23 August 2007 23/08/07 - Atronic to Present Products in Kiev
Atronic will present a selection of its range of products at the upcoming Entertainment Industry 2007 show in Kiev, Ukraine in September. In the spotlight for Atronic will be its epic linked gaming concept King Kong Cash presented on the state-of-the-art e-motion™ cabinet. On the same booth, Atronic Systems will showcase its smart card cashless solution, CHIP CASH™ running on the GALAXIS™ online system.
Visitors to the Atronic stand will have the opportunity to experience the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’ with King Kong Cash. Designed for regular players who enjoy good paybacks and more chances at hitting the jackpot, King Kong Cash is a 4-level progressive jackpot that includes thrilling interactive bonus rounds, namely the King Kong Cash Bonus and the Mystery Kong Bonus. King Kong Cash utilises the full capacity of the striking e-motion™ cabinet and is supported by existing e-motion™ titles from Atronic’s extensive games library.
Also on display will be the inspiring ergonomically designed Harmony™ cabinet and the recent addition, Harmony™ Slant Top. Both cabinets offer quality and technology with new software architecture for enhanced game features, support of various languages, ease of service ensuring maximum machine uptime and user friendly service menus. In addition, the Harmony™ range of cabinets offers enhanced player comfort, brilliant graphics, auto play and continuous play, and is supported by a huge variety of Harmony™ titles from the Atronic games library.
Atronic will also present a large range of exciting stand-alone games including X-Tension™ games, Crimson Fire™ and Xanadu – City of Luck™. X-Tension™ games feature 50 lines of play on a screen layout of 5 reels with 4 symbols per reel, offering more excitement and chances to win. All button panels and on-screen language will be displayed in Russian language.
Atronic Systems will show why they are world leaders in cashless gaming with the presentation of CHIP CASH™, the smart way to play. CHIP CASH™ is the answer to increasing revenue. Both operators and players alike benefit from CHIP CASH™ with less machine downtime, total security, reduction in staffing costs, increase in service, and less interruptions for players just to name a few. CHIP CASH™ is extremely user and operator friendly, and a valuable asset to any casino operation.
Atronic invites you to join them at stand #309 at the Entertainment Industry 2007 show in Kiev.
23 August 2007 23/08/07 - Astra announce B3 content deal with Cyberview
Astra Games - Part of the Novomatic Group of Companies - has announced a new agreement with leading secure downloadable server-based systems developer Cyberview Technology Ltd. Astra will supply top performing B3 slot content for inclusion on the Cyberview’s “Lara” terminal, which will feature at Ladbrokes and Independent betting premises throughout the UK.
Astra Managing Director Neil Chinn commented positively on the opportunities afforded by the new arrangement:
“Astra’s B3 content catalogue is arguably the strongest range of games in the UK market, being developed on the proven model of Section 16 successes such as Party Games Slotto and Little Devils. This alliance with Cyberview will allow Astra to penetrate a new market sector and establish both the Cyberview “Lara” and Astra B3 games as key components in every betting shop gaming mix.”
The Lara terminal will feature Party Games Slotto, Little Devils and Reel King; a trio of outstanding Section 16 games that Cyberview Managing Director David Purvis believes will be embraced by the betting shop sector:
“We are delighted to have secured such a fantastic range of B3 games from Astra, who are widely acknowledged as one of the UK’s leading gaming content providers. We are confident that the Astra content range will further enhance our existing games library and deliver strong growth to our clients.”
The “Lara” terminal will also feature new B3 game “Golden 7s Slotto”, an impressive offering that utilises the proven “Slotto” game play and affirms Astra’s commitment to the sector:
“The expansion of Astra’s range of B3 games will be key to the UK product mix going forward,” said Neil Chinn (pictured), “building on the already successful games and continuing to innovate in the sector”.
23 August 2007 23/08/07 - SUZO INTERNATIONAL FORMS NEW EUROPEAN CASINO GROUP
Suzo International has formed a new casino group to cater for the particular needs of the casino business. Multi-lingual Erik Wijma is heading up this new casino group with a team of dedicated specialists.
Over the years Suzo has grown to be a truly international company and together with Happ, the Suzo-Happ Group is the largest components and spare parts specialist in the gaming and amusement market. Traditional links have always been with the OEM’s (the manufacturers of gaming / amusement machines) and Suzo has grown to become a household name for practically all component needs. Indeed, Suzo offers over 30,000 separate items to ensure the diversity and professional service the industry rightly expects of Suzo International.
Suzo’s focus is bringing best-in-class products to the market in a customer-focussed approach. Thus, the natural next step was to concentrate on the casino business. This led in 2006 to the introduction of a Suzo catalogue written specifically for the casino industry. One year later Suzo now has a dedicated team to cater to the casino industry directly.
Marcel Oelen, Managing Director of Suzo International, stated, “Being a supplier of tier 1 components, there has been a need from day one to have strong relations with the OEM’s. We have identified that there is a growing demand from the end users, in this case the casinos themselves, to have a direct relationship with the major component suppliers. In the past that would have meant too many companies to deal with. As we can supply the main core of components, casinos then have need to have Suzo as their contact and we can support them on almost all their component issues. That can relate to note readers, ticket printers, touch screens, hoppers, toppers, locks and a whole host of other products”.
Major component manufacturers have recognized the strength in depth that Suzo offers and so have placed their trust in Suzo. MEI and FutureLogic are two examples of this, as Suzo is the European distributor for both of these companies. Together with Graphic Controls, Suzo can offer the complete TITO solution. This trend to TITO with higher demands on note readers and ticket printers makes a direct contact with casinos very welcome.
Suzo International recognise the importance of supporting their products with the end users. Furthermore, new product introduction directly at the end customer can increase time to market. Together with an independent industry specialist, Suzo are introducing the Cashflow SC Series note reader from MEI directly to the casinos via the so-called VAT (value added trial) process. The casinos are invited to test the product for themselves and the excellent feedback from these trials endorses the Cashflow SC83. “Our customers are delighted with this product”, stated Oelen, “so much so that it is becoming the norm for the casinos to specify Cashflow in new slot purchases after the VAT”.
Erik Wijma stated, “Being on the market for over 50 years now and having grown to the largest component supplier in the world, the Suzo-Happ Group has the responsibility to offer only best-in-class. Thus, it was clear for note readers and ticket printers that MEI and FutureLogic make ideal partners. The move to TITO brings not only significant investment requirements by casinos but major new opportunities. Our experience is that casino customers are accepting TITO very quickly. With the promotional ticket option on the GEN2 from FutureLogic, casinos can benefit from new marketing channels as well”.
Erik Wijma is welcoming a new team of people at Suzo casino group. René van Son has joined the Suzo casino group as regional manager for Southern Europe. René comes with a bachelor degree and fours years of sales experience to Suzo. He will be joined soon by a new colleague to manage Northern European casinos. The third new member is called Marc Mertens who will support the casinos on a technical basis. Erik Wijma himself will continue to support casinos in his countries of sales responsibility – France, Italy and Switzerland. Erik will receive continued support from his sales colleagues. For example, Marc Aarts will continue to be the main casino contact for Holland Casino.
The casino team will also be introducing the product range of VendingData to the European casinos. The Suzo-Happ group have secured the global distribution rights for this Las Vegas company, whose products include the PokerOne Shuffler, Deckchecker and the Chipwasher.
22 August 2007 20/8/07 - exclusive signage provider- Casino Théâtre Barrière de Toulouse
Gaming Support announced today that France's largest gaming operator, Lucien Barrière Hotels and Casinos, has selected Gaming Support as its exclusive signage provider for its new property, Casino Théâtre Barrière de Toulouse. Under the terms of the agreement, Gaming Support will provide all signage within the facility, which is scheduled to open this autumn in Toulouse, France.
"Over the past two years, Gaming Support has labored intensively to build a world-class signage operation that is capable of meeting the exacting standards of Europe's leading gaming operators," stated Nick Hogan, Gaming Support's Vice President of Sales and Business Development. "Being selected as Lucien Barrière's exclusive signage provider for Casino Théâtre Barrière de Toulouse fills us with immense satisfaction and pride and we look forward to serving Lucien Barrière for many years to come."
"Casino Théâtre Barrière de Toulouse represents for Lucien Barrière a new generation of integrated entertainment products," commented David Parre, General Director of Casino Théâtre Barrière de Toulouse. "In selecting a signage provider for the property, we searched for a partner possessing both the creativity to produce powerful designs and the operational substance to deliver state-of-the-art assemblies that will stand the test of time. We are confident that we've found such a partner in Gaming Support and we’re very pleased to award it this scope of work.”hit with end customers.
22 August 2007 16/8/07 - Merkur Casinos in Croatia
So far, Europe’s most famous symbol of luck, the MERKUR sun, has only been shining in Croatia in the capital of Zagreb and in the city of Slavonsky Brod to the west of it. Now, MERKUR CASINO, the internationally oriented operating-subsidiary of the German GAUSELMANN Group, has been able to double the footprint of the ‘sun brand.’ Even in early May, a new entertainment center was inaugurated in Osijek, the fourth largest city in Croatia. For some days now MERKUR CASINO has also been present with a new branch or the fourth location in Croatia in Zapresic, a county capital with 23,000 inhabitants.
While with increased service-offering than the local competitors, the new MERKUR CASINO in the university city of Osijek with a floor space of approximately 350 square meters and 36 casino machines as well as an electronic roulette is one of the most effective locations of the arcade chain subsidiary of the Gauselmann Group that is active in all of Europe. Nevertheless, the new electronic casino shines with an unrivalled interior design, a high-quality modern product portfolio, and the excellent service skills of its staff. With its upscale ambiance it is located in an attractive neighborhood: the arcade was perfectly integrated into the modern shopping center in Osijek. In addition, the shopping mall is located in close proximity to the very popular marina.
Zapresic is only some kilometers away from the capital and metropolis and is considered to be one of the most densely populated cities in the Zupa (county) of Zagreb. The small cultural-historical city is not only known for its strikingly beautiful architectural monuments, evidence of the heyday of building and architecture, but also for its successful soccer club ‘Inter Zapresic’ that has just conquered back the top position in the Croatian first league. On a gaming floor of only 210 square meters MERKUR CASINO demonstrates its great competence in gaming, ambiance, and technology. 29 casino products and an electronic roulette offer patrons first-class entertainment. Apart from the inauguration, the 7-staff team of this MERKUR branch celebrated an additional premiere: for the first time, the customer-oriented “Merkur Card” with support of the Atronic system has been implemented and is being distributed in Croatia. The clou are the benefits for the users in terms of first-class customer-focused marketing. In addition to enjoying games the customers can collect points with the card and exchange them to their advantage. “Croatia is definitely spearheading the use of our MERKUR card. Indeed, the corresponding tests were also run in other European casino locations, but not in this innovative form as of yet,” explains Rolf Falke, managing director of Merkur Casino. “A new era has started for our target-group focused and internationally oriented marketing – very soon, nobody in Europe will want to play without the Merkur Card.“
Rolf Klug, member of the management board of Gauselmann AG and responsible for Spielothek, adds: “Our excellent technological innovation capabilities are based on many decades of experience as the leader of the German coin-operated machine industry as well as of the global casino segment. Marketing tools such as the Merkur Card confirm our competence and clear customer-focus. They are a clear sign of our elaborate overall marketing concept and will continue to continuously differentiate our Merkur Casinos from our competitors!“
MERKUR CASINO is a subsidiary of the family-managed and internationally active GAUSELMANN Group based in the East-Westphalian town of Espelkamp/Germany.
The GAUSELMANN Group, who this year proudly looks back to a 50-year history, currently operates 270 entertainment centers in the European arena. Just in time for the anniversary year the family-managed group generated aggregate consolidated revenues of more than EUR 1b in the fiscal year 2006. Worldwide, the GAUSELMANN Group employs more than 5,500 employees and is the only company in the German entertainment machine industry to be certified according to ISO DIN EN 9001:2000. The friendly smiling MERKUR sun has become the most popular symbol of luck and much appreciated guarantee for innovative leisure time culture in 10 countries in Europe.
