bill the coalition would still press ahead with its passage.

OPENING

Storm International inaugurates Armenian casino ARMENIA

lobal gaming and entertainment operator Storm International kicked off 2015 by officially opening its new Shangri La casino inside the five-star Multi Grand Hotel on the outskirts of the Armenian capital, Yerevan. The new 700sq.m

casino in the locallyowned and 82-room hotel is a 30-minute drive from the region’s Zvartnots International Airport and offers several Shangri La XO-branded private gaming rooms with eight tables alongside eight slots, a bar and a restaurant. This is the fourth Shangri La casino from Storm International and

6 | casinoreview February 2014

the second for the former Soviet nation with its nearby 3,200sq.m compa-

triot offering 16 gaming tables and some 200 slots opening in 2008. There

are now eleven casinos in Armenia, which officially achieved independence from the USSR in August of 1990, alongside over 100 slot halls but this latest venue is to be marketed towards international visitors from nearby nations such as Iran and Turkey. “This casino is targeted at the high-roller junket class of players from

countries such as Iran, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and India who are used to the highest standards of service and security,” said Darren Keane, CEO for Storm International. “Invitationonly membership and the utmost in privacy have made Shangri La XO the brand of choice for the most demanding clientele.”

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CR148-p08-12-Europe_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 14:22 Page 1

News Europe

TAXATION

New gaming tax legislation accompanies the new year in Italy, with AWP and VLT operators to be asked for a combined sum of E500m. According to one of the country’s leading industry observers, it’s a measure less than likely to go unopposed.

Italian budget stipulates lump-sum gaming machine tax

I ITALY

taly’s 2015 Budget Bill (legge di stabilità), which imposes a $569m (E500m) tax to be shared between AWP and video lottery terminal (VLT) licensee-holders, is likely to be legally challenged by the country’s licensee trade body. The budget, passed into law by the country’s Chamber of Deputies on December 22, stipulates the annual contribution be divided between licensees on the basis of machine count, rather than generated income. “This additional tax burden is to be paid by dealers and point of sale operators,” explained Christian Tirabassi, senior partner and Italian gaming specialist at financial consultancy firm Ficom Leisure. “The peculiarity of such a tax is that it will be shared among licensees depending on the number of products, not the profits actually generated.”

8 | casinoreview February 2015

MARKET SNAPSHOT ITALY ccording to the European Casino Association’s 2014 European Casino Industry Report, the economic situation in Italy has remained “difficult”, with public debt set to reach 130 per cent of gross domestic product in 2014. However, as the ECA states: “There have been signs of hope for Italy’s land-based venues, particularly in the latter part of 2013 when three of the four properties reported much improved business at the end of the year, despite continued growth in gaming machines and the first year of competition from online slot games.”

Previous legislation applicable up to December 31 - saw the Italian government deduct 13.5 per cent tax on AWP gains, and just five per cent on VLT earnings. Whilst the 2015 budget puts an end to several years of annual tax hikes on machine gaming revenues, Tirabassi is concerned that

the new regime may radically alter the make-up of the Italian sector. “The Budget Bill and its heavy windfall of E500m provided by the Renzi government now forces all actors across the business to redefine their contractual relations,” he remarked. “This circumstance will also lead

licensees to remove a large number of under-performing machines before the end of the year in order to maximise the revenues generated by their network, concurrently lowering the amount of tax they will be required to pay.” Indeed, it appears that this purging is already well underway. “Some licensees

were very aggressive in removing machines since the announcement of the new law,” Tirabassi noted. “Some of them were already running a significantly reduced number of machines by the time the new budget came into force.” With more than double the total number of

CR148-p08-12-Europe_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 14:22 Page 2

YXYXYXY CYPRUS / DENMARK / ITALY Batumi set for boom 5

GEORGIAN HEIGHTS THEY [CAI] WILL JOIN A MARKET WHICH ALREADY BOASTS FIVE MAJOR CASINOS, CATERING PRIMARILY TO RUSSIAN, UKRAINIAN AND TURKISH VISITORS, CROSSING THE BORDER .... LICENCE machines than competing operators, B Plus and Lottomatica will likely bear the heaviest load of the yearly levy, at $95m (E83.6m) and $110m (E96.5m), respectively. Ficom Leisure, an advisory and consultancy company specialising in the land-based and online betting and gaming industry, anticipates a vigorous response from affected parties. “We expect that this new tax will be challenged before court both by both single licensees and by ACADI - the Italian Association of Licensees,” Tirabassi said. A further implication could be an increase in illicit gambling activity - a growth of terminals connecting remotely to unlicensed gaming sites, but consolidation may also be on the cards. “We’ll also likely see the acceleration in vertical integration between licensees and distributors in order to save costs,” Tirabassi added, “as well as the potential acquisition of smaller bodies by larger operators or private equity firms.” Implementation of new gaming tax legislation in Italy comes as the European Casino Association (ECA) published its 2014 European Casino Industry Report. The report suggests that a shrinking of the Italian machine gaming sector may actually drive traffic to the state’s four licensed casinos. According to the ECA, diminishing slot revenues in recent years have been propped up by positive trends in table-gambling growth.

Cyprus casino licence attracts interest CYPRUS

s the unicameral House of Representatives for the Greek half of Cyprus considers legislation regulating the establishment and operation of the nation’s first casino, some 13 operators from around the world have already lodged expressions ofinterest. Large numbers of Greek Cypriots regularly travel north spending approximately $35.3m (E30m) a year in the casinos of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state recognised only by Ankara and the conservative government of president Nicos Anastasiades wants to legalise gambling in the south as a way to invigorate the tourism industry, create jobs and attract foreign investment in the wake of 2013’s international financial bailout. Cyprus welcomes approximately 2m tourists a year and the sector represents about ten percent of its overall output. The previ-

ous communist government of president Demetris Christofias, which ruled from 2008 to 2013, flatly refused to entertain the idea of legalised gambling despite reported interest from foreign operators while some Cypriots still see the activity as socially and morally undesirable. Proponents are currently setting out details of the project and commerce and tourism minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis stated that those already interested in operating the $589,350 (E500,000) casino project include companies from the Far East. The proposed legislation would see the operator selected to run the

nation’s sole casino receive a 30year licence that includes a monopoly for the first 15 years in exchange for agreeing to pay a 15 percent gross income tax. The selected operator would also have to pay annual license fees of $3m (E2.5m) for the first four years followed by $6.1m (E5m) for the next quadrennial term and build a hotel containing at least 500 rooms and offering a minimum of 1,000 machines and 100 gaming tables. After the eighth year, the proposed legislation would permit the National Gaming Authority to modify the fee every four years to ‘support its operating costs’.

IDENTITY CARDS

Denmark D investigate ID card for gamblers

Christian Tirabassi DENMARK

enmark’s state gambling monopoly could soon join with neighbours Sweden and Norway in establishing an identification card for gamblers as a way to prevent money laundering through sportsbetting. The Scandinavian nation’s public prosecutor for serious financial and international crime (SØIK) contends that such a card would help identify gamblers and aid in the investigation of systematic abuse of Danske Spil’s games by money launderers. “We are not adverse to establishing a gambling card that registers gambling and money as is the case in Norway and Sweden,” Thomas Rorsig, head of communications at Danske Spil, told DR Nyheder. “But, we want a stake limit because the typical odds gambler only bets 20, 30 or 100 kroner (E13.45) on a game and we think it will be an unnecessary

nuisance for that type of player to have to register their name and have another plastic card in their wallets.” Following a series football match-fixing scandals that rocked Danish football in August, Denmark’s tax ministry is also open to the idea an identification card for gamblers using Norway and Sweden as examples. “The tax ministry will soon start analysing the possibility of establishing obligatory gambling identification cards,” the ministry told newspaper Politiken. “The ministry will look into how the gambling card has been set up in Norway and Sweden and the experiences these countries have had.” In Sweden and Norway, gamblers must login via NemID to wager online although they can anonymously bet up to 10,000 kroner (E1,345) a day using any of the many gambling kiosks spread across the nations.

EUROPE ROUND-UP

he Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC) has issued a clarification note warning online gaming operators in the country that offering live dealer games from abroad remains illegal. Current law prohibits the provision of all live dealer games and slots not located on Belgian soil and the regulator additionally stated that it is continuing to compile a list of those operating illegally and will initiate sanctions sometime after its inventory is finished in February. Further east, a group of online poker operators in Germany have reportedly instructed their legal teams to initiate a legal challenge against a new 19 per cent valueadded tax (VAT) on gross gaming revenues. The new duty came into force on January 1 under a new directive from the European Union designed to capture funds from Internet giants such as Amazon and Apple. However, it is also being applied to online gambling and operators claim they should be exempt due to the absence of any federal licensing regime. In the UK meanwhile, the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA) plans to ask the government for a temporary reduction in Machine Gaming Duty (MGD) to off-set the costs of switching over to the new pound coin in 2017. Although the final figures have yet to be calculated, BACTA estimates that it could cost the UK amusements industry £100m (E133.5m) to convert all coin mechanisms to the new twelve-edged coin and the group wants MGD decreased from 20 per cent to ten percent during a transition period. February 2015 casinoreview

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CR148-p08-12-Europe_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 14:23 Page 3

News

UNITED KINGDOM

Europe

ECA take long view 37

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No change for UK gaming stats UNITED KINGDOM

Aspers hosts inaugural slots championship A UK casino operator Aspers is celebrating the success of its loyalty programme by launching a special £50,000 slots promotion that will see one lucky player walk away with £5,000 on February 22.

UNITED KINGDOM

s part of a novel groupwide initiative designed to increase footfall, January saw UK casino operator Aspers running the free-toenter Aspire Slots Championship campaign giving loyal players the chance to pocket a share of £50,000 (E65,300). Members of the Aspire Loyalty Scheme at Aspers casinos in Northampton, Newcastle, London and Milton Keynes were invited to take part in a trio of daily slot tournaments for the chance to win up to £150 (E195), while the winners from each day’s three tournaments were entered into February 8 regional finals. The subsequent four competitors with the highest points tally at the individual regionals are due to walk away with up to £1,000 (E1,300) and gain entry into a special final, which is scheduled to take place at Aspers Westfield Stratford City in London on February 22. Here they will be vying for the Aspire Slots Championship

10 | casinoreview February 2015

Trophy and a cash reward of £5,000 (E6,500) with runners up guaranteed to win anything from £200 (E260) to £1,000. “We don’t do small, we never have and we never will, which is exactly why we’re giving away a share of £50,000 to start 2015 in style,” said David Stratford, general manager for Aspers Northampton. “The Aspire Slots Championship [is being] held across all four Aspers casinos with 93 tournaments in total to reach this staggering £50,000 prize pool. We’re looking forward to hosting an exciting regional final in Northampton and hope that the Aspire Slots Championship winner will be one of our own.” Aspers launched in 2005 with the opening of its Newcastle casino by Damian Aspinall, son of the man that established the Aspinall private gaming club in London’s Mayfair the 1950s, Jon Aspinall. The operator has continued to expand and is

now responsible for four casinos across the country including two of the UK’s larger ‘super casinos’. August saw the company premiere its Aspire Loyalty Scheme, which is the first programme of its kind in the UK that rewards players with instantly transferable ‘freeplay’ credits. This initiative has since proved popular with the operator becoming the only European land-based casino operator to be nominated for an accolade, the Best Customer Loyalty Program prize, at the inaugural Global Gaming Awards. “We’re really excited to have launched the first ever Aspire Slots Championship,” said Luke Perkins, deputy general manager for Aspers’ The Casino MK in Milton Keynes. “In 2014, we saw our jackpot winners scoop more than £687,400 (E897,300), so we’re hoping that the Aspire Slots Championship is just the start of winning ways for our customers in 2015.”

he Gambling Commission in the UK has published the findings of the 2014 Young People Omnibus Survey independently carried out by the Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute, which found that the rate of underage gambling among secondary school pupils in England and Wales has remained relatively static over time. The investigation revealed that one in six of the 3,000 11 to 15-year-olds questioned had gambled in the seven days prior to taking part in the research, which was in line with the previous year’s findings and indicates that a drop since 2012 has held. There was limited movement in claimed play across most gambling activities compared with the 2013 examination with fruit machines remaining the most prevalent activity with underage players at six per cent followed by placing a private bet for money at five per cent and competing at cards for cash with friends at four per cent. The survey additionally indicated that the incidence of problem gambling among children continued to fall last year with 0.7 per cent of respondents classed as ‘problem gamblers’, which corresponds to two per cent in 2008/9, while 1.2 per cent were classified as ‘at risk gamblers’ compared with 3.4 per cent in 2008/9. The research found that boys had been more likely to gamble at 20 per cent than girls at 12 per cent while the rate of play on free or practice gambling games was also higher among males at 12 per cent versus seven per cent although there was no significant gender differences for this activity when it came to fruit machines. Finally, overall rates of gambling were broadly similar across the 11 to 15-year-old age range although 15-year-olds were found to be more likely than their younger compatriots to have played a National Lottery game at eight per cent versus five per cent for 11-year-olds. In other news from the Gambling Commission, the First-Tier Tribunal has granted the regulator permission to appeal against a decision that would see Greene King granted a bingo operating licence. The pub chain operator applied early last year for permission to offer unlimited stake and prize bingo via electronic tablets or terminals and successfully appealed it unsuccessful initial application.

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GERMANY / GIBRALTAR / MALTA

Europe

Sochi on the rise 82

RUSSIAN OPENS UP AFTER BECOMING RUSSIA’S FIFTH LEGAL GAMBLING ZONE LAST YEAR, THE CITY OF SOCHI COULD OPEN ITS DOORS TO GAMBLERS AS EARLY AS MAY.. MARKETS 82 OFFSORE

OPERATIONS

Offshore casino planned for Gibraltar

super yacht, Sunborn Hotel, in Gibraltar. The casino, to be named Casino Sunborn, will offer visiA joint venture tors over sixty slot machines, between Finnish four roulette tables and four card tables. Subject to the granting of gaming group Paf a licence and regulatory and hotel group approval, the planned opening date is in April. Sunborn will see The casino is a joint proposal the opening of a between Paf and Sunborn and will be located aboard the 142mfloating casino off long, seven-storey Sunborn the Gibraltar Hotel yacht in Ocean Village coastline. Marina in downtown Gibraltar. In addition to the international he Åland-based gaming Casino Sunborn and 189 five-star company Paf and the hotel guest rooms, the Sunborn Finnish hotel company Hotel in Gibraltar also offers a Sunborn are in the process of range of high-class restaurants opening an international casino and bars, an exclusive spa and on board the floating five-star pool area, a modern conference GIBRALTER

centre and a sundeck. “The opening of the Casino Sunborn in Gibraltar with Sunborn signifies that Paf’s landbased activities are now taking a big and exciting step into Europe, just like Paf.com online,” Anders Ingves, CEO of Paf. “The casino will also be a good base for creating synergies with our internet-based business. Our hope is that Paf’s nearly 50-year experience in the gaming industry combined with Sunborn’s knowledge of the international hotel industry will contribute to a unique casino experience for visitors.” Recruitment for the Gibraltar Casino Sunborn will commence with croupiers, managers, cashiers and security staff being

employed. The project is subject to licensing and regulatory approval from the Gibraltar Licensing Authority. “Sunborn have an excellent partner in Paf for the casino development,” added Hans Niemi, executive director for Sunborn. “As two well established Finnish-based companies, we have a strong platform to establish an international casino business in Gibraltar. There is excellent potential for this and other future casino investments for Sunborn in Gibraltar and on board other future yacht hotels.” Sunborn is a privately-owned Finnish company with over 40 years of experience in the hotel and hospitality business. Internationally, the Sunborn Group has 1,000 employees and an extensive property portfolio which includes spa hotels, restaurants, yacht hotels and residential developments. Sunborn pioneered the floating hotel concept and specialises in designing, constructing and managing hotel projects around the world. Paf was founded on the autonomous Finnish territory of Åland in 1966, with the purpose of creating profit to support public good. Today Paf is an international company with nearly 400 employees and offices in Mariehamn, Helsinki, Stockholm, Tallinn, Madrid and Milan. Paf also maintains a large physical gaming operation on land and sea with about 1,300 slot machines and 40 gaming tables on 25 ships in the Baltic Sea and Paf Casino on Åland.

OPENING

Gauselmann cuts ribbon on German casino

he Gauselmann Group celebrated the opening of a new casino in Germany on Saturday, January 24, with more that 500 guests attending the opening ceremony of the Merkur Casino venue in Leuna-Günthersdorf. The Gauselmann Group’s bid to operate casinos in SaxonyAnhalt prevailed against strong competition, with the company winning the licence in

2014 to operate casinos in the central German state for the next 15 years. Renowned casino architects Merckle and Jung created the interior design of the casino, which is strategically located opposite one of the latest shopping centres in Germany. The Merkur Casino features over 120 slot machines and live table games including roulette, black jack and poker. On January 23, indus-

12 | casinoreview February 2015

try executives, politicians and the press were treated to a preview of the casino. The venue was opened by the spinning of the golden ball at the roulette table – fittingly carried out by the Lord Major of Leuna, Dietlind Hagenau, who stated: “Leuna focuses on innovations and superlatives and this casino joins these ranks.” Paul Gauselmann, chairman and founder of the German gaming

group, added: “It is our stated objective to successfully manage this casino in Leuna-Günthersdorf over the long

term. Our international experience together with our partner Stadtcasino Baden will make this happen.”

Olympic Entertainment to run largest casino in Malta MALTA

lympic Entertainment Group (OEG), operator of casinos across eastern Europe and Italy, is poised to enter the Maltese gaming market, as the group unveils plans to operate the country’s largest casino. On January 19, OEG announced that it had signed an agreement with hotel and entertainment enterprise company Eden Leisure Group, which will see the development of Casino Malta. Located at the Malta InterContinental Hotel and pegged as the largest casino in the island country, the 2,700sq.m Casino Malta venue will cost around E10m and will to be open towards the end of 2015. The operation is projected to increase the Eden Leisure Group’s full-time employment by some 150180 people, with OEG holding the gaming licence. It will feature more than 250 slots, close to 30 casino and poker tables as well as sports betting and bar area. Eden executive chairman Ian De Cesare said it was important to find a strong operator with a wealth of experience in operating casinos. “During the competitive bid process, we negotiated with several of the top European management companies and settled on Olympic as the preferred operator for our casino,” he said. “We found that our companies had a similar ethos in that they provide a focus on customer service, entertainment and the overall experience of the customer. They were clearly highly experienced in the field and had a wealth of experience and they believed in the project to the extent that they offered to invest in the casino with us. These factors were important in demonstrating to government that the experience of Eden’s bid was of the highest quality with Olympic being on board.” Along with the Casino, the Eden Leisure Group is investing over €30 million in an extension of two additional floors of luxurious 6 star suites to the InterContinental hotel as well as a new 100 room Holiday Inn Express hotel. It is also upgrading the conference arena.

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CR148-p14-20-Asia_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 14:35 Page 1

News

Asia & Oceania

PERFORMANCE

Final year statistics show the first ever fall in the rate of gross gambling revenue growth in Macau. Whilst China’s anticorruption campaign continues to divert high-rollers away from the city, Macau maintains its wider appeal, with visitor numbers still at an all time high.

2 MACAU

Macau: bloodied, but sta

014 was a challenging year for Macau. By the commencement of fourth-quarter trading, it became clear that a decadelong boom, which has seen exponential GGR growth year after year in the former Portuguese colony, was at an end. By the close of December trading, it was official: the city’s annual GGR had fallen 2.6 per cent on 2013 figures. Wind the clock back a year, and the prospect of negative growth seemed laughable - with consensus forecasts suggesting a 20 per cent gain in revenues. “The biggest issue that caught everyone by surprise was the anti-corruption campaign,” CIMB’s gaming analyst Michael Ting told the FT. “The ultra high-end guy isn’t coming to Macau any more.” Beijing’s high profile anticorruption campaign has already been well documented, but its impact is difficult to overstate. Last summer, as increased visa

14 | casinoreview February 2015

restrictions were enforced and a number of high-profile arrests of government officials took place, the city’s like-for-like gambling earnings nose-dived from a steady 9.3 per cent increase in May to a retraction of 3.7 per cent the following month. Increasingly, the lifeblood of the city’s income stream - ultrawealthy Chinese visitors looked elsewhere. Accordingly, GGR growth went from bad to worse: with December takings 30 per cent down on the previous year: the most significant drop since records began. As investors grimace at figures seemingly suggestive of a long-term environmental standard, the unique strengths of Macau persist, and are all too easily overlooked. Irrespective of growthrate, the sum total of Macau earnings still topped $44bn (E36bn), representing approximately seven times that of the Las Vegas strip: it’s closest contender.

ADELSON TO TAKE HELM AT SANDS CHINA n the case of 81-year-old billionaire Sheldon Adelson, age is certainly no barrier to responsibility. The founder, chairman and chief executive of Las Vegas Sands will now also take the helm of the company’s Macau subsidiary, Sands China. Adelson will take the reins in China effective of March 6, following the departure of its current head, Ed Tracy. Commentators maintain the move is indicative of Adelson’s continued firm grip across the entirety of his corporation. “Sands business strategy has always been decided by Mr. Adelson,” BNP Paribas gaming analyst Goh Shengyong told Bloomberg News. “I wouldn’t expect any change.”

Macau remains the only location under Chinese jurisdiction where gambling is permitted - securing its continued appeal to prospective gamers. Perhaps most significantly, calls for greater diversification within the Macanese economy have been heeded. “We will continue to focus on economic development and improving people's livelihood and actively promote the appropriate diversification of the economy,” the city’s chief executive Fernando Chui recently told the Xinhua state news agency. This could be interpreted as to the detriment of casino operators. But in its current form, half of Macau’s economy revolves around its tourism sector: itself almost entirely comprised of gambling attractions. Such a structure makes the city incredibly vulnerable to adverse circumstance within the gaming sector, whilst diversification into areas of broader appeal - such as fam-

CR148-p14-20-Asia_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 14:32 Page 2

MACAU YXYXYXY Macao Gaming Show, November 17-19 2015

GUS NOBLE “THE GROWTH HAS BEEN SO SPECTACULAR OVER SUCH A PERIOD OF TIME, THAT A LITTLE BIT OF A SLOW DOWN OVER A FEW QUARTERS ... IS ACTUALLY QUITE HEALTHY.”

ASIA ROUND-UP

INVESTMENT

stable

Macau prepares to bounce back with multibillion dollar investment MACAU

Despite Macau’s recent revenue dip, a new phase of casino building will firmly cement the region’s future as a global gaming centre, according to Gus Noble, general manager of Indo Pacific Gaming.

ily entertainment - insulates its wider economy and widens its appeal outside of mainland China. Indeed, Macau’s transition away from the ‘hard’ gambling package is already in evidence: as attested by emerging details of the upcoming Studio City and Parisian Macao resorts. Taken together, these factors have led credit agency Moody’s to maintain Macau’s Aa2 rating. “Although lower revenues from the gaming sector will dent Macau’s economy and public finances,” claimed a spokesperson for the company, “its substantial financial assets, lack of general government debt and high foreign reserves provide it with sufficient buffer.” What’s more - the city’s visitor numbers continue to climb, and are predicted to rise by another 5 per cent in the coming year. Macau investors - take heart. There’s light at the end of the tunnel.

fter a decade of unprecedented growth in the casino industry, the pace in Macau may have started to slow, but Gus Noble, general manager of Indo Pacific Gaming, a leading supplier of gaming products in Asia, is not convinced by any doom-and-gloom narratives hitting the headlines. “The fundamentals of a strong industry are all still there,” said Noble. “We’ve still got more than seven per cent growth in China and we’ve still got Guangdong Province - the richest province in China - next door to Macau.” The island’s catchment incorporates 30 million people from nearby provinces, many of whom are part of China’s emerging middle class, a key target for Macau’s tourist industry. So, rather than taking it a sign of long-term decline, Noble perceives the drop in revenue as the stabilisation of a market that has enjoyed years of expansion. He said: “The growth has been so spectacular over such a period of time, that a little bit of a slow down over a few quarters to take a breath and look at how we’re doing things is actually quite healthy.” There won’t be much time for slowing down over the next four years, however, as building work for an ambitious second generation of casinos has now kicked off on the island. “You don’t make these plans six months in advance; you make them five years in advance, so these casinos have been on the drawing board for some time,” said Noble. “This next round of casinos is quite spectacular - Steve Wynn’s been talking about spending almost $4bn (E3.5bn) on his biggest and

ietnam prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a plan that will see a tourism and entertainment complex containing a casino constructed in the nation’s Phu Quoc Island special administrative economic zone. First proposed in 2007, the development in the southern province of Kien Giang is expected to offer up to 400 gaming tables and approximately 2,000 slots under a 30year licence. The nation’s planning and investment ministry is to partner with provincial authorities to oversee the project with prospective bidders for the licence required to invest a

best casino yet.” The gaming industry in Macau hasn’t traditionally pulled in international visitors, relying primarily on a solid influx of Mainland Chinese players, but the grand scale of the new builds has the potential to draw in new crowds from abroad. “I think there’s a potential for these new casinos to be a bit Dubai-ish in that they’ll be so large and ostentatious that they’re an attraction in themselves,” commented Noble. Although Indo-Pacific gaming has not noted a drop-off in its own casinos, sales director Noble recognises that there is a growing pressure to diversify revenue sources in Macau as a whole. “What the central government keeps on saying to the Macau government is that they need to consider alternative revenue sources from gaming,” said Noble. “But that’s very difficult for a very small island with half a million people. What else are they going to provide?” Attempts to add a Las Vegas-style show and entertainment offering have not been well received by the market, with Cirque du Soleil failing to attract a crowd on previous visits, Noble said. Noble said: “As much as the government would like more of a cultural offering, and as much as the casino operators would like it, because they would like to diversify their revenue sources, the market just doesn’t want it. It’s the most unique gaming market in the world; dominated by Mainland Chinese people, it’s dominated by VIP baccarat. They don’t want to be moved away from that.”

minimum of $4bn (E3.5bn). Also in Vietnam, police have arrested ten people including local magazine publisher To Cong Hung over allegations that they were behind an online sportsbetting operation that handled up to $46.8m (E41.1m) in illegal wagers. Authorities contend that Hung convinced his sister and others to open bank accounts for the purposes of receiving money from gamblers spread throughout the country. These funds were then converted into virtual currency that was subsequently used to wager on the Philippines-based website 12Bet.com. Meanwhile, the government of South Korea has announced a plan to increase tourism development by authorising the construction of two new casino resorts alongside 5,000 hotel rooms and four duty-free shops. Authorities expect the scheme could bring in up to $23.2bn (E20.4bn) in foreign funds with construction on the casinos due to begin next year following a bidding process with operations starting as soon as 2020.

February 2015 casinoreview

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News

MACAU / PHILIPPINES

Asia & Oceania

Macao Gaming Show, November 17-19 2015

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ICONIC MACAU LANDMARK

DESTINATION RESORT

Lights, Camera, Action MACAU

Lawrence Ho has unveiled details of Studio City, which purports to be the ‘next-generation’ of leisure entertainment in Asia.

elco Crown Entertainment has unveiled details of its new cinematicallythemed gaming, entertainment and leisure destination resort in Macau: Studio City. The $3.2bn (E2.7bn), Hollywood-inspired, gaming and entertainment complex will, according to Melco, transport the visitor into a “stunning cinematic world with awe-inspiring entertainment offerings, delivered by the world’s leading entertainment partners, positioning this new destination resort as Asia’s entertainment capital”. On January 12, the Asian casino and entertainment resort operator provided a first look into Studio City when it launched a new film trailer starring Hollywood actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert

De Niro and Brad Pitt. The movie was produced by acclaimed Hollywood producer, RatPac Entertainment’s Brett Ratner, the director of movie blockbusters, Red Dragon, XMen: The Last Stand, Hercules and the Rush Hour film franchise. Set against a backdrop of art deco-inspired architecture, Studio City will include a two-tower hotel, a range of shopping and dining experiences and a diverse collection of entertainment offerings. “Studio City will represent Asia’s next generation of immersive, world-leading, entertainment-driven gaming and leisure destination experiences, as we work to support Macau’s tourism development and diversification,” said Lawrence Ho, co-chairman

and chief executive officer of Melco Crown Entertainment. “It will take the entertainment-inspired leisure destination concept to new levels, in a cinematic setting developed in partnership with the world’s leading entertainment brands, supported and endorsed by many of the legends of Hollywood.” Ho added: “We are also thrilled to announce a collaboration to bring the unrivalled portfolio of some of the most iconic DC Comics’ Super Heroes and Warner Bros’ classic characters to life. We are excited to introduce Macau to the exhilarating Batman Dark Flight, a virtual-reality ride that will allow fans of the Caped Crusader to soar over Gotham City, and we look forward to unveiling the Warner Bros

Family Entertainment Centre where families and children can play among many of their favourite characters.” Studio City is designed to be the most diversified entertainment resort offering in Macau, with more world-class entertainment amenities than any integrated resort in the market. Speaking at the trailer launch, which was held at City of Dreams Macau, Ho said he still had “no idea” how many gaming tables would appear at the new resort. He did, however, confirm the property had been designed for 500 tables, and that Melco was hoping to get as many as 400 early in the resort’s operation. In addition to gaming and Warner Bros Family Entertainment Centre, Studio

hen completed later this year, Studio City’s towering facade will feature a new, iconic, landmark in Macau, the Golden Eye, which at 130m will be Asia’s highest ferris wheel. The Golden Eye will straddle the two-tower Studio City hotel, set to offer visitors luxurious accommodations and redcarpet service. Comprising the Celebrity Tower and the premium Star Tower, the hotel will offer approximately 1,600 rooms, each designed in Art Deco style. “Studio City will radically enhance and diversify Macau’s evolving leisure experiences, as Melco Crown Entertainment works to anticipate, innovate and ultimately satisfy the ever-growing needs of the region’s and world’s leisure destination visitors,” Ho said.

City will also feature House of Magic, which will feature the world’s leading magicians and illusionists; Studio City Entertainment Centre, a 5,000-seat multipurpose venue; a fully-operational television broadcast studio; Pacha nightclub; and the Podium Deck Lazy River ride.

OPENING

City of Dreams announces grand opening date PHILIPPINES

ollowing a soft launch in December, the City of Dreams Manila development within the Entertainment City gaming and entertainment complex in the Philippines is to hold its official grand opening on February 2. The product of Macau-based operator Melco Crown Entertainment and Filipino backer Premium Leisure and Amusement, which is run by local billionaire Henry Sy, the 950-room City of Dreams Manila is located on a 6.2ha site and will offer 380 gaming tables and 1,700 slots alongside the same number of electronic table games. Its opening

16 | casinoreview February 2015

follows the neighbouring Solaire Resort and Casino, which went live with a selection of VIP and mass-market gaming facilities in March of 2013, while more than 600,000 people have visited the facility since its December 14 soft launch including 20,000 on the first day.

“Our official grand launch finally delivers our stated commitment to bring Manila its first international integrated leisure destination offering,” said Clarence Chung, chairman and president for Melco Crown Philippines. “The new resort complex will deliver a diverse collection of contemporary leisure and lifestyle brands from all over the world including Crown, Nobu, Hyatt and the Pangaea Group, who are behind the world’s most successful nightclubs and lounges. “Together with the soon-to-beannounced opening of DreamWorks’ DreamPlay, which is an educational interactive playspace for families, an exceptional entertainment experience now awaits all types of travellers and visitors

from around the region and the world.” Entertainment City is owned by the state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and it is hoped that the Las Vegas-like complex will help the Asian nation increase its gaming revenues from last year’s $2.2bn (E1.7bn) to $7bn (E5.6bn) by 2019. City of Dreams Manila and Solaire Resort and Casino are scheduled to be joined late in 2016 by the $2bn (E1.6bn) Manila Bay Resorts development of Japan’s Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment before Bayshore City Resorts World, which is joint venture of Filipino billionaire Andrew Tan and Malaysia’s Genting Group, opens in the fourth quarter of 2018.

CR148-p14-20-Asia_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 14:33 Page 4

News

CAMBODIA / INDIA / NORTH MARIANA ISLANDS

Asia & Oceania

Macao Gaming Show, November 17-19 2015

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INTEGRATED RESORT

CONSTRUCTION

Integrated casino resort planned for Cambodia

Saipan development takes another step forward

With tourist numbers on the rise, the Koh Puis

NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS

Investment Group wants to build a large resort complex off the coast of Sihanoukville containing six, five and four-star hotels in addition to a casino and marina.

CAMBODIA

he Koh Puis Investment Group is seeking investors for a large integrated hotel and casino resort complex it hopes to build on 150ha of land on Morakot Island just off the coast of Cambodia and less than 20km from Sihanoukville International Airport. The envisioned development would include one six-star hotel alongside pair of five-star properties and a single four-star hotel in addition to a casino, marina yacht and beach club, luxury spa and wellness centre, 150-unit marina village, meeting and conference facilities, villas and restaurants and bars. “When in 2006 the directors of Koh Puis Investment Group first visited Koh Puos in Cambodia and its deserted white beach, they knew that they had discovered something special,” read an investment report from Ptolemy Capital. “Back-packers have been coming to Sihanoukville for 20

years because it was off the beaten track with its beautiful lush vegetation and mountains rolling down to the long white beaches. However, the secret is out and the past five years land prices have trebled and quadrupled as the international airport now makes the location easy to reach and double-digit growth on the tourist numbers every year.” The Koh Puis Investment Group believes that the new luxury gaming resort could attract high-end visitors from other Asian countries such as China as well as those from further afield and it has so far spent $126m (E108.8m) to build the 985m Techo Morakot Bridge connecting the island to the mainland. It has also obtained ‘in-principle’ approvals from the Cambodian government for the casino in addition to a construction permit for the hotels while environmental and social impact assessments have already been conducted.

Adding to the sense of optimism, the investor has also signed operator agreements for the planned hotels with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and Renaissance Hotels while architect EDSA has been appointed to draw up a masterplan. The neighbouring town of Sihanoukville currently hosts six smaller casinos and is already a well established destination for tourists from China, Taiwan, Thailand and South Korea as well as those from nations further afield such as Russia, France, the UK and Germany while Cambodia as a whole has seen visitor numbers rise by 16 percent per year over the previous decade with 4.2 million arriving in 2013. The nation hopes to attract up to six million foreign visitors by next year and is improving its infrastructure, increasing the number of direct flights to China and simplifying its visa application process in order to make this goal a reality.

fter winning the right late last year to build a new 4,250-room hotel and casino on the island of Saipan, Hong Kong-listed gaming investment firm Best Sunshine International has now hired Matthew Pryor of Macau-based Tenman Project Management Holdings to oversee the

authorised as a way to attract investment and increase tourism. Best Sunshine, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Macau-based junket investor First Natural Foods, wants to open the first phase of the new ‘town hotel’ development by next year with the finished project expected to

building of the $7.1bn (E5.7bn) development. Best Sunshine stated that Pryor has overseen the construction of some of the biggest casinos in Macau including the $4.2bn (E3.7bn) Sands Cotai Central and the $2.4bn (E2.1bn) Venetian Macau in addition to the $5.4bn (E4.7bn) Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and is well known to its new CEO, Mark Brown. Saipan is the largest of the self-governing Northern Marianas Islands in the western Pacific Ocean and the new casino resort was

contain a casino with 1,600 gaming tables and 3,500 slots alongside around 300 luxury villas. For his part, Pryor established Tenman Project Management Holdings in partnership with Dale Chadwick in 2010 after eight years with Las Vegas Sands Corporation where he oversaw construction of the casino operator’s Macau projects. He told Marianas Variety that the development will be ‘a big challenge obviously’ although no site for the resort had yet been picked.

LEGISLATION

Casinos become issue in Goa by-election

INDIA

18 | casinoreview February 2015

head of a February 13 by-election, the main political parties in the Indian state of Goa are arguing over the future of five offshore casinos in the former Portuguese colony. The special election was called after Manohar Parrikar from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vacated his Panaji seat in November in order to serve as defence minister for India. In trying to secure this vacated constituency for its candidate, Surendra Furtado, the minority Indian National Congress party claims that the conservative BJP had promised before winning the Goa Legislative Assembly elections in March of 2012 to close the state’s casinos, which are located on boats in the Mandovi River, by the end of 2015.

However, the BJP, which is fielding senior party worker Siddharth Cuncolienkar as its candidate, has countered by stating that will not suspend the casinos’ licences as such a move would send the wrong signal to companies investing in Goa. “We will not allow new casinos in the state but we can’t disturb the existing casino business, which is contributing revenues to the state,” said Laxmikant Parsekar, chief minister for Goa. “All you have to do is to look at the BJP’s “They are functioning because of the perelection manifesto in 2012,” said Luizinho missions given by the earlier government. If Faleiro from the more left-leaning Indian we try to dislodge them, they can also go to the National Congress. “They promised to throw courts. But my government will not encouraway casinos [into] the deep sea. What has age new proposals. Limiting the number of made them change position and even allow casinos or locating them at an alternate site is an additional casino on the Mandovi River?” definitely an option before the government.”

CR148-p14-20-Asia_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 14:34 Page 5

News

AUSTRALIA / SRI LANKA

Asia & Oceania

Macao Gaming Show, November 17-19 2015

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APPLICATION

James Packer to abandon Sri Lanka development

SkyCity Entertainment progresses Auckland project

Crown Resorts’ plan to build a five-star casino resort in Colombo looks dead following the election of reform-minded new president Maithripala Sirisena.

AUSTRALIA

SRI LANKA

ustralian billionaire James Packer of Crown Resorts is soon expected to abandon a plan to build a $450m (E368.8m) hotel and casino in Sri Lanka after the island nation elected new president, Maithripala Sirisena. Sirisena, 63, is described as a social conservative and won the January 8 election after playing to Sri Lanka’s more cautious Buddhist voters and eroding sitting president Mahinda Rajapakse’s largely rural support. He defected from the ruling party in November and stated in his campaign that the special tax status granted to three proposed casino projects authorised by his predecessor should be cancelled. “I will withdraw the concessions given to the casino projects,” said Sirisena, who was once a member of Rajapakse’s governing Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

Sri Lanka legalised casinos in December of 2010 but the legislation has never been implemented while the nation’s gambling industry has also suffered as a result of lower tourist numbers because of the decades-long civil war with separatist Tamil Tiger rebels. This fighting ended in 2009 and authorities had hoped that the trio of projects, which also include a $650m (E532.7m) resort from conglomerate John Keells Holdings and a $300m (E245.9m) development by local businessman Dhammika Perera, would help increase visitor numbers to the former British colony despite critics’ assertions that the ten-year tax holidays could end up costing the government over $914m (E749.5m). The Sri Lankan government authorised the three projects in December of 2013 without attaching specific permissions for a casino but politicians revealed that they would not stop Crown Resorts’

Maithripala Sirisena

partner in the venture, local entrepreneur Ravi Wijeratne who had links to the president, from transferring a licence from one of his already-operating casinos. As part of a new programme of reforms, Sirisena is now vowing to

end the corruption and nepotism that seemingly plagued Rajapakse’s administration with Australian expert on Sri Lanka Gordon Weiss stating that Packer’s plans would now also have to survive a formal investigation before having any chance at survival. “There’s a very specific point about casino licences that due process was not followed,” Weiss, who worked at the United Nations for more than a decade, told ABC’s The World Today. “I think at the very least there will be a review of the Packer casino. I think if there was not a proper, open [and] transparent review of the Packer casino it would be a poor sign of what’s to come.” However, Packer now looks set to jump before being pushed and is reportedly set to abandon the plan to build a pair of 36-floor towers on two acres of land in the heart of Colombo offering a casino in addition to a five-star hotel.

REDEVELOPMENT

Grand plans for Casino Canberra AUSTRALIA

fter buying the Casino Canberra from Casinos Austria International in December for A$6m (E4m), Aquis Group has unveiled plans that will see the property transformed into a Las Vegas-style integrated casino, dining and nightlife complex. Owned by Hong Kong billionaire Tony Fung, Aquis stated that the com-

pany may raze the existing casino while it has also acquired land behind the current site and wants the new development to sit at the heart of an entertainment precinct that would help revitalise the south side of the city. “This really is a great time to be part of the evolution of Canberra,” Fung told The Canberra Times. “The Constitution Avenue upgrade

20 | casinoreview February 2015

and the longer-term plans for the future development of the city provide us with a solid foundation from which we can start to make a real impact on the city South area.” As part of the process and after visiting the area last month, architecture firms including Las Vegas’ Friedmutter Group and Westar Architects along with Australia’s DBI have

been invited to submit masterplans for the site. Canberra-based Cox Architects is to serve as lead architect on the project, which could resemble Perth’s rebuilt 500-room Crown Metropol. “We see significant potential to turn the current casino into a broader leisure, entertainment and nightlife destination,” Justin Fung, managing

director for Aquis, told the newspaper. “I’d expect the quality of dining and entertainment options on offer to be on par with some of the best integrated casino developments in Australia and around the world.” Aquis expects to finish the new Casino Canberra by the end of 2016 while an economic impact study is due to be released within the next few months.

ustralasian casino operator SkyCity Entertainment has taken the next step in its planned development of the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) in Auckland after lodging a formal resource consent application. The application filed with Auckland Council seeks permission to construct the new 3,500-seat venue in the centre of the nation’s largest city in addition to an adjacent five-star and 300-room hotel, a dedicated 3,000-seat theatre and a pedestrian laneway of bars, restaurants

and boutique shops for an estimated cost of between $364.6m (E314.5m) to $411.2m (E354.7m). Nigel Morrison, CEO for SkyCity Entertainment, stated that the application represents ‘a significant step towards realising what will be a magnificent facility for both Auckland and New Zealand’ and revealed that formal approval of the designs could come as soon as late-February with a subsequent binding construction contract due in the final quarter of 2015. “SkyCity Entertainment expects the construction process to take approximately three years to complete after signing the contract,” said Morrison. “SkyCity Entertainment looks forward to progressing the project and is confident the NZICC will provide substantial economic benefits for Auckland and New Zealand.”

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News

Africa & Middle East

LEGISLATION

Proposed legislation from MP Geordin HillLewis that would legalise and regulate online gambling and sportsbetting is to be resubmitted to parliament next month.

F SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa revives online gambling legislation

ollowing months of inactivity and an ongoing investigation into allegations of financial irregularities at the National Gambling Board (NGB), South African MP Geordin Hill-Lewis is due to revive remote gambling legislation under the guise of the National Gambling Amendment of 2008. According to reports, the Democratic Alliance shadow minister of trade and industry will re-introduce the legislation with new amendments when parliament re-opens hearings in February and is optimistic that the legislation will progress. The National Gambling Amendment 2008 was due to be examined late last year but hearings into its suitability were postponed after

22 | casinoreview February 2015

ANC minister of trade and industry Rob Davies suspended the NGB for purportedly failing to prevent “irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure. An investigation into these allegations is still taking place while Hill-Lewis’ amendments would see South Africa’s nine provinces take a more active role in the regulation and licensing of remote gambling and betting with operators required to adhere to a code and practice set by the National Gambling Board. The legislation from HillLewis has received the support of the Casino Association of South Africa (CASA), who recently also urged the government to begin the process of legalising and regulating online

gambling and sportsbetting in order to protect consumers and generate additional tax revenues. Themba Ngobese, chief executive officer for CASA, declared that the current use by South Africans of illegal online gambling sites has made it nearly impossible to calculate the amounts of tax lost but that the figure could be in the tens of millions of dollars. “We have seen a mushrooming of online gaming operations that are disguised as Internet cafes and/or entertainment lounges,” said Ngobese. “They are mushrooming all over the country and what they really offer is illegal online gambling. We always make an estimate and say, look, our gaming tax, which

excludes VAT and corporate tax as of the end of the year at March of 2014, was just about $189.9m (E161.5m). If they do five percent of what we do, then the country and coffers are losing $9.52m (E8.23m) in terms of gaming tax, which is a big figure.” Ngobese stated that regulation ‘is the future’ and his

group recently initiated an campaign that is expected to run until at least the end of March highlighting the real issues behind illegal online gambling and warning players that they are currently completely unprotected. The online, social media, print and radio operation also highlights the reality of

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SOUTH AFRICA YXYXYXY OPERATOR NEWS: JW@SJC.CO.UK

ONLINE INFILTRATION “WE HAVE SEEN A MUSHROOMING OF ONLINE GAMING OPERATIONS THAT ARE DISGUISED AS INTERNET CAFES AND/OR ENTERTAINMENT LOUNGES...”

AFRICA ROUND-UP

DEVELOPMENT

Tsogo Sun embarks on expansion plan

SOUTH AFRICA

ter recently celebrating 50 years of operations at its exclusive five-star Beverley Hills resort near Durban, South African casino operator Tsogo Sun has now embarked on a series of refurbishment and expansion projects that will include its Suncoast Casino receiving a $155.8m (E134.7m) facelift. Set among towering palm trees on the beachfront of Durban’s ‘golden mile’, Suncoast Casino will soon feature a casino floor that has been expanded to incorporate 900 additional gaming machines and 16 new gaming tables. The investment represents the largest single venture in the history of the subtropical city’s beachfront and will also see Suncoast Casino receive a 22,000sq.m shopping mall alongside a 2,000-seat multipurpose venue. Complimenting these will be more restaurants and entertainment

the $866,175 (E749,000) fine or ten years in prison for those convicted of operating or playing illegal online games while additionally setting out the specifics of what constitutes illegal online gambling. “We’ve been tracking the incidence of illegal and unregulated online gambling as an industry and are very concerned at the growth in usage and operations that are targeting unsuspecting South African players,” said Ngobese. “It may all seem like harmless fun to gamble online but players are completely unprotected and operators are not registered or regulated to run a business in our country.”

offerings alongside resortstyle rooftop swimming pools and additional parking areas. Tsogo Sun stated that the expansion project has now moved into the detailed design development phase and is expected to take three years to complete with an opening sometime in 2018. As if this wasn’t enough,

Tsogo Sun has also completed the extensive renovation of its Silverstar Casino on the northern outskirts of Johannesburg and the venue has reopened for business featuring five new restaurants overlooking an outdoor square. Tsogo Sun has been operating casino in South Africa since 1997 and

outh Africa’s department of trade and industry (DTI) has dashed any hopes that online gambling may soon be legalised after controversially going against the recommendations of independent commission established to investigate the matter. “In our view, no amount of control will adequately curb the harm that may be caused to South African citizens by online gambling, hence we reiterate that it must remain a banned activity,” read a statement from the DTI. However, this opinion is in stark contrast to advice given by a group set up in 2010 to assess additional forms of gambling. It suggested that tightly controlled online gaming be legalised while its findings were subsequently adopted by the DTI’s portfolio committee in March of 2012. “This announcement goes completely against the trend in South Africa,” said Stephen Louw, a senior lecturer at Wits University and a member of the commission. “It is difficult

revealed that the Silverstar Casino now also has a new fountain with an interactive water feature, a twelve-lane bowling alley and the Parkers Comedy and Jive stand-up comedy club. This is all set alongside six advanced cinemas, a 450sq.m lasertag facility and a central seating area with fast food outlets.

ENTERTAINMENT

Miss South Africa pageant coming to Sun City SOUTH AFRICA

otel and casino operator Sun International has announced that the 2015 edition of its Miss South Africa Pageant will take place at the Sun City Superbowl Arena near Rustenburg, in partnership with mobile telecommunications provider Cell C. Twelve finalists have already been selected,

and they will compete for the title of Miss South Africa 2015 on March 29 in an event due to be televised live throughout southern Africa and simulcast on M-Net and Mzansi Magic. “We believe we have a very strong top 12, a group of young women who are passionate about competing and who have the intelligence, dedication and attitude to be a winner,”

said Claudia Henkel, public relations manager for Johannesburgbased Sun International. “The judges had a difficult task choosing the top twelve from the 24 semi-finalists but I am confident that the winner will prove to be a powerful ambassador for the Miss South Africa brand.” The 12 finalists are Busi Mahlangu, Chanelle Sardinha, Danelle de Wet, Gugulethu Banda,

Kim Wentzel, Liesl Laurie, Nicole Lee Lamberts, Ntsiki Mkhize, Refilwe Mthimunye, Shanè Naidoo, Sihle Makhanya and Taryn Morris with the eventual winner required to endorse the “particular products or expertise” of sponsors Sun International and Cell C in addition to moving to an “official townhouse” in Johannesburg provided by the casino and hotel operator.

to understand where it is coming from but it is not through a democratic process. We were told that our report and its recommendations were adopted.” Further north in Uganda, taxes from casino gambling grew by 47.57 per cent yearon-year for the period of July to December to reach $788 .7m (E694m) with the nation as a whole seeing first-half revenues from taxation rise to $1.6bn (E1.4bn). According to the Uganda Revenue Authority, the nation is expected to earn $3.3bn (E2.9bn) from taxation for the year to the end of June, which would represent an increase of 12.21 per cent year-on-year.

February 2015 casinoreview

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News

North America

SMOKING LEGISLATION

New Orleans, one of the last major US cities to allow revellers to light up inside, has implemented a wide-scale smoking ban. But will the new legislation suck the life out of the city’s famous casino, asks James Walker?

L UNITED STATES

New Orleans implements smoking ban aissez le bon temp rouler or, ‘let the good times roll’ - is the unofficial motto of New Orleans, and one that encapsulates the historic city’s reputation for being a haven for hedonists and night-time revellers. On January 22, however, the good times stopped rolling for smokers in the Big Easy, with the City Council’s unanimous passage of an ban on indoor smoking and use of electronic cigarettes that backers described as a way to protect service industry

24 | casinoreview February 2015

workers and musicians from the dangers of secondhand smoke. The two-hour discussion was the culmination of weeks of debate that has pitted business owners against public health advocates dressed distinctly in light blue ‘Smokefree NOLA’ tshirts – in a fierce fight over whether and how to extend existing regulations on smoking. The City Council’s 7-0 unanimity came despite a sharp divide during the meeting on the extent of the

ban. Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell, who has championed the prohibition, pushed for a total ban not just on smoking inside bars, casinos, parks and shopping malls, but also 5ft around their entrances. In the end, however, the new ban largely extends a 2007 state law that prohibits smoking in restaurants and most workplaces to bars and casinos, which had previously been exempt. Smoking in public areas like streets and parks will still be allowed, as will lighting up

on balconies, in courtyards and in private or semi-private rooms in nursing homes. In the lead-up to the hearing, venue owners in New Orleans expressed concerns the legislation would have an adverse affect on their business. Harrah’s vice president of human resources and community relations, Logan Gaskill, said a preliminary study conducted by the casino shows the ban would result in a loss of between $4m (E3.5m) and $14m (E12.4m)

a year in revenue to the Canal Street casino. Less than a week after New Orleans passed a local law to ban smoking in bars and casinos, some Baton Rouge medical professionals and local leaders began pushing for similar measures in the Louisiana capital. While Harrah’s had fought vociferously against being included in the smoking ban, New Orleans is one of the last major American cities to allow people to smoke in bars. And while the legislation may seem to

CR148-p24-32-NAmerica_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 14:44 Page 2

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SMOKING BAN “I DON’T THINK SMOKING INSIDE BARS [AND] EXPOSING OUR FRIENDS TO SECOND-HAND SMOKE IS AT THE HEART OF THE CULTURE OF NEW ORLEANS.” DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Wynn Resorts submits redesigned Boston casino plan UNITED STATES

otel and casino operator Wynn Resorts has unveiled a new design for its planned $1.6bn (E1.4bn) development in suburban Boston that now incorporates a gently curving bronze and glass hotel tower resembling its properties in Las Vegas and Macau. Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts won the sole casino licence for the Boston area in September but was soon asked by the eastern state’s Gaming Commission to resubmit its proposed design amid fears that the property would have a ‘generic design’ that did not ‘reflect something unique to Massachusetts’.

Robert DeSalvio, development senior vice-president for Wynn Resorts, declared that the latest design for the 33-acre waterfront site in Everett features a tower that still reaches the same 24-story height but is wider, which will allow the development to offer 600 rooms. The new design also scraps a planned nightclub and retail esplanade in favour of additional meeting and convention space. “This is a style we really like,” said DeSalvio. “It’s a signature Wynn Resorts look [and] we think it really complements the landscape well.” Steve Wynn, CEO for

Wynn Resorts, had promised that the Massachusetts venture would resemble the ‘grand hotels’ of the past and offer luxury amenities alongside the largest rooms outside of Las Vegas and a lobby with a pair of indoor gardens. “People will come here to have fun and experience grandeur; to eat, shop, vacation and live large and hopefully forget about the rigours

of life for a while,” said Wynn. However, the new plan does come at the cost of approximately 300 parking spaces with the new property boasting around 3,400. “This is a vast improvement over the design before,” said Steve Crosby, chairman for the Gaming Commission. “It will be incredibly visible. It’s striking [and] something exciting and to be proud of.”

APPOINTMENT

Appointments and anniversary give Boyd double celebration UNITED STATES

Harrah’s New Orleans Hotel and Casino

go against the city’s hedonistic culture, it must be noted that casinos elsewhere in the US have been subject to - and survived similar bans. “I don’t think smoking inside bars is at the heart of the culture of New Orleans,” said council member, Jason Williams. “I don’t think exposing our friends to second-hand smoke is at the heart of the culture of New Orleans.” The anti-smoking legislation comes into effect in three months.

oyd Gaming Corporation has appointed Paul Whetsell and John Bailey to its board of directors. Whetsell is president and CEO of Loews Hotels and Resorts, owner and operator of 22 upscale hotels and resorts across the United States and Canada. Bailey is managing partner of Bailey Kennedy, a Las Vegas law firm specializing in corporate and gaming law. Bill Boyd, executive chairman of Boyd Gaming, said: “Paul and John are outstanding additions to an already distinguished board of directors. With almost four decades of experience in the hospitality industry, Paul will be an invaluable advisor to our

Company as we continue to execute on our long-term growth strategy. And as one of Nevada’s most respected attorneys, John will further strengthen our legal expertise on the Board.” The company has also marked the 40th anniversary of its historic California Hotel and Casino, which has become a Las Vegas staple since opening on January 1, 1975.

Boyd commented: “It has been an incredible 40 years in which the California Hotel and Casino has evolved into the beloved downtown property it is today – an establishment that has always been dedicated to treating people right. “We are excited to applaud the property’s rich heritage, along with our valued employees, guests and community.”

NORTH AMERICA ROUND-UP

s a part of a new membership structure approved late last year, the American Gaming Association (AGA) trade group has added six new board members alongside a trio of general members. The Washington, DC-based group stated that the new organisational structure and board member additions are designed to assist its efforts at unifying the gaming industry through policies of ‘inclusivity and transparency’. The new board members include Seminole Hard Rock Gaming, CG Technology, Konami Gaming and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority alongside William Hill and Greenwood Racing while the general members encompass Ainsworth Game Technology, Electronic Transaction Systems and FinScan. Meanwhile, two airlines are trying out seasonal routes to and from Las Flying high

Vegas through to the end of April encompassing a long-haul flight running non-stop between McCarran International Airport and Boston’s Logan International Airport four times a week. Operated by San Francisco-based Virgin America, the long-haul flights will utilise 149-seat Airbus A320 twinengine jets or the airline’s 119-passenger A319s in direct competition with JetBlue. In addition, Alaska Airlines affiliate Horizon Air has launched twiceweekly short-haul services between Las Vegas and Mammoth Lakes, California, for the ski season. Using a 76passenger Bombardier Q400 twin-engine turboprop aircraft, this one-hour flight is being marketed towards tourists from Latin America, the UK and Australia. Back on earth and Nevada is hoping to progress with its $6bn (E5.1bn) XpressWest plan that would see Las Vegas linked via high-speed rail with the California town of Victorville. However, the project is in need of some cash and one idea is to make it more attractive to Federal loans by extending the route 70 miles into Los Angeles County and connecting it to a planned high-speed line running between Palmdale and Burbank. February 2015 casinoreview

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News

CONNECTICUT / LAS VEGAS / MENOMINEE INDIAN TRIBE

North America

ICE 2015 Preview 40-63

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MARKET DEVELOPMENT

TRIBAL CASINOS

With off-Strip casinos reporting stronger growth than those on South Las Vegas Boulevard, are places such as Downtown becoming destinations in their own right?

Wisconsin governor denies Menominee casino UNITED STATES

UNITED STATES

Off-strip casinos outstripping resorts growth A t the end of December, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) declared casino takings for November to be flat month-on-month, as gaming on the Las Vegas Strip dropped four per cent from last year to $508.3m (E448m). The numbers, however, told a better story for the rest of Clark County, with November gaming in Downtown Las Vegas rising nearly 13 per cent to $42.8m (37.7m). North Las Vegas and the Boulder Strip, meanwhile, recorded substantial increases of 37.6 per cent and 20.7 per cent, respectively. Laughlin and Mesquite saw smaller increases of 12.77 per cent and 7.03

per cent, respectively. It must be remembered that, despite the dip in gaming revenues on the Las Vegas Strip, casinos there still generate four times as much as Downtown or Reno, and this figure is even higher in other regions. But question as to why offstrip gaming is outstripping the major resorts on South Las Vegas Boulevard remains an interesting one. A prime example of off-Strip gaming in Nevada, Downtown Las Vegas maintains a reputation for offering a quirky, somewhat less glamorous version of the traditional Las Vegas experience. Often considered to cater to locals, the

Downtown area was originally the centre of gambling in Nevada, but was eclipsed by the Strip in the latter half of the 20th century. As with most major casino markets in the US, Nevada suffered large losses as the result of the recent economic downturn. In 2013, casinos in the state generated a net loss of $1.34bn (E1.18bn), representing the fifth consecutive yearly loss since 2008. However, as Julia Buckley – writer for the UK’s Independent and former Las Vegas resident – states: “After a six-decade break, during which the mega-resorts of the Vegas Strip, two miles south, eclipsed it entirely, Downtown is

once more a destination in itself.” “Optimists have talked up the resurgence of Downtown for some time, but it was only last year that it became a fully-fledged renaissance,” Buckley added. “Five years ago, when I lived in Vegas, the Fremont East district – low-rise, 1950s buildings just outside the pedestrian zone – was one small block of bars. Today, it’s around nine square blocks, and is still expanding. Independent shops have opened, historic hotels have been renovated, big-name chefs have arrived, even bigger name musicians have played here, and the area’s first boutique hotel, Oasis at Gold Spike, opened at the end of October.”

VIP SERVICES

Mohegan Sun premieres helicopter service UNITED STATES

he Mohegan Sun casino in eastern Connecticut has partnered with short-distance aviation firm Blade to offer customers the ability to visit the venue via helicopter from New York City. Mohegan Sun and Blade are running 112-mile one-way trips every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in addition to value roundtrip packages focused around arena concerts, signature events, food and dining occasions and gaming specials.

“Mohegan Sun is a spectacular property offering epic experiences that should include accessible and efficient transportation via Blade,” said Bobby Soper, president and CEO for Mohegan Sun. “We are incredibly excited to offer our guests a door-to-door crowd-sourcing option that meets today’s need for transportation on demand in the most sophisticated way possible.” The flights leave the Blade terminal at the East 34th Street heliport in mid-town Manhattan before arriving at the casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, some

26 | casinoreview February 2015

45 minutes later. The service is open to all Mohegan Sun guests and visitors while members of

the Momentum rewards programme can use their points as payment. “Never before has a traveler been able to leave New York City, fly to Mohegan, enjoy a world-class show, have a terrific dining experience, play in the casino and be back home in New York City by midnight,” said Evan Licht, general manager for Blade, which is a licensed air carrier. “Our partnership with Mohegan Sun allows us to extend the trafficfree Blade experience to one of the area’s most sought-after destinations.”

isconsin governor Scott Walker has denied the Menominee Indian Tribe permission to build an off-reservation casino after stating that authorising such a project would require the state to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to a rival group.

The Menominee Indian Tribe have been pushing for years for permission to build a casino at Kenosha’s Dairyland Greyhound Park but Walker, a first-term Republican that could run for President next year, declared that the state would be required to refund tax payments the competing Forest County Potawatomi Tribe had made should the Kenosha project become reality. “After a comprehensive review of the potential economic impact of the proposed Kenosha casino project, the risk to the state’s taxpayers is too great,” said 47-year-old Walker. Laurie Boivin, chairperson for the Menominee Indian Tribe, declared that the project would have helped the aboriginal group raise itself from poverty and laid the blame squarely on the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe and Walker’s Presidential aspirations. “It is our belief that this project would have improved the lives of the nearly 9,000 members of the Tribe,” read a statement from Boivin. “Instead, one tribe, the Forest County Potawatomi, and one goal of governor Walker, the Presidency, has led to a no for our people.”

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ATLANTIC CITY / OHIO

North America

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CLOSURE

Penn optimistic after positive final quarter

Federal judge dismisses Revel appeal UNITED STATES

Penn’s fourth quarter revenue showed signs of strong recovery after a year of challenges, paving the way for the grand opening of the company’s latest $225 million Plainridge Park Casino in summer.

year, as revenue increased by around $6.5 (5.72E) million from the same period in 2013. This translated into $250.4 (220.48E) million net income for the company over the course of the three months. Timothy J. Wilmott, president and CEO of Penn National Gaming, said: “Penn National’s strong fourth quarter financial results mark the successful conclusion of the company’s first full year of operations since the separation of its real estate UNITED STATES assets from its operating assets in November 2013.” et revenues for Penn The numbers were indicative National soared to $651.4 of a promising upwards trajec(573.58E) million in the tory for the company after a difthree months to December ficult nine months in which 2014, representing more than a revenue dipped overall. $30 (26.42E) million increase on Compared to actual net revthe company’s guidance figure enue of $2.9188 (2.9188E) bilfor the fourth quarter. lion in 2013, Penn turned over Figures released on the 29th $2.5905 (2.28E) billion over the January revealed that the com- 12 months to 31 December 2014. pany had also narrowly beaten The final three months of the its record from the previous year were particularly positive,

however, with the company outstripping its estimates and also achieving a landslide legislative victory in a Massachusetts referendum in November. The referendum, proposing a ban on Las Vegas style gaming throughout the state, was defeated after a fierce industryled battle for the ‘no’ vote. Penn National was among several corporate ‘no’ campaigners and contributed $4,325 (3808E) in lobbying costs. “The referendum in Massachusetts to repeal gaming was unsuccessful and construction progress on our $225 (198E) million Plainridge Park Casino remains on time and on budget,” commented Wilmott. “The facility is expected to open with 1,250 gaming devices in June 2015 and the project is expected to generate 1,000 construction jobs.” Penn National is also working on its $360 (317E) million Hollywood Casino-branded

gaming facility on the Jamul Indian Village’s land near San Diego, which is expected to open in mid-2016. The plans are for three-story gaming and entertainment facility of approximately 200,000 square feet, comprising 1,700 slot machines, 43 live tables and multiple eateries and attractions. The two new developments, combined with the figures from a strong final quarter, have contributed to optimistic estimates for revenues in 2015. Penn National has outlined guidance figures of $670.6 (590.5E) million for the first quarter, with $2.7423 (2.41E) billion for the year as a whole. “The continued progress we made throughout 2014 in managing our business for the current environment, combined with the growth initiatives in place, provide us with a solid platform to begin fiscal 2015,” added Wilmott.

CASINO PERFORMANCE

Ohio casino tax revenues fall UNITED STATES

otal fourth-quarter tax revenues received from casinos in Ohio dropped by more than six per cent year-on-year to $63.8m (E55.2m), meaning that local authorities and schools received some $4.4m (E3.8m) less than they did a year ago. According to a report from the Ohio Department of Taxation, the decrease means that the casinos in Columbus, Toledo, Cincinnati and Cleveland contributed $35.7m (E30.9m) to cities and counties during the fourth quarter while local schools received a

six-month allocation of $21.7m (E18.7m). The state levies a 33 per cent adjusted gross gambling revenue tax and its 88 counties divide 51 per cent of the total based on their populations. School districts take 34 per cent based on enrollment

28 | casinoreview February 2015

while eight Ohio cities with populations of at least 80,000 and ranked as the largest city vin their respective counties take half of their counties’ shares. Cleveland and the three other host cities also receive five percent of their local casino’s gross with funds

also distributed funds to the Ohio Casino Control Commission and the Ohio Racing Commission alongside local law enforcement and a problem gambling fund. Casino revenues have continually fallen below projections made when casino gambling was legalised in Ohio via a public vote in 2009 with experts pointing to the popularity of the state’s seven racinos. However, city and county officials have stated that they never counted on casinos to be a panacea for their financial problems and require at least another year to track revenues and gauge the impact of racinos.

he $95.4m (E84.6m) sale of the bankrupt Revel Hotel Casino to Florida developer Glenn Straub can now proceed after a federal judge dismissed an appeal by the Atlantic City property’s existing tenants. The 1,400-room property cost $2.4bn (E1.9bn) to construct but closed in September after less than two years in operation having never turned a profit. Straub, through his Polo North Country Club investment vehicle, wants the 47-storey building to serve as the centerpiece of a planned $500m (E443.4m) development that will also include a water park, Ferris wheel, man-made mountain for skiing and soccer franchise. In denying the appeal brought by the Revel’s many restaurants, nightclubs and other tenants, judge Jerome Simandle of the US District Court in Camden upheld

an earlier decision from a bankruptcy judge that released Straub from any obligation to honour existing leases and other rights. “Such concerns would not sufficiently outweigh the far more prevalent interest in facilitating the success of bankruptcy proceedings and enabling such proceedings to reach finality,” read the judge’s decision The judge also dismissed a similar appeal brought by ACR Energy Partners, the operator of Revel’s custom-built power plant. Located next to the resort and the property’s only source of electricity and hot water, this facility costs more than $3m (E2.6m) a month to run and was the major cause of an earlier deal to sell Revel to Canadian private-equity firm Brookfield Asset Management falling through. According to Stuart Brown, an attorney acting on behalf of ACR Energy Partners, the pair is currently in the process of renegotiating a new contract. “We expect that the negotiations will result in a mutually agreeable business relation with Polo North,” said Brown.

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MARKET PERFORMANCE

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Detroit shows signs of winter Free drinks recovery after troubled year to help UNITED STATES

Despite the continued revenue dips in Detroit’s casinos, gaming remains a powerful economic force for Michigan, and falling gas prices could represent a turn-up for the books.

evenues from Detroit’s three casinos fell by 1.2 per cent in 2014 from the previous year, reaching their lowest point since 2009. Figures released by the Michigan Gaming Control Board indicated that collective takings from MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino Hotel and Greektown Casino-Hotel – the three casinos in the city – came in at $1.33bn (E1.17bn) at the end of the year. This compares with $1.34bn (E1.18bn) in 2013, and $1.42bn (E1.25m) in 2012 and 2011. Gambling revenues were not stable across the board, with the three casinos in Detroit reporting significant differences in their takings. Whilst Greektown was only down by 0.5 per cent, MGM Grand was down one per cent and MotorCity fell by 2.1 per cent. A silver lining came in December, however, with an unexpected surge in profits limiting the impact of an otherwise troubled year. In fact, the three casinos were up 10.3 per cent in December compared with 2013. Richard Kalm, executive director of the gaming board, said: “We expected 2.5 per cent to three per cent [decline] for the year. The 1.2 per cent is certainly manageable.” The rapid upturn in December could be the knock-on effect of plummeting gas prices, giving consumers the confidence to spend money elsewhere. As gas fell to approximately $2 (E1.77) per gallon in the winter months, casinos also saw a marked increase in gambling revenue. Michigan casinos are not required to publish details of revenue from non-gambling sources, so figures released by the gaming board are not indicative of bottom line takings for the year. It is possible that the reduction in gambling spending was countered by profits from food, entertainment and overnight stays. Despite the revenue drop, casinos in Detroit continue to be a key economic driver for Michigan. Recent research from Oxford Economics found that the gaming industry contributes $2.8bn (E2.48bn) to

Canadian casinos

MARKET SNAPSHOT MICHIGAN Number of Casinos Gaming’s Economic Impact Number of Employees Wages Tax Revenue

3 $2.83bn 17,162 $896.6m $729.7m

Source: American Gaming Association (2014)

Michigan’s economy, generating almost $730m (E646m) in tax revenues for local, state and federal governments. The study, which was commissioned by the American Gaming Association (AGA), also found that the industry supported approximately 17,000 jobs across the state. “This study shows that gaming is driving big results in Michigan,” commented Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the AGA. “However, given increased competition and changing consumer demands, our future success depends on strong partnerships with policymakers that allow us to innovate, reinvest and create more jobs.”

MARKETING

Closure on the cards for Atlantic City Alliance UNITED STATES

mid an ongoing budget crisis, lawmakers in New Jersey are considering legislation that would abolish a casino-funded marketing group established in 2011 to promote Atlantic City as a unified resort. Getting rid of Atlantic City Alliance, the group that urged the country to ‘Do AC’, is the idea of Democrat state senators James Whelan and Steven

Sweeney and would save Atlantic City $30m (E26.6m) a year that it could subsequently put towards funding a development agency to attract businesses and homeowners to the ailing seaside resort. “Individual casinos have done promotion and held beach concerts in the past and they’ll continue to do so in the future,” said Whelan. “But things have changed now. We’re in an emergency situation and there are more urgent needs for the

30 | casinoreview February 2015

Christie recently appointed corporate turnaround expert Kevin Lavin from global business consultancy FTI Consulting to serve as the emergency manager for Atlantic City and has given him significant authority to investigate and fix a $397m (E352.6m) budget deficit. Helping him as special consultant money the Alliance had been will be Kevyn Orr, the man who using could be put to better uses, cut $7bn (E6.2bn) of Detroit’s even if it means no one is pro- debt as part of the largest municmoting the resort as a whole.” ipal bankruptcy case in AmeriNew Jersey governor Chris can history.

CANADA

n an effort to help a trio of Canadian casinos stay competitive with their US counterparts, the mayor of Niagara Falls, Ontario, wants border casinos in the province to be permitted to serve players free beverages, including alcoholic drinks. At the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, New York, customers drink alcohol for free as they play slots, toss a pair of dice or throw down bets in a poker game and now Jim Diodati, mayor for Ontario’s Niagara Falls, has called for a trial period where beverages including those of the alcoholic variety would be free at the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara in addition to Caesars Windsor across the river from Detroit, Michigan. “We’re saying to the government: let’s level the playing field and let the customer choose,” Diodati told local daily, The Buffalo News. The mayor cited figures from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation that show the province’s casinos have suffered a 7.5 per cent drop in revenues alongside a 17 per cent decrease in visitor numbers since 2010. This equates to about $101m (E89.5m) in lost gaming revenues and Diodati says offering free alcohol would help Ontario’s border casinos stay competitive. “Approximately 30 per cent of the patrons at the American casino are Canadian whereas less than five per cent of the patrons in Canada are from the US,” Diodati told WIVB-TV. “There are free beverages on the US side, whether they’re alcoholic or non-alcoholic. I think it’s something that needs to be looked at.”

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CR148-p34-36-SAmerica_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 14:50 Page 1

News

South America

LOTTERY

GTech has signed a six-year deal to provide Mexican online lottery operator Pronosticos Para La Asistencia Publica with the latest in integrated drawbased instant-ticket systems.

G MEXICO

GTech agrees long-term Mexico contract

Tech has signed a deal to provide Mexican online lottery operator Pronosticos Para La Asistencia Publica with an integrated drawbased instant-ticket system in addition to at least 11,000 draw-based lottery terminals and a communications network as well as additional lottery products and ongoing services. The gaming and lottery innovator revealed that the six-year contract, which was signed by its GTech Corporation and GTech Servicios De Mexico subsidiaries following an international tender, is expected to commence from September and will see it bring in revenues of at least $130m (E114.4m). “GTech is fully prepared to support Pronosticos Para La Asistencia Pub-

32 | casinoreview February 2015

lica’s growth strategy with a set of innovative solutions that offer the flexibility to adapt to changes in the industry and the demands of the Mexican marketplace now and in the future,” said Jaymin Patel (pictured), GTech Americas president and CEO. “This agreement represents the continuation of our almost three-decades-long commitment to increasing Pronosticos Para La Asistencia Publica’s returns, which support social programmes in Mexico.” Pronosticos Para La Asistencia Publica has been a Gtech customer since 1987 and expects to bring in total sales of more than $4bn (E3.5bn) over the course of the six-year deal. “For the past 27 years, GTech has supported

Pronosticos Para La Asistencia Publica in generating a sustainable and robust source of funding for social programmes in Mexico,” said Maria Esther De Jesus Scherman Leano, general director for Pronosticos Para La Asistencia Publica. “The continuation of this long-term partnership will

help to modernise [our] lottery programme and launch the next phase of our growth for the benefit of the communities it serves.” Under the terms of the contract, the draw-based instant-ticket system for Pronosticos Para La Asistencia Publica will be based around GTech’s Enterprise

Series platform to offer open standards and more flexible architecture alongside fast and secure transaction processing. The deal will also see existing drawbased terminals replaced with Altura GT1200 and Altura GT1100 models while the Mexican operator’s communications net-

CR148-p34-36-SAmerica_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 14:50 Page 2

BAHAMAS YXYXYXY / MEXICO ICE 2015 Preview 40-63

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SOUTH AMERICAN ROUND-UP

OPENING

he 16 casinos in Chile generated $35.3m (E31.1m) in gross revenues for November and contributed $5.9m (E5.2m) in regional taxes alongside $2.1m (E1.8m) to the federal treasury. According to official figures from the Superintendant of Casinos, the month saw casinos in the South American nation chalk up 407,295 visits with players parting with an average of $85 (E75). In addition, the country’s 9,638 slots paid out jackpots totalling $28.1m (E24.8m) at a rate of 94 per cent while total stake on the machines came in at $468.7m (E414.3m). Further north, statistics from the Gaming Control Board in Panama show that the domestic gaming industry generated almost 20 per cent more tax last year than in 2013 at $96.1m (E84.8m). The nation’s type-A slots reported record annual revenues of $42.3m (E37.3m) while table games brought in $25.9m (E22.8m) and type-C games, which have a maximum payout of $200 (E176), chalked up $11.6m (E10.2m). Finally, after kicking off with an event in The Bahamas in early-January, the eighth edition of the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) has added four stops after its next

Baha Mar announces late-March opening date BAHAMAS

aha Mar, the operator behind the $3.5bn (E2.8bn) destination casino resort currently under construction on Cable Beach near Nassau, has announced that the initial phase of the development is expected to open at the end of March. Being fashioned as a competitor to the nearby Atlantis Paradise Island, the 1,000-acre development is to begin taking guests at three of its four luxury hotels, the Baha Mar Casino and Hotel, the Rosewood at

work will be upgraded with 3G, 4G and LTE cellular technology. The agreement also includes the provision of additional lottery products and ongoing services including the continuous development of new retail channels utilising Gtech’s ES Connect business-tobusiness solution. Finally, GTech is to be responsible for the installation, repair, maintenance and monitoring of all online terminals in addition to field service and call centre operations alongside hotline management, transaction processing and marketing support designed to further enhance Pronosticos Para La Asistencia Publica’s overall product and games portfolio.

Baha Mar and the SLS LUX at Baha Mar, on March 27 while the fourth, the Grand Hyatt at Baha Mar, is to open on May 1 following a ceremony being produced by director Jamie King and musician Emilio Estefan. The largest resort project in the Caribbean, Baha Mar is being built by China State Construction Engineering with funding from the Asian nation’s state bank and is to additionally feature a 100,000-square-foot casino and the 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course. “Baha Mar will bring a new

level of sophistication and resort experience to one of the most sought-after travel destinations in the Caribbean with its March 27 opening,” said Paul Pusateri, chief operating officer for the Baha Mar development, which lies five miles from the centre of Nassau and six from Lynden Pindling International Airport and will include 2,200 hotel rooms, a nightclub designed by musician Lenny Kravitz and luxury condominiums priced as high as $12m (E9.6m). “We are thrilled to welcome our first guests to The New Riviera in time for the peak spring travel weeks.”

SPORTSBETTING

UK bookmaker expands into Mexico MEXICO

ritish sportsbetting and online gaming group Ladbrokes has expanded into Mexico after its Sportium joint venture with Spanish partner Cirsa launched a regulated website in the country offering sports wagering and casino games alongside bingo and over 200 slots. Sportium is a multi-channel sportsbetting operator in Spain and the official betting partner of La Liga and has gone live with CasinoLife.com.mx following approvals by Mexico’s

interior ministry. Ladbrokes stated that the new website will leverage the offline operations of Casino Life, the Mexican casino operator owned by Cirsa, to offer ‘a broad range of betting markets with particular focus given to the popular sports of football, basketball, baseball and American football’. “Sportium continues to grow strongly through our retail and digital channels in Spain and we see further growth opportunities in that country,” said Damian Cope, international managing director for Ladbrokes. “However the strength of

Cirsa’s extensive offline presence across Latin America now allows the joint venture to expand in that region. This digital entry into Mexico is very much a first step in our plans not the culmination. “Our ongoing international expansion offers Ladbrokes an opportunity to diversify away from the UK market. The success we have had at building and launching brands in Belgium, Spain, Australia and now Mexico gives us confidence that we remain on track to build a portfolio of strong International businesses.”

at the Enjoy Casino in Vina Del Mar, Chile, from March 6-19. The LAPT is sponsored by online poker operator PokerStars and revealed that it will additionally hold its LAPT Panama series at the Veneto Hotel and Casino in Panama City from May 8-12 while the fourth stop in 2015 is set to take place from July 10-14 at the Atlantic City Casino in Lima, Peru. After a year away, the LAPT will then return to Punta Del Este in Uruguay from September 18-22 for a series at a new venue, the Conrad Resort and Casino, before wrapping things up with its LAPT Grand Final in Sao Paulo, Brazil from November 24 to December 2. February 2015 casinoreview

| 33

CR148-p34-Comment_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 15:02 Page 1

Comment

TO MAKE A COMMENT, HAVE YOUR SAY OR WRITE A LETTER TO INTERNATIONAL CASINO REVIEW: EMAIL KS@SJC.CO.UK

& Analysis COMMENT

TO COMMENT: JW@SJC.CO.UK

It’s show time…

All eyes are on ICE and London this month. Amid talk of slow growth, and slowdowns, there’s nothing like a spectacular event like ICE to move the momentum forward.

I MEDIA WATCH

Four groups are interested in bidding for the final casino resort licence in Massachusetts, as a new study takes a closer look at the proliferation of casinos in the Pacific Northwest and Texas

hold‘em poker replaces golf as the highflying businessman’s game of choice.

34 | casinoreview February 2015

n the lead-up to ICE this year, the International Casino Review team has spoken at length with many of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of gaming equipment. Our resulting ICE Preview, we believe, offers the most comprehensive taster of all the latest innovations destined for casino floors around the globe in 2015. Yet while promotional literature and highresolution images play an important role when it comes to making purchase decisions and choosing which companies will be on your ‘hit list’ at the ExCeL centre, nothing beats a walk across the expo hall itself when you can actually see the products in action and discuss the finer points of these solutions with the very people who created them. This year, as ever, ICE has it all. From the latest slot and table game innovations that implement cuttingedge technologies to on-the-money licenses and comprehensive back-office solutions, it’s clear that no operator (casino, sports betting, online or otherwise) will be left wanting by the time the show

closes its doors. Clarion Events, the organisers of ICE Totally Gaming, are leading the charge when it comes to hosting exhibitions on a global scale. Over the years, the show has grown from being a grassroots, product-focused expo to one that includes a comprehensive conference and educational programme,

regulator forums and networking events. Ultimately, as casino, gaming and leisure industry delegates from around the world head to the British capital in February, the one question on their mind will not be who to visit or which products to buy, but how exactly they will be able to fit everything into just one short week.

Making moves in Massachusetts

our groups including one headed by a former operations president for Harrah’s Atlantic City and the Rio hotel and casino in Las Vegas are interested in applying for the final resort casino licence in Massachusetts, reports The Charlotte Observer. David Hanlon, also the past president and CEO of International Game Technology (IGT), is leading Somerset on the Move and wants to win the right to open a casino in the southeast corner of the state around Fall River, New Bedford and the border with Rhode Island. Other groups considering whether to pay a $400,000 application fee before the initial January 30 deadline include Kathryn Wheaton, who runs Brookline-based Seafan Trust Corporation, Mass Gaming and Entertainment, which is an affiliate of Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming, and Connecticut tribe-run Foxwoods Resort Casino. Meanwhile, a story from The Economist indicates that that the proliferation of casinos on Native American reservations

could actually make aboriginal groups poorer. The newspaper points to a study in the American Indian Law Journal which found that the mean poverty rate for 24 tribes in the Pacific Northwest jumped from 25 per cent to 29 per cent between 2000 and 2010 despite the tribes doubling their total annual casino take in real terms to $2.7bn (E2.3bn). Finally, Texas hold’em poker has replaced golf as the game of choice for many blue-chip businessmen trying to hone their competitive skills and stay sharp for the next potential business deal. According to a report from the Bloomberg news service, high-powered individuals including Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, David Einhorn, Alexandra Lebenthal and Bill Perkins all enjoy poker for fun or charity while 56-year-old Curt Kohlberg of consulting firm Kohlberg and Associates faces off about once a month with the toughest poker pros on the circuit and has even competed in the World Poker Tour’s World Championship and 2015 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

Exceptional investment opportunity to purchase casino and/or hotel

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Where? Growth City Well-known leisure destination A major emphasis on leisure and tourism in the government plan.

Why? Favourable terms for new investors Tax derogations Unique opportunity to deliver ﬁrst mover advantage in a rapidly expanding vibrant city

When? Casino completion date July 2015 Hotel completion date July 2015

How? Apply in conﬁdence for a prospectus and further information to jsullivan@gbmedia.eu

CR148-p34-Comment_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 15:03 Page 2

Viewpoint

EUROPEAN CASINO ASSOCIATION TO COMMENT: JW@SJC.CO.UK

CASINO PURCHASE OPPORTUNITY EXCEPTIONAL INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE A CASINO AND/ OR HOTEL 3,600 SQM CASINO FLOOR, 168 BEDROOMS CONTACT: JSULLIVAN@GBMEDIA.EU VIEWPOINT

‘It is more important than ever to exchange best practices’

“ As Ron Goudsmit ends his long-term tenure as chairman of the European Casino Association (ECA) this month, the Netherlands-based industry veteran reflects on the positive impact the association has had on the European casino industry, and looks ahead to the challenges and opportunities in 2015. 36 | casinoreview February 2015

The European Casino Association (ECA) was established by five ‘founding father’ countries, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK. On January 26, 2005, the first board meeting took place, which included France. Since that time, the association has grown to include 24 EU Member State countries, including Sweden and Serbia, representing national associations and individual operators of licensed land-based casinos across the continent. One of the primary drivers behind the creation of the ECA was that the industry didn’t have a lobbying presence in Brussels. It was also envisaged as a means of bringing the industry across Europe closer together. Prior to the ECA’s establishment, trade associations and operators in Europe were largely doing their own thing, and little to no information was being shared. It was clear that many changes were on the horizon, and that it was more important than ever to exchange best practices. It was ultimately a relief to see how willing people were to share information once they were brought together. In addition to its ongoing work of representing the interests of approximately 900 casinos and over 70,000 employees in 24 countries across Europe, the ECA has also implemented a number of further initiatives to increase dialogue between its member countries - the European Dealer Championship being a good case-in-point. We place a strong focus on training and the skills required in the casino industry. However, the European Dealer Championship has evolved to become something of a social event, where everybody meets up, including our associate members, industry stakeholders and the media. Over the last couple of years, we have conducted information meetings at the Championship, where each ECA member country provides a brief presentation that summarises all the changes that have taken place in their respective markets during the last year. The ECA continues to develop as the industry evolves. One thing that remains clear, however, is our fight against illegal gambling of any form. No matter whether this is in the online or land-based sector, ille-

gal operators of any kind are detrimental to the wider gambling industry, and this is something the ECA continues to tackle. Over the coming months and years, I think we will continue to see established land-based operators growing their online presence. Their operations will become more and more efficient, and I think we will also see a wider range of innovative products coming to market. I believe that operators will strive to offer more than just gaming, as they focus on becoming complete entertainment centres. This isn’t always so easy, due to unfavourable taxation, but it is something the ECA continues to lobby, for the benefit of both the industry and, of course, consumers. Looking ahead, the ECA is in a stronger position than ever to represent the interests of our members. Glenn Cezanne, former head of institutional relations in Europe for GTech, was recently appointed as executive director of the association, and he now heads up our new office in Brussels. Glen is acting as the ECA members’ primary contact, and will play a vital role in future expert meetings in the Belgian capital. Personally, I will be officially stepping down at the next ECA general assembly, which takes place during the first day of ICE. This year the ECA board will be extended from seven to 10 members. The industry expects to see great changes in the Netherlands over the coming months, and with that will come great opportunities. I am hoping people will be using my experience and knowledge as they look to tap into this dynamic market.”

ONE THING THAT REMAINS CLEAR IS OUR FIGHT AGAINST ILLEGAL GAMBLING OF ANY FORM. NO MATTER WHETHER THIS IS IN THE ONLINE OR LAND-BASED SECTOR, ILLEGAL OPERATORS OF ANY KIND ARE DETRIMENTAL TO THE WIDER GAMBLING INDUSTRY...

CR148-p38-Politics_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 14:52 Page 1

Politics

GREECE / ROMANIA / UNITED KINGDOM

POLITICAL NEWS: JW@SJC.CO.UK

MARKETING

LEGAL

Report debunks negative impact of gambling advertising

EU court backs OPAP contracts

T Calls for more restrictions on gambling advertising ignore the evidence base, according to two UK regulatory bodies.

he latest review into gambling advertising has concluded that there is no evidence for any further restrictions as the current regime is working to plan. The review, by the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), said that the impact of gambling advertising on young people and problem gambling behaviour is limited. The report said: “It is also important to note that the Codes play an important part within a wider regulatory environment overseen by the Gambling Commission that combines regulation and industry responsibility initiatives to focus proportionately on gambling related harms. CAP and

T BCAP consider that calls for further, broad restrictions on advertising, like a 9pm watershed on television, ignore both the evidence base and extensive framework of regulation already in place.” The report was launched in response to a request by the UK’s Department of Culture Media and Sport and forms part of a multi-agency process looking at how gambling is advertised. CAP’s work follows independent research findings published earlier this year by the ASA which showed that the ASA’s decisions on complaints around gambling ads ‘meets societal expectations’. Shahriar Coupal, director of CAP said: “We know gambling can be a contentious issue which is

why there are strict rules in place to ensure it is advertised responsibly. While our Review shows that our regulation of gambling ads is effective, we’re staying vigilant and will act where evidence shows that children or vulnerable people might be at risk.” The report said that two key indicators of gambling-related harm - problem gambling and underage participation are at low levels and trends suggest they have been in decline since 2007 during a period of very significant growth in advertising volumes. It added that the academic literature points to gambling advertising having a potential impact but, in relation to problem gambling, the impact is found to be relatively small. CAP

and BCAP said they are confident that the evidence does not present a case for tighter restrictions, such as broader prohibitions on advertising in certain media. The report stated: “UK law allows gambling to be advertised as a legitimate leisure activity. Our responsibility as part of the UK advertising selfand co-regulatory system is to create proportionate and targeted rules that protect the public, young people and the vulnerable from potential harms, arrived at on the basis of the best available evidence. We are confident that the gambling rules in the Codes continue to meet this important objective. “Nonetheless, we will not be complacent.”

ONLINE GAMBLING

Changes for Eastern Europe online gambling landscape ollowing pressure from the European Union, the government of Romania has passed emergency legislation to fully regulate its realmoney online gambling market. The nation had offered a part-regulated online gambling service since 2010 but there were large holes including no regulator to oversee the market or license operators. The new legislation has closed some of these by establishing the National Office for Gambling and additionally requiring all online slots and gambling machines being enjoyed in the country to be connected to a central monitoring service.

38 | casinoreview February 2015

“Through this ordinance, the government has managed to regulate the online gambling sector,” said Odette Nestor, president for the National Office for Gambling. In Latvia, meanwhile, the Lotteries and Gambling Supervision Inspection (IAUI) regulator has added 13 new domains to its blacklist of unlicensed gambling sites. The first update of the year now takes the number of banned gambling domains for players in the Baltic nation to 442 sites with Internet service providers required to block access while the country’s financial institutions are expected to

prevent payments to and from the blacklisted domains. This follows news from the Czech Republic that finance minister Andrej Babis is proposing legislation that would double taxes on online gambling in hopes of collecting up to $310m (E270m) in extra revenues each year. Legal online gambling operators in the Eastern European nation are currently subject to a 20 per cent gross gaming revenues tax and a 19 per cent corporate duty but Babis wants to increase this to up to 40 per cent with the specific rate dependent on the game being offered.

he EU general court in Luxembourg has ruled that a decision by Greece to award gambling monopoly OPAP with the exclusive right to operate 35,000 video lottery terminals (VLTs) and 13 games of chance does not constitute illegal state aid. Backing an earlier decision by the European Commission, the court dismissed the action brought in April of 2012 by several Greek casino operators including Club Hotel Loutraki who contended that the VLTs agreement entailed the grant to OPAP of state aid incompatible with the internal market. This issue arose in 2011 after the Greek government notified the European Commission of its intention to grant OPAP an exclusive ten-year licence to 2022 worth around $650m (E560m) to operate some 35,000 VLTs. In addition, OPAP was granted a ten-year extension to 2030 for its exclusive right to offer 13 games of chance pursuant to a supplemental agreement concluded in 2000.

The plaintiffs had argued that the Greek government should have put the licenses up for a public bid and claimed that this would have seen the nation receive more money. They also challenged the European Commission’s opinion that the deal did not constitute an unfair market advantage because it left OPAP with only the minimum return necessary in order to cover its operational and capital costs. However, the general court dismissed the challenge after ruling that the European Commission had faced no difficulties from OPAP or the Greek government during its investigation, which left it under no obligation to open a formal investigation process. The casino owners now have two months to lodge an appeal with the body’s highest court, the European Court of Justice.

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CR148-p42-64-Ice Preview_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 12:14 Page 1

Preview

ICE 2015

GAMING ENTREPRENEURS

ICE maker

The allure of ICE Totally Gaming to an international audience is an indisputable gaming fact. Which is almost certainly why a group of Canadian entrepreneurs have made the journey to London to sense the market in readiness for their major launch. 40 | casinoreview February 2015

hilst most of the pre-ICE media attention understandably focuses on the 500 exhibitors who will be on the show floor at London’s ExCeL Centre, outside of the leading industry statesman who frequent ICE, very little is really known about the remaining 20,000+ visitors who travel to London from more than 150 nations and who make ICE such an important event on the gaming industry calendar. Examining the flip side of the ICE coin, International Casino Review caught-up with the Canadian-based gaming entrepreneurs whose trip to London will be the icing on the cake as they edge closer to launching an online global lottery, which is set to take the world by storm. Can you start by telling us about your plans and what makes them so special? After quite literally years of research we identified an enormous opportunity for a properly licensed, private lottery to enter the market. Staterun lotteries are essentially a voluntary tax, and as such, operate primarily for the purpose of generating revenue for the state and are only capable of offering odds often in the range of 1 in 14 million up to one in 622 million in the case of the Superenalotto – to win the main jackpot. Our lottery is a Raffle style, very similar to the Irish Sweepstakes lottery with a fixed number of tickets and a predictable set grand prize. We will offer odds of one in 450,000 for a $5 ticket all the way up to one in 5,625 or better to win a guaranteed jackpot of €1,000,000 or equivalent every draw. We will create add on lotteries with other guaranteed jackpots as the company grows. It’s a radical more equitable lottery, which we believe will engage with players. We will also be making charitable donations in the jurisdictions in which the jackpot winners reside which will generate good will, media traction and enhanced web traffic translating into additional ticket sales.

What will you be doing in London and what do you want to get out of your time at the exhibition? We’ve got an extremely exciting story to tell and where better to tell it than at ICE? That being the case our primary purpose is to meet with our investor community comprising existing and interested investors and also to hold meetings with key partners who are involved in the project including GB Media who will be working with us on positioning, branding, strategic marketing and of course the launch. As well as connecting with our associates we will, of course, spend a lot of time walking the aisles meeting with the games and systems innovators who seem to gravitate to ICE and getting in some networking with what is arguably the most influential gathering of gaming’s best connected and smartest minds. We were here last year and it was a wonderful and an uplifting experience. This year it’s the final staging post prior to launch. When do you think you will go live? Everything is very much in place. We have the funding, we have best-in-breed partners, we have the financial systems and infrastructure, we have our gaming licence and the business model has been scrutinised, interrogated and examined by a virtual auditorium of individuals in the corporate gaming arena. We now need to sign-off on the creative, fine-tune the marketing and we are ready to go live in 2015. We’ve rented an apartment in Canary Wharf and I’m looking forward immensely to getting together with what is an inspirational group of entrepreneurs and gaming professionals with a shared vision to create a unique game changing lottery – as well as having a few pints in one of the most enjoyable cities on the planet! FOR MORE INFORMATION AND INTRODUCTIONS, CONTACT JSULLIVAN@GBMEDIA.EU

PLAYTECH

Playtech to present latest business intelligence technology

n preparation for one of the most challenging, competitive and compelling periods in the industry, gaming software developer Playtech has invested heavily in innovation and developed the latest business intelligence technology in order to power next generation licensees. The company will present its Business Intelligence Technology at ICE 2015 and is confident it will provide new and existing licensees with superior innovation for their next stage of growth. This unique data-driven, business intelligence marketing technology, exclusive to Playtech, is designed to significantly enhance licensee revenues by increasing player experience and lifetime value. A spokesperson for the firm said: “We firmly believe that our Business Intelligence Technology software will revolutionise the way operators run their businesses and consumers experience gameplay. “The products, services and distribution channels we offer has established

Playtech as the ultimate one-stop-shop and supplier of choice for operators with our pioneering approach to regulated and newly regulating markets playing a key role in our continued success.” The company is the world’s largest multichannel gaming software and services supplier with more than 3,600 employees across 12 global offices. Traded on the London Stock Exchange’s main market, the company offers value-added solutions to the industry’s leading operators across more than 20 jurisdictions. These include bet365, Betfair, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power, Sisal, Sky, SNAI and William Hill. Playtech has a comprehensive content library of more than 500 popular titles, including leading inhouse and branded games and the broadest selection of products across all distribution channels – online, mobile and retail. It prides itself on being a ‘mobile first’ business, with more than 350 mobile developers globally.

STAND: N6-240

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YXYXYXY E-GAMING / PLAYTECH ICE Totally Gaming 2015, London

E-GAMING VLT | ONLINE GAMES | CASINO PLATFORM PLAYTECH BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY INTELLIGENCE

E-GAMING

E-gaming mark anniversary in style at ICE With its server-based gaming terminals shipping to ever more markets and its online gaming division growing, E-gaming has good cause to celebrate in London this year.

015 is a landmark year for Czech server-based gaming specialist E-gaming, given that it sees the celebration of the company’s 10th anniver-

sary. Back in 2005, when the Czech government first allowed the operation of video lottery terminals, two young entrepreneurs with experience in this field visited an operator and talked to him about their knowledge of these kind of systems. After some interesting meetings, they decided to join forces and created a development department for software and an assembly unit in the city of Olomouc. Having started with just a handful of employees, ten years later more than 200 people are working for the various companies those entrepreneurs created. They started their own VLT operating company and, some time later, offered their equipment to other operators as after proved how good e-gaming’s system and games were. After success in the Czech Republic, E-gaming launched its products in neighbouring Slovakia, where it is now a big player too. The firm’s first platform had only five games, but now its library of games has grown to over 60 types and is increasing every month. E-gaming has up to 20,000 terminals installed in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Macedonia, Belgium, United Kingdom, Spain, Mexico and

Panama, with games specifically designed for some of those markets. It is also shipping its first machines to Colombia, and has signed further agreements with countries in Eastern Europe and Latin America. As well as being a manufacturer and operator of server-based gaming systems, e-gaming has its own online casino platform and game content, which it can offer to any online gaming operator. Several weeks ago, E-gaming launched its first online game designed specifically for the Belgian market on Magicwins.be - a Belgian casino gaming website - yielding impressive first results. The first results were impressive, and other Belgian casino gaming websites are now looking forward to delivery of more content from the firm. E-gaming is constantly improving its game platform, cabinet design, operation software and graphics, and some of the latest creations will be on show at ICE Totally Gaming in London, where it is making its third appearance as an exhibitor. A spokesperson for the company commented: “This will be a great anniversary for e-gaming, with the installation of a large quantity of terminals and the expansion of internet gaming coming up in 2015. “It is a reward for all of the hard work delivered by all of our staff over the last decade.”

STAND: N1-450

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February 2015 casinoreview

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Preview

KONAMI GAMING / NOVOMATIC GROUP

ICE 2015

ICE Totally Gaming 2015, London

KONAMI GAMING PODIUM MONUMENT | RAPID REVOLVER NOVOMATIC GROUP DOMINATOR | PANTHER ROULETTE KONAMI GAMING

NOVOMATIC GROUP OF COMPANIES

An abundance of international releases for Konami Gaming Konami Gaming will bring its Podium Monument and Rapid Revolver to London for the first time while also showcasing the unique features of its SeleXion multi-game product and Synkros casino management system. aming machine innovator Konami Gaming will bring a broad array of casino games and technology advancements to ICE 2015 with the new tall-top Podium Monument and Rapid Revolver video/mechanical hybrid machine set to make their London debuts. An estimated 23,000 casino professionals from more than 100 gaming jurisdictions are expected to visit ExCeL from February 3-5 and Konami is additionally looking forward to exhibiting the latest international titles for its full cabinet lineup including the SeleXion multi-game

machine at ICE 2015 will be showcasing different game packages for Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands and other jurisdictions encompassing a variety of new multi-language and multi-currency titles such as Inari Riches, Exotic Princess, Glamorous Peacock, Spellbound Princess and Solstice Celebration. “Our first international release on Podium Monument is an arctic sportsthemed game called Snow Stars: White Winter and our two debut titles on Rapid Revolver are Rising Dragon and Northern Treasure,” said Reback. “Both machines demonstrate our continued commitment to robust game content combined with novel entertainment experiences that empower casino operators to get more from their floor.” Las Vegas-based Konami Gaming will also use its stand to present guests with hands-on demonstrations of its Synkros casino management system. Synkros was designed as a valueoriented solution to help operators compete for their customers’ entertainment spend and comes complete with a variety of innovative features and technology including True-Time Windowing, TrueTime Tournaments and Advanced Incentives Bonusing. “ICE is among the top gaming industry events that we are proud to attend each year,” said Reback. “It’s a meeting point for casino gaming representatives from across the globe and we look forward to sharing what’s next for each of these exciting markets.”

and extra-large Podium Goliath. “Over the past year, Konami Gaming has achieved continued momentum across Europe, especially for the SeleXion multi-game product with advanced language settings and operator-configurable game packages,” said Matt Reback, marketing vice-president for Konami. “Versatility and variety are two key factors for our development strategy internationally. Konami has earned a reputation for reliability and performance, allowing our customers to recognise more value from our products at each and every gaming position.” Konami stated that each SeleXion STAND: S5-110

42 | casinoreview February 2015

Novomatic to take pride of place in ICE’s most prominent booth Novomatic will command an exclusive booth floor to provide an overview of its gaming innovations across all industry sectors, as well as showcasing new launches such as the Dominator, Novostar VIP II and an enhanced version of Panther Roulette.

nternational subsidiaries of the Novomatic Group of Companies will be positioned throughout a football-pitch size space at ICE 2015, with Novomatic UK formerly Astra Gaming Group - stationed at the entrance to welcome visitors. Group members Astra Games, Bell-Fruit Games, Empire Games, Gamestec and Mazooma Games will showcase their diverse range of offerings here, along with parts supplier, Eurocoin. Admiral Sportsbetting and a large Novomatic Interactive area will cover the right wing of the booth, providing an overview of online and mobile products from companies such as Greentube, iGaming2Go, Mazooma Interactive, Extreme Live Gaming, Novomatic Lottery Solutions and Betware. Visitors seeking to make purchases for the Spanish, Italian or German markets will be catered for in the left wing of the booth. A wide range of AWP and VLT products presented by Novomatic Gaming Spain, Löwen Entertainment and Crown Technologies as well as Novomatic Italia will be available to browse in this arena. At the far end of the booth, Austrian Gaming Industries and Octavian will premiere their latest gaming technologies. Novomatic will also be placing informal meeting rooms and a dedicated hospitality suite in this area where attendees at

the show can network and negotiate. Novomatic also intends to fulfil the remit of this year’s theme - ‘Discover’ - by premiering new additions to its range, with three flagship products already announced. The first product, the new Dominator cabinet, has evolved to rival its twin brother’s successful concept, combining LED illumination and an innovative touchscreen interface with several of its own unique features to improve upon the previous model. It will be launched at ICE with a spectrum of specially developed new games for the machine, including mystery progressive stand-alone jackpots. A further attraction in Novomatic’s booth will be an enhanced version of Panther Roulette, a popular machine where players can take the role of both croupier and punter by launching the ball into the roulette wheel via a traditional pinball mechanism. The next generation of Panther Roulette is due to be displayed at ICE complete with new LED features. The influential gaming group is also set to present the Novostar VIP II luxury cabinet in Astra’s own VIP Wall extravaganza, as well as a large range of new games, new mixes and new jackpots to be announced at the show.

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T E C H N O L O G Y

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AGI GAMING COLOMBIA S.A.S. Autopista Norte N. 122 - 35 Lc 2 Ediﬁcio Mezco Colombia Phone: +57 1 2130 388 Fax: +57 1 2141 571 mdelsol@agigaming.com.co www.agigamingcolombia.com

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Preview

ICE 2015

ICE Totally Gaming 2015, London

APEX GAMING IDROP | PINNACLE EURO GAMES TECHNOLOGY PREMIER SERIES | LUXURY SERIES

GAMING LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL

EURO GAMES TECHNOLOGY

GLI ensure their offer is more than just testing

EGT set to raise heartbeats at ICE

Gaming consultancy and testing provider GLI will bring its full array of products and services to the upcoming ICE show in London with president James Maida set to offer further insights via the How To Do Business in Indian Country panel.

and-based, iGaming and lottery consultancy and testing provider Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) will be at the upcoming ICE extravaganza in London ready to meet with gaming regulators, operators and suppliers from around the world that want to get more than just testing from their lab. GLI will hope to shine a spotlight on its auditing services, which contain packages dealing with everything from WLA compliance to IT security and help to improve governance along with risk and compliance processes across an entire operation. The testing company stated that its portfolio of auditing services include WLA security controls and responsible gaming certifications in addition to enterprise risk management, field and internal audits, network risk assessments, PCI:DSS compliance and security audits. “GLI is an associate member of WLA, NASPL, CIBELAE and the European Lot-

W teries,” read a statement from GLI. “In addition to auditing, GLI offers its clients an extensive portfolio of services including lottery testing, gaming device and systems testing, online gaming systems and security testing, rule writing, consultation and professional services.” For those in need of more information, GLI president James Maida will offer valuable insights via the How To Do Business In Indian Country panel, which is scheduled to take place on February 3 from noon. “GLI’s professional services division has four main areas, each specifically designed to make doing business in the lottery and gaming industries faster and more effective. Those categories are project management, governance, risk and compliance, technical services and GLI University training,”they stated. “GLI University conducts training for many groups all over the world. Most recently GLI University completed its first Mas-

ter’s Level Commissioner Certification Training for the National Indian Gaming Association. Next, GLI University will stage the North American Regulators Roundtable on March 4-5 in Las Vegas and then it will produce the European Regulators Roundtable on May 28-29 in Rome.” GLI declared that it also boasts ‘an array of exclusive tools that streamline processes and speed time to market’ including its GLI Link, Point.Click.Transfer., Point.Click.Submit., GLI Mobile and the recently launched GLI Cloud. “Land-based, lottery and iGaming stands across the ICE trade show floor will be populated by devices and systems that have been tested and certified by GLI,” continued the statement from GLI. “In fact, at an average of 120,000 per month, GLI issues more certifications than any other lab for more than 475 global gaming jurisdictions worldwide.”

enjoyed in more than 160 countries. “All those attending ICE will be able to see for themselves why Zitro has the most entertaining, dynamic, exciting and profitable products on the market,” read the statement from Zitro. “We will be offering players a unique and unforgettable gaming experience on a state-of-the-art stand featuring a design that will leave no one indifferent.”

raises the bar high. We are eager to present it, and we are confident it will make lasting first impressions.” The stand will also feature several new products from EGT’s flagship Premier series, offering stunning graphics, sophisticated and ergonomic design and a number of other premium features. Stanev said a new series from its multiplayer division would be unveiled: “It is called Luxury Series, and it really earns its name by combining classic design and high-end digital technologies with traditional multiplayer games loved the world over.” EGT’s interactive department will bring more than 20 new titles, designed for different mobile devices. Some are the online counterparts of EGT’s much-loved land-based games, while others will be exclusively interactive. Todor Zahariev, head of online systems, commented: “This is EGT’s fastest growing division, and this is a response to the ever-increasing number of online players that enjoy our games.”

STAND: N3-240

STAND: S3-130

STAND: N3-210

ZITRO

Zitro bringing the Revolution to London

ingo and keno innovator Zitro will be at ICE showing off its complete range of products including its Bet electronic bingo system and its large network of available prizes. The Luxemburg-based firm stated that it will additionally display the latest ‘major advances’ to its ‘all the rage’ Revolution system in London encompassing more community games, functionality and titles. “The Bet electronic bingo system will be another of our

‘star turns’ at ICE as it is a unique product offering an innovative alternative to conventional bingo,” read a statement from Zitro. “Bet gives players a fresh and enjoyable gaming experience combined with the thrill of participating for a large network of prizes.” As if this wasn’t enough, members of Zitro’s interactive division will be on hand at ExCeL with new products designed for the online market as well as the WorldOfBingo.com social video bingo Facebook product already

44 | casinoreview February 2015

ith over 150 machines, Euro Games Technology’s stand at ICE will be a stage for the company to present its technological capabilities and declare its plan for an even quicker pace of development. EGT will raise pulses with premieres from all of its product divisions: video slot cabinets, multiplayer solutions and interactive developments. ICE 2015 visitors will meet its newest member of EGT’s established jackpot family - a completely different machine that uses next-generation hardware platform and brings its own portfolio of games. Stanislav Stanev, EGT’s sales and marketing director, explained: “The new jackpot system is more than just a well-executed product. “It is based on a different concept and it

CR148-p42-64-Ice Preview_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 13:22 Page 5

APEX GAMING / EURO GAMES TECHNOLOGY / GAMING LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL / ZITRO ICE Totally Gaming 2015, London

GAMING LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL IT SECURITY | WLA COMPLIANCE ZITRO BET ELECTRONIC BINGO | REVOLUTION SYSTEM

APEX GAMING

Apex Gaming bringing new management team to London Dedicated to taking gaming to a new level, Apex Gaming is heading to ICE with its new management team and an even larger range of innovative products.

ith its innovative gaming solutions in demand, Apex Gaming is set to bring an even stronger team to the London show to offer its customers the very best support. Max Pessnegger is looking forward to his first ICE as CEO of Apex, following Johannes Weissengruber’s switch to company chairman. Kubilay Özer will lead the sales team in his position of global sales director, having joined Apex in December, bringing a wealth of international experience with him. Weissengruber, Apex founder and chairman, said: “We are dedicated to taking gaming to the next level. “Our new management structure represents this and our product range has never been so large and innovative.”

The firm’s Pinnacle gaming machines have received a facelift, retaining their youthful look but offering even more space to present the HD graphics of the Apex games. These new machines retain all the benefits customers are accustomed to, such as optimal component choice, security and patented cooling system to enable 24/7 gaming entertainment. Pinnacle’s EVO platform allows the APEX games to be brought to life, enabling both 3D and 2D games to be played on the same machine and operators to offer their customers more choice. Apex’s iDROP is making waves in the global gaming industry and rightly so. Available in two versions, it is the perfect table game solution that has filled an important gap in the market place - namely the link between table, slots gaming, accounting and the casino management system. iDrop contains a banknote reader with

bulk note feeder so that croupiers can enter the notes in a bundle, and its ticket printer can then print out a ticket if required. iDROP also unites land-based slots gaming with mobile-based tablet gaming, giving gaming operators the ability to offer tablet gaming to their customers. Money on the ticket is converted to credit on the tablet. On cashing on the tablet, the credit is transferred to a ticket thanks to the iDROP. Apex formally introduced the Apex Player Station at the last ICE, and much has happened since then. It is already certified for the market in Macau. Certified for the market in Macau, this fully electronic multiplayer offers four table games Roulette, Baccarat, Sic-Bo and Quikker, a cardbased table game that is unique to Apex. APS can be connected to a total of four roulette wheels, electronic and live, giving players more choice.

STAND: S3-350

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www.casino-surveillance.com February 2015 casinoreview

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Preview

ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES / BMM TESTLABS / JCM GLOBAL

ICE 2015

ICE Totally Gaming 2015, London

ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES WONDER WHEELS | E-SERIES BMM TESTLABS CERTIFICATION | COMPLIANCE JCM GLOBAL IVIZION BILL VALIDATOR | GEN2 UNIVERSAL

ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES

JCM GLOBAL

Aristocrat adds more dimensions to ICE

Create better connections with JCM

A key exhibitor at the annual ICE expo, Aristocrat Technologies’ stand at this year’s London show will feature major centrepiece attractions recently introduced, due for imminent launch and currently under development for later release to European gaming floors. ristocrat Technologies is planning to take operators on a mind-blowing exploration of a new dimension at ICE 2015 with a multi-faceted line-up of products spanning a premium collection of licensed brands and linked solutions. Taking prime position at the front of house will be three globally renowned brands exclusively hosted on Aristocrat’s new Wonder Wheels dual-seat immersive pods. Standing a colossal 3.2m high with game play portrayed on a 55-inch vertical screen and three mechanical wheels and added effects through the interactive iChair, the Wonder Wheels banks have been optimised for play on Aristocrat’s new, advanced Helix Slant lowboy cabinet and come in both single- and doublefaced variations. Pending imminent release in Europe, the first title in the Wonder Wheels series is the Batman Classic TV Series slot game, featuring characters and animations from the original 1960s hit television series, with the legendary Adam West and Burt Ward fending off The Joker, The Riddler and Catwoman. Each playing position has its own mechanical wheel whilst playing this 25-line, 250-credit max bet game in denominations of 1c, 2c or 5c. There’s also a central bonusing wheel for the game-bank, where players can work up to the Single Site Progressive

(SSP) Jackpot. Along the way taking in bonus mini-games in which players join the Dynamic Duo in crime-fighting exploits against their arch-enemies. Follow-up titles in the towering Wonder Wheels range will also be displayed on Aristocrat’s ICE stand. The first involves stepping up to the 1970s to join Superman The Movie. Here players will reach for the heights of the SSP Jackpot on an Xtra Reel Power configuration, battling against Lex Luthor and saving Lois Lane across a range of interactive, content-rich bonusing games in familiar settings including the Daily Planet and Fortress of Solitude. Due for release later this year, Aristocrat will also demonstrate the latest developments on its third Wonder Wheels title, themed on the hilarious US movie release, Ted, featuring actors Mark Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane and a real-life teddy bear. Ted’s close to the knuckle capers helped the film become the highest-grossing Rrated comedy of all time upon its release in 2012, grossing $550m (E475m) worldwide. Aristocrat has seen huge successes with its Tarzan franchise in North American gaming operations and is now set to see the king of the jungle swing into Europe with the new release of Tarzan of the Apes. Another jackpot attrac-

emphasis on Europe. “In 2014, we opened new offices in Vienna and Bologna, employing both local and international staff in those locations,” said Kirk White (pictured), international executive vice-president and general manager for BMM Testlabs. “In Europe we are seeing the gaming industry really embrace technical innovation and competition to lower costs and improve efficiencies and BMM Testlabs is filling this demand with quality testing, compliance and certification services.”

t ICE 2015, JCM Global is set to showcase its advanced and diverse product portfolio designed to assist gaming operators in creating better connections through the use of smarter and faster bill validation, printer and systems solutions technologies. The firm will be at ExCeL with its iVizion bill validation innovation, which comes complete with some of the most advanced security features and anti-stringing technology around alongside acceptance rates of over 99 per cent, sitting proudly next to its flexible iPro and iProRC products. JCM Global will additionally show off its Gen2 Universal family of printers, which are compatible with RS232 and NetPlex gaming platforms as well as the next generation of downloadable and server-based USB games, as well as its PayCheck 4 innovation. Complimenting all of these will be the TableXchange TITO printer and the Coupon Express advance while JCM Global stated that better connections are completed through the use of its Dynamic Network Applications (DNA), PromoNet and Ticket2Go system solutions. “DNA empowers operators and regulators with real-time health and event monitoring of all peripheral components used inside EGMs, on table games or inside redemption kiosks utilising either a wired or wireless connection to a local server,” read a statement from JCM Global. “Peripherals that DNA can monitor are practically limitless and include bill validators, ticket printers, card readers, digital displays and coin acceptors.”

STAND: N3-420

STAND: N3-220

tion, this game features a raft of audio-visual interactive features, including a large animated progressive wheel and four jungle adventure-based mini features. “Aristocrat’s gaming operations portfolio has to be the strongest currently in the market, with some of the most widely recognised film, television and music-inspired brands, backed by multi-billion dollar investments already made by the world’s biggest publishing and production houses,” said Donal Maguire, European sales and marketing director.” Another eagerly awaited arrival, the first link game in Aristocrat’s hugely popular ESeries, Pixie Wishes will be making its first showing in Europe at ICE 2015. Two of this entertainment segment’s most successful games of 2014, Sky Rider Golden Amulet and Silver Treasures are now being boosted with the addition of a multi-level Hyperlink progressive overhead, accessed by a magical Pixie Wishes 3x3-reel feature awarding jackpots, credit prizes, free re-spins and an interactive pick-‘em feature. Maguire added: “With such a range of ready-packaged marketing armoury and arguably the best maths and audio-visual creativity out there today, we are confident that operators will find these compelling opportunities irresistible in the on-going challenge of to sharpen their competitive edge and expanding their player bases.”

STAND: S2-250

BMM TESTLABS

BMM team converge at London

aming testing laboratory and technical consultancy BMM Testlabs will be at ICE to offer advice and assistance on its range of online and land-based compliance, certification, testing and training services. BMM Testlabs stated that staff will be attending the three-day London show from its Italian, Austrian and Spanish offices alongside ‘key leaders’ from its South Africa, Australia and United States businesses. “As a company, BMM Testlabs has been testing and certifying

46 | casinoreview February 2015

gaming product for over 33 years,” said Marzia Turrini, southern Europe senior vice-president for BMM Testlabs. “We employ some of the most experienced gaming experts in the industry and our customer service and attention to detail are second to none.” Employing some 300 people in 13 locations around the world in order to serve over 400 jurisdictions, BMM Testlabs stated that it has expanded significantly over the past three years with a specific

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Preview

COPAQ PLAYING CARDS / DR GAMING TECHNOLOGY / IGT

ICE 2015

ICE Totally Gaming 2015, London

COPAQ PLAYING CARDS RFID CARDS DR GAMING TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY | DRSCREEN MINI IGT OUT OF THE BLUE CABINETS

SMIB SERVERLESS | WHEEL OF FORTUNE

IGT

DRGT

Something for everyone from IGT

Innovations top the bill for DRGT

Gaming entertainment giant IGT will exhibit a full range of games and systems for land-based, online and mobile gaming at the upcoming ICE 2015. t the upcoming ICE 2015 in London, International Game Technology (IGT) has revealed that its stand will be bustling with energy as it spotlights some of the industry’s most exciting games and systems for land-based, online and mobile gaming. “Our ICE 2015 portfolio is a direct reflection of our commitment to our customers and IGT’s leading role in cultivating thrilling gaming experiences,” said Eric Tom, global sales executive vice-president for IGT. “Our customers look to IGT to push the envelope of innovation. The cross-platform content, hardware advancements and casino management systems that IGT will spotlight at ICE will speak volumes about our laser focus on meeting our customers’ demands of today and capturing the opportunities of the future.” IGT will be placing significant emphasis at ExCeL on introducing a pair of new cabinets from its Out Of The Blue brand. The CrystalDual cabinet will be making its world premiere at ICE and has been designed to deliver ideal player experiences while additionally giving operators superior levels of serviceability and reliability. Praised for boasting ‘beauty, brains and brawn’, this innovation is being backed by a pipeline of themes including Di Vinci Diamonds and Siberian Storm alongside new releases such as The Fates, Golden Eagle and King Reels. Making its international debut at ICE will be IGT’s S3000 cabinet, which has been envisioned as a way to preserve the essence of the still-popular spinning-reel cabinet while piquing the interests of

video slot players seeking a new gaming experience. “After a remarkable Global Gaming Expo (G2E) where IGT placed a heavy emphasis on Wheel Of Fortune’s jackpotpaying legacy, the gaming leader will leverage ICE as the platform to introduce the most popular slot theme of all time to mobile and desktop for real-money wagering,” read a statement from IGT. “After nearly 20 years in the field, this fan favourite title has minted more than 900 millionaires and has shattered social gaming records in IGT’s DoubleDown Casino. This cross-platform success story will serve as a hallmark moment for IGT and an exemplary model for the industry as a whole.” In addition to Wheel Of Fortune, IGT declared that it intends to roll out a series of ‘highly touted’ interactive titles at ICE including the branded Sherlock Holmes and Family Guy games as well as new additions to its MegaJackpots family including Siberian Storm and Cleopatra. There will also be Prowling Panther, which will take centre stage as it is simultaneously

released in the UK across land, mobile and online channels. “Continuing IGT’s legacy of bringing Hollywood to the casino floor, the company’s latest blockbuster hit Sherlock Holmes video slots will also make its world debut,” IGT confirmed. “The all-new Premium Plus title is housed in IGT’s famed Triple Wheel hardware and will put players right in the middle of their favourite movie moments. The wily duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson come to life in this 3x5 thrilling game experience. Players have the option for 50 or 75-credit wagers that can lead them to one of four magnificent and mysterious bonus events from boxing matches to unlocking mysteries with the perfect key.” Other portfolio highlights due to be on show at ICE include the latest addition to IGT’s skill-based Video Reel Edge games family in Race Ace, a colourful and attention-grabbing spin on the tokidoki global lifestyle brand, the return of Quartermania for the S3000 cabinet and the revamped Dynasty Edition series featuring several of the company’s top-performing titles such as Wolf Run, Siberian Storm and Treasure Of Troy. Finally, IGT stated that it will spotlight its ‘unwavering commitment to meeting the needs of its regional customers’ at ICE by highlighting recent advances to its Casinolink flexible casino management tool for multi-site operators. The exhibition will see the company highlighting Xtra Credit and Point Play modules for Casinolink that enable operators to reward players and build brand loyalty.

started going under production. The cards are being used by PokerStars for their finals tables at PCA, EPT and next year at LAPT. We are having great feedback.”

strate its wide array of jackpot solutions and player-based promotions at ExCeL including its Dynamic Jackpot Elevation feature that helps to makes prizes more attractive and exciting. As if this wasn’t enough, DR Gaming Technology will be extolling the benefits of its improved multi-game reporting system, which can display a range of statistics for each individual slot on a multi-game arrangement including gameplay, pay-in and pay-out statistics. Finally, the innovator will demonstrate its drScreen Mini player tracking screen alongside the drInteractive gaming platform with site and game content development at ICE. “Our continual dedication to the systems market has led to a wide range of innovations to complement our product range,” said Jurgen De Munck, CEO for DR Gaming Technology. “Be set to see the most innovations at any one time from DR Gaming Technology at this year’s ICE.”

STAND: S7-200

STAND: N2-130

Eric Tom

STAND: N2-240

COPAG PLAYING CARDS

Copag shows its hand at ICE

ongstanding ICE exhibitor Copag will be showcasing its latest range of playing cards at ICE 2015. The company, which has been a leading manufacturer of playing cards for over

100 years, is renowned for its cardboard and plastic cards, which are used in the world’s largest casinos and poker tournaments. “We will be pleased to meet our customers, presenting our products and lis-

50 | casinoreview February 2015

tening to their needs,” said the company’s Rafael Lisboa (pictured) ahead of this year’s London expo. Speaking at G2E last year, Lisboa told International Casino Review: “Our new line of RFID cards have just

ard on the heels of opening subsidiaries in Africa and Columbia, casino management systems and jackpot solutions firm DR Gaming Technology will be at ICE to showcase its entire range of bonusing, promotion, information and advertising innovations. Systems from DR Gaming Technology can be found in almost 30 countries around the world connecting some 30,000 slots in over 500 casinos and the company will use the upcoming London extravaganza showing off the benefits of utilising its SMIB serverless technology. These include its drPromo Exec loyalty management software solution that controls every aspect of a promotional campaign before providing an operator with mechanisms to evaluate the success, financial and otherwise, of a particular offer. DR Gaming Technology will also demon-

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Preview

ARUZE GAMING AMERICA / CRANE PAYMENT INNOVATIONSYXYXYXY / GTECH

ICE 2015

ICE Totally Gaming 2015, London

ARUZE GAMING AMERICA G-SERIES | G-DELUXE CRANE PAYMENT INNOVATIONS MEI SCR NOTE RECYCLER GTECH SPHINX 3D | MONEY DROP GTECH

ARUZE GAMING AMERICA

GTech brings it all together

Tech, with its interactive, betting, lottery, and Spielo gaming pillars, will be presenting its comprehensive portfolio at ICE 2015. Presented under the ‘All Together Gtech’ theme, visitors to the Italian entertainment conglomerate’s booth will experience a full array of games, cabinets, systems and interactive solutions, including an expanded library of True 3D titles. Using patented, award-winning 3D display technology, GTech’s innovative True 3D product line provides an unrivalled gaming experience. The Sphinx 3D game has won three industry awards and is live in numerous casinos across Europe, the US and Latin America, enjoying success and generating excitement among players. At ICE 2015, GTech will be introducing several additions to its True 3D game library that are specifically designed to appeal to different player segments. Titles include Bejeweled 3D, Dragon’s Temple 3D, Dreams of Asia 3D and Aladdin’s Fortune 3D. Emphasising its expertise in linked gaming products, the group will also be featuring several new linked products in its booth, including the powerful multi-level mystery jackpots, Peruvian Riches and Secrets of STAND: N3-160

Italian entertainment giant

GTech is building on a highly successful 2014, with the company poised to present a wide range of end-to-end gaming solutions at ICE 2015.

the Sea. The Money Drop, meanwhile, will be making its global debut at ICE. The multi-level progressive is a title licensed by Endemol and features an innovative risk-based progressive play-off. Similarly, Terrific Teal and Luxury Lilac are brand new editions to the well-known and highly successful Diversity multigame suites. GTech’s line-up also includes yet another internationally-recognized licensed title from the exciting Deal or No Deal franchise, with the newest version in the series, Deal or No Deal Las Vegas presented on the MaxVusion cabinet. On the interactive gaming side, visitors will be able to experience GTech’s total iGaming solution, including entertaining interactive casino games, bingo, poker, sports betting and iLottery products, as well as new mobile additions for players on the go. GTech’s open architecture platforms allow fast integration of third-party products to easily create a successful online solution tailored to customer needs. New casino games include favourites from the popular Spielo casino games library, with many new titles launched for desktop and mobile devices, such as Moving Moments, Goldify, Egyptian Dreams and Treasure Blast. The company’s networked bingo and poker solutions will also be on show. Attendees will be able to test the newly launched, cutting-edge Poker Mac client and app, as well as HTML tablet bingo with user-friendly features that are the result of extensive research and development.

the statement from CPI. “And from top to bottom, the SCR’s architecture has been fortified with several innovative features that offer a new level of security to the market.”

STAND: N3-320

STAND: S3-210

CPI to showcase new SCR note recycler at ICE

deliver ‘a more efficient, secure and cost-effective way to handle cash payments’. “By combining proven components with new technology, SCR opens new possibilities for what note recycling can offer as part of a total cash management solution,” read a statement from CPI. Headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and with additional offices, manufacturing facilities and distribution and service centres worldwide, CPI declared that the SCR has yielded ‘impressive results’ following multiple field trials

52 | casinoreview February 2015

and it is now in the process of entering commercial agreements with original equipment manufacturers. The SCR features the same acceptor head and 600-note cashbox as the SC Advance while a pair of 60note recycling drums provides the capacity to meet the needs of diverse applications within a small footprint. “They utilise the same mechanics hardened with other CPI products, the fourdenomination bank note recycler and one-denomination vending note recycler,” read

lobal entertainment company Aruze Gaming has announced that it will be premiering several new additions to its G-Series and G-Deluxe lines, as well as two of its stepper lines, at ICE in February. In the G-Series line, attendees can find Extreme Progressive series which offers 243 ways to win and four progressive jackpot levels, the Stackin’ series which offers 1,024 ways to win and three different types of video play mechanics, and the Ultra Stack series, which adds several new themes to its video line. The G-Deluxe platform will also feature two new additions - Dark Samurai and Mermaid Fantasy - that incorporate five-reel video game play, eye-catching top boxes, and numerous events and anticipations. These new titles each boast a large top wheel that determines which of the five bonuses is to be awarded. The Innovator Deluxe platform is likely to top Aruze’s product list in the stepper category, with its distinctive top boxes and several new themes titled Platinum Jackpot, Ultimate Diamond, Crazy Stars and Hot Hearts. Aruze will also be showcasing some of its classic flagship products, such as Lucky Big Wheel in the G-Station range. Lucky Big Wheel is a multistation electronic table game with an interactive element, where players spin the wheel to win.

CRANE PAYMENT INNOVATIONS

rane Payment Innovations (CPI) will bring its largest ever portfolio of payment systems to the ICE show in London including its new MEI SCR note recycler, which is being launched to the European AWP market beginning with Germany this quarter. A part of Crane Co, CPI stated that the SCR recycler is the latest extension of the SC product line, which has an installed base of more than 1.5 million units around the world, and follows the same formula as the Cashflow SC and SC Advance note acceptors to

Aruze to unveil new products across four lines at ICE

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GAMEACCOUNT NETWORK / GAMING STANDARDS ASSOCIATION / SCIENTIFIC GAMES

ICE 2015

ICE Totally Gaming 2015, London

GAMEACCOUNT NETWORK SIMULATED GAMING GAMING STANDARDS ASSOCIATION CENTRAL MONITORING SYSTEMS SCIENTIFIC GAMES MONOPOLY | AUSTIN POWERS | FRIENDS SCIENTIFIC GAMES

GAMEACCOUNT NETWORK

With an ever-expanding stable of gaming products, Scientific Games is set to wow visitors to this year’s ICE Totally Gaming.

135bn credits wagered with GameAccount’s Simulated Gaming

Scientific Games covers all bases at ICE cientific Games will be celebrating variety at ICE, with more than 150 gaming devices, systems, lottery products, and online solutions from its Bally Technologies, WMS Gaming, Shuffle Master, SG Gaming, Williams and Barcrest brands on display. Each brand will be showcasing flagship products from key licensors, including SG Gaming’s inaugural Monopoly themed games, WMS’ Austin Powers theme, and Bally’s iconic Friends range. Attendees at Scientific Games’ ICE stall this year will also see over 50 other WMS branded products, including the Blade s23 cabinet; a hybrid slant cabinet that combines the main features of the Blade cabinet and dual 23-inch HD displays along with the latest Blade themes and content. The Gamefield xD cabinet, also from WMS, comes with a bright and brash Flintstones theme, which brings the town of Bedrock to life with a 42-inch horizontal screen over a vertical 32-inch screen with a mechanical wheel.

In the Bally range, the Friends video slot will be presented on the new Pro Theatre cabinet configuration, encouraging players to reminisce with clips of the funniest moments from the hit TV show. Friends is among light-hearted company in Bally’s gaming products, with Betty Boop also making a playful appearance in a new game showcased on the Pro Series V22/32. Her new Firehouse game features a classic ladder bonus, Free Games, Mystery Stacked Reels and Betty’s 5 Alarm Scatter. Table games brand Shuffle Master will add its latest card shuffling technology to the line-up. In particular, the Safe-Bacc system, which combines a shuffler and card-reading shoe into one device for enhanced speed and security, and the next generation i-Deal product, i-Deal Plus, will be on display. Visitors can also preview the Tablemaster Fusion, a fully electronic table with a high-definition, 72-inch LCD display and 22-inch widescreen player ter-

has commenced work on the organisation’s new Central Monitoring Standard and that gaming regulators interested in obtaining further information may contact him directly. “The new initiative related to Central Monitoring Systems is the result of a very productive workshop with European regulators in September 2014 and GSA intends to continue these efforts in 2015,” DeRaedt said.

ameAccount Network, the developer and supplier of enterpriselevel B2B gaming software and online gaming content, has revealed that 135 billion virtual credits were wagered using its Simulated Gaming product in December. The announcement comes a week prior to GameAccount’s appearance at ICE, where it is anticipating significant interest in the social gaming product, which allows players to purchase virtual credits and play their favourite slot and table games on a website that may be connected to a land-based casino. Commenting on the level of interest, GameAccount commercial director Daniel Lindsay said: “I have gone on the record as saying that Simulated Gaming has the potential to be the online phenomenon of 2015 and the interest we are receiving from land-based casino operators ahead of ICE is substantial. “Simulated Gaming allows operators to effectively lift their casino floor and represent it online, with all of the associated benefits of increased patron-visitation on-property and the generation of meaningful levels of new income from an online channel. “It is perfect for land-based casinos that want to offer a form of online gaming in an environment prior to real money gaming legislation being in place.” He added: “What is important for a casino licence holder is that they do nothing to jeopardise their licence, so we work with the operators and regulators to ensure that Simulated Gaming is fully understood as a proposition and also complies with any harm-minimisation measures that need to be included in the offering. “What is critical to remember with Simulated Gaming is that it is ‘gaming,’ not ‘gambling’, and there is a fundamental difference there.”

STAND: N2-102

STAND: N2-310

minals with touchscreen betting, enhanced graphics and multiple side bets. SG Gaming will be showcasing its full spectrum of TITO-enabled cabinets, while SG Interactive takes strides into the virtual realm with online versions of land-based favourites and the first set of products from its new Monopoly license. Alongside Super Monopoly Money and Monopoly Big Event - the first of several themed products - the company will be displaying its first online progressive game, Rainbow Riches Progressive. Scientific Games CEO and president Gavin Issacs said: “We are stronger together through the combination of our time-tested brands and comprehensive and differentiated product portfolios that are created and supported by an extremely talented global team.”

STAND: N1-440

GAMING STANDARDS ASSOCIATION

GSA brings next-generation standards to ICE

aming Standards Association (GSA) executives and engineers will be available on its stand in London during the 2015 ICE Totally Gaming expo and conference in London to answer questions about the association’s new generation of standards and protocols that will be released over the next six months. GSA protocol director Ethan Tower said: “After two years of hard work by scores of volunteer engineers representing major

54 | casinoreview February 2015

gaming companies, suppliers and manufacturers from all around the globe, we are now on the verge of releasing this newest suite of standards that will help operators and manufacturers adopt and implement the latest technologies so they can introduce exciting new features to players and regulators in every sector of the industry.” In addition to its existing suite of standards, GSA president Peterp DeRaedt also announced that the online gaming committee

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ABBIATI CASINO EQUIPMENT / MRG SYSTEMS / TCS JOHN HUXLEY

ICE 2015

ICE Totally Gaming 2015, London

ABBIATI CASINO EQUIPMENT TIE CHIPS | MODIANO CARDS MRG SYSTEMS BIDS5 TCS JOHN HUXLEY GAMING FLOOR LIVE PLATFORM | SATURN WHEEL

TCS JOHN HUXLEY

MRG SYSTEMS

Using ICE 2015 as the platform to unveil the innovations that will enhance its Gaming Floor Live platform, TCS John Huxley will showcase the new Saturn Auto roulette wheel.

BIDS5 boosts business

TCS John Huxley innovations to build on Gaming Floor Live CS John Huxley has always regarded ICE as the perfect platform to launch products and services, not only because it is the first major trade show in the calendar but also because it offers serious focus for buyers. At this year’s London expo the firm will focus on new innovations that build on its Gaming Floor Live platform, in addition to showcasing many of its benchmark products that are now technology-enabled to connect to the new platform. Following a vigorous tender process, TCS John Huxley was selected to supply 42 Saturn Wheels to Casino Cosmopol across four of its operating sites in Sweden. This constituted the single largest wheel order in Europe for 2014 and saw the company herald the Saturn wheel as an outright winner on all accounts - product, processes, quality, price - against its main competitors.

The latest addition to the worldrenowned range of roulette wheels being debuted at ICE is the Saturn Auto wheel. Designed to sit perfectly on any live roulette table, it has the same footprint as a standard Saturn Wheel. Incorporating a patented ball firing mechanism, Saturn Auto has the flexibility to operate as a fully-automated wheel using fixed betting cycles, driven by a third party system (ETG) or controller via a manual launch button. As with all the new TCS John Huxley products, Saturn Auto integrates fully with Gaming Floor Live. Speaking to International Casino Review, Tracy Cohen, the company’s director of marketing, explained what it had planned for 2015. She commented: “Our aim is to be the best supplier of live table gaming solutions to our customers. We must be able to work with, react to, and plan the future with our customers.

Flexibility is key and TCS John Huxley is well positioned to fulfil this criteria. “We’re a family owned and run company with vast experience, a proven track record and the ability to deliver. Cohen said that over the past few years its emphasis has been on developing and launching the new Gaming Floor Live platform, and the roll-out of this would continue at pace this year. “However, it’s important to note we have not diverted our focus from our existing product range,” she added. “In fact, much of the established portfolio, such as the benchmark Chipper Champ 2, Saturn Roulette wheel and e-FX display products are now technology enabled to connect to the new platform with a focus to continue to develop these products so they remain market leaders.”

STAND: S5-250

ABBIATI CASINO EQUIPMENT

Abbiati has it all for ICE 2015

aming equipment developer and manufacturer Abbiati Casino Equipment will be at ICE to exhibit its complete portfolio of products including chips, plaques, jetons, roulette wheels, tables, multimedia winning number displays, shufflers and sorters incorporating the latest in design and security innovations. The Italian firm stated that it is especially excited about showing off the new features now being incorporated into its chips, plaques and jetons including 13.56 MHz PJM

radio-frequency identification technology and holograms in addition to visible and invisible security pigments. Turin-based Abbiati will also premiere its new Tie chips at ICE 2015, which it declared feature multiple injections, see-thru inserts and ‘a combination of intricate and inventive rim and edge inserts’. As an exclusive global distributor for Modiano, Abbiati will furthermore present a range of plastic

56 | casinoreview February 2015

and plastic-coated playing cards incorporating high security features such as tracking mechanisms and barcodes designed specifically for the live online gaming vertical. Abbiati Casino Equipment will also demonstrate its full range of turnkey solutions for live online casino operators, which incorporate dedicated design tables and GLI-25 certi-

fied American roulette wheels featuring upgraded and patented invisible laser technologies. “In presenting our line of products to visitors, we want to demonstrate yet again our flexibility and ability to manufacture exclusive, high-end and customised equipment,” said Giovanni Abbiati, founder of Abbiati Casino Equipment.

STAND: S5-230

MRG plans to target international visitors to their stand at ICE 2015 with a brand new screen management solution. The UK market recognises we offer the most automated and comprehensive screen management system available,” said MRG Systems’ Ian Hunter, “but there is a wealth of international visitors who have yet to discover what we offer. And we want to change that in 2015. Our invitation goes out to anyone who needs to manage a multiplicity of screens and we will inspire them with our latest solution; BIDS5.” BIDS5 accepts multiple data sources which are processed and sent automatically to local servers. The display and switching of video sources from various feeds is also managed from the centre by the studio. Using HTML templates the system is easy to support and maintain by staff. It is highly flexible, making it an easy fit for different betting and gambling models used elsewhere around the world. BIDS5 is capable of automating most of the routine functions undertaken by staff in the studio. A full days’ events will run with little or no intervention from the operator. That leaves the studio free to generate multiple eyecatching offers and promotions as the day’s events develop. Always relevant, these real-time interventions are designed to increase sales and build a company’s brand. BIDS5 is flexible and is designed to provide each new service with its own distinctive branding. The new breed of PC based shop servers exploit the latest screen technologies to optimise gantry screen dis-

“

plays. It is easy to customise through promotions, specials and with high definition graphics. BIDS5 offers more control, greater automation and the highest production values to achieve exceptional results for clients. This comprises

an outstandingly rich and immersive experience for shop customers through its video wall and video overlay capabilities. Ian Hunter: “The UK industry is possibly the most mature market in the world. MRG is an important contributor to the drive for higher performance, customer focused products designed to enhance the customer experience. BIDS5 users stand out from the crowd because they able to introduce more betting opportunities than with any other system. Just look at what our customers Paddy Power, Coral and other users are doing in their shops. Routine procedures are converted to ‘Automations’ which frees up additional resource to manage marketing campaigns more effectively. Clients with BIDS5 have more dynamic displays, greater capacity to cover multiple events and outperform other systems by optimising their advertising campaign capabilities.”

STAND: S1-226

QUALITY

that lasts.

Our mission is to deliver the best possible gaming experience, the focus is on optimum comfort and usability for the player as well as on best possible technical handling. Each machine is the legacy of faultless production, innovation, and cutting-edge technology.

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AINSWORTH GAME TECHNOLOGY / SUZO-HAPP GROUP / TRIPLE CROWN

ICE 2015

ICE Totally Gaming 2015, London

AINSWORTH GAME TECHNOLOGY A560SL CABINET | GAME PLUS SUZO-HAPP GROUP TRANSACT RANGE | EVOLUTION HOPPERS TRIPLE CROWN KEY ONE | TRIPLE CROWN ELECTRONIC ROULETTE

AINSWORTH GAME TECHNOLOGY

SUZO-HAPP GROUP

Suzo set to celebrate 60th Ainsworth anniversary at London show brings ‘A Winning Play’ to A London stage New cabinets and new games, including those designed exclusively for ICE’s home market, form part of the Ainsworth’s varied offering for this year’s show. insworth Game Technology brings ‘A Winning Play’ to the 2015 ICE show with its newest cabinet, the A560SL, a one screen wonder specially designed and custom built for a unique range of games. Featuring a 32 inch High Definition display, 19 inch LCD topper option for Jackpot promotion, unique attract lighting package stylised to the game, premium surround sound technology, sky high stacks and custom animations, the new A560SL is poised to make a statement on the gaming floor. The new A560SL provides a robust entertainment packed range of game brands. Titles that will be on display include: Rumble Rumble, Big Bang Bucks, Flying Horse, King Cat, Fire Wizard, Ice Wizard, Power Fruit 7’s and Mega Fruit 7’s, with many additional titles due for release in 2015. Ainsworth’s managing director, Robert Dijkstra, commented: “This is a very exciting year for Ainsworth. We have pushed the boundaries of technology with our latest cabinet to ensure that players receive an enhanced gaming experience through improved sound, graphics and a wide range of new branded games. We are very proud to share these new products that will be on display in our booth this year with our casino operator partners.” Also on show, the super-sized A560 Wide Boy, which brings features a 32

58 | casinoreview February 2015

inch landscape mode LCD top box and exciting game driven LED lighting. Its titles being highlighted at ICE include Hummin King Spin, Reel of Wheels Horsepower and Cash Challenge. Ainsworth will also display a new line up of themes for their core Game Plus library: Quad Shot, Double Hit, Play 40/50/100 Lines, Wheel Winner, Multi Win and High Denom. ICE visitors have also been encouraged not to miss out on viewing Ainsworth’s new games developed exclusively for the UK B1 category (casino), Fortune Ox and Royal Diamonds. Ainsworth’s group general manager strategy and development, Scott Clarebrough, said: “This year’s ICE lineup is a combination of innovative game mechanics, hardware and exceptionally entertaining math models that will definitely provide the best player experiences and create tremendous excitement on any gaming floor.” He continued: “We will be showcasing a diverse product portfolio to date so show attendees will walk away with a vision of the future! The new products on display will again demonstrate the creative and innovative edge Ainsworth brings to its product design and development. Ainsworth has been building for the future and now we’re ready to further raise the performance bar with more leading edge brands and exceptional game titles. We are committed to delivering players with quality and unique entertainment experiences.”

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s Suzo-Happ’s European division was founded in 1955, ICE is set to be a great opportunity for the company as a whole to celebrate its 60th anniversary. This will be the first ICE that Comesterogroup, as part of the Suzo-Happ family, will be making the joint trip after the Italian change machine and cash handling expert was brought into the Suzo-Happ Group in 2014. Both international and solutions specific to the Italian AWP market will be on display. ICE will also mark the first international exhibition for Suzo-Happ as exclusive global distributor for TransAct, with their agreement having been extended to Europe as of 1 January. The extended SuzoHapp product range will be

on proud display. This includes the Bill-to-Bill bank note recycler that is the preferred choice in a whole range of applications around the world. Suzo-Happ is known as the ‘hopper and topper company’ and customers are invited to get to know just which of these products are best fit for their needs such as the Cube, Flow and Evolution hoppers and the Xenon LED, Towerlight and Video Topper alongside a number of RBG lightstrips to brighten up any slot machine.

The firm should not be seen as just a supplier of spare parts and components, as it offers more vertical integration possibilities - such as the pushbutton panel that saves manufacturers having to integrate pushbuttons individually in their machines. Suzo’s Harald Wagemaker commented: “Please come and toast the 60 years in business with us at ICE. And then take the opportunity to see just how much we can do for you.”

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TRIPLE CROWN

Electronic roulette success for Triple Crown lectronic roulette specialist Triple Crown will be at ICE 2015 to exhibit its latest innovations including the eightplayer Key One alongside the card and roulette combination in its Triple Crown and Triple Crown Poker games. Triple Crown was established in 2009 as a joint venture of Mozzart and Fazi featuring a team of IT experts and engineers in addition to famous industrial designer Karim Rashid. It released the Triple Crown electronic roulette table a short time later with this unit’s three active wheels and independent modules that are able to be connected remotely to an unlimited number of bases proving an instant hit. “We have exhibited at ICE in London for five consecutive years and we’ve sold more than 800 roulette tables to happy customers all over the world,” said Zoran Puhac, corporate affairs director for Triple Crown. “Our products are certified with the worldwide GLI 11 gaming devices in casino standard certificate as well as

the specific national certificates according to the laws in several countries such as Holland, Spain, Macau and Belarus. We have also signed a distribution contract with Grupo Orenes for the territories of Spain, Portugal and Mexico and have almost closed a deal for South East Asia as we want to penetrate other markets.” Triple Crown premiered its Key One electronic roulette table in 2013 and stated that this innovation offers an impressive and modern design and reliable game software alongside the ‘highest possible quality of components’. “Our medium-term strategy has already given us a lot of benefits and possibilities to expand steadily and quickly,” said Puhac. “We’ve sold a great number of products to satisfied clients on almost every continent and now, after we’ve joined forces with globally serious partners, we’ve initiated important steps to give us a huge presence on every continent.”

STAND: S2-220

More than a transaction. A connection. The real moment of truth on the gaming floor is when a player gives you the money. Only the money is not being handed out to you. It is handed out to us. From the moment that currency touches our JCM Global bill validator, we are responsible for providing an effortless, accurate transfer of cash into play. We accept your customer’s wager with reliable grace and efficiency, just the way you would personally. We are your representative on the gaming floor. This philosophy has earned JCM Global its position as the industry leader for both OEMs and operators, with more bill validators and printers in play than all other brands combined. And now, we are about to reveal how a simple cash-in can lead to a level of player engagement that goes beyond the transaction. We’re going to help you make connections.

www.jcmglobal.com

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Preview

CASINO TECHNOLOGY / GREENTUBE / PATIR DESIGN

ICE 2015

ICE Totally Gaming 2015, London

CASINO TECHNOLOGY THE BIG 5 | RHINO SYSTEM GREENTUBE FRUIT SENSATIONS | LUCKY LADY’S CHARM PATIR DESIGN POKER MODEL CHAIRS | CUSTOM MADE CASINO SEATING

CASINO TECHNOLOGY

GREENTUBE

Casino Technology showcases the ‘Big 5’

Greentube hopes to dazzle with online offerings

ulgarian gaming machine developer and manufacturer Casino Technology will be at ICE 2015 to showcase a mix of land-based and online solutions. The centerpiece of the company’s stand will be The Big 5 multichannel gaming solution featuring new functionalities and further improvements for linking land-based operations with their online counterparts. Visitors to London’s ExCeL will also be able to check out the variety of flexible options and advanced tools offered by Casino Technology’s Rhino casino management system now complete with an added live games module in addition to its Buffalo universal jackpot server, which are both part of The Big Five and provide operators with ways to attract new customers and improve the performance of their slot floors. The Elephant remote game server and

Lion money management system work in conjunction with the Leopard online gaming platform to complete The Big 5 and allow operators to take advantage of the virtual revolution in gaming via a ‘white-label’ solution for European jurisdictions. Cabinets will also be an important part of Casino Technology’s ICE 2015 stand courtesy of the Aurora upright and Sensa Plus and Tangra models hosting the latest additions on the Gamopolis Highway multi-game series “With more than 15 years of experience in the land-based business, Casino Technology

has the huge advantage of knowing which math models, game types, bonus schemes and other features provide those experiences that keep players coming back for more,” said Sonia Nikolova, business development director for Sofia-based Casino Technology. “Gamopolis Highway, which was recently expanded with new titles and an improved game selection interface, has already proved to be one of the sure winners on any casino floor.”

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PATIR DESIGN

Have a G seat at ICE with Patir Design

asino seating specialist Patir Design will be at the ICE extravaganza to exhibit its full product range including those for poker such as its Model 84x alongside its table game chairs like the Model 67x. Munich-based Patir Design stated that its appearance at this year’s ICE, which will run from February 3-5 at London’s ExCeL, follows a very successful twelve months that have seen it sign contracts with operators including Casinos Del Estado in Uruguay and the UK’s Rank Group. “The previous year has been good and successful for Patir as we were able to achieve all of our objectives,” said sales director Suleyman Yilmaz. “We achieved some significant milestones in 2014 including new developments and innovations in cooperation with major machine manufacturers while also producing custom-made designs for some international casino operators. We were also able to gain a stronger position in several European countries by, among other things, building a more efficient distribution and service network.” Yilmaz stated that ICE is ‘the biggest and most important show in this industry’ as it gives

60 | casinoreview February 2015

the German firm a chance to meet existing clients while also drumming up new business. “Since Europe is our main market, ICE is the most important business for us,” said Yilmaz. “Europe remains a stable market even though some countries are struggling with new regulations and I would say that 2014 was a good year for the European gaming market.” Patir is also keen to promote the service aspect of its business and sees this as being just as critical to its success as the designs of its products. “All our products are performing very well,” said Yilmaz. “We provide the perfect seating solution for every gaming and hospitality area. Patir is known for its innovations and trend-setting designs and staying true to the German values of quality and service has seen us obtain the trust of clients and enjoy a reputation as a global leader in our field.”

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nline and mobile gaming developers Greentube will be featuring as a key exhibitor at ICE as part of the Novomatic stall. Alongside well-known online and mobile products such as Casino Solutions, Bingo and International and National Games of Skill, Greentube will be showcasing its latest innovations from other areas of its product portfolio. These will include an AWP ‘reloaded’ area of the stand and a range of recently developed social gaming solutions that enable landbased casinos to stay connected with their players. However, it is online gaming applications that will undoubtedly steal the show at ICE, with Greentube introducing some of its latest additions to the range. Newcomers include Fruit Sensation, Lucky Lady’s Charm, Roaring Forties, Reel King and Sizzling Hot deluxe. Fruit Sensation - a ten-line, fivereel video game - ramps up the classic fruit machine formula with a fresh double up feature and progressive jackpot. Lucky Lady’s Charm offers lucky players both a free games feature and a free games retrigger, whilst Roaring Forties gives players the chance to win up to 40,000 times their original stake. Reel King, from Novomatic’s UK subsidiary Astra Games, returns with significant enhancements as 20-line, 5x3 reel game with a pick a prize feature. The deluxe version of Novomatic’s Sizzling Hot adds new features to the bestselling game but retains the same easy to use interface.

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www.

.com.br

From Brazil to the World For over 100 years Copag has produced both 100% plastic and coated paper playing cards. Our cards are made with the highest quality materials and complies with the strictest safety controls while exporting to ﬁve continents. Our Company has an industrial plant with the latest innovative equipment along with qualiﬁed trained professionals in all stages of the production process. Copag is the only company to review each playing card batch ensuring the highest levels of excellence in all products. No matter where you are located, you can contact Copag’ Sales team directly for quotes, ordering and delivery information. Quality has never been closer. This is Copag!

Visit us at ICE London booth # S7 – 200

For the highest quality decks at the best prices, simply contact us at: casino@copag.com.br / +55 11 2164 3650

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AMATIC INDUSTRIES / GAMESMAN / MAGNET GAMING

ICE 2015

ICE Totally Gaming 2015, London

AMATIC INDUSTRIES

GAMESMAN

Amatic to demonstrate international gaming flair at ICE Amatic Industries’ focus on designing and manufacturing masterful gaming solutions has created a consistent, innovative, reliable and ever-expanding product range.

The Performer Grand Arc will be joined with new highlights for 2015, such as the C24 Casino Cabinet, the new upright model of the successful Performer series. This comes with three wide-screen 24-inch monitors, showing brilliant colours for enhanced player attraction and more gaming fun. The V24 Cabinet is Amatic’s latest AWP. Equipped with large 24-inch monitors, the V24 is the perfect solution for gaming arcades or stand-alone operation in bars. Roulette Grand Jeu 22WS is the firm’s wellregarded electronic roulette. Beautiful as ever, made of the finest materials and incorporating only the best electronic components like its 22inch wide-screen monitors, the Grand Jeu 22WS is built for 24/7 play. Available in five, six or eight-player configurations, it can be connected with numerous terminals to allow many more players to join the live roulette. The Roulette Grand Jeu Double is a true eyecatcher, thanks to its outstanding design, and provides space for up to 10 players around the table. The integrated dual wheels offer double the value in excitement and fun. Players can choose between either one or both wheels to bet upon at the same time (depending on local legislation). Amatic will present its Solitaire electronic roulette wheel. The perfect solution for customers wanting a space-saving roulette solution that can be easily connected with a desired number of gaming terminals, its attractive design embodies the firm’s passion for style. The Casino Online System completes Amatic’s gaming range. This state-of-the-art casino management system includes clever features like player tracking and cash card and enables operators to link together all of Amatic’s solutions into their machine portfolio. The company’s online and mobile gaming solutions continue to grow in market share. Customers can use them to develop an online gaming website configured to their individual needs, with the integration of Amatic’s ever-growing library of games making them the ideal package.

matic Industries has chosen ICE and ExCel London as the staging ground from which to give a variety of its new games their international premiere. Guests will be able to feel the heat with Hot 81 and Red Chili, or adjust their diet to enjoy Square Fruits. There will be something for everyone, especially if integrated in an individual multi-game configuration, Amatic Industries’ successful gaming concept. The firm proved its flair for design at last year’s ICE, with the Performer Grand Arc Slant Top greeted as the “show’s most attractive casino cabinet” with its curved design, particuSTAND S3-150 larly on the version with three monitors.

Gamesman launch Target 25k charity project

amesman, the international gaming equipment components and systems manufacturer, is taking its biggest ever presence at ICE 2015, the company’s ‘home show’. The increased presence reflects Gamesman’s growing influence on the world stage as MD Mark Smith explained: “I’m delighted with the progress we’ve made since joining forces with Esterline two years ago and I have to say equally confident about the future. The last 24 months have gone incredibly quickly which is probably indicative of how much has been achieved. We are more efficient across the board and we have leveraged off a wider pool of technical expertise from Esterline. There’s no doubt that we go into 2015 as a strong business, with strong financial backing from our parent company.” As well as using ICE to engage with customers and introduce products including a new LCD/Touchscreen solution and a wide range of dynamic push buttons decks and Toppers, Gamesman also have a much more personal objective this year. “Last summer our technical director James Cove was diagnosed with Mesothelioma, an aggressive form of lung cancer,” stated Smith. “James, who is only in his early 40’s, has been with us from the very beginning of our journey and is a much-loved part of the Gamesman fabric. Mesothelioma receives very little by way of government funding so we have set ourselves a target of raising £25,000 between ICE 2015 and ICE 2016 which will go to a Mesothelioma

research charity. “We are going to use ICE to kickoff the campaign with the help of members of the Crystals, the official cheerleaders of Premier League, Crystal Palace Football Club. Target 25k will be event-led and, like James, it will be positive and involve a sense of humour. We are open to any suggestions so please drop in at our stand N3140 and/or email fundraising ideas/suggestions to mark.smith gamesman.co.uk” With 18-years experience of exhibiting at ICE Smith has developed an unorthodox approach to the task. He explained: “We spend 50 percent of our time at ICE marketing products and 50 percent simply talking about the industry and listening to what our customers and potential customers have to say about the issues impacting them. Our job is to understand their issues, to interpret them from a technology perspective and then present them with a solution.”

STAND N3-140

MAGNET GAMING

Tried and tested by the Danes, Magnet Gaming will be bringing eight of its newest games to an international audience.

A Magnetic field 62 | casinoreview February 2015

e n m a r k- b a s e d developer Magnet Gaming is looking to wow the crowds at ExCel with its eight new realmoney online slot machines to the show. The games include Diamond Express, Bank Walt, Golden Pyramid, Safari, Deep Blue, Sideshow, Pie Rats and Sunny Farm. The release of these first eight games marks an initial push for Magnet Gaming to make its games available to licensed international casinos operators.

The games are the first of many games planned for release during 2015. Magnet Gaming brings a unique, casual approach to online gambling: for the company, playing slots is about the chance to win big, but just as much about having fun, whether you win or lose. Each of the eight titles announced feature a number of bonus game features, high quality artwork and sound, which adds entirely new elements of variety and excitement.

Magnet Gaming specialise in slot machines developed in HTML5, and design and optimise to deliver a quality casino experience on browsers across all devices, including PC, mobile and tablets. All games have already been brought live and finetuned in Magnet Gaming’s local Danish market with casino portal SpilNu.dk, where initial results have been very positive. “We’re immensely excited to introduce our new games to the industry”, says Mag-

net Gaming CEO Mads Veiby. “Players have been responding really well to our trademark bonus games, and we’re seeing churn rates that outperform anything we’ve seen from other slot providers. We’re looking very much forward to show our games and results to casino operators across Europe, as we think we’re coming out with products that fit the current market really well.”

STAND: N6-342

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Supplier

News

GAMING ADVISORS

IAGA bring Clark on board

T Kirsten Clark, a well-known figure in the global gaming industry, has joined the International Association of Gaming Advisors as executive director.

he International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) has appointed Kirsten Clark as executive director, effective immediately. In this role, Clark will oversee the association’s daily operations and will work with IAGA’s officers and trustees to implement and achieve the association’s annual goals and objectives. With over 10 years global gaming industry experience, Clark was most recently senior vice president and chief operating officer in Asia, for Gaming Partners International (GPI), a leading provider of casino currency and table game equipment worldwide. Her gaming industry experience also includes extensive strategic market-

ing, public relations and events management experience for Shuffle Master, where she served as vice president of worldwide marketing for several years. “I am thrilled that Kirsten has joined IAGA as executive director, as she brings with her an expansive knowledge of the worldwide gaming industry that will be an invaluable asset to our organisation,” commented IAGA president, Katie Lever. “Her professional accomplishments combined with her enthusiasm for gaming will be instrumental to IAGA as we continue our support of the gaming industry’s senior advisors through our annual Gaming Summit and other events and focus on

expanding our reach internationally.” Clark added: “With its longstanding commitment to providing gaming industry executives with collaborative forums where they can meet to discuss important issues facing our industry, IAGA plays an important role in the ongoing development of global gaming, and I am excited to be part of its next phase. Based in Henderson, Nevada, IAGA is a 35-year old organisation of gaming advisors that provides its members with commercially relevant engagement, education and integration in the gaming industry. With a global membership that includes a broad array of gaming industry attorneys, senior executives, financial advi-

sors, regulators, consultants and academics, the IAGA provides a collaborative forum for discussing the key issues affecting global gaming today. The association recently announced its support of the 2015 World Regulatory Briefing, which takes place on February 3 during the ICE Totally Gaming exhibition in London. An annual event spon-

sored exclusively by IAGA in conjunction with Clarion Events and the World Regulatory Assembly, the World Regulatory Briefing provides crucial updates on regulatory, legal and compliance developments impacting the global gaming industry, and is a mustattend conference that includes key speakers from jurisdictions all over the world.

TESTING AND CERTIFICATION

INSTALLATION

GLI inks Kansas contract extension

EGT completes Sri Lanka installation

and-based, iGaming and lottery consultancy and testing provider Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) has inked a nine-year contract extension that will see it continue serving as the certified testing laboratory for the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission. GLI stated that the new agreement ‘extends and builds on the working relationship’ it has enjoyed with the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission since the inception of state-owned casino gaming in

Kansas and will allow it to continue delivering a ‘uninterrupted level of service’ to the regulator, the state and the gaming public. The firm declared that its compliance processes provide the regulator with access to ‘the most thorough and cost-effective product testing system in the world’, which allows for ‘the fastest access to markets without compromising the quality of testing’. “The GLI team of highly qualified professionals is honoured by the incredible trust

64 | casinoreview February 2015

the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission has placed in GLI,” said James Maida, president of GLI. “Since 2006, we have worked closely with the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission to assist in its mission of ensuring the integrity of gaming in Kansas. We are thrilled to extend our relationship with the state of Kansas and we look forward to many more productive years working together.” GLI serves more than 475 jurisdictions around the world with over 130 of these exclusively accepting its certification letters and declared that it has created a dedicated compliance team for the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission that it can call on aroundthe-clock. This group consists of nine qualified compliance professionals with nearly 100 combined years of gaming regulatory experience and extensive experience with the Kansas regulatory environment.

he famous Ballys Colombo casino in Sri Lanka has discovered the potential of Euro Games Technology’s (EGT) Egypt Quest progressive jackpot system. Operating in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, since 1995, Ballys Colombo is backed by investor Dhammika Pereras. The casino was traditionally

table games oriented, predominantly offering roulette entertainment. It is now gradually introducing slot machines, and the installation marks the Bulgaria-based EGT’s first foray into the Sri Lankan gaming market. The first steps of EGT in Sri Lanka were made with the installation of eight P-24/32V Up EQ cabinets. More jackpot and standalone solutions are expected to follow. “The Egypt Quest system succeeded in gaining the preference of Ballys Colombo casino because of its reliability and its bonus game with wild venture thematic unfolding in a world of heated sand and ancient artefacts,” EGT said. “The immediate feedback received highlighted their good performance, pleasing look and feel, and enjoyable experience of the multigame variety.”

CR148-p62-70-Supplier_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 12:39 Page 2

EURO GAMES TECHNOLOGY / GAMING LABORATORES INTERNATIONAL / IAGA / YXYXYXY LT GAME Macao Gaming Show, November 17-19 2015

DANIEL LINDSAY “SIMULATED GAMING DRIVES INCREMENTAL REVENUE.. FOR THE BRICKS AND MORTAR SITE... THERE IS A CLASSIC ACCELERATOR EFFECT FOR THE CASINO AS WELL AS A BRAND NEW REVENUE STREAM.” LT GAME

T Game, the major Macau-headquartered gaming and casino provider which has a significant and growing influence on the international stage, enters 2015 boosted by a collection of technologically advanced products suited to the current economic and social dynamics of the Macau market. The combination of sustained casino investment in Macau, wage inflation caused by low unemployment, strict rules limiting dealers to be strictly local Macanese and high minimum bets which impact price sensitive gamblers, have created a favourable environment in which the company’s Live Multi Gaming technology is thriving. Explaining the advantages of LT Game’s Live Multi Game (LMG) system, COO Betty Zhao said: “The

L It’s a case of right products, right time for LT Game New technologies from LT Game are helping operators around the world improve their profitability.

benefits we deliver operators are significant and have a direct impact on profitability. In terms of efficiency, a single dealer can look after an unlimited number of terminals compared to the 1:8 seat ratio on traditional tables. The use of reliable graphic recognition technology opens the opportunity to employ less skilled staff and the shorter payout calculation time

reduces the chances of dealer error as well as the danger of cheating.” Efficiency is further enhanced by the ability to play more games per hour with LT Game quoting in excess of 80 hands/hour using LMGs compared to less than 40 on traditional tables. Alongside the powerful productivity arguments, LMGs also serve as the only alternative for play-

ers who have been priced out by high minimum bets at traditional tables. The company’s E-Baccarat Table is also generating widespread acclaim for its ability to deliver efficient, secure and accurate gaming entertainment. Zhao explained: “The use of TITO means that we are able to deliver casinos with a total chip-less gaming offering which means the removal of security risks and the elimination of human error. “This, combined with a game time limit, efficient back-betting and automated payout, increases the number of games that can be played per hour. Despite the technological advances players still touch the cards and interact with the dealer giving a user experience which resembles that of a traditional table.”

The fastest growing systems company in the world SEE US AT ICE

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Supplier

News

PAYAM ZEDEH “SOUTH AFRICA WILL BE A LARGE FOCUS FOR US IN 2015. IN 2014, JCM ENTERED INTO A DISTRIBUTION AG LINE OF BILL VALIDATION PRODUCTS IN SOUTH AFRICA.” INNOVATION

VIDEO SLOTS

Gaming Support: bringing the online and land-based sectors together

Wicket Winnings Legends debuts at Borgata

W Celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2015,

Gaming Support continues to develop its presence as a leading supplier and innovator in the global gaming industry. In the lead-up to ICE 2015, Lucien van Linden, CEO of the Netherlands-based company, speaks with James Walker about a newly developed product that brings together the online and land-based gaming sectors. Here we have everything you need to build a casino,” Lucien van Linden, CEO of Gaming Support, said as he provided me with a tour around the company’s 7,000sq.m facility in Rotterdam. Established in 2000 as a provider of outsourced support for Holland Casino, it is clear that Gaming Support has not forgotten its roots. Row after row of cabinets, parts and peripherals in the company’s warehouse evoke a powerful behind-thescenes image; the inner clockwork of the industry that helps keep casinos around the world ticking over. Holland Casino bought 40 per cent of Gaming Support’s shares in 2003, and using this as a foundation, van Linden has steadily grown his company into a diversified ISO-certified group, with regional offices in Belgium and the US and products on six of the world’s seven continents. “When we first started out, we maintained machines for Holland Casinos, but soon started importing chairs, table games, shufflers, cards,”

“

van Linden said. “This is something we still do to this day, but with my R&D background I started to develop my own products. These included jackpot controllers, jackpot trigger devices, media and systems - all of the solutions for which Gaming Support is renowned today.” Now, as the company enters its 15th year of business, van Linden is preparing the launch of a new product that is set to be an industry game-changer: the Hybrid Gaming Device, which allows customers to play online games on a physical device in a casino. Explaining the inspiration behind the new solution, van Linden said: “Every time I develop a new idea, it is in order to solve a customer’s problem. In this case, Holland Casino had a very old bingo game, which was originally released in the 1970s. It is a very simple, straightforward game, but one which still generates strong revenues. “Holland Casino asked a few manufacturers to create an improved version, but these all disappointed players,” van Linden added. “So I

66 | casinoreview February 2015

went to the producer of the original game, asked him if I could use his original layout and built a new machine around it. We now have an updated keno game built exclusively for Holland Casino.” Interestingly, it was during the development of this new game that van Linden noticed a strong interest in the market for a casino machines that could play online games. “Most casinos have their own website these days, but they often feature games that you cannot play on the casino floor. What we have done with our new machine is try to fill that gap.” The complex legislative issues relating to a physical device that plays online casino games mean ICE will be the ideal testbed for the new Hybrid Gaming Device. “Ultimately, I want to give operators the opportunity to take a flash game and put it in their casino in a secure environment,” van Linden explained. “The product will be available for all to see at our booth in London this February.”

icked Winnings is one of the most popular video slot brands in the market, and now Aristocrat is taking the fun to the next level in Wicked Winnings Legends, as the game makes its world premiere at the stylish Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City. Wicked Winnings Legends is part of Aristocrat’s Legends series, which means players can choose between Wicked Winnings Legends and Wicked Winnings II, all in the same cabinet, all without leaving their seat. Wicked Winnings Legends has three fun features: Wicked, Respins and Free Games with Sticky Stack, all of which thrill players and take the entertainment to the next level. Both games are housed in the popular Helix cabinet, where the gaming action takes place on two floating, LED HD displays with frameless, infinity edges. “Borgata is extremely happy to host the world premiere of this latest incarnation of an incredibly popular game,” said vice president of slot operations, Ted Herzchel. “As Atlantic City’s marketleading destination, we are constantly striving to provide our players with the freshest and most original slot product so it is a pleasure to work with Aristocrat to be the first property in the world to offer Wicked Winnings Legends to our customers.” The 1080p resolution dazzles players, while

integrated pinstripe lighting and immersive rear surface ambient lighting set a scene for total player engagement and enjoyment. Top-to-bottom ergonomics ensure maximum player comfort and enjoyment. Aristocrat’s senior vice president of marketing, Matt Wilson, added: “Players at Borgata, across Atlantic City and indeed around the world have come to love Wicked Winnings, making it a top performing game title, and we are very happy to bring this latest version to life, particularly with a world premiere at one of the gaming industry’s premier destination resorts.”

CR148-p62-70-Supplier_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 12:40 Page 4

ALFASTREET / ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES / GAMING SUPPORT Macao Gaming Show, November 17-19 2015

RIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH GLOBAL PAYMENT TECHNOLOGIES (GPT) TO SELL AND SERVICE OUR ENTIRE

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Alfastreet expands in advance of ICE 2015 lovenian electronic table games firm Alfastreet launched several new products last year and intends to use the upcoming ICE 2015 showcase in London to exhibit these and many other innovations. The addition of new products forced Alfastreet reconfigure its facilities with its production, development and storage departments getting the majority of the upgrades although other areas benefitted as well. The firm stated that this change was needed in order to keep up with the ongoing demand for its established products while preparing and accommodating the new lines. “We are honestly happy to undergo such expansion in these

still tough times,” said Alfastreet sales director, Albert Radman. “Our products are always popular in many countries around the world and we are happy to keep up with the demand. The new developments that we are about to release will open many new doors for us and will also help us enter a new level of manufacturing. I am more than positive that Alfastreet will gain more ground in the 2015 and make another step towards reconfirming its leading position in the world of the electronic table games. Our team is motivated and eager to contribute everything they can to this one goal.”

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BMM TESTLABS / GAMING SUPPO

News

JAMES ILLINGWORTH “WITH STABILITY ON THE LAND-BASED SECTORS IN EUROPE, IT’S MOBILE GAMING THAT WILL PROV THE INDUSTRY.”

SERVER BASED GAMING

JACKPOTS

SG Gaming inks deal with Mecca Bingo F

Wheel of Fortune lives up to its name

ollowing a successful trial period in a number of venues, SG Gaming has signed a five-year deal to provide its server-based gaming solution to Mecca Bingo clubs across the UK. SG Gaming, a division of US entertainment giant Scientific Games, said the agreement will see it provide Mecca with a server-based gaming platform powered by technology partner Videobet in addition to exclusive Category-B3, Cat-

egory-C and community games content from its library in a combination of Clarity, T8 and Triple 7 cabinets. “We are delighted that Mecca has chosen SG Gaming to be its supplier of choice for serverbased gaming,” said Phil Horne, group managing director for SG Gaming UK. “This is a ground-breaking deal that represents a major step forward for the bingo sector. Mecca and SG Gaming have already demonstrated a strong

G working partnership in delivering a competitive gaming offer and we are excited to continue this in the years ahead.” The deal will see SG Gaming supply Mecca Bingo with established titles from its inhouse development team including Rainbow Riches and continuing licensed games such as Monopoly Hot Properties while WMS titles encompassing The Wizard of Oz: Over The Rainbow, Zeus II and Black Knight will also be

available. “This fully integrated gaming solution will provide Mecca with a range of hardware solutions and operational efficiencies that are designed to drive cashbox growth,” said Horne. “We have invested heavily into our platform solution over the past few years and we are delighted to see the implementation of this solution into the bingo sector on such a large scale.”

SIGNAGE

Triple installation for Gaming Support aming Support, the Netherlandsbased signs-to-systems group, has completed three new European installations. The company, known for its range of casino signs, back-office systems and controllers, recently provided signage for Merkur Spielbank Leuna in Germany and Casino de Beaulieu in France. “Gaming Support has been able to translate our ideas into reality and has taken a 360-degree approach from the conceptual design phase until the installation,” said Reinhard Wehner, slot manager at Leuna. Located between Nice and Monaco, the

Casino de Beaulieu Sur Mer re-opened it’s doors in December under new ownership and management after a complete renovation, with attractive games in a fascinating setting and with stunning views of the Mediterranean. “Casino De Beaulieu represents a new generation of integrated entertainment products,” commented casino slot manager, Alain Zampini. “In selecting a signage provider for the property, we searched for a partner possessing both the creativity to produce powerful designs and the operational substance to deliver state-of-the-art assemblies that will stand the test of time.”

In Belgium, meanwhile, Casino Blankenberge on the North Sea coast has completed the integration of Gaming Support’s new Slot Accounting Plus Ticketing System, which paves the way for cost savings and improved profitability. The system, which connects various slot machines on the gaming floor, features a real-time analysis tool for machine events, history, transactions and reports. Designed for use on an iPad, casino staff can easily assist seated players by scanning and printing tickets, without them having to interrupt their game for cashier visits.

lobal gaming entertainment firm International Game Technology (IGT) has awarded four slot aficionados with a total of almost $5m (E4.5m) over the previous two months courtesy of its Wheel of Fortune family of wide-area progressive titles. The first anonymous winner banked just over $1.15m (E1.01m) after getting lucky on a Wheel of Fortune video slot while visiting The Venetian in Las Vegas on November 18, while a player just 100 miles away at the Riverside Resort Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, Nevada, pocketed $1.01m (E895,846) on December 14 courtesy of a game in the same family. The windfalls continued on New Year’s Day as a slot player at the Silver Legacy Resort (pictured) in Reno, Nevada, took home a jackpot of $1.13m (E1m) from Wheel of Fortune: Reel Double Diamond only two days before a spin on the Wheel Of Fortune: Triple Extreme Spin Duo slot at the Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City, Oregon, paid out a life-changing $1.6m (E1.42m) prize. “Wheel Of Fortune slot machines were launched by IGT in 1996 and solidified the company’s leadership in wide-area progressive technology,” said IGT. “Known as the most successful slot title of all time, the fan-favourite theme has minted nearly 1,000 millionaires and delivered a copious $3bn (E2.6bn) in jackpots throughout its illustrious history.”

MANAGEMENT

Suzo implements management shake-up 68 | casinoreview February 2015

uzo-Happ has unveiled a new leadership structure to reflect the growth and diversification that the company has successfully achieved over the last few years. President and CEO, James Brendel (pictured), has been elevated to chairman of the board of SuzoHapp, effective immediately. He will

relinquish his day-today responsibilities as president and CEO allowing him to focus on the strategic direction of the company. Matt Brown, Marcel Oelen and Ron Partridge will report directly to the board of directors. Brown, who will continue as the company’s chief financial officer, will work directly with the company’s Asia-Pacific and

global bill-to-bill leaders. Oelen, meanwhile, will continue as manag-

ing director responsible for the Suzo’s interests in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Partridge will continue as president of Americas, responsible for the company’s interests in North and South America. “Working to establish Suzo-Happ as a global technology solutions provider has been the greatest privilege of my career,” Brendel

said. “This new role allows me to focus exclusively on the strategic leadership and direction of SuzoHapp, while allowing the strong executive team that we have put into place to further the company’s operational capabilities. Our ability to provide outstanding solutions to our customers will only be enhanced with these changes.”

CR148-p62-70-Supplier_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 12:42 Page 6

AMING SUPPORT / IGT / KONAMI GAMING / SG GAMING / SUZO-HAPP GROUP Macao Gaming Show, November 17-19 2015

WILL PROVIDE THE NECESSARY GROWTH FOR

MULTI GAME VIDEO SLOTS

Konami’s SeleXion reaches major European markets

onami Gaming has announced the advance of its SeleXion multi-game machine to all major European jurisdictions, with recent installations in Sweden, Holland, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Croatia, Georgia and Romania. This multi-game video slot is Konami’s highest performing product internationally, allowing operators to feature combinations of up to eight games per cabinet. Eduardo Aching, Konami’s vice president of international sales, said: “The SeleXion multigame has entered European casinos with strong popular momentum that is only expected to intensify through the coming year. “The number of game titles continues to grow, giving operators the advantage of optimizing each cabinet with proven content that uniquely differentiates their strategic layout. It’s a tool that is

able to move and adapt to market needs, which is hugely powerful for properties.” Joost van Egeraat, sales director at DRGT, explained: “Konami’s combination of excellent graphics and unique math has delivered truly entertaining games to our market, and it’s even more evident through SeleXion. “Furthermore, players can switch between games extremely quickly. Our customers speak very highly of Konami and that customer base is constantly increasing.” Bernard Mo ina, director at Intergames, an exclusive Konami distributor, said: “Konami’s SeleXion offers quality game themes with consistently higher coin-in and performance. Operators’ customized theme combinations are more efficient because they have the flexibility to choose from an expand-

puzzled by CASH MANAGEMENT? ing library of proven games. “Our customers tell us that Konami products help protect their investment in two key ways: the first is long-term game performance and the second is product quality and reliability that requires very little maintenance.”

TESTING

BMM wins Kansas contract MM Testlabs has been awarded a contract to provide gaming laboratory testing services for the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission. Travis Foley, executive vice president of operations for BMM Americas, commented: “We are very pleased to see Kansas recognise the value of creating a multi-lab environment. Multiple independent laboratories, while working together, can ensure a higher quality of testing services, competitive pricing, add trans-

CPI has put all of the pieces together. Now, the industry’s leading brands—CashCode, Conlux, MEI, Money Controls, NRI and Telequip—have been combined into one comprehensive portfolio. CPI is more than products. It is a one-stop shop for coin, note and cashless solutions that lower transaction costs from the point of sale to the deposit. The products and expertise that represent these brands will accelerate expectations for automated payment systems. Visit www.CranePI.com or booth #N3-320 during ICE and let us assemble the pieces to add value to your application.

parency and enable more timely delivery of competitive products to the market place. BMM is looking forward to providing the highest quality testing and certification services within Kansas.” BMM is a systemsexpert company that has

provided consulting for and tested many of the largest gaming networks and systems over the last 30 years. In addition BMM has been successfully testing and certifying the full scope of Class III casino products for over two decades.

Technology that counts. CranePI.com

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APEX GAMING / GTECH / MERKUR GAMING / SCIENTIFIC GAMES

News

Macao Gaming Show, November 17-19 2015

JENS HALLE “THE DEVELOPMENTAL KNOW-HOW AT THE GAUSELMANN GROUP OFFER GREAT POTENTIAL AND DIVERSE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR PARTNERS ABROAD.” SYSTEMS

APPOINTMENT

Peppermill Casinos selects Bally Systems solutions

Jens Halle takes Merkur helm

eppermill Casinos has selected an array of Bally Systems solutions to replace existing slot systems at five of its Nevada properties. The products include the ACSCTM slot management solution, iView Display Manager, Elite Bonusing Suite and the company’s Promotional Kiosk. Peppermill owns and operates casinos across the state in Reno,

Sparks, Henderson, and Wendover. Peppermill Reno general manager Billy Paganetti commented: “We are very excited about this new partnership, which we believe will take our company to the next level.” Derik Mooberry, Scientific Games’ group chief executive for gaming, said: “Peppermill Casinos is one of the strongest opera-

ONLINE GAMBLING

J tors in Nevada and we are excited about the opportunity to deliver value to their operations by providing a uniform and consistent experience for their players through our Bally Systems solutions.” With iView, casino operators can present self-service player account access, marketing messages and secondary bonus games on the main game screen

without interrupting play. iView is backward compatible with most touch screen gaming devices. When combined with iView, Elite Bonusing Suite adds dramatic new levels of excitement and anticipation to the slot-play experience. Its applications are designed to increase coin-in, carded play, new card signups and time on device across the casino floor.

DISTRIBUTION

Suzo-Happ signs distribution agreement for APEX cash management system

OLG launches gaming site through GTech he Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) has launched its province-wide PlayOLG.ca online gambling site driven by interactive technology, content and services from developer GTech. The launch follows a successful preview and Ontarians can now enjoy a range of interactive casino titles including slot and table games such as blackjack, baccarat, singleplayer poker and roulette while also purchasing lottery tickets. GTech is serving as the new site’s primary service provider supplying a product portfolio, player services and a player account management system via its Gaming Management System (GMS). “GTech’s solution supports OLG’s plan to become a more innovative and sustainable

organisation while continuing to be a North American leader in responsible Gambling,” said Matteo Monteverdi from Gtech. “Our flexible and innovation solutions will meet OLG’s goals and will adhere to the highest standards of responsible gambling and player protection.” Ontario has now joined British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador in launching an online gaming site. “We are excited to launch PlayOLG.ca, an important milestone in the modernisation of gaming in Ontario,” said John Wisternoff from the OLG. “For Ontarians who love the excitement of gaming, PlayOLG.ca offers a safe and regulated alternative to grey market websites.”

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uzo-Happ will be showcasing a revolutionary new table game solution at ICE after signing a Global Distribution Agreement with developer APEX in January. APEX’s iDrop creates a seamless link between table, slots gaming, accounting and the casino management system, removing the need for visits to the cash desk when moving from the slots to the table. At the iDrop, players can exchange slot machine tickets for live play jetons, and vice versa. The cash management system also individually validates up to 50 notes and keeps tabs on the accounts for the whole casino. Kubilay Özer from APEX gaming said: “Our company motto has always been to take gaming to ‘the next level’ with our new products, ideas and developments. The iDROP perfectly displays how dedicated we are to this.” The distribution agreement between APEX and Suzo-Happ

means that both companies will be showcasing the product at their respective ICE stands. Suzo-Happ will also sell and support the product for the foreseeable future. René Huibers, casino and operator sales manager at Suzo-Happ, has received extensive training from APEX to enable the company to give product support and demon-

strations on an operator level. Harald Wagemaker of SuzoHapp commented: “The feedback on the iDROP has been amazing. The whole team at Suzo-Happ welcomes such a fantastic innovation. We foresee great global demand for the iDROP and a key success factor is the support offered to the market. We are very proud of this exclusive agreement – the iDROP fits perfectly into our sales concept.”

ens Halle has assumed the responsibility for international sales and distribution activities as CEO at the Gauselmann Group subsidiary Merkur Gaming. In the top management position at Merkur, the 56 year-old will promote the consolidation and expansion of the company’s in markets around the world. Most recently managing director of Novomatic subsidiaries Austrian Gaming Industries (AGI) and Novomatic Americas Sales, Halle can look back on a total of 26 successful years in the international casino business. “Mr Halle’s long-standing focus on the global casino business has enabled him to have the right vision with such experience so as to further develop our products mainly overseas outside of Europe in a truly sustainable way,” said Paul Gauselmann, chairman of the Gauselmann Group. “We have gained an esteemed expert who will continue our growth from the past years and indeed further expand this.” The scope of Halle’s role at Merkur predominantly covers the consolidation and strengthening of business activities in already established markets alongside pushing into potential new markets. “I have been able to establish a long-standing relationship with the Gauselmann entrepreneurial family through my activities thus far in the industry,” he said. “I am now all the more looking forward to the promising collaboration at Merkur Gaming. “The developmental know-how and the long-standing wealth of experience at the Gauselmann Group offer great potential and diverse development opportunities for our partners abroad.”

CR148-p62-70-Supplier_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 12:51 Page 8

Supplier

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SECURITY

EDUCATION & TRAINING

‘Innovate, don’t imitate’

UNLV launching gaming law master’s degree programme

Leading provider of network-based video security solutions Dallmeier has come a long way since its establishment as a two-person business 1984. In the run-up to ICE, company founder Dieter Dallmeier discusses the past 30 years and what the Regensburg-based company’s future holds. In 1984, I was a master television engineer and after discussing the step with my wife Christina I decided to begin working for myself. Of course, it was not easy to begin with and we constantly had to survive periods of belt tightening and we never knew how long they would last. But we were stubborn and through the early years we never stopped believing in our vision and ideas. Finally, in 1992 we made a truly indelible mark on the video security technology market. At a time when analogue VHS cassettes were being used widely in the industry, we unveiled the world’s first video sensor with digital image memory and that was the start of DVRs. At first, many people ridiculed the idea but this development turned out to be a milestone for the industry and

“

heralded the beginning of the digital recording age for all video security technology. Then, major breakthrough came in 1997. This was when we developed the first digital gambling table solution for Crown Casino in Australia. Since then, demand for Dallmeier products has increased constantly. Nowadays, our products and system solutions are sold in more than 60 countries worldwide through our distribution partners. We have also developed an international network of many agencies in countries such as Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Russia, Macao, Switzerland and the US, through which our partners and end customers can receive personal assistance and professional service on site. Our motto is ‘innovate, don’t imitate’ so we have never been a company that blindly follows

trends. Instead, we are always searching for the best solution. This also means that our research often takes us in unconventional directions or sometimes that we are in direct opposition to the general tide of thought. While other market players are engaged in a grim struggle to deliver more and more megapixels, Dallmeier presents an entirely new approach with the Panomera multifocal sensor system. This is a completely new and patented camera technology that delivers previously unseen resolution quality in real time and at high frame rates of up to 30fps. Unlike conventional, single sensor cameras, multifocal sensor technology makes use of multiple sensors, each of which has a different focal distance. With this novel sensor concept, a whole gaming table

can be monitored with just one camera with a resolution quality of up to 2,500 pixels per metre. This surpasses the conventional HD standard and allow you to clearly distinguish chips and cards. The specially developed CasinoCam Panomera can be easily installed and adapted to each casino’s specific requirements. It also records the overall picture without interruption so an operator does not have to worry that he will zoom to the wrong area just at the decisive moment as is the case with PTZ cameras. I am now looking forward to continue developing many new ideas, realising many new visions together with my wife Christina, my son Thomas and our employees and creating cost-effective and practical solutions for video security technology.”

MARKET PENETRATION

Amatic cement UK presence at EAG

ustrian games developer Amatic Industries is working closely with its UK partner Genesis to push for growth in Great Britain, setting its sights on the major trade shows as an opportunity to build its reputation. Genesis Games and Amatic Industries have enjoyed collaborative successes in the UK and Ireland for around 15 years, and Genesis continues to promote Amatic products to new customers in the country. “The team at Amatic has a great understanding for the international markets and aligns the game design to local needs,” said Steve Bierrum, director of Genesis Games. “A good example is the game Diamond Cat that is a favourite amongst female players.

72 | casinoreview February 2015

Dragon Pearl is also very popular alongside the HOT games series. It is this mix of winning games that covers the broad basis of player preferences.” The Genesis Games team made an effort at EAG to consolidate the growing

market for Amatic Industries in the UK, with the Performer C22 upright and Performer Grand Arc slant top gaming machines as the company’s flagship products in the Cat B and Cat C segments. “We have a loyal and dedicated partner in Genesis Games”, commented Thomas Engstberger, sales manager at Amatic Industries. “Steve and Hans have intrinsic market knowledge and we always have an open ear for their requirements. As a family-owned company we are in a position to channel the necessary research and development in providing the right solutions for the UK and Ireland and we are proud on the position we have reached there which is still continuing to grow.”

he University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) will launch its first master’s degree programme in gambling law and regulation in the autumn with full-time students able to finish the course in one year. Being run through the UNLV William S Boyd School of Law, the course, which will also be offered as a two-year parttime programme, is to introduce students to federal and American aboriginal gambling legislation in addition to the principles of casino management while elective courses are to include casino resort, entertainment and cyber law. “As gaming continues to expand throughout the world, we see an increased need for talented and knowledgeable gaming lawyers,” read a statement from UNLV. “With our location in an international gaming destination, you will gain access to globally renowned gaming professionals and regulators, observe and learn from cutting-edge debates and decision-making and make lasting professional connections that will serve you well at the beginning of and throughout your law career.” UNLV declared that it already offers more courses on the gambling industry than any university in the country while the new master’s degree in gambling law degree will serve as ‘a natural complement’ to its existing Juris Doctor programme.

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JCM Global forever changed the way the gaming industry saw banknote validation with the release of its iVizion bill validator.Featuring Contact Image Sensor technology alongside transparency and reflective sensors that scan 75 times more data points than competitive products, iVizion gives operators an over 99 per cent acceptance rate alongside some of the best counterfeit protection in the industry. It also optically centres banknotes and eliminates the need for mechanical centring to dramatically improve banknoteto-banknote processing speeds.iVizion runs faster with a powerful processor solely dedicated to banknote evaluation, while it is self-calibrating, accepts banknotes up to 85mm wide and comes complete with a sealed banknote path that is dirt and liquid resistant for less servicerelated downtime.“Quite simply, iVizion is the best and most powerful bill validator available and your best defence against counterfeiting and your fastest way to profits,” JCM said.

Celebrating its world premiere at ICE Totally Gaming 2015, the evolution of the hugely successful Dominator takes up its twin brother’s successful concept and enhances its attractiveness with its own unique features. The Dominator Curve features all the ergonomic and design elements of its predecessor plus the advantages of its own unique feature - a vertical 40-inch full HD curved touchscreen for a seamless gaming flow and entirely new game concepts. The player position in the focal point of the curved screen guarantees maximum impact gaming with sophisticated graphics and sound. Further cabinet features are stirring LED illumination and game-dependent colour effects that create maximum attraction on any casino floor, along with TouchDeck player interface and multipurpose TFT topper.

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CR148-p76-80-Business & City_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 13:52 Page 1

Business

& City News

CASINO OPENING

Genting opens latest South Korea casino

Genting Hong Kong has partnered with Chinese property developer Landing International to inaugurate the new Genting Jeju Casino inside the Hyatt Regency Hotel on the southern island of Jeju.

fter paying $117.2m (E100.7m) in November to take over the foreignersonly casino inside the Hyatt Regency Hotel on the southern island of Jeju, Genting Hong Kong has now opened its latest venue in South Korea: the Genting Jeju Casino. A joint partnership with Chinese real estate firm Landing International Development, the casino at the 223-room hotel overlooking the South China Sea features 29 gaming tables including 26 for baccarat and 16 slots and is expected to become especially popular with Chinese nationals due to the island’s visa-free status for mainland visitors.

76 | casinoreview February 2015

“At Genting Hong Kong, we remain committed to taking an active role in contributing towards the development of Jeju’s tourism industry,” said Jeffrey Teoh, casino marketing executive vice-president for Genting Hong Kong and CEO of Genting Jeju Casino. “With our newly launched landbased attraction and experienced cruise operations via Star Cruises, we will continue to share our international expertise in leisure and entertainment to further support and enhance the overall domestic tourism industry here on Jeju.” Genting is also partnering with Landing Interna-

tional in hopes of developing a nearby $2.2bn (E1.8bn) casino resort, which hopes to break ground during the second quarter of the year after being stalled by a change in the local government. “The opening of Genting Jeju Casino marks a big step forward in the company’s development of integrated resort and tourism properties in the global markets,” said Yang Zhihui, chairman for Landing International. “As one of the most striking landmarks in Jeju, Genting Jeju Casino is expected to drive tourism and retail growth in the city, further enhancing Jeju’s leading position in Korean tourism.

“Our co-operation with Genting Hong Kong will introduce to Jeju an international world-class experience and expertise in operating and managing a world-class mega gaming and integrated resorts. It will be able to greatly enhance the operational efficiency and performance of Genting Jeju Casino and lay solid foundations for the future development of our businesses in Korea including our jointly-developed Myth-History Park project, and turn Jeju into a paradise of the North Pacific.” The casino market in South Korea could be set to grow even further after the government announced

plans to license two more foreigner-only casino resorts while additionally lifting a 51 per cent foreign ownership restriction for such properties. “Limits imposed on the building of new resorts with casinos will be lifted so they can be built even inside free economic zones by both local and foreign investors,” said deputy tourism minister Park Min-Gwon. The South Korean government is hoping to increase investment in tourism by some $3.25bn (E2.8bn) and wants developers to build an extra 5,000 hotel rooms in the new venues, which could be open by 2020.

CR148-p76-80-Business & City_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 13:53 Page 2

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Novomatic completes UK presence with Astra change

Annual results improve for William Hill

he Astra Gaming Group is to change its name to Novomatic UK, bringing the company in line with Austrian gaming giant, Novomatic, which wholly owns the successful UK company. The change takes place with immediate effect and is expected to have no immediate impact on the operation of the business. Novomatic UK replaces the Astra Gaming Group in all of its functions, including its role as the holding group for UK gaming companies Astra Games, Bell-Fruit Games, Empire Games, Extreme Live Gaming, Gamestec, Greentube, Luxury Leisure, Mazooma Interactive Gaming and RLMS Sales. “The rationale behind the name change is to adopt a more logical approach to the group’s activities and reinforce the inherent values and core strengths of the Novo-

matic brand within the UK marketplace,” said an official statement. Change is on the horizon for the newly minted Novomatic UK, with confirmation that the company will open a new headquarters in Brentford, London, during the first quarter of 2015. Deliberately positioned in the nation’s capital and commercial hub, the new location will also include a new studio space for Novomatic’s live casino dealer provider, Extreme Live Gaming. “The Astra Gaming Group brand has served its purpose well as a means of integrating the Novomatic Group into the UK gaming space,” said group CEO Zane Mersich (pictured). “With that integration now complete, we are able to focus our efforts more effectively on taking the group business forward under the auspices of the globally renowned Novomatic brand.”

ritish online and high street bookmaker William Hill has released its unaudited final results for 2014 showing an eight per cent rise year-on-year in net revenues that is expected to bring an eleven per cent increase in operating profit to around £371m (E486.5m). William Hill stated that its fullyear results were helped by performance of its retail division while its online business improved its annual revenues by 18 per cent yearon-year. There was also a 41 per cent improvement in annual earn-

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Sartini Gaming plans merger with Lakes Entertainment

artini Gaming, which runs gaming, tavern and casino properties in Nevada under its Golden Gaming subsidiary, has signed a deal to merge with Minnesota-based casino and racetrack operator Lakes Entertainment and rename itself Golden Entertainment. The deal, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year, will see Las Vegas-based Sartini transition into a publicly traded company taking Lakes Entertainment’s NASDAQ spot. “We believe that this transaction establishes a truly diversified gaming company, uniquely positioned to capitalise on a wide spectrum of

Lyle Berman, Blake Sartini

opportunities,” said Blake Sartini, CEO for Golden Gaming and the man who is to serve as chairman and CEO of the combined company. “Golden Gaming is the market leader in distributed gaming as well as tavern operations throughout Nevada and is well positioned with our market-leading casino resorts in Nye County. As a result, this merger with Lakes Entertainment provides the opportu-

nity to expand our business dramatically, both in and outside of Nevada, with the support of a strong balance sheet, the Rocky Gap asset in Maryland and an aggressive and experienced management team.” The combined company, which expects to generate combined pro forma net revenues of $348.1m (E305.7m) this year, will operate 9,250 slots and video lottery terminals in four casinos, 48 taverns and more than 600 other locations in Nevada and Maryland. “We are excited to announce this transaction and are thrilled to partner with Golden Gaming, which has done an outstanding job of building a premier diversi-

fied gaming company in the state of Nevada,” said Lyle Berman, chairman and CEO for Lakes Entertainment. “The combination of our strong balance sheet and Rocky Gap asset and Golden Gaming’s casinos and distributed gaming platform makes the combined company truly unique in the marketplace. Lakes Entertainment’s cash on hand will facilitate Golden Gaming’s pursuit of growth opportunities and the refinancing of its debt. We believe the combined company will be well positioned to expand not only in Nevada, which has the most stable tax and regulatory record in the country, but also into other jurisdictions.”

ings from William Hill Australia alongside a 30 per cent boost from William Hill US although the bookmaker’s telephone division saw revenues plummet by 28 per cent. “Overall, it’s been a good performance in 2014 for the group, driven by both the continued development of our UK-facing operations and our international diversification together with a successful World Cup,” said James Henderson, CEO of London-based William Hill. “On a full-year basis, operating profit from online, William Hill Australia and William Hill US all continued to grow very strongly and retail delivered another resilient performance, benefiting from effective cost control.” February 2015 casinoreview

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Business

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STOCKS AND SHARES

EGT prises open Caribbean French scene

Amaya announces share buyback plan

Bulgarian gaming machine developer and manufacturer EGT has entered the Puerto Rican casino market and has also consolidated its position in the hard-to-master French scene. ulgarian gaming machine developer and manufacturer Euro Games Technology (EGT) has begun the New Year in style after entering the casino market in Puerto Rico and introducing further products into the hard-to-conquer French scene. Sofia-based EGT partnered with local distributor Reel Games to install its Premier series P-24/24 Up slots connected to its Vega jackpot system into the Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel and Casino in the territory’s capital city. “It is well known that the EGT’s slots are favorites among players throughout the Caribbean, Central America and South America and we believe they will be accepted with the same enthusiasm in Puerto Rico as well,” said Ada Perez, director for the Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel and Casino,

which was recently voted San Juan’s friendliest casino due to its atmosphere, good-natured dealers and selection of games. The P-24/24 Up units installed at the 7,000sq.ft casino near the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport were equipped with the Premier Multi-3 mix of titles, which feature EGT’s fruit-themed games, while the Vega jackpot system is offering mini, middle and super jackpot levels. “We are extremely excited to have the Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel and Casino as the first place to receive our machines in Puerto Rico,” said Sean Smith, president for Reel Games. “The local players are exactly what our games are designed for and we are confident

C that they will feel the difference with EGT’s products.” The Puerto Rico deal followed EGT introducing six of its Stork multi-player terminals featuring an automated roulette wheel into the Casino d’Argeles-Gazost, which is owned by Groupe Tranchant and located in the Pyrenees Mountains near to France’s border with Spain. EGT stated that its partnership with Groupe Tranchant, which is one of France’s biggest operators with 16 casinos, dates back to 2011 and began when it introduced its Vega Vision Up, Vega Vision+ Up and Vega Vision+ Slant cabinets. It subsequently solidified this relationship be installing its category-4 Cash progressive jackpot system

alongside P-24/24 Up slots complete with three, four and fivegame mixes. “The appreciation and positive feedback from casino operators and players alike led to the introduction of one of EGT’s highest multiplayer achievements, the Stork terminal,” read a statement from EGT. “With its sleek design and ergonomic shape, combined with high technological performance, it is sure to satisfy even the most demanding gaming enthusiasts.” EGT declared that it expects to install a further trio of its products, the Premier R8 automated roulette system, the P-24/24 Slant Slim cabinet and the Egypt Quest progressive jackpot system, at casinos in France ‘any time soon’ and it is anticipated that these will ‘match and even surpass sales numbers from previous years’.

for Macau, which recently saw total gambling revenues for 2014 fall by 2.6 per cent year-on-year to $44bn (E38.2bn). This represented the only decrease since annual figures were first released in 2002 and has been blamed on the pervasive ‘tigers and flies’ anti-graft campaign instigated by Chinese president Xi Jinping just over two years ago alongside weaker growth in the local economy and the effects of an indoor smoking ban. In its most recent financial results, Melco Crown Entertain-

ment reported a ten per cent year-on-year decrease in thirdquarter net revenues to just over $1.12bn (E973.38m) due to lower rolling chip revenues although it stated that this had been partially offset by the improved performance of its mass market table games offerings. It also saw earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation for the three-month period decline by the same percentage to $305.7m (E265.9m) while net income fell by 26 per cent to $132.2m (E115m).

STOCKS & SHARES

Melco to delist Hong Kong shares

iting limited fundraising opportunities alongside onerous compliance obligations and costs, Asiafocused casino operator Melco Crown Entertainment has applied to delist from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange after only three years. The gambling firm, which operates casinos in Macau as wells as the newly opened City of Dreams property in the Philippine capital of Manila, declared that it would be maintaining its primary listing of

American depositary shares on the Nasdaq Stock Market where it has been listed since December of 2006. “Maintaining the listing requires additional ongoing regulatory compliance obligations and such requirements involve significant additional costs,” read a statement from Melco Crown Entertainment, which is a joint venture between Hong Kong-based businessman Lawrence Ho and Australian billionaire James Packer. The delisting is another blow

78 | casinoreview February 2015

anadian gaming and online gambling provider Amaya Gaming Group has announced plans that will see it purchase and subsequently cancel approximately five per cent of its publicly floated common shares over the next year. Montreal-based Amaya is the firm behind PokerStars, Full Tilt and Cadillac Jack and stated that the purchase of the 5,399,631 shares is to be funded ‘through proceeds of certain divestments and cash on hand’. “Amaya believes that its current share price does not reflect the underlying value of the corporation and that purchasing shares for cancellation will increase the proportionate interest of, and be advantageous to, all remaining shareholders,” read a statement from Amaya. “The Corporation intends to buy back common shares for cancellation from time to time when it determines the price at which they are trading is undervalued and that such purchases provide the best use of available cash.” The plan, which is known as a normal course issuer bid, is subject to approvals by the Toronto Stock Exchange while Amaya will be prohibited from buying more than 25 per cent of the average daily traded volume of the shares in any one day with the exception of a weekly block purchase. Amaya also declared that it had received “non-binding proposals from certain persons” regarding the purchase of its Cadillac Jack business-to-business land-based gaming solutions subsidiary. Although no deal has been agreed, it asserted that “discussions are ongoing” with no defined timeline and that it would provide more information when its board “approves a specific action or otherwise deems further disclosure appropriate or required”.

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Business

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Social gaming helps IGT bottom line

Scientific moves global headquarters to Las Vegas

US gaming and entertainment giant IGT saw its total revenues for the final three months of 2014 decrease by 17 per cent year-on-year despite a 23 per cent boost in returns from its interactive divisions. aming entertainment specialist International Game Technology (IGT) has released its financial results for the final three months of 2014 showing a 17 per cent year-on-year drop in total revenues to $450.6m (E397.2m). The Las Vegas-based firm is currently considering a merger with Italian gaming conglomerate GTech and revealed that operating income for the three-month period to the end of December fell by 39 per cent year-on-year to $63.5m (E55.9m) while it reported net income of $35m (E30.8m), which was 56 per cent lower than for the same period in 2013. For its gaming operations business, revenues for the American firm decreased by five per cent

year-on-year to $211.1m (E186m) with gross profits falling by some four per cent to $131.3m (E115.6m). Alongside this, New Yorklisted IGT reported that product sales revenues had slumped by 39 per cent to $148m (E130.3m) alongside a 44 per cent decline in gross profits from this division to $71m (E62.5m). However, three-month revenues from IGT’s interactive businesses grew by 23 per cent year-on-year to hit $91.5m (E80.6m) with its social gaming interests, which include the DoubleDown social online casino, contributing $79.4m (E69.9m) followed by its IGTi division with $12.1m (E10.6m). Daily active users for the free-to-play DoubleDown service improved by eleven per cent year-on-year due to

S improved content and enhanced player retention and engagement strategies to reach 1.91m although the figure for monthly active users hit just over 5.21m, which represented a 16 per cent slump that IGT assigned to increased marketing efforts designed to procure higher-quality players. Revenues from mobile devices comprised 39 per cent of the social offering’s total bookings during the quarter, a 68 per cent rise, with average bookings per daily active user coming in at $0.43 (E0.38), an increase of two per cent over the same quarter last year.

All of this left IGT with cash and equivalents of $267.6m (E235.9m), which was 15 per cent behind the corresponding stage in 2013, while its working capital stood three per cent lower at $657.5m (E579.7m). In addition, contractual debt obligations decreased by $75m (E66.1m) owing to the partial repayment of the company’s revolving credit facility with its outstanding borrowings amounting to $450m (E396.7m). Finally, the company declared that it had returned $55m (E48.4m) to shareholders during the

quarter via two dividend payments while its net operating cashflow currently stood at $102.9m (E90.7m), a 35 per cent boost year-on-year. “Our continued focus on profitability has resulted in strong gross margins this quarter including improvements in gaming operations gross margins,” said Patti Hart, CEO for IGT. “While market challenges remain in the land-based casino business, our DoubleDown social casino generated a double-digit increase in both revenues and average daily active users in the quarter.”

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

IGT, GTech merger vote due nternational Game Technology (IGT) has announced that a special meeting of its shareholders, in which they will consider and vote on the planned merger between the Las Vegas-based gaming company and GTech, has been scheduled for February 10. Italian gaming conglomerate Gtech unveiled plans to acquire IGT in July 2014. Upon approval, the company will pay $4.7bn (E4bn) in cash and shares for IGT and will also assume $1.7bn (E1.4bn) of the US group’s net debt.

80 | casinoreview February 2015

Under the terms of the transaction, IGT and GTech will combine under a newly formed holding company organised in the UK, where corporation taxes are typically lower than both the US and Italy. The new firm will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. IGT is one of the world’s leading casino products group. With a history stretching back to the 1950s, the group produces slot machines for gaming venues around the world and owns well-known licences such as Wheel of Fortune

and Avatar. Over recent years, the company has increased its focus on casino systems and sophisticated linked jackpots, while also venturing into the online and social gaming sectors. Formerly known as Lottomatica Group, GTech has national lottery concessions in Italy and several state lottery concession in the US. It also sells gaming scratch cards, as well as providing lottery services to third parties around the world.

cientific Games is relocating its global corporate headquarters and establishing its gaming division’s primary US manufacturing operations at its existing facilities in Las Vegas. The company said the move reflected a commitment to implement integration plans that it expects will drive increased efficiency and cost synergies. To ensure customer needs are maintained throughout the transition, Scientific will enhance the Las Vegas facilities before scaling back manufacturing operations at its former base in Illinois. Gavin Isaacs, Scientific president and CEO, said: “Las Vegas is a diverse, cosmopolitan city in business-friendly Nevada where we have strong roots and an extensive and growing employee base. This move will allow us to stay closely connected to our worldwide base of gaming, lottery and interactive customers. “Equally important to our continued operating success is maintaining the continuity of our major operating divisions. To that end, the company’s Bally and Shuffle Master gaming development and support operations will continue to be based in Las Vegas, while our significant WMS game development, engineering and other gaming support operations, as well as our interactive division, will continue to be based at our Chicago Tech Campus. “The operational headquarters of Scientific Games’ lottery division will remain in Alpharetta, Georgia.”

HALF PRICE

SUBSCRIPTION VISIT OUR STAND AT ICE 2015 STAND SD4 A-D

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Markets

MACAU / RUSSIA / SOUTH KOREA

MARKET NEWS: JW@SJC.CO.UK

RUSSIA

SOUTH KOREA

Sochi ready to become the Bloomberry Monte Carlo of the Black Sea looks to

According to mayor Anatoly Pakhomov, the city of 343,000 inhabitants will soon become the Monte Carlo of the Black Sea thanks to an ‘open skies’ policy alongside the possibility of 72hour visa-free transit. The mayor also declared that direct flights to Beijing would soon be introduced in order to attract visitors from China, who will serve as the main investors in the region. Despite initially opposing gambling in Sochi, Russian president Vladimir Putin relented last year Sochi: place following an appeal from the local your bets assembly, public council and, finally, Pakhomov himself. The largest city in Krasnaya Polyana subsequently joined the disputed RUSSIA Crimean region in a second round fter becoming Russia’s fifth legal of casino legalisation with the gambling zone last year, the city of government hoping to claw back Sochi could open its doors to gam- some of the record $51bn blers as early as May utilising facil- (E43.8bn) it spent on constructing ities originally constructed to venues for the 2014 Winter host last year’s Winter Olympics. Olympics by re-suing some of the

buildings, which occupy two distinct clusters near the seafront. Elsewhere in Russia, the long awaited gambling zone in the eastern Primorye region 50km from the regional capital of Vladivostok is finally getting off the ground thanks to the local government signing some $2.2bn (E1.8bn) in total investment agreements. Alexander Chkheidze, deputy head of the state corporation in charge of the area’s casino projects, revealed that he recently inked development deals worth $1.4bn (E1.2bn) with Cambodia-based NagaCorp and Hong Kong-listed Melco International Development while adding that further agreements totalling $799m (E686.6m) will soon be finalised with domestic firms Royal Time Group, which already operates in the gambling zone around the town of Azov, and The First Gambling Company of the East.

MACAU

Macau sees drop in VIP gaming revenues MACAU

ourth-quarter gross gaming revenues from VIP players in Macau fell by 29 per cent year-on-year in 2014 to $5.76bn (E4.96bn), while the figure for the full 12 months was almost eleven per cent lower at $26.62bn (E22.95bn), new figures indicate. According to official figures from the territory’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, the high-roller category produced $29.87bn (E25.77bn) in gross gaming revenues for the whole of 2013 to account 60.5 per cent of total casino revenues in the former Portuguese enclave,

82 | casinoreview February 2015

while the figure for the final quarter of the year came in at $8.12bn (E7bn). It had already been announced that total casino revenues for 2014 had declined by 2.6 per cent year-on-year to $44bn (E37.97bn) and numerous analysts were predicting that the VIP segment for the final three months of the year would be up to 33 per cent lower than the previous year’s quarter. As a result of this downturn in business, which many attribute to the ongoing ‘tigers and flies’ anti-graft campaign of Chinese president Xi Jin-Ping, up to 50 VIP gaming

rooms could be shuttered while it is growing increasingly difficult for many junket operators to collect outstanding debts. The past three years have seen just over 100 such rooms established, but Gold Moon Group recently confirmed that it had closed its 16-table VIP operation at the Sands Cotai Central. Meanwhile, junket firm David Group is understood to be closing three of its seven high-end venues inside L’Arc Casino, MGM Macau and the Four Seasons Hotel over the next few weeks as part of a reorganisation programme.

South Korea expansion SOUTH KOREA

he operator behind Manila’s $1.2bn (E1.05bn) Solaire Resort and Casino, Bloomberry Resorts, is hoping to expand into South Korea and has purchased 12.2ha of land in the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ). Bloomberry Resorts is controlled by Enrique Razon (pictured), one of the richest men in the Philippines, who stated that the Muui Island site was acquired via four separate land deals and will be used to develop “a leisure and tourism complex with entertainment facilities and mixed-use developments”. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Bloomberry revealed that the land west of Seoul was purchased by South Korean firm Solaire Korea, which is a division of its Bloom Capital division in The Netherlands. The Manila-based operator told the Reuters news service that it now plans to prepare a solo plan for the new development that complies with South Korean ‘regulatory requirements’ and could open for business within five years. The government of South Korea has already authorised a pair of IFEZ casinos and recently announced a plan to increase tourism development by sanctioning the construction of two more with operations starting as soon as 2020. The previously approved venues include a $1.2bn (E1.05bn) integrated resort near Incheon International Airport from local firm Paradise Company in partnership with Japan’s Sega Sammy and a nearby $687m (E606m) venue from Caesars Entertainment and Hong Kong-listed investment firm Lippo.

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Sectors

ID / MOBILE GAMING / RACETRACKS / TRADE ASSOCIATIONS TRAINING

& Services SUPPLIER NEWS: JW@SJC.CO.UK

MOBILE GAMING

Mobile casino gaming continues rise The global mobile gambling market has seen revenues rise over the previous year, with the UK market far in the lead, new research indicates.

new study has revealed that the mobile gambling market has experienced a significant increase in revenues over the previous year with the UK accounting for a substantial proportion of this growth. According to a report from business analyst App Annie Intelligence, global revenues from the iOS casino games sub-category for the year to November rose by 55 per cent

with the market in the UK posting an over 60 per cent improvement thanks to an approximate ten per cent boost in downloads. The research found that worldwide revenues for the year to November had remained almost static while the casino games subcategory became less concentrated within the ten largest firms despite some consolidation. App Annie Intelligence declared that this indicates that the market remains open to new and rising competitors although the top ten companies still generated around 65 per cent of revenues in November.

“The UK is one of the key markets for mobile casino gaming publishers as it is one of the few that offers real-money gambling through iOS App Store apps,” said Olivier Bernard, EMEA vice-president for App Annie Intelligence. “For the mobile casino gaming industry, apps are becoming a key channel as they offer substantial benefits in user experience over mobile web. By allowing alerts and reminders, apps can give a level of engagement not possible with web-based gaming. As a result, mobile casino gaming has experienced significant growth over the last year.”

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

IDENTIFICATION

AGEM names new officers

LISTINGS

84 | casinoreview February 2015

n America, the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) has elected a new slate of officers under the leadership of returning president Thomas Jingoli. Jingoli will serve for the next two years while the trade group also ratified one-year terms for Dan Savage as its first vice-president and Dave Lucchese as its second vice-president. The next year will additionally see Mark Dunn work as AGEM secretary and Tom Nieman serve as treasurer while Steven DiMasi is to hold the governmental relations vice-president post with Mike Dreitzer and Harper Ko serving as cogeneral counsels.

TRAINING Pair of prestigious awards for MGM Resorts

merican casino operator MGM Resorts International has received a pair of prominent accolades in recognition of a company culture that places a premium on training and employee engagement. The Las Vegas-based firm received the Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces in North America from software provider Achievers hard on the heels of Training magazine naming it as a 2015 Training Top 125.

MOBILE GAMING Explosive growth for Chinese mobile gaming industry

hina’s mobile gaming industry experienced explosive growth in 2014 with sales revenues doubling year-onyear to reach $4.43bn (E3.87bn) and exceeding those from web-based games for the first time, research suggests. According to a report from the Beijing Morning Post, more than 4,000 types of mobile games were launched last year, although only about three per cent of content providers have so far found profitability. Frustratingly for the industry, mobile gambling - along with other forms of gambling remains illegal on China’s mainland.

New Jersey to launch new credit card code

n order to combat the high rate of failed payments to its legal online gambling websites from providers such as Visa and MasterCard, New Jersey is planning to launch a new credit card code in the spring. The eastern state premiered regulated online gambling in November of 2013 but players have continued to report difficulties in depositing or withdrawing funds due to credit card company concerns over the legality of the market.

APPOINTMENT Interblock hires Connelly

lovenian electronic multi-player table games manufacturer Interblock has hired John Connelly, the former business development and interactive senior vicepresident for American giant Bally Technologies, to serve as its new global CEO. Connelly has some 23 years of experience in the global gaming industry and has been tasked with helping to increase Interblock’s market position, revenues and profitability.

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People

& Corporate

NOVOMATIC GROUP

After reporting a strong uplift in both revenues and earnings for the first half of 2014, the future looks bright for Austrian gaming giant, Novomatic. In the lead-up to ICE Totally Gaming, James Walker spoke with group CEO, Harald Neumann about his plans for the company in 2015 and beyond.

Novomatic aims for another record year 86 | casinoreview February 2015

asino Review: How would you summarise business for Novomatic in 2014? What were the highlights for your company? Harald Neumann: As our published interim figures for the first half of the year indicate, 2014 was an exceptional year for Novomatic. Our highlights are the successes that we have achieved all around the world, in all areas of our group. These include the brilliant innovation of the Novomatic Biometric Systems; the great work done by our brand ambassador Niki Lauda; our acquisition and modernisation of our New Casino FlaminGO in Macedonia; the award of two casino licences by the Austrian Ministry of Finance; important

acquisitions in the Netherlands, Spain and the UK; and the establishment of Novomatic Lottery Solutions, which has been the last step to make Novomatic a truly integrated gaming company. CR: Over recent months, the global gaming industry has witnessed numerous high-profile mergers and acquisitions. Why do you think this is the case? HN: It is true that recent events have marked a paradigm shift throughout the global gaming industry. As to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;whyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, it has become clear that the opportunities were there, and it is also clear that the taking of those opportunities has developed into a trend which has brought about the high level of M&A activity to which you refer. It is also obvious that this activity has created a climate of consolidation.

CR148-p86-87-People_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 13:46 Page 2

NOVOMATIC GROUP OF COMPANIES SUPPLIER NEWS: JW@SJC.CO.UK

HARALD NEUMANN “US OPERATORS ARE READY TO ACCEPT NEW SUPPLIERS ONTO THEIR GAMING FLOORS ... OUR TASK IS TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE WHAT THOSE US OPERATORS AND THEIR GUESTS WANT.”

HARALD NEUMANN BIOGRAPHY Married with four children, Harald Neumann is proud to be a native citizen of Vienna. After graduating in 1985 from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, he served one year of military service before starting his career in commercial services in the international financial sector, then branching out into a sales and marketing role with Austrian electronics company, Schrack. Neumann later joined telecommunications company Alcatel, holding various senior positions over the next eight years, before moving across into the IT sector as managing director of the Austrian Federal Computing Centre. In the five years before he joined

Novomatic, he was CEO of G4S Security Services Austria. “I joined Austrian Gaming Industries as managing director in August 2011, and thus entered the world of international gaming,” Neumann told Casino Review. “In October of last year I was appointed as CEO of Novomatic, and I embarked on this role with great pride and a sense of honour. “There are many highly successful Austrian private companies, but Novomatic was always at the top of my wish list. This was because of the sheer dynamism and success of the group. For me, Novomatic represents the ultimate opportunity and the ultimate challenge - a challenge to which I have fully committed myself.”

“ MAKE NO MISTAKE, NOVOMATIC IS COMING, AND WE WILL BE SUCCESSFUL. OUR REPUTATION AND SUCCESS AROUND THE WORLD IS ELOQUENT PROOF OF THAT....

NEUMANN ON NOVOMATIC’S MOVES IN THE UNITED STATES

Clearly defining the resulting opportunities and acting accordingly will shape the future of our industry CR: Novomatic reported record revenues for the first half of 2014. What, in your opinion, are the primary drivers of the group’s success? HN: The half-year figures for 2014, in fact, have shown an increase not only in revenues but also in profitability. This has been achieved through our dual business strategy of being both a successful provider of leading gaming technology, as well as an operator in almost all segments of the international industry – and we’ve been able to further strengthen in both fields. In addition to the organic growth of our businesses, another reason for the increased revenues are the previously

mentioned acquisitions in different countries and industry segments. I am confident that the figures currently being compiled for the business year 2014 will prove another record year for the Novomatic Group. CR: How is your Novomatic Americas Sales division performing? Have you encountered any major hurdles when it comes to entering North America? HN: Novomatic’s much anticipated entry into North American markets is firmly on track and making progress in line with the timeframe that we planned from the outset. The US is a multi-licensed market and the gaining of those licenses is a time consuming process. Likewise, our products need to be market specific and we are working very hard, via product presentations, player and operator focus

groups and of course the excellent work of our R&D teams to ensure that we hit the ground running. It is very clear that US operators are ready and willing to accept new suppliers onto their gaming floors, and our task – which is well underway – is to make sure that we have what those US operators and their guests want. Make no mistake, Novomatic is coming, and we will be successful. Our reputation and success around the world is eloquent proof of that. CR: Which products should we be keeping an eye out for at this year’s ICE in London, and what does Novomatic have planned for 2015? HN: Visitors to ICE will see – as I am sure you would expect – a whole range of technology and product innovations made in Austria.We will have 18

subsidiaries there to present their latest product developments for the international gaming markets of all segments from casino, AWP/LPM, VLT/SBG, online and mobile gaming to 360-degree lottery solutions. As such, it is not easy and not even fair to point out some of the many new products developed in Novomatic competence centres all over the world, though to point you towards just one of the new casino products, I would like to mention our new casino cabinet, Dominator Curve, which will certainly impress our visitors with its great 40-inch curved touchscreen. But, let me stress once again that our entire ICE booth will be packed with products that have attraction, innovation and pure gaming entertainment. It is what Novomatic absolutely does best. February 2015 casinoreview

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Perspectives

Corporate

GAMEACCOUNT NETWORK

JCM GLOBAL

Faster, higher, stronger In the lead-up to ICE 2015, GameAccount Network’s commercial director Daniel Lindsay explains the commercial prowess of the company’s Simulated Gaming solution.

asino Review: What are the business objectives from attending ICE? Daniel Lindsay: The key business objectives are to drive our Simulated Gaming products globally, help landbased content developers move their games online in a quick and cost efficient manner, continue to build on our very strong position in the regulated Italian market – where we will be adding new operators in 2015 – and deliver best-in-breed content wherever our Internet Gaming System is deployed. I believe that Simulated Gaming has the potential to be the online phenomenon of 2015 and we are going to ICE on the back of what was a transformational 2014. We had hugely successful showings at both G2E Las Vegas, and G2E Asia and we are confident of a similar outcome at what is GameAccount’s home show. CR: For those of our readers who aren’t already aware, can you provide a resume of what Simulated Gaming is? DL: Essentially, it is a social gaming product off Facebook which allows players to purchase virtual credits enabling them to play their favourite slot and table games on a website which may be connected to a landbased casino. It’s perfect for landbased casinos that want to offer a form of online gaming in an environ-

ment prior to real money gaming legislation being in place. Our patented iBridge technology allows for an integration into the land-based casino management system which, in turn, allows rewards to be made to players who buy credits online if they have a land-based loyalty card – and where allowed. CR: What are the commercial attractions of Simulated Gaming to land-based operators? DL: Simulated Gaming drives incremental revenue in three main ways. Firstly, and obviously, a stream of players buying virtual credit packages online to play slots and table games. Secondly, in doing so, it re-activates lapsed land-based players and drives them back to the land-based venue for gaming and associated in-venue activities. Finally, it generates new landbased players who may have played online and want to visit the bricks and mortar site. There is a classic accelerator effect for the casino as well as a brand new revenue stream. CR: How do you see the company’s footprint developing in 2015? DL: We have a clear global vision and the international make-up of the ICE visitor base is a major attraction. One of our main strategic aims lies in continuing the penetration of our free to play slots product in North America.

88 | casinoreview February 2015

However, outside of that, we will be launching in Australia later this year and in the real money regulated markets we will continue to develop our business by providing the very best in breed games for our operating partners. Asia remains a very interesting market despite the complexities. The sheer scale of the opportunity there means it can’t be ignored. Our main challenges, and these aren’t unique to us, are dynamic regulations and the somewhat stuttering nature of the roll-out of real money gaming in the US. However, this is also a very positive note for GameAccount as in fact, our free to play solution can be offered without the need for real money regulations to be in place. CR: Those regions aside, where else do you envisage growth? DL: We already have a strong and sustainable business in the regulated .com and .it markets and our aim is to continue to build on our progress. Specifically, we serve content to over 65 per cent of the Italian market and we will be adding new operating partners to our network there. It’s a hugely complex market where there is still a very healthy appetite for strong slot content. In that regard, in addition to the formidable array of titles we offer, we are going to be launching content from a number of innovative content providers over the course of H1 2015. We constantly search for, and are approached by new content developers looking to get their games online. We offer a quick and efficient route to market, which means these companies can get reach to market in a short time frame and exposure of their games with some of the biggest regulated and licensed operators globally. Content is king and we have what we believe is the strongest portfolio of casino and slot games in the market. CR: Finally, can you explain the challenge you are issuing at ICE? DL: Our ICE creative is ‘Faster, Higher Stronger’ and in keeping with this we have issued a challenge to find gaming’s strongest operator at the show. There’s a special trophy for the stand visitor who records the highest score on a traditional fair ground style strength machine, which we have sourced specially for the duration of ICE. It’s a light-hearted way of underlining our key qualities of being able to deliver powerful gaming solutions and, thanks to our agility as a smaller, fitter company - deliver them extremely quickly.

‘Europe plays Last year saw worldfamous bill validator specialist JCM Global spend $72.2m (E61.7m) to purchase ticket dispenser equipment manufacturer FutureLogic and the now larger company is now looking forward to a successful 2015. James Walker speaks to Payam Zedeh, EMEA general manager for JCM Global, about the previous year and what we can expect in the coming months.

GAMING LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL

GLI vows to su With a host of recent mergers and acquisitions highlighting a trend toward diversification across the industry, GLI will be using its experience to chart a regulatory road map for the coming year, according to business development director

James Illingworth.

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GAMEACCOUNT NETWORK / GAMING LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL / JCMYXYXYXY GLOBAL BUSINESS COMMENT: JW@SJC.CO.UK

JAMES ILLINGWORTH “IF YOU LOOK AT THE COMPANIES AND THE RECENT MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS... THEY’RE ALL CROSSING OVER THEIR BUSINESSES TO ENSURE THAT THEIR GAMES ARE GOING ON MULTIPLE PLATFORMS...”

lays a vital role in our global sales strategy’

asino Review: How was business for JCM Global in 2014. Do you have any significant milestones to report? Payam Zedeh: Certainly the most recent milestone was our recent acquisition of FutureLogic. Bringing its printing technology and other system solutions into the JCM portfolio strengthens our overall product offering and brings new options to our existing customer base and to potential customers. Beyond that important news, the past 12 months have been good for JCM around the world across our product lines. Speaking specifically in Europe, since ICE 2014, iVizion has had an incredible run. In Spain, Casinos de Tenerife, Casino Kursaal, the Comar Group, and smi2000 all named iVizion as their preferred bill validator as did Casino Lisboa and Casino Estoril in Portugal and King’s Casino Rozvadov in The Czech Republic. iVizion also had considerable traction at new openings in the United States and replacement and upgrades in markets around the world. Now, as we look to ICE 2015, the addition of FutureLogic products

such as Ticket2Go, which was shown at ICE 2014 and has since gained significant traction across the UK and Europe, the pending launch of Dynamic Network Applications (DNA) and the continuing success of the European Bill Acceptor (EBA) certainly gives us a lot to talk about and allows us even more avenues to help our customers make connections with their consumers. CR: How important is the European market to your overall business, and how would you assess this area over the past year? PZ: Europe plays a vital role in our global sales strategy, particularly for our EMEA office, which is located in Dusseldorf, Germany. Growth has been consistent and steady and we see Europe and the EMEA region as having growth potential in 2015. One area of focus will be the UK marketplace, which has already embraced our Ticket2Go solution, and we anticipate further growth with that product. South Africa will be a large focus for us in 2015. In 2014, JCM entered into a distribution agreement with Global Payment Technologies (GPT) wherein it will sell and service our entire line of bill validation products in South

Africa. This brings JCM products back to South Africa including our iVizion, Transactional Bill Validator (TBV) and new DBV series. We see this region as a growth area for JCM and we are very pleased to have the support of GPT. CR: Which of your products are proving most successful in Europe? PZ: As I mentioned before, the past 12 months have been good for JCM around the world across our product line with iVizion, Ticket2Go, DNA and EBA-40 having notable success across Europe. We have also experienced a great deal of success with our iPRO-RC, particularly in the AWP market, where a secure, reliable note recycling bill validator is a priority. Our innovative technology, combined with our unsurpassed service, continues to make JCM the outstanding choice for operators and suppliers. CR: How important is ICE in your annual show calendar, and what products should we be looking out for on your booth this year? PZ: ICE, like many large international tradeshows where JCM exhibits, plays an important role in our global marketing strategy. We consider ICE to be a valuable part of that strategy, particularly in

Europe and the larger EMEA region. With the acquisition complete, FutureLogic products have been fully integrated into the growing JCM portfolio. Bringing FutureLogic products into the JCM product line adds an exciting layer to our ability to serve many different types of customers around the world and creates a situation where JCM is a onestop shop, which is incredibly convenient for customers. Whether they use other JCM products or not, existing cusFutureLogic tomers can rely on JCM to provide worldclass service and support and all customers now benefit from having an even greater choice of products and an expanded solutions portfolio encompassing technology, validation printing technology and system solutions globally and digital media solutions in North America.

RNATIONAL

to support an industry in transition

ith the biggest European gaming show setting the trading season in motion, businesses across the industry will be considering where to invest for the coming year. For testing and certification lab Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), however, the trade show is a chance to hear about the products they could help bring to market – products that may not even have reached the prototype stage. “ICE is the event of the

year for us, although we’re an Americanowned business,” said James Illingworth, European business development director for the company. “It’s the major event that dictates a lot of our activity for the coming year; where several of our customers launch their new products and discuss future plans.” Although the company tests both land-based and iGaming products, as well as lottery games, the major trend at present is for making established

land-based games available online. Illingworth said: “If you look at the companies and the recent mergers and acquisitions that have gone on with the big organisations, they’re all crossing over their businesses to ensure that their games are going on multiple platforms. Several land-based products are going mobile and online, so we’re seeing a lot of crossover with the games that we’re testing.” One of the primary items on the company’s

agenda in the coming year is to assist emerging markets such as Portugal and Romania, pushing forward talks of opening up an online gaming sector in these areas. “With stability on the land-based sectors in Europe, it’s mobile gaming that will provide the necessary growth for the industry,” added Illingworth. “We’ve also seen some development in the Greek VLT market, which we’ve benefited from in terms of testing for the people involved there.”

Looking forward to 2015, GLI is also focused on expanding the company’s presence throughout southern Europe. “Our Barcelona office had a very good year last year and we are working closely with Spanish companies looking to increase our activity in the online market there,” said Illingworth. “The Italian Bologna office has had a successful year, and we are looking to increase our business with ADVP. We’ve also been testing the new VLT products and platforms and

games in Greece.” Much of the groundwork for the coming months will across three days at ICE, and the company have already booked up several meeting rooms for the bulk of the Tuesday and Wednesday. Illingworth added: “ICE is a busy time. We obviously don’t sell physical products that people can order a set of, but we are an integral part of those products being on other people’s stands and getting to the market for the rest of the year.”

February 2015 casinoreview

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WHY INTERNATIONAL CASINO REVIEW IS THE INDUSTRY’S MEDIA PARTNER OF CHOICE! B

THE BEST WAY TO REACH OPERATORS A

Operators

Regulators/Government/Law

84.2%

Global Circulation

Readership breakdown by sector

16,844

13.8% Suppliers

A READERSHIP OF INFLUENCERS AND DECISION MAKERS A

C-Levels (chairman, president, CEO, partners)

Senior management (Operational managers, sales/ marketing/PR managers…)

30.1%

20.4%

Managing directors/ general managers

Others (senior game designers, ﬁnancial directors…)

46.6%

USA/CANADA/CARIBBEAN

2,004 11.9%

Readership breakdown by job title

2.9% B

INCREASING CROSS CHANNEL READERSHIP A

Land based casino

2.5% Lottery

Slot halls/Street gaming

Online/Mobile

62.9% Readership breakdown by type of gaming

PRINT 4,061

16%

18.6%

When the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Ajara wanted to launch it’s gambling tourism vision for the Black Sea resort of Batumi, it immediately turned to Casino Review appointing it as the exclusive media partner. The integrated above and below the line campaign run only through Casino Review exceeded expectations and resulted in 120 investors from 25 countries traveling to Batumi The EXCLUSIVE European media partner for the Association of Gamto do business. ing Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) and the Official Publication of If you want more information on how International Casino Review the European Casino Association (ECA), the magazine is also used can work with you to help achieve your commercial objectives simby Reed Exhibitions to promote G2E Las Vegas and G2E Macau; ply contact Publisher John Sullivan at jsullivan@gbmedia.eu Monografie S.A to promote SAGSE Buenos Aires and by Clarion Events in support of its flagship London event, ICE Totally Gaming and EiG, Barcelona. With such an extensive, worldwide distribution coupled with award winning production and content it’s no surprise that International Casino Review is the preferred media partner for so many leading industry associations, b2b events and commercial organisations throughout the world.

On average, each print copy of International Casino Review is read by

4.13

GLOBAL COVERAGE

readers

WESTERN EUROPE

10,072 59.8%

CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE

1,769 10.5% ASIA PACIFIC

1,465 8.7% MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA

539

3.2%

CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA

995

5.9%

CIRCULATION BREAKDOWN DIGITAL 12,783

CR148-p92-95-Events & Diary_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 13:31 Page 1

Events

LONDON / MACAU / MADRID / NOVA GORICA / SYDNEY

& Diary SUPPLIER NEWS: JW@SJC.CO.UK

ICE TOTALLY GAMING

Global support for ICE

T Heralding ICE Totally Gaming as the most influential event on the world calendar, the UK’s powerful Gambling Business Group has thrown its support behind the event.

92 | casinoreview February 2015

he Gambling Business Group (GBG), which represents broad swathes of the UK gaming landscape, has announced its support for February’s ICE exhibition. GBG, which was formed in July 2014, has a membership comprising many leading organisations in gaming and boasts former BACTA national president Nick Harding as chairman and respected senior gaming executive Peter Hannibal as CEO. Explaining GBG’s support, Peter Hannibal said: “We have grown significantly since our official launch six months ago and our members account for close to 70 per cent of gross gaming yield in the UK and employ 64,000 people engaged in the UK gambling sector. “I look forward to the opportunity that ICE gives to network with associations and trade groups from throughout the world, to debate the strategic challenges that gaming faces and to showcase our industry to the politicians, advisers and civil servants we intend to host at the exhibition.” ICE attendees will have a unique opportunity to be guided through the history, sovereignty and commercial nature of the Native American gambling industry by National Indian Gaming Association chairman and national spokesman Ernie Stevens. Stevens will be in London to deliver the Tribal Gaming seminar’s ‘US Indian Gaming: The $28bn Dollar Industry’ keynote address. During the free-to-attend session, taking place on February 3, he will explore the impact of the Native American gambling industry and explain how it has evolved into

a multi-billion dollar “gambling juggernaut”. ICE head of content, Ewa Bakun, said: “Tribal gaming is a vital aspect of the US gaming landscape, which is why understanding how tribal sovereignty influences the decisions made by tribal governments, gaming commissions and casinos is now an essential part of doing business in North America. “We have developed the Tribal Gaming seminar to help gaming industry professionals from throughout the world navigate the intricacies of doing business with the tribal community.” Visitors to ICE will once again have access to a host of new companies drawn from across the international gaming landscape, with 67 new exhibitors from 33 jurisdictions confirmed for the London event. Leading the way with the most number of new exhibitors is Malta with 10, followed by host nation the UK (six), Spain (five), Gibraltar (four), the British Virgin Islands and Italy (both three). Stressing the importance of ICE, Anastasia Zencika, marketing and events manager at Latvian-based ECommPay - a first time exhibitor - commented: “We always try to be up-to-date with the new trends in the industry and ICE is the show where we can do this. “Like everyone else we want to get as many sales as possible, but we also want to meet new partners and associates, see what’s going on in the industry, network and have the relevant people who are interested in our services in the samplace.”

THE GAME TO WATCH

CE is staging the second annual ‘Game to Watch’ competition as part of the Game Design and Development Conference. Taking place on Wednesday, February 4, the competition will see four shortlisted independent games developers pitch their ideas to a distinguished panel of industry judges comprising Bruce Bale, head of social gaming and development, Sky Betting and Gaming; Shane Stafford, creative director, Paddy Power; Mark Clohessy, casino and games product manager, BetClic Everest Group; and Yariv Lavi, business development director, 888 Holdings. The panel will question each of the finalists before deciding on the winner.

Peter Hannibal, Gambling Business Group

CR148-p92-95-Events & Diary_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 13:32 Page 2

Events

& Diary

AUSTRALASIAN GAMING EXPO

IBEROAMERICAN GAMING SUMMIT

Iberoamerican Gaming Summit coming in June

AGE returning to Glebe Island in August

Annual gaming exhibition AGE will revisit Sydney in August, as it welcomes gaming professionals from across Australasia and the world. eaturing more than 180 exhibitors spread across 15,600sq.m of exhibition space, this year’s edition of the Australasian Gaming Expo (AGE) is set to run from August 11-13 at the Sydney Exhibition Centre at Glebe Island. The biggest event of its type in Australasia, the 2015 version of AGE with see a line-up of leading firms such as Atlas Gaming, Cashpoint Payment Solutions, VFJ Currency Equipment, Ainsworth Game Technology, Abacus Cash Systems, Aristocrat Technologies Australia, Global Gaming Industries and Karo Australia showing off their latest gaming and related equipment and services wares

FER-INTERAZAR

FER-Interazar returns to Madrid in March

94 | casinoreview February 2015

while free entry for industry executives comes courtesy of the Gaming Technologies Association. “Visitors have long acknowledged that the world’s best and latest gaming and hospitality equipment is on show at the AGE for gaming and hospitality executives from around the region,” read a statement from organisers. “The expo is also acknowledged among exhibitors as being superior to other similar events, offering excellent business potential.” AGE moved to a temporary home on Glebe Island last year so that the nearby Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre could undergo a transformation,

which is due to be completed by the end of 2016, and although there is no pedestrian access to the interim site, free dedicated transport services including ferries and buses will operate for the duration of the event. “Glebe Island, as a new facility, has a lot of positive features and the natural light is excellent,” said Lindsay Verdon from Paynter Dixon in advance of last year’s show. “We will be able to create a stand with more design flair. The AGE event has been held at Darling Harbour for 24 years and this move will enlighten and boost our enthusiasm for new ideas, which our industry is all about.”

he organisers of the FER-Interazar trade show have confirmed that the 35th edition of the annual Spanish exhibition will be held from March 24-26 inside the giant IFEMA Feria De Madrid complex. FER-Interazar will showcase the latest innovations and trends in the world of gaming from a variety of com-

panies including Cocamatic, Aristocrat Technologies, Zitro, Unidesa, Suzo-Happ, OM Vending, Innovative Technology, FBM Gaming, Finyseg, Bet Construct, Dosniha Gaming, Sam Billiards and Leisure , Novomatic Gaming Spain, GiGames, Synot, Crane Payment Innovations, Eurocoin, Falgas Industries, Jofemar, Ortiz Gaming and R Franco. “FER-Interazar 2015 will present the latest developments and trends in the world of gambling,” read a statement from the organisers. “It is a must for the recreational sector and will welcome a vast number of domestic enterprises as well as a large number of professionals from Europe, America and Asia. Experts from the gaming industry and leisure will meet for news of the sector covering the areas of spares and accessories as well as gaming machines, foosball, billiards, darts, rides, vending and payment systems.”

he organisers of the Iberoamerican Gaming Summit will be taking a stand at the upcoming ICE extravaganza in London to promote the benefits of their second annual Madrid event, which is scheduled to take place on June 17 at the historic Teatro Real. Under the theme ‘Gaming, a common bond: facing challenges and opening markets’, the Iberoamerican Gaming Summit, which is being supported by the Spanish Ministry for Finance and Public Administration through its Directorate General for Gambling Management, will serve as an analysis platform for gaming professionals from around Spain and the world and those interested can visit ExCeL in order to receive additional information. “This annual event is presented as a platform for the discussion and exchange of knowledge and experiences covering the integration, innovation, consolidation and internationalisation of a sector that is of great economic importance,” read a statement from the organisers. “All of the information about the second annual Iberoamerican Gaming Summit, which has become a reference point for the sector in Latin America and Iberia, will be available at ICE. “The Iberoamerican Gaming Summit will enable knowledge sharing and the strengthening of business ties with a view to boosting a key sector of the economy. It will also analyse the current situation of the emerging Latin American market and find keys to continue the integration of interests, innovation and internationalisation.”

CR148-p92-95-Events & Diary_Coinslot NEW 31/01/2015 13:32 Page 3

AGE / ECA DEALER CHAMPIONSHIPS / FER INTERAZAR / G2E ASIA / IBEROAMERICAN GAMING SUMMIT / ICE TOTALLY GAMING 2015

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EUROPEAN DEALER CHAMPIONSHIP

UK Dealer Championship comes to ICE The UK’s best casino dealers will be at London’s ExCel on February 4 to take part in special competition being supported by European Casino Association , National Casino Forum and TCS John Huxley . he nation’s best casino dealers will meet at ICE to compete in the UK Dealer Championship, with the winner set to represent the country at the upcoming European Casino Association Dealer Championship, which will take place from May 12-13 at the Hit Casino Park in Nova Gorica, Slovenia. Being organised by the National Casino Forum in partnership with the European Casino Association, the UK Dealer Championship will start from 11am on February 4 from a special competition area adjacent to event sponsor TCS John Huxley’s stand S5-250. Competitors are to be judged in American roulette and blackjack across a range of key disciplines including hospitality,

control of the game and technical skills. There will also be a series of side events to determine the best chipper, card handler and mathematician as well as prizes for those judged to be

most proficient at cutting chips and pushing stacks. The winning UK competitor will progress to the ninth annual European Casino Association Dealer Championship where they will test their skills against the best in Europe including reigning champion Lars Mikkelsen from Denmark’s Casino Copenhagen and two-time runner-up Amir Ben Said of Finland. “It’s entirely fitting that the UK leg of this fabulous international competition should take place at the world’s most international gaming event,” said Kate Chambers, portfolio director for ICE, which is taking place at London’s ExCeL from February 3-5. “The European Casino Association and the

National Casino Forum are great allies of the exhibition and have both made major contributions to its development over the years. Bringing the UK Dealer Championship to ExCeL is a major honour and one that adds prestige to the ICE brand. “As well as seeing the latest products and services being displayed on the show floor and networking with gaming’s smartest minds at ICE conferences, visitors can now also appreciate the dexterity and hospitality skills of the UK’s most accomplished dealers. This is a great addition to the multi-faceted activities, events and gatherings that come together to comprise the ICE experience.”

G2E ASIA

Ninth annual G2E Asia coming in May

he next edition of G2E Asia will take place from May 19-21 at the Venetian Macau and is again expected to welcome hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of visitors from around Asia as well as the wider world. Organised by the American Gaming Association (AGA), G2E Asia made its debut in June of 2007 and last year’s edition attracted numerous leading suppliers and manufacturers of gaming equipment including Aristocrat Techologies, Gamesman, GameAccount Network, Bally Technologies, Konami Gaming, Gtech, Crane Payment Innovations (CPI), DLV, Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), Amatic Industries, Suzo-Happ Group, Novomatic, Matsui, Aruze Gaming, Dallmeier, WMS Gaming, Casino Technology, JCM Global, Ainsworth Game Technology, TCS John Huxley, LT Game, Abbiati, IGT and Gaming Partners International (GPI). The event in the former Portuguese enclave is also expected to include a full programme of conferences and talks covering the latest developments from most of the region’s existing and emerging markets such as Japan, Russia, Vietnam, South Korea, Cambodia and The Philippines. The 2014 edition saw experts including Gamal Aziz from Wynn

Opinions expressed in this publication should not be regarded as the official view of GB Media Corporation Ltd, except where stated. Views, opinions and recommendations contained in this publication are put forward for consideration only. No action should be taken in reliance upon any such views, opinions or recommendations. Neither GB Media Corporation Ltd nor contributors accept any responsibility for any loss occasioned to any person howsoever caused or arising as a result of or in consequence of action taken or refrained from in realiance on the contents of this publication. Notes for contributors The Editorial Board welcomes the submission of articles for consideration by the editor with a view to publication. Articles submitted will not be returned and accordingly contributors making submissions should retain copies. Submission of an article will be held to imply that the article contains original unpublished work which GB Media Corporation Ltd may lawfully publish. All submissions are made at the owner’s risk. © GB Media Corporation Ltd 2015 All rights strictly reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission is given, full acknowledgement of author, publisher and source must be given.

| DIARY FEBRUARY 2015 3-5 ICE Totally Gaming ExCeL London Exhibition Centre, London UK www.icetotallygaming.com

MARCH 2015 9-11 Gaming Technology Conference Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, US www.gamingtechnologyconf.com 18-19 FADJA Peru Atlantic City Convention & Entertainment Centre, Lima, Peru www.fadja.com.pe 25-26 Caribbean Gaming Show & Summit 2015 San Juan, Puerto Rico www.caribbeangamingshow.com 30-1 Indian Gaming San Diego San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California, US www.indiangaming.org/events/tradeshow

APRIL 2015 8-9 FADJA Colombia Corferias, Bogota, Colombia info@fadja.com

MAY 2015 5-7 Southern Gaming Summit & Bingo World Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Centre, Biloxi, Mississippi, US www.sgsummit.com 13-14 SAGSE Central America & Caribbean Hotel El Panama, Panama City, Panama www.monografie.com 19-21 G2E Asia The Venetian Macau, Macau www.g2easia.com

Macau, Edward Bowers of MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment’s Will Shen sharing their knowledge and this is to be reprised for May’s extravaganza. For the first time, the 2014 G2E Asia conference programme featured a one-day series on iGaming as over a third of attendees came from the online gaming community and included bingo, casino, lottery, mobile and social gaming providers and operators. It is expected that this will continue for this year’s show with attendees able to

learn how to best exploit digital opportunities, forge valuable partnerships and embrace the future. A wide range of non-gaming content was introduced for last year’s G2E Asia and this will almost certainly continue in 2015 under the guidance of the new board featuring MGM China’s Pansy Ho as co-chairperson and featuring Allan Zeman from Lan Kwai Fong Group, Melco Crown’s Ted Chan, Michael Mecca of Galaxy Entertainment. February 2015 casinoreview

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