YourGuide News - Casino

ICE Totally Gaming posts back-to-back growth with 2012 edition registering a 6.3% increase in attendance

YourGuide Ltd. — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:25:26 +0000

ICE Totally Gaming 2012 lived up to its pre-show ambitions attracting a total of 21,555 gaming industry professionals to what Craig Churchill, senior vice president of IGT International described as ‘… the number one show globally.’ The initial gross attendance figure announced by ICE Totally Gaming organiser, Clarion Events, represents a 6.3% increase on the 2011 figure and a substantial 15.4% increase on the attendance registered at the 2010 edition.

Reflecting on the outline figures, Kate Chambers, Portfolio Director responsible for ICE Totally Gaming, said: “I’m delighted that we were able to mark the great times that have been enjoyed by the industry at Earls Court with an upbeat, confident and successful edition of ICE Totally Gaming. In 2011 we took the decision to rebrand as ICE Totally Gaming with a new corporate identity focusing on our unique proposition as the only event in the world to bring together the online and offline gaming sectors. In just two years, our attendance has grown by some 15% and with ICE moving to a purpose-built modern venue at London ’s ExCeL centre in 2013 the outlook is highly positive. Our new home at ExCeL and new dates of February 5th, 6th and 7th 2013 have been extremely well received by our exhibitors, so much so that I can confirm 75% of the floor space at ICE Totally Gaming 2013 has already been reserved. This level of pre-booking so far ahead of an event going live is unprecedented and augurs extremely well for the next chapter in the life of ICE Totally Gaming.”

The solid foundations already put in place for 2013 are also evident in the reactions from a cross section of ICE Totally Gaming stakeholders. A snap shot exit survey conducted across all three days of the exhibition showed a 90% Satisfaction Rating with exhibitors and visitors alike paying tribute to the success of the leading business-to-business event. Jens Halle, managing director of Austrian Gaming Industries said the last edition of ICE held at Earls Court was ‘perhaps the best yet’ with Craig Churchill, senior vice president of IGT International describing the event as simply ‘phenomenal’. Max Loukianov, chief technology officer of Nine Line Labs, who travelled with colleagues from Houston, Texas, described ICE as being an ‘..amazing show and incredibly diverse’ with Mark Smith, chief executive officer and managing director of Gamesman stating the annual gathering of the world’s leading gaming innovators had delivered ‘more than we could have ever expected.’

Kate Chambers concluded: “Whilst the ICE 2012 attendance figures are extremely satisfying, the real measure of any event is the response of the individuals and the organisations who commit their time and their resource travelling to ICE Totally Gaming. As a team we will take on board all of the feedback, ensure that we continue to do the positives, address those areas in which we believe we could have done better and focus on taking this wonderful event to the next level in our new home and on new dates for 2013.”

Aristocrat expands distribution reach for online gaming

YourGuide Ltd. — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:51:00 +0000

Aristocrat Technologies, one of the leading designers and manufacturers of land-based slot games, announced during the recent ICE show in London that it had expanded distribution for its slot titles into the regulated online gaming market.

Aristocrat Online announced content porting and distribution agreements with Internet gaming platforms OpenBet and Chartwell. Together with the existing partnership with GameAccount Network, this provides broad-based distribution for Aristocrat Online’s titles.

Over the past year, Aristocrat has brought a number of its leading land-based titles to the regulated European internet gaming market, most prominently on Bet365, Moneygaming and MeccaBingo.

Sam Nickless, Managing Director, Emerging Businesses & Strategy at Aristocrat, said “We’ve been very pleased with the initial performance of our games online, and the operator feedback has been positive. Our strategy is to put our outstanding game content into the reach of players wherever it can legally be played. These new arrangements allow us to rapidly deploy games to more operators and therefore to more players.”

“We’ve made a deliberate decision to be broad-based in our content distribution. We’ve chosen GameAccount Network, OpenBet and Chartwell because they are partners we can trust to deliver our content well, maintain security and compliance and who together can reach all of the compliant top tier operators in regulated markets.”

Each of Aristocrat’s platform partners will have different titles from Aristocrat’s vast library to offer to their operator customers.

“It is true that some operators will already source content from more than one of our platform partners,” Nickless added, “However each will be offering different titles from within our range. We have a vast library of high-performing, long-lasting slot games, proven in the land-based environment, plus new titles being developed. There’s plenty to go around.”

For a full list of Aristocrat titles available online, see aristocratonline.com

Seeben confirms presence at Amex, Enada and FER in the coming months

YourGuide Ltd. — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:29:47 +0000

Seeben from Belgium who specialise in the sale of refurbished slot machines and the manufacture of bingo machines will exhibit at the AMEX Gaming Show in Dublin, Ireland, from the 6th till the 7th of March 2012. They will also be present at the International Amusement & Gaming Show ENADA in Rimini, Italy, on the 14th and 15th of March 2012 and finally for this 1st quarter of the year the FER INTERAZAR Gaming Show in Madrid, Spain on the 28th or 29th of March 2012.

Feel free to contact the sales department to arrange an appointment. They look forward to hearing from you.

GeneralTouch will bring several innovative products to CeBIT Hannover 2012

YourGuide Ltd. — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:44:02 +0000

CeBIT2012 will open in Mar.6th 2012 in Hannover, Germany. As one of the most important exhibition of IT and communication industry in the world, CeBIT is not only the best platform for companies promoting itself to the world, but also the best chance to learn the advanced technologies and the industry trends in future. GeneralTouch (GT) will bring several innovative products to CeBIT2012, willing to exchange the opinions about the advanced touch technologies, the emerging applications and the future tendency of touch industry with general new old customers.

The latest products we will showcase in CeBIT2012 include true flat SAW touch monitor and computer, medical touch monitor, the whole front frame SAW touch monitor, multi-touch monitor etc. Surface Acoustics Wave (SAW) is a kind of traditional touch technology, because of its’ features of high reliability and stability, it’s always wildly utilized in high-end and heavy-load situation, such as industrial, entertainment, public and self-service, etc. GT is keeping deeply researching and continuously innovating in SAW, successfully commercialize array of new products and solutions, extend the application field of SAW, make it win more and more market share. The true flat SAW touch technology not only makes the products have an attractive appearance, but also be easily integrated for systems, it’s especially suitable for All-in-One (AIO). In medical and healthcare application, SAW touch can always provide high reliability and excellent touch experience, wherever in doctor office, pharmacy, bedside monitoring and patient self-service, etc. For multi-touch requirements, our SAW touch can support physical and stable multi-touch, completely meet the demand of fixed equipments. Through continuously optimizing the mechanism design, the whole front frame SAW touch products can be very easily integrated into systems, especially for OEM/ODM.

For more information about our latest touch technologies and products, warmly welcome to visit our booth at CeBIT2012, experience our innovative achievements, we pleasure to share the industry news and tendency with you.

Exhibition period: Mar.6th to 10th 2012
Visiting time: 9:00 to 18:00
Location: Hannover exhibition center, Germany
Our booth: A04, Hall 15

A busy ICE for Innovative Technology

YourGuide Ltd. — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:05:31 +0000

ICE 2012 was a special show for Innovative Technology as it marked the start of a year of festivity for the company who this year celebrate ‘20 Years of Innovation’.

Sporting a new stand design and two purpose built demonstration units the Innovative Technology stand was a hive of activity with a record number of visitors this year.

The complete range of bank note validators and payout solutions were on the stand where
Chairman and Founder David Bellis MBE was proudly demonstrating SMART Data. A new software program, SMART Data allows worldwide customers to manage their own data. For example add a new issue note, create a new dataset or improve the performance of an existing dataset.
Business Development Manager, Paul Curley said “ ICE this year was an extremely busy show, with lots of quality enquiries. The main interest was once again our payout solutions - the SMART Hopper, SMART Payout & NV11. Visitors had heard about our payout solutions and came to the stand for a practical demonstration of the units. The SMART Hopper especially generated a lot of interest, with visitors wanting to see for themsleves the true multi-coin hopper that is capable of handling any mixture of coin values. Walking around ICE it was good to see our products on a number of different stand throughout Earls Court. All in all a great show!”

Looking ahead to 2013 and the first year of ICE at Excel Innovative Technology have already secured their stand for ICE 2013, increasing their stand size considerably in the new venue to further demonstrate their product range.

Casino Offers Students An Introduction To The Industry

YourGuide Ltd. — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:09:24 +0000

A leading midlands casino is celebrating the successful launch of a £2 million revamp by sharing its success with college students. Rainbow Casino in Birmingham has recently undergone a complete refurbishment and is set to refresh its in-house Clarendon restaurant in April of this year. The innovative scheme with Warwickshire and Hinckley College has been set up to offer students an introduction to the industry with a gaming academy, apprenticeships and potential jobs on completion of courses.

This recent expansion of both its facilities and links with the college comes after a successful year for the casino which Director Hui Lam says is down to the unique and quality services they offer. “Despite the economic downturn, we’ve seen a continued interest in the casino, restaurant and bar facilities and have been able to share this business growth with local students,” Hui said. “We don’t charge a membership fee and have a huge selection of games and slot machines available, which what makes us so popular for both people looking for a different night out and those we welcome on a regular basis. “We are keen to move people away from the negative connotations associated with casinos and gambling and show the unique packages on offer here at Rainbow Casino, with a quality of service and great atmosphere our visitors can always expect.

“Our links with the college have also allowed us to give back to the local community and encourage enthusiasm from students in the area, whilst educating them on how the industry works and providing valuable vocational experience for their future careers. “We’re looking forward to another successful year and developing our partnership with Warwickshire and Hinckley College and its students.” Rainbow Casino, which is based off the Hagley Road, further supports local businesses by hosting the Birmingham Business Networking Club on a monthly basis which brings together business men and women in the area to develop their connections.

ICE Bows Out Of Earls Court In Style

YourGuide Ltd. — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:13:23 +0000

The last edition of ICE Totally Gaming to be held at Earls Court has been described as “possibly the best yet” by Jens Halle, managing director of Austrian Gaming Industries. Reflecting on the show, Mr Halle said: “It's extremely clear that the final Earls Court edition of ICE was highly successful and the ideal state of mind in which to prepare for and look forward to the next chapter of ICE 2013 at ExCeL.”

His view was echoed on stands throughout Earls Court 1 and 2. Craig Churchill, senior vice president of IGT International, described ICE Totally Gaming as “phenomenal”. Speaking at ICE, he said: “ICE definitely deserves its reputation as certainly the number one international gaming show but even, I suspect, the number one gaming show globally.”

The accolades weren't restricted to big international exhibitors. Andy Rogers, managing director of social gaming company and first time exhibitor, Entraction, said: “This has been a huge success. We've had 20 serious enquiries and I couldn't be happier. There are so many opportunities.”

Visitors were equally impressed, with Steve Basmaijan, vice president of marketing of Houston-based Nine Line Labs, stating: “This is an incredibly diverse and amazing show... well worth the trip.”

Kate Chambers, portfolio director responsible for ICE, was delighted to finish the tenure at Earls Court on such a high: “There's no doubt this has been a tremendous show. When the final attendance figures are confirmed, I know we'll be looking at some pretty impressive numbers. We ran our biggest ever marketing campaign and I believe our best. Our exhibitors have got behind the show and our visitors have responded in their thousands. Behind the numbers, this has been an upbeat and vibrant exhibition. It's been heartening to see people enjoying business despite the world economy. The focus now switches to the next chapter in the life of ICE Totally Gaming at the ExCeL Centre, London, February 5-7, 2013.”

2012 – A year of celebration for Innovative Technology!

YourGuide Ltd. — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:36:50 +0000

2012 will see the start of a year of celebration for Oldham based bank note validator manufacturer Innovative Technology Ltd (ITL) as they celebrate 20 years of Innovation! Founded in 1992 by David Bellis MBE, Innovative Technology Ltd (ITL) was the first company to manufacture low cost multi-currency validators, when it introduced the NV1 Smiley® to the market - making banknote validators affordable to the AWP market.

20 years on, the company’s philosophy of proving exceptional value validation products still remains as the Company Ethos today. Investment in research, development and cutting edge innovation has allowed Innovative Technology to continue to provide exceptional value banknote validators - from the NV1, NV4 and more recently the popular NV9 USB to the new NV11 – Validator + Note Float. Launched late 2010 the NV11 creates a compact note payout solution to help alleviate the problem of coin starvation and keep machines operational. Innovative Technology prides itself on providing exceptional value, intelligent validation products with an industry-leading acceptance rate for multi-currency of typically 99.8%. Significant investment in research & development has seen Innovative Technology build on their established bank note validator range over the past few years, and move into coin and note payout solutions for existing markets but also new markets such as Kiosk and Self Serve. Innovative Technology will begin their 20-year celebrations at both London shows in January - ICE: Stand 4260 and EAG: Stand 154, where the complete bank note validator and payout solution ranges will be on display. The London shows this year will see the International launch of SMART Data! A new software based programme that allows Innovative Technology customers to alter, create or customise their own currency dataset files. Using SMART Data customers can add a new issue note to their existing dataset file or improve the performance of an existing dataset - for example collect notes with different wear patterns from the local area and incorporate into the dataset. Marketing Executive, Dayna Patterson said “The London shows are a great way to start the year and the perfect platform on which to launch SMART Data. The process is simple. Data is created by customers inserting their own bank notes into their existing ITL bank note validator (connected to a Windows PC). The SMART Data application then sends this data to the Innovative Technology servers for processing, and a new dataset is returned, incorporating the collected data. This new dataset can then be added to ITL bank note validators in the field as usual. SMART Data allows new issue notes and notes with differing wear patterns to be quickly incorporated into currency dataset files.” Marketing Executive, Dayna Paterson went on to say “January is always a busy, exciting month with the London shows and IMA, but 2012 more than ever has got off to a great start. This year sees us celebrate 20 Years of Innovation, launch our new programme SMART Data, enter into new markets with our bank note validators and payout solutions and begin a new recruitment campaign to expand our team. (A dedicated new recruitment website www.innovative-technology.co.uk/careers). ”

Quixant showcased wide range of gaming boards at the SAGSE show in Buenos Aires

YourGuide Ltd. — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:41:29 +0000

November saw Quixant showcasing for first time its wide range of gaming boards at the SAGSE show in Buenos Aires (http://www.quixant.com/news26.htm) with our partner at the Suzo Happ South American booth. There was considerable interest in the new QXi-200 and due to our ratio of price/performance, our gaming boards have become the ideal choice for the South American market.

We are extremely pleased about the feedback received from the visitors at our partner’s booth and we have already sent several development kits to our South American customers. They have found invaluable opportunities for our wide range of gaming platforms and the AMD New Fusion technology perfectly matches the needs of the South America market, with unbeatable prices and outstanding performance, proving to be the key to success for the South America market.

Quixant Ltd (Taiwan branch) expands its facilities in Taipei
Quixant Taiwan is pleased to announce that has expanded its design and manufacturing facilities in Taiwan due to the rapid growth of the company. The opening ceremony took place the 6th of December and was conducting by Nick Jarmany- Managing Director of Quixant- and Ken Lin- Sales Director of AMD Embedded Solutions.

The new facility provides the much needed space increasing working areas by some 230% to manage the high demand of orders accurately. The previous facility has been converted into a warehouse and test laboratory for the R+D department.

Welcome to our new team members at Quixant Italy and Quixant Taiwan
We are pleased to welcome the following new members that have joined our team recently at our facilities in Italy and Taiwan
Quixant Italy
Marco Papa- Electronic and FPGA Design Engineer
Massimo Cantarini- Senior Software engineer
Quixant Taiwan.
Zack Chiang: Senior BIOS engineer
Zeno Lin: Product/Project Manager
Aaron Lin: Manufacturer Project Manager
Tony Tsai: DQA Associated Manager
Hank Cheng: EE Manager

2012 ICE show London
Quixant will be exhibiting its “all-in-one” gaming platforms at the ICE show at London’s Earls court exhibition centre from 24th till 26th January 2012, booth 4140.

As Quixant always brings its customers the best and very latest technology available on the market, we will be previewing the Next Generation AMD Fusion Technology during the ICE show to select customers.

Customers wishing to meet at the show to discover further details about the exciting upcoming Generation Fusion technology should contact Gary Mullins to arrange a time.

For further details, visit our website (http://www.quixant.com).

Mixed picture in ordering activity at IMA in Düsseldorf and gratifying increase in visitor numbers

YourGuide Ltd. — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:38:14 +0000

Against the background of a new Amendment to the State Treaty on Gambling and the first state legislation on amusement arcades ordering activity at IMA presented a very mixed picture. By and large, the industry was cautious as far as long-term investments were concerned. Demand for commodities with a depreciable life of up to five years, on the other hand, was noticeably stronger. The background is that a majority of state legislators aim at large-scale expropriation of the industry in five years time.

After four days at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre, the 31st IMA closes its gates. With 9,512 visitors and an increase of 7.5 percent year-on-year, the trade fair of the German amusement and vending machine industry records a gratifying increase in visitor numbers. This is especially true in view of the uncertain legislative situation. Bremen and Berlin have already passed new state laws on amusement arcades. In other states they are planned. All of them will have ruinous consequences for manufacturers and distributors, and for operators of amusement arcades. Applications for all licences granted so far will have to be resubmitted in five years’ time. A large variety of exclusion criteria will apply: minimum distance from children’s day care centres, schools, churches and other amusement arcades. This means that the state legislators are drawing a grid of no-go locations over cities and communities which comes close to a total prohibition of commercial “small-scale gambling”. Furthermore, there are plans for a ban of so-called multiple licences which were allowed by the Federal Administrative Court as far back as 1984. Against this background the widespread uncertainty is understandable. Another reason for the increase in visitor numbers since in such times entrepreneurs expect manufacturers and associations to come up with products and advice for the future.

A very sombre view of the future prevails among apprentices and employees in the industry. On the way to the IMA opening ceremony, therefore, guests had to pass an impressive line of apprentices. 250 young people had come to Düsseldorf to draw attention to their situation with posters, banners and T-shirts. In close cooperation with the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the industry had fought many years for setting up two apprenticeship training specialities for amusement machine technicians which now, as a result of state policies, will be practically abolished. In addition to these young people, there is a workforce of more than 70,000 fearing for their future in the amusement industry. More than 70 of these are women.

If Siegfried Kauder, the Chairman of the Legal Committee of the German Federal parliament has his way, however, these people do have a future. During the opening ceremony he told them: “The government must not simply “flatten” the competition and eliminate it just because it has the possibility to pass regulations. Ladies and gentlemen, I think it shameful that a group should have to defend itself by court action to ensure that right remains right. .... What is happening at the moment in the amusement arcade sector is something a professional politician must not tolerate.”

Large sections of the German amusement machine industry, consider the courts their only hope. Here, they are confident, since a broad phalanx of renowned legal scholars are almost unanimous in considering the new Amendment to the State Treaty on Gambling as going against the German constitution and European law. Nevertheless, the uncertain prospects for the future were of course reflected in ordering activity at the trade fair. Long-term products remain on the shelves. On the other hand, operations in amusement arcades and gastronomic establishments for the next five years with a safe legal perspective are noticeably upgraded. Interest focussed on gambling machines, cash management for arcades, interior furnishings and software updates to run operations. In the area of cash gambling the triumphant success of multigame devices continues. One reason is the fact that due to the ever-shrinking expense per hour for gamblers, gambling has come close to any other commercial leisure activity. With an average expense of 10.89 € per hour, as found by the Fraunhofer-Institut, going to the cinema or the fitness studio, skiing or a night at the disco are no cheaper but rather more expensive and often less exciting. Another reason for the success of these devices: gambling machines with more than different 30 games and creative video animation are an international success with the Internet Generation.

Development has been excellent for the sports betting segments at IMA. In contrast to last year when the city of Düsseldorf had caused legal chaos in this segment, the exhibitors were able to pursue their business unhindered and reported strong interest this year. This interest is due to the worldwide boom of this type of betting. The sports betting community is hoping for a turn towards liberalisation throughout Germany, the strongest market in Europe. In particular, the industry hopes for a No from the EU Commission to the new Amendment to the State Treaty on Gambling. The suppliers criticise that the intended granting of a mere 20 licences is entirely arbitrary and the intended tax burden is far heavier than that imposed in any other country.

The suppliers in the Bowling World section were also very satisfied with IMA. Apparently arcade operators are considering investing in this segment, in order to diversify and thus make their business more crisis proof. On the other hand, interest in amusement and vending machines is growing among bowling alley operators. These two trade fair segments have been complementing each other in a positive way for many years.

Paul Gauselmann, chairman of the industry association of the German amusement and vending machine industry (VDAI) is also waiting for a clear word from the EU and the courts. According to him, the industry invested millions of euros over the past five years which will not pay off by any means in case of a 5-year transition period. Rental contracts, usually with a term of 10 to 15 years, long-term depreciation for buildings and equipment and ever- lengthening depreciation cycles render this impossible. As a consequence, Gauselmann predicts legal action to claim damages. Legal experts estimate these damages at more than four billion euros. If they should materialise, it would be the local authorities that would bear the brunt of these claims, which may be one reason why state politicians do not seem to be much interested in the legal situation, says Gauselmann.

In 2013 IMA will take place from 15 to 18 January at the same location.