GOODS&SERVICES

SIGHTLINE PLAY+ ACCOUNTS OFFERING LIMITS UP TO $1 MILLION

On February 7, Sightline Payments introduced VIP Select, which allows invited clientele to access a Play+ account with a balance of up to $1 million, a significant increase from current limits via Sightline’s VIP program. Gaming operators will be able to offer the VIP Select option to patrons via invitation only.

VIP Select patrons will undergo an enhanced due-diligence process, including an extensive application process and verified history with their operator account. A patron will not be eligible for VIP Select without a proven account in good standing and verification that the customer is not on any responsible gaming, self-exclusion, or other watchlists. The new high-limit program has the same account structure as a traditional Play+ account, ensuring that operators can enable this feature for their patrons with no additional development.

“Our partners want the ability to offer increased account limits to their high-value clients,” said Jamie Parks, vice president and product manager, payments. “Operators have long viewed Play+ as an indispensable payment solution across the gaming industry, and offerings like VIP Select further solidify our place as the payments solution across North America.”

Sightline’s flagship Play+ product enables consumers to safely access gaming and entertainment with nearly every regulated digital gaming company in the United States. The Play+ cashless offering enables players to place their funds in a secure, FDIC-insured account, giving them access to their funds anywhere, anytime, while also earning rewards for all of their spending.

ARUZE LAUNCHES MUSO CURVE-55 IN EUROPE

Aruze Gaming Europe announced that the Muso Curve-55, one of the company’s top gaming cabinets, will be available in the European market for the first time. The Muso Curve-55 is a part of Aruze’s premium line, bringing the most upto-date casino gaming experience to the European market.

The company made the announcement ahead of last month’s ICE London trade show, where the cabinet was shown to European customers.

ICE PRESENTS ‘LANDMARK AWARDS’

Some of the industry’s most influential personalities and best-known commercial organizations were honored in the ICE Landmark Awards, presented at the show last month.

The lineup of Landmark recipients comprise Ernie Stevens, Jr., chairman and national spokesman for the Indian Gaming Association, whose leadership during Covid helped to protect and preserve tribal gaming and secure the vital funding needed to keep tribal casinos solvent through the worst of the pandemic.

Stevens was joined by another U.S. industry stalwart, Roy Student, who celebrated 50 years in the business, a career which included being part of the executive team responsible for opening the original Las Vegas MGM Grand in 1973, and includes such technological advances as central accounting programs, player tracking innovations and server-based gaming. Student was one of the first to emphasize the importance of non-gaming revenue.

European-based Landmark recipients include veteran industry journalist David Snook, who first reported on the exhibition, then known as ATEI, in 1968; and Per Jaldung, who has served as chairman of the European Casino Association since 2015.

The posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award was granted to Jimmy Thomas, who died July 30 at 88 years old. Thomas was a pioneer, innovator and philanthropist whose creative spark changed the face of the U.K. gambling industry. Simon Thomas, who is executive chairman of the Hippodrome Casino, accepted the ICE Landmark in honor of his father.

The Muso Curve-55 delivers alluring aesthetics, with its midnight black color and dynamic 55-inch screen. Honeycomb pattern design and eye-catching graphics attract attention from all over the gaming floor.

According to a recent report from Eilers-Fantini Research, the Muso Curve55 is one of the top-performing cabinets in the North American market. Research shows that the cabinet entered the market as the top-performing portrait cabinet and has remained on the list of top performers.

Super Group To Sell B2b Division To Games Global

The parent company to Betway, Super Group, and multi-brand online casino Spin, have agreed to the sale of a division of Digital Gaming Corporation to Games Global. The non-core B2B sale is expected to be finalized in the latter half of the year.

Games Global, a leading supplier of content to the iGaming industry, deals with more than 200 customers across the world.

Operating in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan and Connecticut, DGC’s B2B division brings global expertise and experience to the U.S. market, while supplying games content.

Walter Bugno, CEO of Games Global, said the sale presents an exciting opportunity.

“The acquisition accelerates our entry into the growing U.S. iGaming market,” Bugno said, according to European Gaming. “This will enable us to access some of the best operators in the sector and… leverage our portfolio of over 50 partner studios, more than 3,000 proprietary games and a record-breaking progressive jackpot network, including Mega Moolah and Wow Pot, which have paid out over €1.5 billion since inception.”

LIGHT & WONDER TRIALS VLT HARDWARE IN OREGON

Slot supplier Light & Wonder, Inc. has entered a deal with the Oregon Lottery to test its newest video lottery terminal cabinet and games. Light & Wonder will test 100 of its new Kascada Dual Screen Multi-Game VLTs at retailers around the Salem, Oregon area.

The cabinets will feature games including Treasure Fruits, Flush Frenzy Poker, Lightning Tusks, American Original Stars & Bars, Bier Haus, Blazing Hot Celebrations and Quick Hits Money Wheel. The trial, which is set to begin in March, will mark the first release of the Kascada Dual Screen Multi-Game domestically.

HALL, PUROHIT NAMED CHAIRMAN, VICE CHAIRMAN OF IGSA

The members of the International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA) have elected their board of directors for 2023. Following the election process, the board of directors met to select its chair and vice chair. The members and appointees are as follows:

• Chairman: Earle G. Hall, President & CEO, AXES.ai

• Vice Chairman: Nimish Purohit, Global Vice President of Quality-Gaming, Aristocrat Gaming

• Treasurer: Paul Burns, ALC (ex-officio, retired)

“I speak for the entire management team when I say congratulations and thank you to our elected board members for this new and exciting year,” said Peter DeRaedt, president of IGSA. “We have a great roadmap this year and the members could not have selected a better board to lead our initiatives.”

“I am honored to represent the prestigious global membership of this fine organization,” stated Hall. “Our industry needs us more than ever. The acceleration of artificial intelligence, payments, cloud, and security issues require new standards to support our members and our regulators. This year will be a great year, and we plan to serve our members with pride, diligence and proximity.”

Lipparelli Elected Chairman Of Icrg

The International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG) convened last month in Las Vegas and elected Mark Lipparelli as chair of the governing board. The board also welcomed new members Birgitte Sand, former executive director of the Danish Gambling Authority, and M. Cristina Romero De Alba, partner at the LOYRA law firm in Madrid, Spain.

Lipparelli, the founder of Gioco Ventures LLC, is the past chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board and a past member of the Nevada state Senate. He has served on numerous boards of gaming companies and is the current board chairman of Galaxy Gaming.

The ICRG Board honored outgoing chair Alan M. Feldman for his vision and leadership, and tire- less work on behalf of the ICRG’s mission. Feldman is Distinguished Fellow in Responsible Gaming at the International Gaming Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Sand served as executive director at the Danish Gambling Authority from 2008 to 2020. She is currently an independent consultant covering gambling legislation and regulation, gambling authorities, player self-exclusion, responsible gambling, market strategies, reporting and the use of gambling data.

De Alba specializes in advising financial institutions and investors including private equity, operators and suppliers in the gaming and betting industry. She is focused on multi-jurisdiction and cross-border transactions as well as regulatory and licensing proceedings in the United States, Latin America, the European Union and the United Kingdom.

Ags Appoints Industry Veteran And Lead Independent Director Adam Chibib As Chairman Of The Board

PlayAGS, Inc., a leading supplier of high-performing slot, table and interactive products and services to the global gaming industry, announced the company’s board of directors has appointed Adam Chibib, current board member and lead independent director, as chairman of the board. Chibib succeeds David Sambur, who recently stepped down from the board after serving as chairman for the past five years and as a member of the board since 2013.

“We are excited to welcome Adam as our new board chairman,” said AGS President, Chief Executive Officer and board member David Lopez. “He is an incredibly well-respected leader within the gaming industry, and his depth of experience has been invaluable to AGS throughout his years of service. Adam’s guidance and leadership from day one of the company’s initial public offering has played a critical role in shaping who we are as a company today. I look forward to continue working with him in his new role.”

Chibib commented, “I am extremely honored to serve as AGS’ chairman of the board. Over the past five years, I have gained a great deal of respect for my fellow board members and the company’s executive leadership team. I look forward to leveraging my previous experience in gaming and other industries to help guide AGS to the next level.”

Erwin Van Lambaart Named European Casino Association Chairman

In a unanimous vote, Erwin van Lambaart has been elected by the European Casino Association (ECA) as the new chairman of the organization. The announcement was made after the ECA General Assembly, held at ICE London 2023.

Van Lambaart replaces Per Jaldung, who was chairman for the last eight years. Jaldung was recognized by his successor in the press release announcing the change.

“I would personally like to thank Per Jaldung for his distinguished stewardship of the association and for his ongoing support, advice and leadership,” van Lambaart said. “I look forward to working with him in the future and wish him the best in his new ventures.”

Serving on the ECA board since 2021, van Lambaart brings a wealth of experience to the position. He served as CEO of Holland Casinos for six years and most recently was named chief executive of Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries in March 2022. Prior to working in the casino industry, van Lambaart worked in a series of other senior roles across the media, hospitality, event, marketing and entertainment sectors.