Bally Technologies has announced that it has filed a lawsuit against International Game Technology in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada.
The lawsuit alleges that various IGT slot machine products, including IGT's popular ‘Wheel of Fortune’ gaming machines, infringe on a US patent recently issued to Bally by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Other IGT games alleged to infringe the patent include Wheel of Gold, The Addams Family, American Bandstand, The Apprentice, Dilbert Wheelbert, Drew Carey Great Balls of Cash, Elvira, I Dream of Jeannie, I Love Lucy, Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, M*A*S*H, Megabucks with Morgan Fairchild, Regis On the Town, Sinatra, and Twilight Zone.
Bally's lawsuit requests preliminary and permanent injunctive relief, a court declaration of infringement, and monetary damages.
The newly issued patent, entitled "Indicator Wheel System" (U.S. Patent No. 7,100,916) benefits from an original Oct. 2, 1992, filing date and relates to, among other things, the use of spinning wheel indicators on a game.
“Bally has a 75-year history of developing outstanding gaming products and has also acquired a number of innovative companies and technologies,” said Richard Haddrill, CEO of Bally Technologies. “The newly issued patent was developed by Arcade Planet, a gaming company that Bally acquired more than two years ago. Bally intends to aggressively prosecute any infringement of this patent.”
Meanwhile, Bally has also announced it has signed a contract with Magna Entertainment Corp. (MEC) to provide a complete slot accounting, casino management and bonusing solution and a wide variety of gaming devices for MEC's Gulfstream Park racino as Class III gaming in Florida grows closer to becoming a reality.
Already a world-class thoroughbred horse racing facility, Gulfstream Park in Hallandale near Miami is scheduled to open its slot machine entertainment complex in October 2006. Gulfstream Park is planning to open with 500 slot machines -- all to be equipped with the Bally iVIEW touch-screen displays – and expand to 1,500 early next year. The order for Bally slots includes a wide variety of ALPHA OS games on the M9000 and S9000 cabinets.
In becoming the first Class III facility in Florida to select its systems provider, Gulfstream Park will install a combination Bally CMS / SMS solution for complete slot accounting, casino management, player tracking and bonusing technology from the Bally Power Bonusing suite of products.
“We conducted a very thorough competitive review of all of the leading systems suppliers and determined that Bally was our preferred vendor,” said Paul Micucci, President of Gulfstream Park. “We’re confident that a combination of games and bonusing technology from Bally will attract players and provide visitors to Gulfstream Park an exciting and entertaining gaming experience.”
“We’re pleased to secure the first Class III casino management system in Florida while partnering with Magna to help to create a new environment for gaming in that state,” said Tom Reilly, Vice President, Eastern Region Systems Sales for Bally. “I think a package of advanced Bally systems and gaming technology provides a compelling combination for any operator in Florida and beyond.”
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International Casino Exhibition 2009 - UK
