YourGuide News - Amusement & Gaming

Multi-channel showcase of Aristocrat’s ‘greatest gaming experience’ at ICE 2012

YourGuide Ltd. — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:54:06 +0000

Aristocrat delivered a total gaming experience at ICE 2012 with a broad portfolio for casino, street, lottery, online and mobile operators. The global gaming solutions developer is reporting unprecedented levels of interest and solid sales orders for its latest software and hardware products for each and every sector.

Stand 3415 at Europe’s premier gaming trade show was the launch pad for a number of European and global firsts from Aristocrat as the Company displayed numerous new games, game categories and cabinet options and extensions for traditional gaming floors.

Also evident was the anticipation of further growth in server-based and downloadable fields, lottery and street markets and a wide range of online platforms, where the demand for Aristocrat’s extensive library of unique content continues to build.

Class III

In Class III gaming, a number of new categories were introduced to a European audience, including Reel Tube™ games, Mad Professor™ and Pharaoh’s Prize™ and 6-reel standalone games Wicked Winnings™ III and Samurai’s Honor™.

Christian Colus, Head of Sales for Southern Europe, said casino operators clearly saw the appeal of these games.

“Reel Tube’s unique feature twist and building anticipation of hits was a hit, while the added sixth reel on our two new Xtra Reel Power™ games now offers 4,096 ways to win, compared with the 1,024 permutations of their predecessors,” he said.

“Our order books from ICE have reached new heights, which shows just how well Aristocrat’s widescreen games are being received by the market.”

Further stand-out games were Wonder 4™, Aristocrat’s first multi play offering for Europe, The Phantom™, Queen of the Nile™ Legends and upcoming Feature Top Box games JAWS™: Bounty Hunter and The Mummy™.

The sheer breadth of exciting and varied new forms of gaming entertainment turned presentations into a whistle-stop tour at this year’s London show, explained Damien Greig, Senior Regional Sales Manager.

“There was barely enough time for customers to take in the entirety of the range, from the new games in the Mega Pay™ and Win Your Way™ series, through classic revivals and standalone progressives to the latest innovations,” Mr Greig said.

“The ultimate star attraction was Aristocrat’s range of VIRIDIAN Hybrid™ steppers, particularly the licensed Zorro™ games, with their unique shutter technology that allows for video overlays to mask the reels.

“These games proved universally popular, and Aristocrat is now prioritising their introduction into Europe following their launch in the USA,” he said.

Pedro De Matos, General Manager, Aristocrat Technologies Africa, said South African customers had shown great interest in Wonder 4 and The Phantom.

“South African operators visiting London were very excited to see the new and exciting titles being released, such as the classics on our widescreen cabinet. They’re also pleased that Aristocrat is re-entering the stepper market,” he said.

New hardware and advanced technology developments featured strongly on the stand with debut public displays in Europe of the Vii™ Slant widescreen cabinet, linked progressive jackpot games and the new Xtreme Mystery™ Jackpot system, incorporating LCD toppers on each connected standalone game.

Downloadable

Following a first outing at G2E Las Vegas, Aristocrat brought its Class III downloadable solution ‘Aristocrat On Demand’ to the London Show.

Gary Fairchild, Networked Gaming Product Manager said European operators have been highly enthusiastic about this development.

“Suitable for both VIRIDIAN WS™ and Vii Slant cabinets, Aristocrat On Demand offers a start-up library of more than 30 game titles, can be installed with any casino management system, is GSA G2S/S2S-based for interoperability and features multidenom support,” Mr Fairchild said.

Street markets

Aristocrat continues to support its growing street market base, using the show to preview its forthcoming release for the Spanish Type B Salon market, Where’s the Gold™.

Jaime Riera, Aristocrat’s Official Spanish Agent, said many of the Company’s customers were in London to see the new games.

“Our customers told us they were very pleased to see the important street market is being supported with new games,” he said.

“ICE gives us a great chance to share developments ahead of their formal launch at the FER-Interazar show at the end of March in Madrid, where Aristocrat will have some even bigger announcements to show off.”

Lotteries, Server-Based Gaming & Online

Aristocrat believes an integral facet of the stand at ICE was the prominent presence of gaming sectors led by the company’s Emerging Business & Strategy team.

Aristocrat Lotteries presented for the first time a VIRIDIAN WS™ (widescreen) layout of its Video Lottery Terminal solution already in operation with Cogetech in Italy. Also on display on Indago™ interactive Video Terminals were the Belago™ system, now ready for launch into Norway’s bingo hall network and the existing Multix™ route market system, both in association with state-owned operator Norsk Tipping.

Common to both these products is TruServ™, Aristocrat’s true server-based gaming system, which was also powering Class III gaming terminals on the stand, along with demonstrations of application on mobile platforms including Apple iPhone and iPad, Android™ devices, virtual scratch cards and interactive television.

Aristocrat Online experienced a busy week in London. On-stand demonstrations included premium content on websites and IOS devices, as well as nLive™, a fully branded virtual casino designed to facilitate a phased approach from play-for-fun to real money in jurisdictions where it is permitted, also incorporating nLiveLink™ to integrate with player data on the Oasis 360™ casino management system.

Whilst strengthening its ties with distribution partner GameAccount Network through joint on-stand presence, Aristocrat also announced the expansion of its global online reach with new content porting and distribution agreements signed with OpenBet and Chartwell.

Sam Nickless, Managing Director, Emerging Business & Strategy said Aristocrat clearly demonstrated its status as a creator of the world’s greatest gaming experience, at ICE.

“It is apparent that the cultivation of our core content, to bring it to as many places in the world as we can, is an important part of our strategy,” Mr Nickless said.

“Aristocrat is looking to reach as many different players in regulated markets as we possibly can.

“Whether that is through mobile devices, online, VLTs, street or casino gaming equipment, our key aim is to get our amazing games into players’ hands.”

APEX gaming takes gaming yet again to the next level

YourGuide Ltd. — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:03:50 +0000

APEX gaming continues to set new accents in international gaming – true to the company’s philosophy of taking gaming to ‘the next level’. At the traditional stand at the ICE, APEX gaming demonstrated yet again the strength in depth of the products and solutions available. APEX gaming has grown to become a major player in the industry over the past years with a strong operations division to match. Thus, APEX gaming is perfectly placed to receive market information at first hand, ensuring a short innovation cycle, meaning that APEX is at the forefront of new entertaining gaming elements and so taking gaming to the next level.

Pinnacle – the very best in cabinet design
The Pinnacle upright and Pinnacle SL slant top cabinets continue to stand out through their elegance in design. Built in the finest way with first-rate materials (such as chrome) and incorporating the best monitors for each type of gaming machine (two 22” monitors for the Pinnacle and two 26” monitors in full HD resolution for the Pinnacle SL) – the Pinnacle gaming cabinet family is finding itself more and more in international gaming.
Technological performance plays just an important role as cabinet design at APEX gaming. Therefore, the best and most trusted components (such as money handling, monitors, touch screen, power supply) play an integral part in APEX gaming cabinets. The patented cooling system ensures that all components remain clean and cool. The machine uptime rate is excellent and naturally of fundamental importance to operators. The patented cooling system further adds to machine longevity – meaning that APEX gaming machines work longer in the field – a very important point given their popularity.

3 D games & new Multi Magic VI games package
APEX gaming introduced 3D games on 2D screens at the previous ICE and caused a real stir with this new technology. APEX gaming has now taken 3D gaming to the next level and had five great games on display in 3D: The Adventures Of Captain Nemo, Legend Of The Sphinx II, Wonderland, Ocean Tale 2 and Royal Fruits.
APEX gaming thus has put together the right gaming mix for 3D games – between adventurous and entertaining games right up to traditional fruit games.
This year’s ICE yet again saw APEX gaming introducing a package of 20 brand new games. Fun, exciting and intelligent – so concisely can these games be described. The games package Multi Magic VI blends in perfectly with the current APEX games choice. The fact that APEX gaming is an operator in many European countries means that each game can be tried and tested over good time before being introduced to the market. Fun games that will be well accepted by the players – that is what APEX is well known for.

Complete land-based gaming solutions
The cabinets and games from APEX gaming provide operators an excellent way to ensure that their players have the very best in gaming solutions. APEX gaming provides the right solution for each market sector – for example AWPs in Germany, VLTs in the Czech Republic and casino slots in Greece. Furthermore, the Pro Link casino management system enables operators to clearly monitor their slots park with precise accounting and cashless details. Pro Link has several different layers as access mode which can be set by the casino management.
The Quikker – the electronic 2-in-1 table game – once again stood out. The Quikker game is unique to the market and combines the best of poker and roulette. New gaming certifications have followed on from the ticket-in, ticket-out capabilities.
The Shuffle King is an electronic card shuffler. Having been introduced to the market last year, major casino groups have now integrated the Shuffle King as it combines reliability with economic pricing. Furthermore, it is GLI approved.

New: Mobile gaming
Just like readers like to check the websites of their local / national newspapers and broadcasting sites, players like to play what they know best. Thus, it is a natural progression for APEX gaming to offer their games to the online world. With the quick progression in tablet technology (e.g. iPads), APEX gaming believes that the future lies in mobile gaming. This marketing research has paid off in a great entertaining app that offers five exciting APEX games. Furthermore, players can easily check where the next land-based APEX gaming machines are sited. For example, for a businessman at a hotel out of town playing on the APP, this person can then see where the next land-based APEX is and can choose to go there. The app is thus a great marketing tool to inform players where they can play APEX. Operators are advised to ensure that they inform APEX gaming of their APEX machine park – so that APEX can integrate this information – free of charge.

Mr. Johannes Weissengruber, founder and CEO at APEX gaming, comments on the ICE, “We have taken great strides and have always focused on being true to our word – to take gaming to the next level. With complete land-based gaming solutions, even more games, our 3D technology and mobile gaming – we are well placed for the future. We had an excellent ICE. On behalf of the whole APEX team, I would like to thank all the visitors to our stand”.

JCM Global named as "Best street supplier of the Year"

YourGuide Ltd. — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:58:30 +0000

JCM Global, the world’s leading casino solutions provider, is kicking off what promises to be a winning 2012, being named “Best Street Supplier of the Year” at the Totally Gaming Awards 2012. JCM’s two recycling products, UBA-RC® and Vega-RC™, were the primary drivers for winning the recognition as best street supplier.

“We were thrilled to stand in the winner’s circle, named Best Street Supplier of the Year, and the award underscores our deep commitment to the industry across Europe,” said JCM Global EMEA General Manager Payam Zadeh.

The award served as a perfect start to JCM’s presence at the ICE Totally Gaming tradeshow, where JCM celebrated its win, met with current and potential customers from across Europe, and introduced its newest bill validator, the iPRO-RC™.

“On our stand at ICE, our customers were very interested in a wide range of products, including our award-winning iVIZION®, UBA® and UBA-RC bill validators, our award-winning Vega-RC™ validator, and they were very receptive to our newest product, the iPRO® and iPRO-RC® bill validators. Additionally, our display solutions dazzled and our award-winning PayCheck 4™ thermal printer impressed everyone with its speed, memory and durability,” Zadeh added.

JCM was also nominated as “Payment Solutions Provider Company of the Year” in the International Gaming Awards.

Novomatic Headline Sponsor for Slot Summit Germany 2012

YourGuide Ltd. — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:49:22 +0000

Novomatic is proud to announce that it will be supporting the Slot Summit Germany 2012 as a headline sponsor. The slot summit will be held from March 20-22 at the RP5 Casino in Hannover, Germany, and will have a regional focus on Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Scandinavia.

The event is supported by the European Casino Association (ECA) and addresses numerous practical topics and issues of casino and gaming management. In the course of three days casino managers, slot managers and marketing staff will be updated on the key elements of a successful modern slot floor - player type recognition, choosing the ideal game volatilities, revenue maximisation and the encouragement of return visits.

Presentations will be held primarily in English but with simultaneous German translation service. The programme includes key speakers as well as product presentations and technology sneak previews from leading slot manufacturers such as Novomatic as well as from key operators.

The Slot Summit also provides an ideal setting for effective business networking between delegates, speakers and manufacturers in a relaxed atmosphere. Delegates are invited to attend receptions by the ECA, GSA and the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM).

Jens Halle, Managing Director AGI: “We are convinced that the Slot Summit in Hannover will be on the crest of a wave with a broad field of topical issues that will provide valuable economic and technological information for casino management staff.”

FutureLogic’s Couponing Solutions Take ICE 2012 by Storm!

YourGuide Ltd. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:10:41 +0000

FutureLogic, Inc., announced today the extremely high level of interest generated by the company’s newly launched couponing solutions throughout the recent ICE 2012 show. Ticket2Go™, FutureLogic’s ticket-out solution for the AWP and street markets, was clearly the focus of attention for many operators searching for a more efficient way to handle player payouts.

FutureLogic’s PromoNet® intelligent promotional couponing solution, was introduced to the international market during this show and as a result enjoyed tremendous attention from European casino operators eager for an intelligent marketing tool for anonymous and carded players alike. Operators were especially interested in the fact that the system uses a series of triggers based on real-time game play metrics to reward players for their actual play behaviour. Potential customers said that they were totally impressed by the system’s capacities and numerous attractive features.

“Not only did we see an incredible interest in our systems products, customers were also impressed with our range of gaming printers”, said Anette Jauch, FutureLogic’s Sales & Marketing Manager EMEA. “With multiple options for various gaming applications and sectors, FutureLogic offers the right choice of gaming printer for each market, regardless of whether it is casino gaming, AWP or VLT operations.”

“The product portfolio on display at ICE this year clearly underlines FutureLogic’s intent to play a dominant role in all gaming markets”, added John Edmunds, FutureLogic’s Vice-President International Markets. “It highlights the company’s transition from a printer supplier to a solutions provider.”

Semnox Award winning Debit Card System in ‘Cebu, Philippines’

YourGuide Ltd. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:40:44 +0000

Parafait is an award winning solution designed for complete automation of operations in a Family Entertainment Center (FEC). It is world’s first Tap to Play Reader with RFID Technology and offers cool graphics with wide variety of themes and high speed Wireless Communication.

It is 100% wireless debit card, integration of all game machines, redemption, POS has been selected by Xcite Republic Amusement centre in JCentre mall which consists of 90 machines which includes video games, kiddy ride and vending machines. It is amusement centre located in Bakilid in Mandaue city located on the Middle Eastern coastal region of Cebu has gone live with our Parafait in mid December’11 with very successful reception from both the customers as well as the operators.

“Challenges we have encountered is the construction to finish on time as many mall customers were already asking when we are going to open last December 2011. One thing we are apprehensive at first is that the Semnox system is compatible with the arcade machines we bought from china, but so far all are working well as far as the Semnox Parafait system is concern. The experience is great having the system is a user friendly type” said Warren Paul Barot, General Manager of Xcite Republic Amusement center when asked about his experience and challenges in setting up the centre.

“What has been promised is being delivered on time and close coordination with the client is the key to better service”

“To choose Parafait system is the response time for our inquiry was fast and the sincerity of the service being provided by Semnox people. What has been promised is being delivered on time and close coordination with the client is the key to better service. We will still patronize Semnox on our future needs” he remarked.

Well protected: GeBE-MOTION® printer with presenter for automated ticket printing in public applications.

YourGuide Ltd. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:29:10 +0000

It is widely known that automatic ticket printers are exposed to potential abuse. For instance, impatient users start to pull on a ticket before it is completely printed. The technology of the GeBE-MOTION ticket printer from GeBE Elektronik und Feinwerktechnik GmbH, Germany, focuses on complete protection and is particularly well suited for such instances because it includes a special presenter. The GeBE printer is superior to printers with conventional ticket drop compartment. The presenter features paper-retract as well as an anti-paper-jam function, both of which guarantee excellent reliability and data security. An additional plus is the nimble printer size of 122L x 82W x 108T (mm). This ultra-compact printer can be adjusted to handle 60 or 82mm paper width, and a paper thickness of up to 150µm. It can be connected via USB or RS232 interface.

Operation is guaranteed - Data is well protected

The GeBE-MOTION features: Up to 150µm paper thickness, 80-500mm print length and an accelerated output speed of 400mm/s. Even the typical print speed of 150mm/s should satisfy most impatient user. However, even forceful pulling on a printout in progress will not phase the robust printing mechanism – just in case. Included in the presenter is the anti-paper-jam unit. This unit notices any potentially destructive ticket manipulation such as blocking of the ticket or diagonal pulling of the ticket. In such cases the anti-paper-jam function will stop printing immediately to safe the printout. The paper-retract function represents an additional safety feature. Here the presenter retracts an unclaimed ticket to prevent a ticket from getting into the wrong hands.

GeBE presents the GeBE-MOTION at the Intertraffic in Amsterdam between March 27th and March 30th, 2012 in exhibition hall 3, booth 03.226.

The Alterface 5Di GameBox! All for Fun and Fun for All!

YourGuide Ltd. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:46:24 +0000

The new version of the 5Di GameBox, the revolutionary group gaming console is out! The attraction that brought the group gaming innovation to theme parks and FEC's is now even better than before!

Alterface's 5Di GameBox has a new look! Its improved design, moneymaking functionalities and always increasing games portfolio is shipping now!

This life size, group gaming multi-content and multi-dimension console has been specially designed for FEC's, Bowling Centers, Arcades, Shopping Malls,...

Can't wait to know more about it? We've summarized the highlights to share with you now. Click on the video and check out the new HIT in out-of-home entertainment. Enjoy this short video presentation. It's the length of a song and will have you smiling!

Aqua Series Line Of Bill Validators Offers Wet And Humid Operating Solution

YourGuide Ltd. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:34:06 +0000

Pyramid Technologies, Inc. (PTI) is pleased to announce the launch of the new Aqua line of bill acceptors.
The Aqua line is the premier solution for outdoor, wet or high humidity applications. With its original vertical sensor technology, the Aqua line is weather resistant and low maintenance.
Designed and built in the United States, the Aqua series comes equipped with a built-in water drainage path and a rear port. Plus, the electronics are housed in a specially designed enclosure to ensure consistent, reliable performance.
Field tested under all types of conditions for over a year, the new Aqua Line removes the hassles inclement weather conditions often present. For a video demonstration of the Aqua in action, PTI encourages you to visit their website at www.pyramidacceptors.com.
Dave Mays, President and CEO of Pyramid Technologies, Inc. said, “We are really pleased with the functionality of this product. We rose to the challenge and made a truly weather tolerant bill acceptor. The exceptional performance of this unit – having undergone the most intensive field test in memory – should remove the headache for operators working in tough environments.”

dreaMTouch a Success For International Brand Gaming At ICE

YourGuide Ltd. — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:42:15 +0000

Oxford based - International Brand Gaming (www.ibrandgaming.com), specialist OEM solution provider, were pleased with the exceptional reaction that the dreaMTouch received at the recent Totally ICE show in January 2012.
dreaMTouch, in association with iBrand Gaming’s partner Elektrosil, is a unique electronic table game product which will take large scale display and touch screen games to a new level by allowing several users to interact with the display simultaneously. It provides reliable detection of up to 32 touch points whilst delivering all of the advantages of infrared touch technology.
Ranging in sizes up to 82” and available as a complete solution or OEM kit, dreaMTouch fits perfectly into the demanding requirements of the gaming market.
"dreaMTouch was a great success for us at the show and exceeded all of our expectations with the number of enquiries and sales that we received" stated iBrand Gaming's Managing Director, John Malin. "We were able to show the full capabilities and overall high performance and reliability of the IR touchscreen. dreaMTouch showed visitors to the stand how to push the boundaries of electronic table games and we look forward to seeing it in the marketplace.”
For further information, iBrand Gaming can be contacted on sales@ibrandgaming.com