Goods Services

ACRES LAUNCHES ‘CASHLESS CASINO’ APP

Acres Manufacturing Company has launched an app that enables implementation of cashless wagering more quickly than any other technology.

Called “Cashless Casino,” the new application enables casino operators to deploy the industry’s best-of-breed cashless gaming and loyalty solution within 15 weeks of order. Cashless Casino is powered by Acres’ Foundation technology, the industry’s only solution capable of processing both real-time gaming data and cashless transfers to and from any slot machine or table game.

Acres’ efforts to innovate solutions that enable a more intuitive adoption of cashless gaming technology will help set the stage for the option of a completely cashless casino gaming floor within a few years, which will eliminate cash-handling expenses and drive a better overall player experience.

“Early deployments of Foundation cashless gaming have proven that cashless players increase their play and visitation,” said Noah Acres of Acres Manufacturing. “As a result, casino operators are increasingly expressing wide-scale interest in deploying cashless gaming technology.

“However, implementing cashless gaming quickly becomes a burdensome, do-it-yourself project for operators, as they struggle through the limitations of decades-old legacy casino management system (CMS) technologies to integrate a payment processor and user interface while solving for dispute resolution and regulatory compliance. These issues have dramatically slowed industry adaptation of cashless gaming.

“Cashless Casino addresses this challenge by making the rollout incredibly easy and intuitive, as it enables operators to focus on player education and the gaming entertainment experience.”

Cashless Casino works on any slot machine or table game, including those connected to casino management systems from Aristocrat, IGT, Konami and Light & Wonder. These legacy CMS solutions continue to account for play and loyalty data, while Foundation processes the entire machine event stream in real time, resulting in over a thousand times more data being provided to the casino.

Casinos can select one or more payment providers, including Everi, FABICash, Flexia, Koin, Sightline Payments and Trustly. An interface to Marker Trax, a casino marker solution, is also included.

Furthermore, Cashless Casino satisfies all regulatory requirements by providing audit reports and dispute resolution tools and can serve as the required system of record.

“Cashless Casino allows gaming operators to position themselves for an entirely cashless future in which casinos transition away from physical player cards, kiosks, and direct mail,” said Acres. “These legacy technologies and practices are quickly being abandoned by other industries, and by implementing Cashless Casino, operators can engage with their customers more easily in the mediums they prefer while also benefiting from operating efficiencies.

“Driving higher loyalty engagement is the core value proposition of our Foundation technology, and incorporating innovative player loyalty features into Cashless Casino is a key differentiator in the player experience. Cashless Casino enables casino operators to significantly improve their connection and engagement with their players.”

SEMINOLE CASINOS DEBUT ARISTOCRAT PROGRESSIVE SLOT

Building on the success of its high-denomination slot machine Dragon Link, Aristocrat Gaming and Seminole Gaming recently launched the Dollar Storm slot, which offers a progressive jackpot starting at $1 million. The machine can only be found at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino properties in Hollywood and Tampa, Florida. Each location offers its own $1 million jackpot.

“The addition of this game to both of these casino floors is another example of how Aristocrat continues to bring engaging high-limit content to slot players,” said Aristocrat Gaming Senior Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Business Analytics Jon Hanlin.

Seminole Gaming Vice President of Gaming Operations Juan Martinez said, “Since November 2021, we’ve had seven $1 million winners on our Dragon Link machines across our Seminole Hard Rock properties in Hollywood and Tampa. Now we can offer the $1 million progressive awards to an even larger audience with the new $5 minimum bet option.”

SEGA SAMMY TO INTRODUCE NEW CABINET AT G2E ASIA

Slot supplier Sega Sammy Creation announced it will launch its Genesis Crest 43J cabinet to Asian markets at the G2E Asia: Special Edition Singapore trade show in August.

Featuring a stylish 43-inch J-curve 4K monitor, the Genesis Crest 43J features a player panel highlighted by a 13.3-inch LCD touch screen and a wireless phone charger. The full HD 27-inch topper allows for clear and sharp images to be displayed with maximum visibility.

“On top of the top-notch quality and reliability, the Genesis Crest 43J also makes maintenance easier and more efficient for technical service,” said Masahiro Kurosaki, managing director of Sega Sammy Creation. “We have spent the past few years developing and planning the best hardware and software combination, and the result is what I believe is our strongest cabinet offering to date. The game content will make full use of the hardware capabilities and allow for a broad range of game types and features.”

The Genesis Crest 43J will provide an expansive game library with a variety of content to cater to any market, according to the company.

LIGHT & WONDER ACCEPTS AMENDED SALE AGREEMENT FOR OPENBET

Light & Wonder announced that it has reached an amended agreement with Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. to sell its sports betting division, OpenBet, to Endeavor for $800 million, down by a third from the original deal for $1.2 billion. Analysts say the amended deal reflects depressed valuations in the sports betting marketplace.

Under the definitive purchase agreement with Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company, Wonder will receive $750 million in cash and $50 million in Class A common stock of Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc., based on the volume weighted average price of such stock in the 20 days before the date of the amendment, or total gross proceeds of $800 million and estimated total net after-tax proceeds of approximately $700 million.

“The amended purchase agreement provides a strong valuation in the current market,” said L&W in a press release, “and also increases the speed and certainty of closing by modifying the conditions for closing, including Endeavor’s agreement to waive the closing condition requiring regulatory approval by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, if required.”

Under the revised terms, the transaction is anticipated to close by the end of the third quarter of 2022, subject to the remaining applicable regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. The recently completed sale of the Scientific Games lottery business and the pending sale of OpenBet will cumulatively generate approximately $5.6 billion of estimated net after-tax proceeds.

IGT COMPLETESiSOFTBET ACQUISITION

International Game Technology PLC announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of online and mobile game content supplier and aggregator iSoftBet in a cash deal valued at €160 million (US$164.4 million).

The acquisition more than doubles the IGT PlayDigital content library to approximately 225 proprietary games, in addition to providing a world-class, proprietary game aggregation platform to distribute third-party games, and leading datadriven promotional and user-engagement tools.

Oakvale Capital LLP acted as lead financial adviser to IGT. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz served as legal adviser to IGT and KPMG LLP acted as the company’s tax and financial due diligence adviser. M. Firon & Co. and Wiggin LLP served as legal adviser to iSoftBet. BDO Israel acted as independent registered public accounting and tax firm of iSoftBet.

ZITRO’S GLARE INSTALLED IN SPAIN

Slot and bingo supplier Zitro announced that the BR Group has installed titles in the company’s new Glare family of cabinets in its Bingo Plaza in Murcia, Spain, with other BR bingo halls in Murcia to follow.

Among Zitro’s titles at the venues on the new Altius Glare are the multi-game Wheel of Legends, while the Allure Glare cabinet features the Bashiba Egyptian title.

“With the new Zitro games and cabinets, we offer a wide variety of gaming experiences to cover the variety of customers we have in our gaming hall,” said a BR Group representative. “We are happy with the reception these games are getting.”

Zitro’s products have been deployed as of late in the Spanish market and Latin American jurisdictions such as Mexico and Peru, with Glare cabinets expanding across bingo halls such as Mexico’s Palace Bingo & Sports Bets Casino group properties, Codere’s Bingo Canoe in Madrid and more.

HIVESTACK AND AXES SIGN STRATEGIC ‘DOOH’ PARTNERSHIP

AXES.ai CEO Earle Hall

AXES.ai announced last month it has concluded a global strategic alliance with Hivestack, the world’s leading independent programmatic digital-outof-home (DOOH) ad tech company.

This partnership will enable AXES to connect the Hivestack supply-side platform (SSP) to the AXES omnichannel demand-side platform (DSP) to broadcast premium, programmatic DOOH cross-channel media campaigns on a global scale to the more than 25,000 AXES DOOH screens as well as push content to the mobile applications in the AXES App Store.

“We are very excited about the value-add to our clients,” stated Earle G. Hall, president and CEO of AXES.ai. “Hivestack has built a cuttingedge supply-side platform that offers tremendous real-time value, content, data and statistics. The Hivestack content-rich platform will definitely be a tremendous added value to our clients and their customer journeys.”

“AXES is a global technology leader in the land-based casino segment,” added Bruno Guerrero, COO of Hivestack. “Their cloud-based platform offers many revenue-generating opportunities, and we are excited to penetrate this new market segment with AXES. The Hivestack expertise, technology and data will fuel this partnership so that AXES can create extraordinary value for its clients, and we are proud to have created this exciting partnership.”

JACKPOT DIGITAL DEBUTS PAIR OF ETGsAT SD’S ROSEBUD CASINO

Jackpot Digital Inc. has completed the installation of two Jackpot Blitz electronic table games (ETGs) at South Dakota’s Rosebud Casino. The games officially went live on June 29.

The tables can seat up to 10 players, and feature a state-of-the-art 84-inch touchscreen.

Jackpot Digital Inc. is a leading ETG manufacturer for the cruise ship industry and regulated casino industry. The company specializes in multi-player gaming products, including poker and casino games, which are complemented by a suite of back-end tools for operators to efficiently control and optimize their gaming business.

SLOT MACHINE DELIVERIES HIT SUPPLY CHAIN ROCKS

The deliveries of slot machines to about 30 casinos, some of them expansions or new properties in North America, are maneuvering through shoals of supply chain issues that occasionally spill out onto the rocks.

According to a report in the Nevada Independent, as many as 13,700 new slot machines are in danger of not being delivered to the casinos that need them.

The main issues are high-tech components, the same kind of components that are forcing some car manufacturers to leave their automobiles sitting unfinished in factories. The most attention is being paid to bill validators, which are attached to slots and accept cash or ticket vouchers—and convert them into credits.

The manufacturers are largely in Asia, and many of them are in China, which is experiencing problems due to its extended Covid-19 epidemic lockdowns.

Eilers & Krejcik Gaming partner Todd Eilers told the Independent, “Everyone is trying to figure out a work-around.”