The European Gambling Briefing (EGB) is now firmly established as an essential part of the gaming events calendar for the terrestrial and remote industries alike. EGB delivers serious, senior-level analysis on the legal and regulatory issues shaping on and offline gaming today, going beyond the theory to look practically at the ramifications of these issues for operators and suppliers building an international business. EGB brings together the most influential politicians, regulators, lawyers and operators from Europe and beyond to tackle the always heated debate on cross-border competition, the role of the European Union and European Court of Justice, the US legal landscape, opportunities in emerging European territories, Asia, South America and South Africa - and much more. 150 attendees from 23 countries attended EGB in May this year, with organisations represented including the European Commission, Holland Casino, Casinos Austria, UK National Lottery Commission, PartyGaming, 888.com, Betfair and the Gaming Boards of Sweden, Norway, Malta and Belgium.
Moving to Amsterdam! Now in its fourth year, EGB is moving venue for 2008 to take place in the sophisticated surroundings of the Hotel Okura in Amsterdam. Networking has always been central to EGB’s success and 2008 will be no exception, with exciting options currently being explored in our new host city.
22 August 2007 10/8/07 - Money Controls' Ardac Elite wins default position at Weike
Following exhaustive testing, South East Asia’s leading gaming machine manufacturer Weike (S) Pte Ltd has made Ardac Elite the default bill and ticket acceptor in their range of machines.
Based in Singapore, with a manufacturing plant in Malaysia, Weike designs, manufactures and distributes slot machines, progressive jackpot link systems and electronic table games. In all, it currently has over 80 different games machines on offer. Its main customer base is in Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia and Singapore; virtually all of the clubs licensed for gaming machines in South East Asia have Weike machines.
Ardac Elite’s highest level of fraud rejection, its high performance and its low maintenance needs were key factors in Weike’s decision, as Mr. Tay Wee Thiang, Weike’s Vice President for Product Development, explained, on signing the agreement at G2E Asia in Macau: “As well as very high first-time acceptance of street-grade bills, we need to make sure we are not hit by frauds, in particular US dollar frauds, as the US$ is a major gaming currency in the region. During the tests, Ardac Elite rejected all of the known frauds.”
The exceptional fraud rejection is thanks to Ardac Elite’s state-of-the-art optoelectronics and data processing techniques, with 200,000 data points monitored for each bill inserted — significantly more than other bill acceptors on the market.
“Weike and Money Controls is a winning combination, particularly for casino operators in the region who are already reaping the benefits of Ardac Elite with increased take, reduced running costs and elimination of frauds,” added Mr. Tay Wee Thiang.
This is a key strategic win for Money Controls as South East Asia is experiencing rapid growth in gaming and Weike looks set to claim a large slice of this market
21 August 2007 1/8/07 - AGI pioneers electronic Roulettes in Belgium
Austrian Gaming Industries GmbH (AGI), part of the Novomatic Group of Companies,
is now conquering the Belgium market for electronic Roulette products. Following the passage of the new amendment to Belgium’s gaming law AGI delivers three comprehensive Novo Multi-Roulette™ installations to major Belgian casinos.
The new amendments to the gaming law in Belgium were passed at the beginning of this year, and open up new possibilities for the well regulated casino market and its guests. AGI did not hesitate in having its internationally best selling electronic Roulette product Novo Multi-Roulette™ licensed for the Belgium market.
The first installations are now being delivered to the Grand Casino Brussels (Casinos Austria International), and the Blankenberge and Middelkerke seaside Casinos, both of which are owned by the Rank Group. Each of the three installations consist of 12 slant top player terminals as well as an automated Roulette wheel. All three Roulette installations are powered by the server-based Novo Unity™ multi-player platform and thus offer high usability and maximum flexibility for the operator as well as highest security standards in daily operation and numerous further features such as the controlling tool Management Console.
“Electronic Roulette products have been long-awaited by Belgian casino operators and their arrival is most welcome”, says Marnix Baes, Regional Sales Manager of the local distributor Gaming Support Belgium N.V. “We are very happy that the new regulations now permit us to introduce AGI’s Novo Multi-Roulette™. It is a high quality product that allows casinos to offer their guests modern Roulette entertainment with increased privacy and comfort.” He adds: “I am positive that electronic Roulettes will bring a new dimension of excitement to the Belgian casino market – and with Novo Multi-Roulette™ we offer the world’s most successful product.”
Austrian Gaming Industries GmbH (AGI) - www.novomatic.com - is an integrated global gaming company specializing in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and sales of electronic gaming machines and advanced technology products, in addition to extensive operational activities encompassing casinos, electronic gaming halls and sports betting outlets.
27 July 2007 27/7/07 - King Kong makes a giant leap into South Africa
Atronic’s multi-level progressive jackpot link King Kong Cash makes a giant leap into South Africa. The first ever installation of King Kong Cash for South Africa went into operation in June at the newly expanded section of the Grand West Casino in Cape Town.
Grand West Casino, operated by Africa’s highly successful group Sun International, has just undergone a facelift in an exciting expansion project to include a new Smoking Casino housing more than 1,000 slot machines. Included in these numbers are the first Harmony™ machines to be installed in South Africa.
King Kong Cash makes its first appearance in South Africa on a bank of Atronic´s state-of-the-art e-motion™ machines. This 4-level progressive jackpot is set to thrill and excite the South African players with the interactive bonus features; King Kong Cash Bonus and Mystery Kong Bonus. Supported by a range of popular games from the Atronic games library, King Kong Cash is sure to attract players from all over the casino floor.
Also taking up position on the new floor space are the antics of Dr. Cash Fever™ in Atronic’s ultimate linked gaming concept, Cash Fever™. The 4-level progressive jackpot is presented on the double-screen e-motion™ cabinet and features the hotter than hot Cash Fever™ Bonus. Fevers are set to rise as the wacky and wild Dr. Cash Fever™ sends the temperature soaring on the jackpot thermometer.
All newly installed Atronic slot machines support Atronic Systems’ Cashless gaming system. Sun International is a major supporter of the Atronic Systems Smart Card claiming it as highly beneficial for both operators and players alike. Grand West´s technical staff were assisted by Atronic´s Technical Service team in the successful installation.
Andrew Stewart, General Manager Atronic Africa commented: “We are extremely excited with the installation of the new multi-level progressive jackpot link King Kong Cash at Grand West Casino and believe this progressive concept will attract even more interest to the already popular e-motion™ cabinet. Furthermore we are very pleased with the initial results of Cash Fever™ which has already caused huge interest with players and shown good revenues for the casino. “
26 July 2007 26/7/07 - New Star Tabled by Atronic Systems
Star|TABLES is an advanced Table Management system providing a wide range of automated features that greatly facilitate daily table game operations, save time for the casino staff and hence save costs for the casino operators.
Star|TABLES provides back office and front office features, the latter being supported by the Golden Eye™ hardware platform.
