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ICE 2011
While there wasn’t a huge amount of brand new technology on show – it was more about tweaks, improvements and updates – ICE still had more than enough to offer visitors.
We round up the best of Casino International’s ICE experience.
Atronic
The star of the show on the ATRONIC stand was undoubtedly the brand-new OXYGEN product family, which enjoyed its international premiere in Earls Court. Visitors to ATRONIC’s booth saw exciting new multigame links, an impressive line-up of core games, as well as innovative systems solutions and features.
ATRONIC’s brand-new OXYGEN Upright and Slant Top cabinets feature ATRONIC’s new sensys EP platform, which is powerful and robust, yet easy to service. With its Game to System (G2S) compatible hardware, OXYGEN is network-gaming ready, and supports all major casino systems and player tracking modules.
Launched at the SAGSE Argentina show late last year for the Latin American market, OXYGEN has already enjoyed tremendous success across the Latin American region, including a high-profile installation in Chile in December.
Also of note is the brand-new HOT & WiLD, the industry’s first Multi Level, Multi Game, Multi Hit progressive linked gaming concept which offers four jackpots, exciting game features, and lots of bonus action. The OXYGEN cabinet’s top wide screen shows the jackpot meter so players can follow the rising mercury during HOT & WiLD bonus games.
HOT & WiLD is offered in single-game or multi-game setup and is also available for Wide Area Progressive solutions.
ATRONIC´s proven multi-bonus progressive link, STARGATE SG-1, also made a big impact at the booth. The link is now also offered on the brand-new OXYGEN cabinet to combine the link’s proven performance with the latest available technology, and is available as singlegame or multi-game version.
diversity, ATRONIC´s extremely successful multigame product, featuring brand-new as well as top-ranking ATRONIC games, enjoyed the launch of a fourth games suite at ICE. In addition to the three existing game suites - Brilliant Blue, Pure Purple, and Royal Red - ATRONIC launched its fourth suite of games, Amazing Amber. diversity allows players to select their preferred game types with different volatility levels, and now also offers a new link functionality.
ATRONIC’s new MULTI CHANCE KENO provides a completely new playing experience and entertainment level to Keno players worldwide. This brand-new revolutionary concept is the only one on the market offering Multi Chance Free Games in combination with Multi Tickets. MULTI CHANCE KENO is also the first to offer the option to link machines on the progressive level, which creates additional fun as players compete to hit the progressive jackpot!
ATRONIC´s Systems Division welcomed visitors to the innovation area of the booth where new technologies and innovative applications were demonstrated. ATRONIC´s systems solutions are about guest experience, taking advantage of the most popular mobile devices, and providing real time information.
ATRONIC’s sister company, SPIELO, displayed its top Video Lottery Terminal (VLT) games and products, including its complete system solution for the new Italian VLT market. It includes the INTELLIGEN central system, the INTELLIGEN Retailer Terminal, prodiGi Vu and WinWave Vu terminals, and a library of compelling games. Its system uses G2S protocol messaging, and guarantees real-time data transfer between the central system and game terminals under the highest security standards.
Athanasios Isaakidis, ATRONIC Sr. Director and General Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said, “One of the key messages for operators was that ATRONIC now has a winning portfolio of successful, highquality products and games to serve the requirements of all market segments and geographies. On top of that, our core games are performing very well, and we have the right pricing for any kind of market and operation.”
Signs4U
Casino signage specialists Signs4U celebrated their ICE show by signing a deal with UK casino consultant Paul Sculpher to promote their excellent product in the British and Irish markets.
Signs4u CEO Martin Spies said, “we are delighted to sign this deal with Paul. Our close colleagues at Hess, the Voucher Redemption Terminal and cash solution supplier, have had success using Paul’s connections in the UK industry and we believe that there is a great market for our types of product.”
Sculpher expressed his enthusiasm for the new partnership. “The equipment Signs4U can provide is clearly top-notch. You can see their signs in plenty of UK casinos right now, and as operators move into multimedia packages to display more sophisticated messages, Signs4u will be able to service both these requirements and the existing demand for physical signs and slot display signage. With the market in the UK developing all the time, including the eventual launch of the 2005 Gambling Act casinos, it’s a great time to be involved in such a marketleading product range, and with Ireland possibly about to start moving forward in terms of casino regulation, there’s another market which may end up being a great opportunity for us.”
TransAct
Following on from their exciting showing at G2E, TransAct’s Epicentral made further waves on the Eurocoin stand. Epicentral is a promotional coupon tool with a twist; coupons can be designed by marketing staff, blanketissued or directly targeted, and delivered to the slot floor as you would expect. But what Epicentral also does, is it allows the floor staff to use it as a more immediate and more personal tool. If you have, for example, a member of staff walking the slot floor, meeting and greeting customers, and they have a tablet device or smartphone, they can communicate directly with the printer to initiate a promotion to the printer on the player’s slot machine as they’re talking, in real time. That has real potential to help casinos retain customers with the personal touch. It works with the Epic 950 printer, so it’s backward compatible for existing TransAct customers too.
Inspired
The server-based gaming specialists experienced what they described as their ‘most successful ICE to date’, with a rather sexy development in the Sabre cabinet displaying their new electronic roulette product. It’s fair to say their booth was one of the busiest at the show, which CEO Luke Alvarez says is because of the time they put into their new products: “I was personally proud to count over 10 new products on our stand and new content in multiple languages from a range of content providers.
“People were queuing to play our new casino electronic roulette on the sleek Sabre cabinet, see how real Virtual Sports in 3D can be, and place a few bets on our international sports betting terminals, to name just a few of the popular attractions at our stand.
“We always aim to have the most appealing products and to excite visitors at our stand, but this year was also specifically about connecting with current and potential international clients to discuss business opportunities in 2011 and beyond. We are confident that following the show, Inspired will have several major deals to announce in a range of different markets.”
Novomatic
The future is always bright for Novomatic, and ICE is their home ground; they know that ICE sets the tone for the industry for the rest of the year and they attack it with vigour, innovation, and the precision for which they are rightly famed.
They began the show by stating unequivocally that as long as ICE is at Earls Court, Novomatic will be in attendance. A big boost for the show’s organisers, as without Novomatic the relevance of the show could be called in to question.
Novomatic had a whole new booth on which to present its new innovations. Same location, same overall size, but a total redesign to give a spacious and more open look that many visitors likened to a ‘space age’ concept. And there was a lot more to see than just the stand construction: Novomatic presented a whole range of new products for 2011, including: 14 new Coolfire II games, 15 new NOVO LINE games, for both VLT (Video Lottery Terminal) and GDS (Games Download System) applications.
Austrian Gaming Industries (AGI) also presented two brand new Mystery Progressive Jackpots: THUNDERGOD and Wild Nights, and a brand new Community Gaming novelty: BANK BLASTER. These jackpot and community gaming products and their many diverse themes represent a whole new range of attractions for casinos worldwide and their guests.
NOVO LINE is a system comprising all aspects of modern server based gaming together, and it’s available as a VLT model or a Games Download System [GDS]. NOVO LINE
VLT and NOVO LINE GDS allow operators to design their own game mixes with the preferred choice of games that ideally meet the preferences of their guests in every location.
There was so much more to their stand but there simply is not the space here to do it justice; needless to say, we’ll be featuring Novomatic and their new products in a forthcoming issue, so watch this space.
Abbiati
Abbiati enjoyed another busy ICE, and CEO Giorgio Abbiati said that it was “a much better show, with a big interest received in Abbiati products that is now being developed into real enquires.
“The market is becoming more active comparing with the last steady year and that is a good sign, showing that customers are starting to work on the new projects and investments.”
Abbiati exhibited Poker, Blackjack and American Roulette tables, alongside winning number displays and their live game accessories, which includes synthetic and wool layouts.
Making its debut was a TV poker table designed especially for ICE, utilising hi-res cameras and other top-notch equipment. Also of note was their hybrid American Roulette table, which could be run from either a live or automated wheel.
Ainsworth
This is a company invigorated, with a new lease for life which is best represented by the new A560 family of slot cabinets. Dual LCD widescreen technology with a Quadtronic processor, the European market now has more than 30 titles from the enhanced GamePlus library ready to roll with the A560 right now.
It’s available in three different modular versions so the A560™ caters for a range of modern gaming applications:
Lowboy (single 22” LCD), Lowboy with 19”LCD topper (single 22” LCD) and Highboy (dual 22” LCD).
In addition, Ainsworth showcased their latest link progressives Rio Grande Rapids and Lights Camera Action in the new A560 cabinet. Rio Grande Rapids provides three levels of link progressives, three levels of bonus prizes plus free game features.
Furthermore, Ainsworth expanded their highly successful GamePlus game library with new titles across its proven brand range of Double Hit, Triple Shot, Super Game and Play 100Lines/Play 50Lines/Play 40Lines games.
Ainsworth’s CEO Mr. Danny Gladstone concluded: “The entire Ainsworth team is very excited by the results at ICE. We are all working hard to further our presence as the number one Australian product performer across all global markets.”
Suzo Happ
The standout for us on the Suzo Happ stand was the RGB slot machine handle – simple but incredibly effective, like all the great products.
It doesn’t require any space inside the cabinet, it simply attaches to the outside of the machine, which is a great bonus.
Suzo Happ Sales Director Erik Wijma enthused about the show, and the company’s new direction with their stand: “Customers have responded really well to our products; we’ve had a different strategy to previous years, where we just brought everything we had. This year, we carefully selected and highlighted four new product lines and that’s been very well accepted.”
The new stand gave customers more space to move around and it was far easier to find and enjoy product. When a company has a catalogue the size of Suzo Happ’s, a stand can even be intimidating, so by showing less they actually showed more efficiently what they can do for casinos.
Amatic
Amatic’s headline act was the new Performer C22 slot machine, an attractive and ergonomic cabinet with 22” dual-screen setup that is made all the more appealing when you add in Amatic’s games packages. New games were on show in the cabinet, with Bells on Fire, Casanova and Wild Shark. The popularity of these new games was underlined at the Amatic Industries stand as these games were positioned as single games.
Georg Steiner, Sales and Marketing Director at Amatic Industries enthused: “Players love Amatic slot machines as the great games, such as our Hot & Wild series, are real winners. Now they have even more reason to choose Amatic games with the new Performer C22 cabinet.”
Another debutant at Ice was Grand Jeu 22ws, an electronic roulette machine with slick graphics, 22” widescreen monitors, and many more appealing features. The Grand Jeu Double is a striking double-wheel version to expand the Grand Jeu family further.
Evolution Pro is a multigame system for roulette, so players can carry on playing slot titles on what are traditionally slot terminals, giving huge flexibility to players and operators.
DRGT
One of the great surprises of the exhibition was DRGT and their cashless solution for slots, which genuinely opens up cashless gaming and all the savings that implies with a fraction of the outlay. This makes it attractive for smaller venues or operators with older slots across their estate.
DR Gaming Technology’s major new innovation in cashless gaming is via the iButton, which serves as the player identification and accesses player account details. It is simple to upgrade the slot machine park with iButton – regardless whether the slot machines are mechanical or video-based with one or two screens. The three individual solutions are tailored specifically to such slot machines – drFast for reel-based slots, drTouch for video-based slots with a single monitor and drTouch? for video-based slots with two or more monitors. DRGT focus their solutions on being as practicable as possible for both operators and players. Therefore, the complete account information is shown on the monitor. This saves costs (no further player tracking screen is required) and allows the information to be displayed in a very clear fashion.
Mr. Jurgen de Munck, CEO and co-founder of DRGT, explains the simplicity of the iButton, “The iButton opens up cashless gaming to the complete gaming market. And I really mean the complete gaming market. It is simple and costeffective to install. Our cashless system can be connected to any number of slot machines, thus it is just as home in a small gaming parlour as in a large casino. We have already installed this system in four casinos in Belgium.
They are running very well and the players accepted this system very quickly. Operators benefit completely from cashless gaming at a price that will surely open up many new sections of the market to cashless gaming”.
The solution becomes even more exciting when you factor in drTicket Serverless Ticketing, which allows ticket-in, ticket-out without the need for central server validation.
This is an ultra-secure and reliable system that has the advantage that the slots machines are no longer dependent upon one server (as if this fails, then all the slot machines fail).
You’ll be reading much more about DRGT’s solutions in a forthcoming issue of Casino International…
EGT
The Bulgarian slot manufacturers launched their new multi-level progressive jackpot system at ICE, Cat 4 Cash, alongside the new 3D animated P-Series games, new platform Exciter II and new games and mixes for the established Vega Vision line. Oh, and did we mention their land-based/remote gaming hybrid iPad tool?
EGT have certainly been busy over the last year!
Unveiling it for the first time, EGT’s Win Again mobile and online solution offers players even greater game choice, allowing them either through their iPad or internet website to access live Roulette tables whenever they are in the casino or even beyond its borders. Players can participate in the game at every point, without the need to physically sit at a live table. EGT’s system feeds real-time video of live or automated Roulette tables to a betting iPad interface or to the web-based alternative.
Cat 4 Cash Multi-Level Progressive Jackpot System offers four levels of progressive jackpot in a unique cabinet design, where the video slots are presented on a 22’’ LCD-TFT widescreen monitor and a top 32’’ portraitoriented LCD-TFT monitor showing the values of the jackpots.
EGT’s hot new P-Series games are designed to maximize player entertainment. At ICE, Fortune Spells and Coral Island video slots captured visitor imaginations with their 3D animations, high quality graphics resolution and outstanding sound quality. The key advantage to the new series of games lays in EGT’s latest powerful driver – the new Exciter II platform. It features the latest generation Core 2 processor and dramatically more powerful graphics card, which enables the exclusive display of high resolution graphics, thrilling animations and up to a four-monitor play experience.
Daniel van Marissing, EGT Sales Director Europe, said of the show: “London was different for EGT this year. We were able to initiate vast grounds for expansion on all its global markets.
In Europe, recent approvals in France, Monaco, Switzerland and Greece, combined with recognition from our existing customers on stability and performance of our products have brought EGT another step forward. We raised more curiosity than previous years. There seems to be a kind of saturation with the operators and the fresh wind seems to come from EGT. The market is there but operators are prudent because budgets are restricted.
EGT gives proof on a daily basis of its reliability by the products it manufactures and its team of professionals that make it work.
FremantleMedia Enterprises
With an eye on their major expansion further into gaming, Fremantle expected a lot from London – and the show duly delivered, it seems. Simon Murphy, Head of Gambling EMEA, said: “Although the exhibition only lasted for three days, it created a focus for the rest of the year that no other show could achieve. In my opinion this is the best show for business and was the perfect vehicle to announce the transition of our gambling business in to FremantleMedia Enterprises. The show has helped accelerate a number of conversations with Operators, Developers and Platforms in a way that simply would not have been possible through any other media. I felt that this year’s show had a very European and International feel that fits well with our core business and our aspirations within the gambling sectors. It was also harder to distinguish between companies in the remote space and those in the land-based arena. This is proof that the two sectors are starting to converge which fits well with our strategy to provide content across multiple channels – online, mobile and land-based.”
TCSJOHNHUXLEY
Fresh from a third consecutive win in the ‘Best Traditional Casino Equipment Supplier’ category at the International Gaming Awards, TCSJOHNHUXLEY rolled up at ICE with another wide array of innovations and improvements for customer to enjoy.
In addition to the full product portfolio, a whole host of new and exciting innovations were showcased at the event, which included the world wide launch of EL illuminated playing surfaces – shown on Double Action Roulette and LuminAR, this illuminated playing surface uses an advanced Electroluminescent technology, a cold light source that is paperthin;
Supernova Table Bonus system – a powerful progressive and game bonus system that drives increased revenues by adding higher levels of player excitement and loyalty to table games; AccuPLAY fully modular system – which now includes Cashless Payment System, Virtual Shoe System – for RNG basedautomation, CITO System (Cash In Ticket Out), 3D Animation Pack and Additional Live Table Game Packs, making it perfect for all types of casino and electronic arcade operations;
Gaming Floor Live, a new Real-Time Roulette game optimisation tool designed to maximise key performance areas and profitability; and a new range of eye-catching, high quality LCD Table Limit Signs that deliver promotional messages and will enhance any casino floor.
David Heap, Group Chief Executive commented: “ICE continues to provide the ultimate showcase for our ever-increasing portfolio of products and services which is why we focus our efforts to ensure new innovations debut in London. This year’s show saw the introduction of a broad range of products that will provide operators with that all-important added value – maximising operational efficiency and creating excitement for the players, keeping them at the tables for longer.
The feedback so far shows we did not disappoint!”
Gamesman
ICE represented the ‘best way possible to begin the business year’, according to Mark Smith, CEO and Managing Director of Gamesman. ICE 2011 represented a major milestone for Gamesman who took their biggest-ever exhibition presence and officially celebrated the production of their 20 millionth push button.
“Overall this was one of the very best editions of ICE that we have attended,” stated Mark Smith. “I think the show with its crisp new identity and clear vision has been taken to a new level by the organisers and the market has responded with a really robust show of support.”
“We go to exhibitions with a simple check list: Did we see the right people? Were we able to present ourselves professionally? Was our new technology and product offering well received and most importantly did we leave the exhibition with more ideas, more opportunities, more contacts and more confidence about the future? The answer to all of these points was an unequivocal yes. ICE was a great forum to showcase our latest full-colour LCD push button deck.”
DLV
“The ICE exhibition is one of the most important events in the gaming industry for our company. We have been exhibiting at ICE since 2004, and due to our production capacity and hardware innovations increase it was decided to enlarge the stand space as well as to promote our international image this year.
Besides that, our goal was to make the meetings with our existing and new clients more comfortable and meaningful. Due to this we had the opportunity to position ourselves as large and stable company, and it brought a big portion of attention from the side of the visitors of the exhibition. There were meetings held with our regular clients as well as new business relations built.
“We represented our brand-new DIAMOND Wide Screen cabinet, which rose a really huge and unexpected interest from our partners and visitors of the event, the same for our DIAMOND Slant Top cabinet, which was represented with our new multigames from the DIAMOND GAMES Premium series. Our clients are familiarized with the advantages of our games; that’s why it was extremely pleasant for us to see the interest for our DIAMOND GAMES Premium IV, V and VI, where new games and new opportunities appear. We have added some variety to our Jewel Jackpot, continuing the series with new Jewel Jackpot 2.
Reliable jackpot system offers new set of the games and gives more options for the operator’s and player’s selection. We have successfully started to 2011 year with our participation in ICE 2011. We plan to maintain our production pace, gladden our partners and clients with novelties and innovations, and keep the proper level of our image and the service we provide.”
Interblock
Another great looking stand from Interblock, populated with the interesting and exciting products that the company is so well known for.
Organic Island was a real draw; it’s a multiplayer, multigame experience, which gives players the choice of several different games to play from a single play station – for example, Baccarat/Punto Banco, Roulette, Sic Bo et cetera. Organic Island allows operators to choose from endless possibilities of play station placements as well as choosing from a selection of games and gaming parameters together with the preparation of timetables for active denominations.
Mr. Klemen Sitar, Regional Sales Manager at Elektroncek, said: “Our Organic Island concept has aroused much enthusiasm among our customers.
“They all share the same opinion with us, that the Organic products are the present and the future of the MTGMs. Our Organic Island installations in many casinos can confirm this with excellent performance.”
As a world premiere a product from Organic live games family, Organic Live 06 Card with Baccarat game and a live croupier was shown.
Organic Live Baccarat is Interblock’s latest game release that will allow players to buy-in, wager and cash-out from their player stations while a live shoe is dealt by the dealer. The game can be played alongside a traditional live baccarat table or from a dedicated shoe with cards being pulled for only the Organic game.
This exciting new game also includes the Organic multi-game feature that allows players to switch between additional baccarat tables and any other active Interblock games.
Offsidegaming
The online side of the exhibition grew yet again this year and the inclusion of this upbeat, technology-driven, exciting and constantly evolving gaming sector can honestly only be good for ICE. Some of the exhibitors of this side of the event are also operators though, so they are really relevant to both sides. Matt Jellicoe, CEO of Offsidegaming, explained: “The difference between Offsidegaming is that we are also an operator. This means that we understand firsthand how to run a successful operation from back office systems to marketing solutions. As you can imagine, this is very powerful knowledge and opens up a number of doors to speak with a variety of different companies from media and marketing to land-based. ICE is the perfect platform to speak with a range of differing companies and the hive of activity on the shop floor proved just how important the January show has become.”
Aristocrat
Since the company has streamlined operations and re-organised, Aristocrat’s clear focus seems to be paying off. The ‘Are you ready…’ theme carried over from G2E in November, but the show was distinctly European, with the new VIRIDIAN WS widescreen cabinet on show with more than 30 titles available, many with multi-denom capabilities.
New game options were also on show, but perhaps most exciting was the inclusion of the ‘future product zone’, where in-development projects were tested for customer feedback.
Sporting a new identity, Aristocrat Lotteries made its maiden public appearance, showing off its Multix and new Belago true Server-Based Gaming video lottery solutions for Norway’s state-owned operator Nørsk Tipping and a selection of Comma 6b interactive video terminals currently rolling out across Italy in partnership with local concessionaire COGETECH; William Wilsnagh, Managing Director – Africa and Europe, Aristocrat Technologies, said: “With so much to see, customers were simply spoilt for choice and it fell upon an extremely focused sales team to help guide them through the plethora of innovation on display.
“At-show sales were extremely pleasing, helping Aristocrat get off to a fast start for the year. Furthermore, unlike previous shows where the portfolio launched in London has defined our year ahead, this was merely a taste of what’s in store for 2011 and we look forward to releasing more and more great concepts and innovations in the coming 12 months.
“The response was highly encouraging and visitors left our stand with a true understanding of the customer-oriented development work Aristocrat is undertaking.
The adoption of GLI11 standards in our new world base should also be realised as customers in Europe and Africa begin to benefit from a faster roll-out programme.
“It is important that the market understands the full extent of Aristocrat’s acceleration towards more market-driven product development and the feedback we received at ICE, particularly on several test-marketing concepts, will prove invaluable in the product release plan we have in place for the next 12-24 months.”
BetStone
Server-based gaming specialists BetStone used ICE to launch their new look but also, more importantly, their new XGS Casino Management System. The BetStone XGS System features revolutionary management software to ensure efficient floor running, through real time access to precise machine and game play information. With remote analysis tools, data can be processed and assessed as game play happens, giving you the power to control your operation for maximum performance.
The XGS System ensures that you have live information at your fingertips in a controlled and secure environment to boost business performance.
This complete set of casino management tools is split into an intuitive set of modules: XGS Cashier; XGS View; XGS Security; XGS Marketing; and XGS Floor.
We’ll be looking at XGS in much more depth in a forthcoming issue of Casino International.
Bingocams
A new concept to the world of online bingo, Bingocams found ICE exceptionally worthwhile.
“Sarah Jones, Head of Marketing and PR at Bingocams said, “ICE was an excellent opportunity for the team to meet future partners of the Bingocams brand which will be launching in the UK later this month.
Bingocams.co.uk will invite players to embrace their webcams. This enables players to interact live with Chat Hosts and other players on the site, not just through the usual chat facilities, but using their webcam and meeting each other live “face to face”. Being at ICE also gave us access to the industry’s leading players and view the latest technological and game advancements.”
Quixant
Another important show for this fast-growing gaming board company. At ICE 2011 Quixant launched two new boards to the international market – the QXi-200 and the QXi-100. The 200 features the AMD Fusion APU for extremely high level graphics performance, dual DVI connectors for superb quality on two game screens, including HD potential, and their case design means the whole package – which is a complete system solution – runs without a fan, for low noise and less power consumption.
The QXi-100 is a similar product but is designed for what Quixant describes as ‘costsensitive applications’; again it is passively cooled, so no fan, dual monitor capability, and it’s capable of powering advanced 3D graphics.
Merkur Gaming
Merkur’s star continues to rise, with a strong complement of titles on show at ICE. The standouts of their line-up continue to be their multi-game selections, but the cabinets are striking too. The Casino Line slant top features attractive chrome detail, highlighted by keyline lights around the edges and with an illuminated toplight. The WB4 is their upright cabinet, with a small footprint and featuring TITO capabilities, with two 19” TFT monitors. Sound quality is enhanced by an integrated subwoofer.
JCM
Unsurprisngly, JCM’s iVIZION was their highlight for the casino trade, with its Contact Image Sensor technology that, they say, scans 75 times more data points than any competitor products; banknotes are optically centred regardless of width so there’s no need for mechanical centring, and there’s an antistringing device within too. First time acceptance is over 99 per cent, iVIZION is also self-calibrating and accepts notes up to 85mm wide. Exclusive to the iVIZION is JCM’s Sentry 2.0 Bezel, the industry’s first ‘display bezel’, with a high-resolution, high contrast LCD screen which is fully customisable for the operator. And working with the company’s Intelligent Cash Box 2.0, it’s win-win; each transaction is captured and stored on the cashbox for secure and robust data reconciliation, and the possibility for you to see detailed, tailored reporting.
Bally
The slot and systems giant had another absolutely full stand at ICE, with so much product it was dizzying. Highlights, in summary, included the ALPHA 2 Pro Series cabinets, which give a really immersive experience to the player with surround sound, HD video and slick 3D animations. They come in slant-top, spinning wheel, upright and also in configurations with digital, wheel and hammerhead top displays.
Chief Operating Officer Gavin Isaacs enthused: “Our game developers and hardware and software engineers have outdone themselves, and operator feedback has been truly outstanding.” The cabinets are download and configuration-ready, with a library of games already available to support it.
The iDeck was the standout for us at Casino International. It’s a fully customisable, fully downloadable touchscreen button deck, which can replace traditional buttons on a slot machine. Players can select the button configuration, touch features can be synched with the game, and so much more. It’s a great enhancement and one that players are more than ready for, with widespread acceptance of touchscreens thanks to smartphones in everyday life.
Of course there were lots and lots of new game titles, including the latest Playboy title, Playboy Hot Zone, a look back to the Playboy of the 1950s and 60s.
The company’s star European cabinet, the V32, also had some new game titles on show, including Hot Hot Habanero, Gaucho Gold, and Gold on the Bayou iView Display Manager played a big part in Bally’s Elite Bonusing Suite demonstration.
When combined with Bally’s Elite Bonusing Suite applications which deliver floor-wide, interaction promotions, iVIEW DM offers a second-chance-to-win and the ability for players to earn valuable rewards, all without interrupting play on their base game.
There was so much more to see, but we just don’t have the space here… Look for more on the Elite Bonusing Suite in a future issue.
Astro Corp
Astro enjoyed an impressive presence in the centre of the show floor, with their new generation of multiplayer games – with both poker and roulette content – front and centre.
CEO Simon Herbert explained: “At ICE we showed Astro Roulette in its popular ten player configuration, complete with inclusive high visibility winning number display. Astro 66, our six player console also created a great deal of interest. Astro 66 offers up to six players a choice of six different poker games, both peer to peer and virtual dealer, including Texas Hold ‘Em, Revolver Poker, Blackjack, Ladder Dice, Super Derby and Catch the Wave.
“The multiplayer market is already crowded and we knew that to succeed we would have to take a different approach. It is our objective to deliver the best possible game software in flexible full feature cabinet configurations.”
Astro’s latest slot latest releases were showcased, including video reel multiline games, Strongman and Deep Treasure. Astro’s legendary graphics skills were demonstrated with a spectacular new four level linked animated jackpot display featuring the legend of King Midas.
Simon Herbert was pleased at the enthusiastic response from visitors to the stand saying: “2011 was Astro’s fourth year at the London show and the stand was our largest to date. In terms of attendance we’ve been delighted by both the quantity and quality of visitors.”
IGT
Traditionally, IGT’s European arm cherry picks from what is on offer at G2E, and brings the best of it over the water for customers. That meant this year we saw the stunning Dark Knight, American Idol, the excellent (and incredibly popular at the show) Ghostbusters, the beautifully put together Dirty Dancing, and evergreen Star Wars.
Kurt Quartier, VP of International Casino Markets for IGT, said: “We recently completed our 1,000-machine deal with Sun International, where we placed a thousand of these Premium Products with Sun; we did the last of the installs in December. We want our customers to see the kind of product we installed there.
“Our main focus is really on sbX. We recently had our first install in Portugal at Troia, which opened on New Year’s Day, with 70 per cent IGT machines. We have installations now in Finland, Italy and France too, we’re getting some good traction with the product. Working with those geographically diverse customers is good, and now other customers can go and have a look.”
With so many games available when you factor in multigames, how do casino operators make customers aware of the titles available to them?
IGT has the answer, explained Kurt: “Our message with sbX and all the games we have is, “Here’s the library.” Gone are the days when there are ten games to pick from for the year; when you have a hundred plus new games, we have to think how we are going to show that to the customer? How is the operator going to show to the customer that their favourite games are available on the cabinet, while showing them all the new content? With our multigame capacity, we have a banner running across the top of the screen which tells the customer what other games are available on that cabinet. If they play one game and we know that we have another that is similar, we can flash that one up at them and recommend it with confidence.”
ComTrade
Ales Gornjec, ComTrade’s Business Development Manager for Gaming, explained to CI how ICE worked for them: “A successful transition from HERMES SoftLab to ComTrade mid 2010 gave us the ability to leverage the full resources of ComTrade Group and exhibit at ICE 2011 with a new booth and unified brand.
We met with a number of customers and potential prospects ranging from online operators to the landbased sector and our positioning at the show complimented these objectives.
Particular interest was shown in new innovations such as social gaming and the newly launched Live Casino system, a uniquely different platform that marries online gaming to a genuine casino floor. There was also a high level interest in existing solutions like Remote Game Server which provides operators with third party or white label solutions a way of making custom changes and gain more control over their player’s experience.
“We feel that ComTrade is fast becoming the “go to” knowledge centre for gaming excellence and found that many companies who visited the stand, wanted to learn about the latest developments in gaming technology. In part we feel that this is due to ComTrade being the largest global software engineering company focused on gaming and also due to our world class Gaming Competence Centre which offers cutting-edge consulting and advice to customers.”
Microgaming
Online gaming software provider Microgaming used the show to launch their new Live Dealer game, Multi-Player Roulette.
Multi-Player Roulette offers action for up to seven players at once per table, and features Microgaming’s innovative “table action” allowing each player to see where other players are placing their bets. Players are identified on the table by seven sets of coloured chips and are able to select their preferred colour if it is available.
Microgaming’s Live Dealer Roulette product utilises casino grade technology for precision readings, eliminating human error and providing the most accurate and enjoyable realtime gaming experience.
Also most certainly of note is that the company launched what they say is the first true 3D online video slot, developed using true 3D technology. The slot has been developed based on the popular Sterling Silver 5 reel 25 payline video slot and will be launching in 2011.
Casino Technology
The slot specialists from Bulgaria brought an amazing 50 new titles and concepts to ICE, including new game suit 7 Wonders of the World, a concept where players can explore the world with seven different video-slot games featuring varied math models and bonus events, but based on common theme and symbols. The game suit is linked to the novel network bonus, REEL ACTION, creating enthusiasm with unexpected bonus wins, enriching further the lavish HD graphic experience and expanding the options of the smart progressive bonus system within the series.
The spectacular REEL ACTION, which attracts the players at a glance visualizing huge video slot on 6 plasma screens, raised upon the group of the linked games, is a leap ahead in terms of interactivity, involving the social element in gaming and complementing Game Suit series. It will also be available with the rest of Game suits from Casino Technology, in addition to whole variety of other jackpot systems compatible with the games.
GTECH G2
GTECH G2 previewed a comprehensive update to its market-leading casino software featuring its new slots-based adaptation of PopCap Games’ blockbuster game Plants vs. Zombies.
Plants vs. Zombies Slots is GTECH G2’s first new game to result from a recently signed licensing deal for various PopCap games. In the new slot game developed by GTECH G2, familiar plant characters like ‘Peashooter’ and ‘Chomper’ turn symbols on the five-reel three pay line slot game into Wilds with an exciting Bowling-for-Zombies Bonus Round for enhanced player interaction and entertainment.
“Based on our experience with other premier branded games, such as Sherlock Holmes and Chippendales slot games our licensees can expect very quick pick-up on this well known title,” said Dominic Mansour, GTECH G2 VP Gaming Products. “Recognizable titles attract new players and keep existing players coming back for more. GTECH G2 has a number of additional games in development which will be launched over the coming year using other recognized brands from PopCap. In addition, our licensees continue to do well with original games we’ve developed, like Fortunes of Egypt and Mystic Island.”
Evolution Gaming
London Roulette was the name of the game for Evolution at ICE, the new localised online roulette room modelled on the UK’s finest so online players can get a feel for some of the world’s most opulent casinos.
Evolution has also ensured that customer service is of the highest order, by headhunting the best and most experienced native speaking male dealers from top UK land-based casinos.
In common with Evolution’s well-established Live Roulette, players are welcomed to the table by the dealer and can interact with the dealer and fellow players in real time throughout the game.
London Roulette has already been deployed by William Hill Online and a number of other well-known operators in the UK and mainland Europe.
According to Jens von Bahr, Evolution CEO: “London Roulette went live at the start of December with several of our largest clients, including William Hill Online and Ladbrokes.
Initial results from all of these top-tier operators have been very impressive. Typically we are seeing excellent uptake amongst existing customers – but without cannibalising existing revenue – and also high numbers of all-new customers and, therefore, exceptionally low cost of customer acquisition.”
The concept behind London Roulette enables any customer to visit and play at a localised ‘destination’ casino, where every detail – from interior design, to lighting to the on-screen user interface and choice of game views – has been developed to create a unique ambience and customer experience.
Following London Roulette is Evolution’s Venezia Roulette, a similar offering tailored for the Italian market, due for April 2011 release.
MEI
The hero product for MEI was the CASHFLOW SC Advance, a bill validator that boasts an improved recognition system, where transmissive sensors are used to see right through a banknote; MEI also say it has faster bill-to-bill speed, so transactions are quicker and players are theoretically happier; expanded memory; four-direction barcode recognition and improved acceptance on multi-width currencies; and an upgrade to USB 2.0, so communication speed with the host machine is greatly improved, and in future, functionality could even be greater.
This impressive list of enhancements are cleverly in the accpetor head, so the SC Advance is able to work with legacy CASHFLOW SC units already in the world – and there are a lot of them!
This is another product we’ll be looking at more closely in coming issues…
WMS
For years now we’ve been eulogising about WMS and their excellent slot titles. So why change now? Great cabinets, brilliant sound, and solid game licenses which they have added to with the wonderful Godfather game. It’s a title that almost did not make it to the international markets, as Candace Lucas explained to CI: “We have a lot of product available across the international market now and we’re bringing more product to that space than ever before; five years ago, we brought half the amount that we have here today. Everything here is new to the international market; we make and design products for both our domestic and international markets, and sometimes product we thought would only be domestic has generated such demand from international that we then take it into that area too. For example, we were only going to produce Godfather for the domestic [US] market but its appeal internationally has been huge. We’re getting a lot of feedback from international customers so we’ve brought it here to make it available to them.”
Also of note at the show for WMS was Alice, the Alice in Wonderland-themed Transmissive Reel slot with the wonderful Goldfish-style 3D topbox. It’s not ready to order yet, but when it is, expect it to fly.
Candace enthused about the company’s G+ series enhancement, G+ Deluxe: “We’re excited about this, there are all the themes you can imagine with this – Roman Dynasty, Game of Dragons, and more. It’s a VLT product and we do have Italy in mind for this product. The G+ series as a whole is available in many regions and has proved many popular, and we expect this to carry on its success.”
Allowing players to choose the volatility of the game has become a popular addition for some manufacturers, but it may only appeal to a relatively small number of slot players – the WMS solution for this allows players to choose how the game actually rewards them in gameplay, so they can choose the game’s actual features.
Candace explained: “The Helios cabinet allows players to choose both the game they play, and how the game will play out – they can actually affect some of the features of the game.
A player might pick Caveman Cash theme, for example, over Venetian Romance, but then you can also choose the features that you most like playing with that game – do I like bonus triggers or would I prefer multipliers? It gives a totally different look and feel to the game.”
3M
The touchscreen experts had something special on their stand – multi-touch screens.
They’ve shown this technology before, but it has evolved, as 3M Touchsystems UK Sales Manager Dave Williams, explains: “We’re focussing on our core products which have been very well received. We’re showcasing the multi-touch product; it brings a new collaborative approach to the use of touchscreens, and brings multi-user interactivity into the gaming environment. We have a number of applications here at the show both on our stand and on our customer stands who are using mutlitouch for the first time.
Bally’s iDeck is a multitouch screen, which replaces the button panel on the front of a slot, is one example.
“At last year’s ICE we had a 22” desktop monitor, which we’ve now launched and is being sold as a production item; we now have a 32” product on the stand, it’s evolving steadily.
It was launched 18 months ago with a very high feature set, and those feature sets remain but the screen is much larger.”
Alfastreet
Alfastreet has long had a talent for pushing into emerging markets, with strong user bases in its home country of Slovenia, significant success in South America – and now major successes in Asia, with contracts in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Macau, and now Singapore.
Deric Goh, Alfastreet’s Sales Manager for Asia, told Casino International the company now has an installed base of over 200 terminals in Singapore, which is very impressive.
At ICE, the star of the show was the Alfastreet Multigame, a terminal where a player can choose what they want to play – Sic Bo, Roulette, whatever is on offer in the casino, ultimately. For operators, this means they can save space and give players much more variety.
Their player terminals have also had an overhaul, with bigger monitors, fresher design and overall tweaks and refinements. All in all, a good show for Alfastreet.
Apex Gaming
Apex Gaming usually have something fresh and interesting at exhibitions, and ICE was no exception. There’s a beautiful new slant-top cabinet which sits somewhere between a traditional slant-top and an upright. It looks brilliant, and with two 26” widescreen monitors, it will catch players’ eyes too. It’s running a new gaming platform called Evolution, which was showing an interesting innovation – simulated 3D games on a 2D monitor. Very interesting indeed, it was one of the most striking things we saw at the show. It could be a very cost effective way for casinos to benefit from the current trend towards all things threedimensional.
Quikker, Apex’s card game that was released last year, also made an appearance in electronic form on a table which can also host Texas Hold’Em, so the appeal to customers is doubled. In Quikker, players can bet on the type of card, colo9ur of card, any pair – it’s almost like the table game version of spread betting, such is the variety of bets a player can enjoy. The table now has TITO as an option, so it’s even more attractive.
Finally, there was a single deck shuffler on show. The dealer puts the deck in and the device checks the deck and counts the cards, then shuffles; it takes a minute to shuffle the cards, which is about the time it takes to play a game with six players, so the dealer always has a fresh deck to hand.
Money Controls
Celebrating their new home with the Crane Payment Solutions family, Money Controls had their flagship Ardac Elite front and centre, alongside a very strong suite of products more in line with the AWP market – hoppers, coin validators et cetera.
Ardac Elite is the first field-proven imaging bill validator, and will be a solid addition to the CPS suite of products. Tony Morrison, Money Controls’ European Sales Director said: “Unlike traditional validators, Money Controls’ Ardac Elite takes a high-resolution image of the whole note. 100% note scanning by the Ardac Elite makes it much easier to identify note fraud, and the last note image display function can be used to easily resolve player disputes.”
Of course, Money Controls also has the new ccTalk DES encryption standard to bring to the industry. ccTalk DES encryption is a further development of the ccTalk protocol, widely accepted as the industry standard. As a result of using ccTalk, systems and products can benefit from low-cost hardware, increased security, superior fault-code reporting, and real-time monitoring of cash transaction. Ardac Elite is now available with ccTalk DES encryption for greater security.
Tony added: “Our DES encrypted products, including coin mechs, hoppers and validators, offer a significant weapon in combating fraud. Since we launched these, in response to demands from the gaming industry, we’ve had a very positive reaction. ICE will give us another opportunity to meet with customers and show them how Money Controls’ products can benefit their businesses, not only in terms of security, but reliability too.”
Crane Payment Solutions
The future is all about the freshly-broadened product suite that Crane Payment Solutions can now bring to their customers. As Sim Bielak explained to CI: “Our message here at the show is about moving forward with Money Controls and bringing our products together, our teams together as one Crane Payment Solutions team.
If you look around our booth, or the Money Controls booth, you’ll see the widest range of products and we really are now the coin handling experts of the world. We have NRI, the coin validation experts, and now we have Money Controls which has a huge reputation as the expert in coin dispensing – the Universal Hopper is like an industry standard. Plus there’s the ccTalk protocol, which is a standard. Bring all of that together and it’s a very strong suite.
“On the casino gaming side they have the Ardac Elite product and we have the CashCode one, it’s a real suite of products with great depth we can offer our customers.
“We truly are Payment Solutions now; there is no-one else that has the breadth of products we have.”
DigiDeal
Freshly separated from IGT, DigiDeal had an important message for customers at ICE, and it all centres around their flexibility. If you’re in a jurisdiction where an electronic table game might be regarded as a slot machine – ie the UK – then the DigiDeal table can use a live deck to deal, but in all other aspects be digital.
If there’s a problem, this company genuinely has a solution. If there’s a cap on slots, DigiDeal tables can be table games, and vice-versa.
CEO Michael Kuhn explains: “We have more flexibility now, and a more intimate relationship with our customers now. As a result of G2E we had some success there, so we came here to do some training on product and some installs after the show ends.
“Europe is a growth area for us. We’ve had games in the Netherlands and Germany, and we’ve got an install coming up in Norway, as well as some others subject to regulatory approval. We’re aligning ourselves with new relationships in distribution to target Europe more effectively too.
FutureLogic
The thermal printer and promotional couponing experts had a good show, after a quiet start, as John Edmunds told Casino International. “It’s been a really positive show. It was quiet for the first part of the first day but since then it’s been great. We have two new products that we first showed in Vegas at G2E in November. There’s the Gen3 Evolution printer, which is the first TITO and promotional couponing printer that is designed specifically for promotional couponing. It’s faster, it’s better quality and it’s not an add-on, it’s what it was originally designed for.
“We’re also showing PromoNet promotional couponing system which has had a refresh, and is running live on the slot machines we have on the booth. We’re running it with the Gen3 printer on slot machines from various top slot manufacturers to show this setup can work with just about anything.”
The print quality from the Gen3 really is impressive, with a subtlety rarely seen from a thermal printer.
Most impressive.
GPI
Gaming Partners International, with fresh recruit Kirsten Clark in the team, are looking toward a bold future. With success in Asia under their belt, the team is casting its eye worldwide at ageing chip inventory, as Kirsten explained: “An obvious growth opportunity for GPI is the RFID chip space, and Asia has been very progressive in getting RFID in their chips and at the cage but there’s a lot of opportunity to really secure the currency casino are using.
If you look at the chip inventory a lot of casinos worldwide are using, they’re using chips that are seven years old with outdated security features. That puts them at risk from counterfeiting.
“GPI has been an innovator with all our security features, and I’m excited to be a part of that in helping to take the company to the next level. Our product suite includes a full suite of pit-related gaming products; one of our challenges is making sure our global customers understand that yes, we can of course provide currency, but we can also offer the tables, chairs and wheels, all of the components they use to offer a live gaming experience.”
Greg Gronau enthused about the company’s Asia office, opening soon. “We’re opening our office in Macau in March; our customers are already appreciative that we will be there, on the ground to support them. We have 80-90 per cent of that market, so it’s important for us to be there.”
Triple Crown / Mozzart
A really striking machine, an automated roulette with a huge difference – the wheel is surrounded by three number rings, not the usual one. It makes roulette quite a different experience, as Zoran Puhac of Triple Crown explains: “It’s an innovation that is unique in the market. We have constructed three active roulette wheels; it can be played as a regular roulette with one wheel, but with three there is much more excitement with the three numbers generated. It brings more earnings for casino owners too, so there is balance – there is something for the players and also something for the operators.”
In a stunning shade of pink, this was certainly one of the highlights of ICE.
Shuffle Master
The table games company has two new additions to its excellent iTable software, in Ultimate Texas Hold’em and Roulette – both sure to do very well, as iTable is one of the outstanding products of the last few years.
Texas Hold’Em is actually enjoying the first installation anywhere in the world at Spielbank Berlin, even before the ICE show; ICE was its first appearance at a gaming show.
Shuffle Master’s European arm was promoting a half price program, which Roger Snow explained: “This is a program we have rolled out on utility products in Europe only; the idea is that casinos that have budgetary constraints can still have our products on the floor and not have to pay the full amount. So you can get a good utility product like a shuffler or a chipper, for half what it costs but you pay a monthly fee to keep it operational; otherwise it locks up.” The chipper’s full performance is PIN activated, which means the operator can let it ‘sleep’ in off peak periods, saving money all ways.
Innocore
It’s been all change for Innocore since their takeover by Advantech, and it’s change for the better, as Sales Director Koen Stomph explained: “We’re not Innocore any more – we’re Advantech Innocore. What our merger brings to customers is more service stations in Europe, local warehousing, more engineering support, as we have more than 600 engineers at our disposal; for the customers it’s really a good thing.
“We’re showing two new boards here at ICE, in the DPX-S series. Everyone knows the S410 but now we have two new boards. One uses an AMD design based an on E785 chipset which gives great power, low wattage, high performance integrated graphics and more.
The DPX-S415 board gives you everything you need to work a slot machine, sound, everything. The other version is the DPX-S425 – it’s a similar design but it’s based on the HM55 Intel chipset. Both chipsets are really new so we can comfortably commit to a fiveyear availability cycle.”
Gary Platt
Skip Davis, Chief Operating Officer of Gary Platt Manufacturing, attended the ICE show for the second year in a row. Bernard Mozina, General Manager of Intergames D.O.O., Gary Platt’s European distributor, was in also in attendance. Gary Platt, manufacturer of casino seating, is gaining market share with its XTended Play seating and was well received by both operators and OEMs.
ISMS
For International Slot Machine Sales, appearing at exhibitions and trade shows is an essential part of their business. Managing Director Sam Arnold says, “With customers in all corners of the globe, it is important to give them every opportunity to see us and our products at whichever show suits them best.
Obviously, the ICE Totally Gaming Exhibition is one of the biggest and most prestigious events in the gaming calendar. It is a great way to obtain new clients and to advertise our products and services, but it is also an important way for us to catch up with our existing customers, friends and colleagues in the industry.”
This year on the ISMS stand there was a good mix of existing clients and suppliers, together with many first-time visitors from newer markets. “The flow of traffic on the stand was pretty constant,” said Sam. “It would appear that a challenging financial climate lends itself to our type of business. Our clients are often astute businessmen and women, who can see the value in purchasing top quality, pre-owned products. These machines show an immediate cost saving over new equipment and give a great return on investment in the shortest possible time frame. Purchasing pre-owned slot machines from ISMS enables casinos and gaming venues to replace their equipment more often, thus satisfying the changing demands of customers in the shortest possible time frame.”
It looks as though 2011 is going to be another exciting year for International Slot Machine Sales. In the wake of unprecedented growth over the last few years they’ve already made some additions to the management and sales teams. “It is important that we have the right infrastructure in place” says Sam, “as we want to be able to respond very quickly to our clients’ needs”. ISMS left ICE with a record number of leads and enquiries – in part a result of having large and varied stock holdings, but also due to the excellent reputation they are continuing to acquire in the industry.
During March, you can meet representatives from ISMS at AmEx 2011 in Dublin and at The Caribbean Gaming Show 2011 in The Dominican Republic.
Magic Dreams
ICE exceeded all expectations for Magic Dreams, with the Captain CA$H Jackpot system, powered by the cutting edge platform Xtend and linked to an exciting game library, was among the most appreciated products by customers.
Brand new video roulette standalone Magic Roulette Platinum and Double Draw poker, also earned much admiration from guests.
Double Draw Poker was exhibited on the brand new Slant Top cabinet 500ST 22’’ presented for the first time at ICE. Based on the previous elegant and ergonomic cabinet model, the new 500ST 22’’ features two 22’’ wide screens in order to offer to the players a total visual experience.
With the new Slant Top 500ST 22’’ Magic Dreams wants to offer not only quality and design but also the most comfortable mix between softness and solidity; sophisticated technology and desire to play.
The ergonomic structure has been accurately defined to leave players totally concentrating on the gaming strategy and the chrome and glitter finishing are studied to bring glamour and elegance to the slot floor.
The exhibition also gave MD a chance to introduce new European Sales Manager Jaime Bonet Torrendell to customers. He will be responsible of the European and Mediterranean territories including Germany, Portugal, Cyprus, Spain, Malta, Macedonia, Romania, Greece, France, Egypt and Morocco.
