OFFICIAL MAGAZINE

GLOBAL GAMES AND GAMING MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2015 I WWW.G3NEWSWIRE.COM I WWW.G3-247.COM INTERNATIONAL GAMING NEWS I KNOWLEDGE I STATISTICS I MARKET INFORMATION I DIGITAL AND PRINT

WWW.G3NEWSWIRE.COM

MexiCo

WWW.G3-247.COM - THE GAMING MEDIA VAULT

Alfonso Pérez Lizuar has broached the possibility of creating 25 new casinos across Mexico 0 8

egypt

Lucky Symbols from Cammegh has doubled its footprint at the Omar Khayyam

2 0

ConneCtiCut

KGM and Alfastreet have installed its first deluxe 2 4 multi-player stations in Connecticut

South Korea

SportS-betting The second part of G3’s European sports-betting market round-up INTERACT WITH G3 VIA GOOGLE+, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, LINKEDIN, G3I AND G3NEWSWIRE APPS FROM THE APPLE STORE, GOOGLE PLAY AND BLACKBERRY WORLD

Mohegan Sun has confirmed the name of its 2 resort casino to open at Incheon Airport

8

Subscribe Subscribe at G3-247.com to read every G3 magazine, download every market report and much more...

Download The latest magazine is available to digitally download via G3-247.com or via the App Store and Google Play Store

Contents auGuSt 2015

06

04

11

05

10

07 08 01

09

03

02

SOUTH AMERICA NEWS 01: mExico alfonso pérez lizuar has broached the possibility of replacing shuttered casinos with brand new facilities - 25 in total

EMEA NEWS 04: SpaiN the departure of veremonte from Spain’s bcN world won’t affect the project says the catalan Government’s damia calvet

– G3Newswire pg 08

– G3Newswire pg 14

02: paraGuay the tender process for casinos and sportsbetting licences in paraguay is due to be launched this year

05: GrEEcE the rollout of Greek operator opap’s first wave of vlts has been delayed following stipulations from the Gaming commission

– G3Newswire pg 10

– G3Newswire pg 16

03: paNama confusion has broken out in panama as the implementation of a new tax regime for casino operators causes chaos

06: bElGium Evolution Gaming has launched its new live gaming studio with multiple operators in belgium at the historic casino de Spa

– G3Newswire pg 12

– G3Newswire pg 18

NORTH AMERICA NEWS 07: coNNEcticut KGm, the exclusive uS manufacturer and distributor of alfastreet games, has installed its first stations in connecticut

ASIA & OCEANIA NEWS 10: South KorEa mohegan Sun has confirmed the name of its resort casino to open at incheon international airport in South Korea

– G3Newswire pg 24

– G3Newswire pg 28

08: bahamaS baha mar, the $3.5bn global gaming destination resort in Nassau, has filed for bankruptcy to ensure it does finally open

10: South KorEa malaysia’s Genting Group is targeting the South Korean port of busan in a bid to develop a large destination casino resort

– G3Newswire pg 25

– G3Newswire pg 30

09: Jamaica the first two casino resorts have been confirmed by Jamaica’s Finance minister, with celebration and harmony green lit

11: ruSSia cambodian-based operator Nagacorp has started construction work on its casino resort in russia’s Far East

– G3Newswire pg 26

– G3Newswire pg 32

Gaming Publishing Samson house, 457 Manchester road, Manchester M29 7Br, united Kingdom

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

WWW.G3-247.COM

MALAYSIA rESortS world GENtiNG rEvamp malaysia’s only casino operator, Genting, is now one and a half years into a huge rm5bn (€1.2bn) renovation project – insight pg 33

a clEaN SwEEp acroSS bElGium drGt has complete systems market domination in the belgium casinos sector with 9 out of 9 belgian casinos connected – insight pg 22

capturiNG thE actioN G3 spent the day at leavesden Studios as playtech used state-of-the-art motion-capture on the same stages that filmed James bond – report pg 48

MARKET REPORTS EuropEaN SportS-bEttiNG part ii this month we chart the sports-betting markets of italy, Netherlands, Spain, united Kingdom and features exclusive articles – review pg 37 World Partner to Clarion Events

0 3

Comment auGuSt 2015

I don’t like maths. As soon as I could drop the subject I did - which doesnt help in an industry driven by game maths. So it’s infuriating when presented with figures that at face value look perfectly acceptable - but I know to be suspect. As we went to press for this issue, Councils in the UK had just been slapped down by the government for attempting to drastically reduce the maximum stakes on FOBTs. Local authorities had wanted to cut the stake from £100 to £2 an easy to work out - 98 per cent reduction. In total, 93 councils across England and Wales had campaigned for the change, which was rejected by government as it had already brought in significantly stronger controls on the devices. Newham Council, which championed the campaign, had claimed that it is possible to bet up to £18,000 in an hour using an FOBT in the UK - which is an extreme hypothetical possibility. It’s possible to drink a pint of beer in under three seconds (Youtube), so technically a man could (with two seconds gaps for breath) consume 720 pints in an hour. There’s a big difference between maths possibilities and reality. A bigger maths issue is the claim from FOBT-haters that if you bet £100 over the course of an hour, with three spins per minute on a 97 per cent payback - after the first spin the player has only £97. When you re-bet the payback is 97 per cent of 97 per cent, which works out at 94 per cent. Bet again and it’s 97 per cent of 94 per cent, It’s possIble to which is 91 per cent - which means that in an hour, the return to player is less than one per cent. drInk a pInt of I’m sorry, but that’s not just simplistic, it’s stupid.

beer In under three seconds, so technIcally a man could consume 720 pInts In an hour

Players can work out their own RTP for each session simply. If you wager £287 and win back £234, by dividing the winning by the stake you can arrive at your payout percentage for the session (in this case 81 per cent). If, therefore, you bet £100 and in an hour have nothing remaining - as claimed by the ‘Stop the FOBTs’ website and others - the Return To Player (RTP) is 0 per cent every time. Is it me or does this not make sense?

Editorial

advErtiSiNG

Editor Lewis Pek [email protected] +44 (0) 1942 879 291

commercial director John Slattery Email: [email protected] +44 (0)7917 166471

News Editor Phil Martin [email protected] +44 (0)161 236 6669

advertising Executive James Slattery Email: [email protected] +44 (0)7917 166471

associate Editor (malaGa) Karen Southall [email protected]

advertising Executive Alison Dronfield Email: [email protected] +44 (0)1204 410771

consultant John Carroll (billErbEcK) [email protected] South america correspondent James Marrison [email protected] contributors David Addison Jeremy Thompson Hill Dr. Damir Böhm

0 4

productioN

Senior designer Gareth Irwin production manager Paul Jolleys Subscriptions manager Jennifer Pek commercial administrator John Pek

Events auGuSt 2015

August 10-12, 2015

GRWA 2015 - Gaming, Racing & Wagering Australia Location Swissotel Hotel, Sydney, Australia Organiser Beacon Events 20/F Siu On Centre 188 Lockhart Road Wanchai

Hong Kong Tel: +852 2531 6143 Contact: Felix Ng Email: [email protected] Web: www.GamingDownUnder.com

August 11-13, 2015

Australasian Gaming Expo 2015

puzzled by CASH MANAGEMENT? CPI has put all of the pieces together. Now, the industry’s leading brands—CashCode, Conlux, MEI, Money Controls, NRI and Telequip—have been combined into one comprehensive portfolio. CPI is more than products. It is a one-stop shop for coin, note and cashless solutions that lower transaction costs from the point of sale to the deposit. The products and expertise that represent these brands will accelerate expectations for automated payment systems. Visit www.CranePI.com and let us assemble the pieces to add value to your application.

Location Sydney Exhibition Centre, Sydney, Australia Organiser Gaming Technologies Association Level 34, 50 Bridge Street Sydney, Australia

NSW 2000 Contact Ross Ferrar Tel: +61 2 9211 7430 Fax: +61 2 8216 0701 Email: [email protected] Web: www.austgamingexpo.com

August 25-27, 2015

The Slot Summit Latin America 2015, Peru Location Lima, Peru Organiser Clarion Events Fulham Green, Bedford House 69-79 Fulham High Street London, United Kingdom SW6 3JW

Contact: +Ewa Zbrzeska Tel: +44 207 384 7805 Fax: +44 207 384 7701 Email: [email protected] Web: www.slotsummit.com

September 2-4, 2015

Entertainment Arena Expo 2015, Romania

Technology that counts. CranePI.com

Location Romexpo Fair Ground, Bucharest, Romania Organiser Expo 24 Romania 1st Morarilor Street Bucharest

0 6

Romania 022451 Contact: Anton Vlad Tel: +40 21 335 6681 Email: [email protected] Web: www.earna.ro

September 29-October 1, 2015

G2E Las Vegas 2015, US Location Sands Expo & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Organiser Reed Exhibition Companies 383 Main Avenue Norwalk, Connecticut,

United States CT 06851 Event Hours: Tues/Wed: 10am-5pm Thurs: 10am-3pm Contact: Don Wells Tel: +1 203 840 5662 Email: [email protected] Web: www.globalgamingexpo.com

September 29-30, 2015

Paf’s Responsible Gaming Summit Location Alandica Congress Center in Mariehamn, the Åland Islands Organiser Paf - Head office Lövdalsvägen 8 Pb 241

AX-22 101 Mariehamn Åland, Finland Event Hours: Sept 29: 10am-9pm Event Hours: Sept 30: 9am-4pm Contact: Mattias Lindquist Email: [email protected] Web: www.paf.com/rgsummit2015

October 7-9, 2015

Second Japan Gaming Congress Location Tokyo, Japan Organiser Clarion Gaming, Fulham Green, Bedford House, 69-79 Fulham High Street, London SW6 3JW

Tel: +44 (0)20 7384 7700 Contact: Shane Mortimer Email: [email protected] Web: www.japangamingcongress.com

October 20-22, 2015

EiG European iGaming Congress & Expo 2015 Location Arena Berlin, Berlin, Germany Organiser Clarion Gaming, Fulham Green, Bedford House, 69-79 Fulham High Street, London SW6 3JW

Tel: +44 (0)20 7384 7700 Contact: Shane Mortimer Email: [email protected] Web: www.eigexpo.com

0 7

G3Newswire South amErica NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com

el preSidente de la aSociación del juego mexicana ASPJAC (Asociación de Permisionarios y Proveedores de Juegos y Sorteos, A. C.), Alfonso Pérez Lizuar, ha declarado que 25 nuevos centros de juego podrían abrir sus puertas en México, muchos de ellos antes de que acabe este mismo año. Los nuevos casinos sustituirán a los que han sido cerrados por el Ministerio del Interior (SEGOB), que ha revocado las licencias de un número considerable de casinos en los estados de Monterrey, la conStrucción de un caSino de grandeS dimensiones en la ciudad chilena de Arica se inició el 10 de julio con la instalación de la primera piedra. El casino albergará 350 máquinas tragaperras, 12 mesas de juego, dos restaurantes y 60 puestos de bingo, y formará parte de un hotel de 5 estrellas. la comiSión nacional del juego de paraguay (CONAJZAR) ha anunciado sus planes de debatir el proceso de licitación de casinos en tres departamentos paraguayos, comenzando por el propio Departamento Central. Según el Presidente de CONAJZAR, Javier Balbuena, el proceso de licitación se podría otorgar a principios de septiembre de este mismo año. un nuevo caSino abrirá SuS puertaS en la ciudad argentina de Santa Rosa como parte de un hotel de cuatro estrellas con 87 habitaciones. Según Ricardo Benedicto, Presidente del Casino Club, el hotel podría inaugurarse a finales de septiembre. Según el preSidente de la aSociación de Administradores de Juegos de Azar de Panamá (ASAJA), Antonio Alfaro, los nuevos reglamentos que estipulan un impuesto sobre la retirada de efectivo por parte de los clientes en los casinos están haciendo frente a una auténtica plaga de problemas técnicos que hacen casi imposible recaudar dicho impuesto. el empreSario griego petroS StathiS Se ha hecho con el control de HIT Montenegro, propietaria del hotel y casino Maestral. La empresa Monte Rock, con sede en Podgorica y fundada por Stathis, finalizó el 7 de julio la adquisición de una participación del 75,01 por ciento en Hit Montenegro y sus propiedades inmobiliarias e instalaciones turísticas adjuntas. la implementación de la primera faSe de terminales de videolotería por parte del operador griego OPAP se ha visto retrasada a consecuencia de las nuevas disposiciones de la Comisión Helena del Juego acerca del funcionamiento que deben tener dichas máquinas. el retraSo, que afectará a empreSaS como Scientific, IGT, Inspired y Synot, podría costarle millones de euros a la de por sí atribulada economía griega. en un eSfuerzo por atraer turiSmo adicional a Chipre, el Parlamento ha aprobado un nuevo proyecto de ley que supondrá la creación de un complejo con casino en la región. Esta aprobación también incluye la incorporación de establecimientos satélite, cuatro de los cuales se pueden crear en Chipre.

0 8

mexico could open 25 new caSinoS alfonso pérez Lizuar has broached the possibility of replacing shuttered casinos with brand new facilities - 25 in total Mexico - New Operations The President of Mexican gaming organisation ASPJAC (Asociación de Permisionarios y Proveedores de Juegos y Sorteos, A.C) Alfonso Pérez Lizuar has said that 25 new gaming centres could open in Mexico - many of them before the end of the year. The new casinos will replace those which have been closed down by the Interior Ministry (SEGOB) which revoked the licences of a large number of casinos in the states of Monterrey, Coahuila and Chiapas as well as in a number of other states. Mr. Lizuar went on to say that the total investment for each casino will stand at between US$12m and US$15m. The majority of these casinos had already received approval by the Directorate General of Gaming, within the Interior Ministry and hope to be fully authorised before year end after inspections are carried out by the regulatory body. According to industry insiders, it is believed that operators are keen to begin operations as soon as possible in case they lose their license ahead of Mexico’s new gaming act which could be passed before the end of the year. The House of Representatives passed Mexico’s new Federal Betting and Raffles Law in December last year and the bill is now due for debate in the Senate.

Alfonso Pérez Lizuar, The President of ASPJAC (Asociación de Permisionarios y Proveedores de Juegos y Sorteos, A.C) During the drafting of the bill in the lower house SEGOB closed a large number of casinos throughout Mexico as it paved the way for the new act. Crucially the law in its present form will ban the so called “umbrella” licences whereby operators were able to operate a number of slot parlours and sports betting shops under a single licence. However, it is believed that those centres which had already been granted a licence before the new act will be permitted to continue to operate. In 2014 SEGOB closed down a number of casinos in Nuevo Leon, Coahuila and Chiapas and revoked (amongst others) the federal permit that had allowed EMEX (Entretenimiento De Mexico) to operate up to 50 gaming centres in the country. SEGOB’s actions were part of a more thorough investigation into licences many of which were first granted in 2005. From 2012 until 2014 Segob closed around 100 gaming centres. This was after SEGOB confirmed that licences handed out under previous administrations were incomplete and in a state of disorder.

Construction of large scale Arica Casino commences

museum - all projects that will make our region more prosperous,” he said.

CHILE The construction of a large scale casino in the Chilean city of Arica began July 10 with the setting down of the first stone. The casino will house 350 slot machines, 12 gaming tables, two restaurants and 60 bingo positions, and will be part of a 5 star hotel. With a total investment of US$75m the new complex will also house 40 shops, a thousand people capacity convention centre and 400 parking spaces which will serve the entire resort as well the city centre.

The investment plan, which seeks to modernise the country over the coming years and comes at a cost of US$3bn, will improve tourist infrastructure structure in Magallanes, Aysén and Arica all three of which are remote regions of Chile. The government plan aims to improve the regions with the public infrastructure required for the sustainable development of the areas through public and private investment.

Spanish gaming group EGASA was given the green light to operate a major new casino in the city of Arica last year after The Chilean Gaming Control Board (SJC) officially sanctioned the project in October. A coastal area near the borders of Peru and Bolivia, the city of Arica has a population of just under 200,000 people and is located in the Arica Province of northern Chile’s Arica and Parinacota Region. The new complex will, it is believed, allow the group to increase its turnover which stood at around €179m in 2013 and will create around 1,200 jobs.

Deputy Intendant of the city Andrea Murillo, welcomed the news, saying that: “With the first stone one of the most significant projects in the region begins to take shape, which will undoubtedly boost tourism and private investment, which is one of one of the principles as defined in the Special Development Plan for Extreme Areas, as put in place by the government of President

Meanwhile, Peter Müffeler, General Manager of EGASA, the company heading up the project, said: "We are very pleased with the long awaited start that will give a great impetus to Arica and is expected to strengthen the welfare of its citizens, and should be accompanied with large public investment in the waterfront as well as the restoration of the old town and the great Chinchorro

The casino will be part of the firm’s Luckia Casino brand. Arica is permitted to house a casino because of an amendment in Chile’s gaming law which was passed in 2000. Chilean gaming law states that there may be 24 casinos in Chile including the so called seven municipal casinos which are run by the local municipalities where they are located.

Michelle Bachelet in our territory."

G3Newswire South amErica NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com

caSino and SportS-betting tender the tender process for casinos and sports-betting licences in paraguay is due to be launched this year Paraguay - Legislation

traS una implementación de cuatro meSeS, el nuevo estudio vanguardista está siendo utilizado por la mayoría de los titulares de una licencia A en Bélgica para retransmitir juegos de casino en directo a los jugadores dentro del mercado del juego online regulado en el país. la primera inStalación europea de ariStocrat Technologie de su concepto prémium Wonder Wheels cosechó una excelente acogida entre los clientes la pasada semana cuando se puso en marcha el Batman Classic TV Series Slot Game en el Casino JOA Les Pins en Les Sables d’Olonne, en la costa oeste de Francia. Kgm, el fabricante y diStribuidor estadounidense de los juegos de mesa electrónicos Alfastreet, ha marcado un destacado hito en la historia de la empresa. KGM ha instalado sus dos primeras estaciones de juegos de ruleta electrónicos en Connecticut. en calidad de nuevo director gerente de Merkur Gaming Americas, Charles Hiten es actualmente el responsable de las actividades de ventas del Grupo Gauselmann en Norteamérica, Centroamérica y Sudamérica. la inauguración del caSino máS grande del Caribe, el Baha Mar Casino & Hotel, debería haberse producido a finales de marzo. Sin embargo Sarkis Izmirlian, Presidente y Director Ejecutivo de Baha Mar, la empresa que desarrolla el complejo Baha Mar, ha anunciado que para finalizar las obras e inaugurar el establecimiento Baha Mar Ltd y sus entidades asociadas se están sometiendo voluntariamente al proceso recogido en el Capítulo 11 del Código de Bancarrota de Estados Unidos.

The National Gaming Commission of Paraguay (CONAJZAR) has announced plans to discuss the bidding process for casinos in three departments in Paraguay beginning with the Central Department. According to CONAJZAR President Javier Balbuena the tender process could be awarded in early September this year. Mr. Balbuena said that the successful applicant will be required to invest in hotel infrastructure and that the board will impose a minimum amount when it comes to the investment. He also said that the applicant may choose the city where they wish to operate including capital of the Central department: Areguá. The Central department is the most populated and the smallest of the 17 departments of Paraguay. While a number of further specifications will be published before the tender process is launched, the exact details of the process will not be announced until the Commission adopts further regulations governing the process. Once these are agreed upon, the process will begin with licences then being awarded for casinos in the department of Alto Parana and Amambay as well. A sport betting tender will also then be launched with the licence possibly being granted before the end of the year.

The gaming board will also implement the online monitoring of gaming machines. Earlier this year The Paraguayan Gaming Commission (CONAJZAR) announced plans to implement the online regulation of casinos and the commission is carrying out preliminary studies into the issue. Land based casinos have been permitted in Paraguay since 1997. Although casinos have been permitted now for almost fifteen years the casino industry remains underdeveloped with little foreign investment in the industry and illegal gaming has remained rampant. However, Paraguay could prove to be a future bright spot for operators as the government seeks to further regulate the industry. However, the licensing process has been fraught with difficulties in the past with three tender processes being abandoned. In 2009 and again in 2010 and 2011 CONAJZAR was forced to halt the bidding process over accusations of irregularities and other issues mostly revolving around the fact that bidders were not meeting the minimum requirements set out to by the Gaming Control Board.

few days before because the employees of this room are going to relocate to the casino and hotel. "

SebaStian Salat, preSidente de wmS International, ha abandonado Scientific Games. Este movimiento se ha producido de mutuo acuerdo entre las partes. greentube ha SuScrito un acuerdo de contenidos con Genesis Software International Ltd (Genesis Gaming). La colaboración viene a continuar la expansión de Greentube en Norteamérica, ya que los contenidos de Genesis Gaming se incluirán en Greentube Pro, la plataforma de juegos sociales de Greentube para casinos terrestres. mohegan Sun ha confirmado que el nombre de su complejo de casino que se inaugurará en el aeropuerto internacional de Incheon, en Corea del Sur, será «Inspire». Albergará un casino de 20 000 m² con 250 mesas y 1500 máquinas tragaperras. melco crown entertainment ha eStrenado Su ruleta Golden Reel Ferris inspirada en el cine épico a modo de emblemático centro de atracción del complejo de la empresa Studio City, valorado en 3200 millones de dólares y que abrirá pronto sus puertas en Macau. lotte group, una corporación de ventaS y alimentación multinacional con sede central en Corea del Sur y Japón, ha declarado que se dispone a unir fuerzas con Genting Group en una licitación para desarrollar un complejo de casino de gran tamaño en el Puerto Norte de Busan (Corea del Sur).

1 0

New casino and hotel to open in Argentina’s Santa Rosa ARGENTINA A new casino will open its doors in the city of Santa Rosa as part of a four-star hotel with 87 rooms. According to Ricardo Benedicto President of Casino Club the hotel could open by the end of September. The casino will be located in Santa Rosa in the capital of La Pampa Province, Argentina. The hotel will form part of the Accor Group of hotels which is present in 10 countries in Latin America and has 255 hotels in operation under the Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel, Mercure, and

Ibis budget brands. The new hotel opening in Santa Rosa will be part of the Mecure brand of hotels and will require an investment of around 250m pesos (around US$27m). The new casino will be the only gaming centre in the city when it opens its doors as the only slot parlour will close once the new casino is inaugurated. According to Mr. Benedict: “It is part of the agreement that when the hotel opens the slot parlour in the centre will close. In fact it will close a

The casino will have 87 rooms, 12 of them suites, and one presidential suite. There will be a restaurant on the second floor and two conference rooms with a capacity of 360 visitors in each. It will be eight floors tall, will have two swimming pools, and will be equipped with a gym, spa, bar, cafeteria and casino. In all the building will encompass a total of 7,000 square meters including the underground and outside parking areas. Combined with the car park outside, which will lead directly to the casino, once completed it will cover a total of 17,000 sq.m. Head of Operations for Accor Hernán Awruch said: "It's another attraction in the city, and residents of the villages and towns surrounding it can come for a weekend to visit and enjoy the hotel and experience the best quality service available."

G3Newswire South amErica NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com

confuSion over new caSino tax Confusion has broken out in panama as the implementation of a new tax regime for casino operators causes chaos Panama - Legislation According to the president of the Association of Managers of Gaming (ASAJA), Antonio Alfaro, new regulations stipulating a tax on cash withdrawals by customers in casinos, are now being plagued with a number of technical issues which make it almost impossibly to collect the tax.

peru – alfaStreet progreSS in peru marKet At the 2015 Peru Gaming Show, Alfastreet with its distributor, DRGT Peru, created a stage for its roulette machines, which has become the most popular machine on the market. In the last two years every major casino operators has switched from previous equipment to Alfastreet, being satisfied with the machine performance, reliability and, of course, profitability. The strongest selling point of these machines is a trouble free long-term operation with unconditional support from the company. It’s the reason why the biggest gaming operator in Peru, Samcorp, choose Alfastreet R8 electronic roulette to be installed in all their venues. At the exhibition, attention was concentrated on the R8 (eight player stations) in the latest edition, with the Lucky Number roulette Jackpot, fully equipped, with touchscreens, multigame and simultaneous play options. The traditional solid build and reliability are paired with technically advanced features, yet retain the familiar user interface which is intuitive and easy to operate, enabling players to feel as close to the live game as possible. Despite not bring the Royal Derby horse-racing machine to the show, there was a lot of interest for this product. This virtual horse-racing platform is performing very well in the market, which has a great tradition and love for the sport. Since the event, Alfastreet has confirmed that the second Royal Derby machine in Latin America will be installed in Peru, immediately after the one in Colombia. The excellent partnership with the operators and the consequent trust is a true testament to our efforts, confirming the direction Alfastreet took with the development of the product range. argentina – cryStaldual and S3000 launch IGT and Casino Club, Argentina’s largest casino operator, will introduce IGT’s latest hardware, the CrystalDual and S3000 cabinets, to Argentina. IGT recently secured an agreement with Casino Club to install 270 CrystalDual and 30 S3000 cabinets in Casino Club locations throughout Argentina over the next several months. Approximately 80 units will be installed in Buenos Aires’ iconic destination, Hipodromo Argentino de Palermo. “IGT is firmly committed to the growth and success of gaming in Argentina, and we’re excited to work with our longtime partners at Casino Club to introduce leading technology such as the CrystalDual and S3000 to players in the region,” said Sabby Gill, IGT Senior Vice President of International Commercial Gaming. “We constantly strive to keep our casino environments modern, to drive play with engaging content, and to offer our patrons the industry’s most cutting-edge gaming experiences. We’re confident the IGT CrystalDual and S3000 cabinets will enable us to achieve all three of these goals,” said Ricardo Benedicto of Casino Club.

1 2

Law 23 went into effect in May which applied a tax on cash withdrawals from casinos of 5.5 per cent. However according to Mr. Alfaro those responsible for drafting the law were not aware of the intricacies behind the accounting procedures on casino floors. For Alfaro, errors in the regulation mean that the lawmakers responsible for drafting the document did not know how accounting management procedures of casino works. “The authorities should have asked what things could have been done and what couldn’t have,” he said.

regulation was published and have made them aware of the problems they are now facing. The previous law stated that 7 per cent was payable on payouts of US$300 or more via slot machines. However the 5.5 per cent tax applies now to all cash withdrawals made in casinos, including tips to employees, who have already expressed their complaints on the grounds that tips form part of their salary. “We have absolutely nothing to do with this tax, we have been ordered to gather and collect it and transfer it to the state. The person is responsible for paying the tax is the customer, we are responsible for collection and that's what the government has not been able to communicate,” Alfaro said.

However, Javier Said Acuña, Head of the Legal Department of the Directorate General of Revenue (DGI), said “casinos and slot halls know that the tax is fully in force and must collect it as established by law."

Complicating the matter further is the fact that tax deductions are made even if the customer cashes in chips without winning. So, as Alfaro explained, if the customer buys US$100 in chips and decides to stop playing after losing US$80 and wishes to cash in US$20 the tax is still deducted.

According to Alfaro, the ASAJA have been in communication with the Gaming Control Board, the DGI and the Legal Department of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, since the

The ASAJA has also called for exceptions to the tax for horse race betting not only in the President Remón race track but also all sports betting centres as many already face closure.

Uruguay Administration divided over the future of gaming URUGUAY The Uruguay administration is currently divided over the future of slot machines outside of casinos. According to reports emerging in local press, Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez, is not behind new proposals which are currently being put forward by the Ministry of the Economy, which would regulate slot machines in small business and shops. Illegal slot machines have become an increasingly pressing concern as they now generate around US$170m a year and do not pay taxes. The President is currently waiting on a report from the Secretariat of State before deciding on a course of action. However, it would seem that Vazquez seems to be in favour of

legislation similar to Mexico and Chile which prohibits slots from operating outside casinos while Economy Minister Danilo Astori intends to permit slot machines to operate but only under certain conditions. Online gaming is also currently a focal point for discussion. At present Uruguayans can bet abroad via offshore gaming sites by using international credit cards, while local casinos are unable to offer their services online. A licensed land based operator requested permission to operate online services to locals but was declined permission under the previous administration of José Mujica. Another proposal, which is currently under consideration, is a newly decentralised regulatory board. Under new proposals put

forward by the Chair of Economics, legislation would first be approved which would update Uruguay’s gaming rules, and create a new gaming board and then the issue of slot machines would be debated in Parliament. The issue of slot machines outside of slot parlours and casinos has long been a contentions issue. During the the first Vázquez administration (20052010), the Executive sent a bill to parliament banning slot machines in shops and established a restrictive policy on gambling. This project became stalled in the legislature. Then the administration of José Mujica (2010-2015) put forward regulation which would allow slots in neighbourhood shops with three slot machines being permitted per establishment with provisions in place that they could not be in close proximity to school, colleges and sports centres.

G3Newswire EmEa NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com

catalan reSort’S crux moment the departure of Veremonte from Spain’s BCn World won’t affect the project says the Catalan government Spain - New Operations

der präSident der mexiKaniSchen Glücksspielvereinigung ASPJAC (Asociación de Permisionarios y Proveedores de Juegos y Sorteos, A.C), Alfonso Pérez Lizuar, hat verkündet, dass in Mexiko 25 neue Spiel- und Vergnügungszentren eröffnet werden könnten – viele davon vor Ablauf des Jahres. Die neuen Spielbanken treten an die Stelle der vom Innenministerium (SEGOB), die durch Aufhebung der Zulassungen einer großen Zahl von Kasinos in den Bundesstaaten Monterrey geschlossen wurden. der bau eineS groSSen KaSinoS in der chilenischen Stadt Arica wurde am 10. Juli mit der Grundsteinlegung in Angriff genommen. Das Kasino wird 350 Spielautomaten, 12 Spieltische, zwei Restaurants und 60 Bingo-Plätze beherbergen und Teil eines 5-Sterne-Hotels sein. die Staatliche glücKSSpielaufSicht von Paraguay (CONAJZAR) hat die Absicht bekundet, Ausschreibungsverfahren für Spielbanken in drei Regierungsbezirken in Paraguay beginnend mit dem Bezirk Mitte zu erörtern. Laut CONAJZAR-Präsident Javier Balbuena soll der Bieterwettbewerb im frühen September diesen Jahres ausgeschrieben werden. in der argentiniSchen Stadt Santa roSa wird ein neues Kasino seine Pforten als Teil eines 4-Strene-Hotels mit 87 Zimmern öffnen. Nach Angaben Ricardo Benedictos, des Präsidenten von Casino Club, könnte die Eröffnung des Hotels bis Ende September erfolgen. laut dem präSidenten der panamaiSchen Vereinigung der Führungskräfte in der Glücksspielbranche (ASAJA), Antonio Alfaro, leiden die neuen Vorschriften zur Erhebung einer Steuer auf Barauszahlungen an Spielbankkunden derzeit an einer Vielzahl technischer Schwierigkeiten, durch die die Einziehung der Steuer nahezu unmöglich ist. der griechiSche geSchäftSmann petroS StathiS hat die Kontrolle über HIT Montenegro, den Eigentümer des Hotels und Kasinos Maestral, übernommen. Am 7. Juli hat das von Stathis gegründete, in Podgorica ansässige Unternehmen Monte Rock den Erwerb eines 75,01 prozentigen Anteils an Hit Montenegro und den dazugehörigen Immobilien und touristischen Anlagen abgeschlossen. die marKteinführung der erSten auSlieferung von VLT durch den griechischen Automatenaufsteller OPAP verzögert sich aufgrund neuer Auflagen der griechischen Glücksspielaufsicht bezüglich der Funktionsweise der Automaten. die europapremiere deS wonder wheelSKonzepts, dem Flaggschiff von Aristocrat Technologies, stieß vergangene Woche auf reges Kundeninteresse, als das auf die klassische Batman-Fernsehserie aufsetzende Automatenspiel im Kasino JOA Les Pins in Les Sables d’Olonne an der französischen Westküste an den Start ging. in dem bemühen, den touriSmuS auf zypern auszubauen, hat das Abgeordneten-haus ein Gesetz verabschiedet, das die Schaffung einer Kasino- und Ferienanlage in der Region vorsieht. Die Verabschiedung gilt auch für die Schaffung von Ablegern, von denen vier ebenfalls in Zypern entstehen dürfen.

1 4

In June, the Veremonte Group, the investment company that has been leading the initiative to create Europe’s largest holiday resort in Europe, BCN World near Tarragona, announced its decision to withdraw from the project. In the June issue of G3, Veremonte Managing Director, Xavier Adserà, vented his frustration at his claims of a lack of progress by the regional government in the passing of regulations to enable development of BCN World this summer. Mr. Adserà suggested that the project could even move location from Barcelona as a result. In response to the comments in G3, the Catalan Government has issued a statement refuting this claim. Damià Calvet, Director of the Catalan Land Institute and coordinator of the project for the Government of Catalonia (pictured top right) told us: The Government of Catalonia would like to clarify that the project to create an integrated tourism complex with casinos on the Vila-seca and Salou Recreational and Tourist Center land is promoted by the government and, as a result, the development will carry on at this location.

The new complex can have up to six casino licenses and, as of now, three companies or groups of companies have already been pre-approved. The departure of Veremonte has meant that the Catalan Government has had to guarantee the project’s continuation, reaching an agreement with La Caixa Bank for the rights to buy the 500 hectares of land allocated for BCN World. Veremonte was linked to the initiative through the casino licences’ tender, which it was bidding for in partnership with Hard Rock Casinos and Melco International. As yet, there has been no update as to the reaching of an agreement concerning Veremonte’s participation in the licence tender. Catalan Business Minister, Felip Puig, has stated that the departure of Veremonte will not impede the continuation of the project as Melco, Hard Rock, Grup Perlada and Value Retail remain committed to BCN World. “I believe the operation is much more viable, as companies interested in investing can negotiate with the Catalan Government directly and without intermediaries, said Mr. Puig.

“For some time, Veremonte played a key role in this project due to the fact that they held a purchase option on the land. However, as they did not exercise this purchase option, this is no longer the case. So, with or without Veremonte, the project continues to move forward,” stated Mr. Calvet. “The government is currently working at a steady pace with the operators (Melco, Hard Rock and Peralada Group) that submitted bids in the tender to award casino licenses and were approved in the pre-selection process.

The Catalan Executive has held several business meetings with representatives from casino group Melco International, US entertainment group Hard Rock, Catalan casino, hotel and winemaking group, Grup Peralada, and UK shopping centre management company, Value Retail.

“At the same time, the government is working on the Urban-Development Master Plan (PDU) for the land where the complex will be built. The PDU will receive initial approval in July 2015 and development may begin once the legal process of public notification and final approval has been completed. Moreover, in order to speed up the project, urban development and casino construction may take place simultaneously,” concluded Mr. Calvet.

Veremonte’s withdrawal "is not a problem," concluded Mr. Puig, stating that the other companies involved in BCN World will bring the project forward in all its aspects – casinos, hotels and restaurants. The Government hopes that firms such as Melco, Hard Rock, Grup Peralada and Value Retail will remain committed to the project. Their presence is fundamental, especially after the withdrawal of Veremonte and its main promoters, Enrique Bañuelos and Xavier Adserà.

HIT sells Maestral Casino to Greek investor Monte Rock MONTENEGRO Greek businessman Petros Stathis has assumed control of HIT Montenegro, the owner of the Maestral hotel and casino. Podgorica-based company Monte Rock, founded by Stathis, concluded the acquisition of a 75.01 per cent stake in Hit Montenegro and its accompanying real estate

and tourist facilities on July 7. Maestral is located in the coastal town of Przno, near Budva. The Maestral, Resort & Casino Hotel offers accommodation for 418 guests in 196 rooms and 18 suites. Slovenian company Hit, which acquired Maestral in 2001, has

been forced to sell its assets abroad in order to manage debts estimated at around €100m. Maestral is to retain its name, while the the total price of the transaction will depend on the company's financial results during the summer. Local media within Montenegro has previous reported that Mr. Stathis is also in the process of acquiring a license for a Hard Rock Casino, which he plans to open in the Maestral resort.

UNLEASH YOUR INNER SUPERHERO Our new GLI University curriculum is a collection of intensive learning modules to help bring out the superhero in you, keeping you and your business at the very top of the game, armed with critically important and up-to-date information. Each of GLI University’s courses is led by world-class University has the widest range of instruction and highest caliber of professors in the gaming industry. Our globally recognized training is one more way that you get more, so much more from GLI. So contact GLI University today and bring out your inner superhero. Who knows – you buildings in a single bound. Start today at gaminglabs.com

G3Newswire EmEa NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com

opap delayS greece vlt rollout the rollout of greek operator opap’s first wave of VLts has been delayed following stipulations from the gaming Commission Greece - Installations

nach einer viermonatigen einführungSphaSe wird das brandneue hochmoderne Studio jetzt von der Mehrzahl der belgischen A-Lizenz-Inhaber zur LiveÜbertragung von Kasinospielen für die Spieler auf dem regulierten belgischen Online-Glücksspielmarkt verwendet.

The rollout of Greek operator OPAP’s first wave of VLTs has been delayed following new stipulations from the Hellenic Gaming Commission on how the machines must work.

eS wird erwartet, daSS die verzögerung, von der Unternehmen wie Scientific, IGT, Inspired und Synot betroffen sind, die angeschlagene griechische Wirtschaft mehrere Millionen Euro kosten wird.

The delay, which will affect companies such as Scientific, IGT, Inspired and Synot are also expected to cost the troubled Greek economy millions of euros.

Kgm, der exKluSivherSteller und -vertreiber der elektronischen Tischspiele von Alfastreet in den USA, hat einen wichtigen Meilenstein für die Unternehmens-entwicklung erreicht. KGM hat die ersten beiden elektronischen Roulettekonso-len in Connecticut aufgestellt.

OPAP has said it needs more time to make sure its VLTs are compliant with new rules introduced on June 12, which include lower jackpot levels, daily loss limits and length of play time allowed.

die SpielbanKen in pennSylvania haben die Trendwende bei den Automatenerträgen geschafft. Die 12 Kasinos des Bundesstaates melden einen leichten Gewinnanstieg von 0,7 Prozent gegenüber den Zahlen des Vorjahres. alS neuer geSchäftSführer von merKur Gaming Americas zeichnet jetzt Charles Hiten für die Vertriebsaktivitäten der Gauselmann Gruppe in Nord-, Mittelund Südamerika verantwortlich. eigentlich hätte daS gröSSte KaSino der Karibik, das Baha Mar Casino & Hotel, seine Pforten Ende März öffnen sollen. Sarkis Izmirlian, Vorstandsvorsitzender und Geschäftsführer von Baha Mar, dem Entwickler der Anlage Baha Mar, hat jedoch angekündigt, dass sich die Baha Mar Ltd und die mit ihr verbundenen Unternehmen freiwillig einem Insolvenzverfahren gemäß Kapitel 11 des US-amerikanischen Insolvenzrechts unterziehen, um das Bauvorhaben abzuschließen und zu eröffnen. SebaStian Salat, präSident von wmS International, hat Scientific Games verlassen. Dieser Schritt erfolgte in beiderseitigem Einvernehmen. greentube hat eine vereinbarung zur nutzung von Inhalten der Genesis Software International Ltd (Genesis Gaming) erzielt. Durch diese Zusammenarbeit dehnt Greentube seine Präsenz in Nordamerika weiter aus, da die Inhalte von Genesis Gaming in Greentube Pro, die vernetzte Spielplattform von Greentube für Festlandkasinos, eingehen werden. mohegan Sun hat beStätigt, daSS der name der Spielbank- und Ferienanlage, die am internationalen Flughafen von Incheon in Südkorea eröffnet wird, Inspire lauten wird. Dort wird ein 20.000 m2 großes Kasino mit 250 Spieltischen und 1.500 Spielautomaten untergebracht sein. melco crown entertainment hat daS imposante vom Filmschaffen inspirierte Riesenrad in Form zweier gigantischer Filmrollen als symbolischen Blickfang an seinem in Kürze zu eröffnenden 3,2 Mrd. USD teuren Studio City-Komplex in Macau enthüllt. die lotte group, ein multinationaleS SpeiSeund Einkaufslokalunternehmen mit Sitz in Südkorea und Japan, meldet ihr Zusammengehen mit der Genting Group bei einem Ausschreibungsverfahren zur Entwicklung einer großen Kasino- und Ferienanlage am Nordhafen von Busan in Südkorea.

1 6

OPAP said: “The new regulation, decided by the Gaming Commission only a few days prior to the scheduled launch of the VLTs, and without prior consultation with OPAP, contains a number of unprecedented restrictions, which defy international best practices of responsible gaming, render the project no longer economically viable and contain technical requirements that make timely implementation impossible. In any case, OPAP assures its investors, its partners and its employees that it remains absolutely focused on its investment and shall continue to take all appropriate actions to arrive at a reasonable and balanced regulatory framework that secures public interest and public revenues and at the same time allows the economic

viability of the VLT business for OPAP and its operators.” The government believes VLTs could generate €38.7m in tax revenue in 2015 and €225m in 2016. The new stipulations limit daily loss limit to €80 a player and restrict the amount of time people can play to 10 hours a week and 32 hours a month. Maximum jackpots have been reduced to €20,000 from the previous €100,000. OPAP wanted to have 16,000 VLTs in operation in its own Play branded gaming halls by the end of 2015 with a further 19,000 available to sub-contracted operators. Eilers Research believes regulators could yet reach an understanding with OPAP due to the government needing to generate extra revenues. Eilers Principal Todd Eilers said: “The delay doesn’t have anything to do with the current debt crises other than maybe OPAP playing hardball with the regulators hoping that they will cave because they need the new tax revenue.”

Hungary the hungarian parliament has approved a bill under which online sports betting in hungary can only be conducted through state-owned Szerencsejáték Zrt., while online horse betting can only be operated through state-owned magyar lóversenyfogadást Szervező Kft. online casino games can only be operated by firms that have casino concessions. online casinos can generate extra income through online betting, but are not required to pay extra taxes on that income.

Cyprus government approves casino and satellite locations CYPRUS In an effort to attract additional tourism to Cyprus, the Parliament has approved a new bill which will see a casino resort created in the region. The approval also includes the addition of satellite establishments, four of which can be created in Cyprus. MPs of DISY, DIKO and EDEK saw the bill passed while 22 lawmakers voted against the measure. Votes against included the former leader of the EDEK, House President Yiannakis Omirou. The law will see the creation of four satellite facilities as well as one resort for casino gaming, with

three satellites only allowed to offer gaming machines while the last satellite can provide table games as well. Amendments were added to the bill to restrict the facilities from giving credit to gamblers as well as not constructing the casinos on state land. Players in Cyprus will have to earn a permit after having their tax files checked before they will be able to gain entrance to the facility. Any illegal operators of casino gaming will have their profits seized by officials and could face a fine as well as jail time for actions that are deemed criminal.

In the past, the administration of Cyprus would not consider allowing casinos, despite the fact that citizens were travelling north to play casino games. Once the current officials in government took office, the CTO, a tourism organisation, was asked to study casino gaming. A 2007 study was updated to decide how gaming could benefit Cyprus. President Nicos Anastasiades stated that the approval of the bill will help to turn the country into an investment centre. Casinos have been in demand in Cyprus and Anastasiades believes the option will ‘enrich’ the tourism product, helping to upgrade the country’s standing in tourism while also creating conditions for employment in the region.

G3Newswire EmEa NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com Sweden – Konami maKing SwediSh clean Sweep Konami Gaming, Inc., a global leader in casino gaming and systems, launched its second round of slot installations in Sweden with the nation’s state-owned gaming entity Casino Cosmopol, through Konami’s regional distributor International Casino Management (ICM). Casino Cosmopol operates four casino properties in Sweden and recently expanded Konami installations to its Gothenburg and Stockholm locations, including several placements of the popular SeleXion multi-game cabinet. ICM is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and is part of Konami’s exclusive network of distributors. “We are very satisfied with the performance in all our four casinos and the SeleXion machines are popular among our guests,” said Casino Cosmopol gaming specialist Erik Söber. “In addition, our slot technicians and attendants think the machines from Konami are easy to maintain, well thoughtout, and very reliable.” “Our first two installations of Konami machines in Malmö and Sundsvall have been successful and we are confident that the installations in Stockholm and Gothenburg will follow the same success route,” said ICM chief executive officer Wolfram Dahlström. italy – roundtable SucceSS Regulators, suppliers and operators from 18 countries gathered together in Rome for GLI’s 10th European Regulators Roundtable. Attendees were challenged to strategically face change over the course of the twoday event, where the global gaming industry’s top thought-leaders presented a broad range of topics critical to success in the industry’s modern landscape. “GLI is known worldwide for providing so much more than just testing to our valued regulator, supplier and operator clients, and we were very pleased with our 10th European Regulators Roundtable. We are indebted to each of the outstanding speakers and panelists who lent their expertise and incredibly valuable insights to attendees in the dynamic industry landscape,” said GLI President/CEO James Maida. Spain – new herrera role Scientific Games Corporation has announced the appointment of Marco Herrera in an expanded role as Vice President, Managing Director of Gaming for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Reporting to Robert Parente, Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer for the company’s Gaming Division, Mr. Herrera will lead operations and oversee sales of gaming machines, casino-management systems solutions, and table products representing the Company’s Bally, Shuffle Master, and WMS product brands. He will also oversee service and support to grow the Company’s market share in EMEA and to elevate the customer experience in the region by bringing the three powerful product brands under a combined operational infrastructure. The international headquarters of the Company’s Gaming division is located at Carrer de Leonardo Da Vinci, 24-28 in Rubi, Spain, just 15 kilometers from Barcelona.

1 8

evolution goeS live in belgium evolution gaming has launched its new live gaming studio with multiple operators in Belgium at the historic Casino de Spa Belgium - Installation Following a four-month implementation, the brand-new, state-of-the-art studio is now being used by the majority of Belgium’s A-Licence holders to stream Live Casino games to players in Belgium’s regulated online gaming market. A-Licence operators going live with their new Spa-based Live Casino services include bwin, Unibet, 777, Circus, Starcasino and Napoleon Games. All will stream live dealer Roulette and Blackjack plus Auto Slingshot Roulette from the Spa studio between 18:00 and 02:00, seven days a week. In addition, Gaming1, the market’s principle Class B provider, will stream Auto Slingshot Roulette from the same studio area. Outside of the Spa studio’s operating hours, the Belgium Live Casino service will be supported by live table games streamed from Evolution’s central studios in Latvia and Malta. Jens von Bahr, CEO at Evolution, commented: “Belgian players now have access to fully compliant Live Casino games on their desktop, tablet and smartphone, with live tables served by

French and Flemish native speaking dealers. It’s a world-class service with a distinctive local flavour.” Emmanuel Mewissen, CEO of Groupe Circus and owner of Casino de Spa (pictured above left), added: “By working with the world leader in Live Casino we have created a fantastic facility her, which is now the online Live Casino operational base for virtually all of Belgium’s A-Licence operators. I must congratulate Evolution’s Helen Hedgeland and James Stern on their tremendous work in creating this studio. We witnessed firsthand why Evolution is world number one.” Jesper von Bahr, CLO at Evolution, added at the launch party in Spa: “Every market is unique and finding the right partner is critical to success. Groupe Circus really know and understand their market and have been with us at every stage of the process. I’d like to thank Jean-Christophe Choffray, Groupe Circus, online general manager in particular for his dedication. I’d also like to thank the Belgian Gaming Commission for their pragmatic views and help.” Constructed in the stunning main ballroom at Casino de Spa, the new Evolution Studio is a purpose built location ‘delicately’ constructed within the fabric of the spectacular 18th Century property with state-of-the-art modern facilities.

Inspired closes VLT contract with Norway’s Norsk Tipping NORWAY Inspired has won a new contract to supply VLT games to Norsk Tipping’s Multix and Belago VLT platforms in Norway. The contract was awarded following a competitive tender process against some of the world’s leading game developers.

Following the recent tender for new VLT games, Inspired will be launching a minimum of four new games, including Centurion and Super Hot Fruits. Inspired was also awarded an additional game due to its ability to develop a new game in the shortest timeframe.

Norsk Tipping is Norway’s only VLT operator, with over 4,300 terminals across over 2,200 venues. In 2011 Inspired was selected as one of only three companies to supply content to Norsk Tipping’s VLT platforms, including its hit games Diamond Goddess, Monster Cash and Jungle Bucks.

Martin Lucas, Managing Director, VLT & New Markets, Inspired, commented: “Norsk Tipping is a highly regarded lottery and we’re delighted to have been selected again as one of their premium content partners. We invest a significant amount in our content R&D and are committed to devel-

oping the best content, which keeps players entertained, whilst driving incremental growth for our customers.” Lene Finstad, EVP Product and Brands, Norsk Tipping, added: “We are very pleased to continue to have Inspired as one of our three partners delivering new games to our Terminals. Inspired has provided us with high quality games for many years and in the tender Inspired demonstrated clearly a strategy to progress even further in the Multix and Belago markets. We look forward to bringing more high quality content to these markets to further develop them in an attractive, yet responsible manner.” Inspired was recently contracted to provide nearly 4,000 VLTs to the Greek market through OPAP.

G3Newswire EmEa NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com catalonia – novomatic SignS lottery deal NOVOMATIC Lottery Solutions (NLS) has been selected as successful bidder in a public competition for a six-year contract by the Catalonian Lottery (Loteria de Catalunya). The contract provides full lottery facility management services for the autonomous region of Catalunya in Spain for both online and instant lottery products and services. The contract will commence on 1st April 2016 and contains an option for an additional two-year extension.

batman SwingS into caSino joa aristocrat technologies installs its Batman Classic tV Series Slot game live at Casino Joa Les pins in Les Sables d’olonne France - Installation Aristocrat Technologies’ first European installation of its premium Wonder Wheels concept met with huge customer approval last week as Batman Classic TV Series Slot Game went live at Casino JOA Les Pins in Les Sables d’Olonne, on the west coast of France. Casino slots director, Jean-Michel Launay commented: “We have a busy programme of social events planned for the summer months and with superheroes and comic books holding great appeal across a wide demographic of our visitor base, this high profile attraction is ideally suited to generate an exciting buzz for existing and new players alike. Our customers have been especially pleased to

find out that they are the first to play on this game in Europe and it’s been virtually impossible to find either of the seats empty in the past week, at any time of the day or night.” Aristocrat Product and Insights Manager for EMEA, Carlos Batista added: “This was the biggest and most complex single machine installation that the European business has ever had to deal with. Planned with military precision and very close co-operation between technicians from Aristocrat, Casino JOA Les Pins and our French distributor, SFC2A, we were delighted to see the game go live on schedule, with minimal impact on the gaming floor on the previous build-up day. We have a busy schedule of further installations planned between July and September and welcome the professional support of JOA Group in helping to make the European debut such as success. Batman Classic TV Series Slot Game is now perfectly placed to spread its wings and head North, East and South across the rest of the continent.” JCM’s WBA and UBA validators, and now all eight casinos will convert those products to the better, smarter, faster iVIZION.

JCM EMEA General Manager Payam Zadeh, Orenes Grupo IT Manager David López, Gran Casino Castellón Manager Joaquin Bautista, JCM EMEA Sales Manager Jaime Bonet, JCM EMEA Managing Director Nobuyuki Sato

Orenes Grupo Casino Division prefers JCM Global’s acceptors SPAIN The winning ways continue for JCM Global, notably in Spain, where another operator has named JCM its preferred bill validator supplier. Adding to a string of recent exclusive agreements, Orenes Grupo Casino Division in Spain has named JCM its preferred bill

validator supplier, and has named JCM’s award-winning iVIZION bill validator its preferred product. In addition to a wide range of business activities, Orenes Grupo Casinos Division owns and operates eight casinos in Spain and two casinos in Mexico. The Spanish casinos currently use

Gregorio Hernandez, General Manager of Orenes Grupo Spain Casino Division, said, “We have been very happy with the performance of JCM’s WBA and UBA bill validators at our properties, and with JCM’s commitment to service. Having reviewed iVIZION’s capabilities, we were extremely impressed with the product and knew it was time to evolve our operations.” “Orenes Grupo is one of the most important casino operators in Spain, and their impressive business portfolio speaks to the company’s high of expectations from their vendors. We are honoured to have been chosen as their preferred supplier, and we are confident in our ability to deliver the high quality of products and service Orenes Grupo needs and expects,” said JCM EMEA General Manager Payam Zadeh.

“We are extremely pleased at the prospect of working with Loteria de Catalunya”, said Miriam Lindhorst, CEO of NOVOMATIC Lottery Solutions. “In this full facilities management contract we are excited about helping Loteria de Catalunya to increase sales to a level more appropriate to the stature of the region’s local economy. Through the deployment of modern technology and up to date solutions we are convinced we will make a significant difference to the good causes supported by Loteria de Catalunya. We look forward to a long and mutually successful partnership.” Under the new agreement, that was secured through a competitive bid, NLS will provide Loteria de Catalunya with 2,300 Morpho S8 online lottery terminals, a new generation state of the art fully integrated central system encompassing retail, internet and mobile in what will be the first fully omni-channel system implementation in the region. emea – jauch cpi SaleS head Crane Payment Innovations (CPI), a Crane Co. Company, announces the appointment of Anette Jauch as director of sales, Gaming – EMEA. In this new capacity, Jauch will lead regional sales teams and will oversee strategic growth initiatives across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “It was an easy decision to expand Anette’s role at CPI,” said Eric Fisher – president of Gaming. “She has made thrilling contributions to our team in a very short amount of time and, as a sales director, she is now better positioned to facilitate our next surge of profitability. Her demonstrated talent for understanding customer needs and, in turn, delivering business value will be instrumental in the continued growth of CPI within her territory.” georgia – evolution SignS adjarabet deal Evolution Gaming has entered the Georgian live dealer market with a deal with Adjarabet who has launched a complete suite of live tables at Adjarabet.com. Evolution has added the Georgian language to the user interface and help pages for all games. Adjarabet’s Head of Sport and Casino, Archil Kakhidze, said:“Evolution has built its reputation working alongside market leaders in many other territories, so we feel confident that we now have a powerful, flexible and scalable solution that gives us huge scope to deliver the very best for our players as we grow and develop.” Sebastian Johannisson, Head of Account Management at Evolution, added: “We are delighted to be working with Adjarabet, the clear market leader in Georgia. Their success is founded on offering their players a great choice of games, fast payouts and excellent customer service.”

1 9

G3Newswire EmEa NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com

lucKy deal for cammegh in cairo Lucky Symbols from Cammegh has doubled its footprint at the omar Khayyam Casino in egypt due to demand Egypt - Installations

latvia – olympic acquireS garKalnS locationS The Latvian subsidiary of Olympic Entertainment Group (OEG) has signed an agreement to acquire 100 per cent shareholding in Latvian casino operator SIA Garkalns and its subsidiary SIA Post-Nevada. According to Madis Jääger, CEO of OEG: “We are in the middle of a year of intense expansion – in addition to the acquisition in Latvia we are working on a large project to enter the market in Malta and at the same time we are building our flagship casino and the first Hilton in the Baltics.” The two companies to be acquired, Garkalns and its subsidiary Post-Nevada, have 20 slot casinos in Latvia, 10 of which are located in the country’s capital city Riga and 10 in regional cities, and have a total of 432 slots. In 2014, the companies had revenue of more than €6m, which accounted for 4 per cent of the Latvian market, and the companies employed 245 people. The nominal value of the share capital of SIA Garkalns is €1,991,553. The parties agreed not to disclose the price of the transaction. “We will bring the acquired casinos into compliance with the standards of Olympic Casino and with that significantly increase their success,”Mr. Jääger said, reminding that close to two years ago OEG already acquired one much smaller competitor in Latvia and that had only positive effect to the company’s results. On the completion of the transaction OEG will own 57 casinos in Latvia. The casinos will be brought into compliance with the standards of OEG within one year, after which they will be rebranded as Olympic Casino. Slovenia - interblocK doo Interblock has added another crucial piece to its global leadership strategy, naming operations expert Danilo Reher as the company’s new Director of Operations. Interblock CEO John Connelly said, “We are delighted to add Mr. Reher to our leadership team. He has an incredibly rich background in technologically driven consumer products. This, combined with his extensive background with Lean Management, Kaizen Processes, mechanical engineering and other critical aspects, makes Danilo the perfect choice to lead our global operations team. He will help ensure Interblock continues to deliver the world’s leading luxury gaming products to more than 130 global jurisdictions.” france – joa bacK for more JOA Group has achieved the first two podium finishes in the pan-European race to get Aristocrat’s Batman Classic TV Series Slot Game live on gaming floors. Hot on the heels of the first installation at Casino JOA Les Pins on France’s Atlantic coast (page 19), attention turned to the French Riviera, with Casino JOA La Siesta in Antibes becoming the second venue to offer the new Wonder Wheels concept to its players. JOA Group Game Manager, Laurent Jourdain (pictured) said: “The Batman franchise provides a very strong marketing proposition to attract and appeal to existing and new players alike. Our respective marketing teams at Les Pins and La Siesta have reported extremely good uptake in their first week since going live and we now look forward to a long, hot season of performance.”

2 0

The Omar Khayyam casino at the Marriott Hotel in Cairo was one of the first casinos in the world to install Cammegh’s Lucky Symbols, a new and exciting side-bet for roulette. The system was introduced to the casino by John Grannell of Clearwater Casino Consultancy Ltd, and both he and casino director Lamberto Graglia have been extremely pleased with how it performed, to the degree the casino in June installed two more tables with Lucky Symbols: Pharaoh’s Riches. “”We decided to buy more displays to run Lucky Symbols, in order to offer the bonus facility on more tables. This was down to the success of the first two,” said Lamberto. “The benefits to both players and the casino were clear. Our return on investment was so fast it made sense to increase the number of tables with Lucky Symbols. And customers love bonus-betting on every game, but couldn’t always play Lucky Symbols, simply because the two tables we had them on were always full!” The initial Lucky Symbols installation happened in November 2014, and immediately players wanted to know more. In November, Lamberto

Lamberto Graglia commented: “From the first spin, the game took off like a rocket! Many customers constantly played it, and even with big payouts like $4,000 on the 80-to-1 symbols, the winnings were being placed back on the table. This subsequently made our roulette game more interesting and exciting for everyone.” He added there was widespread enthusiasm regarding the graphic design work undertaken by Cammegh under the guidance of Clearwater Casino Consultancy Ltd: “Owners, management and customers alike all had very positive things to say about the look of the game and the crisp, colourful images produced by the hardware.” Regarding the ongoing success of Lucky Symbols, John Grannell remarked: “I am delighted with the outcome of this installation and see it being one of many more to come.”

Italy betsoft Gaming, originator and leader of true 3d cinematic gaming, have announced that they have struck a deal with italian platform provider iGamingtech. iGamingtech will be integrating betsoft’s complete suite of iGaming entertainment, including the blockbuster Slots3 collection as well as the toGo line of mobile games, into their clients’ sites. “iGtech is a phenomenal company that provides turnkey solutions for gaming,” said annamaria anastasi of betsoft. “their reach in the italian market and beyond is vast, through their various clients and operators, and we have found that this is an ideal way to deliver our content to the players. iGtech are a top notch source for solutions that lead to success in this business.”

Playtech wins Norsk Tipping interactive games contract NORWAY Playtech has won a coveted contract to supply Norway’s state-owned gaming operator with locally adapted content across more than 4,300 interactive gaming terminals. Playtech was one of eight competing suppliers during the procurement process, and one of three to win the contract. In partnership with Norsk Tipping, Playtech will further develop its interactive terminal games offering and this month will begin delivery of a suite of interactive retail gaming content designed specifically for the Norwegian Belago (bingo halls) and Multix (retail) environments.

The company, under Playtech subsidiary Videobet Interactive Sweden, is one of three suppliers selected to provide new content for all Norsk Tipping interactive gaming terminals. The duration is for an initial two-year period that includes an option for two further one year extensions. The deal is in addition to Playtech’s current contract to provide Norsk Tipping with more than 4,300 gaming terminals as well as the innovative TruServ platform, the engine that powers the Norwegian retail and bingo hall markets. Shimon Akad, COO, Playtech, said: “We have an excellent

relationship with Norsk Tipping and this news only serves to reinforce this. We’re delighted with the outcome of the procurement process and scoring highest among our competitors. The content agreement is in line with our regulated markets strategy and strengthens our market share in Norway alongside our existing software, systems and hardware provision.” Lene Finstad, EVP Product and Brands, Norsk Tipping, said: “We are excited to have Playtech as one of our three partners for the delivery of new interactive terminal games. In its tender the company demonstrated a deep understanding and a highly attractive games strategy for the Belago and Multix markets, and we look forward to bringing a wide range of new content to these markets to further develop.”

elexuS electS diamond inStall interblock is to install its first Diamond roulette on Cyprus at the ‘soon to open’ luxurious new elexus resort Casino

G3Newswire EmEa NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com

Cyprus - New installations Electronic Roulette from Luxury gaming manufacturer Interblock will be a prominent feature at the Elexus Hotel Resort Casino when the stunning new destination opens its doors this September. Located in Girne, the 5-star hotel, with its 7,500 square meter casino, is a new jewel in Cyprus’ crown, and Interblock’s Diamond Roulette with 24 play stations will help to further elevate the luxurious feel of the casino. Elexus Hotel Resort Casino is the biggest hotel investment to date in northern Cyprus, and this is the first installation of Interblock’s Diamond Roulette on the island. Speaking for Elexus, Zeynel Bozkurt said, “Interblock is a well-known brand in Cyprus, and we have many installations of Interblock’s Organic products here in all major casinos. Now at Elexus Hotel Resort Casino, we are opening a new

page with the first installation of the Diamond product line on the Island, and we expect it is going to set a new standard here.” Interblock Regional Sales Manager Klemen Sitar said, “Elexus Resort Casino is raising the bar for hotel/resorts – not just in Cyprus, but around the world. The resort is setting new standards, installing only the best across the entire resort and casino. Interblock’s Diamond Roulette has set a new standard in luxury gaming, and we are thrilled to be a part of this momentous new destination.”

Hungary bmm testlabs’ linda lemieux, Svp, bmm canada, recently gave a training session to 90 participants via video conference, organised by the hungarian testing board, an iStQb partner. the presentation, titled 'Qa in the Gaming world' gave a broad overview of bmm's approach to Qa testing services, including EGms, online, social, mobile, race and sports betting. ms. lemieux said, "bmm offers years of real world experience when it comes to Qa testing in gaming, and with unparalleled performance. we feel it important to participate through education and iStQb and its partners are an exceptional forum for our testing expertise."

EGT’ chalks up its first slots installations in Spanish market SPAIN Casino de Barcelona is the first in Spain to welcome Euro Games Technology’s flagman – the P24/24 Up cabinet from Premier Series. This is how one of the most prestigious casinos in the country found only natural to broaden its players’ choice, adding the widely renowned slot model to its floor. The installation is of 6 machines with Multi-3 game mix of 39 different themed titles, including 3 video poker games. In case it is in line with investor’s expectations, it may lead to the delivery of more expanded range of EGT’s products. “Although it is too early to give an assessment of cabinet’s performance, it is so far promising. Expectedly, P-24/24 Up was well received by our customers, its games being perceived as affordable and attractive,” shared

Eduardo Cuenca, Deputy Gaming Director of Casino de Barcelona and further commented: “As major casino operator we opted for P-24/24 Up because we wanted to diversify our gaming offerings and found EGT to be a good option for us. Furthermore, our group has worked with the company before and was pleased with the provided services and products.” Casino de Barcelona is situated next to the Catalonian Marina – the port of Barcelona. A vast choice of games – slot, roulette, blackjack, poker, and many more are at the disposal of casino’s patrons within its spacious twofloor surrounding. The establishment is held by Group Peralada, a Catalonian based family business, which gaming activity is developed in several countries and includes four casinos in Spain.

emea – new merKur team Merkur Gaming continues to reorganise its management team with the addition of Athanasios lsaakidis and Stefan Bruns, who will be responsible for the operating activities of Merkur Gaming. “With Athanasios lsaakidis and Stefan Bruns, we have gained the ideal top management team for Merkur Gaming. Our objective is to continue to promote the consolidation and expansion of the games systems ‘made by Merkur’ in global sales markets and to sustainably develop the market positioning of our products,” says Jürgen Stühmeyer, Sales Director of the Gauselmann Group. S africa - merKur appointS Brian Meacher will assume the responsibility of the sales activities of the Gauselmann Group in South Africa as from 1st July 2015 onwards as Managing Director of Merkur Gaming Africa. The 56 year-old British national has more than 30 years of industry experience as well as enormous expertise of the African market. In his position as Managing Director of Merkur Gaming Africa Brian Meacher will both further consolidate the market position of the Gauselmann Group as well as develop new sales potentials. ireland – ainSworth Strong popularity Ainsworth is winning over the hearts of Irish players with Carnaby Gaming spearheading its success up and down the country. Led by Derek Lynch, Carnaby has overseen a number of installs with one excellent example being Dr. Quirkey’s, one of the best known and most popular gambling locations in Dublin. This family-owned company places great emphasis on offering the most dynamic and exciting slot action in Dublin. This focus on providing the best slots on the market has led to a strong partnership with Ainsworth. In recent times, the Quirke family has offered more and more Ainsworth slot machines to their customers. The Ainsworth A560 cabinet range has proven exceptionally popular and for this reason Dr. Quirkey’s has four different cabinet types from this range in their arcades. These are the A560 High Boy, the A560 Slant Top, the A560 Wide Boy and the new A560 Slim Line.

“Our partnership with Group Peralada began in 2013 when they chose Euro Games Technology’s Vega Vision+ cabinets for their Casino Melincue in Argentina. Now we are pleased to present together in Spain one of EGT’s most successful products P-24/24 Up. I am confident that its carefully considered design and game mix with high resolution graphics will appeal to the local slot aficionados to the greatest extend,“ commented Gergana Yaneva, Director of EGT Spain.

“The A560 slots from Ainsworth exude casino entertainment. They have the right look and feel to them,” explained Richard Quirke, owner of Dr. Quirkey’s. “We are always looking to bring that added extra to our arcades so that we can maintain our philosophy in bringing the cream of gaming entertainment to our customers. Ainsworth is a great fit.” Ainsworth has an excellent mix of single games and multi games. Whereas the A560 High Boy and the A560 Slant Top are equipped with multi win packages, the A560 Wide Boy offers an enthralling gaming experience with the Reels of Wheels that has four stand-alone progressives where 5 wheels spin and every feature can determine special symbols on all the reels. Another totally unique gaming experience is guaranteed with the Sweet Zone games on the A560 Slim Line.

2 1

Insight bElGium - caSiNo SyStEmS

a clEaN SwEEp acroSS bElGium drGt has complete systems market domination in the belgium casinos sector with 9 out of 9 belgian casinos connected DRGT has confirmed that every casinos in its home country of Belgium is now operating with DRGT a system. This means that Casino de Namur, Casino Blankenberge, Casino Ostend, Casino de Dinant, Casino Knokke, Casino Middelkerke, Casino de Spa, Casino Brussels and Casino de Chaudfontaine all have implemented DRGT systems. With the successful completion of the installation of an accounting, TITO and jackpot system in the casinos of Blankenberge and Middelkerke, all nine Belgian casinos now operate a DRGT system. Jean-Michel De Busscher, CEO of DRGT Online Belgium, states, “It is very exceptional to see that in a free market situation every casino comes to the same conclusion that our system is the best adapted to the market.” Domi Dewilde, CEO of both Casinos Blankenberge and Middelkerke, added: “After a decade of operating a coin-based slot operation and a migration to TITO with a previous partner, which did not live up to our expectations, we are happy to notice already a substantial boost in our revenues thanks to our partnership with DRGT. In addition to the system, DRGT supplied us with a great mix of 20 top performing slots; another 60 to be installed shortly. We greatly appreciate the professional service DRGT provides both for its systems as well as for the slots”. 2 2

“After a decade of operating a coin-based slot operation and a migration to TITO with a previous partner, we are happy to notice already a substantial boost in our revenues thanks to our partnership with DRGT” DRGT offers serverless technology that is extremely reliable. No expensive servers nor IT personnel are required. Furthermore, DRGT can connect with all slots – all manufacturers and all types – even old reelbased machines. Operators keep their freedom of choice of the slots that remain on the gaming floor when implementing DRGT. The software has been designed to be simple and intuitive to use – thus motivating users to make the most of the opportunities DRGT offers. drScreen enables operators to communicate directly with their customers on the slot machine screen. This direct marketing medium can be used to great advantage in a multitude of ways (e.g. advertising, information, TV – such as a not-to-miss football match). DRGT has its roots in Belgium and the successes were made here. They quickly built up a reputation in Belgium and were able to expand their systems solutions to the majority of the casinos. For the last

Jean-Michel de Busscher and Michiel van Dam from DRGT years they have had seven of the nine casinos as customers. Today all nine casinos use the DRGT System. DRGT offers flexible and modular systems so that each and every operator can choose their own individual systems solution: drAccounting, drCashless, drTicket, drJackpots, drPlayerTracking, drScreen, drBonusing, drCage, drReports and drTable are just some of the examples of how an operator can choose the right options to best fit their own requirements.

EXPAND THE POSSIBLLE. AMD’s deep understanding of the embedded electronic gaming market has allowed us to develop solutions that combine outstanding graphics performance with high-value features. AMD technology-based digital gaming machines offer vibr v ant, real-time 3D graphics a nd video on multiple large displays, leading-edge HD viddeo and immersive multimedia. With options for side-betting, up-selling and additionaal advertising, as well as an innovative, more complex game design capability, the ssystems are built for the next-generation gaming experience.

w w w.amd.com/casinogaming

Learn more at G2E Vegas. Visit AMD booth 3807.

Photoo cour tesy of International Game Tech echnolog hnology. © 2015 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. All rights reser ved. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo and combinatioons thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. PID: 156593-A

G3Newswire North amErica NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com

Kgm inStallS into connecticut KgM, the exclusive uS manufacturer and distributor of alfastreet games, has installed its first stations in Connecticut Connecticut - Installations

le préSident de l’aSSociation profeSSionnelle mexicaine du secteur des jeux de hasard ASPJAC (Asociación de Permisionarios y Proveedores de Juegos y Sorteos, A.C), Alfonso Pérez Lizuar, a déclaré que 25 centres de jeux pourraient ouvrir à Mexico – dont un grand nombre avant la fin de l’année. Les nouveaux casinos remplaceront ceux qui ont été fermés par le Ministère de l’intérieur (SEGOB) qui avait révoqué les licences d’un grand nombre de casinos dans l’État de Monterrey. la conStruction d’un caSino d’envergure danS la ville chilienne d’Arica a démarrée le 10 juillet par la pose de la première pierre. Le casino disposera de 350 machines à sous, de 12 tables de jeux, de deux restaurants et de 60 postes de bingo tout en étant intégré à un hôtel 5 étoiles.

La Commission nationale des jeux de haSard du Paraguay (CONAJZAR) a annoncé ses projets d’examiner la procédure d’appel d’offres portant sur des licences de casinos dans trois départements au Paraguay en commençant par le département du centre. Selon le Président de la CONAJZAR, Javier Balbuena, la procédure d’appel d’offres pourrait aboutir début septembre de cette année. un nouveau caSino ouvrira SeS porteS danS la ville argentine de Santa Rosa dans un hôtel quatre étoiles doté de 87 chambres. Selon Ricardo Benedicto, Président du Casino Club, l’hôtel pourrait ouvrir ses portes fin septembre. Selon le préSident panaméen de l’aSSociation de Responsables de Jeux de hasard (ASAJA), Antonio Alfaro, les nouvelles réglementations imposant une taxe sur les retraits d’espèces par les clients dans les casinos étaient maintenant exposés à un certain nombre de problèmes techniques qui rendent le prélèvement de la taxe presqu’impossible. l’homme d’affaireS grec petroS StathiS a priS le contrôle de HIT Montenegro, propriétaire de l’hôtel et casino Maestral. La société Monte Rock, basée à Podgorica et créée par Stathis, a bouclé l’acquisition de 75,01 % des parts dans Hit Montenegro et les biens immobiliers et équipements touristiques qu’elle possède le 7 juillet.

KGM, the exclusive United States manufacturer and distributor of Alfastreet electronic table games, has reached a major company milestone. KGM has installed its first two electronic roulette game stations in Connecticut.

The four-seat R4 version of the game went live at Mohegan Sun in July, as did the eight-seat R8 cabinet which went live at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

“The advantages for casino operators are just as numerous,” added Jason Cohen, Executive Vice President of KGM. “Automated table games maximize profitability of the gaming floor by allowing for 24/7 operation, faster bets and more players per game. Even more importantly, these games are very approachable, removing the anxiety factor beginning players often experience with traditional live games.”

“Alfastreet’s automated table games offer real value for players and reflect evolving preferences in modern casino play,” said Jason Peters, President of KGM. “Besides being fast, convenient and easy to play even for novices, these games create a unique social environment where players interact and cheer each other on in a joint effort to beat the house.”

Alfastreet’s electronic table games are completely customizable. Parameters like speed of the game, denomination and betting limitations can be adjusted easily. While automated roulette is Alfastreet’s core product, KGM has plans underway to install game units, including electronic blackjack and baccarat, in casinos across North America, pending jurisdictional licensing.

The electronic roulette game units feature a real roulette wheel at the center, flanked on four sides by individual player stations. Each player station features an ergonomically-correct seat and a private touch screen for easy, chip-free betting.

Atlantic City in a move said to avoid payments in lieu of taxes under atlantic city’s new pilot program, which has yet to be signed into law, the shuttered trump plaza was approved to create a deed restriction that will keep anyone from operating the property as a casino without paying an undisclosed “release fee” to the owners. trump Entertainment resorts sought the approval from Judge Kevin Gross in delaware where the company’s bankruptcy proceedings are taking place. the casino closed on September 16, 2014 – the last of four casinos that closed in atlantic city last year. the property could still be used for non-gambling purposes without lifting the deed restriction. Some analysts have suggested the property could better serve the economy of the city by being demolished to make room for more shopping or other non-gambling activities.

le lancement de la première vague d’appareilS de loterie vidéo de l’opérateur grec OPAP a été retardé en raison des nouvelles règles imposées par la Commission grecque des jeux de hasard sur la façon dont doivent fonctionner les machines. le retard, qui affectera deS SociétéS comme Scientific, IGT, Inspired et Synot devraient coûter des millions d’euros à une économie grecque déjà en difficulté. danS un effort pour attirer deS touriSteS supplémentaires à Chypre, le parlement a adopté une nouvelle loi qui autorisera l’établissement d’un centre de loisir avec casino dans la région. L’autorisation comprend également la création d’établissement satellite, dont quatre pourront être créés sur Chypre.

TCSJH performance products chosen to supply Princess

lotte group, une Société multinationale déployant ses activités dans l’alimentaire et le shopping et dont le siège est basé en Corée du sud et au Japon, a annoncé s’associer au groupe Genting dans une offre pour développer un grand complexe de casino dans le port au nord de Busan en Corée du sud.

CARIBBEAN The success of TCSJOHNHUXLEY in Central/South America and The Caribbean continues this year with the recent delivery of gaming equipment to Princess Casinos International. This latest order consists of 4 Chipper

2 4

Champ2 chip sorting machines and 30 A Plus Continuous Shufflers for casinos located in Suriname, Mexico, Belize and St. Maarten. Oguz Tayanc, Director of Operations, Americas for

Princess Casinos International commented “We selected the products from TCSJOHNHUXLEY after conducting extensive tests in our casinos over a period of time. That coupled with excellent service throughout Central/South America, The Caribbean and the recent addition of a Aruba based Service Technician, gave us the confidence that TCSJOHNHUXLEY is committed to this very important region and to Princess Casinos International”. Brad Broderick, TCSJOHNHUXLEY COO, Americas continues, “Our thanks go out to Oguz and his team for selecting TCSJOHNHUXLEY and we look forward to the continued partnership with Princess Casinos International. Central/South America and The Caribbean continues to gain momentum and this order further strengthens our product footprint across the region.”

baha mar applieS for chapter 11 Baha Mar, the $3.5bn global gaming destination resort in nassau, has filed for bankruptcy to ensure it does finally open

G3Newswire North amErica NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com

Bahamas - Operations The doors to the Caribbean’s largest casino, a 100,000sq.ft. ‘masterpiece’ served by 2,200 guest rooms across four hotels; Baha Mar Casino & Hotel, Rosewood at Baha Mar, Grand Hyatt at Baha Mar and SLS LUX at Baha Mar, should have opened at the end of March. However, Sarkis Izmirlian, Chairman and CEO of Baha Mar, the developer of the Baha Mar resort has announced that in order to complete construction and open Baha Mar as soon as practicable, Baha Mar Ltd and entities associated with it are voluntarily undertaking the process of Chapter 11 under the US Bankruptcy Code. The Board of Directors has determined that due to the financial consequences of the repeated delays by the general contractor and the resulting loss of revenue, the Chapter 11 process is the best path to provide the time to put in place a viable capital structure and working relationships to complete construction and successfully open Baha Mar. The voluntary Chapter 11 filing has been made in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Baha Mar Ltd will be filing an application in the Supreme Court of The Commonwealth of the Bahamas seeking approval of the US court orders.

Mr. Izmirlian has agreed to arrange the funding for the Debtor-in-Possession (DIP) financing facility, allowing Baha Mar to operate and meet its financial obligations in the interim during the Chapter 11 process. Specifically, the total DIP facility is up to US$80m of which up to US$30m will be utilised by Baha Mar over the next 30 days. Mr. Izmirlian stated: “I am committed to doing all I realistically can to move Baha Mar forward to be completed and opened successfully. I am confident that, once opened, Baha Mar will be a world-class destination resort that will attract guests from around the world and serve as a key economic sparkplug to The Bahamas. The Chapter 11 process provides the appropriate venue to create a viable financial structure that places Baha Mar’s interests foremost. The general contractor repeatedly has missed construction deadlines. This has caused both sizeable delay costs and forced the resort to postpone its opening.

California pechanga resort & casino in temecula, california has been named the favourite united States casino, according to a nationwide poll by 10best.com, part of uSa today travel. the Native american owned and operated resort/casino claims the top spot after four weeks of voting by readers. it edged out well-known resort/casinos including the bellagio, borgata and l’auberge in established gaming destinations such as las vegas, atlantic city and the South. pechanga, the largest resort/casino in the state, initially made the 10best.com list, along with two other california resort/casinos. “we are ecstatic about being voted number one,” said lee torres, pechanga vice president of marketing. “we say a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who cast their ballot for pechanga. we all try every day to offer a distinguished standard of customer service.”

California Lottery completes WLA 4 certification with GLI CALIFORNIA GLI has successfully completed a World Lottery Association Responsible Gaming (WLA-RG) Level Four Certification assessment for the California Lottery. The assessment was conducted by GLI’s Professional Services Division and Mike Randall from Engage Atlantic. With the successful assessment, the California Lottery becomes the only lottery in the United States to hold the WLA- Responsible Gaming Level Four Certification. “We were very pleased the California Lottery chose GLI and our Professional Services Division and Mike Randall to

conduct this crucial, thorough assessment,” GLI Professional Services Director Gregory Doucette said. “Since creating the Professional Services Division in 2011, we have carefully assembled a team consisting of the industry’s foremost leading experts, and the California Lottery, like our other clients, can choose GLI, and be confident that their projects are carried out by the industry’s best.” The WLA-RG framework is the lottery sector’s only internationally-recognized responsible gaming framework. The WLARG framework serves to integrate the Responsible Gaming

Principles into the day-to-day operations of the member lotteries. It has been designed with four levels of achievement and enough flexibility so that lotteries can build programs that are in accordance with the laws in their jurisdictions and that accommodate any organisational, cultural or regional differences. “The California Lottery spent the better part of one year preparing the material to earn these certifications,” said Acting Director Paula LaBrie. “We consider this certification a great success and an important business milestone for our organization. It underscores the California Lottery’s commitment to Responsible Gaming principles, and it shows our public that we are a good corporate citizen. We appreciate GLI’s Professional Services team for their invaluable assistance.”

la première inStallation d’ariStocrat Technologies en Europe de son concept haut de gamme Wonder Wheels a rencontré un vif intérêt des consommateurs la semaine dernière lorsque le jeu de machine à sous inspiré du Batman classique de la TV est allé en ligne au Casino JOA Les Pins aux Sables d’Olonne sur la côté ouest de la France. Kgm, le fabricant et diStributeur exclusivement américain des tables de jeux électroniques Alfastreet, marque une étape important dans son développement. En effet, KGM a installé ses deux premières stations de jeux électroniques de roulette au Connecticut. leS caSinoS de pennSylvanie ont renverSé la tendance en termes de recettes liées aux machines à sous, les 12 casinos de l’État ayant rapporté une légère augmentation de 0.7 % par rapport à l’année passée. le nouveau directeur général de merKur Gaming Americas, Charles Hiten est aujourd’hui responsable des ventes du groupe Gauselmann en Amérique du nord, en Amérique centrale et Amérique du sud. le pluS grand caSino deS caraïbeS, le baha Mar Casino & Hotel, devrait avoir ouvert ses portes fin mars. Sarkis Izmirlian, Président-directeur général de Baha Mar, a toutefois déclaré que le promoteur du complexe touristique de Baha Mar avait annoncé que la société Baha Mar Ltd et les entités juridiques associées à elles se plaçaient volontairement sous la protection du chapitre 11 du code américain sur les faillites afin d’achever les travaux de construction et pouvoir ouvrir le complexe. SebaStian Salat, préSident de wmS International, a quitté Scientific Games. Ce départ a été convenu d’un commun accord. greentube a conclu un accord d’utiliSation de contenus avec Genesis Software International Ltd (Genesis Gaming). Le partenariat renforce ainsi la présence de Greentube en Amérique du nord dans la mesure où les contenus de Genesis Gaming seront introduits dans Greentube Pro, les plateformes de jeux sociaux de Greentube pour casinos sur terre. mohegan Sun a confirmé que le nom de Son complexe casino qui ouvrira ses portes à l’aéroport international d’Incheon en Corée du sud sera « Inspire ». L’établissement accueillera un casino de 20 000 pieds carrés équipé de 250 tables et de 1 500 machines à sous. melco crown entertainment a dévoilé une grande roue dorée inspirée des films épiques qui sera l’attraction emblématique du complexe Studio City de 3.2 milliards de dollars que la société devrait ouvrir prochainement à Macao. l’opérateur nagacorp baSé au cambodge a lancé la construction de son complexe casino dans la zone de divertissement de la région de Primorye dans l’est de la Russie pour un projet dont le nom pourrait être « Seaside Entertainment Resorts City ». aprèS une phaSe d’inStallation de quatre moiS, le studio dernier cri flambant neuf est maintenant utilisé par la majorité des détenteur belges d’une licence A pour proposer des jeux de casinos en direct en streaming aux joueurs sur le marché encadré des jeux en ligne en Belgique.

2 5

G3Newswire North amErica NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com

jamaica: celebration & harmony the first two casino resorts have been confirmed by Jamaica’s Finance Minister, with Celebration and harmony green lit Jamaica - New Projects Jamaica’s Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips has now confirmed that Harmony Cove Limited and Celebration Jamaica Development Limited will be the country’s first two casino resorts. The ‘provisional development orders’ allow the companies to now start construction of the first 1,000 rooms under the first phase of an eventual 2,000-room hotel before they can apply to the Casino Gaming Commission for a casino licence. This is likely to happen in mid-2016.

uS – caeSarS completeS the linq’S renovation The LINQ Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas’ newest resort, has now completed its full resort renovation. Designed with the millennial traveler in mind, the resort offers 2,253 newly renovated guest rooms, the result of a close partnership between Caesars Entertainment Corporation and Elkus Manfredi Architects, including 244 suites, two unique urban loft-style penthouses and 25 poolside cabana guest rooms.Guests are also offered a chance to be social, playful and interactive through a completely renovated welcome experience built around a signature lobby bar, new retail and spa amenities and a dynamic pool deck. The LINQ Hotel & Casino’s $223m renovation marks the completion of The LINQ complex, comprising the LINQ Promenade, the High Roller and the LINQ Hotel & Casino and marks the last component of an approximately $1bn investment by Caesars Entertainment Corporation to redevelop the Eastside of Las Vegas Boulevard. Located at the heart of Center Strip, the all-new LINQ complex has become the new social hub of Las Vegas, offering brand new modern and playful rooms and suites and more than 30 restaurants, bars and retail outlets, all steps away from the world’s tallest observation wheel, the High Roller. “The reimagined, all-new LINQ Hotel & Casino is truly a Vegas Original, offering for the first time an experience at the heart of the Las Vegas Strip designed for millennials and the young at heart,” said Tariq Shaukat, CCO of Caesars. uS – Salat leaveS Scientific Sebastian Salat, President of WMS International, has left Scientific Games. This move was mutually agreed by both parties. Commenting on the decision Mr. Salat said, “I am extremely grateful for the privilege of having led an incredible team of gaming professionals for so many years. Together we turned WMS into a world-class gaming organization, which grew much stronger after the merger with Scientific Games.” Gavin Isaacs, President and Chief Executive Officer of Scientific Games, said, “Over the last 15 years, as President of WMS International, Sebastian has contributed greatly to the growth of WMS’ international business throughout Europe, Latin America, Australasia and Africa. By combining the WMS foundation built by Sebastian and his team with the solid Bally, SHFL, and Scientific Games’ international businesses, the Company’s SG Gaming division is leveraging the wealth of collective resources and relationships to provide new value as a partner of choice to international casino operators. We thank Sebastian for his years of service to WMS and wish him the very best for his future.”

2 6

Harmony Cove and Celebration Jamaica were the only two contenders left in contention for the three integrated resort. A senior government official explained: “The principle of provisional approval is that they like what you have proposed. The final grant [of Approved Integrated Resort Development Order – AIRD] will depend on performance. Until they implement the plan, approval will be provisional.” Harmony Cove will invest US$970m in its first wave of development with 1,000 hotel rooms, restaurants

and retail shops, a casino, golf courses, a luxury spa, marina facilities and convention facilities. Harmony Cove is a partnership made up of stateowned Harmonisation Limited, with 49 per cent, and private-sector partner Tavistock Group, a global investment company, with 51 per cent. Shareholders in Harmonisation include Development Bank of Jamaica and National Housing Trust. Celebration Jamaica Development Limited will invest US$500 in the first phase of its project in Montego Bay. Businessman Robert Trotta has conceptualised his project around the theme ‘Caribbean World Music’, Celebration Jamaica Hotel and Resort is positioned as a 365-day entertainment attraction for both tourists and locals. In addition to the hotel, the first phase of the development encompasses an entertainment complex with a multitude of facilities to include a full-service casino with table gaming and slot machines.

US bmm testlabs has announced record first quarter financial results for 2015. “continuing from a record 2014 financial performance, bmm achieved robust year-on-year growth in the first quarter of 2015. revenues grew 12 per cent (22 per cent on a constant currency basis) whilst Ebitda and cash growth outperformed revenue growth in percentage terms,” said president and cEo martin Storm. he added: “Growth is being driven by global customers who want better returns on their testing investments. they need their products tested better and faster than ever before without an overall reduction in testing quality. this is new value that bmm generates in the market on a continuous improvement basis. in Q1 2015 key uS regulators recognized the importance of having more than one gaming lab certifying products and they chose bmm. these regulators included the key states of delaware, Kansas, indiana and massachusetts. they join the rest of the gaming world internationally and nearly every other gaming jurisdiction in North america who have taken the same position.”

Greentube enters content deal with Genesis Gaming for US NEW YORK Greentube has forged a content agreement with Genesis Software International Ltd (Genesis Gaming). The partnership further expands the Greentube presence in North America as Genesis Gaming content will be included in Greentube Pro, Greentube’s social gaming platform for landbased casinos. Greentube will also integrate Genesis Gaming content into their real money and social platforms in Europe. “This agreement enables Greentube operators to maximise

their game offerings and appeal to the broadest spectrum of player types,” said Gabriel Cianchetto, Greentube’s President of Market Development for North America. “Genesis’ omni-channel approach (mobile, desktop and application) is the future of gaming. We will look to Genesis Gaming to assist us in delivering rich gaming experiences across all three channels.” With Studios in Vancouver and Las Vegas, Genesis Gaming is a key supplier of video slot content to the global gaming industry.

Client categories include landbased slot machine manufacturers, online real money gaming operators and social casino gaming apps and sites. Genesis Gaming software combines unique game mechanics and a variety of premium art styles across all 175 games it has brought to market to date. “As a content provider, partnering with a comprehensive platform – especially with a respected company like Greentube – will greatly expand our market reach,” said Geoffrey Hansen, Worldwide MD for Genesis Gaming. “Greentube Pro provides the complete solution for operators to capitalize on our games portfolio and we look forward to contributing to the success of Greentube and its customers."

yellow bricK road add SnKroS Konami gaming’s Synkros casino management system has been selected by yellow Brick road Casino, new york

G3Newswire North amErica NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com

New York - Systems Install Konami Gaming’s Synkros casino management system has been selected by Yellow Brick Road Casino, the Oneida Indian Nation’s newest casino property. Located in Upstate New York’s Village of Chittenango, Yellow Brick Road Casino pays tribute to the city’s literary connections with “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” through a variety of Oz-themed amenities, attractions, offers, and promotions, powered in part by the targeted marketing communications available through Synkros. “When we first selected Synkros at Turning Stone Resort Casino in 2014, our goal was to provide our guests with a seamless loyalty program across a wide range of gaming and non-gaming property amenities. Expanding our relationship with Synkros to Yellow Brick Road Casino, our guests can continue enjoying a comprehensive TS Rewards experience, whether at our casinos, restaurants, spas or golf courses,” said Ray Halbritter, Oneida Nation Representative and Nation Enterprises CEO. The iconic centerpiece at Yellow Brick Road Casino is

the Cyclone of Cash, a custom-made tornado-style simulator where guests have seconds to collect cash and other prizes. Using Synkros technology, the property is able to randomly select any carded player actively using a TS Rewards Card to enter the cyclone. “Our guests, and ultimately our business, benefit from the system’s full convenience and intelligent adaptability,” said Halbritter. “By leveraging Synkros’ one-card solution and powerful marketing engine, our guests get the most relevant rewards and our team has complete management and expense control.” “The Oneida Nation continues to be an important partner in the expansion of Synkros, from a development standpoint and in actual creative application,” said Steve Sutherland, chief operating officer and executive vice president at Konami. “As their business grows, Synkros has the core stability and flexible architecture to help power unique campaigns and competitive technology.”

Canada Gateway casinos & Entertainment has signed a 10 year extension option agreement with the british columbia lottery corporation (bclc) for the cascades casino resort in langley, bc. under this agreement Gateway remains the casino operator of cascades through to may 2025. this extension of the casino operational Services agreement (coSa) further demonstrates the commitment within Gateway to this property and the city of langley. Gateway is planning more renovations and improvements that will be in addition to the $5.7m spent in 2014 on multiple restaurants, a refreshed gaming floor, and theatre improvements to create a full-service entertainment destination in the heart of downtown langley.

Eldorado is to take two Reno casinos off MGM’s hands NEVADA MGM Resorts is offloading two of its casino assets in Reno, Nevada, to local operator and long-term partner Eldorado Resorts. Eldorado is buying MGM Resort’s 50 per cent interest in the Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno, as well as all of the assets of Circus Circus Reno, for total consideration of $72.5m. Eldorado already owns the other 50 per cent interest in Silver Legacy, a Nevada mining themed hotel-casino with an 89,200square foot gaming floor, 1,340 slot machines, 63 table games, sports book and 1,711 hotel rooms. Circus Circus Reno is circusthemed hotel-casino with a

56,000 sq. ft. casino with 906 slot machines, 35 table games, sports book and1,571 hotel rooms. Gary Carano, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Eldorado, said: “The acquisition of these well-established properties represents a significant growth and expansion opportunity for Eldorado and is consistent with our strategy to enhance shareholder value by structuring transactions that are strategically and economically attractive. “The acquisition is expected to be accretive to our operating results upon closing, builds the critical mass of our gaming operations and fortifies our position in the increasingly attractive Reno gaming market.”

The proposed transaction will increase Eldorado’s property portfolio to seven wholly-owned and operated facilities in five markets with a total of approximately 10,850 slot machines and VLTs, approximately 310 table games, approximately 4,850 hotel rooms, approximately 36 dining options, three pari-mutuel racing facilities and approximately 8,600 team members. “We greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication of our employees at Circus Circus Reno and Silver Legacy,” said Dan D’Arrigo, EVP, CFO and Treasurer of MGM Resorts. “MGM Resorts has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the Carano family, who share many of the same core values as MGM. We believe that joining the Eldorado family will provide our employees with significant opportunities to grow and prosper,” added Mr. D’Arrigo.

florida - hiten headS merKur As the new managing director for Merkur Gaming Americas, Charles Hiten is currently responsible for the sales activities of the Gauselmann Group for North, Central and South America. Following the sudden and much too early passing of Jens Halle, the company is focusing on continuity within its international business. In his new position at Merkur Gaming, Mr. Hiten will continue with the process begun by Jens Halle of further consolidating and expanding sales activities in America. “With Charles Hiten, we have gained a former colleague and close friend of Jens Halle for this important key position on the American continent. He is an acknowledged expert in the industry and will enrich Merkur Gaming with his wealth of knowledge and experience”, says Jürgen Stühmeyer, Sales Director for the Gauselmann Group. “I’m convinced that Charles Hiten will successfully continue our company strategy in the American market.” In the course of his more than 15 years in the gaming industry, Charles Hiten has already held a range of important positions in international companies. Most recently, he was in charge at Novomatic AG of the investment strategy for the Chilean market. As managing director for Merkur Gaming Americas, Charles Hiten will head the business activities in North and South America from his office in Florida in future. Furthermore, he will likewise manage activities for the Caribbean market as well as for the Cruise Lines business. uS – jcm global new ceo reorganiSeS vegaS JCM Global CEO Yojiro Kamihigashi has appointed long-time JCM leader Hikaru “Terry” Izawa as President of JCM Global, pending any necessary regulatory approvals. Mr. Izawa will be based in the company’s Las Vegas offices. “I am honored to name Hikaru Izawa President of JCM Global. He has been a dedicated JCM engineer and leader for several decades, and has helped the company achieve great success. I am hopeful our customers around the world will welcome him and will allow him to prove himself to them,” Kamihigashi said. Building on positive momentum in the company, Mr. Izawa has announced a leadership reorganisation at JCM’s Las Vegas office. Effective immediately, the following individuals will assume these roles and take on critical responsibility under Mr. Izawa: l John Garner, Chief Financial Officer l David Kubajak, VP of Operations l Tom Nieman, VP of Marketing and Interim VP of Sales Additionally, JCM is seeking to fulfill the position of Director of Product Development and will explore all options, both internal and external. “This is an exciting period of growth, and we are happy to announce this leadership reorganization that we believe will further position the company for even stronger growth and long-term stability. We are confident these changes will put JCM on a pathway toward even greater success, and I am very pleased to have John, David and Tom in these new positions,” Mr. Izawa said.

2 7

G3Newswire aSia & ocEaNia GamiNG NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com

mohegan Sun looKing to inSpire Mohegan Sun has confirmed the name of its resort casino to open at incheon international airport in South Korea South Korea - New Projects

philippineS – StocKS craSh due to cracKdownS Macau hasn’t been the only place hit by China’s crackdown on corruption and austerity with operators in Manila’s Entertainment City losing market value. Melco Crown and Bloomberry Resorts have both been pummelled with JPMorgan Chase & Co. predicting that profits will fall across the Philippines by 56 per cent in 2016. Shares in Bloomberry, the operating force behind Solaire, have dipped by 27 per cent in 2015, whilst Melco Crown Philippines’s shares fell by 56 per cent. The more established Resorts World Manila, owned by Travellers International and Genting has suffered, falling by 35 per cent. Noel Reyes, Chief Investment Officer at Security Bank, said in his analyst notes: “The chain reaction from Macau hit everyone. Expectations VIP players will come in large numbers didn’t happen. The stocks have fallen quite significantly but not everyone is rushing back in, and there’s no clear light at the end of the tunnel.” Chinese visitation levels to the Philippines, the country’s fourth largest tourist sector, dropped by 33 per cent to 93,043 in the first quarter of 2015. Revenues have been hit hard. Bloomberry made a first-quarter loss of 533m pesos (US$11.8m) due to the funding of Solaire’s expansion. Melco’s City of Dreams, which opened in December, reported a 3.09bn peso loss whilst Resorts World saw profit increase by 1.6 per cent to 1.74bn pesos. Richard Laneda, an analyst at COL Financial Group, noted: “The first-quarter results raised the question; can there be aggressive growth without the numbers coming from China? The growth in earnings didn’t match the pace most wanted to see. The market isn’t overreacting, there’s genuine uncertainty.” However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Marc Reyes-Lao, an analyst at BPI Securities Corp. in Manila believes investors have ‘overreacted.’ “It’s partially because of negative sentiment towards the industry brought about by China’s campaign against corruption,” he said. Bloomberg believes that profits across the three main casino resorts will increase by 47 per cent reaching 13.61bn pesos in 2016 and 15.59bn pesos in 2017. Analysts at Sanford Bernstein team added: “In the near-term, the Philippines may also have some favourable regulatory environment which allows proxy betting, Internet interactive gambling, and low tax rate that enables casinos to offer competitive junket commissions. However, we do not expect such regulatory arbitrage for the purpose of luring Chinese VIP players to persist over the long-run.” 2 8

Mohegan Sun has confirmed that the name of its resort casino to open at Incheon International Airport in South Korea will be Inspire. It will house a 20,000 sq. m. casino with 250 tables and 1,500 slot machines. The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, operator of Mohegan Sun, Mohegan Sun Pocono and Resorts Casino Hotel, and Incheon International Airport Corporation have now finalised the concept agreement and unveiled new details of its proposed partnership to develop, build and operate a first-of-its-kind gateway entertainment district adjacent to the airport on the IBC-2 site in Incheon, South Korea. The full name for the proposed resort will be the Inspire Integrated Resort, and will create an epicenter for Korea’s growing entertainment, tourism and hospitality industry. The project will lead a paradigm change from shopping-centered tourism to culture and entertainment-based tourism, will connect with the airport’s transit tour program, and will create synergy with the “Paradise City”

development located on IBC-1 site adjacent to the airport. Upon its completion, the visionary integrated resort will create the only “Airport City” development and will firmly establish Incheon International Airport as among the most unique destinations in the world while providing significant benefits to South Korea’s economy. Bobby Soper, President of MTGA, said: “We are pleased to progress to the next stage of our proposed partnership with IIAC by finalising a conceptual agreement on Inspire, a visionary, first ofits-kind resort that represents the next major evolution in the global hospitality, tourism and gaming industries. We are excited to extend the unique Mohegan Sun brand with the support and collaboration of IIAC as we work to develop a must-visit destination. We also look forward to playing a meaningful role in contributing to Korea’s dynamic economy.” President and CEO of Incheon International Airport Corporation, Park Wan-su, said: “We believe that when combined with our existing services and amenities, Inspire will not only cement Incheon Airport’s position as the best airport in the world, but also as a top leisure destination in Asia. We look forward to benefiting from MTGA’s expertise and collaborating with our existing partners and 40,000 employees to execute on this vision.

Melco’s Golden Reel Ferris nears completion at Studio City MACAU Melco Crown Entertainment has unveiled the epic movie-inspired Golden Reel Ferris wheel as the iconic centerpiece attraction of the company’s soon to open US$3.2bn Studio City complex in Macau. Towering at 130 meters in Cotai, the Golden Reel is majestically located at the center-point between the resort’s twin “Art Deco meets Gotham City” hotel towers, and will offer visitors a thrilling ride experience unique to Studio City. Like the best-paced movie scripts, the next big “reveal” for guests is the Industrial Revolution themed loading platform, 23 floors above the ground floor. There are 17 “Steampunk”-

themed cabins, each comfortably accommodating up to 10 people on the 15+ minute, jaw-dropping journey around the uniquelyshaped figure-8 track. The “never-been-done-before” attraction was designed and engineered by a world-class team lead by Liechtenstein-based Intamin Amusement Rides Int. Corp., world-renowned for highly-innovative amusement rides. Lawrence Ho, Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Melco Crown Entertainment, said: “World-class entertainment experiences are the key feature of our leisure destination offerings at Studio City. The Golden Reel is a ‘world’s first’ technological innovation that reinvents the gondolaride and Ferris wheel experience for our visitors.”

Australia ladbrokes australia has premiered the world’s first multi-million dollar ‘mega margin’ pools for mobile, on australian rugby league (aFl) and National rugby league (Nrl) games with partial cash out, powered by colossus bets. paul cherry, coo of ladbrokes australia said: “mega margin pools will enable our players to shoot for a million dollar pick 6 prize weekly on both aFl and Nrl. these products feature partial cash out, whereby players can take some money and run, between legs on their live tickets. our mobile-led platform is suited to a bet with ‘on-the-go’ cash out decisions and life-changing jackpots for our players and mega margin is a great innovation for us.”

G3Newswire aSia & ocEaNia GamiNG NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com Singapore – openbet winS Singapore poolS OpenBet has signed a seven-year contract with Singapore Pools to provide sports betting products and services.

genting and lotte target buSan

OpenBet was selected from an open Expression of Interest (EOI) exercise initiated by Singapore Pools in February 2014 to replace its ten-year-old sports betting system.

Malaysia’s genting group is targeting the South Korean port of Busan in a bid to develop a large destination casino resort

“Signing with Singapore Pools is a landmark win for OpenBet, one which affirms the company vision and direction, and our role as a global leader in major regulated gaming markets,” said OpenBet CEO Jeremy Thompson-Hill. Founded in 1968, Singapore Pools provides legal lottery and sports betting in a secure, trusted and efficient manner to combat loss of revenue to unauthorized gambling operators, and channel the proceeds to good causes and charity. Singapore Pools is 100 per cent owned by the Tote Board which reports to the Ministry of Finance and has a product portfolio of the lotto game TOTO, pre-printed lottery game The Singapore Sweep, numbers game 4D, as well as football and motor racing sports betting. northen mariana iSlandS – gli recognition The Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) has adopted Gaming Laboratories International’s (GLI) technical standards, known as the GLI Standards Series. The CCC has also recognized GLI as an independent test lab for a new Saipan-based casino, expected to open later this month. The Commonwealth is a new gambling jurisdiction, and the temporary casino in Saipan will be the jurisdiction’s first. GLI has worked closely with the CCC over the past several months to ensure it is empowered to execute a firstclass regulatory model for the slot machines and other gambling equipment operated by Best Sunshine International Ltd., which will operate the new casino. GLI Australia Senior Manager of Regulation Compliance and QA Phil Harrison said, “We are honored to have been chosen by the CCC to lend our global expertise to this new jurisdiction. The GLI Standards Series is recognized worldwide for bringing clarity and structure to operators, suppliers and regulators. Beyond the Standards Series, we were privileged to consult with the jurisdiction and help to create a foundation for long-lasting success.” Singapore – igt appointS IGT has appointed Angela Houslay as Director International Systems Sales, Commercial Gaming. In this role, Houslay works closely with IGT international casino customers outside of the U.S. and Canada to select casino systems solutions that meet their unique operational needs and ensures that IGT is their systems provider of choice. Houslay has 23 years’ experience in international commercial gaming, spanning both the operator and supplier sides of the industry. She has spent the last seven years of her career in system sales and services with the legacy IGT organization and the six years prior with the legacy GTECH systems product management organization. Houslay reports to Sabby Gill, IGT Senior Vice President International Commercial Gaming.

3 0

South Korea - New Projects Lotte Group, a multinational food and shopping corporation with headquarters in South Korea and Japan, has said it is teaming up with Genting Group, in a bid to develop a large casino resort at the North Port of Busan in South Korea. The company has lodged a proposal for the development project with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It currently has 34 proposals for casino resorts including Lotte’s, and will be selecting two to move forward with. A ministry official said: “The Busan Port Authority has completed the engineering works on the port with four large cruise ship berths. As Lotte Group’s base is Busan, it seems the group picked the North Port for its casino complex project’s location in consideration of regional development.” Genting Group is working with Lotte Group as legislation dictates that the foreigner-only casino plans must include a local company. Lotte Group

is looking to build hotels, tax-free stores and water-sports facilities at the resort Other companies that have lodged interest with the ministry include Sun City, Galaxy, Nagacorp the Korea Water Resources Corporation, Grand Korea Leisure, Hong Kong based Imperia Pacific International Holdings, Global Game Asset Management and Mohegan Sun. The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will announce the results of the tender by November. DS Kim and Daisy Lu, from JP Morgan Securities, said: “According to media, MCST will review these proposals and select ‘around two’ potential sites in August, followed by a full request for proposal process by November. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to issue around two integrated resort casino licences by the end of 2015.” Genting opened the Genting Jeju casino at the Hyatt Regency hotel on Jeju Island earlier this year, having bought the venture. Genting purchased the property for US$117.2m. The move to buy an existing casino saw the Genting brand enter Jeju earlier than expected following delays to its $2.2bn Resorts World Jeju, a project where it is teaming up with Landing International.

units with Crown following the successful implementation of the first order and progress from there. IDS have been working hard to introduce i-depsys to overseas markets and the Crown deal and their commitment to IDS reflects this effort.”

Crown signs deal with Intelligent Deposit Systems AUSTRALIA Following successful trials of its intelligent electronic table drop box i-depsys product at Crown Melbourne, Intelligent Deposit Systems has received an order for units to be installed in Crown’s Maple Room, a busy Baccarat area within the main gaming floor. Crown Melbourne has appointed IDS as its exclusive supplier of table game electronic drop box technology for the next two years.

IDS CEO Andrew Beddoe said: “We have been working with Crown for 12 months on the introduction of the i-depsys product into their property. This announcement comes following a great deal of hard work from both our businesses and successful live trials of i-depsys in their Melbourne casino. We are delighted to be working with such a forward thinking professional team as Crown Melbourne. The plan is to rollout additional

Crown Melbourne GM Table Games Strategy & Commercial Tim Barnett said: “Crown has been impressed by the desire and diligence of the IDS team to deliver a product that will improve Crown’s ability to provide a better customer experience by reducing time due to large buy-ins at Baccarat tables.” i-depsys continues to lead the world with its technology for this market and IDS is progressing similar opportunities in Asia, Europe and North America following additional UK orders earlier this year. Mr. Beddoe added: “Alongside Crown we are working with other highly respected global operators and are close to concluding further orders.”

G3Newswire aSia & ocEaNia GamiNG NEwS

www.g3newSwire.com

nagacorp now breaKing ground Cambodian-based operator nagaCorp has started construction work on its casino resort in russia’s Far east Russia - New operations Cambodian-based operator NagaCorp has started construction work on its casino resort in the Entertainment Zone of the Primorye Region in Russia’s Far East for a project which it is believed will be called Seaside Entertainment Resorts City.

thailand – marina bay SandS’ new project Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands has said it wants to develop a casino and convention complex in Thailand, close to the airport in Bangkok. Krist Boo, the company’s Vice President for Communications, was quoted as saying: “We want to invest in Thailand if we are given permission. It must be the kind of integrated resort as in Singapore. We have been searching for new investment not only in Thailand but also all places. Although Thailand has no casino act yet, if this about to happen, it is very interesting. We would love to have an integrated resort at a place close to the [Bangkok] city centre or financial centre, near the international airport.” Media reports in Thailand have linked Las Vegas Sands with developing an old railway depot site in Bangkok. The Ministry of Finance is believed to be revising the land use for the area, marking it up for development into an entertainment complex. thailand – caSino planS denied by nrc Despite the plans outlined above by Marina Bay Sands, Thailand’s National Reform Council (NRC) Chairman, Thienchay Kiranandana, has rejected proposals by some NRC members to legalise casinos in the country. Mr. Kiranandana said the plam did not come from the agency, and it is not part of a recent set of planned reforms. Mr Thienchay said the proposal has not been submitted to the council. “Calls to legalise casinos are not among the reform proposals we have put up,” he said. His comment came after a group of 12 NRC members reinvigorated a dormant proposal to legalise casinos, saying income from legalising casinos would boost state coffers, be good for the poor, and help pay for development projects. Representing the group, Maj Anan Vacharothai suggested changing the law to legalise casinos, and opening the first casino in Pattaya. He told parliament that legalising domestic casinos will help stop money flowing out of the country and into neighbouring countries where up to 22 casinos have been established. Kriengkrai Phumlaojaeng, another NRC member, said the group is gathering information on casinos from previous studies on the matter, and will invite academics to provide input. Former Democrat MP Watchara Phetthong slammed the proposal, saying NRC members should come up with ideas to solve the country’s economic problems rather than support nefarious activities.

3 2

A ground breaking ceremony was held at the site, near the port of Vladivostok, which was attended by NagaCorp President Tan Sri Dr Chen Lip Keong, as well as First Vice-Governor of the Primorsky Territory, Basil Usoltsev. The resort will be built in three phases, with the first phase seeing an investment of up to US$200m. It has been designed by Las Vegas casino architects, Steelman Partners.

Four operators have so far received the green light to develop gaming resorts in the Russian gambling zone. Diamond Fortune Holdings Prim is building a US$914m five-star hotel, casino and entertainment complex to be called Selena World Resort & Casino. Diamond Fortune CEO George Kondakov said the first phase would cover about 10 hectares.

NagaCorp has said the resort will house 100 gaming tables, 500 slots, a 2,000 capacity theatre and a spa.

The First Gambling Company of the East, a subsidiary of Summit Ascent Holdings, which includes Macau’s Lawrence Ho, is developing a project called Tigre de Cristal. It is expected to open with 119 hotel rooms, 800 slots, 25 VIP gaming tables, 15 mass-market baccarat tables and 25 mass-market tables providing other table games.

NagaCorp said: “We expect that the PERC project will commence operation not later than 2018.The group believes that its strategy of diversifying its business geographically and expanding into a new casino market will drive revenue growth in the long term.”

Royal Time meanwhile is looking to open its first phase by 2017. Designed by Steelman Partners it will include a 320 room hotel with a casino. Rashid Taimasov, Director General of Royal Time, said the third and final stage should be completed by 2021.

JgC speaker Strock highlights the ‘vast’ Japanese potential JAPAN Japan has an “almost limitless” potential to build a MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) economy if sustainable integrated resorts (IRs) featuring casino-style gambling are developed, according to Jonathan Strock, Director of Casino Development at Lucien Barrière. The establishment of a MICE economy in partnership with IRs will be a key topic at the second Japan Gaming Congress (JgC) from October 7-9 in Tokyo, Japan. As the country’s politicians debate the merits of an unprecedented bill that could pave the way for casino gambling in designated IRs, Strock, who will be a speaker at the JgC, insisted that Japan has a major opportunity to boost investment and tourism levels. “There are so few facilities at the moment in Japan, the world’s third largest economy, which is itself just a stone’s throw away from the world’s second largest economy, China,” Mr. Strock said. “Japan’s

transport system is flawless and there is a great choice of sites, from Tokyo to Osaka to Hokkaido to Okinawa. The government wants to increase tourism. All of this points to a very promising future for Japan’s MICE economy.” The IR bill that is currently under the spotlight is the first to have been escalated to Japan’s Parliament, the Diet, for genuine consideration. Mr. Strock believes that the discussions over the bill will touch upon a variety of potential benefits for the country’s economy that will also be of interest to the broader industry. “Over the next few months and years we are going to hear more and more about sustainability, planning and tourism,” he added. “Corporate Japan organises a vast amount of MICE events, although few are currently organised in Japan itself. Once there are iconic landmark facilities, this economy will be repatriated from Singapore and China to Japan, and the economic benefits will be vast.”

China wpt Enterprises has been acquired by ourgame international holdings, a hong Kong-listed corporation ourgame will pay $35m in cash for world poker tour, the premier name in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in land-based tournaments, television, online, and mobile. “having already established an exciting partnership with ourgame, a high growth company led by an enthusiastic group that is fully invested in the global growth of the sport of poker, we are delighted to now become a fullyintegrated member of the ourgame family” said wpt president & cEo adam pliska. “i want to thank bwin.party cEo Norbert teufelberger and bwin.party cFo martin weigold for all of their support over the last six years, and for helping facilitate this agreement.”

London • 10 Sept 2015 www.wrbriefing.com

Responsible Gambling & Reputation Management

Maximising the value of a sustainable gambling business

Key speakers include:

Founding Partner

Matthew Hill, Director, Regulatory Risk and Analysis, The UK Gambling Commission

Supported by Wanda Goldwag, Chair and Independent Standards Commissioner, The Senet Group Fiona Thorne, Director of Corporate Affairs, Gala Coral Anna Dearlove, Director of Compliance, Amaya

Insight rESortS world GENtiNG

rESortS world GENtiNG rEvamp iN Full SwiNG malaysia’s only casino operator, Genting, is now one and a half years into a huge rm5bn (€1.2bn) renovation project at its 50-year-old resorts World Genting property, with construction works proceeding mostly to schedule The renovation of Genting Highlands, now Resorts World Genting, is expected to drive visitation and add non-gaming attractions capable of attracting a wider tourism base. RWG announced the ‘Genting Integrated Tourism Plan’ in December 2013, detailing plans to give Malaysia’s first and only gaming resort a much anticipated facelift. The plan includes building hotel Towers 2A, 3 and 4, a theme park, Sky Avenue, Sky Plaza, and a new cable car station. The hill resort, located about an hour’s drive away from capital Kuala Lumpur, had 20 million visitors in 2014. It aims to lure 26 million tourists by 2018 and 30 million by 2020. On a recent visit to Resorts World Genting for an update on the renovation, the property was abuzz with crowds on a June Monday, despite ongoing construction works in some areas. The resort is set to raise its total room capacity by 13 per cent when a new hotel tower fully opens in July 2015. Tower 2A, a RM500 million (€200m) extension of First World Hotel, will boast an inventory of 1,286 rooms when fully operational. As many as 412 rooms, from the lower levels to the ninth floor, were soft launched in December 2014. The bulk of the rooms, from the tenth to 28th floors, are scheduled for opening this month, pending the passage of a fire inspection from the authorities. Along with First World Hotel, one of the world’s largest hotels with 6,118 rooms, and four other brands including Maxims, Genting Grand, Resort Hotel and Theme Park Hotel, Resorts World Genting currently has a total capacity of 9,770 rooms. “There is a strong correlation between the number of rooms and revenue at Resorts World Genting. The timely opening of the Tower 2A and Sky Plaza is of utmost importance as the former will drive patronage to the latter,” said an analyst with a Malaysian firm, who tracks the region’s gaming industry. Construction of Sky Plaza, a lower building located below the yettobeconstructed new hotels Tower 3 and Tower 4, has reached the fourth floor. 3 4

Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, founder of genting highlands

were raised from RM50-RM100 (€12-€24) last year to RM100-RM300 (€24-€72) this year, indicating the mass market is resilient despite recent macroeconomic challenges,” a second analyst said. To boost gaming revenue and ward off growing competition from its regional peers, Resorts World Genting recently added a new VIP club called the Genting Club Seasons, said the analyst.

in 1964 the idea for a hill resort came to tan Sri Lim goh tong during a visit to Cameron highlands. tan Sri Lim was working on a hydroelectric power project at the popular hill resort, patronised mostly by British colonials seeking cool refuge from the tropical heat. this is when he foresaw a prosperous Malaysia desiring a cool mountain holiday resort within the reach of all Malaysians.

“At this juncture, we don't see why Sky Plaza will not be opened by this year. Its timely opening is crucial as it will be the amenity housing new gaming floors and gaming units like electronic table games and slot machines,” the analyst said. Tower 3 and Tower 4 are expected to be two new highend hotels offering 1,150 rooms each. The two facing blocks are slated for openings in 2017 and 2018 respectively, upping the room capacity by another 20 percent, but fail to introduce the architectural wow factor some of Asia’s other casinos can boast. On the mass gaming floors in May, the Pontoon and roulette tables were occupied, while the others were less busy. A good indicator of the business was during this Chinese New Year festive period. An analyst who visited the property on March 1, the second weekend within the 15 day Chinese New Year celebration, said that the mass crowd was thinner compared to that of last year. “While there used to be an average three to four rings of people per table, there were only one to two rings of people per table this year. However, the minimum bets

It is understood that the club has 10 new VIP rooms themed on four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter). Most rooms have three baccarat tables each, while a few have two baccarat tables and a roulette table each. “Minimum buy-ins are RM3 million (€720,000) for junket VIPs and RM2 million(€480,000) for direct VIPs; the minimum bet is RM1,000 (€240),” the analyst said, adding it is a worthy addition to Resorts World Genting’s gaming operations. The real crowd puller of the RM5bn renovation project, however, is the Twentieth Century Fox World, the first theme park licensed by the US studio. This RM1 billion theme park will be a major selling point after the facelift, adding to the overall appeal of its non-gaming attractions. Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore, also developed by RWG’s owner, Genting Group, touts a Universal Studios theme park. “Rides of the previous Resorts World Genting theme park were nothing extraordinary and could hardly compete with the others in the region. Now Twentieth Century Fox World is going to be a world's first, we are very excited about the prospect of 2016,” said the employee, who has been with the company for more than 20 years. The new theme park, whose launch date has been pushed back to late 2016 from early in the same year, will feature more than 25 rides from the studio genres such as action, animation, adventure and scifi. Attractions based on titles including the Ice Age, Night at the Museum, as well as Alien vs Predator, will entertain patrons in a 25acre park. Resorts World Genting has enjoyed a steady inflow of clientele from Singapore, China, Indonesia, India, and

Insight rESortS world GENtiNG this article was first published in asia Gambling brief

twentieth century fox World is going to be a world's first. the new theme park, whose launch date has been pushed back to late 2016 from early in the same year, will feature more than 25 rides from the studio genres such as action, animation, adventure and sci-fi. Genting malaysia bhd president and coo, datuk seri lee choong yan, said movies that were household names were among the intellectual property rights given to Genting by 20th century fox for the theme park.

of course its home turf, but the addition of a worldclass theme park may help it attract the Korean and Japanese tourists it has lacked in the past, he added. To diversify its clientele and bring in more international tourists, Resorts World Genting has recently appointed Paul Baker as deputy COO. Mr. Baker is a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point and Harvard Business School. He worked

with Caesars Entertainment for more than 10 years and Wynn Macau for nine months before coming over to Malaysia. Also in the launch pipeline next year is Sky Avenue, which connects the Arena of Stars performance hall, First World Hotel, Sky Plaza, a new performance hall and a new cable car station. Construction of Sky Avenue has commenced at the part closest to First World Hotel, reaching the third floor now. Employees said the internal target is to open it by the end

of 2015. Sky Avenue spans over 450,000 square feet, offering an array of branded retail stores, al fresco dining on an open deck, as well as a new cinema with more than 10 screens. Resorts World Genting currently has two mini screens showing selected movies, which falls far short of the cinematic experience offered by rivals such as Galaxy Entertainment’s Galaxy Macau, which has nine screens and shows 3D titles.

mEmbErS NEwS

AGEM

AGEM KEY BOARD OF DIRECTORS ACTIONS:

mEmbErShip NEwS

l

mEmbEr proFilE company – advanced gaming associates Web address – www.advancedgamingassociates.com aGem membership level – associate Member company description – advanced gaming associates (aga), is a diversified product supply and service company focused on providing turnkey technical services for the gaming industry. aga also has bi-costal service centers to facilitate repair of gaming equipment. What new products, technologies or services will you introduce this year – advanced gaming associates has opened its Southern nevada service centre that will facilitate the warranty repairs, routine maintenance and board repair. aga has initiated a sales division throughout the united States and Canada to represent our services and growing product line. product’s include Cpi, iDS intelligent Currency Counter, Surge x line of voltage suppression equipment and is introducing i-Depsys the world’s first fully intelligent Drop Box. forthcoming events/exhibitions you will be attending – Cpi has added advanced gaming associates (aga) to its u.S. network of authorized Service Centers. the partnership reinforces Cpi’s commitment to providing customers with the best possible service and support. advanced gaming associates (aga) announced that they are providing full slot technical services for the hollywood Casino perryville, MD. do you have any newsworhty events to share – “We are excited about the direction of the company, our potential with our new innovative products, the experience of our newly developed sales staff, as well as, the continued growth of our service division,” remarks tony tomasello, Founder and Ceo of advanced gaming associates.

l

l

l

l

Following the passing of SB9, allowing for variable-payback percentages on slot machines in Nevada, the Gaming Control Board hosted its first public workshop at the end of June. At this meeting AGEM submitted proposed language that came from its working group focused on the regulatory process. Although there is a significant gap between what suppliers want and what GCB will allow, both sides are confident a compromise will be reached. Another workshop will be held on August 5th to present updated language to be considered. Earlier this year, AGEM pledged $125,000 over two years, to support the International Center for Excellence in Gaming Regulation at UNLV. The Institute has confirmed the all important appointment of an Executive Director is almost complete. AGEM representatives will participate in the final interview process of two or three candidates. AGEM members agreed a sponsorship of $30,000 to support the G2E Chairman’s Reception. This popular event will likely include the annual Gaming Hall of Fame event. Details will be confirmed in the coming months. AGEM made a donation to support the Celebration of Peter Mead’s Life event, following his untimely passing last month. Founder and publisher of Casino Enterprise Management, Peter was an extremely well liked and popular figure in the industry. The Problem Gambling Center in Las Vegas has once again secured the support of AGEM with an annual contribution of $50,000.

EvENtS aNd activitiES l

Three companies were voted in as members of AGEM at the recent monthly meeting. BetConstruct, a betting and gaming software and service provider, Axiomtek, offers standard off-the-shelf embedded and all-inone gaming boards and Randstad Staffing, the third largest staffing organisation in the US. This brings the total number of members to 144 companies.

aGEm iNdEx The AGEM Index fell to 192.28 in June 2015, which represents a decline of 4.70 points (-2.4 per cent) compared to the prior month. The latest performance represents the second consecutive month-to-month decline after the composite index fell 3.70 points (-1.8 per cent) in May 2015. Despite falling in recent months, the AGEM Index witnessed its fourth consecutive year-over-year gain in June 2015, rising 6.94 points (+3.7 per cent). During the latest period, five of the 13 global gaming equipment manufacturers reported gains in stock price. However, most of these gains were relatively modest, with four up by less than three per cent. The one standout was Daktronics, Inc. (DAKT) that pushed north 10 per cent. Of the eight manufacturers that reported declines in stock price, one was down by 17 per cent, while another fell 36 per cent. ageM is an international trade association representing manufacturers of electronic gaming devices, systems, 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.

3 6

avoiding the pitfalls

t’s the final of Wimbledon and Novak Djokovic is serving for the match. As he mops his brow and decides on which ball to fire at Roger Federer to become champion, eGaming activity has peaked and your app is under pressure to handle the simultaneous number of connections. What are the odds on him serving an ace, winning the championship, or Federer taking Djokovic to a 5th set?

i

Your sports betting app needs to house the information that bettors need in seconds. What’s more, if your app cannot scale-up to the tens of thousands of bettors wanting to cash in, your app will crash leaving all your users frustrated. Live betting is tricky at the best of times with network issues needing eGaming companies to be frugal 3 8

with the volume of data that is transmitted.

the need for Speed

The bottom line is you need to deliver a reliable and high quality mobile experience to harness demanding customer interactions and protect against lost revenue streams. Studies reveal that app users will reward eGaming companies that get it right: 30 per cent will spend more money with an organisation that has a good mobile app experience.

According to research, a one second increase in load time could cause: 11 per cent fewer page views, a 16 per cent decrease in customer satisfaction and a 7 per cent loss in conversions. The best apps are the fastest apps and this is never truer than in the eGaming space. Sporting events such as Wimbledon are unpredictable with odds forever changing. If your app can’t keep up, bettors spend more time looking at their phone or tablet than actually enjoying the game. This is enough to frustrate bettors causing them to give up and switch off.

With that in mind, the difference between creating a match winning app and being beaten in straight sets by your competitors, could be extremely decisive to your total revenue and brand reputation.

You need to deliver real-time access to bets. To avoid the risk of losing customers, prioritise your data so that the relevant data is distributed over

Technology SportS-bEttiNG - mobilE appS

hours. An app not built to scale can have a huge impact on a business, from negative impact on your brand reputation to loss of customers. Most companies tend to focus on how the cloud can help, rather than looking at improving scale at the application level through data. It’s much more effective to use technology to scale your existing infrastructure by distributing data in a more efficient way. That way, you can ensure that your app is developed to handle a flash crowd who are requesting data simultaneously.

networK problemS With end users increasingly making mobile devices their primary connection point and with home broadband and mobile network technology improving, expectations on network performance has never been higher. However, the internet is inherently unreliable as users experience slow load times or dropped connections as a result of strained networks. Major metropolitan hubs typically have great performance, but suffer from saturation, whereas rural areas support 3G at best. Network pressures are particularly pertinent for eGaming companies as any major sporting event can lead to more traffic, meaning more delays. Developers are under pressure to be more intelligent with data to improve performance where network consistency is changeable. The aim of the game is to minimise the volume of data you need to serve to customers and lessen the strain on the network, all while ensuring you’re able to respond efficiently to volatility in demand. Sending data that matters (typically the data that has changed such as the latest odds) is critical to user experience. To tackle bandwidth and network availability head-on, you should develop an app that can continuously monitor for Internet roadblocks and instantly adjust or reconnect when connectivity is lost.

realise time and cost savings of more than 30 per cent. Moreover, more than 70 per cent of app developers say that cross-platform tools are a costefficient way for their app development. To avoid expensive development projects per app, your developers should have an environment that enables them to write once and deploy anywhere, whether it’s for the browser, a hybrid mobile application or native applications like iOS, Android or Windows phones or tablets.

The internet is inherently unreliable as users experience slow load times or dropped connections as a result of strained networks. Major metropolitan hubs typically have great performance, but suffer from saturation... With 2.2 million people accessing betting sites on their mobiles only – nearly half the total mobile betting audience at 5 million, it’s predicted that there will be $100 revenue from mobile betting in 2018. The appetite for fast betting information onthe-go is only going to increase with a growing audience putting pressure on eGaming companies to create a high quality mobile app experience. As a key revenue driver in years to come, having an app that can perform for your customers is essential.

Lee Cottle, Director, Vp global head of Sales push technology

what platform, what device? limited bandwidth environments. This way you don’t clog up the network with odds that are out of date and you also won’t slow down the app by distributing too much data that causes it to crash or load slowly.

Scale With one point change on the court, simultaneous app users can fluctuate from a couple of hundred to thousands. With this in mind, it’s important to build an app with scale in mind, to handle the influx of increased users when play quickly changes in realtime. An example of how sudden things can change is with Telegram, a free and secure messaging app. It added close to five million people to its service one day after WhatsApp went down for several

CEO of William Hill, James Henderson, discussed the main goal of his company – to have “one customer proposition” where customers can enjoy the same experience via any product or outlet. He said, “multi-channel customers are inclined to spend more, and if we get this right, it’ll mean higher yields and retention.” In a multichannel world, having one app for one platform isn’t enough. With customers flicking through the latest odds during match intervals at the stadium or sitting in front of the TV with a tablet to hand, if you are restricting who can use your app, you are limiting your success. According to research, two thirds of developers using cross-platform tools for their app projects,

With over 20 years’ experience in software, hardware and services industry ranging from both start-ups to established multi-billion dollar companies, Lee Cottle supports organisations across various departments including support and services, development, sales and marketing all the way to the board. Currently Director, Vp global head of Sales at push technology, Cottle is working to broaden the company’s reach across geographies, partners and customers. 3 9

italy

taly has a large betting market today, although up until 2000 two operators SNAI and SPATI dominated the sports betting market and had around 330 shops between them.

i

In 2000 1,000 shops were authorised for sports betting and 671 for horses and until 2002 these were managed by the Italian National Olympic Committee and kept out foreign competition which sparked legal battles with Stanley Leisure. The 1,000 shops at the time generated turnovers of around €2.28bn whilst the average revenue per shop was €2.28m with gross wins of €50,000. Then in 2006 the Bersani Law opened up the Italian betting market and a total of 16,700 licences were permitted which were divided into four subgroups. Around 14,000 of these were new licences which were bid for via a tender process. Of the licences 2,300 were for sports betting shops, 4,400 were for sports betting corners, 500 4 0

Italy was the first major European market to liberalise its online gambling market and by 2009 the total gambling market in Italy was worth €54.4bn in terms of turnover compared to €84.7bn today horseracing shops and 9,500 horseracing corners. Companies such as Ladbrokes, William Hill, Gala Coral and Lottomatica were all awarded licences. SNAI and SISAL were the biggest overall winners and were awarded 64 per cent of new licences between them. With this also came online gambling and sports betting and in 2008 tournament only poker was launched. Latterly the Abruzzo legislation

permitted online cash poker, online casino and online betting exchange which were launched only in 2011 in the case of cash poker and online cash poker and casino in 2014. Italy was the first major European market to liberalise its online gambling market and by 2009 the total gambling market in Italy was worth €54.4bn in terms of turnover compared to €84.7bn today. Sports betting is responsible for €3.8bn of this turnover. The turnover figures today are: l

Turnover for totalisator - €1.3bn

l

Turnover for horse racing (all) - €752m

l

Turnover for sports betting - €2.5bn

l

Turnover for lottery - €9.5bn

l

Turnover was lotto - €6.3bn

As an example of revenues:

Report SportS bEttiNG - part 2

ITALY SPORTS BETTING

COMPARISON OF GAMBLING SECTORS 2013 Sector

collection

winningS

Slots VLT Comma 7 Bingo Horse racing Betting Numbers games Lottery Lotto Skill games Card games Virtual gaming total

€25.4bn €22bn €303m €1.6bn €813m €3.8bn €1.3bn €9.6bn €6.3bn €852m €12.4bn €17m €84.7bn

€19.1bn €19.3bn n/a €1bn €572m €3bn €580m €6.9bn €4.1bn €755m €12bn €14m €67.6bn

player expenditure €5.2bn €2.7bn €303m €622m €241m €782m €797m €2.6bn €2.2bn €97m €377m €3m €17bn

revenue €3.2bn €1.1bn €24m €183m €39m €162m €642m €1.4bn €1.2bn €26m €74m €1m €8.1bn

no. oF Betting ShopS/agenCieS: 2,300 non reMote operatorS: 398 Betting ggr: €162m horSe raCing traCKS: 40 horSe raCe reVenue: €39m onLine MarKet: decree on liberaliSation 2007. reMote Betting ggr: €214m Betting onLine MarKet Share: 23.9% reMote LiCenCeS: 144 LiCenSing: aamS

OPERATOR REVENUES operator Lottomatica/Totosi Bet365 SNAI Sisal Eurobet Intralot William Hill Bwin Party /GD Microgame Paddy Power Betclic Betfair Scommettendo Betflag total l

l

l

l

collection jan 2015 €69.2m €67.5m €62.3m €55m €54.4m €29.9m €19.5m €14.7m €13.8m €13.6m €4.4m €2.4m €2m €1.9m €462.4m

The sports betting shops collections for the month of February 2015 show the biggest region is Naples (with 1,019 agencies) and with €47.1m revenue from fixed odds betting agencies, Rome €20m and Milan €15.4m. In total during the first two months of 2015 the sports betting sector has collected €462.4m. The collection from the three main provinces Naples, Rome and Milan came to a total of €157.1m. In Feb 2015 the online sports betting sector saw a total of €226.7m in revenue – a record amount for this sector.

The main three operators in the sports betting market are SNAI, SISAL and Lottomatica which between them had a 72 percent market share in the online sports betting sector. Today with Bet365 in the market this is down to about 50 percent market share.

collection feb 2015 online Sector €21.5m €71m €14.1m €16.3m €22.6m €1.9m €20.1m €15m €10.5m €14.2m €4.7m €2.3m €2.3m €2.3m €226.7m

marKet % 22% 31%

6.8% 3.3% 5.6%

Lottomatica (renamed Gtech and now IGT) holds the licence for the land based lottery sector and runs sports betting, horse racing, VLT and the lottery. Lottomatica Betting was founded in 2007 and today it has 2,000 stores under the brand name ‘Better’. In 2008 it acquired the Totosi brand for online betting. Revenue for Gtech Italy was €1.7bn in 2013 and of this €158.7m came from sports betting. In 2014 Lottomatica acquired IGT. SNAI has a 29 percent share of the sports betting market and saw group revenues in 2013 of €478.8m. It has a 57 percent share of the horse race betting market and some 875 sport corners in 613 stores and 860 horse corners. SNAI recently announced in 2015 plans to merge with Cogetech, a major gaming operator in the market, which will increase the number of gaming machines operated by SNAI to more than 70,000. Sisal was born in 1946 as a state operator dealing in football pools, betting, casino games, lotteries and ibingo. The company has 45,000 outlets across Italy

In Italy there are a total of 4,790 sports betting points of sale, 1,468 betting shops and 801 betting agencies. There are a total of 2,822 horse racing points of sale and 1,504 horse racing betting shops. and in 2013 the group saw revenues of €772m. In Italy there are a total of 4,790 sports betting points of sale, 1,468 betting shops and 801 betting agencies. There are a total of 2,822 horse racing points of sale, 1,504 horse racing betting shops and 331 agencies. The total number of authorised betting shops was increased by over 2,100 in 2015 after the government authorised the operation of the so called CTDs (internet cafes operated as betting shops under a foreign online gaming licence). The CTDs will have to pay back-dated taxes and are not allowed to operate up to June 2016. But in addition there are more than 5,000 unauthorised CTDs whose future

online In the early days Italy had an interesting on-off type relationship with online gaming. It went from the extreme measure of banning all IP addresses of online gaming sites to then trying to set up an ‘exclusive’ licence with an online poker room just days later. However over the last few years Italy has progressively regulated its online industry and in 4 1

italy doing so has created a competitive and profitable sector and is often said to be a shining example of successful regulation for other European countries to base themselves on. In 2006 a decree set up a framework which meant operators would need to obtain a licence from the AAMS to operate and in 2009 further modifications were added to ensure licences were issued to Italian corporate entities, the systems were monitored, taxes were paid and non licensed operators could be sued. The Abruzzo Decree of 2009 permitted online fixed odds games of chance (online casinos and Vegas style games). It also legalised online poker and ring games. Such games were launched only in February 2011 when another decree regulated their operation. Today most other sectors are now permitted and the various sports betting games include: Football pools (Totocalcio), Totogol, fixed odds betting, betting exchange, virtual betting, Big Match, Big Race and other sporting events. The Decree of Liberalisation of 2007 made online gambling legal. It provided a clean slate also for the licensing and regulation process although it took until 2010 for the first 33 remote gambling licences to be issued. The limit on the number of licences is set to 200. The offering of games in Italy without a local licence in punished with criminal sanctions and considerable tax liabilities.

ONLINE GAMING DIVISION

The AAMS is responsible for the licensing process. It only provided licences to reputable companies with proven track records. They also have to be EEA resident companies with their technological infrastructure based in the EEA and meet turnover requirements.

Sector Casino games (slots) Casino games (roulette/blackjack) Sports betting Poker Cash Poker Tournament Bingo Virtual betting Horse racing Skill games in Tournament Betting Exchange, Contests and Big+Scratch Lotto Lotteries total

The licences cover: skill games, tournament and solitaire poker games, cash poker games, casino games, fixed odd and totalisator sports, betting exchange, bets on virtual events, horse and other betting events, horse pools and bingo. The legislation at the time when the online licences were issued in 2011 includes: l

Companies must have a turnover of no less than €1.5m in the last two years

l

Have reliable administration members.

l

Only companies founded as capital societies

l

l

To have official residence and technical supports in EU To pay €350,000 to AAMS for the licence.

4 2

l

l

The rule for payouts for skill games and card games for tournaments is an 80 percent payout, multiplayer games must have a 90 percent payout, card games against the house also 90 percent as are fixed odds and games of chance. Taxes: Online casino and cash poker 20 percent GGR, online sports betting 2-5 percent of turnover, tournament poker and skill games 3 percent and bingo 12 percent tax on deposits.

ggr 2014 €147m €110m €214m €108 €70m €27.1m €10.1m €9.9m €9.3m €8.9m €8.2m €5.5m €726m

ggr 2013 €136.7m €121m €190.4m €130.6m €82.6m

€725m

At the moment the Italian government is looking to overhaul the online gambling regime including reduced tax rates and increased sports betting options. The biggest change is the suggestion of moving the 2-5 percent tax on turnover for sports betting to a new 20 percent tax on GGR in relation to all the online games. Also although in play wagers were permitted last year the government is looking at allowing operators to offer non traditional betting products

Report SportS bEttiNG - part 2

Apparently the last quarter of 2014 saw a rush in wagers which basically saved the overall budget of the online gambling industry and pushed it into a growth rather than a decline. The relaxation of restrictions on in-play wagers in the last quarter of 2014 has boosted sports betting revenue by almost €23m. Meanwhile online slots rose 27 percent to €147m whilst casino games online fell 10 percent to €110m. Online poker also fell for the third consecutive year by 20 percent to €178. Other sectors include bingo €27.1m, virtual betting €10m, horseracing €9.9m, skill games €9.3m and online lotteries €5.5m. There are just over 144 licences issued for online gaming companies. Eight new operators came into the market in 2014 including four foreign operators, such as Bet365. Six of these eight are focusing on sports betting. The top 10 operators generate some 75 percent of income in the market. Player profile for the Italian online gambler is male between 25 and 44 years and 57 percent of active players are dedicated to a single game. There are 2.86 million active players online for a total of 5.88 million game accounts which is an average of 2.05 accounts for each player.

like ‘cash out’ feature that has proven popular in the UK. The aim is that operators can offer the same bets and markets available on .com platforms encouraging players to switch from unlicensed to licensed websites. Italy’s online gambling market was described as flat during 2014 despite the addition of new sports betting options. Betting in the online gambling market in Italy represents 23.9 percent of the overall national market’s GGR. Horse race betting accounts for 1.6 percent of this whilst sports betting has the other 22.3 percent. It was said that total revenue for the online sector amounted to €728m in 2014 just a 0.4 percent increase from the year before. The government’s share rose one percent to €167m. Mobile wagering accounted for 14 percent of the total revenue (doubling its income). Sports betting is one of the few sectors that is growing in the online market. Sports betting rose 11 percent to €214m mainly due to the 2014 FIFA World Cup plus the introduction of exchange betting and the ongoing expansion of other sports

Online games via smart phones and tablets rose to a GGR of €99m, a 103 per cent increase on the previous year with an online market share of 13.7 per cent. Smart phones saw 68 per cent of this expenditure. wagering options. The last quarter of 2014 during the World Cup time saw €585m collected which was over 36 percent from the entire year. The liberalisation of the sector (13 percent of bets placed in 2014 were customised bets, previously prohibited) plus live bets (now 48 percent of the total bets) account for the growth plus the entry of new operators. Football remains the most popular sport with 68 percent of the vote followed by tennis (20 percent), Basketball (seven percent) and Volleyball (three percent). Betting exchange was launched in April 2014 and is currently offered by three operators – Betfair, Betflag and Giochi24.

The number of active players per month fell 4.4 percent to 640,000. In 2012 the number of active players was around 734,000 per month. Average spend per online player rose to €94 however 65 percent of players spend a maximum of €50 and over half spend up to €25. Online games via smart phones and tablets rose to a GGR of €99m, a 103 percent increase on the previous year with an online market share of 13.7 percent. Smart phones saw 68 percent of this expenditure and 57 percent of this spending went on sports betting, 20 percent on skill games, 17 percent on casino games, three percent on bingo and three percent on other gaming. The number of operators involved in the smart phone online sector increased from nine to 42 last year and they offered 176 apps for online games (26 percent for sports betting). Meanwhile 29 operators were developing for tablets offering 101 Apps (15 percent for sports betting). The number of action game accounts for sports betting in 2014 was 453,000 with 391,000 users with 171,000 new accounts opened last year. There are currently 144 licences for remote gambling channels. 8.5 million gaming accounts with over 3.5 million account holders and 87 platforms are authorised offering over 8,000 games. 4 3

asia on the radar

4 4

Technology SportS-bEttiNG - aSiaN marKEtS

wiss-based sports-data supplier Betradar is a true global player in the sports betting industry. With over 450 bookmaker clients in over 80 countries across five continents, the company serves all types of market participants, from small retail outlets to the big globally operating market leaders. Having this customer base in mind, Betradar’s product and service portfolio is very well positioned to cater to regional peculiarities, needs and operator’s requirements.

markets and increasing the sports coverage, mobile betting has become hugely popular in Asia. There are more than 2.3 billion smartphones in use in Asia, an amount that is ten times the amount of mobile phones used in the United States. Asian bookmakers can widely be seen as specialists in providing an impressive mobile betting experience. Betradar is assisting bookmakers in developing mobile optimised betting offers. The company’s Live Match Tracker for example enriches the attractiveness and bet-stimulation of all mobile solutions. It helps make the live betting offer even more interactive and entertaining as it is a unique visualisation of all the live-match action in realtime, currently available for nine sports and fully customisable with unlimited branding opportunities.

S

A comparison between the very well established European and Asian sports betting market shows that being adaptable for all types of operations across regions is only possible with an extensive sports data coverage of leagues. At the moment, Betradar is providing up to 20,000 live events per month, an impressive number that is a result of the dynamic growth of in-play betting in Europe and especially Asia over the last few years. Asia is seen as the world’s largest gambling market which

Providing Asian sports events to European sports books is also becoming increasingly popular. With starting times being in the morning hours in Europe,

Asia is seen as the world’s largest gambling market which comes as no surprise seeing that 60 per cent of the world’s population live in Asia, making it one key markets for Betradar.

The focus of Asian punters is on soccer (70 – 80 per cent of placed bets) and basketball, and there is no big interest in other sports from a betting perspective, while in Europe tennis is clear number two

comes as no surprise seeing that 60 per cent of the world’s population live in Asia, making it one key markets for Betradar. According to the “Global Betting and Gaming Consultants”, regulated betting in Asia accounts for around 40 per cent of the global betting market, in line with Europe. In Asia, betting is almost entirely on 2-way markets such as Asian Handicaps and total goals (over/under) for soccer or point spreads for basketball, while the 3-way match result dominates the European market. This means that the average Asian punter is far more price sensitive making it a very tough region to set-up business. In Asia, offering attractive low margin odds is essential as a long term strategy, and the concept of increasing profit margins after punters have been activated is not really an option. For Betradar as supplier of both European and Asian bookmakers, this difference requires to continuously add more betting markets with odds keys below the market average. Betradar’s portfolio has been extended to over 350 unique bet types, with the odds being calculated keeping these three factors in mind: mathematical modelling, live trader information and Betradar’s complex market

monitoring. As a matter of course, optimising the existing Asian handicaps and totals as well as enlarging the Asian offering is one of the key priorities for Betradar to further strengthen its position in the Asian market. The focus of Asian punters is on soccer (70 – 80 per cent of placed bets) and basketball, and there is no big interest in other sports from a betting perspective, while in Europe tennis is seen as the clear number two behind soccer. Due to the massive demands of sports wagering in the Asian market, matches of soccer leagues and tournaments of all divisions, no matter how minor they are, are offered in Asia. There is no sporting event that one cannot place a bet on in Asia, while Europe is more conservative in offering lower leagues. Betradar is currently providing up to 20,000+ live events per month which means a 24/7 daily coverage of 18 sports worldwide. A global network of highly qualified quality-controlled data journalists is collecting this data fast and accurate, and transmitting it within one second from the venue to Betradar’s clients adhering to highest security standards. Aside from providing Asian focused betting

leagues such as the Indonesian and Philippines soccer league and Chinese basketball are perfectly filing the off-peak hours in European sports betting offers. These leagues therefore form an essential part of Betradar’s Live Channel. The live streaming solution for online, mobile and retail sports betting platforms provides daily live sports with focus on time slots where there is no further live sport available. And this concept pays off: Nowadays, over 2,000 retail betting shops across Europe are using this service, and the turnover on Asian sports is growing above-proportionally.

Michael Maerz Managing Director Betting, Betradar

having started his career in the online gaming industry in 1996 with intertops, after 20 years as an operator Michael joined Sportradar as MD Betting where, amongst other areas, he is responsible for Sportradar’s in-play betting products. 4 5

netherlands he gaming industry in the Netherlands saw a total gross turnover of €770m in 2013/14. Slots account for 50 per cent of this sector whilst sports betting has a one percent share of the gambling market.

t

The history of betting in the Netherlands dates back to the 18th century. The Nederlandse Staatsloterij (National State Lottery) was established in 1726 and as such is the oldest lottery in the world. By the early 1900s there was a complete ban on sports betting in Holland and all other gaming activities except the lottery. Sports betting began in the Netherlands in 1957 when the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) began to organise it. The KNVB is the largest sports federation in the country and was set up in 1889. Football gained huge popularity in the country and clubs mushroomed. In the early 1950s the introduction of professional football arrived and today the association has over 1.2 million members. The KNVB organises some 33,000 matches. The KNVB organised sports betting until 1961 when sports betting was legalised as a second state monopoly and Stichting Nationale Sporttotalisator (De Lotto) was founded to take over. Today, sports betting is run by two organisations – De Lotto which operates sports betting of all sorts (except horse racing and trotting) and Sportech Racing BV which runs the totalisator for parimutuel betting on horse trotting and racing. Sportech Racing is a subsidiary of the UK’s Sportech PLC company operating in the Netherlands under the name Runnerz. It is the sole licensee in the Netherlands for the organisation of bets on horse races at home and abroad via the tote method. This has operated since 2010 via Sportech Racing. The licence for operating bets on horse racing runs until 2016. Dutch revenues for Sportech were £5.1m in 2014 compared to £5.3m in 2013 with an EBITDA of £0.3m.

THE DUTCH MARKETS Sector Lottery

Sports betting Casinos Slots total 4 6

licenSee Nederlandse Staatsloterij Holding Nationale Goede Doelen Samenwerkende Loterijen De Lotto €59.6m De Lotto Sportech Racing Holland Casino Holland Casinos Slots halls

SaleS €772.6m €827.7m €25.3m €253.1 €53.7m €23.1m

prizeS €466.2m €298.7m €0.7m €144.3m €20.4m Included above €16.9m

ggr €306.4m €638.1m €24.6m €162.5m Included above €6.2m €209m €242.5m €769.3m €2.35bn

charity

State fundS €123.6m

€413.8m €19.2m

Included above €1.6m

€494.2m

€123.6m

gaming tax €63.9m €41.3m €0.1m

Included above €0.4m €60m €70.9m €223.1m €480.1m

Report SportS bEttiNG - part 2

NETHERLANDS SPORTS BETTING

In 2013 the combined turnover of the two licensees for sports betting was €77m divided between €53.7m (De Lotto/toto) and €23.1m (SportechRunnerz) compared to €45m and €25m in 2012 respectively. Runnerz sells half of its tickets through physical betting shops and has 56 locations in Netherlands. The six gaming monopolies in the country are monitored by the Kansspelautoriteit (gambling authority) which was established in 2012 as an independent administrative body. The sports sector is governed by regulations in the Gambling Act. The sports betting monopoly is run by De Lotto with the brands Lotto, Toto, Lucky Day, Krasloten (Scatch Cards) and Euro Lotto Jackpots. It donates to the fields of sports and culture, social welfare and health. The Lotto is held every Saturday with jackpots as high at €7.5m. Lucky Day is a unique lottery that players can play every day except Sundays. Bets can be placed on sporting events in shops and via the Toto website. The market is quite restricted with betting available on football, hockey, cycling, formula one, basketball, baseball and tennis. The most popular sport is football followed by hockey. However despite the strict restrictions in place for foreign bookmakers there are a few that offer their services to Dutch customers including William Hill, Coral, Stan James, Bwin, Betsson, 10Bet, MarathonBet, Expekt and Betfair. Bet365 does not accept sign ups from the Netheralands.

It will include licence options, fees and fiscal obligations plus technical and security requirements of licence holders. Paul Klomp, Managing Director of Sportech Racing BV said: “The market will probably not open up before 2016 and even 2016 is a big question mark. Currently the proposal is in parliament and the political environment (the state secretary resigned and is now replaced) does not speed up this process. Runnerz will be able to sell its bets online and the growth potential is huge.” The online gambling market in the Netherlands is estimated to have a GGR of around €140-800m versus the land based market of around €500m. It is thought there were some 565,000 online gambling users in 2011.

The online gambling market in the Netherlands is estimated to have a GGR of around €140800m versus the land based market of around €500m. It is thought there were some 565,000 online gambling users in 2011.

Online gambling is at the moment not permitted in the Netherlands although there is currently a draft law in place (KOA) which was presented in July 2014 and the proposed amendments are expected to replace the existing Gaming Act of 1964.

Illegal operators can receive a fine of up to €780,000 via the Dutch Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) and the government is working to combat illegal gambling by blocking advertising. The Gaming Authority made a deal with social network sites Hyves and Facebook to remove illegal advertising if notified whilst payment service providers have also been approached. The aim is to block any websites ending in .com, or websites in Dutch language or those who advertise in the media focusing on the Dutch market.

The gambling policy means the sector will be modernised in three areas and is based around the Danish Gambling Authority’s online bill. Firstly, online gambling will be regulated from 2015, secondly the lottery and casino markets will be reformed and Holland Casino will be privatised in 2017 and thirdly more profits will go to charity.

When online gambling first arrived in Europe it provided a problem for such a regulated country who initially tried to pass a law to stop the banks handling non Dutch online gaming companies. This didn’t work despite the initial approach by the Dutch regulator to keep international companies out.

Many Dutch participate in illegal online gambling via foreign websites and it is estimated that around one million Dutch already gamble online.

From December 1st 2014 companies interested in a remote gambling licences could apply via a KOA form and by the end of 2014 some 130 applications were received in just three weeks and 200 in three months.

online

From 2015 it will be possible to obtain an online gambling licence and it is expected that the first licences will be issued by the second quarter of 2015 although many suggest this may be delayed 2016 even.

no. oF Betting ShopS: 56 (runnerz) MarKet Share (ggr): 1% non reMote operatorS: 2 (Sportech and de lotto) SportS Betting turnoVer: €53.7m (de lotto) €23.1m (Sportech) horSe traCKS: 4 (90 race day per year) onLine MarKet: Koa 2015 reMote Betting ggr: n/a reMote LiCenCeS: unlimited LiCenSing: KanSSpelautorite

The new law will replace a 50 year old law which was very archaic and prohibits any online gambling without a licence. The draft law states:

l l

l

l

l

l

l l

l

A 20 per cent gaming tax rate The set up of gambling addiction programmes with a 0.5 percent contribution to fund these. 1.5 percent contribution to the Gaming Authority on gross game result. Plus a contribution to Dutch sports and charities is also possible. To ensure Dutch players use regulated sites they will be taxed on winnings at the rate of 29 percent on unregulated sites. No restriction on the number of remote gambling licences A licence fee of €40,000 will have to be paid. Licensees do not need to be Dutch but licences will only be granted to an entity having the legal form of a public limited company or private limited company of another EU or EEA member state. Each player must register a player profile and could include frequency and duration of participation, maximum deposits placed on the account and maximum balance on the account.

The new legislation will open the market but clamp down on those using unlicensed websites. It is thought there will be two types of licences granted for five years and permit casino games, slots, fixed odd sports betting, pokers, sports betting (betting exchange), pari-mutuel betting and live betting on sports betting (this may require stricter regulation). It will not permit online betting for spread betting and special betting and the state run lottery will remain under government control for the time being. 4 7

Capturing the action

ince opening its doors in 1995, the H stage at Warner Bros. Leavesden Studios has been home to more than its fair share of blockbuster movies and stars, playing host to James Bond, Harry Potter, Star Wars and Tom Cruise. On a scalding hot day in June it wasn’t movie actors but rather basketball stars that graced the stage, invited by Playtech to perform for the cameras. The set-up was much more Avatar than GoldenEye, however, as almost a hundred HD cameras attached to an intricate gantry system filmed players in greyjump suits, adorned with strategically placed ‘ping-pong ball-like’ markers, as they played a ferocious game in sweltering conditions.

S

4 8

Playtech had created a full-sized basketball court, complete with competition grade flooring, which had to be covered with an additional rubber coating to prevent reflections distorting the view of the 89 HD cameras sited above and around the players.

Playtech had created a full-sized basketball court, complete with competition grade flooring, which had to be covered with an additional rubber coating to prevent reflections distorting the view of the 89 HD cameras sited above and around the players. Building a full size court and asking the players to play basketball for 10 hours per day over four days, gave Playtech (in addition to an enormous quantity of laundry) the opportunity to capture the shots they need to recreate a ‘real game’ as part of its new Virtual Sports offering. This meant that rather than stitching together predetermined sequences, the motion captured by the cameras and digitised into high definition, photo-realistic animations, remained true to the goal of creating a simulation of

Technology SportS-bEttiNG - motioN capturE

we are the only company able to offer full sports simulations, meaning that betting and gameplay are as realistic as possible.”

the sport upon which players can confidently place their bets. Playtech admits that it’s arriving late to the Virtual Sports party, which has its distinct disadvantages and, as Playtech’s Head of Virtual Sports, Elliott Norris describes, practical advantages too. “We are capturing live sports action based on feature film motion-capture technology, shot on location, and using professional sportsmen and women to create a host of Virtual Sports, including: basketball, football, horse-racing, greyhounds, velodrome, speedway and tennis,” stated Mr. Norris. “The portfolio we are able to offer is the best the industry has ever seen. The graphics are mind-blowing and

Prior to the basketball team melting on the rubber court at Leavesden, the Playtech team had assembled an indoor tennis court to motioncapture players from the top 50 in the UK (many of which had to be filmed ahead of Wimbledon as they had sparring contracts with players at the All England Club). The tennis players captured on court at Leavesden played complete matches, incentivised by cash prizes for the winners, which meant that they didn’t hold back. Playtech will be spending several months editing the sequences that they need, digitising the results and creating a freeflowing simulation of the sport that’s the closest tennis has come to being recreated outside of the physical game. The players were not only tracked by the highdefinition cameras on stage H, capable of detecting movement to within half a millimetre on the court, but were also ‘unwrapped’ by a separate digital process that creates an individual digital scan of the

Players stand in a booth surrounded by cameras that fire simultaneously to create a 360 ‘skin’ that is wrapped onto the digital frame of the mo-cap player to create an uncanny resemblance to the players. player. Players stand in a booth surrounded by cameras that fire simultaneously (akin to The Matrix movie) to create a 360 ‘skin’ that is wrapped onto the digital frame of the motion-captured player to create an uncanny resemblance to individual players. It’s the kind of technology used by high-end video games, motion pictures and now, Virtual Sports for gaming. The current horse-racing, greyhound and football offering from Playtech will expand to include tennis, speedway, basketball, trotting and 4 9

velodrome cycling. Online operators will be able to offer players Virtual Sports immediately though Playtech’s Geneity sports book, via a non-Geneity sports book and through direct integration. Retail operators have the option to integrate via Videobet, install a direct software solution using existing hardware or provide players with mobile solutions for all devices. Playtech is also analysing market demand for Formula 1 racing, American and Asian sporting products, and is adding further language options to its sophisticated commentary that already boasts English, Spanish, Finnish and Italian. The level of detail invested in the creation of Playtech’s Virtual Sports may seem a little extreme, but in creating not only individual players, but recognisable play styles that are mapped to identifiable participants on court, pitch and course, those looking to place a bet can pick out their favourites from a library of characters they’re able to follow through a league or championship. Playtech can even create specific celebrity players and introduce them into its virtual environments 5 0

Weedi’s Tim Wright explained that Playtech has identified over 280,000 different possible outcomes within a game of football and is recreating these scenarios to in order to recreate the reality of the sport.

In order to create its cutting-edge Virtual Sports offer, Playtech acquired Elliott Norris’ company GTS in 2009 and as recently as January of this year acquired UK-based animation and motion graphics company, Weedi. The combination of GTS’ sportsbetting simulation expertise with Weedi’s movie-quality animation is a formidable one. As Weedi’s Tim Wright (who was in charge of production during the Leavesden shoot) explained, Playtech has identified over 280,000 different possible outcomes within a game of football and is recreating these scenarios to in order to recreate the reality of the sport.

for special promotions. All the characters are further wrapped in dynamic clothing that adapts, stretches and shifts in time with player movements. On a mobile phone or computer screen the effects are impressive, but it’s when shown on a larger display, a HD TV in a retail environment, for example, that the culmination of all these simulation effects clearly pays off, as the level of detail is breath-taking.

“We are recreating each sport down to the finest details,” explained Mr. Wright. “We are recreating not just the actions on the pitch, court or course, but also the focal length of the cameras used in the TV coverage, the positioning of the microphones on the court that recreate the specific sounds from the game and the lighting that immediately tells you what time of day the match/game/race is being played. We will also be adding weather variables in

The Numbers playtEch - lEavESdEN StudioS eight top 30 uK tennis players (two in the top 10) have been motion-captured for playtech’s Virtual Sports

16 individual basketball players have been rendered and motioncaptured 1,500 markers were used on the mo-cap suits to capture body movements

10km worth of journeys were made on the scissor-lifts at Leavesden Studios to capture the footage two pairs of size 17 feet pounded the rubber floor of the basketball court

40 hours of tennis were captured for the simulation it costs £9 per second to clean-up a motion-captured clip

The ball in tennis cannot be motion-captured. Travelling at 140mph it’s too quick for the cameras to capture and attempts to place a GPS tracker in the ball have failed as ball strikes of up to 8G render the tracker useless. The ball is added into the game in post production. 15 seconds of football takes one pC 15 hours to render

the future, which also create added realism for the players.” Shooting at Leavesden Studios wasn’t simply a PR exercise aimed at drawing the press and clients to an impressive demonstration, though this was clearly a secondary benefit, rather it was a practical measure as the Warner Bros. facility is the only sound-stage in the UK capable of recreating a fullsize tennis and basketball court. “To capture the game of tennis you need huge volume,” explained Mr. Norris. “We had to create the largest motion capture space ever to accommodate the players for both tennis and basketball, while in the process setting a World Record for the most people captured at once - 19 players - which had never been done before. And whilst the picture is so important in recreating the sport, sound also plays a crucial role, with the facilities at Leavesden some of the best in the world.” Playtech’s multi-million investment in its Virtual Sports offering doesn’t end with the impressive

“Our USP is the creation of sports based on simulation, whether that’s horse-racing data on the horses, jockeys and courses, or the individual player styles of basketball and tennis players; each enables the player to study form across all elements of the sport. capturing of player movements, sounds and skins at Leavesden Studios, but will continue for several months as the 3D artists tweak and hone the footage to build its cutting-edge product. The investment in HD motion-capture will also continue to be mined as a resource far into the future, as the footage will remain relevant even as

new 3D technology changes the depiction of the sport on the screen. “Our investment in motioncapture is a re-useable resource,” underlined Mr. Norris. “We are currently expanding our existing products with the footage we have captured at Leavesden Studios as part of a constant evolutionary process. “Our USP is the creation of sports based on simulation, whether that’s horse-racing data on the horses, jockeys and courses, or the individual player styles of basketball and tennis players; each enables the player to study form across all elements of the sport. Only simulation can do this and offer, as a result, more betting options. Our job is to provide players with betting opportunities on their favourite sports 24/7, creating seamless events in the heart of the sphere of play, on the device of their choice,” added Mr. Norris. “We will be the first to offer in-betting as part of our Virtual Sports product, and we can offer 90 second highlights of matches or present entire 90 minute matches. The options are limitless.” 5 1

enhancing experience

aving introduced our concept of Universal Gaming Experience (UGE) as early as 2011, we at INTRALOT have since focused our efforts on providing our clients with an integrated solution to support customer engagement over multiple channels in a consistent, cross-channel, meaningful way. Enabling this omni-channel experience is a central objective of our on-going development strategy towards personal gaming not only for our gaming delivery platform but also for various gaming verticals.

h

In parallel to this, different regulatory frameworks and competitive landscapes combined with socioeconomic, cultural and infrastructural differences, dictate that both the avenues and the means for customer engagement as well as the gaming content, the betting opportunities and prices offered, should be localised to the needs of each particular market. Sports betting has evolved and grown immensely in the last few years. Not too long ago operators would offer betting opportunities on only a handful of globally popular sports and major leagues, but today betting can be offered on tens of thousands of events per month, on tens of different sports and a multitude of leagues and tournaments both for prematch and in-play betting. There’s a real need to adapt and customise the way the available content 5 2

is presented to each respective market and to each individual customer according to his preferences, while making best use of the capabilities and usage patterns of each touch-point class. We recognise that content should be presented and structured differently on a mobile phone than on the PC and that a tablet is often not used just as a bigger screen smartphone, as the pattern and context of use often differ a lot. Our technology solutions are optimised to each class of touch-point device. Our approach to implementing the omni-channel customer experience and offer optimised sports betting content has been to utilise state-of-the art technology at all levels. Technology enables us to blend the lines between delivery channels in order to offer seamless

We help operators tear down the wall between online and land based betting, allowing the player to interact through our mobile and web powered solutions while in the shop, complementing each over.

interaction with the gaming offering no matter the channel used. At the front end, the touch point level, mobile communications technologies, responsive portal design, touch sensitive intelligent self-service terminals (SSTs), responsive interactive in-shop information systems and video streaming allow the players to experience the gaming offering in a uniform way, without space limitation and through the channel they choose to interact. We help operators tear down the wall between online and land based betting, allowing the player to interact through our mobile and web powered solutions while in the shop, complementing each over. Technology enables customer interaction to spread across channels and at the same time enables the operator to implement cross-channel promotional and customer engagement strategies. Advanced touch point technology combined with GPS based location services can offer player convenience connected with the social interaction available in a traditional betting shop. The opportunities are truly exciting. After placing a bet with the cashier or at the SST, the player may get results and a winning notification at his mobile; one may get a free bet ticket while playing on the internet to use it at his next purchase in the POS they shop in; a bonus promotion executed through a Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled poster at

Insight SportS-bEttiNG - cuStomEr ENGaGEmENt

the POS allows one to win bonus points that can be utilised while playing through the web/mobile account; collecting points as a club member at every interaction on any channel, allows one to enjoy add-on offerings/services through any channel. At the middle tier, our solutions are powered by our adaptive content management system (CMS) which is coupled with artificial intelligence based CRM functionality and supported by a real-time analytics system. A consolidated database enables the operator to have a unified view of the customer no matter which channels or touch-points the player has been using to interact. The CMS system comprises a single point of control for all content presented in any touch-point from mobile phones to POS, self-service terminals and in-shop information systems. It automatically adapts the content to the particular customer, using analytical patterns, and the method of use while continuously learning from player’s preferences. Our adaptive CMS system feeds player usage

information to the CRM and analytics modules and, in turn, acquires from them directives based on player usage, betting pattern information and betting opportunities retrieved from the back-end, the betting engine, to intelligently promote packaged betting opportunities to selected target player groups. We are always looking into new ways of increasing customer engagement, the player fun factor, while enhancing an operator’s ability to maintain his margins. For example, delivering the ability to offer targeted one-click wagering on multiples during in-play betting is an area of active development. Intelligently engaging the player while promoting a uniform brand image across all channels and, at the same time, assisting the operator to maintain a healthy margin is the key value proposition offered by our integrated multichannel betting platform. A seamless omni-channel experience, combined with the ability to adapt our platforms, content and services to local markets, is what we consider as INTRALOT’s strength in the regulated gaming space. The INTRALOT sports betting solution is

designed to support the sports betting operator in promoting brand identity, maintaining brand awareness and increasing customer acquisition and retention. At the same time we help operators maximise turnover while maintaining a healthy margin and optimising operational costs.

prior to joining intralot, Ben worked at playtech where he was responsible for building playtech’s trading operation from scratch. he has more than 11 years’ experience within the online betting Ben Simchon Chanoch sector, having worked group Betting Director, for bookmakers such as BWin, Bet Victor intralot (Victor Chandler) and Winner.com.

Spain

he Spanish sports betting market didn’t officially open until 2008 when sports betting was allowed in dedicated betting shops and betting kiosks plus remote betting via internet or telephone.

t

Prior to this the stance on betting was fairly relaxed and for years you could find betting shops set up to take wagers in most cities and although illegal they were left alone. Online betting was also unregulated. Although the state run lottery offered twice weekly football pools games this, plus the odd workplace sweepstake and informal wager, was all the 5 4

Spanish had initially until the law changed. The Spanish market is a minefield, as each of the 17 regional governments all have the power to establish their own gaming laws, licensing fee and number of licences. The process to legalise sports betting initially was slow. In the beginning only Madrid and the Basque Country regulated the activity and the first betting shop opened in Madrid in April 2008. A licence was given to William Hill and Codere who launched the Victoria Apuestas brand with the aim of opening up 70 sports betting shops in the Madrid area. This partnership ended a year later and William Hill

concentrated on its online activity in the Spanish market and Codere now operates under the brand Codere Apuestas. Today Codere is the leader in the betting shop market with shops in Madrid, Basque Country, Navarra, Aragon, Valencia, Galicia, Murcia and Castilla la Mancha, Ceuta, Cataluña, La Rioja and Extremadura. They have more than 1,500 betting points installed in gaming halls, bingos and casinos. Other big partnerships include Cirsa and Ladbrokes who joined up in 2007 to create a joint venture company called Sportium, whilst in 2013 they expanded into the online betting sector with

Report SportS bEttiNG - part 2

SPAIN SPORTS BETTING MarKet Share (aMount gaMBLeD): 8.26 percent aMount gaMBLeD: €2.3bn ggr: €257.3m horSe traCKS: 7 horSe raCing ggr: €2.23m onLine MarKet: ley 13/2011 reMote Betting ggr: €2bn reMote LiCenCeS: 51 but unlimited. LiCenSing: dgoj

saw total sales of €8.4bn in 2013. The company operates the Quiniela and Quinigol (football pools) and sales for this sector during 2013 amounted to €306m. Sales for its horse racing sector Loto Turf and Quintuple Plus saw sales of €6.69m. Sports betting is 3.59 per cent of its business and horse racing 0.08 percent whilst the remainder is governed by its lottery sector. The Loteria Nacional has a total of 11,000 sales points. According to a report by Codere the number of sports betting clients has increased and in 2013 2.8 percent of Spanish resident took part in sports betting. The sports betting market in Spain has an 8.26 percent market share compared to other elements of gaming such as the Lottery with 35.72 percent, Slots (Maquina B) 31.79 percent, Casinos 9.66 percent, Bingo 6.56 percent and other types 8.01 percent.

The sports betting market in Spain has an 8.26 per cent market share compared to other elements of gaming such as the Lottery with 35.72 per cent, Slots (Maquina B) 31.79 per cent, Casinos 9.66 per cent and Bingo 6.56 per cent In 2013 the amount gambled on the sports betting sector was €2.3bn compared to €1.3bn in 2012 and €401.8m in 2011.

regional and main lawS There are three types of licences for the online sector: l

sportium.es. They have 1,500 betting points in Spain. Those who also set up include Bet 365 (Spain Hillside Leisure), Betway Spain, Interwetten, PAF, Betfair, William Hill, Luckia (Egasa), 888Spain, GTech Spain, Banegras Union, Electraworks España, Eurojuego Star, Golden Park Games, Hillside Spain New Media, Kambi Spain, Premiere Megaplex, Suertia Interactiva, Comar and WHG Spain (William Hill). Spain’s gambling market is worth a total of €7.7bn in GGR. The state lottery and betting agency Loteria Nacional has the monopoly on football pools and

l

l

Apuestas Hipicas contrapartida (fixed odds horse racing) Concursos (Competitions) Otra Apuestas Deportivas (other betting) l

l

l

l

Operators can be public of private entities with Spanish or EEA nationality. There must be one permanent representative in Spain. Applicants must possess share capital of €100,000 for application of general licence for betting and they must register in the Commercial Register. All licensees must implement a website domain name under .es and redirect all other locations to this address. Taxes include:

Mutual Sports Betting – 22 percent Betting contrapartida – 25 percent

General – aimed at those developing activities which is issued for 10 years; Single - a licence for one to five years or Occasional - for occasional or sporadic uses The online market opened in 2013 with the law 13/2011 and three main segments: Poker; Sports betting and Casinos. Online Slots and exchange betting were added to the mix last year. 51 companies have general and single licences to operate in five categories:

Apuestas Deportivas de contrapartida (fixed odds betting) Apuestas Deportivas Mutuas (Pari mutual sports betting)

Cross Betting – 25 percent Horse race betting mutual – 15 percent Horse race betting contrapartida – 25 percent Other betting – 15 percent Madrid is the largest region for sports betting which saw a total amount gambled of €211.5m in 2013 and just over 39 million bets made and €170.1m dished out in prize money. The Basque Country saw a a total of €185.1m collected in betting salons and online with just under 25 million bets and €158.3 in prize money.

5 5

Spain

In Navarra in 2013 some €42.5m was collected with 6.7 million bets and €35.4 in prize money. In terms of taxes a total of €11.1m was paid. Aragon saw a total of €27m gambled and €21.1m in prize money whilst in Galicia betting began in March 2013 and the amount gambled during that year was €18.1m with €14.2 in prize money. Valencia meanwhile saw a total of €101.4m gambled in 2013 with €76.5 paid out in prizes. Castilla La Mancha has around 59 betting shops and again betting was legalised in March 2013. Total amount gambled for the first three quarters of 2014 5 6

(Jan to September) was €11.1m with €8.7m in prize money.

the initial registration of 26 sportsbook operators. All sites must be domestically licensed. Today there are 478 sports betting websites open to Spanish residents. There is no limit to the number of licences.

Murcia’s figures also for the same period in 2014 saw total amount gambled of €21.9m and 5.9 million bets and €17m in prizes.

For an online licence holder they must:

online

l

Although online gaming in Spain was first legalised in 2011 with the market opening in June 2012, online slots were added to the catalogue of games last year. In 2012 online gaming was permitted which led to

l l

Provide a statement of the company’s turnover for the last three years Corporation tax is 30 percent. A minimum share capital of €100,000 must be provided for bets and other games and €60,000 for a general licence.

Report SportS bEttiNG - part 2

COMPARISON OF ONLINE GAMING 2013 type of game

amount gambled

ggr

Poker Sports betting Casino Lottery Bingo Competitions

€2,240,720,000 €2,015,980,000 €1,278,620,000 €74,720,000 €60,510,000 €10,250,000

€67,810,000 €116,290,000 €33,600,000 €46,800,000 €7,490,000 €7,060,000

% of marKet – amount gambled 40.01% 35.90% 22.83%

% of marKet – ggr 29.61% 49.37% 14.67%

1.08% 0.18%

3.27% 3.08%

BREAKDOWN OF SPORTS BETTING ONLINE type of betting Sports betting ‘Contra partida’ Mutual sports betting Horse race betting Other betting

amount gambled 2012

amount gambled prizeS 2013 2012

prizeS 2013

€1,000,810,353 €129 €8,864,651 €110

€1,988,686,716 €461,580 €21,194,795 €7,725

€1,877,251,399 €246,160 €19,777,276 €4,968

€600 per day, €1,500 per week or €3,000 per month. Operators were required to pay back tax on business when the sector was unregulated whilst databases were wiped clean and a new start began with an .es domain. Spain eventually awarded 53 companies licences for online gaming. In 2012 there were said to be just over one million online players with various games permitted such as sports pool betting, fixed odds betting, horserace pool betting, raffles and competitions. General licences are divided into three categories Betting (Parimutuel sports bets, fixed odds, betting exchange, parimutuel horseracing, fixed odds horseracing, crossed horseracing bets, other fixed odds and other betting exchange bets.), other (roulette, baccarat, bingo, black jack, poker, complementary games and slots) and contests. l

l

Fees include: Provision applicant register is €2,500; Gaming Register is €2,500; General licence fee is €10,000; specific licence fee €10,000, Technical assessment fee €38,000. Gaming tax is 22 percent of gross profit for parimutuel ports betting, 22 percent of net for fixed odds, crossed sports bets, fixed odds horse racing and other fixed odds bets; 15 percent of gross profit for parimutue horseracing. Raffles and contests pay 20 percent of gross profit.

There are strict regulations in place to help prevent gambling addiction. The DGOJ stipulates that there are player limits which must be no higher than

According to data for 2013 there were 44 companies with operating online licences and only three had developed APPs for mobiles and tables which were Reel Spain (Pokerstars), Betfair International and Spread your Wings Spain (Miapuesta). It was anticipated that during 2014 the rest would follow. By 2014 there were 51 operators To bet legally in Spain players must open an account with an internet bookmaker that uses an .es domain name and is licensed by the Juego Seguro. Legal sites also have a sports betting licence reference. Last year some €5.6bn was gambled online in Spain across three sectors – poker, betting and

€948,044,360 €104 €8,182,360 €130

To bet legally in Spain players must open an account with an internet bookmaker that uses an .es domain name and is licensed by the Juego Seguro. Legal sites also have a sports betting licence reference. Last year some €5.6bn was gambled online in Spain across three sectors. casino games. This was divided up between: Poker €2.2bn (40 percent); Betting €2bn (35.9 percent); Casinos €1.2bn (22.8 percent); Lotteries €74m; Bingo €60m (one percent) and Competitions €10m (0.1 percent). The general profile of players is 24-35 age group and university students as the highest percentage followed by 18-24 year olds. They play weekly or sporadically. Around 140,000 games are played daily with an average bet of €6.30 according to a study. In December 2014 there were 346,277 active players. In the month of December last year €286.6m was gambled on sports betting ‘contrapartida’, €3.6m on horse racing ‘contrapartida’, €11.4m on Mutual sports betting. The GGR for the same groups was €12.1m, €292.3m and €4.8m respectively. 5 7

engaging the public

hile many brands have started reaping the benefits of social media marketing, sports betting companies are still missing vital opportunities to build brand awareness, loyalty and, crucially, drive ROI via social channels. Why? Because they do not fully understand the channel that they are operating in.

w

This 21st century channel needs to be seen as a twoway conversation by brands. However, there is far too much evidence in the analysis that shows brands treating social media like its more primitive 20th century relatives; solely imposing its products and offers on the consumer.

maKe it a two-way converSation Step number 1 is to listen. Listen to what and how consumers are talking about: l l l l

Your own brand Your competitors Upcoming events Past events (it is possible to analyse historical data as far back as 2008)

in fact any topic is possible. As an example, let’s look at Coral. We analysed their Twitter activity during 2014 and gathered some interesting and invaluable insights: Over the past year, the posts on Coral’s Twitter account 5 8

achieved 5.8 billion impressions - that’s the number of potential views on their posts. When compared to the previous year, this constitutes an increase of 150 per cent in views. Conversations largely focus on football clubs, odds offered and free bets (figure 1). But this only means something when put ito context. Let’s start by benchmarking against a couple of competitors. Looking at Ladbrokes’ Twitter account over the same period reveals that they have gathered 2.8 billion impressions, representing a 262% increase when compared to the previous period. While lower volume than Coral, they have been growing aggressively.

for sports betting organisations. Let’s look at a key and iconic British sporting event: Royal Ascot. This year, Royal Ascot’s activity on social registered over 300,000 posts on Twitter and Instagram alone, generating 3.6 billion potential impressions. That’s a lot of potential eyeballs over 5 days! The social activity focused on multiple topics: horses, betting, hats, dresses, suits, parties, the weather and most of all enjoying a great day out with friends, family and colleagues. This analysis demonstrates that sports betting companies have a wider opportunity than simply talking about odds and bets. A sports event is much more than what happens in between the 4 lines of a football pitch or in the racing track. A sporting event is an experience and an emotional experience too (figure 2).

Another example is Paddy Power, who have often been complimented for their social tactics and campaigns. With some controversial campaigns and a high volume of conversations about the brand, it would seem valid to argue that they are doing well on social media. However, success is only measurable when it translates into business won. Social is just another channel that marketers can leverage to reach their target audience and the winners will be those who can convert the social conversation and activity into profit.

Sports betting companies can and should be leveraging the topics surrounding key sporting events to better engage with consumers, much like many brands have started doing, to drive better ROI on their sponsorship engagements around sports events. We have recently analysed how Heineken is getting closer to consumers by appealing to Champions League fans.

The next layer of context is analysing the conversation surrounding the key sports events that drive business

When it comes to engaging on social media there are at least two golden rules that brands must always observe:

Insight Social ENGaGEmENt

Fig 2.

Fig 1. @Coral - topics from 1/1/14 - 7/9/15

The graph, left, shows the other interests of people who are talking about Royal Ascot on social media. The further left the interest “bubble” is, the higher the affinity people talking about Royal Ascot have to it compared to the rest of Twitter. By painting a more holistic picture of the customer, the messaging has a greater chance of resonating. *the interests of people who are discussing royal ascot online

l l

be relevant to the consumer’s conversation enhance the consumer’s experience

This point is important. The average social media user gets exposed to an infinite amount of content every minute. If a brand is to engage successfully, it needs to be on “social” terms and observe these two parameters. Ignore this at your own peril: intrusive brands or brands that do not add value will feel the heat and will have to action remedy plans. The conversation on social media starts way before the actual event, with people making plans and sharing their expectations. Brands need to be monitoring these events well in advance too; otherwise more opportunities to connect with potential customers, like these above, will be missed.

With social media listening tools it is easy for brands to tap into these conversations and decide which ones they want to engage in. Having “listened’ to the conversations, the list of possible strategies for the brand is endless. Let’s take first time goers for example. As a business with an interest in the event, it seems logical that you should be as proactive in making that first experience the best possible? The individual will be happy and therefore likely to share with their followers. Another way to help target the right audience with the right angle is to engage with the audience to share what really matters to them. In order to do this successfully, brands must learn more about their audience’s psychographic profile, i.e. their interests on social media, what they post and what they read about.

The point is that social is just that...social! Sports betting companies and brands must remember to listen to consumers and then to reply with relevant, interesting content. This is what you would do if you wanted to engage someone in an everyday conversation and the conversations on social media are no different. After all, who wants to be part of a one-way conversation?

Liliana osorio is the eMea Marketing Manager at Crimson hexagon. She enjoys travelling and is taking up surfing, weather permitting! Liliana Osorio eMea Marketing Manager, Crimson hexagon 5 9

united Kingdom proportion of the UK gambling industry and has a 52 per cent share and brings in a GGY of around £3bn. Today bets can be made at bookmakers (off-course) or on the tracks (oncourse) or remotely.

t

The main types of betting in the UK include: l

General Betting – betting shops (off course)

l

On tracks (on course)

l

Remote betting (including online gambling).

l

Pool Betting – racecourse pool betting, on football and other sports and fantasy football competitions. Pool betting can be conducted remotely on non-remotely. Non remote is via the Tote which accepts pool bets on tracks and in the betting shops.

The betting sector is governed by the Gambling Act 2005 and in terms of GGR the betting market has a huge 47 percent market share compared to remote gambling (17 percent), casinos (16 percent), bingo (10 percent), arcades (six percent) and lotteries (four percent) which is excluding the national lottery. There are a total of 9,108 betting shops in the UK operated by 319 operators. The main four operators have an 84 percent market share and are William Hill with 2,394 shops, Ladbrokes with 2,266 shops, Gala Coral with 1,836 shops and Betfred/Tote with 1,381 shops. The remaining operators have 1,231 shops between them. Since the Gambling Act of 2005 came into force in 2007 betting shops and tracks can operate up to four machines from the B2, B3, B4, C or D categories. The majority of betting shops operate B2 or B3 machines. These are referred to as FOBT - fixed odds betting terminals – which are touch screen electronic gaming machines found in betting shops across the UK. They house a variety of games from roulette, poker to blackjack, slots and virtual racing. The maximum stake at the moment is £100. The UK slot operators are trying to reduce this to £2 to bring them in line with all other category B machines. FOBTs were introduced into the UK market in 2002 and at the time were not regulated and many say they ‘sneaked’ into the betting shops without clear operating parameters. Self Regulation was introduced in a bid to stop them being removed. They are unique products to the UK market. Technically they are B2 gaming machines but contain two categories of game content so casino 6 0

Report SportS bEttiNG - part 2

UK SPORTS BETTING

COMPARISON OF MARKETS IN TERMS OF GGR SECTOR Non remote sector TOTAL Arcades Betting Bingo Casinos Remote betting, bingo, casino TOTAL Lotteries (society) total ggr

GGR 2012-2013 £5.2bn £357.27m £3.2bn £699.2m £960.8m £932.6m £284m £6.4bn

GGR 2013-2014 £5.3bn £387.07m £3.2bn £677.6m £1.1bn £1.13bn £306.7m £6.8bn

ggr 2012-13

ggr2013-14

£237.5m £293m £697.5m £186.8m £90.9

£234.9m £242.3m £677.5m £208.9m £117.1m

£2.74m £18.5m £2.9m

£1.68m £20.4m £2.6m

£11.6m £35.1m £84.5m 0

£11.7m £31.4m £100m £0.36m

ggr 2012-2013 £751.7m £9.2m £8m £8.9m £377.2m £1.1m £111.9m £121.6m £249.4 £32.5m £2.4m £42.4m £103.4m

ggr 2013-2014 £980.4m £6.3m £9.9m £8.6m £489m £2.9m £114.9m £166.1m £306.7m £31.1m £4.3m £30.3m £93.2m

GGR FOR BETTING SECTORS Sector Off course Dogs Football Horses Numbers Other On course Dogs Horses Other Pool Betting Dogs Football Horses Other

ONLINE Sector Betting Cricket Dogs Financials Football Golf Horses Tennis Other Betting Exchange Bingo Casino Pool Betting

games are B2 and slots B3. Both types are capped at £500 maximum prize per spin but you can bet up to £100 per spin every 20 seconds on B2 and up to £2 per spin on slots (B3). Between 2002 and 2012 the number of FOBTs in the market has risen to over 34,000 helping to boost bookmaker profits to over £1.4bn. Over 51 percent of the profit from all bookmakers is now derived

from the Fixed Odds Betting Terminals. There are a total of 165,448 slots in the UK market. The B2 with 34,616 are third behind D amusement/machines (60,223) and C machines 51,312. However revenue for the B2 category supersedes all the other categories and in 20132014 saw a GGR of £1.5bn of the total €2.5bn for all categories together.

no. oF Betting ShopS: 9,108 MarKet Share (ggr): 47% non reMote operatorS: 319 ggr: £3.2bn no oF FoBtS: 34,616 ggr For FoBtS: £1.57bn horSe traCKS: 60 onLine MarKet: gambling act 2005 reMote Betting ggr: £980.4m reMote LiCenCeS: 277 LiCenSing: gambling commiSSion

The majority of betting shops operate B2 or B3 machines. These are referred to as FOBT fixed odds betting terminals – which are touch screen electronic gaming machines found in betting shops across the UK. online Remote gambling defined by the Gambling Act 2005 includes internet, telephone, television, radio and any other electronic betting device. It is made up of high street bookmakers offering online gambling to large remote only operators and smaller betting operators. They offer Fantasy football, remote pool betting, bingo and casino online games. At the end of 2014 there were 277 remote gambling licences held by 200 operators and of these 100 are for gambling software licences, 43 general betting (real events), 11 general betting (virtual events), 46 pool betting, 24 general telephone betting, 27 for casinos, eight for betting intermediary (trading room), nine for betting intermediary and nine for bingo. The turnover for the remote betting sector amounted to £25.6bn with a GGR of £980.4m last year. 6 1

Market to market the Spanish Sports-Betting Market KS365 Group was one of the companies to receive Spanish online licences for betting and casino gaming in June. This was a new milestone on our path of steady and organic expansion across Europe, which has also seen us acquire licences in Serbia, Belgium, Italy and Montenegro over the last few years.

S

Wherever SKS365 Group and our brand planetwin365 go we rely on the strength of our core product, our very compelling Europefocused sportsbook. So far we have seen that we can spark the interest amongst fans and punters

as well as retail partners and affiliates from North to South alike. The case of Spain looks particularly promising to us: Firstly it’s clearly a growing online betting and gaming market plus a football enthusiastic county, but more importantly we see a great match with the betting offer that we have been building and continue to develop. We see a population with a huge football following, appetite for sports betting and room for us to bring innovation to the existing landscape. planetwin365 is a sportsbook that already caters

the austrian Sports-Betting Market DMIRAL Sportwetten CEO Jürgen Irsigler emphasises the surrounding market conditions as the crucial determining factors for a fully transparent and fair sports betting offering. He said: “Operators rely mainly on the three primary preconditions that are vital for successful, transparent and responsible business operations: Firstly a thorough regulatory framework that provides the prerequisites for economical business operations via the gaming law, official licencing, tax regulations and other regulating factors.

a

Secondly, player protection and responsible

gaming measures. Apart from the obligatory player protection mechanisms ADMIRAL also employs a set of voluntary measures designed to protect players from the potential negative consequences of excessive gaming; so that gaming remains an entertaining social experience. And, thirdly, the integrity of the sports themselves. This represents something that is of crucial importance for a fair sports betting offering and a strong argument for a market with licenced private providers. A sport that is prone to manipulation results in a direct increase of illegal

betting, wagering and fraud. In well regulated markets we can statistically observe that 90 per cent of the betting activities are legal; the more biased the market conditions, the higher the share of illegal activities. In Germany for example, as opposed to Austria, the regulatory and procedural framework has not been concluded since 2012 and thus solely exists in a professionally inept and defeasible set of rules. To this day the German sports betting market has no sound basis for a fair and transparent licence granting practice.

rom product to channel offering, and from technology to regulation, the UK leads the way when it comes to sports betting. The UK market has evolved to be one of the most sophisticated and complex in the world, both from a player and technology perspective.

f

Jeremy Thompson-Hill Ceo openBet

6 2

As with any established market, there are challenges and the recent introduction of POC has certainly raised the bar in terms of delivering ROI for both operators and suppliers. However, this has, and will continue to, bring about renewed focus and innovation within the UK Sports betting market. As the market continues to evolve and the full impact of POC and new regulations is felt the market will continue to be fiercely competitive and further consolidation is likely.

Opinion SportS bEttiNG - part 2

Thomas Smallwood (40) has been leading the international expansion of the planetwin365 brand as CEO of Austrian bookmaker SKS365 Group since August 2013. The UK-native and bilingual English/Italian speaker began his career in the gaming industry at William Hill in 2004. He continued with international positions at Goldbet Sportwetten, then a short stint in Malta as a consultant for Casinos Austria, before founding eGaming Consulting and subsequently joining SKS365 Group in Vienna.

well to the Central and Southern European region and we will be flexible to evolve that offer even more if and when we see customer specific needs in Spain. Our marketing investments in Spain will be kept to a minimum. We will focus on ROI and organic growth rather than market share, although of course we have our targets. It will be a big challenge to vie with the other large operators but we are encouraged by our successful experiences, relying on the persuasive power of our product and the active interest of the sports betting community to explore new operators. We are really looking forward to making an impact in Spain as we have done in other markets.

Thomas Smallwood Ceo SKS365

Smallwood, who once played international cricket for Serbia and describes himself as “obsessed with all sport”, aims to establish the planetwin365 brand internationally among the leading European gaming operators in both online and land-based sectors.

The sports betting market relies on private providers and a fair competition among a number of independent market participants. Besides the fact that monopolies have in many places proven to be susceptible to stagnancy and even undue influence, state operators often lack a modern and attractive betting offering. A fair competition increases the diversity of the offering. Additionally we can observe that private providers tend to take aspects like player protection measures and the transparency of their bookmaking more seriously. The Austrian sports betting market already has 30 years of tradition as a duly regulated, licenced and legal market with a high level of sophistication and ADMIRAL is proud to have been part of it for the past 24 years.”

Jürgen Irsigler, Ceo aDMiraL Sportwetten gmbh

the British Sports-Betting Market Consolidation is natural evolution in a mature market in any industry. Maturity also brings a high level of competition. However, with this comes a better level of service, more choice, and a constantly improving customer experience. Winning and importantly retaining customers will be the key battleground, with the key challenge being how to deliver the experience that the player expects and, indeed, demands. Convenience will be one of the chief facilitators of engagement and ensuring player loyalty is set to become even more vital. Everything will be to the

benefit of the end user who will enjoy a tailored, targeted experience. At OpenBet we are focused on delivering technology that enables this to ensure operators are able to be competitive in an effective and efficient way, by engaging the player with a best in class player experience. In our focus on players we are committed to our omni-channel strategy. It has become something of a buzz word but this aside going forwards omni-channel platform is simply a must in a

world where a recent study showed that the average person spends more time on their smartphone and laptop than they do sleeping you need to be where the players is when they want your product. Convenience is key to delivering the player experience, getting to know players and building brand loyalty. Players will drive the future face of the UK sports betting market from the technology advancements to promotional strategies. It will be essential to develop a better understanding of player behaviour and preferences; I think it is fair to say you will ignore the player at your peril. OpenBet are very excited about the future of the UK sports betting market it is a significant part of our business and one of the most innovative and exciting markets for sports betting in the world.

6 3

Products

01

laNd-baSEd & iNtEractivE

the iDrop from apex gaming is the revolutionary cash-handling product for live gaming tables. Croupiers can exchange tickets and / or cash for jetons directly at the table. players no longer need to go to the cash desk to do this. Similarly, the player can cash out jetons for a ticket that can then be used for further play at another table or any of the slot machines. operators have full control of the drop with real-time information of the contents of each iDrop. the touchscreen menu makes the iDrop simple to use for the croupiers. For example, should the player wish to exchange not the complete amount of the ticket into jetons, then the remaining amount can be returned in ticket form alongside the desired jetons. the iDrop is gLi-20 approved.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE RED WHITE AND BLUE Social /Online Gaming IGT

IGt’sdoubledown casino social gaming website continues its social gaming revolution with the launch of the Wheel of fortune red, White and blue game for desktop and mobile devices. In this fifth Wheel of fortune theme to launch on the doubledown casino app, players experience a 3-reel, 5-pay line configuration reminiscent of the classic “stepper” style slot machines. With every spin, the Wheel of fortune red, White and blue game can hit the Wheel bonus, which lets players spin the Wheel to win up to 2000x the value of their virtual wagers. “a longtime hit on casino floors, Wheel of fortune red, White and blue represents the ideal mix of an Independence day-themed design and the classic three-reel slot play that doubledown casino players love,” said Jim Veevaert, doubledown Interactive Vice president of Games. “We’re having a blast continuing the legacy of Wheel of fortune by delivering america’s favourite slot machine to players throughout the world on desktop and mobile devices.”

IDROP Cash Handling APEX gaming

02

WILD MAGIC Omni-channel games Gala Coral

Bookmaker Coral announces the launch of Wild Magic on mobile and desktop as the first of many in-house omni channel games on the way.

Wide Area Progressives VGT (Aristocrat)

Developed by their in-house studio in Manchester, Coral is the first bookmaker to design and build their own omni channel games across all retail, social, mobile and desktop interactive channels under their Cr games brand. Coral has a strong pipeline of new titles and aims to launch 10 more omni channel games by the end of the year. Cr games will also all be available to play exclusively on desktop and mobile across gala Coral’s other brands, galabingo.com and galacasino.com.

class II players everywhere have a new reason to cheer because VGt is introducing the easy money Jackpottm Wide area progressive! the easy money Jackpot Wide area progressive takes players’ favorite VGt titles and adds the excitement of a life-changing jackpot, with a start up value of $250,000.

Following the success of Wild Magic in Coral’s 1,850 betting shops in the uK and within their Magician Casino social gaming app, Wild Magic this week becomes fully omni channel as it is launched on desktop browsers, mobile and tablet. Wild Magic is a five reel slot game with 10 win lines with additional bonus triggers including a ‘red hat Wild Bonus’. innovation and excitement is delivered in the free

more Wheel of fortune titles are currently in development for the doubledown casino app, as part of IGt’s agreement with sony pictures consumer products through 2024.

EASY MONEY JACKPOT

the easy money Jackpot is a 3-reel mechanical wide area progressive and the suite of titles provides the same player experience as VGt’s player-favorite, top-performing games. easy money Jackpot is available on 777 bourbon street, crazy cherry, hot red ruby, king of coin, lucky ducky, mr. money bags, reel fever and smooth as silk. In addition to the excitement of the wide area progressive, red screen free spins offer players an even higher level excitement. easy money Jackpot is available now for all class II markets. the top award is progressive, starting at $250,000.easy money Jackpot Wide area progressive – it’s the VGt games your players love, now with a life-changing reason to play even more. 6 4

Casino operators naturally wish to offer the best service possible to their customers. one way to offer added benefits is to implement the iDrop directly at the casino entrance. in this way, customers can directly exchange their cash for a ticket. this is a further step to making the gaming venue fully electronic. this simplifies the drop process for operators as the cash then is placed more in the iDrop at the casino entrance and not in the individual iDrops at the live tables or in the cash boxes of the individual slots.

03

spins round with a holdover wild symbol trail feature delivering big wins. Mark Kemp, gaming Director at gala Coral comments: “Wild Magic is the first of many exclusive omni-channel gaming titles, all developed in htML5 for simultaneous desktop and mobile launch from our Cr games studio in Manchester. all of our Cr games titles are now being developed as omni channel to be available to our customers across machines, interactive and social channels. he continues: “having a strong in-house games development team – that starts with excellent game design and development experience in the competitive uK machines market – provides a real advantage to deliver the best quality and innovative omni channel content for all of our customers. With our award-winning Coral Connect single omni channel wallet and bonusing, our customer gaming experience is becoming easier and more exciting wherever they choose to play with us.”

BIG TIME JOURNEY Online Slots Foxium/Odobo

Big time Journey is a 5x3 slot game with 25 paylines and cartoon-style 3D graphics. it features five different time periods for players to experience, starting out in 1930s London. the theme features a young boy named artur, who starts out in an old house situated in the middle of bustling London. Little artur stumbles upon a time Machine built by his father before it was forgotten and lay buried deep in the attic. the machine’s reappearance sets him on a path of discovery through the ages and the lure of amassing a fortune along the way. artur will collect valuable artefacts on his adventures too, giving him collectables that span the ice age, prehistoric era, Medieval age and the Victorian era.

the game is loaded with casual features. these include power gems collected in each historical period, 23 achievements, a hidden World War i scene to uncover and the challenge of collecting artefacts in each new era. these sticky features are matched by the substantial bonuses and free spins that launch as the player progresses through each new period.

01

Products

WONDER WHEELS - BATMAN CLASSIC TV SERIES

laNd-baSEd & iNtEractivE

Slot Games Aristocrat Technologies

aristocrat technologies’ hugely popular Wonder Wheels concept has been officially released for deployment in europe with the first title in the series, Batman Classic tV Series Slot game, scheduled to make a Bap! a pow! and a Zap! on european gaming floors following the first installations across July and august. at almost 3.2m (10’ 6”) high, the game towers above others on the casino floor, whilst the action comes to life in aristocrat’s helix cabinet, paired with a large portrait-style top-box screen and unique, mechanical triple wheel package for bonuses, all punctuated with aristocrat’s (optional) sensory-busting surround sound iChair. each player gets their own wheel, plus a bonusing wheel for the game-bank, allowing players on the bank to continue uninterrupted when another player hits a trigger and engages wheel-mode. powered by Wonder Wheels, Batman Classic tV Series Slot game puts a triple spin on fun on gaming floors, engaging players in all the kitsch, fun and tongue-in-cheek action of the landmark 1960s tV series featuring adam West, complete with original video clips, sounds and exciting game play featuring Batman and robin, the riddler, the Joker and Catwoman. With a static grand jackpot of €10,000 linked across paired pods, game play is enhanced by stacked wilds, six 02

BEACH LIFE themed bonus features and a highly anticipatory wheel feature trigger. erik-Jan van den Berg, aristocrat’s newly appointed Director of Sales for eMea, commented, “even before its release, Batman Classic tV Series powered by Wonder Wheels topped industry surveys, being named among the most anticipated game releases by slot managers. those expectations have certainly been realised in north and Latin america, where the game has been delivering supreme levels of performance. “We are extremely excited at the prospect of rolling out what will be the first in a long line of next-generation gaming operations star performers and the original Batman theming is a great way to kick off the campaign!”

WEEKEND IN VEGAS Online Slots Betsoft Gaming

Betsoft gaming, the originatorof true 3D cinematic gaming, has announced the anticipated release of Weekend in Vegas, coming to the market in both Desktop and togo mobile formats. Weekend in Vegas joins the long list of exceptional Slots3 games that have taken igaming by storm. Weekend in Vegas features three memorable characters heading out for a trip to the Capital of Second Chances for their own chances at winning big. these hapless young men feature strongly on the reels and in the Bonus round, where each of them has their very own playstyle – high risk, balanced and cautious. other bonus elements include generous Scatter pays, a Money Wheel and Wilds that offer up to a 2x multiplier on wins. 03

“Dual releases have proven to be very popular,” said Mark McKeown, Betsoft’s Vice president of Sales and Marketing. “With this release structure, we cast a wider net to reach an audience of unprecedented size and variety, staying true to our core value of bringing the very best igaming entertainment to the market. WeeKenD in VegaS is notable for its three main characters and the innovative manner with which they each play the game. We are very excited about this game and expect it to do well in both the desktop and togo sectors.”

VIRTUAL SPORTS Mobile Gaming Inspired

uK bookmaker, Ladbrokes, launched inspired’s Virtual Sports across its 2,500 uK retail outlets in 2005, and then online in 2007. By launching inspired’s Virtuals on mobile, Ladbrokes is now offering inspired’s Virtual Sports across all channels, embracing the industry shift and player demand to access content across all platforms. Ladbrokes Virtuals revenues have doubled since launching inspired’s Virtual horses and Virtual greyhounds on mobile at the beginning of May this year. andy Bagguley, Digital MD, Ladbrokes: "i am pleased with the great customer response, it was important to add the inspired Virtual

content to our leading mobile platform, in preparation for our single digital desktop, tablet and mobile experience in July." Steve rogers, SVp Virtual Sports, inspired: “By launching our Virtual Sports on mobile, Ladbrokes players can now access their favourite games 24/7 on whatever medium suits them and be guaranteed a consistent high quality, premium experience on each channel. We are proud to be leading the gaming sector by creating unique multi-platform Virtual Sports entertainment experiences.”

Online slots Playtech

a uk player has surfed his way to a massive £3.7m online progressive jackpot win on playtech’s beach life slot game – the second largest of its kind in the company’s 16-year history. the five-reel slot game is one of playtech’s most popular in-house titles and holds the record for the company’s largest ever Jackpot win of £4.4m in february 2012. the jackpot winner, username ‘hilton’, was playing 50p per line, or £10 per spin, on bgo.com and unlocked five sunshine symbols (winning spin above) to reveal the colossal sum. bgo.com went live with playtech’s exclusive casino tab earlier this year and could see more winners with three progressive jackpots of more than £1m expected to drop any day. this includes spamalot (£1.8m); Jackpot Giant (£1.6m); and funky fruits (£1.1m). the prize is a gigantic 379,904 times the player’s stake and 142 times the average uk salary. “I'm still in shock. things like this usually happen to other people. I don't have big plans to spend all the money but my mum and my dad will be getting their bungalow. my nieces and nephews will be getting a good start in life. I'm still shocked,” said the player.

RED DRAGON Online slot 1x2gaming

red dragon is a new 25 lined oriental themed slot which takes players to the heart of ancient china, where a fearsome dragon awaits to be awoken. this oriental themed slot features the possibility of fire breathing free spins and a bonus round where the more of the dragon you reveal, the more money there is to be won. become an ancient chinese warrior when the wild symbol substitutes for any symbol except scatter and will act so as to pay the highest possible prize. With the mix of martial arts, sushi, lanterns and traditional chinese temples, this game has everything a player could want in a far eastern themed slot. chief marketing officer, kevin reid, said, ‘red dragon is yet another slot to be released in 2015 by 1X2gaming, following on from the successful launches of dark thirst & Gladiator of rome. We have been growing our slots portfolio over the past 18 months, and are constantly striving to provide slots for our players, that are not only enjoyable, but also of a high quality.” 6 5

Information

ADVANTECH-INNOCORE – pg 37

SubScribE

www.advantech-innocore.com AGEM – pg 31 www.agem.org APEX GAMING – pg 05 www.apex-gaming.com AMD – pg 23

www.G3Newswire.com

www.G3-247.com

Social Networking

The international gaming industry’s daily portal for news

The G3-247.com website is a gaming media vault

Connect with G3 across every type of social networking tool

www.amd.com/casinogaming

a dynamic daily news website and recently launched app simplifies the reading of news by headline, region and industry; thumbnails of every story encapsulate the content of the article for a focused user-friendly experience. the result is the fastest delivery mechanism for both 'relevant' gaming news items.

the newly launched g3-237.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 directly from the website. Subscribers can purchase reports, buy printed copies and commission bespoke reports from the team behind g3. access any report from 2003 to the present, review all the back issues of the magazine and read the latest 'yet to be published' g3 magazine reports.

readers can follow g3 on twitter @g3imagazine, find us on facebook at gaming publishing g3, connect with us at google+ and join the g3 network on Linkedin. in addition, every story created on the g3newswire is shared daily across every social networking platform, connecting to users across the world. Links are also distributed for the latest gaming reports launched by g3 with www.g3-247.com blogs and pushed to the 8,000+ database of industry connections via email.

www.austrian-gaming.com

AUSTRIAN GAMING INDUSTRIES – pg 09

CAMMEGH – pg IFC www.cammegh.com CPI – pg 6 www.cranepi.com CLARION GAMING - EIG – pg 33 www.slotsummit.com COMTRADE GAMING – pg 29 wwwcomtradegamingt.com

G3i App - iOS & Android

ELO TOUCH SOLUTIONS – pg 53

The international gaming industry’s daily portal for news

www.elotouch.com

gaming publishing launched its g3i app in august 2011. the first to launch a magazine app, the response has been overwhelming, as the app now provides readers with instant access to their favourite gaming magazine wherever and whenever they want. We have now added android to this functionality, allowing readers to download magazines for free from the apple app Store and their android Marketplaces. Download back-issues or the latest magazines today.

www.gaminglabs.com

GAMING LABORATORIES INT. – pg 15

G2E LAS VEGAS – pg 31 www.globalgamingexpo.com INTRALOT – pg OBC www.intralot.com JCM GLOBAL – pg 04 www.jcmglobal.com KOBETRON – pg 35 www.kobetron.com MERKUR GAMING – pg 13

subscribe at www.g3-247.com to print and digital editions

www.merkur-gaming.com PATIR CASINO SEATING – pg 17

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.

www.patir.de SYNOT – pg 11 www.synotloterie.eu

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

SUZO HAPP – pg 07

Disclaimer: All contents© Gaming Publishing Limited 2015. 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

www.eu.suzohapp.com

Gaming Publishing Samson house, 457 Manchester road, Manchester M29 7Br, uK Websites: g3newswire.com g3-247.com Company registration number: 7342069 Vat no: 995 9138 52

commercial director John Slattery [email protected] +44 (0)7917 166471

advertising Executive James Slattery [email protected] +44 (0)7917 166471

advertising Executive Alison Dronfield [email protected] +44 (0)1204 410771

Subscriptions manager Jennifer Pek [email protected] +44 (0)161 724 8716

Editor Lewis Pek [email protected] +44 (0) 1942 879 291

associate Editor (Spain-malaga) Karen Southall karensouthall@gmail. com

News Editor Phil Martin [email protected] +44 (0)7801697714

SAV AVE THE E DAT ATE G2 2E 20 015

SEPTEMB BER 29-OCTOBER 1, 20115 • SANDS EXPO & CONVENTION CENTER • LA AS VEGAS, NV SEPTEMBEER 28: G2E INTENSIVE SEMINA AR PROGRAMS—iGAMING CONGRESS; ONGRESS; COMPLIANCE, LAAW W & REGULAATION TION INSTIITUTE PRODUCED WITH IMGL; TRIBAL GAMING EDUCA ATION; TION N; GLOBAL GAMING WOMEN AND A MORE!

NE ETWORKING, ED DUCATION AND D BUSINES S INS SIGHT. GET THEE INSIGHT YOU NEED TO WIN W IN THE MARKET. New interactive and technologically cally dynamic seminars. More industr y experts covering seminars v the most critical issues. ues An even bigger show floor filled with ues. ever ything gaming ing and non-gaming. GLOB BALGAMINGEXPO.COM

PRESENTED BY