April 2010
Oser Communications Group
San Diego
FreeAxez: The Wire Management Solution Providing Performance And Flexibility
International Merchant Services Focuses On Ease-Of-Use And Simplicity For Customers
Market Timing Key To Tulalip Gaming Organization’s Continued Success
CMI Gaming Helps Casinos Make The Most Of Their Poker Rooms With PokerTable IQ
John E. Miller, Vice President of FreeAxez USA, tells us about his company.
By Neil C. Johnson, President of International Merchant Services
GN: Tell us about FreeAxez and what you offer the industry.
Judith Katz, President and CEO of CMI Gaming, a Mount Prospect, Ill.-based developer of award-winning tracking software solutions, talks about the company’s background and what they offer the gaming industry.
JM: FreeAxez is an all-steel, low-profile, quick-connect access flooring system. FreeAxez provides a cost-effective and very flexible wire management system
International Merchant Services Inc., known as IMS, has been working in credit card processing, check verification, check guarantee and ATM processing and deployment for nearly two decades. In the late ’80s we were primarily in check verification, check guarantee and credit card processing and equipment
Ken Kettler, President and COO of the Tulalip Gaming Organization— which includes the Tulalip Resort Casino, Tulalip Bingo and Quil Ceda Creek Casino complexes— explains his company’s for success.
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strategies
GN: Why did your company decide to enter the gaming industry?
GN: Tell us about Tulalip Resort Casino.
JK: With our background in developing
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Fort McDowell Sets Standard For Casino Entertainment In Southwest
JE Dunn Specializes In Swift, Quality Expert Building Construction
PENTA Building Group Brings Experience, Efficiency To Every New Project
SVT Gaming A Long-Time Leader In Gaming, Entertainment And Hospitality Industries
Fort McDowell Casino is your destination for real gaming 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The latest state-of-the-art slot machines, poker, bingo, keno, five restaurants and lounges and some of the finest entertainers—the Fort has it all. Whether it’s a tournament or a live cash poker game, you can go all in at
NIGA associate member JE Dunn Construction has been building quality facilities since 1924 and is a Native American gaming construction leader. Their team members boast substantial gaming experience with proven performance records in new construction, additions and renovations for casino, hotel, office buildings and health care facility projects.
The PENTA Building Group is one of the leading general contractors in the western United States, with offices in Las Vegas, Reno Spa Resort Casino and Palm Desert. Palm Springs, Calif. PENTA can provide services on a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) basis, with pre-construction services (budgeting,
By Josh Shanahan, Executive V.P., Director, SVT Gaming
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Sport View Technologies, also known as SVT Gaming, has been an industry leader in the gaming, entertainment and hospitality industries for more than 55 years. SVT provides electronic systems including audio-visual, digital signage, surveillance, facility access control, stage Continued on Page 18
Perini Builds Success On Quality Construction And Strong Client Relationships
Swinerton Builders Delivers Gaming Success Through Customer-Focused Service
Sycuan Band Of The Kumeyaay Nation Works To Benefit Community
Innovation & Performance: Optec Displays Builds 112-Foot Ad For WinStar World Casino
Perini Building Company is a leading builder of Native American hospitality and gaming projects. The company specializes in quality ontime and on-budget projects throughout the United States and is committed to building strong client relationships. Major Native American projects built by Perini are Mohegan Sun Expansion,
Jeff Hoopes, President of Swinerton Inc., reveals what makes his company successful.
Daniel J. Tucker, Tribal Chairman of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, discusses what lies ahead for his company.
DT: The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation is a federally recognized Native
The WinStar World Casino (Thackerville, Okla.), the fifth-largest casino in the United States and operated by the Chickasaw Nation, features a 24/7 gaming floor that is a half-mile long, with 519,000 square feet of casino entertainment. WinStar World Casino offers more than 5,700 electronic games, 76 blackjack and poker tables, off-track
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GN: Tell us about Swinerton Builders. JH: Swinerton Builders, established in 1888, provides a range of general construction and construction management services and is a subsidiary company of Continued on Page 22
GN: Tell us about the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation.
4
April 2010
Gaming News
Poker Room Management Solution From CMI Gaming Leads To Bottom-Line Success
A First Look PUBLICATION NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION
Lee M. Oser CEO and Editor-in-Chief
Flip on the TV and you’ll see poker tournaments on ESPN, Fox Sports, the Travel Channel, Bravo and the Game Show Network. Poker, in fact, has become a popular recreational pursuit, with about 11 percent of Americans reporting that they enjoy playing Omaha Hi-Lo Split, Texas Hold ‘Em, Five Card Draw―or one of the game’s many other variations. The surge in poker popularity in recent years is good news for casino owners. Some might even call it a stroke of good luck. But successful businesses don’t rely
on luck alone. As a result, casino managers need to turn such good fortune into a healthy bottom-line. Certainly Mitch Bintliff, former poker manager at 4 Bears Casino & Lodge, New Town, N.D., realized that simply opening a poker room was not enough. The casino needed to find a way to effectively manage its poker operation. Challenge No. 1? Finding an affordable software system that offered all of the high-end management functionality that the casino needed. Enter PokerTable
IQ, an easy-to-use, customizable, standalone poker room management system from CMI Gaming, a Mount Prospect, Ill.-based technology developer with more than 20 years of experience developing advanced management solutions. “The CMI Gaming System is allowing us to reward our players in ways that we couldn’t afford to do previously. We are able to market to our players and utilize the system to set thresholds for elite
Steve Cox Senior Associate Publisher
Kim Forrester Michael Harris Deb McQueen Lyle Sapp Kate Seymour Associate Publishers
JoEllen Lowry Senior Associate Editor
Justyn Dillingham Associate Editor
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Valerie Wilson Art Director
Innovative Technology/Bellis Technology Deliver Bill And Coin Acceptors At Affordable Rates Cathy Doucette, Vice President of Sales at Bellis Technology, discusses their objectives, plans, products and promotions. GN: Tell our readers about your company. CD: Innovative Technology, a manufacturer of high-performance bill acceptors, was established in 1992 by David Bellis, MBE. Innovative is based in Oldham,
England, with offices and manufacturing facilities worldwide. Bellis Technology is the U.S.-based sales and service operation of Innovative. We believe in delivering superior products at a competitive price with customer service backing that is second-to-none. GN: What was the most significant event or series of events affecting your company
Yasmine Brown
in the past year?
Graphic Designer
CD: The most significant event affecting our company in 2009 was the re-launch of Bellis here in the United States. We opened our technical hub in Chicago in 1999 to service customers in the telephone card business using a dispensing card product that we manufactured. We are the largest manufacturer of bill acceptors in Europe; we now seek to have the same strong market presence here. So, last year, we opened regional offices across the country and began working with our national sales team. We’ve made Continued on Page 16
Paul Harris Bill Morris Account Managers
Lorrie Baumann Business Affairs Manager
Enrico Cecchi European Sales Gaming News is published by Oser Communications Group ©2010. All rights reserved. Executive and editorial offices at: 1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715 520-721-1300/Fax: 520-721-6300 www.oser.com/www.firstlookpublishing.com European offices located at Lungarno Benvenuto Cellini, 11, 50125 Florence, Italy.
8
April 2010
Gaming News
Multimedia Games’ TournEvent Takes Slot Tournaments To The Next Level Multimedia Games’ revolutionary TournEvent™ slot tournament system, the easiest-to-use-system of its kind in the market today, provides a number of quantifiable benefits for slot floor managers and is changing the way casino operators utilize slot tournaments to maximize their promotional programs. TournEvent is the first server-based gaming system that clearly demonstrates significant operational enhancements for
slot managers while simultaneously providing the tournament player with a higher level of entertainment. It allows a slot floor manager to create a slot tournament at the push of a button without the need to conduct time-consuming chip changes or machine moves. Once the floor manager triggers a tournament through the use of TournEvent’s control center, the excitement begins. The system puts
‘OnStage Casinos’: A Tool For Producers And Buyers, Featuring Visual Entertainment Without The Fluff OnStage Casinos will prove to be one of the hottest and most sought-after resources for talent buyers in the Casino market. It may sound like a stout statement, but it will live up to the hype. Here’s why: OnStage Media Group’s publications are all in ad format. Unlike a listing directory, it gives entertainers a greater area to paint a picture. What’s more, it is
a publication filled with nothing but entertainment; no articles, no editorials. It is a super-saturated source for entertainment. OnStage Media Group has successfully produced these types of booking guides in other entertainment markets for more than six years! They know it works. They have seen firsthand how effective this tool is for both producers and buyers. There is no
dynamic overhead signs into action, displaying real-time leader boards and countdown clocks as well as tournament results at the conclusion of play. In addition, using a camera embedded in the game cabinet—Multimedia Games’ newest addition to TournEvent—the system can also display live streaming video of tournament winners on the overhead display. The tournament experience is heightened through a wide variety of other visual and audio effects. Multimedia Games’ cabinets feature the latest in sound technology and the dual LCD screens also display leader board information, countdown clocks during play and celebratory graphical elements
at the conclusion of the tournament. The secret to TournEvent’s success is its robust back office system that provides floor managers with a host of features and benefits: automated enrollment quickly gets players in the action; real-time tracking allows constant event monitoring; and a push-ofa-button operation enables efficient use of slot floor space. All of these features are housed in a self-contained, easy-touse control center conveniently located at the end of the slot bank. With all of TournEvent’s features, it is clearly the future for slot tournament management. For more information, visit www.multimediagames.com.
wading through magazines to find information for a certain act and no blind calls to ambiguous contacts in a listing. It is simply visual entertainment. Here’s another reason: It is being distributed to more than 25,000 decision makers and talent buyers, including the CEOs of more than 900 casinos worldwide that operate showrooms and lounges. Three of these avenues for distribution include The NIGA 2010, the Southern Gaming Summit in May of 2010 and the G2E Asia 2010. These trade shows and conventions combined with the direct mailing to more than 5,000 in the gaming industry contribute to the massive number in distribution. This publication is going to be seen everywhere! Lastly, it is going to be a resource
with a life span that will live past the trade show floor. OnStage Casinos will soon also feature an online edition with a quarterly e-zine. The online edition has far more offerings than the print edition. It features Flip Page technology, cross referencing, entertainment type categories, search features, bio and photo pages for each entertainer, a promotional video media gallery showcase, live e-mail and Web links taking you directly to the entertainer or booking agent’s Web presence. Best of all, more entertainment will be added each month, so if you can’t find what you’re looking for this month, check back! For more information, call 817-562-4954, e-mail casinos@ onstagemedia group.com, or visit www.onstagecasinos.com.
10
April 2010
Gaming News
Be Environmentally Minded: Pechanga Is Working Today For A ‘Greener’ Tomorrow Courtesy of Pechanga Pechanga has always been mindful of our environment. As good citizens, we all want to do our part to protect our fragile environment. Clean air and clean water are important to us. Many businesses are committed to reducing pollution and contamination of our resources through the recycling of used materials, safe handling of hazardous wastes and application of best management practices. Pechanga has taken a more aggressive approach to preserving our resources. Pechanga invested in an alternative energy creation system: Pechanga’s Cogeneration (CoGen) plant,
which relies on a turbine that generates electricity using natural gas, a clean source of power. It runs continuously, producing power 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And unlike traditional energy creation systems, the CoGen plant produces energy more efficiently. Instead of releasing the heat created as a natural byproduct of the process into the environment, the CoGen system recycles that heat and uses it to power Pechanga Resort and Casino’s kitchens, domestic hot water heating, comfort heating and air conditioning. The CoGen system has the capacity to produce up to four megawatts of power. When the turbine is operating
Indian Country Interior Solutions Offers Professionalism And Style On Every Project Courtesy of ICIS Inc. ICIS Inc. (dba Indian Country Interior Solutions) is a Native American-owned, women-owned company that does more than just sell furniture.
As the name implies, we offer interior solutions to projects, whether it be a casino, hotel, administration building, school, library or hospital. This includes design, product specification and procurement, as well as project
with PRC’s standby generators, Pechanga can essentially operate in island mode, which means we can produce 100 percent of the power to meet the resort’s needs during the evenings and all day during the winter months. The system also allows Pechanga to reduce its emissions output—a significant environmental benefit that is so far unrivaled in the community. The Pechanga Resort and Casino has established a dedicated group of team members called the “Green Team.” Since the summer of 2008, the team has undertaken several responsibilities to identify waste management, pollution prevention and conservation measures to be taken at Pechanga. The team has installed recycling containers across the property and ensures large cardboard bins, plastic and other items are recycled. The team develops alternatives to minimize waste or redirect operating processes that result in
economic and environmental savings. Pechanga also has an Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (PAAQMS). The PAAQMS collects data for ozone (O3), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM 2.5) and meteorological data. The PAAQMS provides data used to help determine the quality of air on a daily and hourly basis for the tribe. This data is also used to provide the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with evidence that the quality of air at Pechanga does not exceed national standards set for criteria pollutants, such as ozone, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Creating a healthier, safer and environmentally conscious work environment is a way of life at Pechanga, for our tribal members, our guests and our team members. Pechanga is working today for a greener tomorrow.
management. We do it all, and we do it with style and professionalism. Our experienced staff cares about each and every project, making sure it is completed on schedule and within budget. Janie Millican, President of ICIS Inc., has been in the business for more than 20 years and is involved in every aspect of the company. She is a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation and divides her time between Oregon and Oklahoma. Having been President of the Oregon Native American Chamber of Commerce for the
last 10 years, she recently stepped down to devote more time to her business and to become more involved in Indian Country. Millican represents a blend of hard work, determination and professionalism—qualities that are reflected in every project ICIS Inc. has managed. For more information, write to Indian Country Interior Solutions at 4107 S.E. International Way, Suite 705, Milwaukie, OR, 97222, call 503-212-2690, fax 503212-2009, check out their Web site at www.icis.us.com or stop by booth 623.
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April 2010
Gaming News
Profitable Golf Facilities, Native North Americans And The Environment Native North Americans have always had a deep respect for Mother Earth and an understanding of how to use her gifts wisely. Today that philosophy is called “sustainable environmentalism.” The most common definition is: “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The very best environmental golf courses are specifically planned, built and maintained to be sustainable. This requires a detailed study of the possible golf course site to understand and document all of its resources and its microclimate, and only then can the golf course be planned to protect the most sensitive areas, avoid areas of high value and minimally impact all other areas. Once a routing plan is developed
that represents the best compromise of these considerations, then comes the testing of soil and water quality to select the best adapted grasses and landscapes, the best root zone modification materials and the best technology to save labor, energy, water and maintenance. Intelligently applying this concept to golf courses can make them not only healthier environments that use less water, fertilizer, pesticides and fossil fuels, but can also make them more profitable and entertaining. Many golf courses, especially older ones, were designed and built without this attention to the environment or without the benefit of new technology. Sometimes these courses can be easily retrofitted, while other courses may require some reconstruction.
CPI Card Group Welcomes Jay Fuller CPI Card Group (CPI), a global leader in financial and commercial card production and services, announced that Jay Fuller has joined the company as Vice President of Operations. In his new position, Jay will have direct responsibility
for all the manufacturing and personalization operations in the United States and will also work closely with the operations teams in the international CPI facilities located in Canada and the United Kingdom.
Hurdzan/ Fry takes the same deliberate approach to studying and developing improvement plans as it does for new ones, just as it did for the Marriott Corporations’ golf course at Camelback in Scottsdale. No golf course design firm is better equipped to apply this method than Hurdzan/Fry Environmental Golf Course Design. The company’s staff was educated in ecotoxicological, environmental and turfgrass studies, to include two Ph.D.s and several Master’s degrees, as well as having designed more than 350 golf courses over a 50-year span. “We modestly claim to be the environmental leaders in golf and we can back up our claims,” the company stated. Looking at the bigger picture, perhaps the most overlooked and underutilized profit center in golf is the golf learning center or golf academy. Golf is a healthful, outdoor, family-oriented, nondiscriminating game that can also open doors to opportunity. Golf is a great product, but it can be hard to sell because it is not easy to learn, golf courses can be
intimidating to beginners and people falsely believe it must be expensive. None of those things about golf have to be true if one has access to a proper golf learning center. A learning center is not just a driving range and practice green, but rather it includes an instructional classroom with video equipment, golf learning aids, a professionally developed and administered teaching curriculum, a short game center and even practice holes where beginners can learn the etiquette, rules, customs and expectations for playing on a course. This is like a “bunny slope” for golf. Guests often visit a golf academy for a threeto five-day school that is a half-day for golf and a half-day for other fun things, like gaming. Having lessons for school children or senior citizens can be scheduled, as well as friendly community competitions. “We at Hurdzan/Fry Environmental Golf Design hope you enjoy the show
“Our vision for this business is one of continuous improvement in safety, quality, turnaround times, product and service development, and our cost position. We have terrific strengths and unique capabilities across our production system, and we must fully utilize these strengths and leverage best practices for the benefit of our customers,” said Steve Montross, President and CEO of CPI
Card Group. “Jay will play a key role in driving this culture and accompanying critical initiatives. We are very excited about Jay joining us.” Jay comes to CPI with an accomplished, diversified background in manufacturing, engineering and operations, including high volume as well as custom manufacturing. In his most
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April 2010
Gaming News
Société Des Bingos Du Québec Introduces State-Of-The-Art Linked Bingo Mundo System The Société des bingos du Québec, a subsidiary of Loto-Quebec, has become a world leader in linked bingo systems. The société is not only an innovator, but an operator conducting Bingo Mundo games in more than 100 halls in the province of Quebec in Canada. This double duty experience has resulted in 10
years of success! More than $178 million dollars in prizes have been awarded to happy players and more than $100 million dollars to participating non-profit organizations. The Bingo Mundo Team can help to simplify your business operations, reduce your expenses and maximize your
Pivot3 Announces Partnership With Lamar Associates Pivot3 Inc, the market leader in HighDefinition StorageTM, announced an
alliance with Lamar Associates, a Washington, D.C.-based security consulting
Bellis Technology (Con’t. from p. 4)
manufacturing facilities in Brazil and China. So we’ve actually been able to lower costs, despite increased transportation expenses. We’ve elected to pass our savings on to the customer. The entire industry, from manufacturer to distributor to operator, can really use a break in today’s market.
enormous progress in the past year— particularly satisfying for us considering the market conditions. We are in slowbut-steady growth mode. GN: What was the most significant event to affect your customers? CD: The economy has presented huge challenges for the entire industry. We’ve tried to bring some relief to the customer with our durable, reliable line of bill acceptors. We now have state-of-the-art
GN: Tell our readers about your objectives, plans, products and promotions? CD: We hope to bring the international recognition of our product line and our solid worldwide reputation to our
earnings by saving both time and money. The Bingo Mundo Linked Bingo System, for both paper and electronics, was launched worldwide in November 2008 at the G2E convention. It has already been called the most flexible, reliable and secure real-time bingo program now available. Software that allows games to be conducted simultaneously within a single hall or within many halls with no geographical limitations. Combine this with options to increase progressive jackpots. The result: larger prizes, greater publicity, increased attendance and bottom line profitability.
Bingo Mundo has been designed to be played anywhere in the world. Your choice of 75- or 90-ball games, free games, odd/even games and much more. Bingo Mundo offers totally-integrated bingo back office services including: accounting, bingo paper inventory management, financial reporting, banking and electronic funds transfer (EFT). The Bingo Mundo broadcasts in the halls offer a professional interface. It allows hall management to offer videos during bingo broadcasts, run ads before and after bingo games and integrate new images and videos into each broadcast.
firm, to identify, pursue and secure Indian gaming video surveillance storage opportunities in the United States. This announcement comes on the heels of a number of successful Indian gaming wins for Pivot3, including the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif., and the Creek
(Muscogee) Tribe in Oklahoma. Pivot3 is the fastest-growing surveillance storage company, with its awardwinning products widely deployed in the gaming, homeland security, public safety, education and transportation markets. To learn more, visit www.pivot3.com.
subsidiary, Bellis Technology, here in the United States. We have several new products to premiere in the United States, including the SMART Hopper [a true multi-coin hopper capable of dispensing 12 coins per second from up to 11 different denominations] and the SMART Payout, a note dispense addon unit capable of paying out up to 80 different denominations including barcodes and tickets. These new product are poised to revolutionize the industry and are definitely worth checking out!
terms of the economy, sales, technology and product evolution?
GN: How do you see the next year in
CD: In terms of the economy, make no mistake, we’re not in the clear yet. We are seeing some contraction in the business, some consolidation, but ultimately this will make the industry leaner and stronger. Innovation in technology and product development will be paramount in order to drive future sales. Affordability is more important than ever, and that’s where we really shine as a company, along with our superior customer service.
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April 2010
Sycuan (Con’t. from p. 1)
American Tribe. We provide essential government services to our members, as well as the broader community. We have operated the well-known Sycuan Casino for over 25 years, and have diversified our business interests to include Sycuan Resort, the historic US Grant Hotel, Marina Gateway development, and others. The Tribe’s primary mission is to protect Sycuan’s sovereignty and preserve the well-being of our people, while having a positive impact on the broader community. GN: What would you say makes the Sycuan Band unique? Sport View Technologies (Con’t. from p. 1)
and performance lighting/audio systems, content creation and distribution systems, in-suite hotel systems, as well as on-site technical and managed services. Our Management and Technical Services Teams have been conditioned over five decades with service experience in pari-mutuel, class II and class III gaming facilities to provide ondemand, critical client response in a 24/7/365 environment. Our systems are commissioned on-time, under highdemand circumstances with short lead times by our robust, highly trained and dedicated teams. Our latest projects include The River’s Casino, Penn., Red Lake Casino, Wis., and we are currently
Gaming News DT: Sycuan, especially our casino, is very unique due to the importance we place on customer satisfaction and employee morale. Right from the beginning, our Tribal Elders demanded our staff to focus on customer service. Give people what they want without them asking for it with a smile on your face and you have a customer for life! We have the best customers and employees any business could ask for! We strive to always look for new and innovative ways to go beyond traditional offerings and programs.
DT: 2009 was a year of adjustment for our tribe and affiliated business entities as we weathered the global recession. Through clear direction by the Tribal Council and sound management by our professional staff, we trimmed non-essential services and focused more on employee training, thereby reducing to the lowest possible level layoffs at our businesses. This effort has positioned us well for 2010. GN: What do you anticipate to be your greatest challenge in the year ahead?
GN: What was the most significant event or series of events affecting the Sycuan Band in the past year?
DT: The greatest challenge we face in 2010 would have to be the continued readjustment due to the economic downturn. Over 3,000 employees between our
working on Sugarhouse Casino, Penn., and Isleta (Hard Rock) Casino, N.M. SVT has completed hundreds of projects in just about every state within the continental United States. Each project includes state-of-the-art video processing and distribution systems, interactive touch screen way-finding and digital signage, centralized control to include aggregation of audio and video signals as well as zoned lighting and HVAC. SVT Gaming is strategically aligned with industry-leading manufacturers including Symon Communications, YESCO, NICE, D3, Pivot 3, Magenta, InfoValue, Panasonic and NEC, just to name a few. In addition to manufacturers, SVT has long-term relationships with well recognized gaming industry service
providers such as ALTEL Systems, ShenMilsom-Wilke, Specialized Productions and many others. During the 2010 NIGA exhibition, you will find a showcase of products in our booth 1651 to include Symon Communications Telepresence Kiosk, NICE Systems Table Games Management (TGM) solution, Magenta video transport systems, D3’s 10MM LED Video wall and NEC’s new thin bezel LCD line. SVT’s team of skilled, highly trained and industry-focused representatives will be on hand to answer questions and discuss how our solutions can bring life to your gaming floor and entertainment into your hotel rooms, secure your investment and mitigate risk. For more information, stop by booth 1651.
tribal government operations, casino, resort and other properties, and their extended families depend on the Tribal Council to make wise and effective decisions. As we come out of this recession, we look to continue putting our customers and employees first. For more information, visit www.sycuan .com or stop by booths 530 and 532.
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April 2010
PENTA Building Group (Con’t. from p. 1)
scheduling, constructability review, etc.) commencing early in the design phase, or under a traditional general contractor arrangement or on a design-build basis. The success and experience of PENTA spans a wide variety of market segments, including hotel, casino and timeshare resorts, tribal gaming and other tribal projects, convention and meeting facilities, restaurants, retail, education, office Fort McDowell Casino (Con’t. from p. 1)
Fort McDowell Casino’s comfortable, non-smoking card room. The Fort has the best blackjack, plus they offer Pai Gow, Perfect Charlie, Let it Ride and more. The Fort is also proud to house an award-winning, 1,200-seat, state-of-theart Bingo Hall. With games seven days a week, you can win up to $25,000 at matinee sessions and up to $50,000 in the evening. Play the game in smokefree comfort and enjoy free beverages as well as table-side food service. Perini Building Company (Con’t. from p. 1)
Conn.; Morongo Casino, Resort and Spa, Calif.; MGM Grand at Foxwoods, Conn.; Pala Casino Resort and Spa, Calif.; San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, Calif.; Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa and Hollywood, Fla.; Pechanga Resort and Casino, Calif.; and Thunder Valley Casino, Calif. Professional services include construction management, general contracting, pre-construction, Optec Displays (Con’t. from p. 1)
betting and a 2,500-seat Global Events Center for conference and convention activities. Directly connected to the casino is a 12-story hotel that includes 395 rooms and luxury suites, three restaurants, banquet meeting space (seating up to 200 guests) and the Spa Habitat. To help promote the casino and hotel as a destination with gaming entertainment and fine dining, a 112foot pylon with Optec Displays digital LED signage was placed in front of the casino which faces Interstate 35, near the Texas/Oklahoma border. The pylon signs can be seen from both sides of the Interstate, presenting an ongoing
Gaming News buildings, public building projects, tenant improvements and parking structures. PENTA has completed more than 300 projects, totaling more than $2.5 billion since its inception 10 years ago, with the vast majority being hotel, resort and gaming projects. PENTA has extensive experience in Indian country and is currently building an expansion to the Thunder Valley Casino near Sacramento, Calif. Other notable projects include Aliante Station Casino and Hotel in Las
Vegas, and Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs, Calif. Last April, PENTA completed The Show, a new headliner room, at the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, Calif. In addition to doing new, multimillion dollar large “ground up” commercial projects, PENTA’s team has extensive experience and capabilities in remodels, renovations and tenant improvement build-outs, as well as expansions to existing facilities. A significant, continuous
portion of their backlog consists of these types of projects. In 10 years of business, PENTA has never delivered a project late or over budget. PENTA is privately held and possesses an impressive financial statement, bonding capacity and a commendable safety record. For more information about The PENTA Building Group, visit www.pentabldggroup.com or stop by booth 526. PENTA looks forward to building your next project!
Want to play a fun, easy and lucrative game? Try Keno. Their live Keno games features payouts of up to $100,000. They offer 23 different games of Keno, including “Speed Keno” for those who like a fast-paced game. For more information, come visit their Keno Lounge and their friendly staff will assist you. Your lucky numbers could be next. The Fort’s five restaurants offer an amazing variety of dining opportunities, from quick snacks to full-course dining excellence. A New York Deli provides a genuine deli experience right in the heart
of the desert. Cottonwood Café is designed for casual dining in a peaceful and comfortable environment. Silver Platter offers a more casual menu with your favorite burgers, shakes and sandwiches. The Red Rock Buffet is best known for all-you-can-eat crab legs Friday, Saturday and Sunday and is just a few steps from all the action in the casino. Also, be sure and try the new Noodles Sushiya, serving Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Japanese noodle soups. It also features a great sushi bar. Cash in on that bright future by
receiving $10 in Crown Credits for slot play just for joining Fort McDowell’s Fortune Club. Fort McDowell Casino has become and will continue to be legendary for setting the standard for excellence in gaming, dining and entertainment in The Valley of the Sun and the desert Southwest. The new theme for Fort McDowell Casino will be Come Home to Fort McDowell Casino. Currently the new campaign will roll out in mid-February. For more information, call 800-THEFORT or visit fortmcdowellcasino.com.
post-construction and design/build. In addition to Perini’s construction expertise, attributes that have led to the company’s success are based on Perini’s philosophy of “Building Relationships on Trust.” Perini derives more than 75 percent of its business from repeat clients. As a leader in the construction industry, Perini is also at the forefront of implementing diversity initiatives to help foster economic opportunities for
minority, women and disadvantagedowned businesses on its projects. Perini has one of the largest diversity development departments in the construction industry. Perini partners with tribal nations to ensure environmental preservation of the land and natural habitat. The company currently ranks among the nation’s largest green contractors. Experience includes the recently completed CityCenter, the largest LEED-certified
development in the country. As the general contractor for CityCenter, Perini’s impact on earning LEED credits was substantial. Perini worked closely with the project owner, MGM MIRAGE, the design team, vendors and 250 subcontractors to reach the owner’s goal of building one of the world’s largest sustainable environmental projects. Please stop by their NIGA booth, 1827. For more information on Perini Building Company, visit tutorperini.com.
series of hotel and casino video promotions to inform passing vehicular traffic about the hotel’s entertainment and gaming amenities. The pylon was designed by the Chickasaw Nation and fabricated by Dalmarc Signs (Oklahoma City, Okla.), who was also the general contractor for assembling the final pylon structure and installing the Optec Displays LED signage. Three full-color, 20 mm pitch, LED video displays were used on each pylon side. Each sign set included one large LED screen (20 feet tall and 35 feet long) and two smaller same-size LED screens (13 feet tall and 26 feet long). The Optec LED signs are visible both day and night,
and can be seen by passing drivers from at least a half-mile from the hotel/casino. With the pylons in place, the LED signs are building a continual awareness of the WinStar’s gaming, dining and entertainment offerings to help hotel guests learn about the amenities available to them during their stay.
of super-bright, high-performance LED displays for various applications. From their premier high-brightness Hybrid line, featuring individually detachable pixels, to their energy-efficient Infinity solid-state display system, Optec Displays continues to lead the industry in innovation, value and performance. For more information, write to Optec Displays Inc., 716 Nogales St., City of Industry, CA 91748, call 800-876-1668, e-mail lsnover@optec displays.com, visit www.optec.com or stop by booth 522.
About Optec Displays Optec Displays is one of the leading LED display manufacturers in the world. For more than 20 years, Optec has been engineering and manufacturing a wide range CMI Gaming (Con’t. from p. 4)
players as well as utilize the system to track hours for poker tournament entries,” Bintliff said. “Best of all, the system does things that we have not seen in other systems at twice the price.” The system is easy for players and managers to use. To start, players simply swipe their club card and choose the game they want to play on the easy-tonavigate touch screen kiosk. They are instantly moved to a live game list―and immediately notified when a spot becomes available. Players also use the touch screen kiosk to check rewards points and receive comps. At the same time, casino managers use the system to cost-effectively manage player waiting lists, seating, player promotions and player comps and rewards. Because the system is so easy to use―and can be customized to meet the unique needs of individual poker
rooms―casinos start realizing results right out of the box. “So, instead of just opening up more poker rooms, casinos can truly take advantage of this surge in popularity by operating poker rooms that are marketed to players effectively and that run costefficiently. In the final analysis, casino owners will realize that, while luck might play a part, the true key to a successful, profitable poker room is good management. Fortunately, we make it easy for small- and mid-sized casinos to afford and implement the sophisticated technology that can save time and money while increasing revenues,” said Judith Katz, CEO of CMI Gaming. For more information about CMI Gaming, go to www.cmigaming.com, call 877-433-0264, send an e-mail to judith@cmigaming.com or stop by booth 1249 at the National Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow and Convention.
22
April 2010
Tulalip Gaming Organization (Con’t. from p. 1)
KK: Actually, there are three properties: Tulalip Resort Casino & Spa, Quil Ceda Creek Casino and Tulalip Bingo. All are owned and operated by the Tulalip Tribes, located on I-5 about 30 miles north of Seattle and 90 miles south of Vancouver B.C. The resort is a four-diamond property of 370 rooms and over 200,000 square feet of gaming. In addition, Tulalip has developed part of a master plan, including an outlet shopping center and a merchant center with major retail stores. GN: Has Tulalip continued to enjoy growth even in the current down economy? KK: Tulalip has sustained positive financial success even in the face of the current recession. Much of that success can be attributed
Gaming News to the Tulalip Tribes commitment to careful expansion of master plan elements and aggressive marketing. The opening of the resort in August 2008, with its 30,000 square feet of meeting facilities and expanded restaurants, was a major step forward. GN: What are some of the design factors that make Tulalip Resort Casino unique? KK: The blending of native cultural elements through nearly two million dollars’ worth of Tulalip art with a contemporary architectural style gives the property a unique personality that guests experience, remember and recommend. GN: Define your marketing strategy that has sustained Tulalip’s substantial growth. KK: Our marketing strategy is based
Swinerton Builders (Con’t. from p. 1)
Foxwood Resort Casino.
Swinerton Incorporated. Swinerton Builders is currently one of the top five largest gaming and hospitality builders in the United States.
We have recently completed or are currently under construction on the San Pasqual Valley View Casino, the Pala Casino, the Dry Creek Band of Pomo Indians, Riverock Casino, Jackson Rancheria and the Concow Maidu Feather Falls Casino. Plus, there are several more similar projects throughout the Western United States.
GN: So how did Swinerton Builders get involved in the Native American gaming industry? JH: That is a fun story to share. Back in the late ’80s, we began working with the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians, located in Brooks, California, on their Cache Creek Indian Bingo facility, which was a very small facility at the time. We became a trusted adviser to the tribe and built a small gaming facility into a large gaming facility. We completed the over $200-million Cache Creek Casino Resort, an absolutely spectacular resort facility complete with a championship 18-hole golf course. From this initial gaming enterprise, we were able to move forward and provided management services for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation at JE Dunn (Con’t. from p. 1)
With 18 offices and more than 3,100 employees nationwide, including in Portland, Seattle, Phoenix and Denver, JE Dunn is proud to say that it ranks among the top 10 general builders in the nation, according to ENR. JE Dunn currently has 28 projects completed or in progress for 19 different Native American clients, including Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, Ak-Chin Indian Community, Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria, Gila River Indian Community, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, Kalispel Tribe of Indians, Fort Sill Apache Tribe, Port Gamble Band of S’Klallam Indians, Cow Creek Band of CPI Card Group (Con’t. from p. 14)
recent positions as Vice President of Operations with Cabo and Hatteras Yachts under the Boat Group at Brunswick Corporation, Jay was responsible for multi-plant manufacturing operations and implementing strategic initiatives including a Webbased quality system, Lean Six Sigma
upon a creative position of emphasizing the combined differences of Tulalip Casino and Tulalip Resort and backing up the promise of exceptional service, resort amenities and a casino Rewards Club that gives players the most cashback of any casino in our area. It combines the major elements of gaming fun with the luxury of a four-diamond resort and spa to project an image of The Northwest’s Finest Resort Casino. GN: What is your outlook for the remainder of 2010 and into 2011? KK: I believe the hospitality and gaming market segments will continue a slow recovery this year, with more positive growth in 2011. While the rest of the industry slowly recovers, Tulalip should continue to enjoy successful financial being spent wisely. Our unique scheduling system enables us to schedule a project so you can obtain the earliest access to the gaming facilities to generate the maximum revenue.
growth, barring any further setbacks of major employers in the Northwest. GN: Does Tulalip have any expansion plans for the future? KK: As I mentioned, there is an overall master plan for development. The Tulalip Hibulb Cultural Center and Museum is currently under construction and will open later this year. Some of the other items discussed for development include future expansion of the resort, additional restaurants, added retail space and other entertainment offerings. The key is market timing. Tulalip has been successful partly by not getting too far in front of what the market will support. For more information, call 888-272-1111 or visit www.tulalipresort.com. casino with ongoing operations 24/7 our Project Team utilized innovative technology such as BIM to enhance collaboration and maintain schedule.
GN: To what do you attribute your company’s continued success in the Native American gaming market?
We provide the maximum opportunity for tribal involvement on the construction project through subcontracting, materials supply and direct labor hire. And by understanding the state sales tax exemption program, we are able to work with our clients to figure out the best contracting method to eliminate any kind of state sales tax requirements.
We also just built the new ground-up Four Diamond Hotel for Valley View Casino, a beautiful new addition to the resort. In addition, our Solar Group is currently working at Harrah’s Rincon Casino on the design and install of a 1,102 kWp solar system that is a groundmount, single-axis tracker system. What is unique is that all these gaming projects are so different, yet Swinerton is getting the job done, and done well on all three.
JH: Our success can be attributed to our dedication and commitment to our clients, with a prime example being the Cache Creek project.
GN: Swinerton has three ongoing or justcompleted projects in the San Diego area, all at different casinos. Can you tell us more about these projects?
GN: Do you have any final thoughts for our readers?
Our estimating services and cost-control measures are matched by no one and we provide credible estimates in a timely manner that hold up throughout the life of the project. We maintain a very detailed cost-control and reporting system that shows our clients where their monies are being spent and that they are
JH: We just completed a 20-month expansion and renovation at the Pala Casino Spa Resort which was honored with an Award of Merit from the AGC. Just a taste of what the scope of work included was seven new restaurants, 10 new support kitchens and a new poker room. To successfully get all the work completed in a
Umpqua Indians, Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua & Siuslaw, Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians, Spokane Tribe of Indians, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Pueblo of Laguna Puyallup Tribe, Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas Resighini Rancheria. Its chief services and specialities include in-house pre-construction and MEP specialists, building information modeling (BIM), complete scheduling, effective cost-control, building commissioning, cost-estimating, quality assurance, life cycle analysis, systems evaluation, sustainability,
value engineering studies and LEED® accredited professionals. What makes JE Dunn stand out? With the depth of their in-house preconstruction group, MEP & BIM Specialists, JE Dunn has the ability to work with each individual design discipline to develop early and accurate pricing, enabling their clients to establish early GMPs for reliable budget planning and project financing. Your casino will be built in the shortest time possible. They can fast-track projects by using technology like Building Information Modeling (BIM), overlapping design, permitting and construction. JE Dunn’s in-depth knowledge in areas like security and durable finishes
also helps speed the process along. Your casino project will benefit your community. They understand TERO requirements and always promote the hiring of local labor, vendors and suppliers. When you’re ready to grow, They will be ready, too. Frequently, the casinos they build are so successful that within a short time they are back on site to expand the facility. The project featured in the photo is the Northern Quest Casino & Hotel completed in December 2009 and is located in Airway Heights, Wash. For more information on JE Dunn, please stop by booth 536 or call 800-954-2977.
transformation and capacity/facility planning for new products. Jay also spent over 18 years with General Electric Company in positions of increasing leadership responsibility including roles as plant manager, project manager, process innovation leader and quality leader. Jay’s educational background includes a Bachelor’s Degree in
Ceramic Engineering from Ohio State University and an MBA from the University of Houston.
personalization and fulfillment services. CPI offers the largest production capacity in North America. CPI’s production sites include Denver, Colo.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Las Vegas, Nev,; Colchester, England; Liverpool, England; and Toronto, Canada. CPI’s plants in Colorado, Nevada and Liverpool are ISO 9001 certified. For more information, visit www.cpicardgroup.com.
About CPI Card Group CPI, a global leader in financial and commercial card production and related services, offers a single source for plastic cards, from foil cards and holograms to translucent and smart cards, and
JH: I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our clients. We really enjoy working within the Native American gaming industry and have established great relationships. Every job has been fun and rewarding! For more information, call 415-4212980, visit www.swinerton.com or stop by booth 2131.
24
April 2010
CMI Gaming (Con’t. from p. 1)
advanced biometric time and attendance solutions, we felt that we had the technical know-how to bring some truly useful products to the gaming industry. Most importantly, though, we sensed that casino owners would want to work with our company because we have a longstanding tradition of giving our customers exactly what they want. To develop all of the products in the CMI Gaming portfolio, we met with and truly listened to casino owners to get their input. Then we let their ideas guide as we developed our products.
Gaming News JK: Although there are many companies serving the gaming industry, we are offering the user-friendly technology that casino owners have been seeking for quite some time. To start, our unique touch screen technology makes our solutions extremely intuitive. In addition, our technology solutions are flexible and customized to meet the needs of individual casinos. As a result, casino owners and managers won’t spend hours and hours of their valuable time trying to make sense of the software. Instead, they can simply jump right in—and get results.
As such, we are offering a suite of products that casinos truly need: PokerTable IQ for poker room management, WorkForce IQ for time and attendance management, and Entry IQ for facility access management.
We are also concentrating on bringing a new level of sophistication to the poker room, long the ‘neglected stepchild’ of many casinos. With our PokerTable IQ, casinos now can effectively market and efficiently manage their poker room operations.
GN: What void is CMI Gaming filling in the gaming industry?
GN: With the economy still struggling, why would a casino owner want to invest
FreeAxez (Con’t. from p. 1)
fasteners. No tools are required so cables can be added or changes can be made in a fraction of the time! New machines are installed and wired quickly. FreeAxez can also save in machine maintenance.
for casino floors and gaming facilities. The modular quick-connect FreeAxez platform accommodates the hundreds of wires and cables needed for slot machines, poker rooms, electronic table games, ATMs, surveillance equipment, electronic displays, etc. Cable channels are accessed in seconds instead of hours to add or change cabling and equipment. No more headaches with power poles or concrete trenches! GN: What distinguishes FreeAxez from other access floors? JM: Traditional raised floors have heavy 2-foot by 2-foot panels that screw into four posts at the corners. The posts [sometimes called pedestals] are glued to the concrete, with supporting understructure attached to the walls. These systems require special tooling and are difficult to work when changes are needed to wires and cables around. FreeAxez is an all-steel low-profile access flooring system that snaps together quickly without any glues, screws or International Merchant Services (Con’t. from p. 1)
sales. In 1992 our focus switched to the cashless ATM, or scrip as it was often called, until 1994 when the ATM became our main line of business. We continue to have credit/debit card processing, ATM and equipment maintenance to which we have added cash advance and redemption equipment. Our focus has always been to keep everything simple and straightforward. That is not to say that we have not been on the cutting edge of technology, but our primary focus has been to make it simple for the customer. Our focus has thus been on high transaction approval rates, great service, great reporting and providing the most cash to the floor possible with the Hurdzan/Fry (Con’t. from p. 14)
and you learn many new ways to be
GN: How does FreeAxez compare to traditional cable systems like concrete trenches and deck systems? JM: Historically, casinos have relied on covered trenches in concrete to run their wires. Trenches are fixed in place, and do not adapt well for changes or adding machines into new areas of the gaming floor.
in software solutions, specifically those designed for the poker room? JK: Yes, the economy is still faltering—and it’s difficult for any business including casinos to make investments. But many casinos are ignoring the opportunity that is inherent in their poker rooms and that, quite frankly, could be a big mistake. Poker enjoyed a surge of renewed popularity at the beginning of the decade—and is still holding its own. To make poker rooms profitable, though, casino owners must operate them efficiently and market the game effectively. Our PokerTable IQ is an easy-to-use, stand-alone poker room management solution that seamlessly integrates waiting lists, seating, player tracking and rewards and comps in one system.
get assigned to a table. What’s more, our solution tracks player time making it easy to fairly reward poker players with comps, just as slot players are recognized. The system not only makes it possible to provide the customer with better service but to turn over more hands each hour, providing casinos with additional revenue. And, our robust solution makes it possible for casinos to collect player data and develop highly targeted customer marketing and loyalty programs—that will help casinos make the most of their poker rooms each day, each hour, each minute!
Our system helps to improve the player experience by making it possible to provide premier customer service. Players can quickly and effortlessly
For more information about CMI Gaming, go to www.cmigaming.com, call 877-433-0264, send an e-mail to judith@cmigaming.com or stop by booth 1249 at the National Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow and Convention.
new casinos?
top of the FreeAxez steel floor?
JM: Yes! For new construction, FreeAxez has been installed to provide clients with unmatched versatility for the long term. The design generally incorporates a recessed slab that creates a walkoff from concrete floors at restaurants and restrooms onto FreeAxez. In gaming floor areas where you need wire management and access, FreeAxez provides flexibility from day one.
JM: Many of our casino clients install decorative 3-foot by 3-foot wool carpet tiles on top of FreeAxez. These tiles are constructed of the same 80 percent wool fabric that has been a staple of casino carpeting, providing a broadloom look with both aesthetics and flexibility!
GN: Is FreeAxez used in renovation and retrofit of existing facilities?
GN: Where else is FreeAxez used? JM: FreeAxez is installed in casinos, Class A office space, conference rooms, surveillance rooms, training rooms, libraries, trading floors, court rooms, museums, retail, emergency operations, hospitals, computer rooms and financial buildings. FreeAxez is a very versatile system.
FreeAxez can be an improved solution, for flexibility and efficiency―cable channels are available every 15 inches in both directions. As gaming equipment and surveillance systems are upgraded, simply remove the floor tile and lift the channel plates; new wires are installed in seconds instead of hours of cutting new concrete pathways! FreeAxez delivers a high-capacity organized wire management.
JM: Yes! In retrofit of existing gaming facilities, the steel casino flooring system has enabled many of our clients to achieve same-day renovation results. FreeAxez is installed quietly and rapidly without noise, fumes, dust or debris. FreeAxez ramping can provide seamless entry without handrails. FreeAxez will not cause disruption to the casino operation; your facility can remain open for business while FreeAxez is installed!
GN: Is FreeAxez used in construction of
GN: What floor covering is installed on
lowest possible cost to the card holder, thus spurring usage and a greater return to the casino. In 2008 we solidified our partnerships with Royal Bank of Scotland in the credit card area, US Bank to increase our cash availability and G&D for redemption, on-floor advertising and bank automation equipment. We formed a partnership in 2009 with Certegy for Check Guarantee. These partnerships allow us to continue providing best-in-class products and services while maintaining our focus on service, reporting and the best transaction approval rates in the nation. In our experience a gaming property should see 70 percent or more of their cash to the floor coming from ATM transactions with the remaining volume
made up of cash from PIN debit, then from cashing checks and lastly from signature cash advance via credit and debit cards. Many companies and casinos focus on the cash advance which is the most profitable, it is also the most expensive for the card holders and thus brings in the least amount of cash to the floor (funds customers spend in the casino). By focusing on providing cash in the least expensive/most popular method to card holders, we are able to provide a significant increase of cash to the floor. That of course requires adjustments in equipment types, how that equipment is allocated and where you locate that equipment for the highest usage by the card holder. Over the last five years the way that
card holders have accessed their funds has been moving towards debit. Check usage is being reduced, with most of that usage moving to debit. In addition, cash advance volume has remained flat or has been reduced as patrons have increasingly sought to reduce their amount of outstanding credit. By keeping our focus simple and providing what the card holders want in a fast and reliable mechanism, we are able to significantly increase cash to the casino floor and the overall profitability of our customers while keeping their customers, the card holders, happy.
successful in the game industry. We strongly encourage you contact us at 614457-9955 and we will gladly explain our
methods of improving golf course sustainability, detail the importance and profitability of a learning center and
answer any questions you may have about how Hurdzan/Fry can benefit your golf course.”
GN: How can our readers learn more about FreeAxez? JM: FreeAxez has a display at the NIGA―Indian Gaming 2010 trade show. Please stop by booth 2030 and walk on our floor! FreeAxez has authorized dealers throughout North America―to find a dealer close to your location, please call 888-747-8515.
For more information, please call 800769-2826, e-mail sales@atm24.com, visit www.atm24.com or stop by booth 845.