Clarion Gaming and Beacon Events, organizers of the AiG Congress & Expo anticipate that the only i-gaming event in Asia is set to become the largest gaming congress in the region. Taking place from 24-26 February 2009 at The Venetian in Macau it will be the 7th annual edition and the third time the event has been held in Macau.

In 2008 the congress welcomed over 500 attendees, an increase of 170% on 2007, and over 50% of these attendees were from Asia.  AiG 2009 will see a further increase and the organizers anticipate over 700 attendees next year, making it the most important gaming conference for the region and reflecting the surge in interest in this sector.

The congress will feature a brand new pre-congress day on Mobile Gaming and, back by popular demand, is the pre-congress day on Online Marketing.  The main congress continues to blend plenary sessions with streams, allowing delegates to tailor the event exactly to their needs.  This year the streams will be focusing on Betting, Poker, Skill Games, Payments and Fraud Control, Responsible Gaming, Lotteries and Bingo, Technology and Software, Multi-platform Gaming and Operations.

Early speakers confirmed for the congress so far include representatives from the Asia Pacific Poker Tour, Betgenius, Bettor Logic, CryptoLogic, Devilfish Gaming, eCOGRA, El Media, EntroPay, First Atlantic Commerce, GTECH, GamCare, iFaFa, Jersey Gambling Commission, Korean Professional Poker Players Association, Las Vegas From Home, Live Casino Technology, Mahjong Time, Mirada Gaming, PKR and WSN.com

The exhibition area has also doubled in size again with over forty companies anticipated to exhibit in 2009 allowing attendees numerous networking opportunities at the event.  Early confirmed sponsors include Cyberarts, Microgaming, Prolexic and NYX Interactive.  They will also have exhibition booths along with iovation, Mahjong Time, Mahjong Logic and Transact24.

Conference Director, Rosalind Wade of conference partner Beacon Events stated, “AiG will continue to break all records in 2009 with an exhibition doubling in size and attendance numbers set for another big increase.” She continued, “Asia is still really hot and with more and more companies looking to take advantage of the opportunities it offers, AiG is perfectly timed to allow all attendees to learn what works and what to avoid in the region.”

The new Kontron MediClient 104 is a fanless medical Panel PC with a durable, lightweight plastic housing that offers IP65 protection and can be tailor-made to suit OEMs’ corporate designs. Despite its compact size, the Kontron MediClient 104 offers a comprehensive set of interconnects including dual Ethernet (10/100), dual USB 2.0, serial RS232 (opt. RS422/RS485) and an optional CAN bus interface. VESA arm mounting makes the fanless Kontron MediClient 104 the easy-to-integrate medical HMI for a wide spectrum of cost-sensitive OEM medical applications in operating theaters, emergency stations and other infection-sensitive areas that require sharp graphics and intuitive user interfaces in a space-saving, robust and hygienic design.

Scalable up to the Intel Celeron M processor with 1.0 GHz, the cost-optimized Kontron MediClient 104 features up to 1024 MB of RAM and a Compact Flash socket plus an optional 2.5 inch HDD for data storage. The 800x600, easy-to-read bright (230 cd/m²) TFT touch screen, which is usable with gloves and stylus pens, is resistant to disinfectants and detergents. The plastic housing (ABS UL94V0) is scratch-proof, corrosion resistant and chemical resistant for long life and easy cleaning.

Shock and vibration resistance, thermal stability and compatibility with EN60601-01 are standard features of the Kontron MediClient Panel PCs, as is long-term availability of at least 5 years. The fanless cooling concept not only reduces noise but also ensures very high reliability with a MTBF of more than 40,000 hours. The CE, FCC, cULus certified Kontron MediClient complies to US:FCC47 CFR PART15, Class A level, EN61000-6-2 and EN55022/A (CISPR22) regulations.

The Kontron MediClient 104 is available now. Windows CE.net, Windows XP Embedded and Embedded Linux are available as standard operating systems along with numerous protocols, including http, XML and RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol).

Innocore Secures Significant, 5 Year Agreement

Innocore Gaming Ltd, one of the leading manufacturers of PC based gaming platforms announced the signing of a 5 year agreement with Octavian Global Technologies Inc. to supply their DPX®  based hardware platform for future Octavian gaming applications.

Under the terms of the Strategic Supply Agreement Octavian will implement Innocore’s recently launched DPX® -S410 PC based hardware including the EFS slim efficiency enclosure in Octavian’s product line-up for the next 5 years.

Edward Price, Managing Director of Innocore, commented “The agreement with Octavian is a significant one for Innocore and a great reference for some of our key selling points; reliability, know-how of the gaming industry and a pro-active approach to customer service. Our global footprint will provide support for Octavian in worldwide markets, on both technical and operational matters. We are very pleased to be working with such a key player as Octavian and we look forward to a successful partnership over the coming years…”

Harmen Brenninkmeijer, CEO of Octavian, said: “This agreement is central to our strategy of extending our Maverick EGM and Games Kit range, and also our line-up of gaming platforms. The Innocore platform’s blend of performance, connectivity, security and value is an excellent fit for Octavian’s cabinet and gaming platform offering. As such, the agreement will help Octavian to provide further cost-effective choices for gaming operators, machine manufacturers and distributors in casino, AWP (Amusements With Prizes) and lottery markets worldwide.”

“The complete system offering from Innocore represents a compelling example of ‘Total Lower Cost of Ownership’ to Octavian; providing us with a significant saving. Within the agreement, topics that were key to us such as protected manufacturing rights were included in a win-win set-up, giving us a feeling of security and confidence that is absolutely necessary when entering a co-operative deal of this importance…” Peter Moffitt, President of Octavian added.

Koen Stomph, Sales Director at Innocore added “The system based on the recently released DPX® -S410 provides Octavian with a true all-in-one solution, with powerful integrated graphics, state-of-the art security features, all required I/O and, with the Intel GME965 chipset, the guarantee of a very long availability.   Time-to-market was significantly reduced through our standard software offering of peripheral support. As a part of the agreement, we will also provide support for integration into Octavian’s cabinet, making a quick and smooth implementation possible.”

The agreement was signed at Innocore House, Innocore’s newly opened offices in Newcastle, by Innocore Managing Director, Edward Price and Peter Moffitt, President of Octavian Global Technologies .

Cashino, the UK’s newest chain of Adult Gaming Centres will soon be open for business in Scotland. Owners, Praesepe plc this week concluded an agreement to purchase four sites, which previously operated under the Silver Reels name, for an undisclosed sum.  All of the venues are situated in the Edinburgh area and are currently not trading.

Heralding the acquisition, Jonathon Hughes, managing director of Praesepe’s AGC division, said: “We are delighted to have a presence in Edinburgh, a city which the Praesepe team knows well. Our plan is to re-open the site in Nicholson Street, Edinburgh in time for the Christmas trading period, with the remaining three going live in the first quarter of next year."

Praesepe plc, formerly Aldgate Capital plc, was admitted to AIM on 11 April 2006 with a broad strategy to acquire and manage companies and businesses across a variety of gaming sectors. It began its pan-European strategy of creating a leading low stake high volume gaming group in July with the £25m acquisition of 31 AGCs from HJM Caterers. Praesepe’s intention is to create a portfolio incorporating slots, sports/pool betting, bingo and online gaming operations with earnings of £50m by 2010. Key target markets include the UK, Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, Netherlands and Germany.

Developed by Kontron, the credit card sized open-standard nanoETXexpress Computer-on-Module form factor (84 mm x 55 mm) for developing ultra-mobile mini-computer devices based on x86 processors with 45nm technology now has its first second source partner: AAEON.

In response to the increasing demand for ever smaller Computer-on-Modules with ever better performance-per-watt values, AAEON is presenting its first nanoETXexpress Computer-on-Module at the electronica trade fair in Munich. Conforming 100 percent to the COM Express specification in terms of the location and assignment of the pinouts, the nanoETXexpress open-standard form factor offers the highest investment security for the next generation of ultra-mobile designs. Other Computer-on-Module manufacturers are expected to launch further nanoETXexpress modules soon.

We support the nanoETXexpress form factor because it fits perfectly into our product portfolio. We have already implemented the Intel Atom processor on our COM-U15 COM Express Computer-on-Module. The step to implementing the nanoCOM-U15 was therefore easy. The new COM perfectly fits the requirements of small Mobile Internet Devices (MID) and similarly sized, long-term available embedded computer solutions. Above all, for our OEM customers nanoETXexpress means maximum investment security for their designs , explains Peter Yang, AAEON Product Manager ECD, responsible for Computer-on-Modules at AAEON.

Ever since the availability of the 45nm Intel Atom processor OEM customers have been exploring the new possibilities opened up by this processor and the new form factor technology. As a result, the demand for nanoETXexpress is growing rapidly. This is a clear sign that the market has accepted nanoETXexpress and we are delighted to have AAEON on board as the first competitor to officially follow this small form factor trend. More companies will soon follow to give nanoETXexpress a big push towards adoption in the PICMG specification, says Joseph Behammer, Director of Marketing of Kontron's Embedded Modules Division.

PICMG certification
The PICMG COM Express specification currently incorporates the basic and extended form factors. Kontron is now heading an initiative to incorporate the nanoETXexpress (84 mm x 55 mm) and slightly larger microETXexpress (95 x 95mm) form factor, which is already supported by five different manufacturers, into the COM Express specification. Upon successful acceptance, these will be known as COM Express ultra and COM Express compact respectively. Certification will establish a comprehensive specification that guarantees OEMs the highest degree of reliability and long-term availability to reduce design risks to a minimum. Competing mini Computer-on-Modules come with significantly higher design risks since no other specification recognizes different sized modules.

The nanoETXexpress form factor was derived from the guidelines of the PICMG COM Express specification and follows the specification 100 percent (as far as the dimensions permit). The only differences are the size of the form factor and some of the mounting holes. This enables scalability with COM Express Computer-on-Modules of different sizes. More important for nanoETXexpress customers, however, is the high reliability and wide spread know-how for COM Express conforming designs as well as a universally recognized standard that allows customers (according the Pareto Principle) to meet 80 percent of all market requirements with one major form factor specification only.

The latest nanoETXexpress specification and design guidelines for carrier boards can be downloaded free of charge from http://www.nanoetxexpress.com/. Other suppliers of embedded computer technology are encouraged to develop Computer-on-Modules that accord with this specification.