PDF Version - G3

Transcription

PDF Version - G3

WWW.G3NEWSWIRE.COM/WWW.G3-247.COM
International Gaming News / Knowledge / Statistics / Marketing Information / Digital and Print
Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers
OffIcIAl mAGAzIne
Global Games
and Gaming
Magazine
May 2016
WWW.G3NEWSWIRE.COM
WWW.G3-247.COM
Uruguayan Chamber of Deputies could approve
a new act by the end of this legislative session
uruguay P08
Westspiel’s Duisburg Casino doubles its order for
APEX slots after initial positive player tests
GermAny P16
Konami’s new Vegas HQ awarded Southern
Nevvada sustainable green building award
us P26
IAGA SummIt 2016 mAltA
Mark frissora interview
Extensive G3 preview of the IAGA Summit includes an
exclusive interview with Caesars’ CEO Mark Frissora
Crown Resorts warns its Perth hotel will face an
uphill struggle due to external economic factors
AustrAliA P28
SubScribe
at G3-247.com
Read every G3 magazine, download every
market report and much more...
Interact with G3 via...
Available on the
App Store
The latest magazine is available to digitally
download via G3-247.com or via the App Store
and Google Play Store
Contents
May 2016
SOUtH AMERICA
uruGuAy P8
The Uruguayan Chamber of Deputies could
approve a new gaming act by the end of this
legislative session.
Samson House,
457 Manchester Road,
Manchester M29 7BR,
United Kingdom
chile P10
Proximity to student facilities throws a
spanner in the works for Boldt-Peralada’s
plans to develop its Chillan Casino project
ArGentinA P12
tabcorp enters the Argentine market with
the oldest and most prestigous horse-racing
venue
EMEA
uK P14
Aspers beats off competition from Grosvenor,
Kymeira, Genting and Global Gaming Ventures
to secure its third large licence in the UK
GermAny P16
Westspiel’s Duisburg Casino doubles its order
for APEX slots after initial player tests proved
wholly positive
FrAnce P17
Some of EGts latest installations have taken
place in several establishments of Groupe
Barrière, which owns 32 casinos
World Partner to clarion events
G3Newswire.com delivers
daily international gaming
industry news and
information, with the
G3Newswire newsletter
circulated three times per
week to a 8,000+ database
of gaming industry
influencers
NORtH AMERICA
new Jersey P22
Atlantic City’s remaining casinos post 40 per
cent increase in profits as the market
stabilises after several years of turmoil
BAhAmAs P24
Caesars will be the only brand of its kind that
offers a Las Vegas style island gaming
destination as a benefit of its loyalty program
nevAdA P25
Wynn plans to redevelop land behind its two
Strip resorts into resort dedicated to
entertainment more then gambling
ASIA & OCEANIA
south AmericA P26
Betradar rolls out Live Sports Centre for this
year’s Euro 2016 football tournament and the
Copa America Centenario in the US
AustrAliA P28
Warning from within Crown that its opening of
the largest hotel in Perth will face an uphill
struggle thanks to external economic factors
mAcAu P30
Legend announces sale as gaming revenue
decreased almost 30 per cent in its 2015 figures
with a loss of HK$268.5m
WWW.G3-247.COM
Events
IAGA Summit 2016
Interactive
Virtual Sports
international Association of
Gaming Advisors in Malta
The peaks and pitfalls of
business in brazil
Swaziland: the birthplace of
gaming in Southern Africa
Virtual Sports is a new
gaming reality
Events P74
G3 inteviews the panelists and
speakers attending this months
Insight P36
G3 takes an overview of the
Brazil gaming act and quizes
local distributor, Playbrands,
about the special conditions to
doing business in Brazil
Insight P46
Celebrating the 50th
anniversary of the first legal
casino in Southern Africa,
Beppi Mottes shares his
memories of the Royal Swazi
Interactive P92
G3 speaks to Inspired, Kiron
Interactive, SIS, Playtech and
Betradar about one of the most
dynamic areas of sportsbetting: Virtual Sports
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / 247.COM
P3
lewis Pek
Editor
Comment
May 2016
I keep hearing the phrase: “acting like a casino.” It’s used primarily on
news reports when discussing the reckless, self-serving actions of
disfunctional government bodies, unscrupulous business entities, most
recently even charities. It’s used to describe banking, accounting and
share-trading, and has become something of a catch-all for the
problems facing the wider society - and I find it really annoying.
Worst still is a story I considered heavily editing in this issue relating to
the offices of Codere in Buenos Aires being raided by police, who
eventually left empty-handed. The article describes the controversy
over the company’s decision to open a new gaming hall in the province,
whereby church leaders condemned the move, saying it would bring
about ‘terrible consequences.’
Funny that, as in the last month I’ve watched world leaders cringe at the
revelations of Mossack Fonsecca; FIFA’s world governing body spun into
corruption charges once more; banks, including my own, fined for
laundering money for drug cartels and terrorists; charities selling phone
records; Dilma Rouseff set to be impeached; the Icelandic Prime
Minster drummed out of office; corruption scandals about bankers,
politicians, police, journalists, the list goes on... and there should be a
terrIble cOnSequenceS? It SeemS tO me thAt GAmInG IS the
Only InduStry currently held tO AccOunt fOr ItS ActIOnS
special place reserved for the individuals within the church over well
documented revelations in its own ranks.
Now while I completely understand the consequences of gaming, I’d
also hope that there’d be a sense of proportionality. The world has been
so preoccupied scrutinising the gaming industry that its dropped the
ball in practically every other sector. Having just spent two days
researching a forthcoming feature in the offices of GLI in Holland,
understanding the technical scrutiny, depth of compliance evaluations,
maths-testing, physical processing and software security, I can’t
imagine there are too many industries operating under such
microscopic levels of inspection.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from visiting GLI, it’s that if everyone
spent more time actually ‘acting like a casino,’ there would be far less
issues in the world. Terrible consequences? It seems to me that gaming
is the only industry currently held to account for its actions.
editoriAl
Editor
lewis Pek
[email protected]
+44 (0) 1942 879291
News Editor
Phil martin
[email protected]
+44 (0)7801 967714
Associate Editor (Malaga)
Karen southall
[email protected]
Consultant (Germany)
John carroll
[email protected]
South America Correspondent
James marrison
[email protected]
Contributors
david Addison,
valery Bollier,
rob Painter
P4 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / 247.COM
AdvertisinG
Commercial Director
John slattery
[email protected]
+44 (0)7917 166471
Advertising Executive
James slattery
[email protected]
+44 (0)7917 166471
Alison dronfield
[email protected]
+44 (0)1204 410771
Production
Senior Designer
Gareth irwin
Production Manager
Paul Jolleys
Subscriptions Manager
Jennifer Pek
Commercial Administrator
John Pek
Calendar
May 2016
NORTh AMERICA
Southern Gaming Summit & Bingo World 2016
May 3-5, 2016
LOCAtION
Mississippi Coast Coliseum &
Convention Center, Biloxi,
Mississippi, US
ORGANISER
BNP Media Gaming Group
2401 W Big Beaver Road, Suite 700
troy
Michigan
United States MI 48084
CONtACt
Lesley Grashow
t: +1 248 362 3700
F: +1 248 502 9041
E: [email protected]
www.sgsummit.com
SOuTh AMERICA
SAGSE Central America & Caribbean 2016
May 4-5, 2016
LOCAtION
El Panama Hotel, Panama City,
Panama
ORGANISER
Monografie SA
Avenida Alvear 1883
Loc. 21
Buenos Aires
Argentina 1129
CONtACt
Alan Burak
t: +54 11 4805 4623
E: info@monografie.com
www.sagsepanama.com
SOuTh AMERICA
Brasilian Gaming Congress 2016
May 11-12, 2016
LOCAtION
Windsor Plaza Hotel, Brasilia,
Brazil
ORGANISER
Clarion Events
Fulham Green, Bedford House
69-79 Fulham High Street
London
United Kingdom
SW6 3JW
CONtACt
Ewa Bakun
t: +44 207 384 8116
www.brasiliangamingcongress.co
m
ASIA
G2E Asia 2016
May 17-19, 2016
LOCAtION
The Venetian Macau, Macau
ORGANISER
Reed Exhibitions
Unit 303, 3rd Floor, tower 3
Kerry Plaza, No 1 Zhong Xin Si Rd
Futian CBDM, Shenzhen
China
518400
CONtACt
Sean Chen
t: +86 755 2383 4566
F: +86 755 2383 4577
www.G2EAsia.com
EMEA
eSports Betting Summit
May 18, 2016
LOCAtION
Royal Garden Hotel, London,
United Kingdom
ORGANISER
Bullet Business
7-9 Fashion Street
London
United Kingdom
E1 6PX
CONtACt
Jonny Clegg
t: +44 207 375 7193
www.bulletbusiness.com/esportsbetting-summit/
EMEA
Belgrade Future Gaming 2016
May 24-25, 2016
LOCAtION
Belgrade Fair, Hall 5,
Belgrade, Serbia
ORGANISER
Belgrade Future Gaming
Belgrade
Serbia
CONtACt
Nenad Radojkovic
t: +381 11 367 4427
www.belgradegaming.com
NORTh AMERICA
East Coast Congress & iGaming Institute 2016
May 25-26, 2016
LOCAtION
Harrah’s Resort Casino Waterfront
Conference Center, Atlantic City,
New Jersey, US
ORGANISER
East Coast Gaming Congress
1125 Atlantic Avenue
Atlantic City
New Jersey
United States NJ 08401
CONtACt
Sadie Walters
t: +1 609 344 3161
F: +44 207 384 7701
www.eastcoastgamingcongress.co
m
EMEA
Euromat Gaming Summit 2016
May 26, 2016
LOCAtION
Hotel Majestic, Barcelona, Spain
ORGANISER
Euromat
Rue de Luxembourg 22-24
Brussels
Belgium
1000
CONtACt
Lesley Grashow
t: +32 2 761 6684
F: +32 2 213 1363
www.euromat.org/euromat-gaming-summit
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / 247.COM P7
south AmericA
La Cámara de Diputados de Uruguay podría
aprobar una nueva ley sobre el juego a la conclusión de esta sesión legislativa. El proyecto de
ley, que cambiaría la forma de gestionar el juego
y también permitiría el juego online, se está
encontrando con oposición debido a los temores
relacionados con un posible aumento de la adicción al juego.
Un concejal de la ciudad de asunción
(Paraguay) ha presentado un borrador de ley que
duplicaría la tasa de licencia mensual para los
establecimientos con máquinas tragaperras.
el mes pasado, uno de los más altos
tribunales de Chile defendió la reciente votación
del Consejo Regional gobernante (GORE) que
declaraba que el recinto proyectado por Boldt
Peralada para su casino en Chillán se encuentra
demasiado cerca de una institución educativa, lo
que supone una violación de algunos aspectos
de la Estrategia de Desarrollo Regional.
La diputada de Buenos aires Maria inés
Gorbea (del partido SuMA+) ha declarado que «la
ciudad debe hacerse cargo del negocio del
juego». Junto a sus colegas de la Coalición Cívica,
Gorbea presentó en abril una exhaustiva ley
nueva sobre el juego que se propone regular la
actividad hasta las licencias concedidas a operadores en los límites urbanos.
La superintendencia de Banca y seguros del
Perú (SBS), que regula y supervisa las instituciones bancarias y financieras, ha aprobado toda
una serie de nuevas medidas diseñadas para
contrarrestar el blanqueo de dinero y la financiación del terrorismo tanto en casinos como en
establecimientos de máquinas tragaperras.
aspers rechaza la competencia de
Grosvenor, Kymeira Casino, Genting y Global
Gaming Ventures para conseguir su tercera gran
licencia en el Reino unido. La licencia de
Southampton permitirá hasta 150 máquinas
tragaperras con jackpots de hasta 4000 libras,
además de un máximo de 30 mesas de blackjack y póquer, en comparación con el límite de 20
máquinas vigente en los casinos convencionales.
Miembros de la gendarmería argentina han
efectuado una redada en la sede central de
Codere en Buenos Aires. Efectivos de la policía
entraron en las oficinas de Codere en el centro de
la capital. Se desconocen las razones de esta
redada, y los miembros de los cuerpos de seguridad del Estado salieron con las manos vacías.
La Corporación de ingeniería Civil estatal de
China se dispone a construir un resort con casino
multi-complejo valorado en 600 millones de
dólares en la isla de Jeju y denominado Dream
Tower. La empresa ha sido seleccionada por los
propietarios del proyecto, Lotte Tour y Greenland
Group, para construir Dream Tower, el edificio
más alto de la isla de Jeju, que incluirá un casino
con 200 mesas de juego y 400 máquinas tragaperras.
The Uruguayan Chamber of
Deputies could approve a new
gaming act by the end of this
legislative session.
uruGuAy GAMING LEGISLATION
new Gaming act up for Debate in Uruguay
A new bill, which would change the way gaming
is managed and would also allow for online
gambling, is meeting with opposition due to
fears that it could increase gambling addiction.
Gaming legislation has become stalled in the
parliament several times and a number of
deputies including Jorge Gandini (Alianza
Nacional Party) have already emphasised their
disapproval with Gandini telling press of his
“total rejection” of online gaming. A number of
lawmakers are also opposed to the new act as it
shifts gaming control away from parliament to a
new gaming control board and the executive
branch. It would also grant the executive and
the new board the right to give the green light to
new games which has traditionally been the
role of parliament.
Deputy Oscar Groba told local newspaper El
Observador that the government is seeking “a
broad political consensus with all parties.” He
said that the project, which was drafted by the
Ministry of Economy and the National
Directorate of Casinos “is seeking the best way
to regulate the activity and that control is
exercised from a specialised agency.”
According to the draft of the new law, the
Tax hike proposed for
slot machines in
Paraguay’s capital
Paraguay
A councilman for the city of
Asunción in Paraguay has put
forward a draft bill which
would double the monthly
licence fee for slot parlours.
According to Félix Ayala,
gaming legislation in the city
was amended in 2010 and the
amount of tax payable was
halved to US$49.65 per slot
machine. The tax cut meant
that from 2011 to January this
year the capital lost US$4.7m
in taxes. Meanwhile, the
number of slot machines in
the capital has increased
significantly from just 800 in
government is seeking to create a new
governing body called the National
Management of State Gambling and Casinos
(Administración Nacional de Casinos y Juegos
de Apuestas del Estado) which would exercise
state control over all types of gambling.
The new proposals also seek to create a new
Betting and Gaming National Comptroller’s
Office (Dirección Nacional de Contralor de
Apuestas y Juegos de Azar) which would be
responsible for the supervision of the quality of
accounting and financial reporting of State
Lotteries. This body would replace the
Uruguayan Board of Lotteries and Pools Betting
(Dirección Nacional de Loterías y Quinielas).
While there is opposition to the new act support
is growing as it addresses the long running issue
of slot parlours outside of casinos which are
illegal. It is hoped that the new law will have a
major impact on the growth of illegal gaming
which has been on the rise in Uruguay over
recent years. Although there are no official
figures it is estimated that there are around
20,000 illegal slot machines in Uruguay which
are located in shops and small businesses.
Combined they generate around US$3.2m a
week.
2001 to 2500 in 2015 while the
municipal government
awarded licenses for a further
500 gaming machines taking
the total to 3,000 this year. Mr
Ayala said that if taxes were
doubled on slot machines then
the government would be able
to raise a total of U$S7m by
the end of 2020. “I don’t need
to explain the amount of
building work and projects the
Municipality of Asunción
could do with that amount of
money,” he said.
In 1997 the government of
Paraguay passed a gaming law
which put casinos under the
control of a newly established
gaming commission called the
Comisión Nacional de Juegos
de Azar (CONAJZAR). Under
the new law all casinos and
slot machine parlours would
be privately run.
Unlike its neighbours, which
have seen a steady sometimes
rapid growth, the casino and
slot parlour industry in
Paraguay remains
underdeveloped and illegal
gaming has proliferated
nationwide. This is especially
true in the capital. There are an
estimated 2,000 illegal slots in
Paraguay almost all of them
illegally brought into the
country from Brazil and illegal
gaming still continues to
account for more than half of
the total gaming market. In
2014 in a heated session, the
Municipal Council of Asunción
approved the expansion of slot
machines in the capital from
1500 to 2500.
However a number of other
major developments are on
the way in Asunción. The
Paraguayan Gaming Control
Board (CONAJZAR)
announced last year that it
would green light two casinos
in the capital instead of just
one. Head of CONAJZAR Javier
Balbuena said that the
decision to open up the
bidding to include two casinos
in the capital was due to the
high level of interest shown by
private operators.
Boldt-Peralada to appeal over Chillan
south AmericA
inspired y Greentube están colaborando para
suministrar Virtuals a toda una serie de
operadores online. Como parte del acuerdo,
Greentube suministrará el contenido de Virtuals
más reciente de Inspired, incluido el nuevo Rush
Football 2 prémium, a varios sitios web.
el mayor grupo de casinos de alemania, WestSpiel, ha seleccionado la máquina de juego
Pinnacle SL para su emblemático casino en Duisburgo. un total de ocho máquinas tragaperras
inclinadas prémium Pinnacle SL de APEX se ofrecen ahora para el disfrute de los jugadores en el
establecimiento.
JCM Global ha lanzado un nuevo sitio de
descargas digitales para que las actualizaciones
del software del operador sean mejores, más
inteligentes y más rápidas. Con el nuevo «JCM
Global Exchange», los operadores podrán descargar de forma directa y segura el software más
reciente aprobado para validadores de billetes e
impresoras.
The Boldt-Peralada group has announced that it will appeal to the Supreme Court
to overturn the ruling last month emitted by one of Chile’s highest courts.
Proximity to student facilities
throws a spanner in the works for
Boldt-Peralada’s plans to develop
its Chillan Casino project
chile CASINO LICENSING
Last month one of Chile’s highest courts upheld
the recent vote of the governing Regional
Council (GORE) which declared that the Boldt
Peralada projected site for the casino in Chillan
was too close to an educational-establishment
and violated aspects of Regional Development
Strategy.
Mario Rojas, lawyer for Marina del Sol called on
Boldt-Peralada not to appeal and let the Chilean
Gaming Control Board resolve the issue once
and for all.
La División de Cumplimiento Legal en el
Sector del Juego de Nueva Jersey ha confirmado
que los beneficios operativos de los casinos
subieron un 40 por ciento en todos los ámbitos,
con unos ingresos brutos del juego de 547 millones de dólares, en comparación con los 390
millones de dólares en 2014.
“The Regional Council within its powers,
according to law, applied an absolutely
reasonable argument and concluded that the
Boldt project harmed the agreed guidelines on
regional development strategy in particular on
promoting healthy living in the region,” said Mr.
Rojas.
el especialista en tito nanoptix ha suscrito
un acuerdo para la distribución de sus productos
en Norteamérica por parte de Advanced Gaming
Associates. En virtud este nuevo acuerdo, los
clientes dispondrán de otro canal para adquirir
toda la línea de Nanoptix de impresoras de alto
rendimiento.
However, Ricardo Abdala the lawyer
representing Bold-Peralada said that the
company will appeal to the Supreme Court and
stressed that the Regional Council had
contradicted itself as the Marina del Sol Casino
located in talcahuano in the same region was
near a number of educational facilities.
el Director de la Comisión nacional del Juego
de Paraguay (CONAJZAR), Javier Balbuena, ha
afirmado que, si el Gobierno brasileño legaliza el
juego, esto no afectará a los casinos paraguayos,
ya que los impuestos de Paraguay son mucho
menores.
Caesars se dispone a convertirse en la única
marca de sus características que ofrece un estilo
de juego insular al estilo Las Vegas como beneficio derivado de su programa de fidelización, y
ofrecerá acceso a los miembros de su programa
Total Rewards a Atlantis, el mayor resort con
casino del Caribe.
iGt ha llegado a un acuerdo con Yakama
Nation Legends Casino para mejorar los sistemas
de gestión de casino IGT Advantage del establecimiento de Washington con las soluciones de
sistema Media Manager y Service Window,
además de toda una serie de aplicaciones de
bonificación.
iGt ha suscrito un acuerdo con station Casinos
para mejorar los sistemas de gestión de casino
IGT Advantage con soluciones y aplicaciones de
sistemas de juego vanguardistas que permitirán
iniciativas de marketing en los dispositivos, bonificaciones y comunicación con los clientes en más
de 19 000 máquinas tragaperras distribuidas por
sus 19 establecimientos en Vegas, Nevada.
P10
Argentina
Buenos Aires’ floating
casino investigated
“The Casino talcahuano coexists perfectly with
three educational establishments. Therefore to
say that it has an effect on healthy living is not
valid, and the absolute proof of that is the
talcahuano casino,” said Mr. Abdala.
The tender process for the casino in Chillan has
now been delayed for over two years as both
Argentine –Spanish Boldt Peralada and
Chilean-Canadian company Marina del Sol
battle it out over the licence. In November the
Regional Council of Bio Bio rejected the
proposal put forward by the Boldt-Peralada
group for the third time for a casino in the
capital of the province of Ñuble; one of four
provinces of the Chilean region of Bío Bío.
However Boldt-Peralada appealed to the courts
claiming that the decision of the Regional
Council had been arbitrary and illegal as the
council had no right to award points on the basis
of technicalities. Instead they argued regional
councillors should have confined themselves to
voting on specific points revolving around the
destination of the project only and how it would
fit in with overall regional strategy as opposed to
specific technical points when it came to each
project.
employees and the contributions
of social security. The news comes
after it was revealed that an envoy
of President Mauricio Macri had
been sent to inform López that he
had one month to repay a tax debt
to the City of Buenos Aires of an
estimated $4bn pesos. The debt has
been accumulating since 2003 for
gross income on revenue generated
by slots located in the capital.
Around 80 inspectors checked staff
records and requested information
regarding checks issued for more
than 100,000 pesos.
The establishment of casinos
within the city has long been a
divisive and controversial issue
with both the city government and
the national government vying for
control over gaming. While serving
as mayor, Macri tried to reach an
agreement whereby casinos
located in the city would pay back
the long standing debt to the city
but no agreement was reached
during his term in office.
According to sources from the
company the inspection at the
floating casino, whose operation is
run by gambling entrepreneur
Cristóbal López, sought to verify
the registration status of
Meanwhile there is growing
speculation in local media over a
possible investigation into
Cristobal López’s other business
interests and his ties to the
previous Kirchner administration.
Inspectors from the Argentine tax
office La Administración de
Ingresos Públicos (AFIP) carried
out a surprise on site inspection of
the so called ‘floating casino’ in
Puerto Madero.
Argentina
Buenos Aires Deputy Maria
Ines Gorbea (SUMA+, Party),
has said ‘the city should take
over the business of gaming.’
Alongside her colleagues from
the Coalición Cívica, Gorbea
introduced a comprehensive
new gaming law in April that
sets out to regulate the activity
until the licences granted to
operators in the city end.
The new law also creates a
system whereby gaming
machines in the capital would
be monitored online and in
real time by a central
government-controlled server,
makes advertising of gambling
illegal, prohibits the
installation of cash machines
in gaming establishments and
includes a wide number of
player protection measures.
However, once the present
licences end the bill proposes
an eventual end to gaming in
the city.
tabcorp is racing into Buenos aires
tabcorp subsidiary, Sky Racing World, has announced a partnership with
Hipodromo Argentino de Palermo, a horse-racing track in Buenos Aires
PARAGuAy – The head of Paraguay’s gaming
commission Javier Balbuena (CONAJZAR) has said
that if the Brazilian government legalises gaming
then it will not affect Paraguayan casinos because
the taxes paid in Paraguay are much lower.
Australia’s tabcorp expands its
South America presence and
enter the Argentine market with
the oldest and most prestigous
horse-racing venue
ArGentinA SPORTS-BETTING
Sky Racing World, a Louisville, Kentucky-based
distributor of international horse-racing content
to the Americas and subsidiary of leading
Australian wagering operator tabcorp, has
announced a partnership with Hipodromo
Argentino de Palermo, a horse-racing track in
Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sky Racing World will
provide exclusive simulcasting of all races
taking place at this leading Argentinian track to
advance deposit wagering (ADW) brands,
racetracks and off-track betting outlets (OtBs)
in the US, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia,
New Zealand and South Africa.
Following its partnership with Codere in
December 2015 to provide live video-streaming
on Australian, New Zealand and South African
races to the operator’s Brazil-facing ADW
Suaposta and various Brazilian tracks, Sky
Racing World’s new distribution deal with
Hipodromo Argentino de Palermo will see the
company expand its South American presence
and enter the Argentinian market. Buenos Aires’
oldest and most prestigious horse-racing venue,
Palermo hosts more than 120 thoroughbred and
flat-racing events annually and features a
2,400-meter all-weather racetrack.
Peru
The regulatory and supervisory
authority in Peru over banking
and financial institutions The
Superintendency of Banking,
Insurance and Private Pension
Funds (SBS) has approved a raft
of new measures designed to
counter money laundering and
terrorist financing in casinos and
slot parlours. The new rules will
go into effect on June 1 2016. The
rules are designed so that Peru
meets the revised Forty
Recommendations put forward
by the Financial Action Task
Force (FATF) which sets
standards and promotes
effective implementation of
legal, regulatory and operational
measures for combating money
laundering, terrorist financing
and other related threats to the
integrity of the international
financial system. The new
measures have the approval of
the Financial Intelligence Unit of
Peru (FIU) as well as the
Ministry of Foreign Trade and
Tourism (MINCETUR).
south AmericA
In the US, Canada and the Caribbean, Sky
Racing World will be distributing Palermo racing
content to major ADWs focusing on the market.
Distribution will also cover North American
racetracks and OtBs.
In addition, Sky Racing World will provide
racing content from Palermo for simulcast
horse-wagering to markets in the Southern
Hemisphere. For the Australian market, Palermo
races will be distributed to Sky Racing World’s
parent company tabcorp, and live broadcasting
and video-streaming of these events will be
broadcast via the operator’s broadcaster Sky
Racing. Sky Racing will also distribute Palermo
content to the New Zealand market
.
“The races at the Palermo track in Buenos Aires
are among the highest quality in all of South
America, a region where horse-racing is
growing in popularity,” said David Haslett,
President and CEO of Sky Racing World. “We’re
excited to partner with Palermo to bring these
top-tier races to our core market of North
America, whose time zones complement the
Buenos Aires racing schedule, as well as the
core Australasian markets of our parent
company tabcorp.”
The Brazil government
is looking to privatise
instant lottery tickets
Brazil
The Brazilian government is
looking to privatise instant
lottery tickets this year in
order to increase revenue.
Instants are currently run by
the largest state owned bank;
the Caixa Econômica Federal
(CAIXA). According to
government sources, the
privatisation of instant tickets
would generate revenue of
between R$2.2bn and R$4bn a
year while annual revenue for
the government would stand at
around R$1bn.
Under present plans now being
studied in the Ministry of
Finance a private company
would be permitted to develop
the business after an initial
public offering (IPO) or after a
licence tender process was
carried out. The new licence
holder will be able to decide on
new points of sale including
self-service machines, as well
as new games.
While CAIXA would still retain
the monopoly over lottery
gaming the complete operation
of instants including preproduction, production,
logistics, telemarketing, sales
and after-sales support would
move to a single company or
consortium of private
companies, which can be made
up of both national and
international companies.
According to local press, a
number of foreign companies
are already showing interest in
running instants including
lottery giant Scientific Games.
Representatives of the
company have already
participated in meetings with
representatives of CAIXA and
have opened up an office in the
country.
Mr. Balbuena made his comments following
statements from industry insiders who argue that if
the Brazilian government legalises gaming then it
will have a negative impact on the tourism industry
in Paraguay specifically in the border cities which
are most frequently visited by Brazilian tourists.
Mr Balbuena said that the government is still
attractive to investors as under current rules it has
the lowest tax burden in the region. “In Brazil, taxes
are high. By investing in casinos, apart from paying
excise duty on gaming, investors are going to have
to continue paying normal commercial taxes as
well. In this regard Paraguay still has an advantage
for investors and we from CONAJZAR are reviewing
what we can do about it,” he said.
however, the official argued that Paraguay’s gaming
law needed reform in order to attract more
investment. Balbuena said that one of its limitations
is that casino licences can only be granted in the
departments of Asunción, Alto Paraná, Itapúa,
Amambay, Cordillera, Misiones and Central so a
number of other departments are left out.
In addition only more than one casino may be
established in the city of Asunción and departments
with more than 250,000 inhabitants. Consequently
other departments such as Canindeyú and
Concepción are left out despite the fact that there
have been numerous requests to operate gaming
establishments in those departments.
BRAzIL – Intralot do Brasil, has signed a six-year
renewal contract to continue to operate the lottery
games in the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The
renewal contract follows an initial successful sixyear operation contract signed between the two
parties that has become a major funding source for
social policy, education and health care initiatives in
the district. Intralot deployed more than 2,500 of its
proprietary terminals in this period and established
1,700 Points of Sales statewide.
The Managing Director of the State Lottery of Minas
Gerais, henrique Pereira Dourado, stated: “After an
unprecedented operational success that has
allowed us to raise significant funds for the benefit
of our citizens, we have decided to renew our fruitful
cooperation with our partner Intralot. We are
confident that Intralot’s expertise and international
experience will support our endeavors to reshape
the Brazilian gaming market and increase value for
our stakeholders.”
Nikos Nikolakopoulos, Intralot Group Chief Operating
Officer, commented: “The renewal of this contract is
testimony to the success of our operation in this
region and the trust we have built with our partners.
We will concentrate all our efforts towards fulfilling
our strategic goals in the new area, maximizing
social benefits, and promoting responsible gaming
and value creation for all stakeholders. Brazil offers
many opportunities which we are eager to explore
through reliable, market-tested gaming solutions.”
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / 247.COm P12
aspers wins southampton Large Licence
emeA
Aspers has completed a hat-trick of new large licences in the UK with the award
of a project in Southampton where it will take part in a £450m project at the
Royal Pier on the south of England coast
Das uruguayische abgeordnetenhaus könnte
bis Ende der laufenden Legislaturperiode ein
neues Glücksspielgesetz verabschieden. Der
Gesetzentwurf, der die Glücksspielverwaltung
ändern würde und auch Online-Spiele zulassen
würde, trifft aufgrund eines befürchteten
Anstiegs der Spielsucht auf Widerstand.
Aspers beats off competition from
Grosvenor, Kymeira Casino,
Genting and Global Gaming
Ventures to secure its third large
licence in the UK
im vergangenen Monat hat eines der
höchsten Gerichte Chiles das jüngste Votum des
zuständigen Regionalrates (GORE) bestätigt, in
dem erklärt wird, dass der von Boldt Peralada
geplante Kasinostandort in Chillán in zu geringer
Entfernung von einer Bildungseinrichtung liegt
und im Widerspruch zu Teilen der Strategie zur
regionalen Entwicklung stehen würde.
uK CASINO LICENCES
Die stadtverordnete von Buenos aires, Maria
Ines Gorbea (von der Partei SuMA+), hat
verlauten lassen, „die Stadt sollte das Glücksspiel
übernehmen.“ Mit ihren Kollegen von der bürgerlichen Koalition (Coalición Cívica) hat Gorbea im
April ein umfangreiches neues Glückspielgesetz
eingebracht, das diese Geschäftstätigkeit regeln
soll, bis die entsprechenden Zulassungen an die
Betreiber im Stadtgebiet vergeben sind.
Die regulierungs- und aufsichtsbehörde für
das Bank- und Finanzwesen in Peru, die Superintendency of Banking, Insurance and Private
Pension Funds (SBS), hat eine Reihe neuer Maßnahmen zur Bekämpfung von Geldwäsche und
Terrorfinanzierung in Kasinos und Spielhallen
verabschiedet.
Der vorsitzende der Glücksspielkommission
Paraguays, Javier Balbuena (CONAJZAR), hat
geäußert, dass die paraguayischen Spielbanken
von einer Legalisierung des Glückspiels durch die
brasilianische Regierung nicht betroffen wären,
da die in Paraguay zu zahlenden Steuern erheblich niedriger seien.
aspers hat sich gegen die konkurrenz von
Grosvenor, Kymeira Casino, Genting und Global
Gaming Ventures durchgesetzt und sich die dritte
große Lizenz in Großbritannien gesichert. Die
Lizenz in Southampton lässt im Gegensatz zu
der Obergrenze von 20 Automaten für eine
gewöhnliche Spielbank bis zu 150
Spielautomaten mit Jackpot-Gewinnen von bis
zu £4.000 sowie bis zu 30 Spieltische für Black
Jack und Poker zu.
angehörige der argentinischen Polizei haben
eine Razzia am hauptsitz von Codere in Buenos
Aires durchgeführt. Dabei wurden auch die
Büroräume im Stadtzentrum von Buenos Aires
durchsucht. Die Gründe für diese Razzia sind
nicht bekannt, und die Beamten der Strafverfolgungsbehörden kamen mit leeren händen
zurück.
Die Glücksspielabteilung der Polizei des
Bundesstaates New Jersey hat bestätigt, dass
die Betriebsgewinne der Spielbanken mit einem
Bruttospielertrag von 547 Mio. uS Dollar
gegenüber 390 Mio. im Jahr 2014 um 40
Prozent gestiegen sind.
P14
Following in the footsteps of Aspers venues in
Milton Keynes and Stratford, the Southampton
licence will allow up to 150 slot machines with
jackpots of up to £4,000, and up to 30 tables for
blackjack and poker, compared to the limit of 20
machines for a regular casino. The operator has
said it will bring at least 180 jobs to
Southampton and will ‘transform the landscape
of Southampton’s waterfront’ when it opens in
2021.
Damian Aspinall, Chairman of the Aspers group,
said: “We are delighted with the Council’s
decision to award Aspers the large casino
licence for Southampton. We are very proud to
have successfully delivered the first two
operational large licence casinos to the UK and
are excited to now have the opportunity to bring
a third high quality Aspers casino, including
bars, dining facilities and live entertainment, to
the city of Southampton.”
Chair of the Licensing Committee for
Southampton City Council, Councillor Matt
tucker, added: “”The regeneration of the
waterfront at Royal Pier and Mayflower Park has
been a longstanding aspiration for the city. The
casino will play a big part in making the
redevelopment happen. There has been
significant industry-wide interest in securing
Southampton’s large casino licence from some
very high quality bidders. It has been both the
largest and most complex competition
nationally and I thank all of them for making
this such a stiff task to decide.
“Having such high-level competition has
enabled us to look at all the proposals in great
detail and negotiate the best deal for the city
before deciding on Aspers as being the operator
that we believe can deliver the most,” he added.
The Southampton casino is more likely to have a
similar footprint to the 36,500 sq. ft. Milton
Keynes casino than the 65,000 sq. ft. Stratford
site.
spain & Argentina
uK & Austria
Codere’s Buenos Aires’ headquarters raided
Members of the Argentine
Gendarmerie have raided Codere’s
headquarters in Buenos Aires.
Gendarmerie troops entered
Codere’s offices in downtown
Buenos Aires. The reasons for the
raid are unknown and members of
law enforcement officers came
away empty handed.
Codere is the market leader in
Buenos Aires province. Currently,
the company runs a total of 14
bingo halls, 6, 500 slots and
employs over 4,000 people in the
province. However, the company
has been the focus of some
controversy of late. In November
restaurant workers from Bingo La
Plata as well as other workers
from another eight Codere bingo
halls staged a protest outside the
Government House to protest the
possible redundancies of 800
workers. There has also been
controversy over the company’s
decision to open up a new bingo
hall in the province with church
leaders joining together to
condemn the move which they say
will bring “terrible consequences.”
Despite these problems Codere has
reported that operating revenues in
2015 increased by 18.3 per cent to
to €1,639.5m partly due to the
improved results in Argentina.
However the police raid comes at a
time of a significant change in the
province. Earlier this year the
newly elected Governor María
Eugenia Vidal said she does not
want to see any more gaming
operations opening during her
time as governor.
In future, tax generated by the
industry will not be used as a way
to resolve the province’s financial
issues, which is widely seen as a
direct attack on predecessor Daniel
Scioli. In 2012 Scioli renewed
licences for five Codere bingo halls
in the province for a period of up to
15 years. The decree allowed him to
find emergency funding to pay
bonuses for state workers.
Inspired and Greentube are
working together to deliver
Virtuals to a number of online
operators. As part of the deal
Greentube will be delivering
Inspired’s latest Virtuals
content, including the new
premium Rush Football 2, to a
number of websites. They will
supply Virtuals products as
scheduled events to online
operators. The websites set to
benefit from this partnership
include stargames.com.
Thomas Graf, CEO Greentube
comments: “This deal provides
a fantastic opportunity for
Greentube to offer its
customers yet more great
content, and we are confident
that Inspired’s Virtuals will be
hugely popular.”
Steve Rogers, CCO Digital
Games, Inspired said: “We’re
delighted to add Greentube to
our ever expanding list of
clients, and this partnership
provides a great opportunity to
deliver Inspired’s marketleading Virtuals to a wider
audience.”
westspiel warmly welcomes aPeX
emeA
inspired und Greentube arbeiten zusammen
an der Ausstattung von Onlinebetreibern für Virtuals. Als Teil des Geschäftes beliefert Greentube
eine Reihe von Webseiten mit den jeweils
aktuellen Virtuals-Inhalten von Inspired, darunter
auch das neue Spitzenprodukt Rush Football 2.
Die größte spielbankengruppe Deutschlands,
WestSpiel, hat sich für sein Vorzeigeobjekt in
Duisburg für den Spielautomaten Pinnacle SL
entschieden. In der Spielbank erfreuen jetzt insgesamt acht dieser Spitzengeräte in
Slant-Top-Ausführung aus dem hause APEX die
Spieler.
JCM Global hat eine neue webseite zum
herunterladen digitaler Inhalte freigeschaltet, um
die Software-Aktualisierung für die Automatenaufsteller besser, reibungsloser und schneller zu
machen. Mithilfe des neuen Angebotes „JCM
Global Exchange“ können die Aufsteller die jeweils aktuellen Versionen der
Geldscheinprüfprogramme und der Druckersoftware direkt und sicher herunterladen.
Das auf ticket in ticket out-systeme (tito)
spezialisierte unternehmen Nanoptix hat einen
Vertrag über den Nordamerika-Vertrieb seiner
Erzeugnisse durch Advanced Gaming Associates
abgeschlossen. Durch die neue Vereinbarung
erhalten die Kunden einen weiteren Bezugskanal
für das gesamte hochleistungsdruckerangebot
von Nanoptix.
Caesars sind auf dem besten weg, die
einzige Marke ihrer Art zu werden, die als Prämie
in ihrem Treueprogramm eine im Stil von Las
Vegas aufgemachte Glücksspielstätte in Insellage bietet. Die Mitglieder ihres Total
Rewards-Programms erhalten Zutritt zu Atlantis,
der größten Glücksspiel- und Freizeitanlage der
Karibik.
iGt hat eine vereinbarung mit Yakama
Nation Legends Casino erreicht, um die IGT
Advantage-Spielbankverwaltungssysteme an
ihrem Standort in Washington mit Systemlösungen für die Medien- und Dienstfenstersteuerung
(Media Manager und Service Window) sowie
einer Reihe von Anwendungen für
Prämienausspielungen nachzurüsten.
Der Hauptgeschäftsführer von wynn
Resorts, Steve Wynn, zeichnete bei der Vorstellung des neuen Konzeptes während einer
Präsentation für Anleger ein Bild mit weißen
Sandstränden, Wasservergnügungen und
nächtlichen Feuerwerken von dem neuen Wynn
Paradise Park.
iGt hat mit station Casinos einen vertrag
über die Nachrüstung der IGT Advantage-Spielbankverwaltungssysteme von Station Casinos
mit hochmodernen Spielsystemlösungen und
Anwendungen, die an den über 19.000 Spielautomaten in 19 Standorten in Vegas, Nevada,
sowohl Werbung als auch die Ausspielung von
Prämien und die Kommunikation mit dem Spieler
„unmittelbar am Gerät“ ermöglichen.
P16
The Flagship casino in Germany’s Duisburg has selected the Pinnacle SL from
APEX gaming to complement its diverse gaming floor following hugely positive
player testing of the state-of-the-art machines
Westspiel’s Duisburg Casino
doubles its order for APEX slots
after initial player tests proved
wholly positive
GerMAny INSTALLATIONS
The largest and casino group in Germany,
WestSpiel, has selected the Pinnacle SL gaming
machine for its flagship casino in Duisburg. A
total of eight Pinnacle SL slant-top premium
slot machines from APEX are now delighting
players on the casino floor.
The initial tests were so positive that the casino
management decided to double the number of
APEX slots on its floor and so create a specific
bank of APEX machines. In this way, Spielbank
Duisburg has established an APEX section in
their casino particularly for their customers.
Asked about why the Pinnacle SL stands out,
Michael Wiebeck, Slots Director at Spielbank
Duisburg (pictured left with APEX’s Kubilay
Özer), stated, “The graphics are excellent – the
HD quality and the way the games are shown –
attracts players. APEX offers a wide range of
entertaining games in varying volatilities, which
appeals to all kinds of players. This is important
to us as we have different types of players –
from time-on-device to the high rollers. APEX
looks the part too, these slot machines are high
class and fit very well in our casino. They are
real eye-catchers and that is why we have
placed them in a prominent position on the
casino floor.”
Kubilay Özer, Global Sales Director at APEX,
expands: “The large wide-screen monitors have
been purposely integrated into our gaming
machines and we place LED stripes around
them to draw attention to our games – that are
even more enthralling to the players thanks to
the HD technology we offer in our EVO
platform. It is our goal to take gaming to the
‘next level’ and the success here at Casino
Duisburg shows we are on the right track.”
market and are thus investing
in creating further capacity
with a new manufacturing
facility,” explained Harald
Wagemaker, Executive Vice
President Sales & Marketing of
Gaming and Casino EMEA.
SuZOhAPP shows that
quality counts in the
Italian market
italy
The ENADA Rimini was the
perfect opportunity for
SUZOHAPP and its local Italian
subsidiary Comestero to show
its dedication to the Italian
market.
The proven quality of the
Comestero changers has seen
an upsurge in demand in Italy.
Comestero has great
experience in providing a very
wide range of change
machines. Change machines
such as twist, Smart Easy, Dual
Coin Pro, Jolly Pro and the new
Swing Next cover the widest
range of applications – from
simple note to coin changing to
bulk coin entrance note, note
recycling with coin and note
pay-out as well. “We have the
greatest faith in the Italian
This focus on quality is also the
reason why the demand for
ELO touchscreen monitors is
increasing in Italy. SUZOHAPP
has been the exclusive
distributor for ELO in the
EMEA region in the gaming
market for many years.
Many operators are realising
that an investment in ELO
gives them the assurance that
their slot machines will remain
up and running for longer than
the standard. A nonfunctioning touchscreen
makes a slot machine out of
order – that is the last thing
operators want. That is why
ELO is the right answer for the
Italian market.
The same applies for the coinhandling equipment from
SUZOHAPP – the Comestero
RM5 HD electronic coin
mechanism and the Flow
hopper – that together ensure
coin-in and coin-out is exact
each and every time.
europe
JCM Global has launched a new
digital download site to make
operator’s software updates
better, smarter, and faster.
With the new “JCM Global
Exchange” operators will be able
to download directly and
securely the latest approved bill
validator and printer software.
JCM Global Exchange improves
and streamlines the entire
software update process by
giving operators much easier
access to its approved software,
decreasing machine downtime,
saving money, time, and
eliminating delays in software
approval and availability. With
the new JCM Global Exchange,
operators can log in and quickly
download software updates.
Additionally, when new
software versions are available
for release, users will be
automatically notified by email
that the software is ready for
download on the dedicated site.
The new JCM Global Exchange
functionality has already been
successfully reviewed by GLI
and JCM Global is offering
operators up to five usernames
per property. The JCM Global
Exchange software was made
available to operators at the
beginning of April.
eGt Completes install with Groupe Barrière
Euro Games technology has increased its sales in France during the last several
years while partnering with the most noted local casino operators, like Groupe
Barrière, JOA Group, Group Arevian, Group Viking, and the independent casinos
emeA
Some of EGts latest installations
have taken place in several
establishments of Groupe
Barrière, which owns 32 casinos
FrAnce CASINO INSTALLTIONS
“We have been partnering with Groupe Barrière
for years,” explained Borislav Prokopiev, sales
manager of EGt for France. “At first we delivered
our cabinets of Vega Vision + series. The
feedback on them was splendid, so we had
every reason to solidify our relations with the
business group. Our machines that have been
currently certified for the country are P-24/24
Up, P-24/24 St Slim, P-27/27 St Slim, the
mystery jackpot system Diamond Life and the
multiplayer products – the terminal StORK and
the touch screen roulette tables of Luxury
series. All of them are already installed in
different casinos, or are to be presented soon for
the execution of concluded contracts.”
In March this year Euro Games technology
entered two more gaming establishments of
Groupe Barrière; including the number one
casino in France, Barrière de Enghien les Bains,
situated only 15 km from Paris and including
over 500 machines in its gaming portfolio, was
the French debut of EGt’s jackpot system
Diamond Life. EGt also installed at Casino
Barrière de Bordeaux in Bordeaux.
“I am delighted to work with EGt,” commented
Mary Chatelain, operative director of Groupe
Barrière. “Their professional attitude and
provided technical service during the
installations were of a highest standard.”
The multiplayer products of Euro Games
technology are also on their way to becoming
favorites to the gaming community in France. In
casino Barrière de toulouse 18 StORK
terminals, connected to an electronic roulette
with an automated wheel, recently went live for
a first time in the country.
“We are well known for our slot models but the
electronic roulette is a completely new product
for the region,” said Borislav Prokopiev. “The
advantages of our StORK terminal will also be
acknowledged by the customers. It is a cuttingedge product that may connect to up to three
roulette wheels (live, automated and virtual)
simultaneously, as well as to a bingo machine,
securing a variety of slot games to the players
and being linked to a progressive jackpot
system.”
isle of man
Isle of Man – Slotegrator, an
online casino software
aggregator, and games content
provider Booming Games have
signed a partnership agreement
that will allow the Slotegrator
slots catalogue to now offer new
high-revenue-generating game
titles produced by Booming
Games. Slotegrator’s online slots
portfolio will now include 50
brand new Booming Games
titles, which have already
enjoyed high revenues and
international success.
Slotegrator Executive Director,
Marina Zirka, commented:
“Booming Games factors in all
preferences of players, creating
truly interesting content for
different audiences.”
Max Niehusen, CEO, Booming
Games, stated: “We are delighted
to partner with Slotegrator, who
create casinos based on
innovative developments and in
accordance with the highest
quality standards.”
Intralot to continue to
supply newly merged
Dutch lotto
The netherlands
Intralot Nederland has signed
an extension contract with the
Nederlandse Staatsloterij/De
Lotto, which have just
announced their merger and
the establishment of a new
gaming entity.
The extension contract has a
three-year term, until April
2019, with an option to extend
for one additional year. The
extension of the contract
follows an initial successful
six-year operation, which was
sealed in 2008 after a dual
international tender conducted
by both lotteries.
Under the terms of the
extension contract, Intralot will
continue to provide its best-inclass LOtOS O/S platform,
along with the related services,
connected to its 5,000
proprietary terminals, blended
in a unique tailor made POS
solution for the Dutch
Lotteries.
Intralotalso provides a Prime
and a Disaster Data Center, a
call center for retailers and
players, added to the industryleading product solutions and
services offered that will
continue to facilitate the
operations of the new merged
entity.
Nikos Nikolakopoulos, Intralot
Group COO, stated: “We are
very pleased to continue our
excellent cooperation with the
two Dutch Lotteries, which are
now entering a new era, as a
new merged entity. Intralot has
managed to design and deliver
unique solutions for one of the
most technologically advanced
projects of our sector
worldwide.”
GERMANy – The higher Administrative Court
(Oberlandesgericht) in Münster has ruled that the
tax levied specifically on sports betting shops in the
state of North Rhine-Westphalia is justified. This
tax was introduced in 2014 and is levied by some
cities/municipalities (e.g. in Dortmund).
The court will allow an appeal to this ruling, which
will further be decided by the Federal
Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht).
This is relevant as a similar case in the state of
Baden-Württemberg was recently decided in
favour of the sports betting shop operators. There is
at present no common legal stance in Germany on
the extra taxation (similar to the amusement tax for
arcades) of sports betting shops.
The tax is levied only on sports betting shops that
show live sports (from the television or online
sources). The court’s reason is that showing live
sports can increase the danger of gaming
addiction. Betting shops that do not show live
sports betting are exempt from this tax.
The size of the sports betting shop tax depends on
the size of the sports betting shop itself. The court
refused the plea of levying a profit-related tax – as
sports betting machines cannot be compared with
gaming machines where all cash is in the slot
machine. The court also refused to accept that
sports betting does not take place at the location
(as the bets are transferred to the site where the
sports betting provider is situated such as in Malta)
as the operators in Germany earn a percentage of
each bet.
SPAIN – Zitro has appointed
Sebastian Salat as CEO of its
organisation. Johnny Ortiz,
President of Zitro, commented
on the appointment: “The
growth of Zitro’s business and
our company’s great potential,
both in jurisdictions where we have no presence at
the moment and on the web, needs people with the
experience, the prestige, and the contacts that
Sebastián has developed during his extensive
career in the gaming industry. That’s why I have
great pleasure in announcing Sebastián’s
appointment as the new CEO of Zitro”.
Sebastián Salat, said: “Zitro’s bingo games, the
wealth of systems supporting those bingo games,
the success of the World of Bingo social casino and
the increasing presence of Zitro content on the
Internet, are a solid base for the growth of the
company’s business. I am deeply grateful to our
President for placing his trust in me, and happy and
excited about the opportunity to work with the
tremendously qualified team of professionals at
Zitro in this new stage of my career.”
Dungeons & Dragons slays in Malmö
emeA
Konami’s slot machines make a big appearance at Casino Cosmopol Malmö as
Sweden welcomes the world’s first Dungeons & Dragons slot machines
based in Stockholm, Sweden, and is part of
Konami’s exclusive network of distributors,
partnering to address the needs of specific
European markets and ensure strong, local
customer support.
“We are very proud to be the first of Casino
Cosmopol’s four locations to install Dungeons &
Dragons,” said Casino Cosmopol Malmö Gaming
Manager Jonas Karlsson. “We decided upon a
fairly low MAXI Jackpot and expect it to hit with
a higher frequency so more customers can enjoy
the fun and excitement of the D&D features.”
BELGIuM – One of Belgium’s leading casinos is
set to become a resort with the operator looking to
invest €18m in a hotel, spa and meeting rooms.
Once it is fully operational in 2020, it will be the first
of its kind in Belgium.
“This three-pod unit is a beautiful piece, placed
on the floor for all our customers to spot when
entering the casino. The big dragon on top of the
3-pod is magnificent,” said Casino Cosmopol
Malmö Casino Manager Yared Gabretensaye.
“We have high expectations for this premium
game from Konami and are confident that it will
perform since our SeleXion multi-games from
Konami are doing very well.”
The venue will be renamed the Namur Casino
Resort to reflect its grandeur evolution. Owners the
Ardent Group (formerly the Circus group) will
oversee the development of a 4-star Mercure hotel
with a spa center, including a sauna, jacuzzi and
three massage rooms, as well as a fitness center. It
will also include meeting rooms and a show room.
The hotel will have 97 rooms.
Ardent Director Emmanuel Mewissen said: “The
current major challenge is to compete with online
casinos that cannibalize casinos. There are no
borders online. So we have to survive and offer a
unique experience. You have to dream again; hence
the idea of resort. These new facilities will be
launched in 2019, if all goes well. The start of
construction is scheduled for November 2016. Our
players can rest assured that the casino will not
close during the work.”
Konami Gaming has installed Dungeons &
Dragons-themed video slots at Sweden’s Casino
Cosmopol Malmö through its distributor, ICM
Casino Management.
The nation’s state-owned gaming entity Casino
Cosmopol operates four casino properties, with
Dungeons & Dragons Enchanted Riches and
Conquests & treasures counted among one of its
most recent new game installations. ICM is
“We are very happy and feel humbled that
Casino Cosmopol Malmö decided to install these
Dungeons & Dragons-themed slot machines,
the first batch of its kind to reach Europe,” said
ICM CEO Wolfram Dahlström. “With its iconic
merchandising options, vivid game art, and 4level standalone progressive bonus adventure,
we have strong indication that the new
Dungeons & Dragons machines will follow the
same success and popularity of SeleXion,”
stated Mr. Dahlström.
weeks. The flexibility, focus
and drive of the DRGt team
further impressed the Swiss
Jackpot team.
SPAIN – Each of the three casinos operated by
Casino Mediterráneo will soon make even better
customer connections, now that the Group has
named JCM Global its preferred supplier of bill
validators and printers. Specifically, Casino
Mediterráneo named JCM’s iVIZION its preferred bill
validator and the GEN2 universal its preferred
printer for its three casinos in Spain: Casino Alicante,
Casino Benidorm, and Casino Orihuela-Costa.
The designations came after Casino Mediterráneo
tested iVIZION and GEN2 universal live on the
casino floor for several weeks. Previously, the Group
was using several different types of bill acceptors
and printers and the successful test convinced the
Casino Mediterráneo to specify iVIZION and GEN2
universal for all new gaming devices coming to its
three casinos.
Casino Mediterráneo Slot Manager Cipriano Jover
said, “We were very impressed with iVIZION and
GEN2 universal. The product quality, combined with
JCM’s very high level of service, made the decision
for us to choose JCM and its products a very easy
one.”
P18
DRGT wins Swiss
Jackpot contract with
new features
switzerland
The SWISS JACKPOt is a widearea jackpot that can be played
in seven different casinos.
Players at Grand Casino Bern,
Baden, Luzern, Basel, St.
Gallen, Lugano and Zürich can
all participate in the largest
and most exciting jackpot in
Switzerland.
Given its popularity, the system
behind it has to be very secure.
When the Swiss Jackpot
management team looked to
introduce a brand new feature,
they turned to DRGt, which
was able to develop and
introduce this feature within
Ernesto Sommer, President of
Swiss Jackpot, is full of praise
for the DRGt team, “My
sincere thanks goes to DRGt –
firstly in their swift response
and willingness to further
develop their system to fit our
particular needs at Swiss
Jackpot and secondly in the
team’s untiring commitment to
ensure the timely installation.”
Christian Eder, Operations
Director at DRGt, enthuses,
“DRGt is a household and
trusted name in Switzerland.
We are innovators and do not
rest on our laurels. We
completely understood the
purpose of the new feature
requirement and were able to
deliver this in the space of a
few short weeks. The
installation in December ran
smoothly. The fact that seven
top Swiss casinos place their
trust in DRGt speaks volumes
on our system stability,
flexibility and level of service.”
uK
Bet365 is to open its first
satellite technology office in
Manchester. The company is
looking to hire between 50
and 70 people to support its
development teams in
Stoke-on-Trent. The new
office will open in early May.
Dom hawley, head of
software development,
commented on the opening:
“It’s difficult to recruit to one
location when you have the
demand for IT talent that
bet365 does. We’ve found
exceptional people in Stoke
but it’s clear that we now
need to expand our operation
outside of the local area to
grow our development
teams further.”
Staff will be involved in
working on the company’s
back office trading
applications, user Interface,
middleware and web
development for its Sports
and Gaming products.
Casino Merkur spielthek top of the tree
In a nationwide survey on gaming arcades conducted by the German news
magazine Focus, Casino Merkur Spielthek was voted “most popular arcade”
emeA
SPAIN – NOVOMATIC Lottery Solutions (NLS) has
successfully launched its omni-channel lottery
system for Loteria de Catalunya. This solution
integrates the Catalonian Lottery’s sales network
across retail, internet and mobile, delivering
technology that gives the Lottery’s customers
access to its products from any channel.
On April 1, 2016 the NLS lottery system went live
connecting the Lottery’s entire retail estate using
point of sale devices and telecommunications
infrastructure. The system supports all existing
games such as ‘LOTO RÀPID’, ‘6/49’, ‘Trio’, ‘Super
10’ and ‘La Grossa’, as well as brand new scratch
card games that were specifically developed by the
local team for the local market.
“This is part one of a two stage delivery,” explained
Miriam Lindhorst, CEO of NLS. “In phase two, we
will deliver the full omni-channel experience. After
the summer, the Lottery’s customers will be able to
play LOTO RÀPID from their mobile phones while
travelling on the bus, or buy La Grossa with a simple
click from their tablet or PC,” adding, “At NLS, we
are confident that the introduction of our modern
technology and comprehensive solutions will make
a significant difference to Loteria de Catalunya.and
its good causes,” affirming the lottery’s slogan of
‘tria-la, tots hi guanyem’ (‘choose it, we all win’).
“This incredibly smooth and successful launch in
Catalonia is proof not only that our technology
works, but also that we are able to deliver a smooth
and risk free conversion for our customers,” said
Frank Cecchini CEO of NLS in Austria.
HoLLAND – Gaming Laboratories International
(GLI), has released its newest white paper,
“iGaming Information Security Management: Is
Your Business Adequately Protected?” There are
five reasons why you should read it:
It will highlight GLI’s ability to…
1. Discuss your concerns about network
infrastructure security
2. Advise about data loss from players or your
company
3. Assist you to ensure security when working with
third parties
4. Provide effective personalised planning to
maximise system uptime
5. Work closely with you for continued compliance
and ongoing risk mitigation
GLI’s Managing Director of GLI Europe and Africa
Martin Britton said, “The growing expansion of
iGaming has created an increasing depth of internal
knowledge. We can use this knowledge bank to
assist suppliers and operators and discuss and
advise about security measures to ensure systems
and information are protected not just for today but
for tomorrow. The first step is understanding the
security risks, determine the requirements, discuss
system architecture and build a plan specifically
around these. This can be a combination of audits,
assessments and consultancy. We want our clients
to be confident that security breaches can be
minimised by having effective and logical controls
in place. This is why the GLI iGaming team, headed
by our VP of iGaming Salim Adatia, has
spearheaded this important white paper.”
Casino Merkur Spielthek, a
subsidiary of the family-run
Gauselmann Group from
Espelkamp in eastern Westphalia,
gains a top accolade
GerMAny STREET OPERATIONS
German news magazine Focus has named
Casino Merkur Spielthek as Germany’s “most
popular gaming arcade.” Company founder Paul
Gauselmann said: “I am proud of this fantastic
result, as it proves once again that Casino
Merkur Spielthek has an excellent overall
concept that is hard to beat.”
The survey is based on over 1,400 customer
ratings. It was conducted by Deutschland test in
collaboration with the business magazine Focus
Money and the Cologne analysis and consulting
firm ServiceValue. Customers cast their vote
online in 26 sub-categories relating to the
individual categories. In the Staff category, for
example, participants were asked to rate the
competence, friendliness and appearance of
staff. Under Service, whether refreshments are
served and practical assistance played an
important role.
“Good service starts with good staff. That’s why
we place great emphasis on continuous initial
and advanced training,” said Dieter Kuhlmann,
Board of Management Member for the
Spielothek Division of Gauselmann AG. The
games offering also received a “very good”
rating from the customers. “At our
Mr Green is due to go
live with Playtech’s
Open Platform
uK
Rapidly growing casino brand
Mr Green is due to go live on
Playtech’s cutting-edge Open
Platform. The powerful
Playtech Open Platform (POP),
complete with business
intelligence capabilities and
enhanced bonusing tools,
allows licensees one-time
integration and access to more
than 600 best-performing inhouse and premium branded
Playtech games, as well as to a
vast library of leading titles
from more than 20 third-party
suppliers including IGt,
Scientific Games and Inspired.
Multi-award winning casino
brand Mr Green will launch a
host of Playtech-developed
games in the coming weeks,
initially launching best-
entertainment centres we offer an attractive
games mix on state-of-the-art gaming
machines, most of which are developed and
produced at our facility in Lübbecke. We keep a
very close eye on the market and know what
games are currently popular. This is something
our customers appreciate,” Paul Gauselmann
explained. Casino Merkur Spielthek also
received “very good” in the categories
“Professionalism” and “Atmosphere,” earning
the company first place overall.
This year and last year Casino Merkur Spielthek
received Focus magazine’s “top National
Employer” award. In 2013, the company with the
laughing Merkur sun was awarded the “Service
Champion Bronze” seal by the daily newspaper
“Die Welt” and was voted number one in the
“Gaming Arcades” category. In Germany alone,
the company employs a staff of 3,250 at 239
entertainment centres.
Since 2008, Casino Merkur Spielthek has
offered training in the newly created industryspecific occupations of coin-op service
technician and coin-op specialist. The company
also offers a wide range of advanced training
opportunities.
performing desktop and
premium mobile titles.
Shimon Akad, COO, Playtech
said: “We’re delighted Mr
Green is joining the industry’s
most dynamic and accessible
Open Platform. They are a
rapidly growing casino brand
and will benefit greatly from
having access to our vast, bestperforming content portfolio.
We have big plans for the
platform and our content in
2016 in line with our omnichannel approach and across
expanding markets such as
Scandinavia.”
Bo Wänghammar, CEO, Mr
Green commented: “Mr Green
has a pronounced focus on
large and regulated markets.
Playtech has a very strong
presence in the UK. Mr Green
and Playtech is a great match
and this collaboration will set
Playtech games in the
environment of Mr Green’s
award-winning casino
experience.”
south Africa
Tsogo Sun has announced its
intention to buy a 20 per cent
interest in Sunwest International
and Worcester Casino for R1.3bn
from Sun International, in the
Western Cape. The move comes
a year after the competition
authorities halted Tsogo Sun’s
plans to takeover Sun
International. It will allow Sun
International to remain in place
as operator alongside its black
empowerment partner, Grand
Parade Investments (GPI). Tsogo
Sun CEO Marcel von Aulock said
Tsogo was not buying any
influence in the management of
the company. This means that
the deal will likely be classified
as ‘non-notifiable’ meaning it
will avoid scrutiny from the
competition authorities. Tsogo
Sun will buy a 10 per cent voting
and economic interest in
Sunwest and Worcester from
Sun International for R675m as
well as an additional 10 per cent
in both from GPI, also for
R675m.
nYX secures openBet Deal for £270m
NYX Gaming has bought OpenBet for £270m in a deal that will also include
partners William Hill and Sky Betting and Gaming
emeA
The takeover will join together
two proven suppliers to create an
organisation that will deliver the
leading end to end solution for
regulated gaming markets.
uK SuPPLIERS
NYX Gaming has bought OpenBet for £270m,
which includes repayment of OpenBet’s £95.4m
existing third party debt, in a deal that will also
include William Hill and Sky Betting and
Gaming. William Hill and Sky Betting and
Gaming will be participating in the transaction
through a preferred equity investment of
£100m. William Hill will engage NYX and
OpenBet in a development program to further
modernise OpenBet’s technology. The
Development Program will take approximately
three years to complete and is estimated to
generate £10m in EBItDA to NYX over that
three year period.
Matt Davey , CEO of NYX, said: “The acquisition
of OpenBet by NYX completes the portfolio of
industry leading products and services we offer
to our customers. They are two highly
complementary businesses with key strengths
in regulated markets, technology services and
gaming content. It positions NYX as the leading
provider of B2B betting and gaming solutions on
a global scale. We are looking forward to
working with OpenBet and their customers to
help them to deliver world class experiences to
their players.”
serbia
Local company NSoft has
decided to enter into a
sponsorship deal with Belgrade
Future Gaming show to
emphasise its strong position in
regional markets and expansion
in the Balkans and Eastern
Europe. Having enjoyed a
hugely successful ICE show in
February, business opportunities
for NSoft have doubled in the
last 12 months, with the
combined sales efforts of
Sportradar and NSoft revealing
the SEVEN platform at the show.
In parallel with the growth of the
company, brand recognition is
also growing. New partnerships
are made constantly and brand
awareness is on the rise. The
logical and strategic move to
keep and further expand
marketing presence in the
neighbourhood, was to sponsor
of one of the most important
expos in Southeastern Europe Belgrade Future Gaming (May
24-25).
Jeremy Thompson-Hill, CEO of OpenBet, added:
“The joining of OpenBet and NYX is a natural
union born out of synergies in product, the
customer base and, importantly, culture. It will
enable us to leverage our knowledge, strengths
and resources to deliver our customers with
best-in-class products and technologies across
all verticals and channels.”
Robin Chhabra, Group Director of Strategy &
Corporate Development at William Hill
commented: “I am delighted that William Hill is
supporting NYX’s vision for growth and
expansion into sports betting alongside its
strong gaming proposition. Our investment in
NYX builds on our long standing relationship
with both NYX and OpenBet.”
Richard Flint, CEO of SkyBet added: “Sky
Betting & Gaming is thrilled to be supporting the
acquisition of OpenBet by NYX. OpenBet is a
market-leading platform that we have worked
closely with for a number of years. We are
confident that NYX will be excellent owners of
OpenBet and will bring a fresh perspective to
the business that will benefit all of their
customers. We’re excited about the long term
future of this business.”
Grand National record
broken with 62,000
bets-per-minute
uK
OpenBet handled 22 million
sports bets on the day of the
Grand National race across all
channels. The 24-hour period
is the supplier’s busiest of the
year. At its peak, the company
processed 62,000 bets-perminute on Saturday 9th April
2016 – an increase of 27 per
cent from 2015.
In addition, OpenBet processed
a total of 60.5 million account
transactions; an uplift of 14 per
cent from 12 months ago.
The 2016 Grand National also
saw an increase in the
percentage of bets that were
placed on mobile devices, with
an average of 75 per cent of all
remote bets being made via the
channel; up from 63 per cent in
2015.
CEO Jeremy Thompson-Hill
said that the power and
reliability of the OpenBet
platform meant that it was able
to accommodate the surge in
activity across all channels and
support its growing partner
eco-system without any
downtime.
“The Grand National is a critical
event for our customers. It
places huge demands on our
industry and once again we
have shown that OpenBet has
the ability to handle the most
important events seamlessly,”
said Thompson-Hill.
“I am both thrilled and proud of
our performance – a peak of
62,000 bets-per-minute and
total of 22 million bets in 24
hours demonstrates the vast
scale of our business and the
power of our technology. It
enabled our customers to offer
the quality of service and
experience that players
demand,” Thompson-Hill
added.
SWITzERLAND – Grand Casino Bern was the very
first casino to adopt DRGT systems in Switzerland –
back in 2008. Casino Bern offers six different
jackpots to its customers that are managed by the
DRGT system: Swiss Jackpot, Auto Jackpot, Parking
Jackpot, hot & Wild Jackpot, Teatro Jackpot and
Mystery Jackpot. All these jackpots are managed by
the DRGT system. The sheer jackpot variety was
introduced in 2007. The increased requirements on
the system meant that Casino Bern management
had to look for a new supplier – and chose DRGT.
Gerhard Stiegler, Technical Director at Grand Casino
Bern, comments, “Our customer focus has always
been our motivator for change. As a team we
constantly look how we can ensure that our guests
spend the best possible time in our casino. The
introduction of a wide degree of jackpots brought
the previous systems technology to its limits. We
researched the market and chose DRGT, at that
time its Austrian counterpart SiP. We have been
working together with DRGT since 2008 and are
very satisfied with the DRGT system and the
support this company gives us”.
Mr. Stiegler continues to explain the benefits that
the DRGT system offers, “For us it is unique in the
market. The future-looking DRGT technology
requires no central server – that is a massive
benefit. There is no single point of failure. The
functionality of the DRGT system is excellent – it is
easy to use and we can manage all our systems
requirements – not just the jackpots, but also the
accounting and ticketing as well”.
uK – edict egaming has signed a partnership with
Amaya, the operator of leading poker and casino
brands PokerStars and Full Tilt, to provide new
casino games to their players. As a result of this
agreement, players will be able to enjoy the fun and
thrill of many Merkur slot games. Behind the
scenes, the edict ‘Game Bridge’ will deliver the
games, which will allow PokerStars and Full Tilt to
easily integrate Merkur slots with their existing
game portfolio.
“This is a great opportunity for Amaya and edict to
offer a fun new product to their players. I am sure
their large players base will enjoy the unique
experience that the Merkur slot games offer,”
comments Dominic-Daniel Lienard, CEO of edict.
"We are very pleased to give our players the choice
to play these new games, and expect that they will
be particularly popular in Central Europe. This will
make the casino experience at PokerStars and Full
Tilt even more exciting, and helps us to deliver on
our commitment to offer a wide variety of high
quality, fun and thrilling games,” said Sam hobcraft,
Director of Casino for Amaya.
atlantic City Demonstrates ‘Less is More’
north AmericA
Having seen four casinos forced to close in 2014, Atlantic City’s remaining eight
casinos were able to cash in throughout 2015 with every surviving casino
reporting an operating profit for the year
La Chambre des députés uruguayenne
pourrait approuver une nouvelle loi sur les jeux
d'argent avant la fin de la session législative. Cette
ébauche de loi qui modifierait la gestion des jeux
et autoriserait les jeux en ligne rencontre une vive
opposition due à la crainte qu'elle pourrait amplifier le phénomène d'addiction aux jeux.
Atlantic City’s remaining casinos
post 40 per cent increase in profits
as the market stabilises after
several years of turmoil
Un membre du conseil municipal de la ville
d'Asunción au Paraguay vient de rédiger une
ébauche de loi pour doubler la taxe mensuelle sur
les licences des machines à sous.
L'une des plus hautes cours de justice du
Chili a entériné le mois dernier le vote du Conseil
régional (GORE) pour empêcher la construction
d'un nouveau casino du groupe Boldt Peralada
dans la ville de Chillan du fait de sa proximité avec
un établissement scolaire. Ce projet constituait
une violation de certains aspects de la stratégie
de développement régional.
La députée de Buenos aires Maria ines
Gorbea (du parti SuMA+) a déclaré que la ville
devrait reprendre la gestion de l'industrie du jeu.
En accord avec ses collègues de la Coalición
Cívica, Mme Gorbea a présenté en avril une nouvelle loi très complète pour réguler cette activité
jusqu'à l'expiration des licences accordées aux
opérateurs présents dans la ville.
L'autorité de réglementation et de contrôle des
institutions bancaires et financières du Pérou, la
Direction Générale de la banque, des assurances
et des fonds de pension privés et d'assurance
(SBS), vient d'approuver une série de nouvelles
mesures destinées à lutter contre le blanchiment
d'argent et le financement du terrorisme dans
l'industrie des casinos et des machines à sous.
aspers vient de remporter une victoire sur ses
concurrents Grosvenor, Kymeira Casino, Genting
et Global Gaming Ventures en obtenant la
troisième licence la plus importante au Royaumeuni. La licence de Southampton inclut jusqu'à 150
machines à sous avec un jackpot pouvant atteindre 4000 livres sterling et jusqu'à 30 tables de
blackjack et de poker, tandis que la limite
autorisée pour un casino classique est de 20
machines.
La China state Construction engineering
Corporation devrait construire un complexe casino
appelé Dream Tower de 600 millions de dollars
uS sur l'île de Jeju. L'entreprise a été sélectionnée
par les auteurs du projet, Lotte Tour et Greenland
Group, pour construire la Dream Tower, le plus
haut bâtiment de l'île de Jeju qui comprendra un
casino de 200 tables de jeux et de 400 machines
à sous.
iGt vient de signer un accord avec station
Casinos pour améliorer les systèmes de gestion
IGT Advantage avec des solutions et des applications systèmes dernier cri permettant d'introduire
directement sur les machines des applications
marketing, des informations sur les bonus et des
informations à l'attention des clients sur plus de
19000 machines à sous réparties dans ses 19
complexes de Vegas, au Nevada.
new JerSey CASINO OPERATIONS
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement
has confirmed that casino operating profit
increased by 40 per cent across the board with
GGR of US$547m up from $390m in 2014.
Casino Control Commission Chairman Matthew
Levinson said: “to me, that’s an indication that
the market is stabilizing after several years of
turmoil. Atlantic City’s casino industry is alive
and quite well. Every single operator reported a
very solid performance for the year.”
The biggest turnaround came at Resorts Casino
Hotel which is now under the management of
Mohegan Sun. It saw a huge 525 per cent
increase in profits, to $15.6m. GGR increased 3.1
per cent, to $2.5bn.
Fitch Ratings’ Colin Mansfield said: “Mohegan’s
doing a very good job of managing that
property,” said Gambling revenue, in 2015
among the city’s eight extant operators. And a
larger chunk of revenue is dropping down to the
bottom line. More broadly speaking, this has
sort of been a trend over the last couple years. A
lot of operators are going back and looking at
their business and looking at where they can
create some efficiencies and where they can
Advanced Gaming
Associates to
distribute Nanoptix
canada
tItO specialist Nanoptix has
signed a deal to have its
products distributed in North
America by Advanced Gaming
Associates. The new agreement
will provide customers another
channel to purchase the full
Nanoptix line up of
performance driven printers.
In addition to Paycheck 4 and
Paycheck High Speed Coupon
Printer, customers will be able
to purchase the new Paycheck
NextGen tItO printer which is
a truly revolutionary product.
With features such as an AntiJamming Paper Path, a “Last
ticket” paper low sensor, its
Anti-Spillage Conduits, the
largest standard ticket capacity
take some cost out of a business.”
Elsewhere, The Golden Nugget saw an increase
of more than 396 per cent to $22.6m, Bally
reported a surge of 77 per cent to $39.9m,
Caesars increased by more than 39 per cent to
$83.4m, Borgata’s profit was up over 36 per cent
to nearly $216m whilst Harrah’s increased by 26
per cent to $122m.
Even the trump taj Mahal saw an improvement
from an operating loss of $1.1m in 2014 to an
operating profit of $3.1m in 2015.
Every casino showed an increase except The
tropicana which was down over 22 per cent for
the year, to $46.4m.
Joe Lupo, Borgata’s Senior Vice President of
Operations, said: “Less supply in the market
meant more demand for each property.”
The news wasn’t completely rosy though. When
including the revenues from the four casinos,
the Atlantic Club, Showboat, Revel and trump
Plaza that closed in 2014 total GGR for the
industry dropped by 8.2 per cent from the
$3.8bn reported in 2014.
of 400 tickets with available
600 or 800 extensions and the
only Protective Cover, and its
unlimited Connectivity;
multiple USB Host & Slave,
HDMI, Bluetooth and Ethernet
ports just to name a few, both
companies are very excited to
explore their new partnership.
Nanoptix’s Jean-Louis
Drapeau, said: “With the
launch of our new
revolutionary Paycheck
NextGen tItO printer, we
believe that AGA will give us
the necessary coverage across
North America we need in
order to exceed our goals. We
continuously bring industry
leading technologies to our
customers while providing
them with great support and
service. These shared values,
align perfectly with our mutual
vision. AGA is a valued
supplier and partner to the
industry and we are excited to
reach new heights with them.”
trinidad
Mid-April saw scores of casino
workers gathered in front of the
Parliament Building in Port-ofSpain to protest the increased
taxes imposed on the gaming
industry, fearing they would lose
their jobs. Finance Minister Colm
Imbert announced the increases
during his mid year budget
review but did not give details.
Assistant secretary of the Union
of Members Club and Lottery
Workers (UMCLW), Joshua
Johnson said the sector currently
employs about 9,000 people,
many of them single mothers.
UMCLW general secretary Cindy
Gibbs-Mohammed said the
gaming industry has seen
increases in tax by 100 per cent
in 2002, 25 per cent in 2003 and
125 per cent increase in 2013.
“Based on this we anticipate a
more than 100 per cent tax
increase,” she said. The UMCLW
calling on Mr. Imbert to
reconsider the increase.
atlantis taps into Caesars Loyalty Program
north AmericA
inspired et Greentube collaborent
actuellement pour fournir du contenu Virtuals à
plusieurs opérateurs en ligne. Dans le cadre de
leur accord, Greentube fournira le tout dernier
contenu Virtuals du groupe Inspired, y compris le
nouveau jeu premium Rush Football 2, à plusieurs
sites Web.
La plus grande société de casinos
d'Allemagne, WestSpiel, vient de choisir la
machine à sous Pinnacle SL pour son casino
vedette à Duisburg. Au total, huit machines à sous
premium Pinnacle SL à écran incurvé du groupe
APEX font actuellement la joie des joueurs du
casino.
Des membres de la Gendarmerie argentine
viennent de perquisitionner le siège social de
Codere à Buenos Aires. Les troupes de la gendarmerie ont pénétré dans les bureaux de Buenos
Aires de la société Codere. Les motifs de cette
perquisition restent inconnus et les agents des
autorités policières sont repartis les mains vides.
La Division de la réglementation des jeux
d'argent du New Jersey vient de confirmer la
hausse de 40 % du résultat opérationnel des
casinos avec un produit brut issu des jeux de 547
millions de dollars uS contre 390 millions en
2014.
La construction de ce qui devrait devenir le
deuxième plus grand casino du Vietnam débutera
le 23 avril à hoi An, dans la région centrale de
Quang Nam. VinaCapital s'est récemment associée avec deux sociétés chinoises : Chow Tai Fook
de hong Kong et Sun City de Macao pour s'assurer que le projet de construction de 4 milliards
de dollars du Nam hoi An Casino Resort puisse
être mis en oeuvre.
Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in The Bahamas is teaming up with Caesars
Entertainment to offer Atlantis’ world-class resort experience to members of its
premier loyalty program, Caesars Entertainment’s total Rewards.
Caesars will be the only brand of
its kind that offers a Las Vegas
style island gaming destination as
a benefit of its loyalty program
bAhAMAS CASINO OPERATIONS
Caesars is to become the only brand of its kind
that offers a Las Vegas style island gaming
destination as a benefit of its loyalty program,
when it grants its total Rewards members’
access to Atlantis, the largest casino resort in the
Caribbean.
lions and a gaming getaway unlike any other
destination in the world. All total Rewards
members who are Platinum, Diamond or Seven
Stars will be able to take advantage of this
amazing offering.
“Partnering with the Caesars brand on this
initiative allows guests even more access to elite
gaming destinations,” said Paul Burke, President
and Managing Director of Atlantis, Paradise
Island. “Our brands have great synergy
including similar customer service cultures and
clientele. This is an aggressive step towards not
only reinforcing our existing customer loyalty,
but also towards attracting new customers to
experience our unique product offerings.”
“With the launch of this exciting partnership,
total Rewards is continuing its evolution as the
industry’s leading hospitality and gaming
loyalty program,” saidMichael Marino, Senior
Vice President of Loyalty & Digital at Caesars
Entertainment. “total Rewards is now the only
loyalty program of its kind offering our
members access to this premier island resort,
which includes select accommodation,
signature dining and the opportunity to play in
the Caribbean’s largest casino.”
This unique, ocean-themed destination located
in The Bahamas offers over 750 slot machines
and 110 table games in a tropical island
atmosphere. Caesars customers will be offered
access to amenities including dining at signature
restaurants boasting celebrity chefs with worldclass cuisine, interactions with dolphins and sea
“The timing of this collaboration is aligned with
the unveiling of new enhancements and
additions to the Atlantis casino experience,
beginning with the latest array of new slot
machines and several exciting table games and
bonus options,” said Rosalind Krause, Chief
Marketing Officer of Atlantis, Paradise Island.
iowa
Le Directeur de la commission des jeux du
Paraguay Javier Balbuena (CONAJZAR) a déclaré
que le fait que le gouvernement brésilien légalise
les jeux d'argent n'affecterait pas les casinos
paraguayens étant donné que les taxes payées
au Paraguay sont bien moins élevées.
iGt vient de conclure un accord avec le
Casino Yakama Nation Legends pour améliorer
les systèmes de gestion IGT Advantage, propriété
de Washington, via les solutions Media Manager
et Service Window et un hébergement des applications relatives aux bonus.
Le PDG de wynn resorts, steve wynn, qui a
introduit le nouveau concept du nouveau Wynn
Paradis Park lors d'une présentation aux investisseurs, a dépeint une image de plages de sable
blanc, de divertissements aquatiques et de spectacles de feux d'artifice.
tandis que l'hôtel six étoiles Perth ouvrira
bien comme convenu en décembre tout en ayant
respecté son budget initial de 645 millions de
dollars uS, le Directeur financier de Crown, Ken
Barton, vient de déclarer que celui-ci pourrait
connaître des débuts difficiles du fait du déclin de
son activité liée aux mines qui a affecté
l'économie de la région.
nevada
MGM lifts the lid on The Park
MGM Resorts International has launched The Park, a vibrant outdoor
dining and entertainment district celebrating the beauty of the
surrounding desert landscape and offering visitors a new way to
experience the Las Vegas Strip.
Located between New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts, The Park is
designed to become a social gathering space where guests can experience
stunning design elements, a fun culinary lineup boasting great
indoor/outdoor environments, iconic art and playful entertainment. The
Park serves as the gateway to the new 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena, which
opened on April 6.
MGM Resorts’ Chairman and CEO Jim Murren marked The Park’s official
opening, alongside Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, Clark County
Commissioner Mary Beth Scow and Southern Nevada Water Authority
General Manager John Entsminger.
The American Gaming
Association and the Iowa
Gaming Association are
recognising the 25th
anniversary of Iowa’s casino
gaming industry; a US$1bn
economic engine that supports
9,500 jobs and has become a
bedrock industry in the state.
Iowa became one of the first
states outside of Nevada and
New Jersey to welcome casino
gaming when riverboats began
operating on April 1, 1991.
Since 1991, Iowa casinos have
generated more than US$6bn
in tax revenue for the state and
provided nearly 29,000 grants
worth US$1.4bn to charitable
organisations. Casinos also
have embraced the “Buy Iowa
First” program by purchasing
an average of 84-89 per cent
of all products and services
from Iowa companies; and
served as the largest collective
tourist attraction in the state,
bringing nearly 22 million
visitors to its properties.
new wynn resort on vegas Golf Course
Wynn plans to spend US$1.6bn transforming its tom Fazio-designed Wynn Golf
Club into Wynn Paradise Park, touted as a lake resort behind Wynn and Encore,
which will provide water-skiing, paddle-boarding, ice cream and fireworks
Wynn Resorts has announced
plans to redevelop land behind its
two Strip resorts into a new resort
dedicated as much to
entertainment as to gambling
The resort will include a 38 acre lagoon,
surrounded by premium meetings and
convention space, a 1,000 room hotel tower, a
small casino and extensive dining and nightlife.
The elaborate water attraction will include both
daytime and night time elements.
“We have a chance to reinvent Las Vegas and
make the whole venue an entertainment
attraction; an idyllic beach paradise surrounded
by white sand beaches,” stated Mr. Wynn.
“People come to Las Vegas from all over the
world to live large and have a good time and we
can dish up an irresistible attraction.”
It will be constructed on approximately 130
acres of real estate that currently houses the
Wynn Golf Club. The proposed lagoon will be
lined by a pristine white sand beach and
boardwalk and feature an array of daytime
activities including water skiing, paddle
boarding and parasailing. At night, the space
will transform with an elaborate fireworks
display that is launched from the 120 ft. center
island and surrounding areas.
Wynn Paradise Park will add 260,000 sq.ft. of
premium meetings space with views of the
waterfront, guest rooms with a separate
bedroom, living room and balcony, and a variety
of restaurants, including an expansion of the
current Country Club restaurant. In addition, the
resort is also developing Wynn Plaza, an
expansive retail complex featuring 75,518 square
feet of luxury retail space. Debuting fall 2017,
the uniquely designed complex will augment
the existing luxury retail collection currently
showcased at Wynn Las Vegas and Encore as
well as bring the shopping experience to the
high traffic area bordering Las Vegas Blvd.
Universal Game Adaptor (UGA)
and will permit Station Casinos
to offer a premium guest
experience that includes realtime customised promotions
and incentives through the IGt
Service Window.
Pennsylvania
Pinnacle Entertainment is
buying Meadows Racetrack and
Casino from Gaming and Leisure
Properties for US$138m.
Pinnacle will operate the
Meadows’ gaming
entertainment business and
lease its underlying real
property from GLPI in a triple
net lease with initial annual rent
of $25.5m (implying 1.9x rent
coverage). On a trailing twelve
month basis at February 29,
2016, the Meadows generated
net revenues of $289m,
EBITDAR of approximately
$47.2m, EBITDAR margin of 16.4
per cent, and EBITDA of $21.7m
after giving effect to rent
expense.
The Meadows is located in
Washington, PA, approximately
25 miles outside of Pittsburgh,
PA. The property features a
casino and pari-mutuel gaming
experience that includes
approximately 3,170 gaming
devices, 74 table games, 11 poker
tables, and a 5/8 mile harness
horse racetrack with a 500-seat
grandstand.
CANADA – OpenBet has partnered with BCLC
(British Columbia Lottery Corporation) to launch
Sports Pools on PlayNow.com, British Columbia’s
gambling website.
OpenBet has worked closely with BCLC since they
launched their initial online gaming offering in June
2010, when it delivered Canada’s first online casino
on OpenBet’s leading platform and centralised
account (Player Account Management). Since then,
OpenBet and BCLC have continued to develop the
offering through new games like Sports Pools.
neVAdA CASINO DEVELOPMENTS
Wynn Resorts CEO Steve Wynn, who introduced
the new concept during an investor
presentation, painted a picture of white sand
beaches, aquatic features and nightly fireworks
shows for his new Wynn Paradise Park.
north AmericA
IGT to launch huge
bonusing system with
Station Casinos
us
IGt has signed a deal with
Station Casinos to enhance
Station Casinos’ IGt Advantage
casino management systems
with state-of-the-art gaming
systems solutions and
applications that will allow for
“on device” marketing,
bonusing and guest
communication on over 19,000
slot machines located across
its 19 properties in Vegas,
Nevada.
The comprehensive systems
enhancement includes IGt’s
IGt’s Nick Khin, said: “As
Station Casinos continues to
provide best-in-class
entertainment offerings, we
are pleased to have been
selected to deliver innovative
gaming systems solutions that
will allow them to significantly
enhance their overall guest
experience.”
Marc Falcone, Station Casinos’
Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer, added:
“Our initial gaming systems
partnership with IGt allowed
us to customize one of their
bonusing programs into Jumbo
Jackpot , which quickly
became a guest favourite. We
are excited once again to be at
the forefront of bonusing with
IGt, as the new IGt Advantage
applications will permit us to
create customised guest
incentives that can only be
found at Station Casinos.”
Sports Pools is a first for a regulated online
gambling site in Canada. Sports Pools engages all
levels of fans with their favourite sports and doesn’t
require knowledge of sportsbook odds. With a $5
buy-in, players can test their sports knowledge
against each other for a chance to win or share the
prize pool. Players pick the winning outcome for all
the match-ups on a betting card, or randomly
choose winners with the ‘quick pick’ feature. The
jackpot goes to the players who pick the required
amount of correct outcomes.
BCLC Vice President eGaming Monica Bohm added:
“Sports Pools offers sports fans an innovative and
easy point of entry into sports betting that is fun
and appealing. It is another example of
PlayNow.com delivering the very best in gambling
entertainment to British Columbians while helping
communities across the province grow.”
NEvADA – Konami Gaming’s Synkros casino
management system has been selected by Golden
Entertainment to replace existing systems at its
three casino properties in Pahrump, Nevada.
Pahrump Nugget hotel & Casino, Gold Town Casino,
and Lakeside Casino & RV Park will introduce
Synkros’ single player card solution, premier
bonusing suite, award-winning marketing tools, and
advanced reporting to nearly 1,000 gaming devices.
“We selected Konami’s Synkros for our Pahrump
casinos due to the company’s strong reputation for
delivering extremely reliable systems packed with
marketing solutions,” said Blake Sartini, chief
executive officer at Golden Entertainment.
During summer of 2015, Golden Gaming finalised
its merger with Minnesota-based and publicly
traded Lakes Entertainment, establishing a portfolio
of approximately 9,300 gaming devices as Golden
Entertainment. One month later, the company
finalised contracts with Konami to launch Synkros.
“Our casino guests will have a seamless loyalty
experience spanning all of our Pahrump locations,”
said Mr. Sartini. “With kiosking functions through
SYNKiosk and new bonusing applications via True
Time Tournaments and SuperSeries, guests can
enjoy a whole ecosystem of player rewards and
benefits that are personalised to their gaming
activities.”
Betradar rolls out Live sports Centre for
this Year’s euros and Copa america
Betradar is betting big on its Live Sports Centre for this summer of sport, a hosted
white label solution that allows bookmakers the chance to offer a comprehensive
and engaging information package to their punters
Bookmakers have the option of a
complete branding solution to
strengthen bookmakers brand
awareness with Live Sports Centre
uS & euroPe SPORTS-BETTING
NEvADA – Konami Gaming has been awarded the
2016 NAIOP Southern Nevada Spotlight Award for
Sustainable/Green Building for the recentlycompleted expansion of its Las Vegas
headquarters. This honour annually recognises the
regional commercial building project that
exemplifies sustainable principles as a driving force
behind development. Konami’s expanded facility
more than doubled its original 160,000sq.ft. facility
with full Leadership in Energy and Environment
Design (LEED) certification and became one of the
state’s largest facilities to achieve complete
geothermal heating and cooling.
“Our new headquarters has been designed and
delivered with environmentally-friendly and energy
saving considerations in every aspect,” said Tom
Jingoli, SVP at Konami Gaming, Inc. “Konami has
always been very conscious of the environment
and so it was a natural fit for us to expand our
facility with a goal of obtaining LEED certification.
We felt this was an important investment to
demonstrate our commitment to being good
corporate citizens.”
Betradar has released special editions of its Live
Sports Centre for two of this summer’s key
soccer events: the Euro 2016 in France and the
Copa America Centenario, which will be hosted
in the US. France will be the go-to-destination
for fans of 24 participating nations for June’s
Euro 2016 tournament. The 50 per cent increase
in teams this year will make it an outstanding
competition: more players, more matches and
more media awareness than ever before.
This summer the Copa America Centenario also
kicks off in the US. The 100 year anniversary of
the South American Football Federation will see
the competition take place outside its regular
four-year rhythm, which was established in
2007. to mark this special occasion, the
tournament will also have many more
participants than ever before, and, for the first
time in its long history, it will be played outside
of South America, as 10 cities in the United
States will host the 32 matches in June.
“to equip websites or mobile applications
around the globe with the most comprehensive
sports data solution fans can wish for, Betradar
has developed enhanced special editions of its
successful Live Sports Centre to cover all pre/post match and of course live facts during the
European Championship and the Copa
America” said Lorenzo Caci, Director Sales at
Betradar.
“Fans have been waiting for the kick-off of
those two soccer festivals for months. They
expect something special, and that´s where we
come in. Without having to invest a lot of time
and resources into developing a tournament
specific offering in-house, our clients can spoil
their customers with a product that is fast and
reliable and informs them in their native
language about everything that’s relevant. We
even embedded social media feeds from players
and teams into our EC and CA 2016 Live
Centres. The product includes new features such
as the “Betting stimulations” widget - Questions
and interesting statistical facts are presented
live during the matches can give punters the
momentum and the confidence they need to
place another bet.”
NEvADA – DEQ Systems has made further strides
towards revitalising its Nevada based operations
with the opening of new executive offices in Las
Vegas. Describing the changes, Joe Bertolone,
President & CEO of DEQ Systems, stated: "I'm
proud of our team and how we continue to execute
against our milestone goals of re-making DEQ.
We've spent a great deal of time and effort on
significant changes while remaining focused on top
line revenue growth.”
"We've made foundational changes culminating in
expanding our presence in Las Vegas with a new
executive office location. Over the last year, DEQ has
rebuilt the staff with experienced gaming
professionals from some of the largest operating
and manufacturing gaming companies in the world.
We've moved highly skilled, professional positions
to Nevada. We see this as a necessity to compete
and take advantage of the world class gaming
resources here."
"As a part of our plans to continue to drive revenues
and become even more customer focused, we've
also launched our new corporate website. The site
has been redesigned to focus on the things we do
best: serve our customers. We've added more clear
and concise product related information, how to play
videos for our premium content and a new look and
feel for the site." Bertolone added. "Through it all,
we'll keep focused on new ways to increase
revenues, productivity and innovation."
Arizona
washington
IGT systems deal with yakama Nation Legends
IGT has reached an agreement with Yakama Nation Legends Casino to
enhance the Washington property’s IGT Advantage casino management
systems with Media Manager and Service Window systems solutions, and
a host of bonusing applications. The selection of a comprehensive suite of
IGT systems solutions in which IGT Media Manager and floor-wide Service
Window will be enhanced by Xtra Credit and Point Play applications.
“By providing bonusing and Service Window capabilities, we bring out the
best in our leading floor share of games while helping the casino
streamline its operations,” said IGT’s Nick Khin.
“With the addition of IGT Service Window, we can offer customized
promotions, communications, and incentives to players. With the
introduction of IGT bonusing applications, we’re adding entirely new
levels of excitement to our games. These advancements in our slot
offerings and operations are exactly what can help to propel the success of
our newly expanded casino,” said Legend’s Tiffany Goudy
Casino Del Sol and traffic
Generation (traffGen) have
agreed to terms for
implementing the traffic
Generation Pro marketing
platform. Casino Del Sol, a
leading tribal casino located in
tucson is evolving its
marketing platform that
serves as a foundation on
which to manage a holistic,
multi-channel marketing
plan. traffic Generation
software empowers operators
to deliver relevant real-time
messages to a segmented
audience in property, online,
kiosk and mobile. “We are
determined to provide the best
and most personal gaming
experience to our valued
players,” said Steve Neely,
Casino Del Sol. “Partnering
with traffic Gen will allow us
to connect with our guests
across multiple channels, in
the most strategic way.”
Crown towers facing tough Debut
AsiA & oceAniA
CAMBoDIA – NagaCorp, the operator of the only
casino in Cambodia’s capital of Phnom Penh;
NagaWorld, has reported that the first quarter of
2016 has carried on in even better form as the
previous year.
GGR came in at uS$153.8m for the three months
ending March 31, marking an improvement of 35
per cent compared to the first quarter of 2015.
2015 as a whole saw an increase of 26.8 per cent.
The first quarter surge was aided by a 65 per cent
improvement in VIP rolling chip turnover which hit
uS$2.79bn.
In in a voluntary yet brief filing to the hong Kong
Stock Exchange, NagaCorp outlined that revenue
from mass electronic gaming machines came in at
uS$381.1m showing an increase of 32 per cent on
last year’s first quarter whilst revenue from the
mass public floor reached uS$149.9m, showing a
15 per cent improvement.
NagaWorld operates 200 VIP tables, 87 mass
gaming tables and 1,656 electronic gaming
machines. The diversifed gaming group gave no
reasons for the marked improvement or any
indication of profit.
MACAu – Global Gaming Expo Asia (G2E Asia)
continues to excel at its mission to convene the
most significant stakeholders in the region’s gaming
industry. In 2016, the G2E Asia show floor will see a
number of exhibitors, old and new, use this
prestigious platform to create brand awareness,
launch new products and expand their reach into
the Asian market.
Crown towers, which will open as the largest hotel in Perth, will face a difficult
start to its operational life due to a sluggish economy in Western Australia
according to Crown’s Chief Financial Officer
Warning from within Crown that
its opening of the largest hotel in
Perth will face an uphill struggle
thanks to external economic
factors
AuStrAliA CASINO OPERATIONS
Crown’s Chief Financial Officer Ken Barton has
said that whilst the six-star Perth hotel
development would meet its December opening
deadline within its $645m budget, it would face
an uncertain start due to the decline of mining
which has affected the estate’s economy.
Mr. Barton said: “While it looks like a fantastic
property, it may be opening at the wrong time in
the market. It will do very well in that market
but probably would have done a lot better if the
market was at a different time in the cycle.”
The plans include a 25-storey six-star hotel, VIP
gaming rooms, high-end shopping and
convention facilities. The renovation of Perth’s
Burswood casino was completed with a name
change back in September 2012 with the venue
being re-launched as Crown Perth, making it
the second Crown Casino complex in Australia,
and the third in the world. The casino part of the
renovation has involved a substantial A$750m
upgrade of the existing casino infrastructure and
property developments aimed at catering to the
high-end Asian tourist market. These include
the Sky Room, an exclusive gaming room aimed
at high rollers where the gaming tables look out
over the Swan River, three private jets to bring
international VIPs to Australia, and two suites
that have cost over AU$11m each to build.
The A$2bn Crown Sydney meanwhile has
received planning consent from the New South
Wales government in March. While the $2bn
facility still requires final approval from the
Planning Assessment Commission (PAC), Mr
Barton said construction work could start by
late 2017 following remediation works. “We
hope that with all of the concessions we made
with the Department of Planning, we are there,”
said Mr Barton. “But we still need to get through
this one last step with the PAC. On the basis we
get through that middle of this year, get through
remediation and finish that early next year, then
we have three years of construction which takes
us to late 2020.”
cambodia
Among the event’s major exhibitors will be
Ainsworth, Aristocrat, Aruze, Astro, hydako, IGT,
Interblock, Jumbo Technology, Konami, RGB,
Scientific Games, Novomatic/Jade Entertainment
and SEGA SAMMY CREATION.
“We’re very excited at the prospect of welcoming
returning exhibitors, together with new exhibitors to
G2E Asia 2016,” said Josephine Lee, Executive Vice
President of Reed Exhibitions Greater China. “Many
of the most influential suppliers in gaming and
entertainment are already confirmed for the event.
We’re also very optimistic, after last year’s recordbreaking number of nearly 10,000 visitors from 79
countries and regions, along with 161 exhibitors,
that this year’s show will be even more special in
terms of delivering great value to our clients.”
“G2E Asia was the first major gaming show to be
held in Macau in 2007. This show is a vital part of
how Aruze pursues its objectives” said Albert Yu,
General Manager of Aruze Gaming Macau Limited,
speaking of the company’s decision to return to G2E
Asia. “Aruze has exhibited at this show since its very
first edition, and G2E Asia remains one of the major
tradeshows in Asia in the region where we
consistently meet with the operators who buy our
products. We’re very much looking forward to
another exceptional event this year.”
G2E Asia will continue, as it does each year, to
expand its portfolio of offerings and extend its reach
further across the Asian continent.
Jeju’s Dream Tower to
host 200 gaming
tables
south Korea
China State Construction
Engineering Corporation is to
build a US$600m multicomplex casino resort in Jeju
Island called Dream tower.
The company has been
selected by project owners
Lotte tour and Greenland
Group to build Dream tower,
the tallest building on Jeju
Island, which will include a
casino with 200 gaming tables
and 400 slot machines. The
accompanying hotel will offer
1,626 hotel rooms.
China State Construction
Engineering will start work
next month on the 38-story
building which will take three
years to complete.
Hwang Min-gang, CEO of the
Greenland Group’s Korea
Corporation, said: “We will let
as many companies as possible
in Jeju Island take advantage of
moving in to the building. We
expect the project will help
revitalize the local economy.”
Lotte tour Chief Executive Kim
Ki-byung added: “We expect to
create some 2,200 new jobs,
and will make it the place that
offers highest wages in Jeju
Island.”
Jimei International
Entertainment Group has said it
will team up with Yeejia Tourism
Development Company and
MCC International Incorporation
to develop an integratedentertainment casino complex in
Cambodia’s coastal region of
Sihanoukville. The integrated
resort would include a hotel, golf
course, and theme park along
with other entertainment and
tourist services. Yeejia Tourism
Development Company is a
Cambodian resort developer
whilst MCC International is a
Chinese constructor. A handful
of small casinos already exist in
Sihanoukville. Jimei is a Hong
Kong-based, Macau junket
group with ties to VIP tables in
Cambodia’s NagaWorld and
Jimei Casino in Macau.
Sihanoukville has been in the
news recently following
approvals from Cambodia’s
Council of Ministers for
Malasian-based developer
Salient Ventures to run casinos,
online, nightclubs, karaoke bars,
massage parlours and dog
racing in the region.
Macau Legend to sell Macau Casinos
AsiA & oceAniA
Macau Legend is planning to sell its Landmark Macau casino hotel along with the
Pharaoh’s Palace Casino located there. The operator made the announcement as it
delivered its results for the year, reporting a loss in 2015 of HK$268.5m in 2015.
Legend announces sale as gaming
revenue decreased almost 30 per
cent in its 2015 figures with a loss
of HK$268.5m
LAoS – Six companies have expressed an interest
and have been approved to bid for the purchase of
Savan Vegas hotel and Entertainment Complex, a
fully-fledged casino hotel located in Savannakhet in
Laos, close to the Thailand border.
San Marco Capital Partners (SMC), the exclusive
sales agent working on behalf of the Government of
the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, announced
the conclusion of the qualification process for
investors interested in participating in the
competitive sale process to purchase and operate
the Savan Vegas hotel and Entertainment Complex.
Located in Nongdeune Village, Kaisonphomvihanh
District, Savannakhet Province of the Lao PDR, the
Complex includes a full-service casino, a hotel and
numerous entertainment and leisure offerings.
upon review of interested investors’ expressions of
interest and qualification materials, including
information on financial capability and operational
expertise, the Government of the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic has determined Groupe Lucien
Barrière, Iao Kun Group holding Company Limited,
Macau Legend Development Limited, PGP
Investors, RGB (Macau) Limited, Mr. Datuk Chuah
Kim Seah and Mr. ung Chi Fong (Consortium) and
Silver heritage Limited as qualified to participate in
the sales process.
MAcAu CASINO OPERATIONS
Macau Legend plans to sell its Landmark Macau
casino hotel and Pharaoh’s Palace Casino amid
gaming revenue falls of 29.9 per cent to
HK$897.4m, whilst non-gaming revenue
increased by 1.4 per cent to HK$538.7m.
Co-Chairman, Executive Director and Chief
Executive Officer of Macau Legend, Mr. David
Chow, said: “With the increasing focus in Macau
Fisherman’s Wharf, it makes commercial sense
for the proposed disposal of The Landmark
Macau (including the casino facilities), and to
focus more on the new hotels, casinos and other
tourist related facilities at Macau Fisherman’s
Wharf. The cash that we will receive from this
sale will also allow us to expand our businesses
in Macau and overseas without taking on too
much additional leverage.”
“Harbourview Hotel, our first new hotel at MFW
opened in February 2015, contributed
nongaming revenue of HK$115.2m.,” he added.
“Business at this new hotel continues to ramp
up since its opening. With the completion of the
second new hotel, Legend Palace Hotel, the new
5-star integrated hotel and casino will add new
luxury hotel, gaming, retail, and food and
Bids to purchase and operate the Complex are to be
submitted on May 10, 2016 and will be opened in a
public ceremony inVientiane, Lao PDR. The winning
bidder will receive the Complex assets and a
concession agreement granting it the right to
operate the complex for a 50-year period.
vIETNAM – Construction on what will be Vietnam’s
second biggest casino will get underway on April 23
in hoi An in the central Quang Nam Province.
VinaCapital recently teamed up with two Chinese
firms: Chow Tai Fook from hong Kong and Sun City
from Macau to ensure that the $4bn Nam hoi An
Casino Resort would go ahead. The project fell into
trouble when Genting pulled out in 2012.
VinaCapital said it would increase its investment in
the project from 22.5 to 32 per cent.
Do Xuan Dien, head of the management board for
the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone, confirmed the
project would be Vietnam’s second largest casino
resort after the Grand ho Tram Strip. The first phase
of the Nam hoi An project will cost $500m and
should open in the first quarter of 2019.
union Gaming analyst Grant Govertsen said: “There
is probably no better local partner than VinaCapital.
In a market like Vietnam, having a high-powered,
well-connected, local partner is critical. This could be
instrumental in obtaining approval for locals
gambling. The adjacent resort towns of Da Nang
and hoi An, are a playground for Vietnam’s wealthy.”
Stay of execution
granted to Goa’s offshore casinos
india
Goa’s offshore casinos will be
able to operate from their
current location on the
Mandovi river near Panaji for
another year with the blessing
of Goa Chief Minister
Laxmikant Parsekar.
The licences for the offshore
casinos had been due to run
out at the end of March, but an
extension has been granted
following a petition presented
to the government from the
current casino workers. Mr.
Parsekar said: “The casinos
have been given one year
extension to remain in the
beverage capacity into the Macau Peninsula
market and this should allow the Group to be
much more competitive in the premium mass
and VIP markets. It has been noted that the
operating performance for The Landmark Macau
has declined.”
Mr Chow added: “Construction for the Legend
Palace Hotel is expected to be completed in June
2016, and we are targeting to open this new
hotel and the casino by the end of 2016. We
intend to expand New Legend, our self-run VIP
operation, which has continued to increase its
revenue contribution to the Group in 2015, into
this new hotel.”
“During this current period in Macau, it is
important that the Group continues to better
manage its resources, ensures adequate liquidity
and continues to take advantage of
opportunities to expand our business overseas. I
strongly believe this strategy is in the best
interest of all our shareholders. We will focus on
Southeast Asian destinations where the “One
Belt, One Road” policy from China is supporting
new investment in tourism and tourism related
infrastructure.”
Mandovi till March 31 next year
or until a feasible alternate site
is found, whichever is earlier.
We had identified four
locations which were Zuari
river, Mandovi river mouth,
Aguada Bay and Chapora river.
But these locations were either
not feasible for the casino
operators or there was
opposition from the locals. The
employees petitioned the
government as they might lose
their jobs or travel long
distances to the workplace.”
Goa government has also
extended the offshore casino
licenses of Delta Corp,
allowing it to operate casinos
on the Mandovi River until
March 31, 2017. Delta Corp
stated: “The government has
granted further extension to
the offshore casino licenses to
relocate their offshore casinos
from Mandovi River for a
further period till an alternate
feasible site is finalised by the
government or till March 31,
2017 whichever is earlier.”
Australia
In a coup for Australian racing,
Sky Racing has announced
viewers will soon experience
Australian racing in high
definition for the first time. Sky
Thoroughbred Central (FOXTEL
channel 521) will commence
broadcast of high definition
Australian racing in time for
Championships Day 1 at Royal
Randwick in mid-April. The high
definition broadcast capability is
thanks to Sky Racing working
with Telstra to create a purpose
built network that connects 137
racetracks across Australia to
Sky Racing’s headquarters in
Frenchs Forest NSW.
The new connection will use
Telstra’s Digital Video Network
and forms the largest
installation of the platform in
Australia to date.
The upgrade saw Sky Racing’s
broadcast of thoroughbred races
from New South Wales,
Queensland and the ACT move
from standard to high definition
in April.
FOX Sports Australia has teamed
up with CrownBet to launch new
daily fantasy platform Draftstars,
offering Australia’s biggest
fantasy prize pools
AsiA & oceAniA
AuStrAliA SPORTS-BETTING
fox sports Launches Daily fantasy sports
Draftstars promises to be the most advanced
daily fantasy platform in Australia and will be
the Official Daily Fantasy Sports Partner of the
AFL, with exclusive access to match content not
available to any other operator.
Draftstars offers its players the opportunity to
compete and win against their peers across a
range of different games, including free or paid
entry games, with both collective and
guaranteed prize pools. Players can also form
their own competitions with friends or compete
more broadly in public competitions.
Once a player has entered a contest, they choose
their team of professional athletes for a given
match or round to form their own fantasy team,
with winners receiving a payout from the
contest prize pool. Kicking off with AFL as the
first sporting code on the Draftstars platform,
other local and global sports including the NRL
and NBA will be added in the coming months.
FOX Sports CEO Patrick Delany said: “As
Australia’s sport leader with a dedicated AFL
channel and coverage of every round LIVE and
with no ad-breaks in-play, millions of AFL fans
already delve into the game with our broadcast
and digital platforms every day. Draftstars is a
natural extension of the way we connect with
Australians’ passion for sport, bringing together
our broadcast credentials with CrownBet’s
gaming expertise to allow AFL fans to immerse
themselves in the sport in a whole new way.”
Draftstars CEO Matt Sanders said: “As
Australians, we love our sport, we love to
compete and we love to test our knowledge of
sports against our mates. Anyone who lives and
breathes AFL will love Draftstars for the exciting
and engaging digital sporting experience our
platform will deliver.
CrownBet CEO Matt tripp added: “In creating
this joint venture between CrownBet and Fox
Sports, we believe we are bringing a global
leading product to Australian fantasy fans. We
are launching our product early to coincide with
the start of the AFL season, to give Australian
sports fans the chance to try it out and let us
know what they think. We have an exciting road
map of additional sports and features, including
a mobile app in the coming weeks.”
Draftstars is built on the DraftDay platform
from US-based DraftDay Gaming Group, Inc.
south Korea
Lippo Worldwide
Investments, a hong Kongbased property developer,
has said it is in talks with
Caesars Entertainment over
the potential sale of its share
in the pair’s casino project
planned for Incheon in South
Korea. Lippo and Caesars
Korea holding had formed a
consortium to pay
uS$95.9m for land to house
the integrated resort, which
has already been approved
by the South Korean
government. The Incheon
project has been pitched at
costing uS$739.2m with a
floor area of more than
150,000sq.m. Lippo said: “In
light of the current outlook
for the gaming industry in
North Asia and the volatility
of the global economy, the
group is in discussions with
Caesars for some
alternatives which may
include the possibility for a
third party investor to acquire
the group’s interest in the
project.
china
March GGR down 16.3 per cent in Macau
Macau’s gaming revenue dropped by to MOP17.98bn (US$2.25bn) in
March, down 16.3 per cent from March last year, and marking the 22nd
consecutive month of year-on-year GGR decline.
Macau’s Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong Vai Tac said the
13.3 per cent decline in GGR in the first quarter, compared to last year, was
expected. The Gaming and Inspection Co-ordination Bureau (DCIJ)
confirmed that GGR had fallen by 13.3 per cent year-on-year to 56.17bn
patacas in the first quarter. “Comparing the first three month of this year
to last year’s it fell by 13.3 per cent, still within our expectations,” Mr.
Leong said.
Union Gaming Analyst Grant Govertsen said: “The underlying GGR story
feels to us like it continues to improve with a gradually shifting revenue
mix within the new normalized range of MOP17 to 18bn plus; strength is
being particularly felt at the lower end of the market which tends to have
higher margins relative to the upper tiers of mass.”
Wells Fargo Senior Analyst Cameron McKnight added:“ We think it’s still
too early to call stabilisation in Macau, with March and April revenues
expected to be down double digits.”
AuSTRALIA – Aquis Great Barrier Reef Resort in
Australia is to proceed with its bid to bring a
spectacular A$8bn water-resort to Cairns without a
casino as part of the project.
The project’s hong Kong –based owner Tony Fung
has ditched the casino for now, saying he might
return to it at later date, meaning a casino licence
could now soon be up for grabs in the region.
Aquis was awarded preferred developer status for a
regional casino licence for its project in Cairns at
Yorkeys Knob last year.
The company stated: “Our priority is advancing the
real estate approvals for the project and we hope to
have these done by the end of the year. We will
address the casino approvals at a later date.”
Queensland Treasurer Curtis Pitt added: “The
government has accepted that the Aquis Group no
longer requires to remain in the integrated resort
development process to see this development
progress. I understand that changing market
conditions will see a change in the design concept.
There’s nothing preventing the future consideration
of a casino operation at the Yorkeys Knob
development. That would, however, be subject to
the availability of the regional IRD licence. But I have
to stress that there will be no preferential
consideration for a casino licence in the future if a
later application is made.”
CHINA – Interblock has signed a landmark deal
with Sands China to supply its flagship Diamond
Product Line to Venetian Macau and Sands Macau.
The incoming installation features a combination of
21 Diamond Roulette units with eight stations and
10 Diamond Sic-Bo units with eight stations
equipped with their latest features and
functionalities, bringing a total of 248 seats to the
casino floors.
Interblock’s Global CEO John Connelly said: “We are
thankful to have the Sands Group as a key partner
and see this deal as a significant catalyst for
Interblock’s re-entry into the Macau Market. We will
continue to invest heavily into this region, while
adding the necessary resources and infrastructure
to further support the increased level of growth we
are experiencing throughout the Asia Pacific region.”
Interblock’s Diamond product line is a modular,
efficient system that offers a brilliant player
experience. Diamond products are also available in
dealer assist, automated and video
formats/generators. This line is highly adaptive to
meet a wide range of design, pay system and space
requirement needs.
Insight
iSle oF MAn Booming Games
Traditional slot games with a
modern twist is a volatile mix
Julian Mautner,
Founder, Juma Group
Julian Mautner was born in
Flensburg, in Northern Germany,
and received his education living
variously in hamburg, Vienna, Sao
Paulo and Los Angeles, where he
received distinguished BAs in
Political Science, German Philology
and Business Administration. he is
the founder of the Juma Group,
which includes betting platform
provider Entergaming and casino
software provider Booming Games.
A fire-cracker performance at the ICE show in February piqued our interest in
casino software developer, Booming Games. G3 interviewed parent company
founder, Julian Mautner, and Booming CEo, Max Niehusen, about making an
explosive start in the sector and long-term plans for expansion of the business
G3: When was booming Games established and
what are the origins of the business and its
management/creative team?
Max niehusen
Founder CEo, Booming Games
Max Niehusen was born in
hamburg, Germany and studied
Business Administration and
Management in hamburg, Vienna
and the uK. he worked in the
gaming and entertainment
industries across Europe and in
hong Kong and Shenzhen, China.
he is the founder and CEO of
Booming Games, which recently
launched its exclusive Rotator
series of slots including Galactic
Speedway and Chicago Nights.
JM: Booming Games was founded in 2014 to create a
B2B third-party games content provider. We aim to
create high-revenue-earning content on highly stable,
extremely fast agile solutions.
The management team is from solid entrepreneurial
backgrounds. In addition to land-based gaming
backgrounds, our team has vast experience in
software enterprise architecture and financial
technology, primarily constructing large It
infrastructures, finance, telecommunication and
mobile payment projects and solutions.
Our game development team designs and develops
new functionality for innovative games. Artists,
mathematicians, producers and testers write, test,
troubleshoot and debug software while integrating
multimedia assets and mathematical models into our
online slot based video games.
G3: booming Games has offices in Athens, Isle of
man, london and manila. What jurisdictions do you
currently supply and which platforms/channels do
you support?
MN: Gaming regulatory approvals for UK by Autumn
with several further European regulatory
jurisdictional approvals in process. After two years of
development we have a solid three months of planned
integrations and we will release a stream of
announcements as each channel goes live.
G3: you’ve recently expanded into Asia with an office
launch in manila. What are your plans and
expectations for this challenging gaming market?
Are you adapting your games portfolio or creating
Asia-specific titles for the market?
MN: Booming Games Asia is delivering our core
established games portfolio. In addition, we are
creating agile tools for bespoke localised content
moving forward. We offer games in all Asian
languages and currencies as we build on our library of
both classic and innovative Asian themes. Bespoke
"RNG suites" for our partners will become a major
part of the Asian operation as of Q3 '16.
G3: booming Games has been developing a range of
scratch cards products, could you explain the
thinking and development behind your offer?
JM: Whilst online scratch cards are not our core
product, we do believe they enhance player retention.
With our mobile technology background, we feel this
low risk, instant entertainment segment will rapidly
evolve and transform.
G3: booming recently signed a deal with easit, which
runs the Slovakian national lottery tipos. could you
describe the work that you’re doing with easit and
the solutions you are developing for eastern
european players?
MN: Our new business partnership with Easit,
subsidiary of the Synot Group, is a milestone in
Booming Games’ European history. Synot Group is a
global brand that operates in 21 countries
Booming Games will deliver bespoke games for target
markets of the Easit brand. Both Easit and Booming
Games are young dynamic brands and both teams are
fertilising our collaboration, from which we fully
expect both parties to greatly benefit in the coming
years.
G3: your games are wholly developed by your inhouse team. could you detail your r&d team, how
big is the portfolio, and how many games are you
creating per year?
Insight
iSle oF MAn Booming Games
couple: he’s a panda bear while she is a lucky cat, both
symbols of good fortune to accompany the player.
When taking a detailed look at these games, you'll
notice the combination of established slot features and
modern game play. All our games are developed in
HtML5, offering the perfect combination of wellknown features, symbols and game behaviour,
together with a modern touch of entertainment and
interactivity with the player. We combine the
entertainment factor of action video games with the
unstoppable appeal of casino gaming.
G3: could you describe some of the novel and
imaginative themes and interfaces that booming
Games has created? And how do you inject
innovation into traditional gaming themes, such as
card games and roulette?
MN: We currently have over 50+ games in our core
games content portfolio with a further rollout of new
market specific games every month. There are
currently 55 team members in our games
development and design.
G3: Who are the partners you’re currently working
with and where can we play booming Games games?
Also, what support do you offer your partners to
ensure your games achieve their maximum
potential?
JM: We have recently announced ORYX Gaming has
entered into a content and distribution partnership
with B2B gaming software provider Booming Games.
We are not looking for one-time delivery; it’s
imperative that we grow partnerships with every
single client, mutually striving towards delivering
world class entertainment. Our business is driven by
detailed integration with 24/7 support, business
intelligence and data analytics.
G3: Which are the most successful titles in your
portfolio and why? And how do you create games
with universal appeal, but add something new and
different to the design?
MN: Presently our most successful titles are, ‘Galactic
Speedway’ and ‘Booming 7’. ‘Galactic Speedway’ offers
supernova riches in which a spinning galaxy symbol
triggers the Rotator feature, which is exclusive from
Booming Games. ‘Booming 7’ makes you a certified
Vegas super star as you spin your way to the big time.
It’s a 3 x 3 slot game, offering nine paylines, 2-way pay,
free spins and gamble.
Booming Games latest game release; Chow’s Chance,
where we invite players to enter into a traditional
Chinese tea house, where the look and feel of Mahjong
playing tiles form the slot’s gameboard and symbol
design. The game is loaded with lucky numbers,
objects and animals according to traditional Chinese
playing customs, while the aesthetic basks in warm
reds and bamboo veneers for that familiar Chinese
look. Relaxing tea house ambient music also adds to
the atmosphere. Finally, there are the animated 3D
characters of Mr. and Mrs. Chow, an old married
MN: The manner in which players interact with a new
game for the first time is evolving. While the most
globally recognised themes and concepts are being
reworked in every possible way, Booming Games
encapsulates in every game two core concepts: the
established with the modern.
The established makes the game recognisable to any
slot player, with well-established player interfaces and
core themes. The modern infuses the product with
more entertainment, impressing the player, and
placing and retaining the player into his slot or general
game zone.
While riding a train in New
York City in 1896, henry
heinz saw a sign advertising
21 styles of shoes, which he
thought was clever. Although
heinz was manufacturing
more than 60 products at
the time, henry thought 57
was a lucky number. So, he
began using the slogan "57
Varieties" in all his
advertising. Today the
company has more than
5,700 products around the
globe, but still uses the
magic number of "57." henry
fiercely guarded the secret
recipes for his sauces and
we respect henry.
G3: developers are reliant on their programmers to
create long-lasting games with dynamic and varied
maths models. What’s special about the team behind
the games at booming Games?
JM: While riding a train in New York City in 1896,
Henry Heinz saw a sign advertising 21 styles of shoes,
which he thought was clever. Although Heinz was
manufacturing more than 60 products at the time,
Heinz thought 57 was a lucky number.
So, he began using the slogan "57 Varieties" in all his
advertising. today the company has more than 5,700
products around the globe, but still uses the magic
number of "57." Heinz fiercely guarded the secret
recipes for his sauces, and we respect that.
We strive to fascinate and entertain, to give every
casino an individual taste of modernisation. Our
dedicated team of game mathematicians utilize
business intelligence and data analytics tools, building
market specific profiles, prior to every unique game
design with tailored bet steps.
At Booming Games, we are in the pursuit of the future
of fun!
G3: What are the interests of the larger JumA Group
and how does this support booming Games?
JM: Juma Group loves original products that make a
positive difference to people’s lives and services that
shake up markets. Investing in these exciting startups,
and giving them the funds they need to grow into
companies that deliver on their disruptive potential is
essential.
About Juma Group
The Juma Group is an association
of companies dedicated to
bringing a new philosophy to the
betting and gaming industries.
Juma Group, which includes
betting platform provider
Entergaming and casino software
provider Booming Games.
Entergaming is Juma Group’s
proprietary state-of-the-art
platform service which grew out
of over 10 years of proven
industry success.
As a software developer, Booming
Games is the creative branch of
the Juma Group. They are a
leading B2B provider of
proprietary content for the
gaming industry, combining
excellent gaming experiences for
players with enterprising business
for partnering operators and
resellers.
P33
Insight
itAly Sports-betting
A massive leap forward for
the Italian betting market
Alessandro Fried,
CEo,
BtoBet
BtoBet intends to accelerate
development in artificial
intelligence within the iGaming
industry and line-of-business
solutions. In the past two years,
BtoBet developed the innovative
platform B Neuron which is full of
dynamics to simplify customers’
journeys when on a B2C online
gaming site, but also to help the
operator in the analysis of each
customer.
Through its artificial intelligent
solutions BtoBet, wants to
influence businesses in the
iGaming and betting industry on a
global scale, creating a shift in the
market, one which will go beyond
deploying analytics or software
learning systems.
Last February, sportsbetting in Italy
established a new sales
record by reaching
€615m. Statistics by
AAMS show that the
first two months of
2016 reflect a record
increase of 28.8 per cent
when compared to the
same period in 2015.
During recent months the Italian betting market has been going through a shift
in a positive direction. The right framework is being created for licensees to
operate in a strictly regulated market. This legal environment is one which gives
security to both the operator and their clients.
The Italian gaming industry continues to struggle
down a long arduous road thanks to deep rooted
beaurocratic procedures. However, there are signs that
the government wants to tackle this issue, shown
most recently by the Italian regulator, AAMS, which
has opened up discussions with multi-national
iGaming companies. For its part, the government is
putting in place a proper tax system that does not
punish the operator, giving him space to run profitable
operations. This system is set to properly support both
large and medium-sized operators.
statistics released concerning legal bets. Last
February, sports-betting in Italy established a new
sales record by reaching €615m. Statistics by AAMS
show that the first two months of 2016 have seen a
record increase of 28.8 per cent when compared to the
same period in 2015. These numbers speak for
themselves. They reveal the complementary schedule
and taxation structure that came into effect as from
January 1, 2016, has led to exponential growth in the
sector. And this is just the beginning. (See table
opposite)
The Italian betting system is serving as a point of
reference to those countries still evaluating what type
of regulation they are seeking to adopt. They are doing
so by analysing the elements that make their act
‘perfect,’ factors which can guarantee absolute control
of both the betting transactions and play in general.
The positive impact delivered by either new operators
or, operators which emerged through the AAMS
concession, is clear from the online sports betting
industry’s generation of €331m in turnover.
testifying to the progressive approach in Italy are the
This inevitable growth in revenue was possible
through foreign and Italian operators, which acquired
a AAMS concession and operated legally.
Insight
itAly Sports-betting
the investment towards operations related to the end
customer.
The bettor must be followed, studied and educated.
The best iGaming platform is surely one which offers
the necessary tools to stimulate and increase
entertainment. This must be used intelligently to
keep the player happy and satisfied, attracting him to
games which meet their preferences.
BtoBet’s Artificial Intelligence operates its
Recommendation Engine by following this ideal. This
tool anticipates the player’s /bettor’s desires
suggesting what might also be of interest.
BtoBet has invested and continues to invest in
research related to new technology. It works in the
present, thinking simultaneously of future solutions,
ones which have a common denominator: AI. BtoBet
is currently working on its future tools for operators,
tools which can capture the player’s behaviour to
then analyse it effectively; to then offer a product
targeted for the operator’s website or on the agency’s
programme schedule.
today players are bombared with different content
online and this makes it difficult for the player to
find what they’re looking for. This can backfire and
result in less profitablity for the operator. Btobet felt
the need to innovatively invest and launch the first
real ‘Recommendation Engine,’ which is able to offer
player bets or games dependant on past betting
activity. It also studies behaviour and preferences.
The year 2016 is the year in which the Italian
regulator will make a call for new concessions. This
step is to be seen as an opportunity for the different
stakeholders, the Italian State, influential operators
and small and medium operators, which are already
operating and those entering the Italian market for
the first time. The Italian market is already showing
positive signs and the future of the industry can only
be positive, especially with targeted investment.
However, one must be wise in choosing the right
partner, one that is able to give the licensee a
guarantee to operate in the market with flexibility.
The secret ingredient to be successful within the
Italian market is to invest. The Italian State must lead
by example and it must be the first one to do so. This
new reality, which has increased revenue to the
Italian treasury, must be looked at as an opportunity
to continue fighting against those investing in illegal
gambling. It must also be seen as a means to invest in
a gaming standardisation project to get rid of any
prejudice. It is an opportunity to be part of a healthy
jurisdiction and adopt best practice customs as in
other countries, for example Britain.
The operator must be put in a control to meet the
needs of the player and this can be done by directing
The unique strength of BtoBet’s AI products is
without doubt the ability to provide tools to optimise
processes and reduce costs. The BtoBet modules
perform detailed analysis, giving the operator all the
necessary data to be able to make specific targeted
marketing campaigns. These tools provide automatic
alerts that allow the operator to monitor and greatly
reduce exposure to risk. The intelligence offered by
BtoBet is one that meets the every day needs of the
operator’.
BtoBet’s AI is one which operates both in the online
and offline markets. The point of sale must be one of
the factors of consolidation of the brand in the
territory, showcasing their products and services,
and at the same time it cannot remain in a state of
isolation. In an era where the internet is everywhere,
where it travels to millions of devices, the synergy
between offline and online is the natural path to
follow. The bettor must be allowed to figuratively
take with them any offers or services found in a
retail sapce.
BtoBet was conceived to provide a solution to this
issue. It provides the operator with not only the
appropriate tools to manage their locations, but it
also creates the technology to introduce their clients
to the online world.
With this system the client’s account can be both
online and offline. It acts as a universal passport that
is recognisable regardless of the modality of the
dealer. Our motto is that investment in new
technology is the only way to remain competive and
be successful. This is Btobet.
REVENUES 2015
Operator
Revenue
Bet365
Eurobet
William Hill
Sisal
Snai/Cogetech
Lottomatica
Paddy Power
Bwin
Goldbet
Unibet
Betclic
Intralot
Betfair
Betflag
Enjoybet
Gazzabet
888
Altri
€113.200.000
€36.600.000
€26.200.000
€25.600.000
€23.800.000
€16.900.000
€16.300.000
€14.800.000
€11.600.000
€4.900.000
€4.300.000
€3.100.000
€2.700.000
€2.300.000
€2.200.000
€1.600.000
€1.100.000
€23.900.000
Total
€331.100.000
The Italian State must
lead by example and it
must be the first one to
do so. This new reality
which has increased
revenue to the Italian
treasury, must be looked
at as an opportunity to
continue fighting against
those investing in illegal
gambling.
About btobet
BtoBet is a pioneer in new
technologies for iGaming operators
and the betting industry by using
technological intelligence as the
main base for our products. Our
unique, customizable, secure and
flexible cloud based systems
deliver unprecedented capabilities
to drive Sportsbook and iGaming
business. We serve the gaming
industry with solutions and
products that are ready to support
any change in the consumers’
behavior and on the market as well
as custom software development
and services based on client’s
requirements.
P35
Insight
brAzil Playbrands Group
New heights: the peaks and
pitfalls of business in Brazil
At this moment there is plenty of well-documented coverage of Brazil’s attempts to
prepare its gaming law in our industry’s press and other media, but the fact is that
Brazil has arrived at a very important moment in the political process
John de wit,
CEo, Playbrands Group
John de Wit is CEO and partner of
PLAYBRANDS Group, which is
based in Montevideo's World Trade
Center. The Group has been
operating the online casino
PLAYBONDS.com for more than
five years, and with its in-house
development team has also
developed many successful and
unique online bingo games.
Local duties and taxes are
a major issue and
influence many aspects of
operating and
administrating business.
Usually the duties and
taxes are considerably
higher and more complex
than in Europe.
The new Brazilian gaming law is prepared by a
committee of the house of parliament that has been
founded just for this purpose. They started only at the
beginning of October and sent the proposal to the
Senate mid-December 2015. The Senate decided to
pass the responsibility for this project to their special
CEDN committee (“Special Committee for National
Development” - also called “Agenda Brasil”). This
committee of Senators is responsible for the creation
and approval of projects to accelerate the Brazilian
economy.
This special committee can take decisions
autonomously, without the need of a plenary meeting
of the Senate. Nevertheless, some senators used their
special right to request a plenary meeting about this
proposal anyway. The consequence was some delay
and until February 19, since any Senator could propose
amendments to the proposal.
The approval by the Brazilian Senate will be a major
step in the political process towards legalisation of
various gaming areas in Brazil as soon as possible and
will be the start for the parliamentary commission to
fill in the details of the regulation.
Companies in- and outside Brazil and in- and outside
our industry are looking carefully at this political
process or are even, like PLAYBRANDS Group, already
preparing themselves for this new massive market.
The expected approval by the Senate of this new law, in
order to help accelerate the Brazilian economy, will be
the signal for everyone involved to accelerate in shortterm.
PlaybraNds’ JohN de Wit iNtervieW
In total 16 amendments were received of which five
received positive advice from the special committee.
Nearly all of the proposed amendments have to do
with procedural and administrative matters and none
of the accepted amendments will have a serious affect
on the principles of the law. In a meeting on March 9,
the advice of the committee has been adapted and
from March 16 ready for the complete Senate to be
discussed. This means that the new Brazilian gaming
law will be on the agenda of the Senate for a plenary
session probably this month.
The general expectation (even enforced by the nature
of the proposed amendments) is that the new
Brazilian gaming law is just a matter of time and that
the new proposal will pass the senate without any
major problems.
What are the big mistakes international companies
make when seeking to sell or offer services in South
America?
to not realise and respect the differences (cultural and
business wise) and believe that business is done in
South America the same way as used in their home
country.
how big an issue are local duties and taxes?
Local duties and taxes are a major issue and of
influence on a lot of aspects of doing and
Insight
administrating your business. Usually the duties and
taxes are considerably higher and more complex than
in Europe.
On the other hand for companies that are exporting
from Brazil and for foreign companies investing in
Brazil, the timing is good.
Brazil for instance is considered to have the most
complicated set of tax and import duties, which differ
per product and could reach for most products around
80 per cent. Legislation is complex with frequent
changes which leaves a lot of room for interpretation.
This may lead to misinterpretation with high fines or
corruption as a result.
how important are third-party contacts in the
market? do you need a local distributor,
representative, salesperson and lawyer in each
market?
how do you determine if a product or service is
restricted? What testing standards are recognised?
I believe that it is always important in any market to
have a local “team”, but looking at all the (differences
in) local habits and difficulties in the South American
market(s), as described above, it is even more
important.
how do you established a local partner relationship
that you can trust?
South American governments (federal, state, local,
etc.) have a tendency towards bureaucracy and a habit
of trying to regulate as much as possible and by doing
so create difficulties. For that reason in a lot of
occasions third-party organisations or companies
exist in between the regulating institutes and the
client. These intermediaries know what are the current
restrictions and standards and offer their knowledge,
experience and inside contacts to overcome the
difficulties that are created by the regulating institutes.
The product and/or service should have the right
quality and price for your partner and his clients on
the short and middle long term for the particular
market;
how impactful are currency exchange rates?
l
Currency exchange rates do have a lot more effect on
the business than nowadays in Europe and even more
than some of us are used to in for instance Eastern
Europe about 10 to 20 years ago. The exchange rate of
the Brazilian Real (considered one of the BRIC
countries) did drop for instance from 2,65 towards the
dollar at the end of 2012 to 4,25 in 2015. This drop in
value of 60 per cent is very hard to predict and to
handle. Importing companies had a very hard time,
especially in combination with the problems
mentioned above like import duties and bureaucracy.
l
l
Show respect for the differences in market and
culture;
Make a very good agreement upfront, with as less
possibilities as possible for misunderstanding and
misinterpretation, with or without intention;
Provide what you have promised and demand that
from your partner as well.
how personal is business in South America? how
much does a buyer have to know you to do business
with you?
Business always has an important personal touch and
in South America this counts as well. On top of that
South American
governments (federal, state,
local, etc.) have a tendency
towards bureaucracy and a
habit of trying to regulate as
much as possible and by
doing so create difficulties.
For that reason in a lot of
occasions thirdparty organisations or
companies exist in between
the regulating institutes and
the client.
Playbrands Group structure is in
uruguay, but its partners and
much of its team are Brazilian;
ensuring strong networks are
place as well as extensive onand offline experience in the
target market - Brazil.
The company has recently
established a new member in its
group, Playbrands Brazil, which
will import, distribute and
operate from São Paulo a wide
portfolio of gaming products in
the new Brazilian gaming
market.
P37
Insight
The total South American
market is massive and with
great possibilities for growth
still. Even some single
markets, like Brazil with
about 200 million
consumers, do have
enormous potential despite
(or looking at the exchange
rate: due to) the current
economical crisis.
there is more willingness to do business with or give
favours to people or companies with whom exists a
business or personal relation already. A buyer will not
easy enter into business with a company that he does
not know, because of a general lack of trust: In Europe
and the US it is quite common to trust somebody until
he proves to be not trustworthy, in several South
American countries in general you do not trust
anybody until he has proven to be trustworthy.
how problematic is infrastructure and telecoms?
Nowadays in most cites and areas this is not very
problematic, but you have to be well aware off the fact
that you can not expect everywhere the same quality
and not the level of quality of Europe and the US.
Besides there can de significant differences in
infrastructure between different areas of the same
country. Anyway, usually the locals will have their
local solutions available.
can companies expect to conclude business over
the phone or email - what value is placed on faceto-face meetings?
This depends a lot on what type of product or service
you sell or provide. In general internet business is well
known and fast growing and online gaming and
betting for instance is not an exception of that rule.
However, for B2B business "face-to-face" is very
important.
could you describe the pace of doing business in
South America as opposed to europe or the uS?
to take a decision could take longer than in Europe or
the US (because of all above mentioned influences)
but once the decision has been made, the pace is
definitely faster in South America. Besides, once the
decision has been made the companies are prepared to
take more risk and be more flexible with solutions,
because the return on investment could be fast and
high.
My general conclusion is that doing business in South
America is not as easy as many may think and you
must be aware that the culture is different and that for
instance the words "yes, difficult or impossible” (in
most countries you will not hear “no” very often) do
not have the same meaning as in Europe and the US.
However, once you understand this and have the right
product in hand for the right price, there are huge
business opportunities. The total South American
market is massive and with great possibilities for
growth still. Even some single markets, like Brazil with
about 200 million consumers, do have enormous
potential despite (or looking at the exchange rate: due
to) the current economical crisis.
Insight
AuStriA Casino & Lotteries
Casinos Austria and Austrian
Lotteries’ best ever results
dr. Karl Stoss
Chairman Casinos Austria
“The big winners are, on the one
hand, our customers: €2.4bn was
paid out to guests and customers
in the past year. On the other hand,
in terms of taxes and duties, the
Group is among the top three of
the country. €519m of gamerelated taxes and duties plus other
tax payments and contributions
result in an impressive total of
€589.4m.”
“The figures show that the
Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries Group have reported their best ever year in
reorganisation and efficiency 2015 with GGR of € 3.6bn due to an improved cost structure and performance online
programmes have been as
on ordinary activities with roughly €76.3m and the
The domestic casino side of the company; Casinos
annual income of €60.3m also marked absolute
successful as the numerous Austria AG reported income of €20.99m,
record figures.
Österreichische Lotterien GmbH, the Austrian
innovations and
Lotteries), achieved €62.79m whilst Casinos Austria
With €1.33bn, the classic lottery games remained on
improvements in the product International reported income of €8.1m.
the same level in a year-on-year comparison.
portfolio. Naturally, there are The results benefitted from large-scale casino
However, the company’s flagship product Lotto “6 aus
things – especially in the
45” generated a gratifying plus of five per cent,
investments, as well as the expansion and
resulting in sales of €615.7m. Bingo achieved a sales
enhancement
of
the
F&B
offer.
Casinos
Austria
lottery business – on which
increase of 5.1 per cent due to long multi-bonus cycles
welcomed more than 2.7m guests in the last year. This
we have little or no influence represents an increase of 8.6 per cent year-on-year
and in the scratch-off ticket segment, the multi-game
strategy generated a plus of 1.3 per cent with several
at all, as is the case in terms and marks the best attendance in 15 years.
new games. EuroMillions saw a small sales decline of
of the development of
just under ten per cent, which led to total sales of
For the first time in history, the 12 domestic casinos
€306.2m. However, this tendency has already been
were able to surpass the €300m sales mark. With
jackpots. However, the fact
reversed during the first months of 2016.
€310.73m, they increased sales by 20.3 per cent yearthat we were able to
on-year. Guests also acknowledged the F&B initiative.
substantially increase
The online platform win2day expanded its mobile
The 10 restaurants operated under the in-house brand
game range and sales went up by 10.5 per cent to
Cuisino
generated
total
sales
of
€15.2m,
which
equals
profitability in nearly all
€1.30bn, which also marks an all-time high. The
a year-on-year increase of 15 per cent.
segments is mainly the
Video Lottery Outlets of WINWIN had to face
aggravating circumstances in terms of regulatory
Last year, Casinos Austria invested nearly €23m in
result of hard work and will
framework conditions: Due to a legally required
the refurbishment and further development of the
therefore also have a
reduction of the number of VLts by 28 per cent and
existing casinos as well as the new location in Zell am
various new provisions (registration of every single
See. At Casino Bregenz, the second construction
sustainable effect.”
phase was completed with the expansion of the F&B
area and the completion of the façade. In Linz,
Cuisino successfully took over the F&B segment.
Casino Graz expanded and redesigned its Jackpot Café
and in Vienna, the gaming area on the third floor was
overhauled and a VIP area was created. Casino
Salzburg saw a large-scale renovation accompanied
by a spatial extension of the gaming area.
Austrian Lotteries achieved the best operating profit
in its history of nearly 30 years. Despite a small
decline in sales, the company presented the secondbest result with €3.084bn and increased its operating
profit by 8.8 per cent to €62.8m. Moreover, the profit
guest since 1 January 2015 and access only with player
card), sales dropped by 29 per cent to €451m.
However, during the first months of 2016, WINWIN
has already recovered substantially.
Casinos Austria International also reported good news
with an operating result of €-5.7m in 2014 being
turned into €+8.1m in 2015. Consolidated results were
improved from -10.9m to -3.8m. The improvement of
operating profits (before restructuring) by €7.2m can
be attributed to sales in Germany up €1.72m, Hungary
up €1.54m and Belgium up 0.9m, as well as additional
savings in terms of expenses and the sale of the lossmaking operation in Canberra in 2014.
Insight
GerMAny Casino Operations
Gauselmann inaugurates its
second casino in Saxony-Anhalt
The entance to Casino Magdeburg.
Susanne Rasspe (architect), Paul Gauselmann and Cornelia Degenhard (casino manager)
Frank Ziegler of SPIRIT GAMING with
Rheinhard Wehner of Merkur Spielbanken
Paul Gauselmann explained
how his company is focusing
its development on FACEChECK: technology that
checks the person’s facial
attributes and works in a
way that is simple to
manage using lights of traffic
lights
Arno Oudehinkel, Stepsoft, Karl-Heinz
Lager from Merkur Spielbanken and
Martin Seiler from Stepsoft
David Schnabel, Player Protection
Manager at the Gauselmann Group
The Spielbank Magdeburg officially opened on Friday April 8. The operating
company, Merkur Spielbanken Sachsen-Anhalt, is a joint venture between the
family-owned and managed Gauselmann Group and the Swiss StadtCasino
Baden AG, which won the licence in 2014 to operate casinos in Saxony-Anhalt
Magdeburg is the capital city of the state of SaxonyAnhalt and is full of history. For example, Martin
Luther preached in Magdeburg where he turned the
city into an important protestant stronghold. The
people of Magdeburg can be proud that their city
again has a casino as an important entertainment
location.
Just like the first German Merkur casino in LeunaGünthersdorf, the Gauselmann Group has chosen a
strategic position – situated within a large shopping /
retail location which is strongly frequented and has
plenty of parking spaces for its guests. Spielbank
Magdeburg is thus the latest and most modern casino
in Germany. The total investment of the two new
Gauselmann casinos in Saxony-Anhalt lies at approx.
10 million euros – of which approximately 4.7 million
euros were invested in Spielbank Magdeburg.
Paul Gauselmann vistied Magdeburg to open the
casino to the industry. He was joined by Marcel
tobler, Chief Financial Officer of Casino Baden from
Switzerland. The State Secretary for the Ministry for
Interior and Sport from Saxony-Anhalt, Prof. Dr. Ulf
Gundlach, accepted the invitation and took part in the
casino inauguration. “This is a special event for
Magdeburg and it is special to have a casino back here
again in Magdeburg. A fine thing has been created that
will add to the quality of life in Magdeburg”, noted
Prof. Dr. Ulf Gundlach.
Paul Gauselmann took the opportunity during his
speech to focus on a matter that is very dear to his
heart – an innovative way of registering guests when
they enter a casino. It is known fact that the German
annual casino turnover has fallen from approximately
one billion euros turnover to a figure of around five
hundred million euros. A contributing factor is that all
players have to register and show their ID each time
they enter. Paul Gauselmann referred to the state of
Cornelia Degenhard (casino manager)
Hesse that demands similar registration checks for
the AWP industry – thus for the arcades. This has had
a knock-on effect, leading to a drop of approx. 30% in
turnover. Registration is key for casinos in Germany –
yet Paul Gauselmann questioned the way this is done
and why regular guests are forced to show their ID
each time. Paul Gauselmann referred to the way
checks are done at modern airports and explained
how his company is focusing its development on
FACE-CHECK: technology that checks the person’s
facial attributes and works in a way that is simple to
manage using lights of traffic lights: red means
problem – the person needs to be checked personally;
yellow means unsure – person needs to be checked
(e.g. hat covering too many face-features) and green
means fine – person can enter. The vast majority of
players are just normal people wanting to enjoy some
gaming recreational – the vast majority could then
enter the casino undisturbed. This is just one example
of how important player protection (responsible
gaming) is to the Gauselmann Group.
Certified Player ProteCtioN
Merkur Spielbanken Sachsen-Anhalt GmbH & Co. KG
already underwent the international certification
process of the Global Gambling Guidance Group (G4)
Marcus Brandenburg, Cornelia Degenhard, Prof. Dr. Ulf Gundlach, Paul Gauselmann and Marcel Tobler.
Marcus Brandenburg is the
new Managing Director for
the Gauselmann Group’s
casinos in Saxony-Anhalt,
having joined the company
on March 1, 2016. Mr.
Brandenburg has 30 years
of experience in the gaming
industry, having previously
worked at WestSpiel until
2007 and then at the
Casino Baden-Baden.
Emilia Tomachinska of D-Systems
at Casino Leuna-Günthersdorf and became the first
casino in Germany to receive the G4 certificate. “We
will commence with this certification process at
Spielbank Magdeburg in May 2016 and we will
rigourously continue to focus on the subject of
responsible gaming,” explained David Schnabel,
Responsible Gaming Manager at the Gauselmann
Group. The certification process saw the responsible
gaming measures of Merkur Spielbanken SachsenAnhalt being checked for their effectiveness and
conformity with the strict G4 inspection
specifications by the G4 experts who work on an
international basis.
Marcus Brandenburg is the new Managing Director for
the Gauselmann Group’s casinos in Saxony-Anhalt,
having joined the company on March 1, 2016. Mr.
Brandenburg has 30 years of experience in the
gaming industry, having previously worked at
WestSpiel until 2007 and then at the Casino BadenBaden.
The opening was a great success and was well covered
in the local press. Indeed, more than a thousand
people came to visit the casino during the first
weekend – showing the spontaneous acceptance of
this new casino by the local population. Merkur
Spielbank Magdeburg expects around 50,000 guests
coming to the casino each year.
The casino offers 101 slot machines over 460 square
metres – with two integrated smoking areas (200
square metres) and a large non-smoking area for
players to enjoy their favourite games. The total area
of the casino measures 800 square metres.
Management at Spielbank Magdeburg is already
looking to the possibility to introduce live table games
here that will give further impetus to the casino’s
success.
Cornelia Degenhard is the Manager for the new
Casino in Magdeburg. She works with industry
veteran Reinhard Wehner and is proud to have
something really unique at the Spielbank Magdeburg:
This casino offers the M-BOX from the Gauselmann
Group. The M-BOX is well known as the new cabinet
for the German AWP market. The games have been
adapted for the casino market but the game factors
such as the risk ladder and the ‘Seven’ linked jackpot
remain. In total the Spielbank Magdeburg offers three
banks of four M-BOXes, all with a separate Seven
jackpot system. The Avantgarde SLt from Merkur
Gaming – the dedicated casino version of M-BOX –
can also be found at Spielbank Magdeburg, alongside
Jörg Bewersdorf and Alexander Martin of
the Gauselmann Group
Karl-Heinz Lager of Merkur Spielbanken
P43
Insight
GerMAny Casino Operations
Mario Hoffmeister (Head of
Communications Department of the
Gauselmann Group)
Marcus Brandenburg, Spielbanken Merkur MD
Sebastian Griese and Tino Fuzul of Gauselmann Group
the Highflyer and the Evolution from Merkur Gaming.
The remaining slots come from Aristocrat, Bally, EGt,
Marcus Brandenburg, Spielbanken Merkur
G-tech, Gold Club, IGt and Novomatic.
MD with Thorsten Löhr of Kuiter
Spielbank Magdeburg has a total of 17 positions for
electronic roulette. Spielbank Magdeburg offers the
Interblock G4 Organic twin with two roulette wheels
(and 12 players positions) and the Interblock MiniStar
(one wheel, five player positions). Players on the G4
Organic twin also have the possibility to bet on the
wheel of the MiniStar – so to choose from a total of all
three electronic roulette wheels.
Reinhard Wehner of Merkur Spielbanken
Visitors were invited to take their gaming
into new realms with 3D gaming
Torben Kreienbrock of SPIRIT GAMING
and Stefan Bellmann of Merkur
Spielbanken Saxony-Anhalt at the Grand
Opening of Casino Magdeburg
Spielbank Magdeburg offers ticket-in, ticket-out and
players can exchange their tickets for payment at two
GeWete redemption machines that pay out to the cent
exactly. GeWete is the cash-handling company
within the Gauselmann Group that is responsible for
change and redemption machines in the casino and
amusement industry. The Cash Center from GeWete
has a large banknote and coin capacity to enable
players to comfortably have their winnings returned
in cash. Naturally the Cash Center also serves as a
change machine where players can change both notes
to both notes and coins (and 2 euro coins to 50 cent
coins).
The casino design was planned by Susanne Rasspe,
head architect at the Gauselmann Group. Over 40
kilometres of cable have been laid and 800 litres of
paint were used. Kuiter played a key role in supplying
and assembling the entire interior design, including
the bar, reception, glass walls, automatic doors and
the ceiling panelling. Furthermore, Kuiter developed
and supplied the live gaming tables for both Merkur
casinos. The ‘Money Box’ at Spielbank Magdeburg was
also supplied by Kuiter.
The control and security of all cash and data within
the casino is exemplary. traditionally employees of
Stefan Bellmann and Torben Kreienbrock at the Grand
Opening of Casino Magdeburg in Germany
the state financial department have to be onsite and
slot machines can only be opened together with this
state employee – with a dual-key system. This is not
necessary at Spielbank Magdeburg. No one single
employee has to be present at Spielbank Magdeburg.
This saves on costs dramatically.
The StEPplay system from Germany’s Stepsoft
ensures that all the data that is delivered from the
Bally system can be used in a simple, customeroriented way. StEPplay is the platform especially
designed for the gaming industry, providing the data
necessary from all the slots for casino management
and the state financial department as well. Further
data analysis includes all information collated from
the entrance control system. The data is provided justin-time, naturally for the drop as well – which is key
information for the tax office.
Such transparent and modern data enables trust to be
built upon. transparency, openness and
communication – this all led to the decision by the
state tax office that no personnel has to spend time at
the casino to control and collate data. They have all
the data needed at the touch of their fingertips.
Further examples include video surveillance control
and immediate feedback on the amounts of monies
inside each slot machine.
A total of 20 new jobs have been created at Casino
Magdeburg. The casino oozes style and comfort.
Guests can enjoy snacks and drinks at the bar and
choose from slot machines and automated roulette
multiplayers. Having designated non-smoking
smoking areas perfectly caters to player requirements
and ensures that players can enjoy gaming in their
preferred environment. The planned additional of live
gaming tables is sure to give people yet another
reason to come to Magdeburg and enjoy Merkur
casino gaming.
Italian AWP market set for
long-term structural change
Insight
itAly VLTs and AWPs
“The reduction in the pay-out rate
for AWPs in Italy means that all the
game boards have to be replaced.
This is a major investment given
the size of the market. The focus
will return on change machines
and spares/components once the
new boards are up and running and
we at SuZOhAPP are very well
positioned to support both the
manufacturers and operators.”
Piero Martellotta,
Sales Director, Italy, SuzoHAPP
Market and operations consolidation forms the backbone of the latest ENADA
Rimini exhibition, with gaming and amusement changes driving the changes
The biggest news from the Italian market concerns
AWPs, the legislation change and how this has
affected the market. The pay-out rate has been
reduced from 74 per cent to 70 per cent, which
requires a game software change requiring the
replacement of the game board. This has created huge
demand for new game boards with the replacement
market running to hundreds of thousands as all AWPs
need these replacements.
competition. Many operators have reacted by
increasing their AWP stock level (purchasing back-up
AWPs to be held in stock, enabling them to switchout new machines very quickly - avoiding having to
take an existing machine out of the bar/arcade too
early. This very Italian solution led to a surge in
machine sales at the end of 2015 – with the machine
estate being increased by over 20 per cent in the space
of a few weeks to today approx. 440,000.
The AWP law in Italy changed in December 2015 and
this new law was enacted on January 1, 2016. The law
requires that tax on coin-in increase by 4.5 per cent
with an additional 0.3 per cent for the AAMS. This has
meant that the coin-in tax rate has risen from 13.5 per
cent to 18.3 per cent. This increase has been deemed
as too high for Italian operators to continue to expect
valid business returns, thus the market has been
looking at ways to compensate for this dramatic
increase. The result has been to reduce RtP from 74
per cent to 70 per cent.
The Italian state wishes to reduce the number of
AWPs in the market. The statement that the state will
take the market number as the highest available
number of AWPs in the market by the end of the year
caused upheaval and huge short-term demand. The
intention of the state is twofold – to reduce the
number of AWPs in operation and to reduce the
number of operators in the market. The current AWP,
as it is today, is to be changed and no such AWP may
be registered on the market after December 31, 2017.
The industry is also readying itself for yet another
major shake-up of the AWP market. The prospective
date of January 1, 2017 sees the introduction of a new
type of AWP – ‘AWP a remoto’ which provides live,
real-time data to the state. At present operators are
obliged to provide data to the state on a weekly basis.
Market size sharPly iNCreases
The new law stated that the number of AWPs in the
market may not rise. In autumn 2015 there were
approx. 360,000 AWPs registered in Italy. A new AWP
can only be placed in operation when an existing
AWP is removed. The time between exchanging an
AWP may have left operators vulnerable to increased
NeW laW oPPosite of state’s iNteNtioN
aWPs shift to CoNCessioNary-based
The second reason for the alteration refers to the
market structure. The days of the Italian AWP
industry being diverse with many family-owned
operating companies are numbered. The state wishes
to have less companies to deal with in the gaming
sector. The state explains this as an increased focus on
security - which is why the Italian state wishes to
have fewer companies operating AWPs. The plan is
that only concessionaires may operate AWPs in future
– as is the case with VLts. The security in the VLt
market has proven to be extremely successful – with
not a single case of manipulation since their
introduction in 2009.
“The reduction in the player return
pay-out rate from 74 to 70 per
cent will stimulate the AWP market
in Italy. This change in the market
has enabled us at Merkur Gaming
to position ourselves anew. Our
AWP games fit better in such a
category according to the true
AWP character – thus amusement
with prize (and not gaming with
prize). This is the feedback we took
back from Rimini. Our AWP games
fit better to a more amusementstyle market. We will be making full
use of the new market conditions
and the feedback from the ENADA
gives us the confidence to know
that we are on the right track”
Sakis issakidis,
Senior Director International
Sales, Merkur Gaming
The prospective date of
January 1, 2017 sees the
introduction of a new type
of AWP – ‘AWP a remoto’
which provides live, realtime data to the state.
P45
Insight
SwAzilAnd
Royal Swazi hotel and Spa
Swaziland: the birthplace of
gaming in Southern Africa
bepi Mottes
Former Finance Director,
Swazispa Holdings ltd.
I joined the Swazi team as the
hotel accountant in 1969, then
appointed financial director of
Swazispa holdings, and was then
responsible for the building,
development and management of
the Nhlangano hotel and casino
before being appointed managing
director of Casino de Maurice,
which included the four casinos on
the Island. Many thanks to Royal
Swazi MD, Lance Roussow for his
gracious hospitality during the
anniversary celebration.
At the Lobamba Royal Residence in audience with King Sobhuza II. From left: Charles Fiddian-Green (Chairman Holiday
Inn Group) Kemmon Wilson (founder of Holiday Inn USA) Bepi Mottes (Finance Director Swazispa holdings LTD) HM the
King, Laurence Parry CEO Holiday Inns Southern Africa) Alberto Chiaranda MD Swazispa Holdings LTD.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the opening of the first legal casino in Southern
Africa, Bepi Mottes and original team behind the Royal Swazi Hotel and Spa
reunited to share memories and stories of kings and princes and the starting point of
what was to become one of the biggest casino groups in the world, Sun International
The late King of
Swaziland,
Sobhuza 11,
pictured with
the chairman of
Whitt
industrials,
David Lewis
In the spring of 1966 the first legal casino in Southern
Africa welcomed its guests from South Africa and
Mozambique.
The Legislative council which governed the British
protectorate of Swaziland prior to formal
independence in 1968, sought to establish tourism as
one of the economic pillars of the future independent
state.
Swaziland inhabitants, known for their friendly
attitude towards foreigners, had been a destination for
tourist from South Africa and Mozambique in spite of
the lack of hotels.
to remedy this lack of infrastucture, the Ezulwini
valley (Swazi for paradise) was chosen for
development.
Italian and South African investors planned and built
a modern 60 room hotel with a casino and a nine hole
golf course, which opened under Italian management.
Hotel and casino management were imported from
Italy and in consequent years passed on their skills to
the Swazi who manage the complex today.
Sobhuza 11 teeing off for his first (and
probably only) hole of golf on the new
Royal Swazi golf course, circa, 1967
The Italian investors were part holders of the Saint
Vincent hotel and casino resort in the North West of
Italy and called their company Saint Vincent
Investment. The company was later held by a public
company called Swazispa holdings Ltd. The original
representatives of Saint Vincent Investors were Count
Cotta and Prince Borghese of the illustrious ancient
Roman families.
The games in the casino were the classic continental
French roulette, black jack and chemin de fer. The slot
machines, decorating the walls of the gaming room
were American Mills.
The South African and Portuguese gamblers had to
travel over dirt roads for hundreds of kilometres in
order to arrive at the Swazi gambling and
entertainment paradise. The slow start discouraged
the Italian investors who sold their share to Witt
Industrials’ David Lewis in 1968. Witt industrials had
large investments in five star hotels in South Africa
and had by that time acquired the franchise for
Holiday Inn for Southern Africa.
Laurence Parry was appointed as Managing Director
of Swazispa holdings LtD with Winston Coetzer as
the casino controller. The new team's energy was
quickly released and the flow of tourist from South
Africa was such as to warrant an extension of the
Royal Swazi by another 60 rooms, two Holiday Inn
hotels of 300 and 120 rooms respectively, the golf
course got another nine holes, and an enlargement of
the gaming area with American roulette, Punto
Banco, Bally and Aristocrat slot machines.
Insight
SwAzilAnd
Royal Swazi hotel and Spa
Laurence Parry, Veronica Chiaranda, Bepi Mottes
Saturday night black tie for management and guests. Herbert Tannenberger food and beverage director, (3)
Roger Millar, GM Lugogo Holiday Inn, Bepi Mottes and Garreth Collins General Manager Royal Swazi hotel
Bepi, James Mcina (retired manager of Holiday Inn)
and Alberto Chiaranda
Megan and Graham Vass
The current King of Swaziland , Mswati 111, with left to right, Jo Kentgens (Area GM, Swazispa Holdings) Sol
Kerzner, Founder and Chairman of Sun International, His Majesty, and Peter Veniso , Director of Sun International....circa 1986/7
traditional local hotels like the Swazi Inn,
Happy Valley, Mantenga Falls were benefitting
from the unprecedented influx of tourists from
the buoyant economies of South Africa and the
Portuguese colonies.
International stars were soon performing at the
hotel complex theatre, Shirley Bassey, Ertha
Kitt, tom Jones, Dionne Warwick, to name a
few. The successful and hard working
Swaziland team produced two Chief Executive
Rodney Comer-Crook, Wendy and Winston Coetzer
Officers that later were responsible for the
success of the group in Southern Africa and
worldwide. Original management members of
international resorts worldwide include
Alberto Chiaranda, Keko Mottes, Garreth
Collins, Roger Millar and Herbert tannenberger
to name a few.
The Holiday Inn Group, as it became known,
merged with the Sun group in 1984 and became
the Sun International group under Sol Kerzner.
Alberto and Veronica Chiaranda
P47
Review
niGA 2016 Phoenix, uS
NIGA celebrates into its third
decade with Phoenix exhibition
ernie Stevens Jr.,
Chairman, National Indian
Gaming Association
“Indian Country gaming is
different from anywhere else
but it is something that we
want to share with the world.
Our operations are fully owned
and managed by our tribal
governments and create
wealth and employment that
directly benefits our
communities by funding
education, healthcare and so
many other projects.”
Merkur Gaming’s David Orrick and
Charles Hiten with NIGA Chairman Ernest
L. Stevens, Jr.
Making impressive headway in Indian
gaming is Bulgaria’s EGT, represented by
Sean Smith of Florida based Reel Games.
Konami Gaming presented a collection of
never-before-seen games for its new
Concerto cabinet, including an exciting
standalone progressive game called
Jackpot Ball with creative arcade-style
animation in the style of its popular
Jackpot Streams game
The Novomatic NIGA team
After two years of being based in the California sunshine of San Diego the
annual NIGA convention and trade show returned to Phoenix, Arizona, for what
would be the 31st successive event: celebrating a gaming industry sector that, on
2015 figures, boasted 245 tribal nations operating in excess of 460 casino
properties across 28 States nationwide and producing almost $30bn in revenues
while providing employment to many thousands of native Americans
It had been predicted that the exhibition element of
this year’s NIGA would show a decline from the
attendance at the previous two years events held in
San Diego. So, indeed, that proved to be the case, with
both floorspace and visitor attendance reducing by –
according to insider estimates – anything up to 20 per
cent. Perhaps the major exhibitor booths were smaller
and the visitor foot traffic lighter but the end result
was still an overwhelming celebration of Indian
culture, tradition and pride in an industry that has
provided so much benefit in terms of infrastructure
development for so many people.
The show is owned by NIGA itself and, for the past
three years has been organised on their behalf by
Urban Expositions; a company that has since gone
through changes of its own and which now has its
majority shareholding owned by Clarion Events
Limited, organisers of – among many other events –
ICE totally Gaming. This international exposure is
very much on the agenda of NIGA as its Chairman,
Ernie Stevens Jr., explained: “Indian Country gaming
is different from anywhere else but it is something
that we want to share with the world. Our operations
are fully owned and managed by our tribal
governments and create wealth and employment that
directly benefits our communities by funding
education, healthcare and so many other projects.”
Stevens, an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation of
Wisconsin, who has held the post of NIGA Chairman
for more than a decade and a half, is a hugely
charismatic and eloquent figure. His dedication to
bringing Indian gaming more directly onto the
industry’s world stage is total. Despite being
hampered by a leg injury he still managed to walk the
entire show floor and do a welcoming meet and greet
with every single exhibitor booth.
And that was no small task, as a broad spectrum of
companies large and small were present in the
Phoenix Convention Center. The show’s central aisle
played host to the industry’s big guns with Aristocrat,
Aruze, Ainsworth Game technology, Konami, IGt,
Scientific Games, AGS, Everi, Eclipse and Novomatic
Americas all attracting large crowds.
Las Vegas-based Konami who additionally to being a
highly regarded slot manufacturer also offer the
Synkros casino management system, were one of
several manufacturers that featured a number of
stepper machines on their booth. That significant
presence of stepper machines on display was one
element that was a common theme among the major
slot manufacturers at NIGA, and an indication that the
past can perhaps also be the future for gaming floors,
across Indian country and beyond.
Everi, formed in 2015 by the amalgamation of Global
Cash Access and Multimedia Games to create a single
source provider of payment solutions, compliance
technology and a broad range gaming machine
offering, already carried a fine legacy of slot
tournament play through the extensive promotion of
the tournEvent concept as pioneered by Multimedia
Games. There was now, however, a new game in town
as Novomatic Americas used NIGA to present the
World Championship of Slots, designed to feature in a
like-named reality television show that it is hoped
will be presented on Fox Sports in the near future.
Demonstrations of the concept, that adds a new
dimension to slot tournament play, were held
throughout the show and attracted considerable
interest.
Insight
MAcAu Studio City
Dallmeier installs the world's
largest full hD video system
leroy daniel,
Executive Director MCE
Surveillance operations,
Studio City Macau
The casino industry is by
nature the most
demanding surveillance
system application in the
world today. From
airports, prisons,
shopping centres,
universities, military
facilities, city surveillance,
etc., nowhere has the
concentration of cameras
per square metre than
what you will find in a
casino property as well as
the real-time demands
by individual users.
The Surveillance Equipment Room –
Kevin Iek (Director of Surveillance
Technology), Raymond Ho (Sales
Engineer, Dallmeier International),
Roberto Leong (Manager of Surveillance
Systems)
ELV Racks & Equipment – Kevin Iek
(Director of Surveillance Technology),
Roberto Leong (Manager of Surveillance
Systems)
Glamour, excitement, fun: With Studio City, Melco Crown Entertainment has set
a new milestone in Macau. Even the video equipment has to be described in
superlatives: Dallmeier has installed the largest full HD casino video system in
the world, involving several thousand IP cameras
Studio City is a mega-entertainment resort,
unparalleled anywhere in the world. The allpervading theme of the resort is film and cinema. The
Hollywood-inspired resort offers excitement of every
conceivable kind – not just in the glamorous casino
with its countless gaming tables and staggering
jackpots, but also in the many other cinema-themed
attractions.
If you are looking for thrills, you will certainly find
them in "The House of Magic", where world-famous
magicians will defy your senses, or the action-packed
"Batman Dark Flight", a 4D simulation ride. An
opulent hotel with 1,600 guest rooms, an
international collection of exquisite restaurants and a
New York and Hollywood themed shopping street
with world-famous designer labels offer something
for everyone. The resort even has the highest figure-8
Ferris wheel on the planet.
And the video system is unique as well: The entire
video security system is based on IP technology and
delivers outstanding full HD image quality
throughout. Besides other casinos in the Melco Crown
Entertainment Group – City of Dreams Macau, City of
Dreams Manila and Altira Macau – Studio City now
joins the long list of Dallmeier's customers.
Dallmeier was the partner of our choice for numerous
reasons, first and foremost the casino industry is by
nature the most demanding surveillance system
application in the world today. From airports, prisons,
shopping centres, universities, military facilities, city
surveillance, etc., nowhere has the concentration of
cameras per square metre than what you will find in a
casino property as well as the real-time demands by
individual users. Very few systems can seamlessly
meet such high level of demand in all aspects, let
alone also as a full IP system. Dallmeier is the best of
them!
The outstanding image quality of the Dallmeier
cameras also influenced our decision. The full HD PtZ
and fixed cameras perform with an extraordinary
resolution and excellent zoom functionality. In casino
surveillance, definition of details is absolutely critical
and can make the difference in a case or incident!
Another reason was the ability to adjust camera
settings via global configuration down-the-line,
which means less time on ladders and less disruption
to our business.
We spoke with Leroy Daniel, Executive Director MCE
Surveillance Operations, about the challenges and
unique features of this video security system.
Dallmeier technology stands for a proven resilient
system with the highest level track record of
performance and availability. And not to forget the
ability to customize high and low level interfaces
directly to all our business revenue streams and
associated systems.
leroy, what are the special features of the video
security system in studio city?
what exactly is monitored with the dallmeier video
system?
The video surveillance system supplied by Dallmeier
is the world’s first 100 per cent end-to-end IP full HD
system of this size, scale and complexity within the
casino industry.
Via the system, we monitor every aspect of the entire
Studio City integrated resort: gaming areas, retail
boulevards, hotel towers, entertainment venues,
Heart-of-House, cash areas and vaults, points-ofsale, car parks, high security areas, external perimeter
and all public areas.
what were the main reasons for choosing dallmeier?
Studio City Surveillance Operations
Centre – Leroy Daniel (Executive Director,
Melco Crown Surveillance Operations),
Damian Phillips (Director of Surveillance,
Studio City), Kevin Iek (Director of
Surveillance Technology), Roberto Leong
(Manager of Surveillance Systems)
More than 6,000 full HD network cameras are
recorded on reliable video appliances. Furthermore,
standby and failover servers ensure highest
availability of all data.
what was the biggest challenge in this project?
The biggest challenge for us was the design
complexity of the property, both in terms of the
master plan but also ceiling design and fixtures. The
challenges come when other ceiling infrastructure
such as lighting elements, fire systems, ventilation,
design features, public announcement and sound
system all end up in the same place where you need
to place cameras.
Designers tend to focus priority on Form over
Function, whereas operations people lean towards
Function over Form. There is, however, a balance of
function and form that can be achieved via close
collaboration with architects and designers whereby
the Dallmeier IP cameras (running off CAt-6 cabling
and low heat emitting) can be aesthetically integrated
into or within ceiling design fixtures or chandeliers…
this we have achieved quite successfully.
dallmeier has also developed a special camera for
you…
performance results-orientated environment with the
highest level of HCI (Human Computer Interaction)
and intuitiveness was a key focus. The operator
intuitiveness and user-friendliness of the video
management, the Dallmeier SeMSy system, also goes
in line with this philosophy.
At the Surveillance Operations Centre, the on-shift
management team are embedded in the heart of the
operation with direct line of sight or peripheral on all
monitoring stations. The managing support levels can
flow and circulate around and behind consoles with
ease, providing the necessary guidance, coaching and
performance management.
The challenges come when
other ceiling infrastructure
such as lighting elements,
fire systems, ventilation,
design features, public
announcement and sound
system all end up in the
same place where you need
to place cameras.
you have been talking about interfaces… what
integrations have been realised and what is the added
value for you?
Some of the key integrations that make Dallmeier
unique and enhance our ability to protect the
business, is the customised development of high-level
interfacing to our core systems around the property.
Interfaces include gaming machines, intelligent
gaming shoe, point-of-sale, security access control
intruder detection system and RFID gaming chips.
This brings the convergence of video and data or
events directly to our operators in real-time and book
marked for click-&-play or available for post
investigation, analysis, or export looking into trends
and anomalies.
That’s correct. Pit-View – a small HD 1080P camera
which we specifically requested Dallmeier to produce
in order to meet our needs. It has been successfully
integrated into all our gaming table scoreboards,
finally bringing surveillance cameras out of the
ceiling and down to patron level providing superior
views of the gaming action much to the satisfaction of
internal stakeholders, not to mention also the Gaming
Regulator and Law Enforcement for irrefutable
evidence of occurrences and/or illegal acts.
Additionally, direct interfaces to the security system
allow immediate on-screen-display of cameras
associated or nearby any alarmed event, enabling the
effective timely detection, assessment and dispatch of
response teams with situational awareness.
what is the concept for your control room?
leroy, are you satisfied with your choice?
Our Surveillance Operations Centre is designed with
functionality and ergonomics in mind, with the
understanding that we achieve results through the
“eyes” of our surveillance operators. So providing
them a work space that can deliver a high-
Dallmeier’s continual and ongoing Research &
Development dedicated to the product is clearly seen
in this holistic video solution. We are highly satisfied
with the system and with both the regional and global
unconditional Dallmeier technical support.
View from a HD 1080p Gaming Table
Camera – Manufactured on request
About dallmeier
Dallmeier has at its disposal more
than 30 years of experience in
transmission, recording as well as
picture processing technology and
is an outstanding pioneer of
CCTV/IP solutions worldwide. This
profound knowledge is used in the
development of intelligent software
and high quality recorder and
camera technologies enabling
Dallmeier to not only offer standalone systems, but complete
network solutions up to large-scale
projects with perfectly integrated
components. Dallmeier is the only
manufacturer in Germany that
develops and manufactures all
components on its own.
P51
Insight
uK Bank Notes
Do you take plastic? The
impact of the shift to polymer
Slava balonev.,
SCR Product Manager
Crane Payment Innovations
I was working in the gaming
industry since 1997 as technical
supervisor and manager in various
countries gathering experience in
casino operations as well as in
cash payments systems industry.
Last 7 years working for CPI and
currently in the position of Product
Manager. My cash management
expertise I got through the years of
working with integrational
customers and OEMs representing
retail, transport, financial services
and gaming markets.
Polymer notes offer unique
features that can’t be
technically replicated by
paper notes, adding extra
security and protection
features as well as being
much more robust, which
means that they remain in
circulation for much longer.
The notes themselves are
more expensive to produce,
but I believe the uK is
heading in the right direction,
creating a note that is much
more hard-wearing and has
additional security features.
The new Bank of England £5 bank note will be introduced in September 2016,
but details of the design and security features will be made available three
months before release. G3 spoke to CPI’s Slava Balonev about the impact the
change to a new polymer substrate and small bill will have on operations
the new polymer £5 bank note will be introduced in
September 2016, what are you expecting to be the
changes?
While polymer notes are new to UK, they’ve actually
been in circulation for many years in international
markets. Australia was the first country to introduce
polymer notes back in 1988, having enthusiastically
welcomed the benefits of using a polymer substrate.
Most of the countries in Africa today use polymer
notes as opposed to the paper, cotton and linen
combinations that are still the most popular note
medium around the world. Polymer notes offer
unique features that can’t be technically replicated by
paper notes, adding extra security and protection
features as well as being much more robust, which
means that they remain in circulation for much
longer. The notes themselves are more expensive to
produce, but I believe the UK is heading in the right
direction, creating a note that is much more hardwearing and has additional security features.
the new polymer notes are smaller than the existing
notes. Will this cause an issue? And with new £10
note coming next year and the £20 in 2020 - how
disruptive will this process be?
Most countries that have made the switch to polymer
notes kept the sizes the same, but the UK has taken a
different route, making its new notes smaller than
their predecessors. The UK has always manufactured
its notes in unusual sizes, with the biggest note in UK
the 85mm £50 being a one-of-its-kind size. Both of
the new £5 and £10 polymer notes will be smaller,
about a few millimetres narrower and shorter, and
we’re making the assumption that the £20 and £50
will follow suit. The switch is good news for validation
as many machines struggle with the larger £50 note,
whose unique size present a challenge and has meant
that manufacturers needed to redesign their systems
in order to process the £50 note. The hope with the
polymer note is that the £50 will drop to an 83mm
size, the same dimensions as the €500 note.
Will cash handling machines need to be adapted for
the new notes? how will Atms, ticket machines, note
acceptors, machines that weigh, count, sort accept,
dispense and recycle notes be affected?
All cash handling machines, not just bill handing, but
sorting and weighing machines must consider how
they handle polymer notes. Polymer, regardless of the
note size, has unique features that make them more
wear-resistant, but also much more slippery too.
Paper is not a very robust or mechanically robust
substrate. It can be torn, cut, folded, creased, etc., all of
which does not apply to polymer, which retains its
shape longer as compared to paper notes. This has a
positive effect on our equipment. Our cash-handling
units accept all kinds of notes in wide-ranging states
of damage, but the robust nature of polymer notes
will positively affect note acceptance, especially as
polymer is resistant to colour-change.
Insight
uK Bank Notes
The surface of note is also harder, which means that
the note grip and traction in handling machines will
need to be changed for the highest speed settings. It’s
something the machine manufacturers must taking
into account when they update and design their new
machines. For operators, the shift isn’t so great as they
simply need to update to the latest software, though
there are risks that some of their machine estate will
be outdated, but this should only affect a very small
number of operators with very old equipment.
Will the updates mostly be software changes, or will
there be additional hardware upgrades needed for
some machines due to the polymer substrate and
the reduction in size of the notes?
For the gaming industry, bill validators and recyclers,
there will be no hardware changes, just software
updates. It’s very different, however, for financial
institutions that run at higher volumes and speeds,
which have to be controlled more precisely and with
greater levels of sophistication. For us, the software
updates will be quick and painless and we will be
issuing the update as soon as the note information is
released by the Bank of England. We will be working
with OEMs to ensure they have everything they need
in advance. Although the software update is a simple
task, the logistics involved are massive. It will require
intensive travel and interaction with the machines to
update every device in the field.
The exact details about the notes can be disseminated
three months in advance of the launch, whereby we
will be able to provide the software needed at that
time for the update. However, work on the software is
already underway, six months in advance of the
launch.
When the new note launches there will be two notes
in circulation at the same time, though this won’t be a
challenges for us. Our equipment treats each bank
note uniquely. Whether we are accepting a new
polymer five pound note or a 20-year-old paper note,
we treat each separately as individual notes,
regardless of value.
Should operators hold off purchasing new
equipment until the details of the note changes have
been announced, or is it safe to continue purchasing
new equipment?
That’s a question for the operators depending on the
technical and human resources at their disposal to
upgrade their field base. Operators can also rely on
the OEMs who provided their machines to instigate
their upgrade programme. No one wants to rush the
process, but we do expect that the old five pound note
will be removed from circulation quickly, within
around 12 months.
I remember the experience of countries in the euro
zone, whereby every note accepting machine had to
be converted in one night. We had to switch every
machine from one currency to the euro. The
Our equipment treats each
bank note uniquely. Whether
we are accepting a new
polymer five pound note or a
20-year-old paper note, we
treat each separately as
individual notes, regardless
of value.
About cPi
Crane Payment Innovations is the
combination of Crane Payment
Solutions and MEI Conlux
holdings (“MEI”). CPI, along with
Crane Merchandising Systems,
forms the Merchandising
Systems business segment of
Crane Co., a diversified
manufacturer of highly
engineered industrial products.
CPI serves over 100 countries,
and has one of the world’s largest
installed base of payment
systems.
P53
Insight
uK Bank Notes
When you print onto a
polymer substrate you can
leave parts of bank note
unclouded, creating a
natural transparent
window, which is a
security feature that’s
extremely difficult to
replicate. It is possible to
achieve the effect with
paper notes, but it’s an
even more expensive
process.
introduction of the new polymer £5 will be much
simpler, with a 12 month buffer to get rid of all the old
paper notes and introduce the new software.
how close to the final version are the test notes that
have been sent to manufacturers already?
We are able to provide software updates to OEMs and
operators three months in advance of the note launch,
though we have test notes well in advanced of the
three month release window. We have already
updated the note software, but the NDA we signed
does not allow us to discuss the designs further. We
can reveal all when the software is available and
discuss the features that are going to be included.
What training will operators need for staff who
handle cash and need to be able to recognise and
authenticate the new notes? Are there cash
handling practices that will need to be adapted?
When the European Central Bank made the
switchover to the euro, information about the notes
was provided widely throughout the banking
network, with leaflets, posters and reams of
information in the public space about what the new
notes meant for all users. The Bank of England is
expected to do a similar job, though this will only
begin at the three month stage. Our perspective in the
gaming industry is that we work alongside the OEMs
to release software notifications and bulletins about
the note specifications so that everyone down the
chain knows what to expect and how to handle the
changeover.
Why has the bank of england made the change to
smaller polymer notes and is this a good thing for
the future?
End users will see the advantage of polymers as
opposed to paper alternatives. When you print onto a
polymer substrate you can leave parts of bank note
unclouded, creating a natural transparent window,
which is a security feature that’s extremely difficult to
replicate. It is possible to achieve the effect with paper
notes, but it’s an even more expensive process. Other
features include the fact that the notes are thinner
and more more robust, which means they’re a lot
lighter. It’s a big issue for cash centres processing
millions in currency were weight plays a big logistical
challenge. Polymer notes are 30-35 per cent lighter
than paper notes, which has a significant impact on
cash handling system. Closed systems have to carry
less cash, which has an impact on the environment,
with trucks able to travel lighter.
There are also small advantages, such as the plastic
substrate keeping its colour for longer, even when
washed. This means that the lifetime of the note is
much longer. Studies conduced by the Bank of
England have shown that polymer notes live twice as
long in circulation as paper notes, saving money not
just on reprinting, but on the expensive and
dangerous process of scrapping notes. technically,
AtMs would be able to store more notes, but it’s
unlikely to make a big impact as AtMs are never filled
100 per cent. It may affect the cash in transit
companies transporting notes, as the same amount
could be transported with much less weight. Providers
will also have to adjust AtMs to dispense polymer
notes, as they’re thinner and more slippery than
paper notes.
What support is cPI offering to operators/Oems
during this transition process beyond software and
hardware upgrades?
We conduct a similar process with each new currency
software update, offering a very well organised help
desk for customers with questions. The most common
question is ‘when will the software be available?’ We
keep customers up-to-date regarding the release of
software, though in this instance we cannot answer
questions just yet. Three months in advance of the
launch we will be able to give this information to all
parties as we appreciate the impact of any delay.
Insight
uS Interactive Kiosks
how interactive kiosks can
give casinos a ‘house edge’
Michael Sigona,
Regional Manager, EMEA,
Elo Touch Solutions
Michael Sigona is the regional
manager for Europe, Middle East
and Africa at Elo, the global leader
in commercial-grade, interactive
touchscreen solutions for retail,
hospitality, and gaming companies.
Sigona built his expertise in
interactive technology through
various roles and increasing
responsibility at Elo, including
engineering, marketing and sales.
As a business leader, he is helping
shape the future of interactive
technology and customer
experiences throughout Europe
and Asia.
There will always be
visitors who prefer to
interact with a human,
and casinos will always
need to have live staff
to provide that service.
But games and kiosks
with integrated
touchscreens are a way
to enhance that
experience, appealing to
the new digital native
who is taking the Las
Vegas strip by storm.
The casino industry, much like hospitality, is one that depends largely upon the
disposable income of its customer base. Because of this, gaming was one of the
hardest-hit markets in the economic recession, and it’s been a slow recovery
to stay afloat as the economy rebounds, casino
operators have been forced to revamp their entire
service delivery model to cut costs and streamline
efficiencies. However, they still must meet the high
demands of customers to keep them coming back.
Brand loyalty is the name of the game in this market,
and it only takes one bad experience for a guest to
move on to the next casino.
Meet the NeW CasiNo Guest
to meet the challenges brought on by the recession,
casinos have had to diversify their mix of attractions,
offering a wider array of options beyond slot
machines and roulette tables. In addition, there is a
new guest persona emerging in the gaming industry:
this customer is younger, more tech savvy, and in
search of more to do than place bets. That means that
in addition to state-of-the-art gaming experiences,
today’s casino must offer high-end shopping malls,
nightclubs, performance venues, and fine dining
restaurants – all to appeal to this new customer.
The good news is, technology solutions are readily
available today to help casino operators address all of
these needs and, ultimately, boost their revenue-pervisitor numbers. Interactive gaming and service
kiosks with built-in digital touchscreens can help
casinos boost visitor engagement, provide a modern,
personalized experience, and build loyalty to ensure
guests keep coming back.
touchscreen-enabled kiosks can be in parts of the
casino where staff isn’t commonly found – outside of
restaurants, at the top of escalators and elevators, and
on the gaming floor. Kiosks can help staff deal with
overflow in the lobby or at food courts, enabling
visitors to check in or check out, make dinner
reservations, order room service, and arrange spa
services or transportation.
Additionally, interactive touchscreens are now used in
player tracking systems in the gaming pits, the cashier
cages, and in sports betting rooms. These
touchscreen-enabled gaming systems are great for
casinos because their functionality and rugged design
go beyond the consumer-grade touchscreens. They’re
large-scale, durable enough to withstand years of
high traffic, support multiple players at once, and can
be programmed to display branded content that is
easily managed by casino marketing or customer
service staff remotely.
all about reWards
Most importantly, touch-enabled gaming and service
kiosks allow casino visitors to manage their loyalty
rewards. Loyalty programs are the difference between
intermittent guests and casino regulars.
A strong loyalty program sets a casino apart and helps
them rise above competitors. Operators that have
mastered the art of the rewards program do so by
deriving customer activity and gaming behaviors on
each visit, and providing visitors with targeted deals
and offers that excite them, such as room discounts
and spa or restaurant deals. Customer behavior
patterns can be extracted online, but also through
touch-enabled kiosks that track which games, retail
shops and restaurants consumers are visiting the
most during their stays.
More gaming operators are investing in these
interactive kiosks to give guests the luxury of choice
and the convenience of technology to enhance their
experience. There will always be visitors who prefer to
interact with a human, and casinos will always need
to have live staff to provide that service. But games
and kiosks with integrated touchscreens are a way to
enhance that experience, appealing to the new digital
native who is taking the Las Vegas strip by storm.
MeMbershiP NeWs
AGEM
AGeM Key board of directors Actions
l The AGEM Board of Directors was told the Nevada Gaming Policy Committee is
seeking input from suppliers that want to submit a “wish list” of items for the
Committee and ultimately the Nevada Legislature to consider. AGEM Executive
Director Marcus Prater and AGEM Nevada counsel Dan Reaser are compiling
input from various suppliers that may want to propose ideas that are not
currently allowed from either a regulatory or statutory standpoint.
MeMberShiP newS
l
MeMber Profile
company / INtRALOt S.A.
web address / www.intralot.com
AGem membership level / Gold Member
description / INtRALOt, a public listed company established in
1992, is a leading gaming solutions supplier and operator active
in 57 regulated jurisdictions around the globe. With €1.9 billion
turnover and a global workforce of 5,100 employees in 2015,
INtRALOt is an innovation – driven corporation focusing its
product development on the customer experience.
new products for 2016 / In 2016, INtRALOt will launch gaming
products that cover all essential players’ needs through
technological innovation, hardware and software solutions, all
incorporated in an omni-channel approach. Product expansion
includes the new Self-Service terminal line (SSt) and robust
systems. Dreamtouch terminal catapults the tapnBet betting
product, offering players the opportunity to easily tap and bet
while viewing real sports events. The Canvas platform provides
tools designed to satisfy game-specific dynamic content
management and offer a personalised User Experience (UX).
newsworthy events / INtRALOt has renewed its contracts in
New Mexico, Azerbaijan, Morocco. In the Netherlands it
extended its contracts with the leading lotteries, De Lotto and
De Nederlandse Staatsloterij. New contracts in Nigeria, Kenya,
with the prospect of extending to tanzania and Uganda
underscored INtRALOt’s business growth potential in East
Africa. In Latin America, INtRALOt won a 10 year contract
with the National Lottery in Chile and renewed the contract to
to operate lottery games in the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil.
Forthcoming events / European Lotteries Industry Days 2016
(Marrakesh, May 30-June 1). World Lottery Summit 2016
(Singapore November 6 – 9). NASPL 2016 (Atlanta, US,
October 4 – 6).
l
l
l
l
The Board was also informed the next Nevada Gaming Control Board meeting
addressing Regulation 5 that affects transactions at the machine is April 23.
The Board approved paying students from the UNLV School of Law to research
state-by-state in the U.S., what would need to change for those particular states
to approve slots with variable-payback percentages. The goal is to build
momentum beyond Nevada and New Jersey for this new form of gaming.
Recent developments in Brazil have seen another competing bill presented for
the Senate to consider. The uncertain political situation in the country is sure to
have an impact on the proposed gaming bills, but nevertheless there is still
positive activity. The forthcoming Brazilian Gaming Congress 11-12 May,
organised by Clarion, has an impressive list of speakers that should provide
excellent commentary and influence as the discussion progresses.
This year’s delighted recipient of the AGEM Drexel University Center for
Hospitality and Sport Management scholarship was recently awarded to
Vorgiatzids (Gina) Parthena. The $10,000 scholarship is for students interested in
pursuing a career in the gaming and casino industry.
Three companies were voted in as Associate members at the April Board
Meeting. Duan Morris attorneys, Gaming & Entertainment touch technology
and Holley, Driggs, Walch, Fine, Wray, Puzey & Thompson, law firm. In addition,
existing members AGS and Merkur have moved up to Gold member status and
Vantiv Entertainment Solutions have moved up to Bronze level.
events and Activities
l AGEM members approved a $2,500 contribution to sponsor the forthcoming
Global Gaming Women – The Power of technology, luncheon being held in Las
Vegas on June 16. The event will feature an impressive line up of speakers and
sponsors.
l
The AGEM Board recently agreed to contribute $25,000 as sole sponsor for the
Presidents Reception. This prestigious event takes place during G2E Asia in
Macau, May 17 – 19.
aGeM iNdex
The AGEM Index posted a sharp
increase in March 2016 after gaining
8.54 points in February 2016. The
composite index stood at 224.35 at
the close of the month, which
represents an increase of 27.35 points,
or 13.9 per cent, when compared to
February. The Index reported a yearover-year increase for the sixth
consecutive month, rising 34.07
points, or 17.9 per cent, when
compared to March 2015. During the
latest period, 10 of the 14 global
equipment manufacturers reported
month-to-month gains in stock price,
with six up by more than 10 per cent.
Of the two manufacturers reporting
declines during the month, only one
was down by more than 10 per cent..
AGEM is an international trade association representing manufacturers of electronic gaming devices, systems, lotteries and components
for the gaming industry. The Association works to further the interests of gaming equipment manufacturers throughout the world.
Through political action, tradeshow partnerships, information dissemination and good corporate citizenship, the members of AGEM work
together to create benefits for every company within the organization. Together, AGEM and its member organisations have assisted
regulatory commissions and participated in the legislative process to solve problems and create a positive business environment.
Events
iAGA SuMMit Malta 2016
The International Association of
Gaming Advisors head to Malta
Kirsten clark,
Executive Director, International
Association of Gaming Advisors
IAGA Executive Director Kirsten
Clark has over 10 years global
gaming industry experience, Clark
was most recently Senior Vice
President and Chief Operating
Officer-Asia, for Gaming Partners
International where she was
instrumental in expanding the
company’s day-to-day business
operations throughout Asia and the
pacific rim while simultaneously
overseeing GPI’s global marketing
and product management
divisions. her gaming industry
experience also includes extensive
strategic marketing, public
relations and events management
experience for Shuffle Master, Inc.
where she served as Vice President
of Worldwide Marketing for several
years.
Our compelling program
focuses on internationallyrelevant gaming issues and
provides our delegates with
an exceptional learning
opportunity. We will discuss
each critical topic head-on
with the valuable insight of
the GREF regulators and the
world-class experience of
our peers.
The International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) will hold its 35th
annual International Gaming Summit with the Gaming Regulators European
Forum (GREF) May 31 through June 2 at the Westin Dragonara Resort in St.
Julian's, Malta. As a premier event that brings together leaders from all global
gaming sectors, this jointly held Summit will provide operators, suppliers,
attorneys, investors, bankers, regulators and other advisors with an unparalleled
opportunity to meet and discuss the top issues and challenges facing gaming
today. Registration and program details are available at www.theiaga.org
In 1979, six Nevada attorneys known for their
expertise in gaming law met to discuss forming an
association that would unite casino industry
professionals and facilitate more productive
negotiations between operators, regulators and
legislators. Hoping to promote and encourage
education among industry executives that would
protect and enhance the growing gaming industry’s
professionalism and success, these five attorneys—
Robert Faiss, Lyle Rivera, A.J. “Bud” Hicks, Frank
Fahrenkopf, Shannon Bybee and Mike Sloan—founded
the National Association of Gaming Attorneys (NAGA)
and appointed Lyle Rivera as NAGA’s first president.
In the years that followed, the organization that would
later rename itself the International Association of
Gaming Advisors (IAGA) to reflect its global
membership held its first international conference in
Monte Carlo in 1985 and broadened its membership
charter to include senior representatives from all
gaming industry segments including finance,
operations, regulation and education. IAGA’s annual
conferences expanded beyond Europe to Australia,
Canada and the Caribbean reflecting the globalization
of the gaming industry and the organization’s
increasingly diverse international membership, and
IAGA’s International Gaming Summit became known
as a well-attended, thought-provoking forum where
senior gaming executives could meet to discuss
critical issues facing the global industry.
Drawing delegates from the four corners of the world
who actively participate in interactive panel
discussions and breakout sessions, the Summit places
a high emphasis on offering an agenda that covers a
wide range of timely and relevant topics. This year’s
conference being held May 31 through June 2 at the
Westin Dragonara Resort in St. Julian’s, Malta will be
no different: held in partnership with the Gaming
Regulator’s European Forum (GREF), it features a
diverse and compelling program covering topics
ranging from daily fantasy sports and social gaming,
to player data privacy issues in a growing omnicommerce world, to the challenges operators face
when balancing their responsible gaming social
responsibilities with ensuring a sustainable and
profitable industry.
The Summit will also include keynote speeches from
three industry leaders: on Wednesday, June 1, Caesars
Events
Entertainment’s CEO and President Mark P. Frissora
and tim Donovan, the company’s Executive Vice
President, General Counsel, Chief Regulatory and
Compliance Officer, will share how they are applying
the knowledge and experience gained from working
outside the industry to lead Caesars Entertainment.
And, on Thursday, June 2, IGt Global Solutions’
Chairman Donald R. Sweitzer will share his thoughts
on politics, government and the influence on gaming,
touching on how to truly understand the business of
gaming, you must likewise understand the local
political forces that drive its gaming regulatory
environment.
“Our 2016 program agenda focuses on critical issues
facing gaming, with the discussions benefitting from
the deep experience of our international panelists,”
said Mark Clayton, a shareholder with Greenberg
traurig and co-chair of the International Gaming
Summit committee. “As gaming expands globally,
understanding issues like the legality of fantasy
sports, the latest anti-money laundering initiatives,
and the challenges faced by emerging markets is
critical to operating successfully in our diverse and
changing industry.”
Ellen Whittemore, Summit committee co-chair and
the founder of the Whittemore Gaming Group, further
explained that “we have given great care to ensure that
this year’s agenda offers an in-depth look into a wide
range of relevant topics, and we are fortunate that
each panel includes representative experts from
multiple gaming jurisdictions. So many of the issues
faced by global gaming executives in one territory are
also being considered by their colleagues in other
jurisdictions, and being able to discuss the challenges
and solutions as a group provides an invaluable
benefit to the industry.”
The Summit will also include a half-day GLI
University Regulator’s Seminar held the afternoon of
May 31. Offered by Gaming Laboratories International
(GLI), the workshop will include sessions covering
several timely topics including ways that operators
can use technology to enhance their responsible
gaming programs and managing risk in online gaming
environments. And, the Summit will feature multiple
networking events held at some of Malta’s most
enticing venues, providing delegates with an excellent
opportunity to develop and grow their relationships
with industry colleagues from around the world. Of
particular note will be the President’s Dinner on
Wednesday, June 1 at the Upper Barrakka Saluting
Battery, a multi-tiered artillery platform built in 1566
by the Order of St. John that features stunning views
of Malta’s Grand Harbour and Fort St. Angelo. Hosted
by IAGA President Martha Sabol and GREF President
Jason Lane, the Chief Executive Officer of the Jersey
Gambling Commission, the President’s Dinner and
Cocktails will be an evening to remember.
“I am thrilled that this year’s International Gaming
Summit is being held in Malta, a historic and diverse
country with a dynamic and thriving gaming industry
that has also been pivotal in the growth and
development of global online gaming,” commented
Martha Sabol, IAGA President and Greenberg traurig’s
Global Gaming Practice Co-Chair.
“Our compelling program focuses on internationallyrelevant gaming issues and provides our delegates
with an exceptional learning opportunity. We will
discuss each critical topic head-on with the valuable
insight of the GREF regulators and the world-class
experience of our peers. I look forward to welcoming
the gaming industry’s best and brightest leaders to
Malta and our International Gaming Summit.”
IAGA
Originally established as the
National Association of Gaming
Attorneys (NAGA), IAGA was
founded in 1979 Nevada by
notable gaming attorneys A.J.
“Bud” hicks, Lyle Rivera, Shannon
Bybee, Robert Faiss, Frank
Fahrenkopf and Mike Sloan. The
organization’s goal was to create a
professional association of gaming
industry attorneys “to unite in
common organization those
professionally engaged in the
gaming industry, to facilitate
negotiations in the gaming
industry and protect and promote
the mutual interests of the
corporation’s members and to
promote and encourage education
in the gaming industry.”
P61
Events
Changing the growth trajectory
of the casino gaming industry
Mark Frissora ,
President and CEo,
Caesars Entertainment
Mark P. Frissora is Chief Executive
Officer and President of Caesars
Entertainment. Mr. Frissora has 38
years of business experience that
spans all levels of management
and functional roles, including the
last 14 years as Chairman and CEO
of two Fortune 500 companies.
Prior to joining Caesars
Entertainment, he was Chairman
and CEO of hertz Global holdings,
Inc. he led the $10.8 billion global
car and equipment rental leader
with more than 41,000 employees
and operations in 145 countries
from 2006 to 2014. During Mr.
Frissora’s tenure, hertz expanded
its uS off-airport business to
almost 3,000 locations, launched
the hertz 24/7 hourly car rental
service using on demand
technology and acquired Donlen,
Inc., a leading North American
vehicle fleet leasing and
management company.
Prior to joining hertz in July 2006,
Mr. Frissora led Tenneco, Inc., the
$7.4 billion global supplier of
automotive emission control and
ride control products, where he
served as Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer from 2000 to
2006. his past positions include
roles in sales, marketing and brand
management at General Electric as
well as senior roles overseeing
supply chain, engineering and
manufacturing at Tenneco. he also
held positions at Aeroquip-Vickers
Corporation and Philips NV.
Each player in the industry–
manufacturers, regulators
and operators – has a role to
play in appealing to the
changing desires of our
younger customers, a key
new demographic that we
need to harness.
Caesars Entertainment President and CEo Mark Frissora will be
participating in a discussion along with Executive vice President, General
Counsel, and Chief Regulatory & Compliance officer, Tim Donovan, at the
upcoming IAGA Summit. Here Mark Frissora discusses his views on the
gaming industry ahead of the Summit in Malta
The gaming industry has repeatedly demonstrated its
ability to adapt with the times and various economic
cycles. Over the last two decades, gaming operators
have successfully evolved their businesses from
focusing primarily on gaming to one that is multidimensional. The proliferation of gaming in the United
States and in jurisdictions around the world has
increased the emphasis on non-gaming amenities
from sideshow to the main event.
the top of my agenda. This group of 18 – 35 year olds
are critical to our future if we want to change the
growth trajectory of our industry. While we have
collectively demonstrated our ability to attract
millennials on the hospitality side through new
offerings, amenities and customer experience
enhancements, we have not made great strides on the
gaming front, which leads me to wonder: where is the
innovation in gaming?
While hospitality and entertainment are now key
ingredients to the success of traditional gaming
operators, the gaming aspect of the business must
evolve to keep pace. As a newer, younger customer
base comes of age, it is incumbent upon us to
introduce new experiences to attract and retain this
increasingly important segment of customers.
The opportunity to innovate in gaming is tremendous
and largely untouched. Each player in the industry–
manufacturers, regulators and operators – has a role
to play in appealing to the changing desires of our
younger customers, a key new demographic that we
need to harness.
Since joining Caesars Entertainment last year,
attracting, retaining, surprising and delighting
millennials, particularly around gaming, has been at
This segment of the population is less interested in slot
machines. They want skills-based, dynamic and social
experiences. And they’re not alone – our core slot
player demographic also wants new, challenging
Events
games that test their skills, not just their luck.
Gaming operators need to develop new concepts to
entice millennials to the gaming floor. A “casino
within a casino” that better integrates gaming and
hospitality, encouraging groups to stay and play
together is just one concept.
Caesars Entertainment is aggressively trialing new
table game products such as side bets and new games,
and last year we had 15% of retail table game
inventory under trial. We are continually looking for
exciting new games to draw new visitors and enhance
the player experience by giving them more choices
and chances to win.
developing slots designed to appeal to younger
generations by incorporating some of the biggest,
most relevant brands today. While this type of product
innovation will not drive meaningful change for our
industry, slot games featuring Britney Spears and hit
shows such as Game of Thrones and the Big Bang
Theory are consistently landing the top 20 millennial
handle pool games on our floors.
On the technology side, we have more to do to further
connect with our customers through social and mobile
technology and improve the customer experience
from end to end – from booking, to check-in, to realtime offers that are tailored to guests’ preferences, to
post-visit surveys and promos.
Regulators have an essential role to play in this
evolution as well. Consumer protection, through
ensuring game integrity and responsible gaming,
comes first and we need to find a way to introduce
new and dynamic experiences to our visitors so that
we do not run the risk of obsolescence. Many
jurisdictions in the United States have recognized this
and know that our offerings need to become more
social, more interactive and more engaging. We need
to work together to design experiences that keep our
customers protected and our gaming floors safe while
using technology to bring our products to the 21st
century.
Gaming manufacturers also have a critical role to play
and we are continuing to challenge them to innovate.
The pace of change on the part of our primary slot
manufacturers has not been as quick as we would like
though they are moving in the right direction. As an
example, one of our main manufacturers has been
We are still in the early stages of this journey. A
stronger product offering in a strategically created
modern and social environment will add excitement
to our facilities. And I have no doubt that this will be a
very core platform for growth for all of us in the
industry moving forward.
The pace of change on the
part of our primary slot
manufacturers has not
been as quick as we would
like though they are moving
in the right direction.
IAGA
Caesars Entertainment Chief
Executive Officer Mark Frissora and
Executive Vice President and
General Counsel Tim Donovan will
deliver the keynote address at the
IAGA Gaming Summit 2016, held
at the Westin Dragonara Resort in
St. Julian's, Malta from May 31-June
2, 2016.
P63
Events
IAGA
At the IAGA Summit in Malta, held at
the Westin Dragonara Resort in St.
Julian's, a distinguished panel of
gaming experts are set to discuss the
online gaming sector and ask:
Online Gaming: in with the
new and out with the old?
The online gaming world has moved on leaps
and bounds since its early days when it was
regulated in offshore Carribean jurisdictions.
The advent of regulation throughout Europe and,
in recent years, in various US states has led to a
patchwork of regulatory regimes which have
only served to increase overheads and the
complexity of running a regulated internet
gaming business. Whilst each jurisdiction seeks
to ensure the safety of players, protection of
minors and the vulnerable and the prevention of
money laundering, each has sought to
implement its own operating standards and
regulations. The number of failed operators due
to regulatory non-compliance can be counted on
the fingers of one hand and this should give
comfort to regulators approaching this industry
a-new.
As more jurisdictions move to regulate, the
concept of unifying regulatory standards is one
that should be at the forefront of regulators'
minds to ensure a consistency of approach as
ever increasing taxation levels would suggest
that the success of the industry is for the benefit
of both the operators and the regulators.
It looks as if Sweden finally is going to
modernize its Gambling regulation. Coming
late in to the arena we are facing massive
challenges. Above all, it takes a lot of
political will and courage to change such a
well-established market model. In this
situation we would be quite stupid not to
study carefully what has worked in other
jurisdictions and what has not. At the same
time one should be careful not to “cherrypick” the best from everyone and thus risk
putting together a system that is very
complex and too expensive for operators.
Swedes always talks about things being
“lagom” (meaning just enough). In my view,
that’s what we should be aiming for.
Gil white,
håkan hallstedt
Partner,
Herzog Fox Neeman
Director-General,
Swedish Gambling Authority
As the joint head of hfn’s Gaming department,
Gil White has, for over a decade, counseled the
world’s leading internet gaming companies with
respect to corporate and commercial issues. his
practice focuses on advising clients on a range
of issues related to the law of online gaming,
concentrating primarily on matters pertaining to
licensing, regulation, litigation and day-to-day
operations.
hallstedt has been the director-General of
the Swedish Gambling Authority since
2008. before this he was director of the
Swedish broadcasting commission. Prior
to this he worked 3 years as chief legal
counsel at the Gambling Authority.
hallstedt is a trained judge and have been
an Associate Judge in the court of Appeal
for Western Sweden. he did serve as Vice
President of the consumer complaints
board and served until april 2016 as
chairman in such disputes. he is now a
member of the Swedish bar Associations
consumer complaints board. Previously
he worked for the Government as a senior
advisor in the ministries for culture and the
environment. hallstedt was chair of
Gaming regulators european forum
(Gref) 2012-2014 and served on the
board of trustees of the International
Association of Gaming regulators (IAGr)
2015. At present hallstedt is leading the
Inquiry on re-regulating the Swedish
Gambling market.
how do new Online Gaming
markets learn from the Older Ones?
European online markets have
consistently set the standard for
online gaming yet continue to face a
wide range of issues including
licensing and taxing challenges,
inconsistencies in game standards
and the difficulties of having to
develop and maintain parallel
platforms. This panel will explore how
emerging online markets can learn
from the established ones and what
the established ones will do next.
As more jurisdictions move to
regulate, the concept of unifying
regulatory standards is one that
should be at the forefront of
regulators' minds to ensure a
consistency of approach as ever
increasing taxation levels would
suggest that the success of the
industry is for the benefit of both
the operators and the regulators.
Gil has coordinated initial public offerings and
m&A transactions on behalf of online gaming
companies which have proved to be standardsetting in this nascent industry. recognized by
chambers Global as a band 1 lawyer in Gaming
& Gambling, Gil is currently at the forefront of
working with hfn’s clients to secure licensing
and regulation in newly regulated jurisdictions
such as the State of nevada, Spain and
denmark.
Events
Regulatory innovation is key to retain Malta’s
global leadership and standing as a world class
regulator. The aim is to create a new legal
framework to consolidate all gaming activities,
as well as widen the scope from a regulatory
perspective. We are determined to reduce
administrative burdens and eliminate
duplication of requirements for gaming
operators falling under our remit. The new
legislation will be a game changer for Malta and
we are taking into account lessons learnt and
developments in related sectors both locally and
on an international scale.
We want to ensure that players have the
necessary environment to play responsibly and
to this effect we shall be investing in player
centric mechanisms and data analytics in order
to achieve an evidenced based approach in the
way we regulate. Gaming operators should fit
comfortably in any given framework so as to
maximize compliance and operate
successfully. We want to focus on our B2B
platforms for them to flourish and grow our
Malta based gaming ecosystem.
Emerging markets, both in Europe and
elsewhere, have an increasing wealth of
regulatory experience and know-how to
learn from. Regulatory best practices can be
reviewed in the abstract, as can practices
which hinder achieving regulatory
objectives. Yet there is no ‘magic recipe’
when blending best practices for a new
national regulatory regime; local factors
and established interests play a significant
role.
Self-reflection within established
regimes should stimulate regulatory
refinement, established regimes should be
open to learning from the ‘younger
generation’ and adapting to evolving
challenges.
Online gambling legislation should not
collect dust; emerging and established
markets should continually learn from each
other.
dr. edwina licari,
Justin Franssen,
Chief officer-Legal & International Affairs,
Malta Gaming Authority
Head of the Gaming Practice Group,
Kalff Katz & Franssen Attorneys at Law
edwina licari is the chief Officer legal and
International Affairs of the mGA. having joined
the mGA legal department in 2008, her
experience covers the whole spectrum of
gaming and betting-related activities (both
online and land-based) and international and
european gaming-related regulatory and legal
affairs. She also has responsibility for
international bilateral relationships with other
gaming regulators and relevant entities
worldwide, together with the relevant eu
institutions and the instruments impacting
gaming. edwina holds a doctorate in law from
the university of malta and a masters in
Information technology and communications
law from the university of Strathclyde,
Glasgow. edwina is the chairperson of the
Supervisory council of the mGA and a member
of the chamber of Advocates (malta) and the
International masters of Gaming law.
Partner Justin franssen is head of the
Gaming practice group at Kalff Katz &
franssen Attorneys at law. Prior to his
admission to the bar in Amsterdam, he
worked as a general counsel for a gaming
company in Amsterdam and new york. he
founded the KPmG european Gaming &
entertainment Services Group and cofounded gaminglaw.eu, the leading
european portal on gaming and gambling
law and regulation. franssen established
the Gaming, Sports & entertainment
practice group at VmW taxand Attorneys at
law, which he led for 12 years. he is board
member of the International masters of
Gaming law (ImGl) and member of the
International Association of Gaming
Advisors (IAGA). In addition, he is on the
editorial board of Gaming law review &
economics and on the advisory boards of
the unlV Gaming law Journal and the
International research Institute for
Gambling and Gaming in bonn (d).
P65
Events
Daily Fantasy Sports: views
from both sides of the pond
todd heyden,
Co-Founder, CRo SportsLock
Todd heyden is the Co-Founder
and Chief Revenue Officer of
SportsLock, a Chicago- based
gaming technology company that
focuses on fantasy sports. At the
time of SportsLock’s inception in
2012, Todd discovered three
interesting facts about the fantasy
space: (1) a vast majority of fantasy
players participate in games
because of the social experience,
not because they want to gamble;
(2) DFS platforms are all held back
by government regulation; and, (3)
the next generation of fantasy
players are looking for a social, ondemand experience to replace
“season-long fantasy.”
Daily fantasy is built for
introverts who want to
compete against random
opponents in hopes of
winning a lot of money in a
short period of time. The
bigger opportunity lies in
solving the problems
plaguing the 75 million
fantasy players in North
America.
IAGA
Todd heyden and Valery Bollier will be
speaking at the IAGA Summit 2016
taking place in Malta on May 31-June 2
SportsLock SportsLock is a Daily
Fantasy Sports application where
users can compete for cash. users
can join heads-up (single day) or
Bracket (multiple days) Contests
and draft players for NFL, NCAAF,
NBA, NCAAB, and MLB games.The
company secured $5m Series A
round financing in May 2015.
SportsLock Co-founder and CRo, Todd Heyden, answers valery Bollier’s
questions about the uS Daily Fantasy Sports market and SportsLock’s offer
What have you learned from studying the rise of the
dfS market in America?
We have learned two very important lessons over the
last couple years regarding Daily Fantasy Sports: 1.
Fantasy fans across the globe are looking for new
experiences and opportunities to compete, connect
and engage over fantasy sports. The evolution of the
fantasy market in general took a long time and DFS
was the first real shift in the market place.
2. The DFS market in America is actually a VERY
small market representing only a fraction of the
overall fantasy market (less than five per cent). Even
after spending hundreds of millions of dollars on
advertising, it is near impossible to force a square peg
in a round hole; fantasy is a social market built
around the concept of friends competing against each
other (which is not was DFS promotes). Daily fantasy
is built for introverts who want to compete against
random opponents in hopes of winning a lot of
money in a short period of time. The bigger
opportunity lies in solving the problems plaguing the
75 million fantasy players in North America.
Is the concept of bracket challenge adaptable to
soccer/the european market?
100 per cent. The idea of a "bracket challenge" is a
great way to compete over any type of sporting event,
real or fantasy. The largest and most popular
tournaments in the world (World Cup, NBA/NFL
Playoffs just to name a few) all follow this format and
they do so for a good reason. The idea behind "survive
and advance" resonates with every type of sports fan
and that has easily carried over to the fantasy market
as well. In a bracket, all you have to do is beat the one
competitor you are matched up against instead of
beating every contestant in your league or
competition. There are a handful of ways to offer
these "bracket challenges" as well which only adds to
the entertainment/skill level of the game.
you made a radical choice of not having a desktop
version. Are you happy with this choice? how do you
get feedbacks from customers (as it’s more difficult
to communicate with them)?
The radical decision we made was starting with a
mobile product. We call that "mobile first." There is
absolutely a need for some type of desktop version
but we do not believe in 2016 that any company in the
gaming space should build "web first." The world we
live in is a world that is on the go and everything is
now being accessed by smart phones first, desktops
second. In 2011 when we started building our
technology, we were one of the first companies to
think this way and now everyone is doing it. We are
very happy with this decision and fortunately have a
great customer service platform and team that makes
it very easy for us to connect and communicate with
our customers. In order to target the next generation
of gamers, you absolutely need to lead with a mobile
product. And not just any mobile product, but one
that has an incredible interface and experience for
your users.
In a sector dominated by 2 huge sharks, how do you
manage to promote your brand?
Fortunately for us, we have never considered
ourselves a DFS operator. Yes, those two companies
inefficiently marketed their products here in the U.S.
and fortunately for us, that turned off a lot of users for
multiple reasons.
to win in this space, you absolutely cannot do it by
outspending those two companies. We have built a
social product that efficiently gets users via the viral
hooks that are built into the platform. Fantasy was
built as a socially engaging competition between
friends. By creating the next version of this type of
platform, the app itself should be the number one way
to efficiently acquire users through invites and
conversions. Outside of our users, we have been very
fortunate where our branding and the channels we
chose to market on have been extremely efficient
when it comes to the cost of acquiring our users vs.
their potential lifetime value. Deciding on the right
content, messaging, and then channel to promote our
product/brand has been something we are fortunate
to succeed at.
When will you jump the Atlantic to join us in building
the european dfS ecosystem?
The international ecosystem is very different that of
the U.S. Europe is just one piece of the puzzle. But
when you look at places like India, China, Africa,
South America, and of course Europe we see an
incredible opportunity that no one is taking
advantage of. We believe we have the solutions and a
fantasy arm can immediately and significantly impact
the bottom line of a gaming provider (either landbased, online, or both). For us to be successful in
making this leap, we would need to find the right
partner who could help us navigate these relatively
foreign markets. But the answer is hopefully very
soon.
Events
Todd Heyden turns the tables and quizzes oulala Games’ valery Bollier about
Daily Fantasy Sports in the European gaming marketplace
With soccer being the most popular sport in the eu,
do you currently believe the game play (low scoring)
fits the mold of the fantasy audience? Football
(soccer) is popular in Europe, but when you talk about
football clubs, Europe is the epicentre of the game,
because most of the world’s best players play for
European teams. This means that our customers come
from all over the world – there are now less than
twenty countries in the world where we do not have at
least one customer. This is obviously very different to
the American market, where there are multiple sports
that appeal primarily to the domestic market.
to answer your question, we do not think that the
game play will be a problem. Football is worldwide
and like a religion to many people and we fans are all
keen to show our friends, family and community that
we know the game better than they do.
Overall, the fact that football is a low scoring game
does not really impact the fantasy sports model.
Hundreds of individual actions are performed by
footballers during live games and so fantasy points
are plentiful. This does require the fantasy game to be
more sophisticated though. There are many games
that use between five and ten actions for their scoring
system, which can make it difficult to really represent
the on-pitch action and impact that a player has. At
Oulala we spent months working with statisticians to
create a model that better reflects the game and the
result was that our system has seventy actions that
can score - or lose – points for a footballer.
better technology is leading to more access on a
global scale of popular uS sports (American football,
basketball, baseball, ultimate fighting) - do you
believe this will also lead to a rise in european sports
fans playing additional fantasy games?
Many American DFS operators are hoping that this
will be the case soon and I am sure that a few good
strategic partnerships between American rights
holders and Europe’s biggest media groups could
increase the visibility of the American sports and
therefore raise the interest of European customers.
The main limit that we see relates to the time
difference and it is a very serious issue. People want
to watch live sport but very few people can be awake
at 2am or 4am for the start of a fixture. This is perhaps
most obvious for us Europeans when it comes to the
Super Bowl. This is obviously an event that generates
huge attention worldwide, but it runs through the
night in Europe. It will always be difficult to attract a
mainstream audience at 5am!
dfS represents less than five per cent of the
American-based fantasy sports audience. how are
you looking to encapsulate a social audience that is
used to playing fantasy with friends instead of
against random opponents in a salary cap?
Originally DFS was a social game in the United States,
before massive guaranteed prizes began to make it
look more like a lottery. We intend to keep our game
social. Oulala’s product was deliberately created for
people who want to have fun with their friends,
family and colleagues. In Europe, the challenge is less
related to people playing socially, but instead that
fantasy sports are viewed and played as games for an
entire season, or that they are simply unaware of it.
With gaming laws being drastically different, do you
feel that fantasy sports will ever reach the mass
scale in the eu like it has in the uS?
We have a huge advantage in Europe that will enable
the market to reach critical mass quickly: iGaming is
legal and many operators are interested in offering
DFS products to their customers. In fact, many people
see it as the next “big thing” in the sector. Therefore,
instead of spending time and money trying to spread
the word about DFS to Europe, we will concentrate on
convincing existing sports punters and poker players
that DFS is a new and more social way to increase the
fun they have around a sports event.
from a cultural standpoint, what do you think are the
biggest differences in the American fantasy
consumer versus the european fantasy consumer?
There is clearly a different relationship between
information and sport. American sports fans are
much more used to media coverage that has many,
many statistics. In contrast, football (soccer) is a game
that has eluded most data analysis until recent years.
This is changing rapidly and will continue to do so.
It is much more than just data though. The real
difference is that there is no definitive European
consumer. They are many different local and national
realities (the European Union has 28 member states
and 23 official languages) and anyone wanting to
successfully penetrate the European market would
have to adapt to these realities. For example, you
cannot compare English customers who have already
been playing seasonal fantasy sports games for years
with German customers, who do not know what
fantasy sports are, but who are analytical, with
Italians who think that “sport is an art” and that it is
not possible to use data to understand a match.
This is the reason why we launched our desktop
version before our mobile version: we needed to learn
about our customers and their expectations and it is
much easier to understand consumer behaviour on a
computer than on a cell phone. Wanting to
understand the real needs of our future customers is
also the reason why we operated for two years as a
free game, before we launched the monetised version.
This experience leads me to believe that companies
that are planning to enter the European market before
understanding it’s many subtleties will find it very
difficult to grow and will probably fail.
Valery bollier,
CEo, oulala Games
Valéry Bollier has over 10 years of
experience in iGaming industry. he
is a regular speaker at industry
conferences and seminars, as well
as a contributor to various BtoB
publications. Equipped with
passion for Daily Fantasy Sports
(DFS) and ''Big Data'', Bollier is the
co-founder and CEO of Oulala, a
revolutionary fantasy football game
which was launched three years
ago.
Originally DFS was a social
game in the united States,
before massive guaranteed
prizes began to make it look
more like a lottery. We intend
to keep our game social.
Oulala’s product was
deliberately created for
people who want to have fun
with their friends, family and
colleagues.
Oulala Fantasy Football is a webbased fantasy football (or fantasy
soccer) game. The game consists of
a typical, traditional fantasy football
setup allowing the player to pick real
life footballers to make up their
fantasy football squad each week.
Their fantasy team scores points
based on how the players they've
picked perform in their real life
matches. The game is free to play
and offers prizes each week to the
three best performing managers.
P67
Events
Asia: political expediency battles
evidence based decision making
Peter cohen,
Director of Regulatory Affairs, The
Agenda Group
Before joining The Agenda Group
as Director Regulatory Affairs in
2011, Peter was Executive
Commissioner and CEO of the
Victorian Commission for
Gambling Regulation for eight
years where he was responsible for
all aspects of gambling regulation
in Victoria. This included oversight
of a casino with 2,500 slot
machines and 500 tables, 27,500
slot machines in over 500 venues,
two public lottery operators, a
parimutuel operator offering fixed
odds and sports betting,
bookmakers, keno and charitable
gaming. Peter is a Trustee of IAGA
having previously served for six
years on the Steering Committee
of the International Association of
Gaming Regulators and as
Chairman in 2009-10 and is a
member of the Advisory Board for
the uNLV International Center for
Gaming Regulation. his main areas
of expertise are providing policy
advice to governments, negotiating
regulatory arrangements between
governments, industry and
regulators and assisting industry to
achieve improved regulatory
compliance.
While the Asian economies,
and particularly China, had
booming economies, it
seemed that there would be
an endless supply of
gamblers to support new
properties. But as the
economies cool, is it too late
for new developments or are
they needed now more than
ever to stimulate local
economies?
G3 discusses the market conditions affecting the Asian gaming space with
regional expert and panelist at the IAGA Summit in Malta this month, Peter
Cohen, and asks him to summarise the factors affecting growth and decline
What are the biggest challenges affecting your
locale right now?
In the early 1990s when Australia was in a severe
economic recession, Governments turned to gambling
as a source of employment, tax revenue and to boost
tourism. As a consequence, properties such as Crown
Melbourne and The Star in Sydney were built. These
developments fulfilled many of the aims of
Government and have become tourism magnets and
significant sources of tax revenue. In addition, not
only did the construction of the properties create
thousands of direct and indirect jobs, but the ongoing
operation of these integrated resorts require large
workforces. In fact, Crown Melbourne is the largest
single-site employer in the State of Victoria.
The tiger economies of Asia have looked at the
Australian model for casino developments and many
have moved forward with their own developments,
most obviously in Singapore and Macau. But there are
also many Asian countries where the talk of
developing integrated resorts or more modest casino
properties has not yet resulted in action.
While the Asian economies, and particularly China,
had booming economies, it seemed that there would
be an endless supply of gamblers to support new
properties. But as the economies cool, is it too late for
new developments or are they needed now more than
ever to stimulate local economies?
As the Australian examples described above showed,
development of casino properties helped put life back
into the moribund economies of the States of Victoria
(Crown Melbourne) and New South Wales (The Star).
While Japan is recognised as a major opportunity, will
it ever get the go-ahead to proceed? Does the
economic cooling encourage politicians who can see
jobs at the end of a legalisation process? Or does the
fear that the growth window is closing outweigh
support for proceeding? Will the less-developed
economies of Cambodia, Vietnam and Nepal grow
their casino businesses?
And if new casino developments proceed in these
jurisdictions how will the more mature gaming
economies of Singapore, Macau and Australia
respond?
how would you remedy these issues?
too often governments try to make decisions without
sufficient information. While there is never perfect
information from which a perfect decision could be
made, jurisdictions can minimise making mistakes in
the direction they should follow by fully researching
all the options.
The best exponent of this was Singapore, which
invested extensively in research prior to committing
to proceed with integrated resorts. Singapore sent
senior government officials around the world and met
with experienced regulators and also attended major
gaming conferences, such as IAGA’s annual gaming
summit, well before a final decision was made to
proceed.
Singapore didn’t stop researching after it had made a
decision to proceed with integrated resorts. It
continued to seek expert advice as it developed its
regulatory framework and prepared for its licensing
process. The results speak for themselves – by
Events
investing resources in research and by speaking with
experts, Singapore has developed a model which
meets that country’s needs.
how would you summarise the financial and political
stability of gaming in your marketplace?
Asia is not a single marketplace and has the full suite
of geopolitical options, from developing to mature
economies and from experienced democracies to
newly independent republics. It is therefore not
surprising that these differences lead to alternative
approaches to gaming.
Some jurisdictions require consensus decisionmaking before proceeding, with that consensus hard
to achieve; others have autocratic leadership making
decisions more rapidly but not necessarily in an
environment which provides confidence for investors.
Many matters have to align before a jurisdiction can
achieve its goals.
One key requirement to encourage investment is
political stability as seen in Australia and Singapore.
However, that in itself, is not enough to create the
right environment in which to develop a successful
casino market. Japan is clearly stable but to date, for
whatever reason, has lacked the political
commitment to proceed. Should it do so, however, the
combination of an advanced and sophisticated
financial infrastructure, political certainty, local area
demand for new job opportunities and an essentially
untapped market should lead to significant interest
from major developers and operators.
Which gaming sectors are in growth and which in
decline in your region - and why?
Integrated resorts, meaning facilities which have
multiple offerings beyond casinos, accommodation
and food and beverage outlets, are still popular.
Governments like them because they create
employment and attract tourists. But that is not the
only reason. Governments also like them because the
concept of a multi-purpose gaming venue which
people can attend for reasons other than gambling are
easier to promote to sceptical local communities.
In democracies, keeping the local population onside is
a significant and relevant consideration. If the local
community is concerned that a casino without added
offerings will cause more harm than good, it is
essential for governments to be able to show that the
social and economic benefits of the whole package
provided by an integrated resort are positive.
But integrated resorts are not the only growth areas.
While lotteries and pari-mutuel betting on horse
racing are mature and even in decline, sports betting
continues to grow, particularly in jurisdictions which
allow bets to be placed via online methods.
If you could change one aspect of the regulatory
framework in your market, what would it be?
The regulatory frameworks throughout Asia differ in
their purpose and execution, so it is difficult to
identify one aspect which could be improved.
However, there is an ongoing need for decisions to be
made based on evidence rather than political
expediency. Whether the decision is about
responsible gambling, integrity of gaming or the
extraction of full economic value, all jurisdictions
should be adopting the regulatory framework best for
them based on sound, empirical evidence.
There is an ongoing need
for decisions to be made
based on evidence rather
than political expediency.
Whether the decision is
about responsible
gambling, integrity of
gaming or the extraction of
full economic value, all
jurisdictions should be
adopting the regulatory
framework based on
sound, empirical evidence.
IAGA
Gaming Advisors (IAGA) will hold its
35th annual International Gaming
Summit with the Gaming
Regulators European Forum
(GREF) May 31 through June 2 at
Julian's, Malta.
P69
Events
North America: the convergence
of technology and entertainment
ilkim hincer,
Co-Chair of the Gaming Specialty
Group at osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, LLP
Ilkim hincer is the Co-Chair of the
Gaming Specialty Group at Osler,
hoskin & harcourt, LLP. Ilkim is the
former General Counsel of the
British Columbia Lottery
Corporation, Penn National
Gaming's Canadian subsidiary at
Casino Rama, and Onex
Corporation's Trilliant Canada
Gaming. Ilkim has extensive
regulatory, compliance, risk
management, procurement,
commercial and international
transactional experience in the
gaming industry. his experience
includes practical and operational
experience establishing and
enhancing compliance regimes
and internal controls (including
provincial gaming, responsible
gambling, and federal anti-money
laundering requirements) for both
private sector gaming operators
and the public sector provincial
government agent responsible for
the conduct and management of
gaming. he can be reached at
[email protected]
The federal Criminal Code of
Canada’s gaming provisions
(which have not been
substantially amended since
1985) require that the
provincial governments are
both gaming operators and
gaming regulators. Whether
this is the most efficient and
effective means to achieve
provincial or federal
governments’ mandates visà-vis Canadian consumers is
a good question.
P70
Turning his gaze on North America, Ilkim Hincer describes the market conditions
currently affecting the gaming sectors in North America with a view to
expanding on the subject at the IAGA Summit 2016 in Malta this month
locale (i.e., canada/north America) right now?
The impact of emerging, innovative and disruptive
technologies, and the evolving demographics,
demands, wants and expectations of consumers. We
are living in times of unprecedented pace of
technological change. Historically, most of our laws,
regulations and marketplace management strategies
are based on traditional land-based approaches. In
addition, the federal Criminal Code of Canada’s
gaming provisions (which have not been substantially
amended since 1985) require that the provincial
governments are both gaming operators and gaming
regulators. Whether this is the most efficient and
effective means to achieve provincial or federal
governments’ mandates vis-à-vis Canadian
consumers is a good question.
Through the adoption of more modern, holistic
paradigms that are willing to let go of traditional
concepts of boundaries and challenge the status quo,
including lingering misperceptions about the gaming
industry. In addition, government oversight in Canada
can evolve to react more nimbly to the realities of
today’s marketplace. Innovative and well-reasoned
approaches connected more directly to consumer
expectations, operational and regulatory realities can
actually lead to: (i) enhanced consumer protection &
industry regulation; and (ii) generation of greater
revenue for the public good. All of this might require
amendments to existing laws – in the spirit of one
recent Criminal Code amendment that now permits
charitable organizations to use modern technologies
to offer more efficiently lotteries that generate
revenue for good causes.
In recognition that the public purse bearing the
commercial risk was not sustainable in the long term,
the provincial government launched a
“modernisation” initiative in Ontario, Canada’s
biggest province and market. Another key driver was
the recognition that private sector expertise can and
should be leveraged better, not only to spur
development and investment but also to provide
enhanced, customer-focused operational services
Events
within a heavily regulated model. Also, as noted, the
growing online space is largely unregulated. The
federal and provincial governments must decide
whether our existing laws, practices and institutions
sufficiently and efficiently protect Canadians while
responding nimbly to modern demands.
Online sports betting and social gaming continue to
grow at unprecedented rates. The overwhelming
majority of online gaming falls into the unregulated
grey market category. Also, all indications are that
eSports will continue its impressive growth.
One key part of the analysis is whether we are
optimising opportunities to generate increased
revenue for social priorities that may otherwise
continue to flow out of the country in a largely
unrestrained, unregulated marketplace.
All of this growth is attributable to a great extent to
the convergence of technology and entertainment,
evolving consumer expectations (especially in the
highly coveted younger demographics) and the
blurring of traditional boundaries between social,
casino and online gaming.
Lotteries have done well recently, buoyed by some
record high jackpots. Casino gaming in Canada has
been steady, with the border properties in particular
experiencing upticks due to fluctuations in USCanada currency exchange rates. The significant
“privatization” process being undertaken in Ontario
has generated considerable interest from gaming
operators, developers and investors. This
“modernisation” initiative is one of several examples
of Ontario’s desire to optimise assets and raise money
for priorities such as transit and infrastructure. This
revitalisation of the gaming industry is opening up
opportunities for expansion and growth across the
province.
If you could change one aspect of the regulatory
framework in your market, what would it be?
The single most ubiquitous technological reality of our
lives is the internet. It has transformed almost every
aspect of our lives and brought with it the promise of
seamless interconnectivity. By carefully modernising
our regulatory approach to embrace this reality and
not ignore it, we can help spur economic grown, foster
new patters of innovation and better respond to
today’s realities. In Canada this also necessitates a
serious look at the current governmental oversight
model. Flexible, efficient, risk-based approaches to
regulation that embrace technology not only provide
greater regulatory and commercial clarity, but also
opportunities and protection to Canadian consumers
that may have so far eluded them.
The federal and provincial
governments must decide
whether our existing laws,
practices and institutions
sufficiently and efficiently
protect Canadians while
responding nimbly to
modern demands.
IAGA
Julian's, Malta.
P71
Events
uK: industry participants need
to display more commitment
Jenny williams,
Board Member,
uK Fundraising Regulator
Jenny Williams was until late 2015
the CEO and a Commissioner of
the Gambling Commission uK.
She was appointed in 2014, after a
long career in government, to set
up the Gambling Commission
created by the Gambling Act 2005.
Jenny is now on the Board of the
uK (charitable) Fundraising
Regulator, an independent Director
on GB Greyhound Regulatory
Board, on the Advisory Board of
the International Center for Gaming
Regulation at the university of Las
Vegas and advises internationally
on gambling and other regulatory
policy and practise. She was a
trustee of IAGR from 2007-14 and
a member of the Eu Expert Group
of Regulators 2013-5. She has
been vice chair of a leading
homelessness charity, a nonexecutive director of Northumbrian
Water Group plc; the National
Campaign for Arts; and of Morley
College, an adult education college.
Former head of the uK Gambling Commission, Jenny Williams, explores the
issues facing the entire cross-section of the uK gaming sector and suggests
long-term strategies to mitigate the risks and deal with the most pressing issues
The continued acceptability
of cash-based easily
accessible higher stake
machines remains in the
balance. And both the
remote and non remote
sectors face the challenge
and impact of delivering of
national self exclusion
schemes.
locale right now?
In addition to the general economic uncertainties and
the additional risk of the UK voting to leave the
European Union, the industry faces significant
immediate challenges in:
l
l
l
l
P72
delivering sustained improved AML and consumer
protection measures; while there is growing
recognition of the commercial importance of this if
the industry is to retain its ‘social’ licence to
innovate and market itself , performance still lags
rhetoric and there is considerable public scepticism
and concern especially in relation to higher stake
gaming machines on the high street. The continued
acceptability of cash-based easily accessible higher
stake machines remains in the balance. And both
the remote and non remote sectors face the
challenge and impact of delivering of national self
exclusion schemes.
replacing the land-based horse racing levy with a
fair channel neutral revenue sharing arrangements
across the whole horse and dog racing and betting
industries; a longstanding challenge whose solution
is long overdue
l
sustaining confidence in sports betting integrity, a
challenge which may increasingly extend to
esports.
finding ways to acquire and sustain customers in
the legal market without resort to the sort of over
aggressive and sometimes misleading marketing in
the UK and other countries that has fuelled public
concern about potential harm from gambling
especially to the young – with the growth of social
media provides new risks and opportunities to
responsible marketing.
while at the same time absorbing point of
consumption taxes, the proposed change to the tax
treatment of bonuses and the forthcoming EU 4th
AML directive and the General Data Protection
Regulation.
There is no magic wand or quick fix. Parts of the
Events
though margins in many cases are thin and there are
likely to be some casualties among the smaller
players.
betting and sports industries are moving in the right
direction in starting to collaborate more in developing
their understanding of how best to reduce the risks
from gambling (whether of supporting crime, match
fixing or harming consumers) but the progress has
been slow and effective operational implementation
patchy. More resources and attention need to be
devoted to trialling and evaluating what works and
using data analytics and front line staff more
effectively at the operator, sector and pan industry
level. Industry participants need to be more open
about what needs strengthening and demonstrate
serious commitment throughout their organisations
to mitigating those risks if they are to build public
confidence. The various regulators (gambling,
advertising, data protection, sports governing bodies
etc) need to sustain and arguably reinforce their
efforts to hold the industry, key executives in
particular, to account for performance and to deter
the illegal and irresponsible from undercutting the
responsible.
Within the overall growth in revenue, there is a strong
channel shift to remote and to mobile and within
betting to in-play. Over the counter betting and
arcades are under pressure with betting shops
increasingly reliant on the return on machines and
arcades struggling to compete with other leisure
attractions.
Although at risk from what is happening in the
economy more generally, the gambling market in the
UK is well established and has demonstrated
considerable robustness in the face of changes such
as the move to point of consumption regulation and
tax . Overall gambling revenues continue to grow
Land based bingo has stemmed the rate of decline
following gaming duty reductions; Lotteries and
casinos have continued to grow but future growth
may be challenged by convergence with commercial
remote gambling products and innovative
developments in remote gambling such as cash out
and integrating use of social media and, in the cases of
casinos by the cap on premises licences.
The main political risks are to cash based higher stake
machine gaming , the marketing of rapid play type
betting and gaming and to the continued reliance on a
voluntary system for supporting and directing
research and development in mitigating the risks of
gambling related harm – and of continued failure to
find a longterm solution to the horse race levy issue.
Over the counter betting
and arcades are under
pressure with betting
shops increasingly reliant
on the return on machines
and arcades struggling to
compete with other leisure
attractions.
IAGA
Julian's, Malta.
P73
Events
Preserving privacy in the face of
contemporary payment options
Joseph Pappano,
Senior vice President & Managing
Director, vantiv Gaming Solutions
Joe Pappano, Senior Vice President
and Managing Director of Vantiv
Entertainment Solutions joined
Vantiv in 1992. his current
responsibilities include, strategic
sales, strategy, process
improvement, administration,
long-term vision, and overall
direction for Vantiv Entertainment
Solutions and its focus on Casinos,
iGaming, Lottery, ADW, Fantasy
Sports and Social Gaming. he
joined Vantiv in 1992 and has
spent his entire 20+ year career
with Vantiv specifically in the
payments industry. Mr. Pappano
has a very diverse background and
in-depth knowledge of the
payments industry ranging from
Merchant Acquiring, Card-Issuing
& Servicing, Prepaid and Rewards,
Mobile and Alternative Payments.
What operators are not
seeing is that when the
consumer uses an electronic
instrument or some form of
alternative payment, they
are revealing so much more
about their buying behaviour.
We bridge the two sides
together, while making sure
we protect the data and the
privacy of that data through
security solutions like endto-end encryption,
tokenisation and truncation.
IAGA
P74
At the IAGA Summit in Malta, vantiv’s Joe Pappano is speaking on the issue of
data protection and privacy issues intersecting with omni-commerce
efficiencies, in which consumer transactional data is leveraged for the operator
What is the area of Vanity’s expertise in data
protection/gathering/avoiding fraud?
Vantiv is a financial services company with a number
of requirements and obligations around protecting the
specific data points of the consumer. If you think
about the role we play, Vantiv processes 23 billion+
transactions on an annual basis. The tools we utilise in
protecting that card data, ensure that when a
consumer uses a credit card or debit card or
alternative payment online, we have a responsibility
and an obligation, not just from a legal perspective,
but also through the operating regulations of the card
network, to protect that data.
If you extend out the functionality within the privacy
guidelines, we’ve looked at how we can take that data
and make it meaningful for an operator to use in
regards specific consumers using electronic
payments. From within the bounds of the privacy
laws, we have the ability to take that data and make it
meaningful to better understand the DNA of the
customers. Vantiv offers the ability to understand the
buying behaviour of consumers outside the confines
of the website or four walls of the operator.
We look at the issue in its totality, as we’re also here to
protect the payments data for that consumer. A lot of
that is tied around PCI compliance and the need to
make sure that ‘data in rest’ or ‘in transit’ is always
protected. We do that via end-to-end encryption,
tokenising the data and with the new EMV standards
in the US. We make sure data at rest and in transit is
always protected. Vantiv is determined to extend the
conversation within the privacy laws and, based on
what can and can’t be done, on who owns the data.
We take payment data and show how operators can
monetise it, optimise their customer bases and get a
better depiction of who their consumers are.
I have spoken to so many operators who have great
visibility of their consumers in terms of the games
they play, the duration of play and revenue, but who
are missing the other side of the equation. What they
are not seeing is that when the consumer uses an
electronic instrument or some form of alternative
payment, they are revealing so much more about their
buying behaviour. We bridge the two sides together,
while making sure we protect the data and the
privacy of that data through security solutions like
end-to-end encryption, tokenisation and truncation.
could you explain your terms - ‘data at rest’
and ‘data in transit?’
The process whereby an operator accepts any form of
electronic transaction, involves two different methods
‘data at rest’ and “data in transit.’ Data at rest is the
storage of the data. When they accept card data, are
they storing in a secure manner with the operator, or
securely with Vantiv, as we don’t want any of the
operators storing sensitive data surrounding
payments? Data in transit is when an operator accepts
some form of electronic instrument to conduct a
transaction. When that data is passed onto Vantiv to
process the transaction, that is data in transit,
Events
dashboards in terms of what the operator is
looking for. Operators already know who their
major players are because they track them with
rewards cards or player loyalty cards. However,
while they know certain DNA aspects of the
consumer, we bring both payment data and
enhanced data, combining the three together so
that the operator can gain a better understand
the cost of acquisition and buying behaviour of
the player.
how does the transactional profile enhance the
player profile?
It enables the operator to fully understand
loyalty, showing how often consumers are
coming to your site as opposed to visiting
various ‘other’ gaming sites. Secondly, we know
how much money they are spending across
gaming sites and their share of the wallet. We
can see from the card the MCC codes used on
competitor sites, so we know the percentages of
the overall spend at different sites.
whereby we must ensure that the integrity of
the data is not compromised.
Who owns the data?
typically, within the operator’s terms and
conditions, when a player opens up a wagering
account or conducts a transaction, they are
signing off within the terms and conditions as to
how their data can utilised. Effectively, they are
consenting to that data being used in multiple
ways. In fact, there are relatively few rules
governing payment data, since you can argue as
to who actually owns it? Is it the consumer, the
card network, operator, or Vantiv? It’s a little bit
vague, but there are certain guidelines.
For example, if a consumer conducts a
transaction on a poker site, we can very quickly
take that card data and find out where it has
been used in other forms of commerce. We can
start to create meaningful data to understand
buying behaviours, fluency status based on the
card type and loyalty factors. We know if the
consumer visited different gaming sites, or if the
card has been primarily used on a single site.
However, it’s important that the data should be
somewhat ‘genericised.’ We can create various
data buckets, but you can’t create a fingerprint
of buying behaviour and spend that’s too
granular. There are legal guidelines around how
you use that data, which specifically details
when you’re being too intrusive. There are some
privacy laws surrounding payment data too.
how do you decide what data is useful?
All payment data is stored in payment data
warehouse at Vantiv. Within that payment data
warehouse we can extrapolate out a series of
If you continue to go down the funnel, we know
what card type they’re using, with data points
revealing if it’s a rewards card, a black card, or a
unique card type on which they’re spending a
lot of money at high-end retailers, for example.
Now you have good visibility into their spend
and we can start to do predictive analysis. We
can see that before the consumer came to the
site to play poker, their card was used at ‘X’
other online sites, then when they left the site,
the card was used on ‘Y’ activities. We then run
predictive analysis based on spend across all
these additional attributes.
Historically, operators have only received one
piece of the data - how much is the consumer
spending and for how long. What they’ve not
been able to see is the cost of acquisition, the
overall spend of the player and where that
additional spend is taking place. Is the player
attracted to other sites? Are they getting better
customer service elsewhere? We give data
points they’ve never had regarding what players
are doing before, after and while at their site.
What are the most value data points from the
payment information?
Our ability to use this information is quite new,
despite the fact that everyone has tried to solve
the issue of ‘convergence of payments and
gaming data.’ As such, operators are still
digesting it. They are appraising how best to use
this information within their bonusing systems
and CMS tools; they are trying to figure out
where do they start.
Many have begun with their top ten per cent of
players. First focusing on their top revenue
creating customers, as they want a better
understanding of their behaviour as they’re
driving the most revenue. They want to ensure
they drive loyalty with these customers and
create new incentives for these high end users.
However, there’s an argument that they should
also focus on the people at the bottom, who
aren’t loyal, but might be either a passive player
or somebody spending a boatload of money
somewhere else and only experimenting on
your site. If you look at spend onsite and offsite,
operators spending millions on marketing can
now conduct much more targeted campaigns.
do players have access to their payment data,
and have they the right to be forgotten?
The right to be forgotten is little bit different
domestically in the US. What we underline from
the payments side is that we don’t have all the
details of that consumer. When you’re opening
up a wagering account, whether you’re signing
up online or via a land-based players card, you
are consenting to the fact that you can now can
be tracked and your data can be used. At Vantiv
we are pulling all the card data, the enhanced
attributes, converging the data and enriching it,
but it is the operator that dictates where and
how the player is tracked, since the player has
already agreed to their data being used in this
manner.
We have seen so many high level hacks of
companies, how secure is the data when it’s
secured off-site?
There are some operators who want to be owner
of the data, dumping the data into their
customer management or bonusing system,
while there are others who want to log-onto a
site and pull the data from an external location.
You have to remember that the data is not a
giving a specific fingerprint of everything about
the player. We summarise the data into specific
categories and measurement points. The card
data is truncated to the point whereby, although
the data is sensitive, it is passed back and forth
in a very secure environment.
does the player have sole rights to their
payment data?
There is no definitive answer, since a grey area
exists. Operators would argue that they own
their player database based on their terms and
conditions, but on the payments side, they don’t
own that data. So when you start to bridge the
two sides together, it becomes more of a
cooperative arrangement. There is a lot of
ambiguity as to that ownership. It is an area that
is so new, no one has bridged these disparate
data points together in an aggregate manner to
get this level of visibility. At this point it is still
“to be determined,” as it’s only now that we
have the capability to accomplish it.
In 2013, Vantiv Entertainment Solutions was
born as a subsidiary of its parent company
Vantiv, Inc. Today its focus on diverse
industry segments equates to a deep
understanding of the unique complexities
that gaming and entertainment operators
face. Vantiv help connect the dots by
bringing a single payments platform for all
parts of the business. This allows Vantiv to
optimise the payments environment and
make certain the player experience is both
consistent and enjoyable.
P75
Events
Embracing the winds of change:
Investing and Financing in 2016
Mark harms,
Chairman & CEo,
Global Leisure Partners LLP
Founder of Global Leisure Partners
LLP, an advisory and private equity
boutique merchant bank
headquartered in London. GLP is a
leading provider of specialist
advisory and principal investment
services to the global leisure
industry. GLP has completed over
uS$ 60 B of transactions since
2005, and its affiliates including
Bespoke Capital Partners have
invested c $500 million in private
equity capital. GLP has assembled
an operating partner network of 65
executives, 35 of whom are
investors in GLP. The operating
partners provide incremental
proprietary deal flow, due diligence
support, portfolio company
management and board talent, as
well as co-investment capital.
Affiliates of Goldman Sachs and
Oaktree are minority institutional
investors in GLP. Mr. harms is
former Vice Chairman of WTTC,
and a William Pitt Fellow of
Chatham house. he graduated
from the university of Chicago
(MBA), and university of Michigan
(BA hons).
In light of industry consolidations, market maturations, governmental policy
variations, changing consumer expectations, public equity markets access
limitations, the reduction in attractive private business operations and “non-bank
banking” organisations, Mark Harms and the IAGA panel in Malta will discuss
what financing and investing methods work best today to get project realisation?
On June 1, at IAGA, our panel of experts will cover the
following key themes: With ongoing challenges posed
by everything from recent operator and manufacturer
consolidations to slowing growth in numerous
jurisdictions around the world caused by market
maturation and more restrictive governmental
policies, how do new or expanding ventures gain
suitable financing and the investing community invest
in the industry?
Our panel will explore the challenges that arise now
that public equity markets are becoming more
difficult to access, private investing in gaming is more
challenging because of supply chain consolidation,
there are far fewer attractive private businesses, and
new project financing is highly selective and
increasingly reliant on “non bank banks”. Given all of
the above, what financing and investing methods
work best to get projects done today?
We are seeing the demise of
poorly located markets such
as Atlantic City, while strong
urban markets such as
Philadelphia continue to
grow. States, hungry for
gaming revenue, continue to key theMes:
l Project financing of new projects is highly selective
legalise casinos, to the
and increasingly reliant on “non bank banks”; how
detriment of their
best to get projects done today?!?
neighbours as the new
l Growth is slowing in the USA, as the market
properties cannibalise the
becomes mature, and competition increases
existing ones, other than in
l European growth is still restricted by Governmental
rare instances.
resistance to expansion of gaming, but changes are
coming (e.g. Casinos Austria)
IAGA
P76
l
Asian growth, which was the primary driver of
value creation the past 10 years, has now reversed
due primarily to Governmental policies
l
l
l
l
l
Public equity markets are becoming much more
difficult as the industry matures around the world
Private investing in gaming is challenging – the
supply chain has finally consolidated, and there are
far fewer attractive private businesses
New financing techniques are becoming more
prevalent, including separation of the real estate
from the casino operations
Digital and online gaming is “here to stay” and
represents one of the few legitimate avenues of
growth available to the major companies. It needs
to be regulated in a more consistent fashion across
jurisdictions
Industry consolidation is continuing, and
accelerating, particularly in the supplier context
Project Financing - we recently completed a very
complicated debt financing for one of the “large”
casinos in the UK, in Leeds, on behalf of Gaming
Ventures. The lender, Summit Partners from the USA,
was attracted to the project by its outstanding location
and large catchment area, coupled with strong
sponsorship. The c £27 m loan provided all of the
capital to develop the casino, as well as returning
certain of the sponsor’s capital costs, in return for a
significant minority stake in the project’s equity as
well as standard commercial debt terms. We ran a
competitive process and quickly realised that the
traditional banks couldn’t compete due to a
Events
combination of risk appetite and capital constraints.
Hence, the project was financed by a private debt
fund, in a creative structure that was tailored to meet
the developer’s specific needs.
Our view is that the best way to get new casino
project financing done in a relatively constrained
lending environment is to a) have very strong
sponsorship from experienced operators; b) properly
capitalise the project with the appropriate mix of debt
and equity, with equity typically 30-40 per cent of the
total capital structure; c) ensure that a guaranteed
maximum price contract is in place with the
construction company; d) agree appropriate
support/partnership arrangements with the local
community, as well as with the national government
in cases of developments of national importance.
Growth is slowing in the usA - I started financing the
gaming industry in 1987, with the original MGM
development in Las Vegas. Over the past 29 years the
industry has gone from infancy to maturity, with
almost all of the population in America within a four
hour drive of a casino. We are seeing the demise of
poorly located markets such as Atlantic City, while
strong urban markets such as Philadelphia continue
to grow. States, hungry for gaming revenue, continue
to legalise casinos, to the detriment of their
neighbours as the new properties cannibalise the
existing ones, other than in rare instances. There are
still a few big opportunities (e.g. South Florida,
Georgia, Massachusetts, Northern NJ, texas), but in
general the market is becoming saturated and
therefore much less interesting to investors.
european growth is still restricted by Governmental
resistance to expansion of gaming - Europe’s casino
industry should be similar in size to America’s, but it
is not, due to Governmental resistance and a
patchwork quilt of regulation amongst the EU states.
We do not understand why the Governments of
Europe do not support the development of resort style
casinos such as those in regional destinations in the
USA, Asia, Australia and certain locations in South
America. They are engines of economic growth, job
creation, increased tax revenues, coupled with strong
controls over risk management, problem gambling
and money laundering as they are by definition more
controllable than the dispersed small time casinos
and arcade operations we see now in Europe. The
gaming industry regulators in the key markets should
embrace this type of development as it is easier to
monitor, control and regulate than distributed gaming.
The UK is an excellent case in point – there are more
ways to gamble in the UK legally than pretty much
anywhere else in the world – online, in bookmakers,
in arcades, in bingo halls, and in (very small) casinos.
When I moved to Europe in 2002, I was at the
forefront of the attempt to legalise large scale casinos
in the UK. The actual resulting small scale
“liberalisation” was poor, and as a result not all of the
licenses have been utilised. The short sightedness of
the UK politicians cost many thousands of jobs,
stunted the redevelopment of blighted areas such as
Blackpool, and cost the UK billions in tourism
revenues and tax revenues. The UK Government
would do well to revisit this powerful economic
development tool, which has so successfully
transformed other countries tourism.
I was a Vice Chairman of the World travel & tourism
Council for five years. It is the supranational
organisation that represents the leaders in tourism
globally. Gaming is under-represented in the
organisation, and no one from gaming in Europe is
even a member! This is pathetic for an industry that
globally is larger than the cinema industry, and one of
the primary engines of tourism around the world. This
must change if Europe has a hope of remaining
competitive with the tourism driven economies of
Asia, and the Americas.
We do not understand why
the Governments of
Europe do not support the
development of resort
style casinos such as those
in regional destinations in
the uSA, Asia, Australia
and certain locations in
South America. They are
engines of economic
growth, job creation,
increased tax revenues,
coupled with strong
controls over risk
management, problem
gambling and money
laundering as they are by
definition more controllable
than the dispersed small
time casinos and arcade
operations we see now in
Europe.
Gaming Growth in Asia - over the past 10 years we
saw the blossoming of Macau to a size 7x that of Las
Vegas, previously the largest global gaming market.
P77
Events
About Global leisure Partners
Established in 2004, Global
Leisure Partners (GLP) has
forged a reputation for
innovative deal making across
the global leisure industry.
GLP delivers the highest
calibre financial advice to the
leading operators and
investors in the industry.
Where appropriate, GLP seeks
to add further value through
the deployment of its own
capital through its Registered
Investment Adviser, Global
Leisure Capital Partners LLC,
"GLCP", either as lead
principal or as an active co
investor alongside its private
equity partners.
We financed the
development of Galaxy
Macau, advising Permira on
its $840 million investment
into Galaxy Entertainment,
which was one of the most
successful investments ever
made in Asia by a private
equity firm. This shows the
power of getting a project
right! They made 3x money,
and at peak could have
made 6x+ if they had held
their shares rather than
selling them over time.
Now the positive trends of the past are reversed as the
Chinese government cracks down on cash and VIP’s
leaving China to gamble in Macau. We believe that in
the long term, the Chinese tourist market will
supplant the VIP operations as the market returns to
growth. This is primarily due to an expected tripling of
Chinese travellers over the next 10 years, from 120
million to 360+ million per year, per the WttC.
typically their first foreign foray is Hong Kong/Macau.
Therefore, we think that the long term future of Macau
and the surrounding area should remain bright.
However, the licenses in Macau are due for renewal in
2022, which will lead to its own set of investment
complications, particularly for the non-Chinese
operators.
We financed the development of Galaxy Macau,
advising Permira on its $840 million investment into
Galaxy Entertainment, which was one of the most
successful investments ever made in Asia by a private
equity firm. This shows the power of getting a project
right! They made 3x money, and at peak could have
made 6x+ if they had held their shares rather than
selling them over time. Galaxy regularly wins global
awards for excellence in operations and development,
and is generally regarded as one of the best casino
operators in the world. The combination of their
expertise and private equity capital is a great example
of how this collaboration can work successfully, for
the benefit of all stakeholders including the
Government and the employees.
Public equity market overview - the public equity
market for gaming remains reasonably robust in the
US, as casino operators are trading at or near highs
from a multiple standpoint. The development of
alternative investment vehicles such as REIts in the
USA provides an additional source of capital for
development and operations. MGM Mirage priced its
REIt this week, and GLPI has just successfully
concluded the financing of the acquisition of
Pinnacle’s real estate. These deals, with the
accompanying entry into the investments by
traditional real estate investors, is a positive sign
regarding the near term future for well run gaming
operations. There are few public casino operators in
P78
Europe and those that are trade poorly, given the
operating difficulties they encounter from a
combination of restrictive regulation, high taxes and
barriers to growth. The Macau operators have seen
their stock prices decline markedly in line with the
30+ per cent decline in revenues in their core market.
We anticipate that the public market will remain
volatile for casino operators, and that only the best
companies will be able to access the public markets
with regularity.
Private investment in Gaming - private investment in
gaming remains challenging, with only the best
properties and companies receiving investment
capital. The battlefield in the USA is littered with
private equity investors who lost money in casino
investments during the Great Recession, so the private
markets are much more reluctant to invest in gaming.
The licensing process remains a high barrier to entry,
although it is becoming easier as more private equity
firms are licensed. LP investors tend to shy away from
the gaming industry as it is “off limits” for many of
them. Union activism (Unite Here) hasn’t helped, as
they berate the pension funds (private and state) that
typically are large private equity investors. We have
had our own share of poor gaming investments,
including Caesars in the USA, hence our reticence
regarding investments in the USA at this juncture.
In Gaming, Bespoke Capital Partners, GLP’s private
equity affiliate, is now only focusing on investment in
well located properties in the USA that are insulated
from further competition/gaming expansion, and on
certain opportunities in Europe, the Americas and to a
lesser extent Asia. We will only invest where the rule
of law exists, regulations are consistently applied,
taxation is fair, and operating constraints are minimal
other than to protect the vulnerable. Many European
casinos suffer from under investment and poor
management as a result of stifling operating
restrictions, high taxation and limited if any modern
marketing. These typically have only one way to go –
up… but require a lot of work in order to turn around.
We expect privatisations to begin to accelerate in
Europe as Governments wake up to the fact that they
Events
benefitting from prior regulatory approval to do so.
We see a bright future for this sector, and for the
ultimate intersection of terrestrial and online gaming
which is beginning to happen, as multi-channel
operators cross market. That’s the main reason that
the UK bookmakers trade at reasonably high
multiples relative to the casino operators. They have
the economies of scale to properly develop, market
and expand digital gaming, unlike the UK casino
operators who have performed miserably in their
online efforts.
consolidation - the gaming equipment industry has
consolidated rapidly. We had predicted this and
worked assiduously to help it happen. We think that
there may be fallout from over aggressive
consolidation in at least one case. This should lead to
further M&A in the sector as some of the technology
driven insurgents gain share and acquire non core
businesses from the majors.
are not the best owners of these assets. Governments
can’t be both the owner and the regulator. This broken
business model has been proven over and over to fail.
Hence the Governments in Austria, Holland, Italy and
parts of Scandinavia are considering privatising the
governmentally owned operations. The pace of this
change is glacial, however, and investors lose
patience. We therefore encourage the Governments of
Europe and the EU to embrace these privatisations
and conduct them in an open and transparent fashion.
We expect that the European casino industry will
slowly consolidate as the country champions merge
in order to achieve economies of scale that alone they
cannot gain. The US casino industry is already for the
most part consolidated, although there remain a few
more deals to do. Legislative restrictions on multiple
casino ownership in a number of jurisdictions will
temper further consolidation in the USA. The Macau
operators, as they seek to diversify from Macau to
protect themselves from a potentially dark future,
may more actively seek to invest in operations
outside of their home markets.
new Financing techniques - in our panel we will
discuss the growth of REItS in the USA, and the
likelihood of adoption of the separation of real estate
and operations elsewhere around the world. There are
also a number of public “Special Purpose Acquisition
Vehicles” seeking to invest in gaming, which provide
an alternative to private capital.
Genting from Malaysia is the most global of all of the
gaming companies, with sizeable operations in Asia,
Europe and the USA, gaining benefits from its size,
scale and scope. They have separately financed in the
public markets a number of their ventures, which we
think is a clever way of limiting risk while accessing
relatively inexpensive public market capital.
An interesting recent development in online gaming is
the smaller company acquiring larger private
companies, as exemplified by Amaya, Intertain and
NYX, all three listed in Canada. NYX recently
announced the acquisition of OpenBet for £270m
from a private equity firm, backed by two strategic
partners, William Hill and SkyBet. We think that
creative financing such as this, and partnerships
between companies, will become more prevalent as
control over technology becomes more important for
the large operators.
We expect consolidation to accelerate in digital and
online gaming as economies of scale start to matter,
both for the B to B and the B to C operators. We also
expect a crossover to occur between pure online and
terrestrial operators as the benefits of cross marketing
become more apparent, and regulatory barriers to
such consolidation come down.
digital and online Gaming - development of this
sector is critical to the long term health of the gaming
industry, as Millennials think and act differently than
Baby Boomers, and are much more likely to gamble
online or in a digital format. Unfortunately, as with
many new industries, regulation hasn’t kept up with
commerce, and Digital Gaming is only well regulated
in a few jurisdictions such as the UK and Italy. The US
regulators, who did very well with casinos, have
missed the mark with regulation of online and digital
gaming, and would do well to consult with certain of
their European counterparts on effective regulation
that would promulgate growth of the industry.
The racing industry is making an effective transition
out of necessity to digital and online wagering,
In summary, we continue to see the gaming industry
as a dynamic and interesting industry to invest in, and
raise capital for, but one with many challenges in an
increasingly complex operating and regulatory
environment. There are many ways that the industry’s
regulators, capital sources and advisors can work
together to create a more harmonious and better
functioning industry on a national and global scale.
We embrace the historic co location of the IAGA and
GREF at a conference, as there’s much for each side to
learn, and share in terms of knowledge and
experiences.
We think that European gaming is at an inflection
point, and risks being “left in the dust” globally, unless
regulators take positive and proactive action to
modernise the casino industry in particular, and
eliminate the patchwork quilt of sometimes
conflicting regulation that currently exists.
we continue to see the
gaming industry as a
dynamic and interesting
industry to invest in, and
raise capital for, but one with
many challenges in an
increasingly complex
operating and regulatory
environment. There are
many ways that the
industry’s regulators, capital
sources and advisors can
work together to create a
more harmonious and better
functioning industry on a
national and global scale. We
embrace the historic co
location of the IAGA and
GREF at a conference, as
there’s much for each side to
learn, and share in terms of
knowledge and experiences.
IAGA
Julian's, Malta.
P79
Events
Convergence or Diversification?
The land-based perspective
Michael cohen,
Senior vice President, Corporate
Development, General Counsel and
Corporate Secretary, Caesars
Acquisition Company
Michael Cohen is Senior Vice
President, Corporate Development,
General Counsel and Corporate
Secretary for Caesars Acquisition
Company, the managing member
of Caesars Growth Partners, a joint
venture between Caesars
Acquisition Company and Caesars
Entertainment Corporation.
Caesars Growth Partners owns
Planet hollywood Las Vegas, The
Linq Las Vegas, Bally’s Las Vegas,
the Cromwell, harrah’s New
Orleans and a joint venture interest
in horseshoe Baltimore. Michael
also serves as the Senior Vice
President, General Counsel and
Corporate Secretary of Caesars
Interactive Entertainment which
includes social / mobile games, the
World Series of Poker tournament
and a real money online gaming
business in Nevada and New
Jersey.
What some like to call
convergence, is really just
one of the lifeblood’s of
industry--diversification. CIE
entered into the social
games space as it was a
new, exciting, interactive
business that CIE believed
had incredible potential.
As gaming companies continue to grow and consolidate, so does their range of
offers making use of their capability to mix and match. At the IAGA Summit in
Malta, Caesars’ Michael Cohen will discuss with the panel the rationale of this
trend for the land-based perspective, how the gaming industry might look in the
not so distant future and how regulators might respond to product convergence
One of the hottest buzzwords in the gambling
business these days is “convergence.” But what does
convergence really mean? I believe its’ use is often
misplaced in the context of non-gambling products
outside of casinos.
Since the term “convergence” entered into the
gambling vernacular in the past year or so, I have
been scratching my head as to why. The gambling
business is no different than any other—it must
continue to grow revenues. That can be done, but
increasing volumes under its current product lines,
innovating with new gambling products (such as
online gambling) and non-gambling products at the
casinos (such as celebrity chef restaurants in casinos),
or diversifying its business by entering new lines of
business.
take for example Caesars’ approach to the formation
of an interactive arm in 2009, now called Caesars
Interactive Entertainment, or CIE. CIE was formed to
pursue real money internet poker in the United States.
Caesars knew, however, that the interactive world
operates differently than the bricks and mortar
gambling world. CIE was in essence a start-up
company. CIE needed to be flexible, entrepreneurial
and able to make quick decisions. CIE, led by its
founder and CEO, Mitch Garber, hired a small group of
executives with experience in interactive businesses.
When U.S. internet poker legislation stalled in 2010,
the entrepreneurial spirit upon which CIE was based
allowed it to “pivot” to pursue adjacent but different
interactive businesses. This pivot led CIE down the
path to social games, a non-gambling product. CIE
entered the social games business with its purchase of
Playtika in 2011, which at the time was a company
with less than 6 months of operating history and an
industry (games played thru social platforms,
primarily Facebook) that was in its infancy.
Why is this history important? What some like to call
convergence, is really just one of the lifeblood’s of
industry - diversification. CIE entered into the social
games space as it was a new, exciting, interactive
business that CIE believed had incredible potential.
In the decision to purchase Playtika, it was neither
intended nor even considered that these games would
be a platform for bringing players to bricks and
mortar casinos. And, in fact, CIE’s social games
business is a standalone business focusing on
generating revenues; not a marketing tool for casinos.
CIE’s social games business operates like many other
Events
games companies, such as Electronic Arts, Activision
Blizzard, and Zynga. These social games are no
different than video games like Pac-Man and Space
Invaders of the 1970’s and 1980’s, and Pinball
machines before that.
The explosion of the social games industry has led to
many using the term “social casino” for a wide range
of games, with many different motivations. This is
where the term “convergence” enters the
conversation for a small subset of the social games
universe. For decades, casino companies have been
looking at methods of staying in contact with their
players outside of the casino.
One way was online play-for-fun games. These were
casino games (slots, blackjack, roulette) that were
located on the casino’s website, and offered ways to
engage and entertain casino customers while not
physically at the casino. There is no “money in” and
no “money out” in these games—purely for fun, to
keep players engaged. Some play-for-fun games were
intended to teach the player how to play the casino
games, with the hope that the player would convert to
real money play in the future. With the growth of
social games in the last few years, some casinos have
used social casino-style games as an opportunity to
stay in touch with their customers.
This is not a new phenomenon, and no different than
play-for-fun games that have been around for
decades. These games are marketing tools for casinos,
with the primary purpose of increasing spend and
visitation at the casinos. The different motivations
behind these games are key: play-for-fun games are a
marketing tool for casinos versus social games that
are standalone games businesses focused on
generating revenues.
Some casino companies use these play-for-fun
games as a marketing tool for their casinos, some
don’t. At CIE, we are proud of the growth our social
games business has seen over the years and run it
separately from the Caesars casino business. CIE does
not use its social games to recruit real money
gamblers. CIE believes this separation, that
entrepreneurial spirit mentioned earlier, is one of the
keys to its success in the social games business.
Gambling is one of many
entertainment options.
Dinner and some slots at
the casino? Or Dinner and
a movie? One way to
advance an industry is to
offer new and compelling
products to your
customers.
What does this all mean? The casino industry is not
different than any other—trying to find new ways to
engage customers and to diversify revenues.
Gambling is one of many entertainment options.
Dinner and some slots at the casino? Or Dinner and a
movie? One way to advance an industry is to offer
new and compelling products to your customers.
Skill based games is often talked about as having the
potential to stem declining slot revenues. Another
example is enhanced amenities at casinos, such as
celebrity chef restaurants, extreme nightclubs and
expanded entertainment. These new amenities have
changed the revenue mix in Las Vegas with many
casinos earning more of their revenue from nongambling activities.
However, another way to grow revenues for a
business is to branch out into adjacent entertainment
genres. That’s not convergence; just plain old
diversification.
IAGA
Julian's, Malta.
P81
Interactive
VirtuAl SPortS - Kiron interActiVe
virtual Sports is a
new gaming reality
Steven Spartinos, co-CEO of Kiron Interactive, on
why advances in tech and product mean virtual
sports are growing into an increasingly important
new vertical for operators
steven spartinos,
co-ceo, Kiron interactive
Over the last couple of years,
increased investment by
suppliers has seen a massive
improvement in the quality of
the games, particularly in
terms of graphics, but also in
the surrounding back-end
infrastructure which allows for
an efficient roll-out and
integration.
The growth in virtual sports in recent years has
flown somewhat under the radar, with attention
focused as ever on the sportsbook and casino
verticals. But the sector has quietly picked up
pace alongside the growth of sports betting, and
is now a key component of most major
operators’ product mix, accounting for around
10-15 per cent of sports betting turnover.
This is higher than sectors which garner
considerably more attention, yet there still
remains a temptation among some to write
virtuals off as “cartoon racing”. This
categorisation is both unfair and outdated, a relic
of the early days in land-based venues, where
virtual sports have been a staple for more than a
decade now.
Over the last couple of years, the increased
investment made by suppliers in the space has
seen a massive improvement in the quality of the
games, particularly in terms of graphics, but also
in the surrounding back-end infrastructure
which allows for an efficient roll-out and
integration.
Wide aPPeal
Virtuals is in the fairly unique position of holding
a strong appeal to both sportsbook and casino
customers. Its core audience tends to be younger
players looking for new types of entertainment,
with the focus more often than not on instant
gratification. Many virtuals customers cross over
from casino having grown tired of the limitations
posed by slots.
These slots players have always been a tough
sell into sports, and many smaller casino
operators simply don’t have the resources to
offer a full sportsbook solution anyway. The
appeal of virtual sports to such operators is
obvious. As a RNG product, there is no need for
the expensive and time-consuming trading and
product expertise required in sports betting. The
cost of integration tends to be considerably lower
than bolting on a third-party sportsbook.
From the customer's viewpoint, especially
among those who have crossed over from casino,
virtual sports are a far less intimidating
proposition than sports betting. There is no
requirement to study form or hold prior
knowledge of the sport before having a wager.
The format is also faster and closer to the
snacking nature of mobile casino than a full 90minute football match. With events scheduled
every few minutes, down-time is minimised
meaning customers are less likely to log-off.
We are seeing many operators using virtual
sports in a similar manner to side games,
offering punters who might be between other
events a chance to enjoy a quick wager which
they know will be resolved in a couple of
minutes. Virtual sports must be the only product
which can make in-play look slow at times.
exPaNdiNG the ProduCt
The days when virtuals meant a poorly-rendered
horse racing animation which looked like it had
galloped straight out of the 1980s have
thankfully long passed. At Kiron Interactive we
are constantly adding to our product portfolio,
The next step will be for virtual
sports to emerge as a
standalone product in their
own right, rather than a
complementary offer to crosssell into from sportsbook or
casino. We are seeing a
handful of operators move in
this direction, with dedicated
virtuals portals and even
dedicated native applications
on mobile
and mobile devices, meaning operators get a
multi-channel virtuals solution with minimal
effort.
loCal aPProaCh
As the virtuals product portfolio becomes more
extensive, there are also opportunities to tailor
the experience to local markets. At Kiron we’ve
found our trotting product to be particularly
popular in the Nordics, while a basketball game
holds greater appeal in Eastern Europe than it
does in Western Europe.
Virtuals can also open up possibilities for
operators in markets where regulation prohibits
sports betting. As an RNG based product, virtual
games can be implemented in some markets
using regulations governing casino games.
Casino operators particularly have recognised
the higher margin returns offered by virtual,
which are similar to the returns expected from
multiple bets and far better than most singles
markets. In competitive jurisdictions with
pressures from regulation and taxation, the
opportunity to increase margin in a predictable
and stable manner holds plenty of appeal.
whether that be new sports and formats or
better graphics, interfaces and integration
options.
On the graphical front, we have learnt some
lessons from Hollywood and we are now in a
position where we can implement cutting-edge
motion capture technology to ensure games
look almost as good as the real thing. We have to
remember that the bar has been set extremely
high in this field by the videogames industry,
and customers now expect a graphical
experience which blows them away. As one of
the most established suppliers in the sector
Kiron is well-placed to deliver this level of
quality.
Among our recent launches have been a new
3-pointer shootout basketball game, an Indystyle motor racing game and a new version of
our partner VSoftCo’s Fantastic League football
product, which features upgraded, motioncaptured graphics and a league format that
offers up to ten concurrent football events.
What this means is that virtuals can finally
stand toe-to-toe in terms of customer choice
with the ever-expanding list of live betting
opportunities most operators offer. With the
huge advances in graphics we’ve seen over the
past few years, our customers have found that
virtuals can best the real thing in terms of user
engagement, particularly in off-peak hours
when the in-play options might be limited to
U19 football or minor tour tennis.
Mobile oPPortuNities
Over the past few years we’ve watched our
virtual products find a natural home on mobile,
where they are able to provide the exact type of
on-demand content users on the channel
demand. Mobile’s low dwell times means any
game which keeps users hanging around for the
action is bound to fail. Fortunately, that’s not a
problem our virtuals face.
As technology has improved, it now possible
to integrate far more immersive and richer
virtual sports products on mobile devices. This
comes at a stage where in-play streaming of live
events is yet to truly take off on mobile, with
delay times making the live betting experience
tough to manage. This presents a huge
opportunity for virtual sports to fulfil punters’
betting fix during on-the-move downtime such
as train journeys.
New technologies have also dramatically
improved integration options and times. Our
own tailored remote game server handles
integration and tracking across both desktop
briGht future
Thanks to graphical advances and expansion
into new sports variants, virtuals are finding
appeal in new markets and with new operators.
Perhaps most importantly, we are also finding
success isn’t the result of cannibalising existing
sportsbook and casino users; virtuals is now the
source of a meaningful percentage of operators’
organic growth.
I think the next step will be for virtual sports
to emerge as a standalone product in their own
right, rather than a complementary offer to
cross-sell into from sportsbook or casino. We
are already seeing a handful of operators move
in this direction, with dedicated virtuals portals
and even dedicated native applications on
mobile.
The format may have started out as a landbased product, but it is proving to be perfectly
suited to digital channels, especially among
customers who’ve grown up using the latest
devices and playing video games. Those final
relics of suspicion around the product - not to
mention the dismissive “cartoon racing”
remarks - will likely be long forgotten as virtual
sports continue to emerge as a critical
component for any major operator.
Interactive
VirtuAl SPortS - betrAdAr
Distilling the very
essence of a sport
Betradar went live with its virtual sports
solution at the end of 2012 and has since
created a library that includes football,
horse- and dog-racing, basketball and tennis
neale deeley,
head of Gaming division,
sportradar
Betradar’s punters are free to
study the form of their team,
track individual player statistics
from historical data - or ignore
all of that and bet purely on
impulse - whichever suits their
betting style. The important
thing is that there’s something
for everyone and every style of
betting.
In under four years, Betradar
has grown to delivers its
Virtual Sports solution to over
100 bookmakers, across 300
brands and 4,000 retail
locations.
Betradar went live with its virtual sports solution
at the end of 2012 and has since created a library
that includes football, horse- and dog-racing,
basketball and tennis. In under four years,
Betradar today delivers its virtual Sports
solution to over 100 bookmakers, across 300
brands and 4,000 retail locations.
Speaking to Betradar’s Neale Deeley, there’s
also a long list of customers at different stages of
the integration process ready to go live with the
Betradar solution. “We have new clients going
live every week” explained Mr. Deeley. “As
regards marketshare, we’re second in terms of
volume at present, but in relation to growth,
thanks to our product and distribution, we’re
No.1 right now.”
one word succinctly summarises Betradar’s
virtual Sports solution - realism. “The way that
punters bet in real sports dictates everything that
we do in virtual,” described Mr. Deeley. “Punters
know what they want. They understand the
concept of virtual, they know that it’s RNGbased, they appreciate the faster product cycle
and our attention to detail. It’s not just about
amazing graphics, it’s also about the product
offer. As a result, we offer a vast array of football
betting options for example, rather than seek to
force peripheral sports onto operators simply to
provide unwanted variety.
“We offer football via a 16 team league system,
a Euros version, FA cup style, Champions League,
etc. All with gameplay that matches the real
sport so punters get the same betting experience
that they do from the real sport. For example, a
punter who bets over/under 2.5 will have the the
same win frequency experience in our virtual
league as he gets when betting onthe
Premiership. Realism is about accuracy so it’s a
good job the products are built by our team in
Germany who live up to the stereotype of
incredible dedication and focus on detail, which
is something that carries over into each of the
sports we offer. Even minor things like the shot
distribution in tennis - the baseline, forehand,
aces etc – are statistically accurate when set side
to side with the actual sport itself.. Every
element adds to the realism of the real sport and
that’s what makes us successful.”
Betradar’s punters are free to study the form
of their team, track individual player statistics
from historical data - or ignore all of that and bet
purely on impulse - whichever suits their betting
style. The important thing is that there’s
something for everyone and every style of
betting. If a punter wants a sense of bet
correlation through research, they can drill down
to exactly the same level as real sports. However,
Betradar also understands that not everyone
We see our virtual revenues
tracking those of real sports
because we have a portfolio
that matches with the needs of
punters. We’re not interested in
diluting our sports offer, but
rather strengthening our
existing portfolio. For example,
our football product is
expanding with a Champions
League-style tournament,
World and European Cup this
year. We make money for the
operators by giving players the
options to bet on events that
they feel passionately about.
wants that kind of granular experience,
streamlining the betting options for those
wishing to seize the immediacy of ‘see price,
take price,’ betting.
Mr. Deeley describes the Betradar offer as
‘driven by what people buy and punters use.’
“There are virtual products on the market that
have removed all graphics from their offer, but
they don’t perform anywhere near the same
level,” said Mr. Deeley.
“We know that the quality of the graphics
impacts on the success of the product. If you
take a look at our sports products, we use
super-high quality motion-capture to deliver
the best graphical representation of the sport.
That said, we know that graphics are not what
drives or keeps punters playing. They are playing
to extend their betting experience from real
sports into virtual. We see the punters’ journey
from real sports to virtual, and to achieve our
excellent conversion rate, you have to offer the
same depth of gameplay.
“If you talk to our punters they can tell you
about the strengths and weakness of the teams
in our leagues, whether they’re more
predisposed to attack or defence, if they’re
experiencing a bad streak etc. To the punters,
these teams are real.”
Betradar believes their job is to provide the
punter with the sporting moments that inspire
them to bet. The primary objective of virtual
sports is to condense amazing sporting
moments into a highlights reel of the match,
using video clips to build tensions and ensure
that they’re correctly distributed across the
game. Betradar creates highlights by modeling a
complete game using data analytics to plot
exactly how the match unfolds and delivering a
sequence of highlights in the clips shown.
“The majority of betting in the world is
focused on football and we have the best virtual
football product on the market,” stated Mr.
Deeley. “We have been significantly enhancing
our graphics and expanding out the gameplay to
ensure that by mid-May we will be going live
with our European Championship, an exact
replica of the Euros with a complete
championship taking place every 70 minutes.
our philosophy is that we build virtuals for
betting, building realism at every level and
giving punters the context of a league or
tournament with complete and historic analysis,
around which they can frame their bets.”
Just as the vast majority of real sports-betting
has shifted to mobile devices, mobile is a huge
part of virtual sports betting options and one
that Betradar believes should again mirror its
real world counterpart.
“Mobile is just another channel to present the
product, but you have to do it in the right way,”
described Mr. Deeley. “We know that there’s a
huge amount of conversation as to how you
achieve this. Mobile is about what you take out,
not what you put in. For example, we shrink our
statistics down to the key metrics and provide
punters with a channel specific presentation.
However, we don’t believe, at the gameplay
level, that you need a channel specific product
as the goal is to reflect the real sport.. Mobile
penetration varies greatly by region too. Where
we see very little mobile coverage we help our
clients focus on web and retail, but in markets
such as the uK, which is now so heavily
concentrated around mobile betting, we
dedicate our resources to creating the very best
mobile experience.”
Asked about the variety of sports offered by
Betradar, Mr. Deeley states that he’s not
interested in building products for one or two
punters. “We’re not seeking to add a long tail of
minor sports,” said Mr. Deeley. “We see our
virtual revenues tracking those of real sports
because we have a portfolio that matches with
the needs of punters. We’re not interested in
diluting our sports offer, but rather
strengthening our existing portfolio.
“For example, our football product is
expanding with a Champions League-style
tournament, World and European Cup this year.
We make money for the operators by giving
players the options to bet on events that they
feel passionately about. As such, it’s incumbent
on us to explain to operators that that it’s not
about the quantity of the sports offered, it’s all
about the quality. In a market such as Asia,
which is skewed 85 per cent towards football,
we’re not offering ‘archery’ or ‘bowls’ - we focus
on adding even greater breadth and depth to the
products they love.”
Asked if the idea of virtual sports
cannibalising real sports betting has now been
‘put to bed,’ Mr. Deeley is confident that the
argument has been settled. “virtual sports is an
accretive product. We know from new installs
that the sports-book shows no impact from
virtuals after 4-8 weeks. We’re also seeing
operators making big marketing pushes to
introduce the product, which helps to not only
establish virtuals, but also embed the product to
retain that customer base. And, unlike casino
products, you’re not replacing slots every few
weeks. virtuals is a permanent product that is
currently growing much faster than the sportsbook.”
operators have been most successful
introducing virtuals were they have kept the
marketing, in Mr. Deeley’s words, ‘simple.’ “you
have to treat virtuals as a real sport, with the
same pricing and bets. If you offer free-bets on
real sports, you should offer free-bets on
virtuals. you shouldn’t distinguish the product
as something distinct from real sports. virtual
sports is not a filler event, it’s a product that’s
now accepted as part of the overall sportsbook.
“We’ve seen the volume continue to rise in
terms of overall betting, with virtuals now 4-6
per cent of the whole sports book for online
operators and anywhere between 10 per cent
and 30 per cent for retail, which matches up
against sports in the top five and it should be
marketed as such.”
Discussing the current industry buzzword ‘In-Play’ - Mr. Deeley believes that in-play is a
positive addition to virtual Sports and
something that Betradar is working to introduce
shortly. “I see certain sports really benefiting
from in-play betting, such as tennis,” he said.
“of all the virtual Sports on offer, tennis doesn’t
perform to its potential because the gameplay
doesn’t yet match the way punters bet on the
actual sport. In-play synchs with the way
punters bet on real tennis and I think this will
have a big impact on virtual tennis betting. Inplay football is a trickier prospect, though we
are working on concepts to introduce it in the
right way. The challenges are around the RNG
and the scheduling of the games.
“virtual sports is about shrinking time and
showing highlights, whereas in-play is about
showing more momentum clips and events that
are imminently going to happen to build those
betting opportunities. our job is to create a
virtual experience that punters want to watch
and gives people reasons to bet. In-play means
expanding our motion-capture to create those
extended scenes that deliver in-play betting
moments.
“Thankfully, we have one of the biggest teams
in the industry working on virtuals to deliver
exactly the product players and operators want.
While we’re not shy of instilling great graphics
into our products, we know that it’s the
brainpower spent on the punter experience that
pays the real dividends,” commented Mr.
Deeley.
Our job is to create a virtual
experience that punters want
to watch and gives people
reasons to bet. In-play means
expanding our motion-capture
to create those extended
scenes that deliver in-play
betting moments. Thankfully,
we have one of the biggest
teams in the industry working
on virtuals to deliver exactly
the product players and
operators want.
Interactive
VirtuAl SPortS - inSPired
At the sharp edge
of virtual Sports
All the excitement of Saturday afternoon
football betting can now be offered by
bookmakers around the clock with
Inspired’s Rush Football 2 Match Day
steve rogers,
cco of digital Games,
inspired
The main driving force behind
the development of the virtual
match day experience was the
popularity of the accumulator.
It allows us to tap directly into
the multiples-betting
experience that players
experience in many
sportsbetting markets across
the world.
The spectacular, multi-match,
virtual package, complete with
customisable studio,
accumulators, and professional
commentary, is looking to
bring the virtual betting
experience to life,
encapsulating the thrilling,
painstaking and often soul
destroying match day
afternoon in an exhilarating
three minute blast, across all
platforms.
utilising Inspired’s razor HD graphics, the nonstop Matchday shows up to eight matches which
can be viewed and bet on simultaneously, every
three minutes. A full range of over 25 markets is
available on every match bringing accumulator
opportunities and a league format that is
configurable to show highlights of just one match
on the main screen or highlights of different
matches at different grounds. It brings a whole
host of new betting opportunities into play too
with bets such as all teams to score paying out at
211.13 to 1 or eight home wins paying out at 724.18
to one.
Inspired’s CCo of Digital Games Steve Rogers
said: “The main driving force behind the
development of the virtual match day
experience was the popularity of the
accumulator. It allows us to tap directly into the
multiples-betting experience that players
experience in many sportsbetting markets
across the world. It offers eight virtual matches
all at once, every three minutes, recreating that
Soccer Saturday feel at any time. Customers can
bet on a single match or create multiple match
accumulators and bet on finishing league
positions before every Matchday. Each match
brings with it 25 markets from match betting,
total goals, double chance, correct scores,
handicaps and league position betting.”
The aim is clearly to make the virtual
experience as real as possible. With this in mind
Inspired has enlisted the services of BT Sports
commentator Ian Darke to commentate on the
games with BT Sports Presenter Lynsey Hipgrave
rounding up the action from a virtual studio that
can be customised to suit whatever branding the
bookmaker wants. In Italy the commentator
used by Inspired is industry veteran Massimo
Caputi of RAI/ RTL 102.5 fame.
The full HD graphics and the player movement
are incredible realistic with the models and
animations being developed using film-quality
motion capture techniques, combined with the
BAFTA award winning team of animators based
in the uK.
“To give you an idea of how much detail we’ve
gone into, we spent four months doing ball
algorithms to make sure we had the feel of the
football right,” Mr. Rogers explained. “our
motion capture filming technique is painstaking
but we feel it is unrivalled in the virtual sector.
We fully understand the power of brands at
Inspired but unfortunately licensing real football
teams really would make the product far too
expensive,” Mr. Rogers explained. “Licensing
Mike Tyson for our virtual product has been
critical to its development but football really
would be all or nothing. We’d have to secure
licensing from every team in England and Italy
and every country for where the match day
package is customised for.”
For Inspired, Rush Football 2 Match Day is just
the latest roll out for an exciting stable of virtual
products. It is understandably proud of the
$10bn virtual industry that it has created.
Indeed, virtual betting now accounts for nine to
12 per cent of over the counter betting in the uK.
“virtual has gone from a standing start four
years ago to being a recognised sector generating
revenues of $1bn and $700m in Gross Win,” Mr.
Rogers explained. “We have virtual in 50,000
venues including every bookies in the uK. We
account for 95 per cent of the virtual industry in
Italy. We have 11 virtual sports and four numbers
games and 800 events each day.”
Inspired’s success has seen a host of existing
companies turn their hand to virtual and just as
many new companies formed to launch into the
sector.
“Competition breeds innovation and
investment,” Mr Rogers explained, “so we
wholeheartedly welcome it. our strategy is to
provide the most realistic virtual betting
opportunities on whatever the sports betting
community is betting on.”
virtuals are basically fixed odds as the prices
China has been huge for the
company. Inspired’s Virtual
Motor Racing launched in
August 2011 as Lucky Racing
in hunan province where it is
live in 1,700 venues. Sales total
over uS$ $132m since its
launch. Bets on Lucky Racing
make up 36.3 per cent of all
lottery sales in hunan province
and 1.1 per cent of all national
sports lottery sales It offers six
Virtual events per hour, (84 per
day) versus six lottery draws
per week.
don’t change, they simply correlate to
probability. The odds aren’t compensated; there
is no pattern or trend. “We offer some level of
form but this is no more than offering how many
times red or black has come up on roulette,” Mr.
Rogers explained. “There is a fixed set of
probabilities a fixed set of prices and a random
outcome. There is then risk in the product.
Average RTP in uK is 94 per cent compared to
93 per cent in actual sports betting. In Italy it is
around 90 per cent but in China it is set at 54 per
cent.”
Launched to increase the number of events to
bet on in Licensed Betting offices, virtual was
seen as something to bet on in between real
sports events. It also provided options for people
who wanted to bet on a sport but didn’t know
anything about it. “People love the immediacy
of the results,” Mr. Rogers added. “virtual
betting has a slightly younger demographic than
traditional sports betting and also seems to be
more female friendly. We don’t however see
many players that are only virtual so it really is a
complimentary product to tradional betting. We
are continually evolving each of our games so
that we don’t stand still. our stable product,
horseracing has recently added a new feature
showing the starting positions and odds
throughout the race. The base game is only 50
per cent of the package with everything else
being completely customisable.”
A good example of this is the work that
Inspired did with SNAI on the Italian operator’s
horseracing product. SNAI owns its own racing
track in the San Siro part of Milan. Inspired
filmed there, flying drones over the horse track
and then using the live action to enhance the
virtual with shots of Milan’s skyline forming
part of the backdrop. The latest football release
is being eagerly awaited in Italy where 95 per
cent of real sports betting bets and 75 per cent of
virtual bets are placed on football. Inspired
created A $1bn virtual betting industry in Italy in
just six months.
It is also the only supplier who offers virtual
for mobile.
“The mobile channel is a huge area of growth
and is driving 30 per cent of the online
operators’ revenues,” Mr. Rogers explained. “We
expect our Matchday package to be really
popular on mobile. In-play betting has really
seen the growth of mobile when it comes to
football betting so the players we are targeting
with Matchday are already on mobile. Mobile
offers immediate gratification whenever and
wherever. We’ve also entered the mobile slots
market earlier this year.”
Inspired’s virtual sports are now present in 35
countries. China has been huge for the
company. Inspired’s virtual Motor Racing
launched in August 2011 as Lucky Racing in
Hunan province where it is live in 1,700 venues.
Sales total over uS$ $132m since its launch. Bets
on Lucky Racing make up 36.3 per cent of all
lottery sales in Hunan province and 1.1 per cent
of all national sports lottery sales It offers six
virtual events per hour, (84 per day) versus six
lottery draws per week. Lucky Racing does not
detract from other lottery sales and has proven
to stimulate above average growth in other
sports lottery products in Hunan. Discussions
are now underway with National Authorities to
roll out virtual sports betting nationally across
China.
Inspired launched into the Philippines with
PAGCoR in July where it hopes to be live in over
1,000 venues by the end of 2016. It will launch
into Colombia in February but sees Japan, the
world’s biggest sports betting market, as the
country with perhaps the most potential. Due to
the legalities, that remains a pipedream for now
but as demonstrated throughout its meteoric
rise, anything is indeed possible with Inspired’s
virtual sports.
Interactive
VirtuAl SPortS - PlAytech
Capture and release
- the art of mo-cap
Last year, Playtech invited G3 to attended its
motion-capturing sessions at Leavesden
Studios. We speak to Virtual Sports Director,
Elliott Norris, about what happened next...
G3 attended the motion-capture shoot at
leavesden Studios in June 2015. having
gathered all that footage, what’s been the
process since to turn that data into a simulated
Virtual Sport?
elliott norris,
director, virtual sports
Playtech
As one of the original founders of GTS – acquired
by Playtech in 2009) – Elliott has more than 16
years’ industry experience. Developing the
market’s first Virtual horse racing product in
2001, Elliott continues to push the boundaries of
leading technologies in the pursuit of making
virtual a reality.
“Motion-capture is just small part of the overall
process. once we’ve gathered all the shots we
need, we take that data, which at the basic
technical level is mass of dots moving in a 3D
space, and splice them together, creating
accurate models of players interacting with in
physical environments. We also take real players
and digitise them using body scanners. We work
with a company at Pinewood Studios that
utilises a huge sphere of cameras that
completely envelope the player.
Each stills camera (Cannon 5D), of which there
are over 150, captures a partial HD image of the
player in centre of the sphere. The multiple
images are then pieced together to generate
highly detailed 3D texture models of each player.
We take that data and apply to the motioncapture data, sending everything through a
clean-up stage, and then, when we’ve brought all
those elements together, we have a very realistic
3D character whose motions are those of real
people. The final stage involves animation to
create the sports sequences we require.
What level of detail did you attempt to achieve
and how close is the final product to liveaction?
one of the issues with animation is that the
more detail you add, the less accepting the
human eye actually becomes. Cartoons, for
example, work because they use very few
frames of animation to mimic speech, but as you
add more frames of animation, to make things
more realistic, the more your eye sees the
illusion as being unrealistic. What this means is
that you have to produce something that is
extremely life-like or it doesn’t work at all.
Having said that, the level of detail is not just
about great motion, you have to include amazing
textures to create the complete package. We
learnt a lot from our football product, which we
completed six months prior to heading to
Leavesden. Playtech’s virtual Football product is
market-leading, but you can see with both the
tennis and basketball, that they are a ‘generation
step’ further on. We went so far at Leavesden to
shoot 60,000 character seconds of data. We
don’t need all that data in the first instance, but
it’s great to have it for the future.
It’s worth remembering that our motion-data is
not affected by technology advancement. The
quality of textures will evolve and way we build
our models will change, but we have a library of
motion-capture data that we can mine for the
next 3-5 years without it going out of date. We
have already evolved our football product, which
During a tennis match the
players are at either end of
court, but sports such as
American football and ice
hockey, introduce much more
complexity as you have to
ensure that characters don’t
overlap, that the collisions are
realistic and the different sizes
of the players is recreated
authentically. Each of the
basketball models were based
on the real players, with 3D
characters representing the
height and size of the players.
is also a bigger challenge due to the nature of the
sport, which includes the close interaction of
lots of players. During a tennis match the players
are at either end of court, but sports such as
American football and ice hockey, introduce
much more complexity as you have to ensure
that characters don’t overlap, that the collisions
are realistic and the different sizes of the players
is recreated authentically. Each of the basketball
models were based on the real players, with 3D
characters representing the height and size of
the players on the day. If you make a player
taller or shorter in a 3D environment, you’re
potentially creating collisions that didn’t and
wouldn’t happen in real-life, which destroys the
illusion.
having identified 280,000 different possible
outcomes within a game of football - where do
you draw the line? What’s the point at which
you say - “that’s enough, this is the final
product.” And is the refining process
something that you’ll continue to work upon for
version 2.0 of each sport?
has gone through a second iteration, but we’ve
used the same footage as it continues to be
relevant.
how often do you look to evolve the product, or
is it a constant process of renewal?
It is an evolutionary process, driven by the
determination to build even better betting
products and an amazing betting experience.
The fact that the graphics look fantastic is only
half of the product, we have to wrap all that
around a brilliant betting and gaming
experience. on that side of the process, we have
updated our football product to introduce
tournament and league play. The extra
functionality of adding to the core teams,
introducing more languages and localised
content for the different leagues, expands the
entire product. In-Play also broadens the betting
options massively, allowing us to offer, for
example, first goal scorer bets, without adding
predetermined sequences. our server handles
the data so that we can simulate a real match,
calculating which player in the game will be the
first to score. That’s not just about the graphics -
that’s about delivering the best player
experience possible.
Are there shots that you wished you’d captured
at leavesden that you missed, or did you get
everything you needed?
We captured everything that we needed for the
player sequences, but we did hire a smaller
studio at Pinewood to gather the crowd data we
needed. So while we got everything we needed
for the gameplay, we did need a bit more footage
for the audience.
you captured both tennis and basketball at the
time - are they progressing in tandem, or are
you focusing on one in particular - and have
they presented the same or very different
challenges to recreate digitally?
We have a 20 strong design studio and have
staggered production, creating first our tennis
product and then basketball. Basketball was
also much more challenging due to the sheer
number of players, which required more
motion-capture and more animation. Basketball
you can find fault in any product and so while
we continue to push harder at every step, you do
have to draw a line too. If the product isn’t live,
you’re not earning revenue. It’s a balance
between the creative desire to deliver perfection
as opposed to something that’s 99.9 per cent
that we can go live with today. How we
determine that is driven from the betting side.
We gathered 10 years’ worth of football
statistics, looked at precisely how many times a
specific event occurred and built our priorities
around those most common events, with the
infrequent events much lower down the list.
That’s how we draw it down. Determining
exactly how much is enough, is down to player
experience. If you’re in front of your device or
machine for two hours, you’ll never see
repetition - that’s very, very important.
The shoot at Leavesden was designed to capture
a “real game” as part of Playtech’s virtual Sports
offer - you weren’t stitching together
predetermined sequences, but creating a
simulation of the sport - have you achieved
that? In a predetermined sequence it’s fairly
obvious how you’d map the bets to the footage but how do you do that in a simulated event?
Interactive
VirtuAl SPortS - PlAytech
The desire to create a simulated product was
driven by the betting experience. It would have
been much easier to create pre-match bets and
determine the exact scores, events,
win/lose/draw and basic options without
creating a simulated experience. However, to
build in-play into the product, we needed data
from a simulated event. Having analysed data
from a decade’s worth of real matches, we
studied how the teams performed at the
individual player level. It’s this level of intricacy
and detail that allows us to offer in-play bets,
such as ‘first goal scorer.’ When you pair
graphics to simulated events, there’s still an
element of pre-determination as you’re
determining who will score, which player will
cause the foul. But if you look at our in-play, you
wouldn’t be able to distinguish between a
simulated and a real match.
We have to offer a product that
meets the market expectation,
but with a focus on the core
sports, horse-racing, football
and tennis. We know that inplay football betting is the key
revenue generator for
operators and in the initial
phases of our roll-out we’ve
exceeded expectations.
have you been adding more sports to the roster
since June? you mentioned trotting, speedway
and cycling, plus you were considering
American sports, formula 1 and Asian sporting
products? So what’s next and have you also
added more language options too?
We’ve released speedway and cycling, with
trotting to be added soon. The decision on which
sports to include is based on real sports-book
data, with the popularity and demand for a sport
driving what we do next. There are always two
points of sale, the games manager and the end
players. We have to offer a product that meets
the market expectation, but with a focus on the
core sports, horse-racing, football and tennis.
We know that in-play football betting is the key
revenue generator for operators and in the initial
phases of our roll-out we’ve exceeded
expectations.
However, we have a big launch coming up in
next few months with a tier one operator that
will see a very different delivery of the football
product. All I can say at this stage is that it’s not
directly comparable against the competition. It’s
not about providing X or y sport, or being judged
on graphics. Even if you’re operating a
competitor’s product, there’s a compelling
reason to release with us as this is an entirely
different product.
We know that it is difficult for an operator to
remove a product, even swapping to a better
solution is a risk when an entrenched product is
still making money. our aim, therefore, is to
deliver a product in a unique way that makes
compelling reasons for itself as both a
standalone and addition to an existing product
offer.
The next sport we are looking at is cricket,
followed by American football and ice hockey,
which again are being driven by real world
betting data. We will be updating our racing
product towards the end of the year with a new
engine that changes how the product is
delivered, allowing us to create a 40 horse
virtual Grand National product. We will be
enhancing many of the products that we already
offer, adding to the languages we currently
deliver at the same time. In addition to English,
Italian and Finnish, we are reacting to market
demand for a Spanish translation as part of our
localisation programme for key markets.
how has the scaling of the product for Pc,
mobile and hdtV progressed in terms of
graphical and simulation fidelity? have you
managed to incorporate the detail, the focal
length, the court side sounds effects and
lighting that creates the atmosphere of the
game?
From the top-down we build everything for the
HDTv environment, that’s why it’s necessary to
gather all that detail and fidelity during the
motion-capture stage, because that’s the
environment where it’s easiest to judge the
quality of the end product. What we can stream
is based on the device itself, the resolution of the
displays and, on mobile devices, the bandwidth
available to deliver that sport to the device.
We’re not taking things out of the content
because we’re sending to a mobile device, it’s
about compressing the stream to that device.
Mobile is 70 per cent of our play. If you compare
to others in the market, at ICE 2015 we had a
powerful product, but this year we had the edge.
We are now the market-leader with tennis and
basketball clearly standout products. Last year
we were on a par with the competition, now
we’re a step-ahead.
you stated that the footage captured was part
of an evolutionary process in which the
technology is constantly evolving - have there
been any major changes to software/hardware
production techniques that have made a
significant impact on the way you work since
leavesden?
We learnt a lot during the creation of our
football product. our experience meant that the
motion capture process was different at
Leavesden, which will in turn influence our next
project as we’re constantly examining our
techniques to improve them. The list of overall
improvements is extensive, if you look at
something like the animation of cloth, we
improved the system for tennis and then again
for basketball. We are pushing the boundaries of
what we have done before to ensure that our
customers are not stuck with a legacy product.
It has been a difficult path,
which comes down to the fact,
even though football, tennis
and basketball are fantastic
Virtual Sports, the decision to
switch providers is not an easy
one. however, we have had
incredibly positive feedback
and it’s been great to increase
revenues wherever we are live
and have replaced competitive
product.
Is the big technical challenge the synching of
betting options to your simulated sporting
events - or is the most significant achievement
the ability to send such detailed graphical and
statistical information to different channels,
from mobile, through to Pc and on-site
bookmakers?
Streaming is a relatively straightforward process
as it is used in a variety of industries. We’re not
doing anything differently to anyone else. A
consideration, however, are newer markets
where the technology infrastructure is lacking,
especially in retail. In those circumstances we’re
not able to control connectivity in that space, the
functionality of the servers in shop or the
numbers of Tvs they’re using to deliver content.
What we have done to combat these challenges
is develop our own hardware for retail that
connects to a Tv system to maintain high
fidelity in a shop environment. We’ve tried to
make the system as modular as possible,
whereby we can work with the operator and
make decisions as how it will be deployed.
Playtech has arrived late to the Virtuals party which has disadvantages and advantages how are you competing and making your
product distinct against the offers currently
available to operators?
It has been a difficult path, which comes down
to the fact, even though football, tennis and
basketball are fantastic virtual Sports, the
decision to switch providers is not an easy one.
However, we have had incredibly positive
feedback and it’s been great to increase
revenues wherever we are live and have
replaced competitive product. operators like to
follow the market and we’re building a really
strong show window for our product with big
retail release that justify the lengths, and
expense, that we’ve gone to in order to deliver
the best virtuals product on the market.
Interactive
VirtuAl SPortS - SiS
The vertical rise
of virtual Sports
Having made its own push into Virtual
Sports in 2015, and with the launch of
unique in-car camera angles system with
its new Infinite Racing Games product, SIS
is defining the next-generation of Virtuals
marc Thomas,
head of Product, sis
Marc Thomas joined SIS, the worldwide leader
for broadcast and data services in betting retail
and online, as head of Product in February 2014.
he is responsible for driving core expertise as
well as expanding the company’s product range
for clients.
With more than 20 years’ experience in the
betting and gaming sector, Thomas has been
involved in launching, managing and developing
online products for a number of key industry
brands.
Operators face a constant
challenge to keep punters from
trickling away in the quieter
periods of sport – virtuals are
one of the ways of reducing
the fall-away.
G3 speaks to SIS’ Head of
Product, Marc Thomas, about
the space Virtual Sports
currently occupies in the retail
and online markets, and asks what’s next for this versatile
steeply ascending product?
can virtuals appeal to new bettors/
international audiences or is its function to
extend betting opportunities with the same
audience?
Appealing to new and existing customers is one
of the key attractions of virtuals, and operators
can look to use them to grow the value of current
customers. But they are also a great acquisition
tool for new and often more casual players. They
are a great ‘snacking product’.
virtuals are also a perfect crossover product
between sportsbook and casino, offering a
middle ground of the ‘racing’ experience to
sports fans and RNG security for casino players.
They are sticky too and a great way of keeping
punters on the site – a role they also fulfil in
retail estates - reinvesting winnings and building
up brand loyalty.
For non-bettors, they’re also a soft landing into
sportsbook. For example, those less familiar
with racing, such as punters in countries where
the sport isn’t traditionally known, can be
attracted by the gamification aspect of virtuals,
which in turn can then lead to interest in the
real-life sport.
If you’re extending betting in dormant periods
from the same bettors, is Virtuals revenue
accretive?
Absolutely, virtuals are a way of keeping bettors
on sites or in shops, and remaining active, during
half time in a televised football match, or
between and after horse and dog races in the
afternoon schedule. operators face a constant
challenge to keep punters from trickling away in
the quieter periods of sport – virtuals are one of
the ways of reducing the fall-away.
how should operators be marketing Virtuals to
their bettors?
utilising the crossover between sportsbook and
casino would be a key factor in making sure the
product is brought to the attention of the right
audience, and this crossover is valid in both
directions. Traditionally, virtuals have been seen
as mere extensions of real-life product within
sportsbooks and, while this remains a successful
Operators need to meet
punters in the space that suits
them, which is often mobile for
modern bettors. Lots of us use
betting apps on our phones
and tablets, so it’s only logical
that virtuals can offer
something new to the mix.
They’re quick and easy to use,
and include a gamification
aspect which is ideal for
mobile.
sports) are you looking to provide - is football
next?
There’s no reason to say that football and other
sports won’t be added to SIS’ suite of Infinite
Games in the future. The product has already
proved a fantastic success, we’ve already
introduced a number of second generation
developments and we’ll continue to grow the
product offering and provide operators with the
on-demand virtual products to suit their
customers.
Is virtuals a predominantly retail/on-site
product offering? Where does it fit as a mobile
product?
Mobile has to be one part of the overall picture
for all products now brought to the betting
market – it’s about getting the balance right.
operators need to meet punters in the space that
suits them, which is often mobile for modern
bettors. Lots of us use betting apps on our
phones and tablets, so it’s only logical that
virtuals can offer something new to the mix.
They’re quick and easy to use, and include a
gamification aspect which is ideal for mobile.
our Infinite racing games have already proved
hugely popular on mobile.
marketing and product strategy for some, other
operators are seeing huge value in placing
virtuals within a games or casino environment
and utilising all of the sophisticated marketing
and bonus tools available to increase usage of
virtuals
how big an impact will on-demand have on
virtuals as opposed to scheduled events?
on-demand in virtuals is a game-changing
addition to the market. SIS was the first to bring
on-demand racing games to the market in
December 2015, and they’ve been a huge
success for both SIS and Sky vegas.
Punters are used to instant gratification,
whether it’s in-play betting, Tv viewing on their
smartphones, constant updating of social media
– they want new information and opportunities
quickly. our Infinite Games provide up to six
times more betting opportunities than regular
scheduled virtual races, which is satisfying the
high demand of the modern bettor and
reflecting the ‘spin and win’ culture that has
developed in recent years.
Are virtuals being played for their own sake, or
are they still a stop-gap between live events?
The most successful virtual products are both.
operators need virtuals to remain attractive on
the second, third, fourth time of playing, which
means they need to offer more than just being a
stop-gap product.
With SIS Infinite Games, we’ve worked hard to
develop a product that offers the enjoyment of a
game in its own right, introducing choices of
camera angles and in-race interaction to provide
more ‘stickiness’ for punters.
What additional products beyond SIS' current
crop of racing options (horses, dogs and motor
SIS in partnership with core Gaming has just
launched Infinite racing games, which includes
the option for the player to select their own
camera angles of the race. how does this
change the user experience?
It’s all about creating a product that is
interesting, enjoyable and keeps people coming
back for more. Adding in the camera angles,
turbo options and the introductions of hazards
and fallers is one way of providing another layer
of gamification, which is appealing to a nonbetting audience and also gives punters another
reason to enjoy in their downtime.
how do you see in-play progressing in
virtuals? And how do you create betting
opportunities when virtuals is about providing
only the highlights of a match or race?
As with betting on real-life events, punters have
a voracious appetite for new and interesting
betting options and opportunities, and SIS will
be working hard over the next few months to
create even more unique features within virtual
betting.
Interactive
SPortS-bettinG: PlAyVenture
Adding the ‘spice’
to sports-betting
Betting, and especially sports-betting, is
the driving force in the online gaming
industry at present. While it is the most
popular activity, we see the same type of
offer being recycled over and over again,
only in a different wrapper. Sports-betting
has a weak spot and that is innovation
Theodoros Theodosopoulos,
ceo Playventure
The online gaming market has
been facing a gap of an
innovative, player vs. player,
betting software, and while
there have been some
promising launches of that
type of games, yet they all
seem to be missing
something.
Everyone is looking for the
next big thing in sportsbetting, the latest innovative
game-changer, but it’s proving
ellusive. Sportsbooks seem to
appear one after the other, just
in a different skin, while the
online gaming industry is still
lacking in real innovation.
Recycling the same pattern
seems to be a never-ending
cycle in gaming software
development companies, and,
while sportsbooks are steadily
making money for the gaming
sector, players have raised their
expectations.
Mobile and tablet have already begun changing
the gaming picture, and with major apps, like
Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, etc., being up-todate with the latest tech trends and constantly
updated with new and innovative features, users
expect the same from their gaming experiences.
We are entering an era when a simple
sportsbook is not good enough anymore, no
matter how good the mobile and tablet
adaptation.
The online gaming market has been facing a
gap of an innovative, player vs. player, betting
software, and while there have been some
promising launches of that type of games, yet
they all seem to be missing something. As a
passionate gamer myself, I was constantly
looking for a different betting game. I tried
several new games, but I always felt that
something wasn’t right. I couldn’t find a thrilling
and at the same time profitable game, without
having to spend a lot of money just to have the
opportunity to claim any prizes.
live Plus
Having had trouble finding what I actually
wanted, I took the decision to create it myself.
After targeted research, I came up with the idea
of Live Plus, and created a company under the
At the end of the game, the
player with the bigger net win
is announced the 1st place
winner of the tournament. But
in Live Plus, even if you don’t
rank first, you still get the
chance to win, since more than
60 per cent of the players win
part of the prize pool,
depending on their ranking,
with the 1st place winner
getting 20 per cent of the total
pool. And this way, everybody
(literally) is happy.
name of Playventure, in order to make my idea a
reality. It was as simple as that: I had a specific
type of game in my mind, and, since I couldn’t
find it, I thought why not develop it myself?
Forget anything you know about sportsbooks,
because Live Plus is not one. Alongside the
Playventure team, we created the first player vs.
player, live bet in the form of a tournament.
Although Live Plus hasn’t officially been
launched yet, it has already gained big interest,
especially after being announced Pitch ICE
Winning Product of 2016, during the ICE 2016
exhibition. In addition to that, Playventure has
recently been shortlisted with Live Plus for the
EGR B2B Awards 2016, in the category of
Innovation in Sports Betting, making
Playventure and Live Plus stand out from the
crowd.
But what exactly is this product that has
attracted so much attention before even
launching? Live Plus is an innovative software
solution that combines the thrill of live betting
with the value of pool betting. Instead of
competing against the operator or the
bookmaker, players compete against each other
in tournaments that are held on live sports
events. The user can choose from a wide variety
of tournaments, register by paying a low entry
fee and start betting in the markets available
with the chips they are given. The objective of
Live Plus is to manage and predict better than
the other players, trying to finish as high as you
can on the leaderboard at the end of a live sports
event.
sure that this game has many inviting features,
adding a bit of “spice” to the product, while
giving the opportunity to both players and
operators to win more. If a player loses all his
chips before the end of the game and gets
eliminated, he gets the opportunity to rejoin
with the Rebuy option, by paying again the
entry fee. users also get the opportunity to add
more chips to their account, by using the Addon
button, which gives them extra chips to bet by
paying a low fee, increasing in this way their
odds of winning.
At the end of the game, the player with the
bigger net win is announced the 1st place winner
of the tournament. However, in Live Plus, even if
you don’t rank first, you still get the chance to
win, since more than 60 per cent of the players
win part of the prize pool, depending on their
ranking, with the 1st place winner getting 20 per
cent of the total pool. And this way, everybody
(literally) is happy.
I wanted to create a game which would be
easy and inviting to everyone, and rewarding
anyone that gets involved with it. I wanted
players to keep coming back for more, winning
bigger prizes each time.
PlayveNture
advaNtaGes for both
Players aNd oPerators
What makes Live Plus so special is not just its
unique game play, but also the fact that it
manages to keep everyone happy: both the
players and the operators. In classic sportsbooks
we usually see that this is a one-way street:
players have to invest a not so small amount in
order to get back a bigger prize, while operators
always face a high risk. In Live Plus, users pay
just the remarkably low entry fee and get the
opportunity to claim very big prizes, while
operators can sit back and relax, as they keep a
stable high margin, without facing any risk at all,
since players fund themselves with their own
prize pool. So, let’s revise: players fund the prize
pool by paying the low entry fee, which means
the more players there are, the bigger the prize
pool, and operators simply keep their margin,
without fearing the risk.
But it wasn’t enough to just stop there: I made
The name ‘Playventure’ will be one you will be
hearing more and more often in the future. The
company was founded two years ago, in order to
turn Live Plus from an idea to reality, but the
innovative live betting software is not the only
product that Playventure has to offer. The team
has also developed a game suite, PlayGames,
which includes virtual Football, Keno, Bet
Wheel and Roulette. Although the rest of the
products do not offer a ground-breaking
solution, the company always tries to add
innovative features in order to take a classic
product to the next level.
We were only a very small team when it all
started. Today, I’m very happy to say that we are
growing more and more each day and we
constantly have new members added to our
team. What I always seek in the people I work
with, is creativity, innovative ideas and a keen
eye for detail. I want to ensure that anything we
create is perfect and well-designed.
Interactive
webSite deSiGn - 777.coM
Risks and rewards
of design process
Operated by 888 Holdings, 777.com offers online
players the opportunity to play live casino games
facilitated by real dealers using live streaming
webcams. G3 discusses the website’s launch
with 888’s Head of B2C, Itai Pazner
What was the goal of the new website and
how do you translate a las Vegas experience
into a web design?
itai Pazner,
senior vice President,
head of B2c, 888holdings
Itai Pazner joined 888 in 2001. During his first
years with the group he established the off-line
media communication channel and launched
the 888.com brand in the uK. While in this post
he succeeded in positioning 888.com as a top
three uK online gaming operator. In 2005 Itai
was appointed Global Offline Marketing Director.
In this role he managed a global marketing
budget of over 25 million dollars annually.
Amongst Itai’s achievements were 888’s
successful penetration to several major markets
including uK, Germany, France, Spain and
Denmark. In 2007 Itai was appointed Senior
Vice President, head of EMEA, where he
oversaw EMEA’s P&L with direct responsibility
for local marketing, business development &
localization activities and from there he was
promoted to SVP, head of Global Regions
Division. upon his return to Israel in 2009 Itai
moved to be SVP COO of the B2C Division with
direct responsibility for the Casino line of
business and in April 2011 Itai became SVP,
head of B2C Division. In this role Itai is
responsible for 888’s main P&L (Casino, Poker,
Bingo, Sport and Regulated Markets) including
overseeing the group’s main marketing budget
of over $135 million. Since 2011 the business
has grown an average of 19% annually and in
2015 reached a record of ~ $450 million.
With 777 our aim was to attract a positive
emotional engagement in players. As well as
attracting brand new players we wanted to
appeal further to 888casino players by offering
players another option, to stir their “happy
bones”, because 777 is the place where good
things happen. The road to 1950’s vegas theme
brings an instant feeling of fun and nostalgia
from the word go, the charming and cheerful
colour scheme and images bringing a cool and
breezy look to the casino lobby. We have created
an atmosphere that oozes optimism and
serendipity, where every day surprises put a
smile on your face and Jackpots and lucky
prizes are showcased throughout. Retro
glamour, down to the font style, vintage visuals
and layout create a happy feeling of the “good
old times” and 1950’s nostalgia.
Whose ideas for the new site did you call upon
- did you gather feedback from players, for
example, and did this involve user testing?
The idea for 777 was to appeal to new markets
through offering them an alternative feel. The
launch of 777 followed a long and detailed
process of collaboration and intricate thought
and design procedures amongst a team of
designers, artists and marketing experts.
how closely did you examine your competitors’
sites, did this influence your design and how do
you stay a few steps ahead of the pack?
777 brings a unique theme that is not felt at any
other online casino site, 888casino included.
This does give us a certain edge in terms of being
“a few steps ahead of the pack” as an overall
brand as we pioneer into an exclusively fresh
direction, where luck and surprises take centre
stage within a cheerful and idealistic setting
That is what sets 777 apart from the rest.
Was this an in-house project or did you
contract out the redesign, and why?
777 was an end-to-end in-house project. We are
lucky to house an expansive team of
experienced and talented in-house designers
and marketing experts, who are also responsible
for all of our internal designs, on-going
promotions as well as brand and
communication materials, so we have
everything we need right here.
5. how important is live dealer to your casino
and how have you sought to integrate them
within the design?
Live dealer casino games are a very important
element of our sites and are an extremely
popular choice with players. This is so much the
case that we are adding more Live Casino tables
to both 888casino and 777 to keep up with
popular demand. Players seem to love the
personal touch that the live dealer games deliver
as they get the first-name basis top-notch
assistance from the guys and girls at the tables.
So yes, Live Dealer Casino games are here to
stay and attract the same positive reaction on
777 that they have always done on 888casino.
how do you spotlight the jackpots and offers
available on 777 - while at the same time
promote responsible gaming practices - how
do you get the balance right?
We take responsible gaming very seriously and
As 777 is a sister-brand of
888casino and was not a
replacement, we introduced
the brand as its own entity, so
it can appeal to both brand new
players, who are not familiar
with 888casino and are looking
for a themed environment with
a unique and different concept
our brands’ optimistic values and sunny
disposition, and we continue to implement this
integrated vision on a continual basis.
how important are the cosmetic elements of
777?
very important. 777 is all about feeling good and
it’s the special elements and features that set it
apart from 888casino and other casino sites. For
example, as soon as you enter the 777 lobby, you
are presented with a live stream on real-time
winners and their victory amount – we want to
show our players that luck is happening all
around them at 777! With 777’s retro-style,
glamour and sophistication, the entire casino
experience is raised to that happy level.
Sunshine and fun time surround you at every
step of the way.
we are constantly creating new and innovative
ways to create a caring, responsible gaming
environment and to ensure all those who visit
our site can do so with confidence and safety.
We also have a team of risk assessors and
responsible gaming specialists who pay close
attention to the behaviour of players who the
games are not intended for, notably underage
individuals and those vulnerable to addiction.
The balance between attractive offers and
jackpots +together with promoting responsible
gaming practices is a delicate one, but one that
we must incorporate into our everyday
practices. The hopeful and upbeat mood of 777
does put more emphasis on its Jackpots and the
games and promotions that surround them,
which goes hand-in-hand with the optimistic
feel of 777.
7. When your website is your business - how
long did you spend at the planning stage and in
The idea for 777 was to appeal
to new markets through
offering them an alternative
feel. The launch of 777 followed
a long and detailed process of
collaboration and intricate
thought and design procedures
amongst a team of designers,
artists and marketing experts.
creating 777 casino- and how tense was the
launch process?
The entire brainstorming and planning period
for 777 took about two years in total. A lot of
thought and collaboration was put into the
concept, design and the casino product and then
exactly how we were going to achieve this
vision through every aspect. As 777 is a sisterbrand of 888casino and was not a replacement,
we introduced the brand as its own entity, so it
can appeal to both brand new online casino
players, who are not familiar with 888casino
and are looking for a themed environment with
a unique and different concept; or to current
888casino players who can now play in 777 with
the same member details, so no need to sign up
again and enjoy a shared wallet between the two
casinos.
What were the technical goals that you sought
to achieve with the launch of 777?
We really put a lot of focus and care on the user
experience and players’ flow and we worked
hard to achieve an environment that was simple
and enjoyable for our players from the very
start. No download whatsoever is needed to
enter 777, so the fun is only ever just a one- click
away. Navigating the casino has never been
easier or breezier with our intuitive and
straightforward flow, giving players the most
pleasing and harmonious experience. We are
extremely proud of both our PC and mobile
platforms, and the high level we have achieved
both in responsiveness and communication
channelling. With 777 we wanted to offer our
players offers and bonus prizes that matched
navigation within the site is hugely important is there a tried-and-trusted formula that
you’ve stuck to - or have you radically changed
things?
We have put a lot of emphasis into the user
experience and the overall ease of navigation of
the casino – you cannot put a price on these
functional aspects. our 777 happy days feel
stretches far beyond the cosmetic aspects and
also incorporates attractive and helpful features
that further add to its high quality. on top of our
live stream of winners on the main lobby page,
777 also features great components such as the
Jackpots Page, whereby players can see in realtime each Jackpot according to the games it’s
associated with, and actual-time Jackpot
figures. We want to give our players a totally
unique experience at 777 and it is features like
“Games Features” on the Jackpot Page that
provide them with exciting and unique insights
that they don’t get anywhere else. As well as
seeing the Jackpot amount players are also
presented with an attractive display of its stats
and trends over the past days in clear and
informative charts, alongside a stream of the
latest winners for each game section.
What impact has the new 777 had on existing
888casino customers and new sign-ups?
We have experienced great success with 777 and
expect continued developments in the future.
We were always aiming for new markets with
the 777 launch and it hasn’t had a slight impact
on our 888casino brand. It has succeeded in
presenting players with a new and fun option for
their gaming needs and has served to deliver a
refreshing alternative to a receptive niche in the
market.
Preview
G2e ASiA 2016
iGt is on point with
onPremise solution
IGT’s G2E Asia stand 601 will showcase
the Company’s broad range of gaming
experiences developed for the APAC
market. IGT will feature a large
portfolio of mobile applications,
betting solutions, market-attuned
games, leading hardware, and a wide
range of systems solutions for any size
venue.
IGt’s presence at G2E Asia will speak to the
Company’s position as the leading end-to-end
gaming company and its commitment to
developing gaming solutions for the APAC
region. IGt’s award-winning mobile betting
solution, OnPremise will make its Asia debut at
G2E Asia 2016.
IGt will introduce OnPremise’s new back
betting feature; ground-breaking technology
that enables casino patrons to play at multiple
live tables simultaneously through their
smartphone or tablet from any permitted area
within the casino. IGt’s OnPremise allows
operators to increase gaming without the need
for adding more tables to the casino floor, and
without slowing down the action at the tables.
to add to the excitement, IGt created new back
betting with side bets for OnPremise. Baccarat,
one of the most popular casino games in Asia, is
the perfect game to maximise the potential of
OnPremise’s back betting concept.
Baccarat is the first OnPremise-enabled game,
with more games such as Roulette to be added
in time. With seamless integration into existing
Players Club programs, OnPremise enables
players to also earn rewards for online play.
IGt’s OnPremise solution is designed to open up
the mobile world to land-based casinos and
provide gaming opportunities that go beyond
the limits of physical expansion. Other key
features of OnPremise for players and operators
include: omni-channel games, one-touch
access, player loyalty programs, convenience
applications and more.
IGt’s stand will showcase several of its leading,
culturally-enriched linked progressives on a
variety of hardware solutions. Standout linked
progressives on the CrystalDual cabinet include
Fu Gui Ji Li and San Xing Bao Xi. Each of these
titles includes multiple base game options,
graphics that convey luck and good fortune, and
math models designed for APAC markets. to
complement the best-in-class game content,
the CrystalDual cabinet features a pristine
touchscreen display, quality sound, ergonomic
design and a convenient mobile device charging
port. G2E Asia attendees can also experience
IGt’s linked progressives such as Gong Xi Fai
Cai and Gold and Dragon on the G23 cabinet.
IGt will also feature a series of standalone
themes on the G23 hardware - all with ante bet
options. Market-attuned themes Money Frog,
Imperial Dragon, Jade Rabbit Ju Boa Pen, Lucky
Lotus, and King Koi include play mechanics that
encourage players to bet up and place multiple
wagers on a single spin.
The CrystalSlant cabinet will make its Asia
debut at G2E Asia with titles such as Fortune
Ingot and Majestic Gorilla. This slant top cabinet
incorporates design elements from IGt's
CrystalDual and CrystalCore cabinets and
supports content developed on the Ascent
platform.
G2E Asia attendees can experience 3D gaming
Cammegh trips the
light fantastic with
new aurora Halo
Cammegh, manufacturers of the world’s finest
roulette wheels and table game displays will
be exhibiting at G2E Asia, Macau for their 9th
year. The show will see brand new Cammegh
roulette wheel, the Mercury 360 Aurora Halo
wheel, make its first appearance in the region
having had its debut at ICE in February.
The Mercury 360 Aurora Halo wheel is the
latest roulette innovation developed by
Cammegh and features customisable LED
lighting within the ball track which traces the
ball and changes colour during various stages
with IGt’s tRUE 3D titles, Dreams of Asia 3D,
Sphinx 3D and Aladdin’s Fortune 3D. Each game
is housed on IGt’s AXXIS 39 cabinet and
delivers jaw-dropping 3D gaming entertainment
in a glasses-free environment.
IGt will also feature an array of standalone
themes on the CrystalDual cabinet. Marketattuned games in IGt’s stand include 99 Riches,
Legends of Change, Yin Yang and Dragon
Journey. IGt will also showcase many more of
its globally-appealing game families for the
CrystalDual cabinet including King Reels, Hot
Roulette, Age of Aurora, and Valley of Gold. In
addition to fiery themes Fire Bells, Red Hot
Diamonds and Hotsy totsy on the awardwinning S3000 cabinet.
of the game, ramping up excitement at the
gaming table.
Cammegh’s Mercury 360 and custom design
Slingshot2tt will be at the stand, joined by the
latest 23” & 27” Billboard Display Systems
showcasing the very finest Baccarat and
roulette graphics, slim-line design, LED
lighting strips and the brand new Multiboard,
allowing players to see multiple table on one
screen. The popular roulette side bet, Spread
Bet Roulette will make its second appearance
at G2E Asia having been installed in locations
in throughout the UK, Australia, South Africa
and India.
The Cammegh team look forward to
welcoming everyone to this year’s show in
Macau on 17-19th May, you can find Cammegh
at booth 955.
alfastreet extends
welcome to G2e guests
Alfastreet's booth at the 2016 edition of
the G2E exhibition in Macau will be
packed with the latest edition of all its
most attractive gaming products
scientific Games is
locked and loaded for
G2e asia exhibition
Scientific Games diversity of products
and system solutions from the
company’s array of top brands will be
on display at G2E Asia in Macau
Demonstrating its unique position as a global
supplier of choice for casino operators, the
lineup includes exciting new releases from it’s
expanding slot library, a baccarat progressive
jackpot and a breakthrough in roulette
technology that brings players closer to the
game than ever before.
Senior Vice President, Ken Jolly commented:
“Every year we step it up and 2016 is no
exception. We’ve got our Dualos that brings
together technology to create a best of breed slot
cabinet and our Systems are taking player
information and translating into competitive
advantage for our customers as two great
examples on how we’re realising our goals to
bring entertainment, security, creative content
and innovative technology to the market.”
loCk it liNk
l
l
l
Incorporating several classic and everpopular game design elements, Lock It Link
offers rewarding gameplay features including
multi-denomination game selection, new
base game models and a highly-engaging
new Lock It Bonus Feature that awards
respins with growing bonus credit prizes.
After launching in Australia in March with
two games Bright Lights and Girl’s Best
Friend, these became the two fastest rising
stars in rankings across the eastern seaboard.
The highly refined presentation includes vivid
eye-catching graphics, integrated edgelighting on the Dualos cabinet, a gripping
feature soundtrack and flexible signage
options, all designed to position Lock it Link
as the centrepiece of any gaming floor.
da fu da Gui
l
Follows the success of Duo Fu Duo Cai with a
new Asian-themed progressive link called Da
Fu Da Gui, which means “big riches, big
honors.” Da Fu Da Gui offer players the
anticipation of big wins with its Double Luck
Jackpot feature. Da Fu Da Gui launches with
games Rich traditions and Jade Eternity on
the Pro Wave cabinet.
suPer GaMe series
l
Super Diamond Eternity now joins the Super
88 Fortunes in the SUPER game library. The
standalone versions of proven performer 88
Fortunes and Diamond Eternity will entertain
players like no other with 1024 ways to win.
The Royal Derby takes all the best traditions of
the horse-racing themed EtG and combines it
with the latest technology and connectivity. The
company has revised the mechanical element of
the game, giving the player an ‘in game’
experience, sitting close to the racetrack and
monitoring all the movements of the realistic
models. This year there'll be a low dome version
of the machine, enabling easy communication
across it. Alfastreet’s player interface has been
tuned to provide an easy, quick and entertaining
interaction, making it without doubt the new
trendsetter in the industry.
The latest version marked a successful entry for
the WIKY single terminal, with 32” touch screen
monitor that enables players to simultaneously
play up to four different games. The company's
trademark multi-player feature offers a variety
of the most popular games for client enjoyment.
Needless to say, it comes with up-to-date
technology and connectivity options. This year
visitors will have the possibility to enjoy the
latest edition, connected to all of the most
popular games and a brand new Alfastreet live
roulette wheel, a product that combines over 20
years of experience in the production of roulette
wheels with the newest technology. As already
seen at the exhibitions earlier this year, the
Alfastreet slot machine range is making
important progress and there will be finalised
product at the show in Macau.
Preview
G2e ASiA 2016
Custom-made designs
set to thrill at G2e asia
At the forthcoming G2E Asia show,
Spintec will present new solutions for
Automated Sic Bo, virtual Baccarat and
virtual Sic Bo, alongside its flagship
product Automated Karma Roulette in
luxurious gold edition
Igor Lombar, CEO of Spintec said: “Asia is very
important market for us. Our Automated Karma
Roulette is present in every casino in Macau.
Players like them because of its ergonomics and
simplicity of the interface, operators like them
because of its above average gaming
performance and technical stability. We applied
all these winning characteristics to new
products.” Inhouse R&D department focused on
analysing customer‘s needs and gaming habits,
the company did profound technical studies and
took into account demands and requirements of
casino operators to form a strong basis of new
products.
“We got a great feedback at their first
introduction at ICE and we are eager to get a
feedback from Asian market, given that
Automated Sic Bo and Virtual Baccarat were
developed primarily for Asia.” added Igor
Lombar.
All new products hold the known Spintec’s
promise of longer gaming session through
psychological knowledge of the player,
proprietary technical solutions and comfort of
the player. For example, a proprietary
mechanics integrated in the Karma Automated
Sic Bo considerably decreases the possibility of
the annulment of the outcome and it almost
eliminates the situations of the dice being
placed on top of each other or over the border.
The most important outcome of this innovation
is the increased number of valid outcomes per
hour, which directly translates into player
satisfaction and more income for the casino.
Other distinctive features of Karma product line
are: unbeatable comfort designed for and around
the player, intuitive interface for the ease of play,
extreme modularity and custom-made designs.
Modularity allows operators the freedom to
adapt and optimise the floor portfolio with
gaming solutions, whenever the need for
additional terminals or additional games is
required. Custom-made design offers the
Karma line consists of fully automated games,
virtual solutions, live solutions and connection
to live games for Roulette, Sic Bo and Baccarat.
Spintec will welcome you at G2E Asia, booth
#1359.
CPi takes the latest
advances in payment
solutions to G2e asia
Crane Payment Innovations
(CPI), will be exhibiting at
G2E Asia, stand 837. Among
the products on display will
be the MEI SC Advance note
acceptor, EASItRAX Web and
PPM Advance support tool.
When used together, these
products create a powerful
cash management solution
that enables newfound
efficiencies throughout
operations.
l
SC Advance is part of the
SC product line that has
achieved an installed base of
more than two million units
worldwide. It evolved from
the CASHFLOW SC note
acceptor to further improve
upon the key performance
attributes - acceptance, jam
rate, security and total cost of
ownership. Several cashbox
sizes, as well as a stackerless
model, will be on display.
l EASItRAX Web, a software
extension of EASItRAX Soft
Count, provides operators
with more flexibility when
accessing and evaluating
performance data. The data it
possibility of choosing unique colors and
materials to match interior of every casino.
collects from SC acceptor
heads can still be used to
streamline the drop process,
facilitate asset evaluations
and conduct preventative
maintenance programs.
EASItRAX Web simply
makes it easier to import that
data, and convert it into
reports (which can now be
customised), from anywhere
in the world with secure
intranet access.
l
PPM Advance is a next
generation support tool that
lowers maintenance costs by
facilitating quick and easy
updates to in-field SC note
acceptors. Its Bluetooth
functionality option delivers
enhanced communications to
the user through an Android
phone and tablet app,
enabling technicians to
download software remotely
and add EASItRAX asset
numbers.
Also on the CPI booth will be
the CashCode MSM BackLoad
note acceptor, which is
designed to support doormounted applications with
small footprints such as
bingo, roulette and tabletop
sports betting terminals. to
meet industry demands, it is
available in up-stacking and
down-stacking
configurations. Finally, CPI
will feature several coin
acceptors and hoppers with
varying footprints and
capacities.
tCsJohnHuxley
GPi expands offerings
provides operators
to its customer base
with efficiency tools at Gaming Partners International heads
to Macau with its extensive suite
G2e Macau exhibition ofback
table products including currency,
TCSJohnHuxley will be showcasing its
Gaming Floor Live platform with a
focus on efficiency and optimisation at
the forthcoming G2E Asia show
With casino budgets tightening, operators
require solutions that enhance their bottom line
and streamline operations. These key elements
will be demonstrated through the GFL system’s
modules and technology-enabled products.
Rebecca Kingswell, tCSJohnHuxley Managing
Director APAC comments: “The current market
conditions highlight the need for operators to
optimise their gaming floors and improve
efficiencies. Instead of relying solely on
experience and guesswork to make operational
changes, casino's can now work smarter and
more efficiently, using data to drive decisions.
The powerful range of GFL modules puts
information and solutions at the operator’s
fingertips, so they can make the best possible
use of resources and minimise costs.”
to emphasise how Gaming Floor Live achieves
this, the company will showcase key modules at
G2E Asia – Optimisation, Bonusing, Gaming and
Media. These modules help casinos save time
and money by indicating where attention is
needed the most. Whether it’s optimising live
tables and game speeds, by accessing real-time
gaming statistics that highlight areas and
processes that can be improved upon
dynamically; or providing the operator with the
right tools to communicate better and faster
through an innovative media and display system
where content can be altered, scheduled and
configured from a central point and sent to any
display connected to the platform.
playing cards, layouts and dice.
GPI will be showcasing its newest currency,
table layout and RFID offerings to its Asian
market customer base at G2E Asia. GPI’s
extensive suite of chips, plaques and jetons offer
customers the latest innovations in design and
gaming currency security features. The V-Series,
is a Bourgogne et Grasset (BG) injection molded
chip that was developed to provide customers an
additional gaming currency option with
advanced design flexibility. The V-Series chips
are unique in that they allow customers to
design their chips with a greater amount of
versatility. Produced with a new, innovative and
highly durable injection material formula, VSeries chips include ChipShield, an anti-fungal,
helps keep the gaming chips cleaner, longer for a
more sanitary chip surface. For customers who
order the V-Series with four or more color shots,
the chips come standard with an infra-red
security feature exclusive to GPI.
Alongside the V-Series, GPI will have on display
its unmatched currency collection including its
beautiful line of European-style plaques and full
range of American-style chips. Under the brand
names of BG, Bud Jones and Paulson, each
currency offering is available with a wide range
of currency security features that help gaming
properties protect their most valuable asset,
their money. Customers can see demonstrations
of some of the newer security features including
GPI will be demonstrating its SMARt RFID
which offers the latest advancement is casino
currency RFID technology. When used with its
Chip Inventory System (CIS) software, SMARt
delivers a complete currency tracking and
authentication solution. SMARt can be
integrated with third party software for optimum
efficiency. GPI offers all the necessary
components from SMARt RFID currency, both
antennas and readers. SMARt is available on all
of GPI’s currency brands.
Dallmeier ready to
serve a security
software treat at G2e
At this year’s G2E Asia, video
security expert Dallmeier will
present its interface server software
Dallmeier’s surveillance systems are equipped
with open interfaces and therefore allow for
the easy integration of thirdparty systems, for
instance dealing shoe, point of sales or access
control systems. The video security system
becomes a highperformance video
information system, analysing and optimising
games, workflows and operating procedures.
selected games can be created. Additional
information regarding trends can be used to
analyse winning bets against trends.
In addition, every game action has the
capability to generate an alarm, lowering the
risk of persons cheating in a game. Alarm
criteria can be e.g. open lid, consecutive wins
or false shuffle.
PoiNt of sales iNterfaCe
GaMiNG iNterfaCe for baCCarat
Another important product being showcased is
Blaze. Available for Sicbo, Roulette and Money
Wheel, Blaze LED surface technology is a
sophisticated illumination system that adds
excitement and entertainment for customers
and increases security on the casino floor.
Through patented technology, energy efficient
LED lights fitted below the surface of the
gaming table, display unique attraction
sequences and themed animations, while also
highlighting winning numbers. to experience
the power of the Gaming Floor Platform
modules and products, visit Stand 1445.
3-in-1 UV and SecuriFilm. 3-in-1 UV is a
security taggant that remains invisible under
standard UV wavelengths but is revealed with a
special device. Because it can be added to plastic
injection-molded chip materials, it is easy to
validate chips right at the table when placed in
stacks or racks. Compatible with RFID,
SecuriFilm is used on a chip’s decal and features
a semi-transparent hologram-like effect.
Customers can select from a standard design or
create their own custom pattern for added
currency protection.
The SeMSy III Gaming Interface Server
Software is an interface between Baccarat
shoe devices and the SeMSy III video
management system. The data of the dealing
shoe transactions is linked to the video data
and stored in the integrated SQL database.
Both in live and playback, a text overlay can be
placed on the camera overlooking the Baccarat
table. Therefore various search functions can
be used, e.g. on table number, game number,
date and time or combinations of card suit and
number. Furthermore, electronic reports of
With the SeMSy III POS Interface Server
Software the data of the Point of Sales (POS)
transactions is linked to the video data.
Searches can be performed e.g. on POS
number, employee ID, camera number, check
number or check total, item count, etc.
Different transaction criteria can generate an
alarm, e.g. void, cancel transaction or refunds.
The operator will receive the alarm and can
then switch the camera to his alarm monitor
automatically or view the event
retrospectively in the recordings. Visit
Dallmeier at stand 1451.
P103
Products
lAnd-BAsed And
interActive GAminG
Hot Cross Bunny
Loadsabunny online
slots realistic Games
Innovative slots and table games
supplier Realistic Games has
released hot Cross Bunnies
Loadsabunny, a sequel to one of its
most popular products. The new
five-reel, 20-line slot is a big sister
to the much-loved three reeler, hot
Cross Bunnies, which has proven
to be a huge success since
launching in 2013. It is now live on
phone, tablet and desktop across a
host of operators, including Bet
Victor, Ladbrokes, Gala Coral, Stan
James, Daub, Grosvenor Casinos,
and Gaming Realms.
This time three or more bunnies
will start a bonus round, while
players are awarded for three, four,
or five symbols of a kind and can
re-trigger the feature for even
more spins.
Zeus omni-Channel
Playtech
The King of the Gods has
received the honour of being
the first game in the series
with the in-house designed
five-reel, 25-line slot
containing incredible neon
graphics, unique bonuses and
new features guaranteed to
engage and thrill players
across Playtech’s casino
network of top tier licensees.
heavily themed to the action in the
show’s season three, this all-new
game includes all-new and exciting
features like a random Michonne
Attack bonus, Reel Growth for up to
300 lines, and Wild horde
multipliers. Exciting bonus features
include Governor Jackpot Bonus
and Governor Free Games.
When Aristocrat unleashed the
original The Walking Dead™ Slot
Game, the industry named it “Slot
Product of the Year,” and players
herded to the game, naming it the
#1 best penny slot, among others.
Now in North America, Aristocrat is
letting loose the highly anticipated
follow up, The Walking Dead II Slot
Game.
The TV show The Walking Dead
shows no signs of stopping as
Variety (12/29/15) reports the
show maintains the #1 Twitter
audience, #1 time-shifted series,
and #1 series in key demos. The
Bar Bar Black sheep
online slots
Microgaming
This modern spin on a three reel
classic, Bar Bar Black Sheep is a
5x3 reel, 15 fixed payline game. In
addition to wilds, scatters and a
retriggerable free spins feature that
can award up to 20 free spins with
a 3x multiplier, players can earn a
unique on-screen bonus when two
bars and a black sheep land
consecutively anywhere on the
reels. During the Bar Bar Black
Sheep bonus, a player can win up
to 999x their line bet. With win
opportunities of up to 95,000
credits, Bar Bar Black Sheep is set
to be a hit with players.
Playtech, the world’s leading
Omni-channel gaming
software and services supplier,
has unleashed the thunderous
fury of Zeus, the first in a long
line of amazing content in the
new Age of the Gods suite of
progressive jackpot network
slot games.
Zeus is the first of seven
mind-blowing Age of the Gods
Omni-channel slot games to
be launched with the
remaining six titles coming
thick and fast across the rest
of 2016.
The Walking Dead II is housed in
the award-winning Arc Double™
cabinet, providing a fully engrossing
player experience.
the walking
Dead ii slots
aristocrat
new The Walking Dead II Slot Game
builds on the momentum of the TV
series and the original game, and
ups the ante with all-new content
that is more exciting than ever.
frankenslot’s Monster
online slots
Betsoft Gaming
Betsoft Gaming have announced
the latest addition to their Slots
enterprise – FRANKENSLOT’S MONSTER. This retake of the classic
horror tale is presented in high definition 3D and slick cinematic
animations.
Like all of Betsoft’s Slots3 titles, FRANKENSLOT’S MONSTER is defined
by its features and bonus elements. This five reel, 20 line true 3D video
slot includes an interactive bonus round where the player can
manipulate the levers and switches that control the legendary monster
for up to 25x their line bet win. Scatter Pays offer generous Free Spins,
which can stack if the Scatter Pay combo occurs again during the Free
Spins mode. A frequent Wild icon increases the chances for a big win.
“What we have in FRANKENSLOT’S MONSTER is a quirky, thoroughly
enjoyable iGaming experience,” said Mark McKeown, Betsoft’s VP of
Sales and Marketing. “Retelling favorite stories is as old as humankind
itself, and to create a game based on such a well-known tale was a
satisfying experience at every level of development. The animated
background of the game intensifies the spookiness of the secret
underground laboratory theme and the inimitable characters celebrate
wins right along with the player.”
chosen rider in motorcycling or
driver in motor racing games. SIS
has also added a full screen option,
making it easier for players to view
and enjoy the on-demand racing
games more clearly.
inifinite racing Games
virtual sports sis
Following the successful launch in
December with Sky Vegas, leading
multi-channel supplier SIS has
introduced a new generation of ondemand racing games in
partnership with Core Gaming that,
for the first time, allow customers
to view events from a ‘ride on’
camera angle.
The trail-blazing feature is one of a
host of updates the company has
added to its second generation
suite of Infinite Racing games,
which are now live on the Sky
Vegas website. The latest games
portfolio now includes motorcycling
This high volatility game has a
frequent feature range.
Denominations range from 1c-$20
with a 75 credit minimum bet and
375 credit max bet. Adding to the
post-apocalyptic and gory fun, the
game has SSP jackpot startups of
$2,500 (grand), $250 (major), $30
(minor) and $10 (mini).
and motor racing titles, in addition
to horse racing, greyhounds, cycling
and novelty versions. There are now
enhanced graphics and, for the first
time, a choice of camera angles, to
make the games a truly engaging
experience for players.
Marc Thomas, head of Product for
SIS, said: “SIS introduced a new
dimension to virtual racing games
late last year, with the launch of our
on-demand gaming suite – Infinite
Racing, and these latest updates
take our offering to the next level.
Players are able to choose from
three camera views, including a TV
broadcast angle, an overhead drone
view, and a ‘ride on’ view – a first
for virtuals – which puts them right
at the heart of the action for their
“In a world of tech-savvy, next
generation customers, who are
familiar with console gaming, these
camera angles will provide a far
more immersive and engaging user
experience.”
Connect with us
Ad list
AGem P87
www.agem.org
Alfastreet P11
www.alfastreet.si
e-newsletter
A dynamic international
daily news website that
simplifies the reading of
global gaming news by
headline, region and
industry to deliver the
fastest ‘relevant’ news items
The G3Newswire App is
available to download for
iOS and Android devices,
carrying the latest news
updates directly from the
G3Newswire website to
tablets and smartphones
The G3Newswire
e-Newsletter is sent to an
unrivalled international
database of over 10,000
industry contacts every
Monday, Wednesday and
Friday
www.G3newswire.com
The essential daily news
fsite for the international
gaming industry
Apex Gaming technology P5
www.apex-gaming.com
Austrian Gaming industries P9
www.novomatic.com
Axiomtek P59
www.axiomtek.com
cammegh P2
www.cammegh.com
G3-247.com website is a
repository of every magazine
feature and report G3 has
covered over the last decade,
with digital magazines and
articles available to
download for free
casino technology P41
www.casino-technology.com
report
Blog
Every report compiled across
13 years of reporting on the
international gaming
industry is available to both
view and download as PDFs
directly from the reports
section of G3-247.com
The G3-247.com blog
combines thought-leading
articles from the gaming
industry’s leading minds and
a series of video interviews
conducted with CXOs from
all sectors of the business
www.G3-247.com
cPi P6
www.cranepi.com
A repository of gaming
industry reports, statistics
and deep-mined data
e-gaming P55
www.e-gaming.cz
dallmeier P59
www.casino-surveillance.com
eGt P13
www.egt-bg.com
elo touch solutions P99
www.elotouch.com
flash/HtML
Gaming Publishing
launched its G3i App in
August 2011 (the first of its
kind in the industry). 7,300+
subscribers have now
installed the App and
download G3 each month.
The G3i App provides readers
with instant access to their
favourite gaming magazine
wherever and whenever
they want. We have added
Amazon and Android to the
original iOS functionality
In addition to downloading
G3 magazine directly via our
Apps for iOS, Android and
Amazon devices, readers can
also view the latest issues of
G3 magazine via interactive
Flash and HtML5
-G3i App - ios & Android
Read past and present
issues of G3 magazine on
f
your favourite digital devices
G2e Asia P107
www.G2Easia.com
Gaming laboratories int. P19
www.gaminglabs.com
Jcm Global P4
www.jcmglobal.com
Juegos miami P105
www.juegosmiami.com
Kiron interactive P49
www.kironinteractive.com
Konami Gaming P108
www.gaming.konami.com
The LinkedIn Gaming
Publishing (G3 Magazine)
Group is now followed by
over 600+ gaming executives
members from across the
world, sharing stories and
news with the G3 team
Since establishing
G3Newswire in June 2012,
we have tweeted 1,607
stories (since Nov 2013) and
established 1,572 followers of
the G3 twitter feed, posting
five news stories per day
G3’s Facebook page and
links to G3Newswire.com
allows users to view the
latest exhibition photos,
‘like’ the latest news stories
posted online and interact
with the team
social networking
Connect with G3 across
every type of social
networking tool
merkur Gaming P27
www.merkur-gaming.com
nanoptix P39
www.nanoptix.ca
Patir P15
www.patir.de
Pst Gaming Furniture P39
www.pstseating.com
suBscriBe at www.G3-247.com to print and digital editions
subscribers have 24/7 access to the complete G3 reports back catalogue, reduced rates for the latest market reports, access to the complete G3
back issues library, discounts on commissioned reports, discounted events/conference access passes and attractive subscription rates for the
monthly G3 magazine and special issues. subscribe to G247 to receive a series of unique benefits.
G3Newswire.com delivers daily international gaming industry news and information, with the G3Newswire newsletter circulated three times
per week to a 8,000+ database of gaming industry influencers
disclaimer: All contents © Gaming Publishing Limited 2016. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the express
permission of the publisher. While we make every effort to ensure that everything we print in Global, Games and Gaming (G3) is factually correct, we cannot be held
responsible if factual errors occur. Advertisements are accepted by us in good faith as correct at the time of going to press.
Printing: Manson Group, 8 Porters Wood, Valley Road Industrial Estate, St Albans, AL3 6PZ
spintec P49
www.spintec.si
suzohapp P7
www.suzohapp.com/eu
synot P23
www.synotloterie.eu
tcsJohnhuxley P29
www.tcsjohnhuxley.com
weche P57
www.weche.com.tw
Gaming
Publishing
Samson House,
457 Manchester Road,
Manchester M29 7BR,
United Kingdom
G3Newswire.com
G3-247.com
Company registration
Number: 7342069
Vat No: 995 9138 52
John
Slattery
J
Commercial Director
[email protected]
+44 (0)7917 166471
James Slattery
[email protected]
+44 (0)7917 166471
Alison dronfield
[email protected]
+44 (0)1204 410771
Jennifer Pek
Subscriptions Manager
[email protected]
+44 (0)161 724 8716
lewis Pek
Editor
[email protected]
+44 (0) 1942 879 291
Karen Southall
Associate Editor
(Spain-Malaga)
karensouthall@gmail.
com
Phil Martin
News Editor
[email protected]
+44 (0)7801967714

PDF Version - G3

Transcription

Similar documents

Instructions for selling paysafecard in PreCash locations

Julien Descurieux

Best of Times - Neil Sedaka.pub

The Best of the Best Indian Gaming Casino Promotions

Adayana GameWare Learning Solutions

22-23 october 2013 - Eastern European gaming summit

an Application

The World`s Largest Dockside Casino

Lottery $1.189B Retail $727.5M $461.5M Profit $431.6M