In Bogotá, we found out that Bruce Smith had decided to cancel the Puerto Rico event, which ash been a feature of the expos calendar every June for the past few years. Through his company, Smith said that he will be back next year with another version of the Caribbean Hospitality and Gaming Conference.

The funny thing is that it also seems likely that the Panama event set up to compete with CHGC will not take place next year because one of its organizers decided to up his hooks and move to Mexico to organize an expo there, next year, as Mexico becomes flavour of the year, years ahead...

Point is, nearly everyone who has ever seen Robert de Niro say “Are you talking to me?” in gangster movie Casino or any such gambling, whores and gangsters flick, is just dying to operate a casino in Mexico. Point also is, in Mexico, some of the biggest slots manufacturers are already there associated with the biggest operators, such as Caliente, CIE, Televisa, and others with or without Habeas Corpus protection.

Meanwhile back at the Rancho Grande, it seems that other industry characters wish to play the hegemony card (sic) and stick their corporate flag in Mexican territory, where men are men and pirates died with Francis Drake. Apart from this, I expect, anything that is good for the industry in Latin America is positive, as long no one comes over and plants its foreign flag on our casa. We liked the way that Fadja closed, with mariachis, singers and exotic dancers. It was really great for Colombia.

Cheers,

Ricki.

MONEY CONTROLS UPS THE TEMPO

Money Controls has continued its expansion in the Latin America gaming market with the opening of offices in Miami and Argentina. Ron Rollins, Money Controls’ Vice President Global Gaming, outlined the company’s thinking: “The Latin America region, stretching from the Caribbean to Argentina, is one of the fastest growing markets in the world.

Virtually all of the slot manufacturers have a focus on the region. Up to now, we have served the whole of this vast geographic area from our Las Vegas office and our Brazilian sales office, and via our Peru distribution partner [Gaming & Technology Peru SA]. The new offices not only increase our sales and service capability in the region, they also enable us to provide a more local, faster response to our customers.”

The Miami office is headed by Director of Sales, Aquiles Mila de la Roca, who is responsible for all sales and service in the Latin America region. Aquiles comments, “Within five years, the Latin America market could be one of the biggest in the world and Money Controls is determined to remain a leading player in this growing market.”

To support this strategy, Aquiles has recently recruited Cesar Neira from Money Controls’ Las Vegas office to head service and support for the region, based out of Miami. Cesar commented: “Las Vegas is still the gaming capital of the world and it was difficult to leave, but the opportunity in Miami was too good to miss.”

Debora Sieler has been recruited to take charge of the Buenos Aires office. She comes from the Money Controls sales office in Brazil and has extensive knowledge and experience in the region with Money Controls’ products. To spearhead local service and support, Debora has recruited Ezequiel Gotte, a highly respected and experienced slot technician, formerly of Trilenium Casino in Tigre. This wealth of experience allows Ezequiel to “hit the ground running” in supporting Money Controls’ implementation plans for Ardac Elite, its latest bill and ticket acceptor.

Debora is looking forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead, and is particularly enthusiastic when talking about the prospects for Ardac Elite, saying: “Ardac Elite has already taken the European market by storm, and is also performing strongly in Asia and South Africa. It looks set to repeat this in the Latin America market, with the progress we have made so far.” Aquiles agreed with this assessment and stated that Ardac Elite was a key factor in the decision to expand the company’s operations in the region.

SUN INTERNATIONAL HEADS

FOR CHILE

Both casino companies are based in some of the world’s best wine producing regions, France and South Africa, and they are now involved in a third up and coming wine region in Chile. Sun International has announced an agreement with International Group of Gaming & Resorts (IGGR) to acquire, subject to regulatory approval, a 40% equity interest in San Francisco Investment SA, the company that last November was granted a 15-year casino licence in Chile’s Region VI. The Novomatic Group, the Austrian-based gaming manufacturer/operator, is also part of the Chilean company.

The Paihuén Casino & Resort will be located in San Francisco de Mostazal in the central region of Chile some 35 miles from the capital city Santiago. The Santiago region, where casinos remain prohibited, accounts for 45% of the country’s GDP. Being the casino project closest to the capital, Sun International considers that the licence is for the prime location in Chile. The company will derive long-term management and consultancy agreements for a casino with a market of over 6 million people in Santiago and the Region VI capital Rancagua.

The casino resort in Mostazal will have 80 gaming tables, 1,500 slot machines and 300-seat bingo. The project beat competition in Region VI from Spanish company Cirsa and Chile’s leading operator Enjoy, both bidding for licences in Rancagua, although a second Region VI licence has been granted to a group that includes Enjoy in Santa Cruz.

For some time Sun International has been looking to expand internationally. Projects in the UK have been delayed and another in the Moscow region of Russia now looks unlikely to materialize. IGGR has casinos in France and is the third largest gaming group in Argentina, where the company has bingos and slot machines. It also has three casinos in Egypt and other operations in Curaçao and Ecuador.

The Novomatic Group includes Austrian Gaming Industries (AGI) and Swiss company Admiral Casinos & Entertainment (ACE), and operates over 30 casinos and gaming venues around the world, as well as being a leading gaming equipment manufacturer. The Paihuén Resort will have a hotel, restaurants, disco, convention centre, commercial centre and theme parks and sports amenities to attract family visitors. The complex is scheduled to open in 2008 at a cost of US$60.7 million.

CIRSA EXPANDS PERU OPERATIONS

Barcelona-based gaming group Cirsa has just re launched its slot machine venue in Lima’s bohemian district of Barranco. Company executives were present at the festivities to start the marketing campaign of daily raffles and good food, with live music at weekends. Over the past 18 months Cirsa has invested over US$20 million in Peru and operates three other casinos in the capital – two in Miraflores and one in San Miguel.

Cirsa is now the top investing international gaming operator in Peru and employs more than 400 people. Under a law passed last December, March 24 next week is the deadline for those running unlicensed gambling operations in Peru to approach the Ministry responsible for licensing (MINCETUR) to regularize their situation. The future closure of illegal operations will give Cirsa further opportunity to consolidate its position in the Peruvian slot machine market.

The investment in Peru’s gaming market is part of the Cirsa corporate strategy. The company at present has 22 traditional casinos and 80 gaming machine operations in 9 countries. Over 13 million people play at Cirsa locations annually and GGR in 2005 was over US$2.4 billion. European institutional investors have acquired Cirsa bonds issued for over 400 million Euro (US$525 million).

BOLIVIA LOOKING AT LEGISLATION

In Bolivia a presidential decree made by ex-president Sanchez de Lozada in 1996 once again authorized licences for slot machines in local shops and arcades, offering gambling from early in the day to late at night. In some cases the licences have been sub-leased, a fact that explains the large number of slots businesses in the country. There is now a government project to regulate gambling activity in this Andean nation.

Bingo, video poker and all sorts of slot machines are functioning in various districts of the capital La Paz, in venues with or without licences. They attract players of all ages and betting is unrestricted. According to the Bolivian Lottery, the industry regulator, when machines are installed in one location at least 40 others start operating even though only around twenty companies hold licences. This is without counting the operations running on the subleasing of licences.

In a principal avenue of La Paz, an Internet café with one slot machine operates between two educational establishments. For its owner it is just ‘like having a telephone kiosk.’ Not even in the inner city area, where the locations are more visible, are there any restrictions on access. The businesses open from first thing until the early hours of the next day.

Vice Minister for Health Albert Nogales said, “It is this activity that the present government is trying to regulate with the approval of a law to redirect the functioning and mission of the Lottery.” The objective is to use the taxes to finance health programmes for kidney and cancer patients. At present the system of control involves neither the Police, nor the Municipality of La Paz. (E-03.19.07)

FADJA 2007 SHOWS ITS COLOURS

The Andean gaming show FADJA 2007 opened on Wednesday with a fanfare of colour from the beautifully displayed stands. Manufacturers and service providers to the gaming industry outdid themselves in attracting the attention of the top operators in the Latin American region. As usual, the annual exhibition in Bogotá, Colombia was a perfect place for business. Amongst those companies benefiting from the professional ambience were INNOVATION and BOSS GAMING.

Just two hours after FADJA 2007 opened its doors to visitors, an elated Linda Monzon – president of Boss Gaming’s UK parent company Greatplan Limited – called us to announce the company’s first big contract in Central America. Boss Gaming has negotiated a deal for 30 of its smart state-of-the-art electronic roulettes for around US$2 million. Linda Monzon commented, “We feel like dancing for joy. Thank you, FADJA!”

On being informed about the contract FADJA organizer Jose Anibal Aguirre said he was happy for Boss Gaming. “This is a young company with a lot of imagination that has placed itself in this regional market. Its success does not surprise me, or that of other companies that close deals for millions of dollars at our exhibition.” With a smile Aguirre added that other announcements such as that of Boss Gaming would soon be following.

Manuel Fandiño, managing director of INNOVATION GAMING had news of his own. He was pleased to say that the company had just reached a deal for the sale of its video slot machines to Asia. Asia? Says I, at a Latin American expo? “It’s because our fame has spread beyond our region,” Manuel Fandiño confessed with a beaming smile. FADJA 2007, when the analysis is completed, seems all set to beat records in exhibitors, sales and visitors. Before the doors closed yesterday evening the organizers were already busy taking bookings for stands at next year’s prime showplace for products and services.

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