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News in brief
More members
Three new entrants bring the membership list at the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) to 83 firms. The latest additions are display maker Ceronix, poker and slot machine developer Lightning Gaming, and promotions company SCA Gaming.
Wheely good
Gala Casinos in the UK was recognised by marketing trade magazine Campaign for its “Magic Bus” PR campaign, which involved a casino on wheels visiting communities to give residents a taste of gaming. Gala took the gold prize in the Campaign Big Awards’ leisure, entertainment and media category.
Feeling safe
The iGuard Mobile Surveillance and Omnipresence 3D Surveillance security applications from Canada’s Feeling Software can now be integrated with Pelco’s cameras and encoders. Feeling Software says it will soon add support for Pelco’s Endura Video Management System platform too.
Bally boost
Revenue from gaming operations grew to a record $71m for Bally Technologies in the first quarter, ending on 30 September.
Rank on tax
Rank Group in the UK submitted proposals to HM Treasury, the British finance ministry, ahead of the government’s preparations for its next budget. Rank said that duty on bingo should be levied at 15 percent, as it is for most other types of betting and gaming; that revenue from player-to-player card-room games and from table games should be treated separately when calculating tax; and that tax levels on amusement machines should be frozen. Separately, Rank has won the 2009 PricewaterhouseCoopers Building Public Trust Award for Tax Reporting, recognising Rank’s transparent approach to stating the effect of taxation on its business.
Vegas prize
A trip to Las Vegas for November 2010’s Global Gaming Expo will be first prize at the European Casino Association’s fourth annual European Dealer Championship, scheduled for 11-12 May 2010. The contest will assess dealers’ hospitality skills as well as their technical proficiency with roulette and blackjack.
IGT in Argentina
International Game Technology has supplied 1472 gaming machines and its IGT Advantage gaming management system to Casino Rosario in Rosario, Argentina. The installation represents around 70 percent of the games on the floor at the new casino, which opened in October. Said to be the largest in Latin America, it is a joint venture of LatAm operator Casino Club and Spain’s Cirsa Gaming Corporation.
Luck of the Irish?
A casino is among the attractions planned for a new €460m ($685m) venue in Tipperary, Ireland. Developer Richard Quirke has reportedly already spent €30m ($45m) on acquiring land and beginning the project, which will also feature a full-size replica of the White House in Washington and an underground entertainment centre holding 15,000 patrons. Another €430m ($640m) casino and sports resort complex is also planned for County Louth. Although casinos are not currently legal in Ireland, liberalisation of the law is expected.
Free software (kind of)
Gaming application developer Radical Blue Gaming is offering free “student versions” of its software to casinos that want to learn more about the Game to System (G2S) protocol. The free versions of Radical Blue’s G2S host simulator, EGM simulator and protocol analyser, which the firm says are “largely identical” to those used commercially, were developed for GSA University’s G2S Certified Engineer courses. Contact Russ Ristine at russ@radblue.com.
Touch and eat
Harrah’s Entertainment is using more food-service technology from Nextep Systems. Nextep, which first installed its Casino Express kiosk at The Deli at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City in 2008, has now also deployed the touchscreen self-service system at the Horseshoe sites in Tunica, Mississippi and Hammond, Indiana; Harrah’s in St. Louis; and the Showboat in Atlantic City. Branded for each restaurant, they join more than 1000 self-service kiosks that Nextep has rolled out across the U.S. and Canada.
Derby slot
Aristocrat Technologies has created the first-ever Kentucky Derby-themed slot machine after signing a licensing deal with the Churchill Downs racetrack. The five-real RFX stepper unit will be launched just before the Kentucky Derby event on 1 May 2010. It comprises two base games – Oaks Day and Run for the Roses. “The Kentucky Derby is one of the few sporting events in the world that appeals to millions of people from every walk of life,” said Casey Cook, VP of Brand Development and Marketing at Churchill Downs.
Lottery printers
New Comma 6b video lottery terminals being supplied by Spielo Manufacturing to sites in Italy will be fitted with Epic 950 printers from TransAct Technologies. About $1m worth of the printers will ship in the fourth quarter of 2009 and a further $2m worth during 2010. Spielo is a subsidiary of Lottomatica Group.
Buy casinos, sell bookies
British casinos are a more attractive investment than the country’s betting shops, according to analyst Simon French of leisure research firm Panmure. While cautious on the prospects for bookies, French said in a report that casino attendances were rising, and called casinos his “favoured sub-sector” of the UK gaming industry. Rank Group was specifically recommended as an investment.
Table tech
Multitouch technology could be used to replace individual screens at electronic table games, says Moto Development Group. The San Francisco firm has prototyped a multitouch table for blackjack and Texas Hold ‘Em in which the entire table surface is a touch-sensitive screen, allowing players and dealers to slide cards, drag chips, and hide and show hands.
Fulgent infringement?
US company Shuffle Master has filed a suit against Taiwan Fulgent Enterprise Company in a Nevada court. It says Taiwan Fulgent’s A Plus Shuffler infringes three of its patents.
3D games
Magnetic 3D and Tatung Company of the Americas are teaming up to develop 3D systems for gaming that do not require special glasses. Employing Magnetic 3D’s Enabl3D format, their technology will let developers build new 3D games from scratch or add 3D to existing products.
Revenue down
Revenue at U.S. commercial casinos dropped 5.5 percent year-on-year during the third quarter, according to the American Gaming Association. The $7.94bn figure excludes tribal gaming. Economic conditions and particularly a drop in travel to business conventions – especially noticeable in Las Vegas – caused the decline, said the association’s President and CEO Frank J. Fahrenkopf, adding that gaming industry recovery will likely be a few months behind any broader economic upturn.
Simple slots
New products from Iverson Gaming Systems include SlotMaster Smart, offered as a low-cost, entry-level system for smaller casinos which want to capture customers’ points data but don’t need a full-blown player-tracking system. Also new are Ticket-Out Manager, for coupon verification, Cage Manager, and Table Rating Manager, as well as the player-facing Jackpot Viewer.
