At the Gaming Expo Belgrade 2008 in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, Austrian Gaming  Industries GmbH (AGI), wholly owned subsidiary of Novomatic Holding, proved its unswerving commitment to this growing market with a spectacular range of innovations and market-specific products.

The Gaming Expo Belgrade 2008 took place from 19th-21st February at the Belgrade Fair and – by special invitation of the show organizers – was opened by AGI’s Managing Director Jens Halle. In his opening speech he emphasised the significance of Serbia as a growing market but also the importance of a rapid regulation of the gaming industry in order to guarantee a fair and open competition for all legal operators and providers. His speech reflected the current market situation and was met with great acclaim.
 
On booth A400 AGI presented the latest product innovations recently launched at ICE such as the new Coolfire™ II games in the sophisticated Super-V+ Gaminator® and Super-R+ Gaminator® multi-game cabinets. The Super-V+ Gaminator® was a particular highlight of the show in Belgrade: it epitomizes the next generation AGI standard cabinet for the international markets. Featuring state-of-the-art video gaming technology the Super-V+ Gaminator® stands for performance by design!

Super-V+ Gaminator® comes with panoramic displays in extra-wide screen format, Multi-Denomination and Multi-Language options and offers great sound through subwoofers and an active satellite speaker system. Sophisticated style and highest quality make this cabinet a top casino attraction for maximum guest attraction and superior performance.


But also the Novo-Vision™ Slant Top I generated considerable interest. This casino slant top cabinet features a 22” bottom touch screen plus a giant 26” top screen for a new dimension of gaming entertainment. The innovative flip-screen feature allows players to switch their main game from the bottom to the top screen to play in their preferred and ergonomically perfect position. Another new feature is the secondary start button located in the foot rest for ultimate player comfort and relaxed gaming fun. The Novo-Vision™ Slant Top I brings sophisticated style and exclusive comfort to any casino floor. For casino operators who seek to thrill their guests with a full-impact gaming experience.

AGI also presented a specific product range for the Serbian market: Multi-Games 4 You™. Of course, also the latest game mixes of the international bestseller Multi-Gaminator®, versions 30 and 31, were on display.

During the running of the show Novomatic also celebrated the opening of its third Serbian Admiral Club. Located near the city center it offers guests state-of-the-art gaming entertainment in sophisticated style as well as Novomatic’s famous excellent service and a great ambiance. From the opening night onwards the new electronic casino drew large crowds.

On 14th February, 2008 the Kurhessische Spielbank Kassel unveiled the first Flexi-Link jackpot system installation in Germany to the guests of the Casino at the Kurfürsten Galerie. The impressive jackpot system was delivered and implemented by Austrian Gaming Industries GmbH (AGI), 100-percent subsidiary of the Nomonatic Holding.

The installation and implementation of the new Flexi-Link jackpot system at the Kurfürsten Galerie proved to be an easy task and was concluded within a day. In the early evening hours the system was fully operational and the first guests could try their luck on this first Flexi-Link in Germany.

The Flexi-Link jackpot theme “High Speed” at the Kurfürstengalerie is linked to a group of 20 Duo-Vision™ machines featuring a great variety of the latest Coolfire™ II games. Towering above the group of machines is a 42-inch plasma monitor displaying the maximum cash value of the forthcoming jackpots as well as the impressive large jackpot sign in “High Speed” car-racing style.

Peter Schneider of the Kurhessische Spielbank Kassel/Bad Wildungen GmbH & Co. KG is proud of the new attraction: „The new jackpot system with its impressive visual appearance is definitely a top attraction for our slot floor. Already in the first week of operation we were able to observe a high utilisation and increased performance of the machine group. In the evening hours the linked machines are almost permanently fully occupied. The great design of the Flexi-Link and its attractive win parameters have a strong appeal  for our younger audiences and blend in perfectly with our slot floor design and product strategy.”

AGI distributes the Flexi-Link jackpot system in Europe, Africa and South America under the terms of a strategic alliance with the Australian producer Independent Gaming Ltd Pty. At ICE 2008 in London AGI presented the first of what will be a new range of in-house-developed themes for this gripping jackpot system.

The GSA Annual Technical Meetings were held in Graz, Austria from the 28th to the 31st January, 2008. Proudly hosted by Atronic International, it was the first time that the event was held outside the United States.
   
Taking part in the landmark meetings were up to 35 participants from Europe and the United States representing the G2S, SAS, S2S and Transport committees. The competently organised meetings were well received by all participants and were hailed as being very efficient and productive. 

Executive Director R&D for the Atronic Group, Oskar Dohrau said “It was a special honour for Atronic to host the first ever conference outside of the USA in Graz, especially as this is the 10th anniversary of the GSA. The exchange of experience and the definition of interface standards within the industry are seen as an essential advantage for all enterprises involved.”

“We are thrilled with the outcome of these first ever meetings outside the United States,” said GSA President, Peter de Raedt. “The timing was right for GSA to hold these meetings in Europe. It emphasises that the GSA standards are developed internationally and that as an association we are addressing the needs of the global gaming industry.”

The Gaming Standard Association – GSA – is an international trade association that creates benefits for gaming manufacturers, suppliers, operators and regulators. They facilitate the identification, definition, development, promotion, and implementation of open standards to enable innovation, education, and communication for the benefit of the entire industry.

The meetings took place at the Schlossberghotel in Graz, in the heart of the Austrian state Styria.  In addition to attending the meetings, participants had the opportunity to experience traditional Styrian cuisine and visit historical sites such as the beautiful city of Graz and its surrounding countryside.

Participants were extremely satisfied and impressed with both the organisation of the meetings and the extended program. As such the GSA is already planning a return visit to Europe in 2009.

funworld, with their private brand, BET-solutions, supplies state-owned as well as private betting providers with the complete technological infrastructure required for the successful management of sports bets. BET-solutions utilises the touch-screen innovator’s vast technological know-how with comprehensive specialist knowledge of the betting field, thus operating as professional provider for sports bets on the Internet and for user applications such as terminals and cash systems.

To meet the demands of the continuously growing modern betting business, funworld makes use of the latest technology, especially of ‘Server-based-Gaming’ (SBG), with which the company already has much experience according to Josef Öhlinger, funworld ag CEO: “Because of the many years of employing ‘Server-based-technology’ for our core-brand PHOTO PLAY, we have gained much competence and a great deal of know-how in the linked games sector. Now we are able to let this experience flow into the betting business and rightly present ourselves as reliable partner for day-to-day sports betting operations.” 

With its innovative ‘touch2win II’ betting terminal, BET-solutions was already able to convince the public at the two most important trade fairs for the entertainment electronics industry, the IMA in Düsseldorf and the ATEI in London this year. The terminal stands out due to its manifold betting options and its ergonomic design with double-monitor unit.

 

Josef Öhlinger, funworld ag CEO, commented „With BET-solutions we are reacting to the increasing liberalisation of online sports betting in Europe and we sense a great expansionary potential for our company in this field. Because of this year’s European Soccer Cup, we expect a large demand for live bets as well as a run on the latest sports bets. We see BET-solutions as a turnover-strong motor of growth“

Josef Öhlinger is pictured with the new “touch2win II” terminal.

Suzo Americas, with its headquarter in Buenos Aires, has been appointed as the official distributor in Argentina of Ardac Elite, Money Controls’ revolutionary bill and ticket acceptor. This agreement is further evidence of the Ardac Elite’s continuing success with OEMs and casino operators.
Signing the agreement on behalf of Money Controls, Aquiles Mila de la Roca, Director of Sales for Latin America, said: “With their experience, technical support and logistics capability, Suzo Americas is the leading distributor in the Latin America gaming market. Our new alliance with such a strong and reputable partner will enhance awareness of Ardac Elite and enable it to make further inroads in casinos in Argentina.”
Jens Peiler, Suzo Americas’ General Manager, said: “We are delighted with this new relationship with Money Controls. Having seen the success Ardac Elite has enjoyed, first in casinos across Europe and now in Latin America, we are excited at the sales opportunities for Ardac Elite in Argentina.
“Casino operators have been asking us about Ardac Elite, having read of its outstanding performance, particularly its high acceptance rate and fraud rejection. Many have been keen to replace their underperforming bill and ticket acceptors with Ardac Elite. Now that we have switched to Ardac Elite, we can satisfy these requests.”
Ardac Elite’s performance is a result of its advanced image capture and data processing technology that monitors 200,000 data points for every bill and barcode ticket inserted. And it’s this technology that enables a full-colour image of the last-note inserted to be displayed on a PDA. Now, disputes can be resolved in seconds, with no need to remove the cashbox: all floor staff need do is connect a PDA to the USB socket on the front of the Ardac Elite for instant proof of what note was inserted last.
The increasing popularity of TITO operations makes Ardac Elite’s latest feature, 4-way barcode reading, a surefire winner with operators in Argentina. With this new option, customers are no longer frustrated by tickets being rejected — whichever way a ticket is inserted, Ardac Elite reads it.