Global Gaming Business, October 2021

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CONTENTS

Vol. 20 • No. 10

october

Global Gaming Business Magazine

COLUMNS

28 COVER STORY Perpetual Motion

16 AGA Gaming’s Great Reputation

IGT has kept on rolling through the difficult past year, not only producing new cabinets and content in every game style, but branching out into new areas like historical horse racing and a turnkey cashless/cardless module within its Advantage casino management system.

David Forman

18 Fantini’s Finance How to Play the Game Frank Fantini

92 Marketing Anticipate Surprises

By Frank Legato On the Cover: IGT executives Ken Bossingham, senior vice president of sales; Cari Blomquist, vice president, Core Game Studio; and Domenico Pastia, senior vice president of global product

FEATURES

100 RG Tech

20 China’s Influence The People’s Republic of China continues to exert its influence on the gaming industry both within its Special Administrative Region of Macau and throughout the world.

Operators are turning to technology that promotes responsible gaming efforts and helps pinpoint customers with potential gambling problems.

By Marjorie Preston

By Brendan D. Bussmann

Roger Snow

DEPARTMENTS 8

The Agenda

12

By the Numbers

14

5 Questions

19

AGEM

98

Frankly Speaking

112 People

An increasing number of jurisdictions are authorizing sportsbooks at professional stadiums and arenas, to the benefit of both the books and the teams.

114 Casino Communications With John Acres, Founder, Acres Manufacturing Company

By Bill Sokolic

24

Compliance Software helps casino operators ensure compliance with federal regulations involving anti-money laundering efforts and currency transactions.

By Dave Bontempo 4

106 Making My Point Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em

108 Goods & Services

24 Stadium Betting

94 Security Through

Julia Carcamo

Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

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CONTENTS Global Gaming Business Magazine

Vol. 20 • No. 10

october

Page 34

Global Games 2021 As the gaming industry continues on a path to normalcy following last year’s pandemic shutdowns, slot suppliers are presenting products that reflect the fact that all research and development has continued unabated during the crisis. Here are the new products the supply sector will present at the first in-person Global Gaming Expo in two years.

By Frank Legato, Marjorie Preston and Bill Sokolic

36 AGS 40 Ainsworth Game Technology 44 Aristocrat Gaming 50 Aruze Gaming America 54 Bluberi Gaming 58 Everi 64 Gaming Arts 68 IGT 72 Incredible Technologies 76 Konami Gaming 82 Novomatic Americas 84 Scientific Games 88 Sega Sammy Creation 90 Zitro 6

Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

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THE AGENDA

Vol. 20 • No. 10 • OCTOBER 2021

Deck the Hall

By Roger Gros, Publisher

t recent G2Es, a ceremony has been held to induct new members into the American Gaming Association’s Gaming Hall of Fame. At the time I’m writing this, the 2021 class has not yet been announced, but I’m certain it will contain several very qualified honorees.

I was part of the selection committee for a few years and found the process to be very transparent.

But truthfully, there is always some politics that influenced the decisions. For example, in the early 1990s, Steve Wynn was inducted into the Hall. A couple of years later, his arch-enemy Donald Trump was named to the group, and Wynn returned his honor. Later, he was re-inducted when the Donald suddenly became his fast friend.

But I’ve always thought that the Hall of Fame has missed the boat by not naming two guys who had major influences on gaming. I brought up these names each year during my association with the process, but somehow it never got done.

The first one is Howard Hughes. No one has ever influenced legal gaming with more impact than Hughes. Yes, he was quite weird, segregating himself on the blacked-out top floor of the Desert Inn back in the day. But he was not the Mob, and he forced regulators to allow corporate ownership of Nevada casinos, a move that led to the ouster of most organized crime ownership of casinos, and legitimatized gaming in the investment community.

The second name was Elvis Presley. While Las Vegas always had high-profile entertainers, it wasn’t until Elvis created one of the first “residencies” at the International Hotel that the public realized that entertainment in Las Vegas could really reach the next level. Even today, you can see Elvis impersonators all over town, sometimes running into them in the local supermarkets.

Supposedly there are several reasons this hasn’t happened yet, and it has to do with brands and images that are jealously guarded by the estates of both Hughes and Presley. But if you ask me, a Gaming Hall of Fame without these two trailblazers has some big holes to fill.

There are also some other people who have had a big impact on gaming who should also be recognized, but they aren’t marquee names.

Take Roy Student, for example. Student came

A

8

Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

to Vegas in the early 1970s and played a role in creating the first casino accounting and rating systems, pioneered server-based gaming, and was one of the first to recognize the potential for non-gaming revenue in the industry. He’s forgotten more about gaming than most of us know.

Or how about Gary Platt? Talk about putting butts into seats! Platt began his gaming career in the ’60s and has worked with casino designers and executives for years to create a comfortable and exciting experience for slot and table game players, diners—and almost everywhere you can sit in a casino with his innovative seating options. His role in the changing design of the casino floor over the years cannot be underestimated.

On the tribal gaming side, don’t mistake the big role that Sheila Morago has played in the relationship between tribes and state governments. One of the first leaders of the Arizona Indian Gaming Association and now with the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association, Morago has emphasized the symbiotic role the tribes play with the states, and her influence has been felt across Indian Country.

And of course, our hearts were broken last month when we heard of the passing of Mike Meczka, one of the leading market researchers in gaming. Meczka was a powerful influence in the way casinos market to players, and his passion for his craft was well known, as well as his kind personality. Even posthumously, he should be in any gaming hall of fame.

Very few people in the industry have experience in as many gaming disciplines as does Richard Schuetz. He’s been a casino executive, working with some of the most innovative gaming executives, worked for suppliers and then turned into a thoughtful regulator when he took positions in California and Bermuda. He’s evolved into the conscience of the industry. Let’s recognize his contribution to our business.

These are just a few of the influential people who should be recognized in the Gaming Hall of Fame. But I understand the limitations and even the politics of the award, so to those of us who know someone special, take the time to tell them and others what they mean to us.

Roger Gros, Publisher | rgros@ggbmagazine.com twitter: @GlobalGamingBiz Frank Legato, Editor | flegato@ggbmagazine.com twitter: @FranklySpeakn Marjorie Preston, Managing Editor mpreston@ggbmagazine.com Monica Cooley, Art Director mcooley@ggbmagazine.com Terri Brady, Sales & Marketing Director tbrady@ggbmagazine.com Becky Kingman-Gros, Chief Operating Officer bkingros@ggbmagazine.com Lisa Johnson, Communications Advisor lisa@lisajohnsoncommunications.com twitter: @LisaJohnsonPR Columnists Julia Carcamo | Frank Fantini David Forman | Roger Snow Contributing Editors Dave Bontempo twitter: @bontempomedia Brendan D. Bussmann Bill Sokolic twitter: @downbeachfilm __________________

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Rino Armeni, President, Armeni Enterprises

•

Mark A. Birtha, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Hard Rock International

• Julie Brinkerhoff-Jacobs, President, Lifescapes International

• Nicholas Casiello Jr., Shareholder, Fox Rothschild

• Jeffrey Compton, Publisher, CDC E-Reports twitter: @CDCNewswire

• Dean Macomber, President, Macomber International, Inc.

• Stephen Martino, Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer, MGM Resorts International, twitter: @stephenmartino

• Jim Rafferty, President, Rafferty & Associates

• Thomas Reilly, Vice President Systems Sales, Scientific Games

• Michael Soll, President, The Innovation Group

• Katherine Spilde, Executive Director, Sycuan Gaming Institute, San Diego State University, twitter: @kspilde

• Ernie Stevens, Jr., Chairman, National Indian Gaming Association twitter: @NIGA1985

• Roy Student, President, Applied Management Strategies

• David D. Waddell, Partner Regulatory Management Counselors PC Casino Connection International LLC. 1000 Nevada Way • Suite 204 • Boulder City, NV 89005 702-248-1565 • 702-248-1567 (fax) www.ggbmagazine.com The views and opinions expressed by the writers and columnists of GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS are not necessarily the views of the publisher or editor.

Copyright 2021 Global Gaming Business LLC. Boulder City, NV 89005 GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS is published monthly by Casino Connection International, LLC. Printed in Nevada, USA. Postmaster: Send Change of Address forms to: 1000 Nevada Way, Suite 204, Boulder City, NV 89005

Official Publication

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BY THE

NUMBERS

Confirmation of Comorbidity i

t’s long been known that an addiction to gambling is usually accompanied by other addictions, whether it’s alcohol, drugs or any other compulsion like online shopping or sex. A recent study linked compulsive gambling with psychiatric disorders of any kind, indicating that those who are susceptible to a gambling disorder have already exhibited a weakness or problem in other areas. And those that have been diagnosed with a gambling disorder most often are found to have problems in other areas. But it’s clear that a gambling problem is inexorably linked to other psychiatric disorders. Could this make it easier to diagnose someone who might have a gambling problem? Efforts are under way at the International Center for Responsible Gaming, the National Center for Problem Gambling and Conscious Gaming to determine if there truly is a correlation.

Choppy recovery

m

acau casinos were the first in the world to close in late January 2020 when the pandemic was detected in the SAR. And even when the casinos reopened in February, business disappeared when China imposed a lockdown prohibiting travel to Macau from its largest markets. Since that time, the recovery has been spotty as travel restrictions were relaxed and later reimposed as Covid surged yet again. Even in September, a new variant of the disease appeared in the province of Fujian, threatening another revenue slump for Macau casinos.

But there’s light at the end of the tunnel as restrictions surrounding travel from Hong Kong, Guangdong and Zhuhai have been relaxed, even if the Fujian outbreak continues since that province provides less that 5 percent of Macau revenue. So the hope is that the lucrative “Golden Week” (October 1-7) will be pulled off with a dramatic increase in visitation to Macau. Jefferies provided an estimate of the revenue roller-coaster to its investors in a report to investors in September.

12

Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

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NUTSHELL

5Questions David Rebuck, Director New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement

D

ave Rebuck is the longest-serving director of New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement, with his term now exceeding 12 years. In this exclusive podcast, he talks about how the DGE has operated since the legalization of sports betting in 2018 and how it navigated the pandemic. He spoke with GGB Publisher Roger Gros via Zoom in July. To hear a full podcast of this interview, visit GGBMagazine.com.

GGB: When the pandemic hit in March 2020, casinos were forced to close within 24 hours. How did New Jersey respond to this?

David Rebuck: Unfortunately, we had some experience with this before. Prior to my tenure, casinos had

1 2 3 4 5

to close down for budget reasons, and then twice while I was here. In 2011, we had to evacuate the island for Hurricane Eileen, and we closed the casinos for one day. The second was a little more significant with Super Storm Sandy. Fortunately, Atlantic City and the casinos were not seriously impacted, but we shut down for five days because of the impact on the infrastructure in the state. So we’re very familiar with anticipating closing and following the procedures to safely and securely shut down the casinos.

When the casinos reopened in July 2020, there were major restrictions on how they could operate—no indoor dining, capacity limits, social distancing and other things. How did the DGE enforce that?

This is one of the most highly regulated industries in the state, and the industry knows it. When the governor gave them the opportunity to take a risk and reopen, they knew they had to take their responsibilities seriously and if they didn’t follow the rules strictly, that opportunity would quickly be taken away. I was very encouraged by their aggressive approach to enforcing the restrictions. We had state troopers and investigators in there every day and had very little cause to cite violations.

New Jersey was the state that led the challenge to the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), so it was obvious it would become the first state outside of Nevada to offer sports betting to its citizens when it was successful. How were you able to get up and running so quickly?

You have to remember that New Jersey passed sports betting by a referendum in 2011 and drew up regulations that would have permitted it in 2013, but the federal government slapped an injunction on us and that shut it down. But as the case wound through the courts, I thought we needed to take a deeper dive into the regulations because I was not comfortable with the original set of regs. So obviously, we relied very heavily on Nevada, but then realized we had to go overseas to see how they regulated modern sports betting. We had teams of people go to Europe and Australia to not only learn from regulators but from operators as well.

How important was it to get the online aspect of sports betting correct?

We quickly realized by visiting Europe that we’d miss a big opportunity if we used sports betting simply as an amenity to bring people into the casinos like they do in Nevada. It works fine for Nevada, but we realized that sports wagering was going in a different direction, and when we looked at the technology behind sports betting, what we had in the United States was vastly inferior to what they offered in Europe.

So we changed our regs to reflect that.

How does New Jersey handle the “skins” factor of both iGaming and sports betting?

When we first heard this term in Europe, it was very confusing, but eventually realized it consists of partnerships with licensed entities. In New Jersey, we set a limit of five skins for iGaming. And only the casinos can offer skins for iGaming, not the racetracks. There still are plenty of skins available for iGaming.

For sports betting, it’s different. Both casinos and racetracks can only offer three skins, and they are all maxed out.

14

Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

“They

Said It”

“The nature of poker is to be in close proximity with your opponents for extended periods of time, and a seat at the World Series of Poker is a commitment for both our company and the participants.”

—Ty Stewart, executive director, World Series of Poker, on why participants are required to be vaccinated

CALENDAR October 4-7: Global Gaming Expo (G2E), Venetian Expo Center, Las Vegas. Produced by the American Gaming Association and Reed Exhibitions. For more information, visit GlobalGamingExpo.com. LIVE October 25-26: East Coast Gaming Congress, Harrah’s Resort, Atlantic City, NJ. Produced by Spectrum Gaming Group and Cooper Levenson.

For more information, visit EastCoastGamingCongress.com. LIVE November 1-4: ICE Connect: Innovation & Connection Online. Produced by Clarion Gaming. For more information, visit QuartzEvents.com. VIRTUAL November 9-11: Betting on Sports Europe, Stamford Bridge, London. Produced by SBC. For more information, visit SBCEvents.com. LIVE November 9-10: G2E Asia, Venetian Macao.

Produced by Reed Exhibitions and the American Gaming Association. For more information, visit G2EAsia.com. LIVE November 16-18: SiGMA Europe, MFCC, Malta. Produced by SiGMA. For more information, visit SiGMA.com.mt. LIVE November 30-December 2: SBC Summit North America, Meadowlands Exposition Center, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Produced by SBC. For more information, visit SBCEvents.com. LIVE December 6-8: Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) Symposium, Tucson, Arizona. Produced by the University of Arizona. For more information, visit ua.rtip.org/symposium. LIVE February 1-2, 2021: ICE London, ExCeL, London, U.K. Produced by Clarion Gaming. For more information, visit ICELondon.uk.com. LIVE

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AMERICAN GAMING ASSOCIATION

Gaming’s Great

Reputation

As gaming spreads across the country, so does its positive impact on society and communities

O

ver the last three decades, casino gaming has expanded from a niche business limited to Nevada and New Jersey to a $261 billion industry that is prospering in 44 states and the District of Columbia. As Americans have become more exposed to gaming, their perceptions of the gaming industry have evolved: far from the antiquated depictions acted out in Hollywood, Americans more than ever appreciate today’s modern, mainstream and responsible industry.

Each year, the American Gaming Association (AGA) conducts a survey of Americans to understand their attitudes toward gaming. In recent years, Americans’ improving view of gaming has been helped by a more widespread understanding of the economic benefits our industry brings to local communities. With the positive economic impact of gaming now increasingly well known, focusing on our commitment to responsibility and innovation will allow us to build on our current success for years to come.

Contrary to what many believe, there is no real anti-gaming constituency in this country: nine in 10 Americans believe that gambling is an acceptable form of entertainment for themselves or others, and the number of Americans with a positive view of the industry has increased by nearly 25 percent in just the last decade.

Our commitment to our customers, employees and communities is paying off. Americans view gaming as an economic engine, with twothirds of American adults saying the gaming industry has a positive impact on the economy and provides high-quality jobs. On a local level, seven in 10 American adults believe that the industry behaves responsibly in the communities where it operates and nearly 60 percent say that the industry gives back to its communities.

Gaming’s commitment to responsible gaming is also strengthening perceptions of our industry.

More than half of Americans believe casino gaming companies are committed to responsible gaming, and that number grows with those who have

16

Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

By David Forman

gotten to know the industry, as about seven in 10 Americans familiar with specific policies like deposit limits, casino employee training and time limits say the measures are effective.

Americans also recognize our industry is reflective of the country overall and offers valuable career opportunities, regardless of your background. Nearly eight in 10 Americans say that the industry employs a diverse workforce and threequarters agree that gaming provides equal opportunities for all of its employees regardless of demographics.

And finally, Americans simply think gaming is fun, with seven in 10 saying gaming provides high-quality, innovative entertainment.

These attitudes are translating into continued growth for gaming. Although the pandemic has led to a decrease in past-year casino visitation—28 percent of Americans in 2021 vs. 44 percent in 2019—we expect Americans will return sooner rather than later. Indeed, many already have, and with commercial gaming revenue on pace to hit an all-time high in 2021, these numbers only add to the optimism around gaming’s recovery.

Furthermore, huge majorities of Americans are in favor of expanded access to legal gaming.

Seventy-three percent support legalized sports betting, and both sports betting and iGaming have played a critical role in gaming’s recovery from Covid-19, making up nearly 13 percent of total commercial gaming revenue since the pandemic hit the U.S. Their continued success will be key to our full recovery.

While this year’s survey on American attitudes toward gaming gives us plenty of numbers, it also gives us one clear lesson: if we remain committed to supporting our communities, prioritizing responsible gaming and providing innovative entertainment options, Americans’ support for gaming will only continue to grow, as will the industry’s success.

David Forman is senior director of research for the American Gaming Association.

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FANTINI’S FINANCE

How to Play the Game Sports betting affiliates and data providers give investors new opportunities to profit

I

By Frank Fantini

t is natural that investors trying to capitalize on the sports betting boom will focus on companies running sportsbooks and those that provide technology to them.

The names are well known: DraftKings, Flutter’s 95 percent-owned FanDuel, Caesars, Penn National, Bally’s, Rush Street Interactive among the operators; GAN and Kambi among the technology providers.

But there are other ways to play the boom.

One group of companies are the affiliates, the publishers of newsletters and websites that build subscriber bases of likely sports bettors and then deliver them to operators at a price. Among the best known of the publicly traded affiliates is Catena Media, Stockholm-listed but with a big and growing American presence.

Of course, not everyone needs an affiliate. Big casino companies like Caesars, Penn National, MGM and Wynn have tens of millions of proven players in their databases, and the ability to reach out to others as PENN does with Barstool Sports and will soon do with Score Media and Gaming, which it is acquiring.

Likewise, companies like Caesars, DraftKings and Rush Street Interactive have their own technology.

But there is one component of sports betting that everyone needs, whether operators setting odds and fighting for market share, sports leagues or regulators monitoring integrity or gamblers trying to beat the odds. That one need is data.

And where there’s a need in our capitalist economy, someone will fill it.

Until recently, the data side of sports betting was little known or understood by investors, and there wasn’t a way to make money from it.

But now, there are two choices—the largest of the data companies, Sportradar, is about to go public, and its chief rival, Genius Sports, which went public in April.

Genius stock is up over 20 percent since April and the company recently nudged up its revenue guidance for this year to the top of its range, $255 million to $260 million, and reiterated EBITDA

18

guidance at $10 million to $20 million.

Sportradar says it will sell 19 million shares at $25 to $28 apiece. Combined with existing ownership, it will give the company, which will trade under the symbol SRAD, a nearly hefty $30 billion market cap. Genius Sports, which trades under the symbol GENI, has a $4.3 billion market cap.

The long-term attractiveness of these two companies is that, because everyone needs their data, they are a play on the certain growth of sports betting in itself.

Further, because they are capturing all the data through long-term contracts with leagues and operators, competition will be limited. In effect, they are a growing duopoly.

Like Caesars, Bally’s is focused on U.S. casinos and has been developing an ambitious digital operation.

And like Reeg, CEO George Papanier has been building a company that delivers on integrating acquisitions and on operating performance.

Bally’s also has two properties that might be considered wild cards—Bally’s Atlantic City and soonto-be-acquired Tropicana Las Vegas.

Both properties have suffered from ownerships that didn’t know what to do with them, did not invest in them or relegated them to low priorities.

Yet, both properties have significant potential.

Being able to focus on these properties and fulfill their potential could be home runs.

WELCOME BACK, HARALD REEG DOES IT AGAIN Caesars CEO Tom Reeg has gotten a reputation for 1) executing excellently on integrating acquisitions; and 2) under-promising and over-delivering.

He has done it again with the sale of William Hill’s non-U.S. operations. While many speculated that William Hill would fetch £1.2 billion to £1.5 billion and were happy with that as a positive for Caesars, Reeg had indicated he expected to get more.

He did.

U.K. online gaming operator 888 will pay £2.2 billion, which translates to over $3 billion.

The sale has two big positives for Caesars: • It allows the company to reduce its debt leverage. Jefferies analyst David Katz estimates Caesars will cut its debt-to-EBITDA ratio to 6.1 times next year from 6.5 times, and to 4.9 times by 2023.

• It gets a lot of issues behind and positions Reeg and his team to focus on building its U.S. casino and digital businesses.

Given the company’s large number of physical casinos for cross-marketing and its player database of more than 60 million customers, that presents a lot of resources for Reeg to again over-deliver.

Ainsworth Game Technology is a $300 million market cap company that is getting a multibillion-dollar experienced CEO in Harald Neumann, who takes the reins on October 1.

Neumann was CEO of international gaming conglomerate Novomatic, which owns a majority interest in Ainsworth. He also serves on Ainsworth’s board.

Novomatic, in turn, is owned by its founder, Dr. Johann Graf.

That Graf has decided his longtime trusted executive should take charge of Ainsworth suggests he has serious plans for the company.

And, that Neumann, an Austrian like Graf, will operate the Australian company out of Las Vegas suggests those serious plans will rest heavily on the U.S. In relocating to Las Vegas, Ainsworth will follow in the path of fellow Australian games provider Aristocrat, which a number of years ago realized that the U.S. is the most important market, so its top executives should be located there.

Interestingly, Aristocrat and Ainsworth were founded by the same man, Len Ainsworth.

If Ainsworth Game Technology enjoys even a portion of the success in its move that Aristocrat has achieved, investors will be well rewarded, and it won’t be a penny stock anymore.

BALLYHOO There is what might be called a Caesars Lite that deserves attention, and that is Bally’s Corporation.

Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

Frank Fantini is the editor and publisher of Fantini’s Gaming Report. For a free 30-day trial subscription email subscriptions@fantiniresearch.com.

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AGEMupdate AGEM MEMBER PROFILE

Theatro is a Dallas, Texas-based technology company that has created the world’s first voice-controlled collaboration platform for front-line team members in retail, gaming and hospitality. Theatro digitally connects all front-line team members, field leadership and headquarters to create one team across the enterprise, enabling alignment on strategy and vision while unlocking the full potential of the front line.

Theatro is the fastest-growing mobile platform, and was purpose-built for the 1.5 billion front-line workers in the world. Theatro believes that every employee should be connected to their enterprise and able to intelligently answer any guest’s question, or solve any operational challenge, even on their very first day.

As part of Theatro’s as-a-service model, every team member on property has access to a Theatro communicator, unifying communication and making every employee reachable. Theatro’s voice-controlled intelligent assistant connects team members to the resources they need to improve communication, worker productivity, and guest engagement— and all while being “heads-up and hands-free.”

Innovation for the Team Member

Not only does Theatro optimize front-line productivity and guest experience, they also aim to enhance the work experience of the 300,000-plus team members who are using the solution every day. They are empowered, connected, agile, and report a higher level of satisfaction with their jobs once Theatro is deployed.

AGEM Board of Directors Actions for September 2021 • AGEM members were informed the Japan Casino Regulatory Commission (JCRC) held a meeting for interested suppliers on September 29 in Tokyo. AGEM has been represented in Japan by Ken Kamano of Konami, who has been keeping the AGEM officers and the AGEM Compliance Committee informed and updated on pending technical standards and regulations as the market inches toward future integrated resort casinos.

• The AGEM Mexico Committee headed by Carlos Carrión of Aristocrat has in the past year enjoyed good relations with SEGOB Director Alma Itzec De Lira Castillo and Olga Sánchez Cordero, the Mexican Government secretary for the interior, working closely with both. However, it was announced recently that Cordero has stepped down and a new secretary, Adan Lopez, has been appointed. AGEM hopes this change will not stall the progress that has been made regarding proposals for a new federal law, along with the cancellation of the proposed “NOM” that would add a further layer of certification to gaming machines.

• The search for AGEM’s new executive director is approaching the final stages. The current executive director, Marcus Prater, is contractually on board through February 1, 2022, and meanwhile, the AGEM officers set up a search committee that has been tasked to recruit his successor. The officers and the search committee have now selected a candidate, and all AGEM voting members will be notified before the end of September to vote and ratify the selection. Once this process has concluded, the announcement will be made to the membership and then to the wider industry.

• With G2E fast approaching, Event Director Korbi Carrison gave an update to members at the September board meeting regarding Reed’s latest health and safety measures for G2E. Following the announcement that vaccine verification would be required for all visitors to the show, conference and meeting rooms, members were told how the proposed registration and entry process will work, along with requirements for setup teams. Reed also outlined that the show will be different to the 2019 event as many international visitors are unable to travel due to restrictions. However, based on other similar Reed event trends, even though exhibitor and visitor numbers were reduced from pre-pandemic times, the quality of attendees was good.

Forthcoming Events • AGEM will be located at G2E Booth 3700, and looks forward to welcoming members back to this premier industry event. Once again, the AGEM Memorial Awards presentation commemorating Jens Halle and Peter Mead will take place at the AGEM booth on October 6 at 4 p.m. As a follow-on from the 2020 virtual event, the awards will be videoed and distributed to members who were unable to attend, allowing the recipients to be honored by a wider industry audience.

• Also during G2E, AGEM is sponsoring the Kick Up Your Heels event hosted by Global Gaming Women, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on October 6 at Wynn. AGEM members approved a $5,000 contribution to support this well-attended event.

AGEMindex

Success Starts With People

Theatro’s customers are at the center of everything they do, and the company is proud to be at the forefront of providing front-line employees with the solutions needed to be successful. Theatro’s team is committed to breaking down barriers and partnering with their customers to provide solutions that enable the front line to deliver on guest experience and productivity, and to gain the competitive advantage needed to win in today’s evolving market.

Theatro serves the world’s most notable brands, including Neiman Marcus, Cabela’s, Casino Morongo, The Container Store, and many more.

To learn more about how Theatro can help you digitally transform your workforce communications, visit Theatro.com.

The AGEM Index increased by 87.57 points to an all-time high of 1,012.89 points in August 2021, a 9.5 percent gain from July 2021. In the last month, nearly all AGEM Index companies reported increases in stock price, with 10 posting positive contributions and two recording a negative contribution to the index. Compared to the prior year, the AGEM Index was up 109.9 percent, more than doubling from the 530.38-point level in August 2020. The AGEM Index’s August 2021 growth was due in large part to a 9.7 percent increase in the stock price of Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL), which rose from $41.64 to $45.67. The stock was responsible for a 26.73-point increase in the AGEM Index’s monthly growth. Other significant index contributors were Konami Corp. (TYO: 9766), which added 21.64 points due to a 14.7 percent rise in stock price, and Scientific Games Corporation (NASDQ: SGMS), which contributed 21.45 points with a 17.2 percent stock price increase. The major stock indices also performed well over the month as the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 experienced monthly gains of 4.5 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average grew by 1.2 percent.

OCTOBER 2021 www.ggbmagazine.com

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Dragon Policy China’s influence on gaming at home and abroad

By Brendan D. Bussmann

C

hina continues to exert its influence and powers around the globe in just about every aspect of social, economic and geopolitical dynamics. This includes not just what happens within the borders of China, but also the policies associated with its citizenry, either through travel and tourism to other parts of the globe or through its business influences as Chinese corporations establish a global presence in the same manner.

Gambling is seen as less than favorable in the eye of Xi Jinping, president of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. Xi maintains that gambling disrupts the social balance and harmony of the Chinese culture. This can be seen over the years in policy decisions to limit access to Macau, or Beijing’s policies toward other countries that may feature online gambling operations, an activity that is banned by the Chinese central government.

Gambling is just one of the many activities that they see could limit the potential growth of the society that Xi dreams of cultivating. This was seen most recently with the announcement out of the PRC to severely restrict video gaming among its youth—never mind the esports enthusiasts and those who have earned large sums of money by playing video games from a young age.

The most recent regulations unveiled by the National Press and Publication Administration express views that would treat video games in a similar manner as casino games by banning minors (under 18) from playing video games between Monday and Thursday with limited activity between Friday and Sunday (and public holidays) between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. All online video gamers will be required to connect to an “anti-addiction” system.

While these activities have fallen under the umbrella of disharmony within the Chinese society, casino gaming as well as online gaming remain especially entwined with other policy goals of the PRC. Broader geopolitical implications continue to dominate the way that China looks at policy on gambling both within and outside of its own borders.

(BRI) or One Belt, One Road. These policies have allowed the PRC to exert its influence in parts of the world to “invest” in infrastructure including but not limited to roads, seaports, airports, telecommunications, and other forms of transport and technology.

As it was originally announced, it was designed in “a bid to enhance regional connectivity and embrace a brighter future.” This enabled China to exert its initial influence and build dependence among some countries with additional infrastructure investment that came with many strings attached.

The second major initiative is One Country, Two Systems. The original concept of this initiative was that while China and its two Special Administrative Regions (SARs) in Macau and Hong Kong would share the same country of origin, they would operate under two different systems. Macau continues to see heavy influence from Beijing, having always been the more closely tied of the two administrative regions.

Hong Kong, on the other hand, has continued to experience escalating tensions since being handed over from the United Kingdom to the PRC in 1997. With the passage of the National Security Law in June 2020, many believe that Hong Kong’s freedoms have been eroded with its judicial system now enveloped by Beijing’s interests.

At the time of the law’s passage, Professor Johannes Chan, a legal scholar at the University of Hong Kong, stated, “It is clear that the law will have a severe impact on freedom of expression, if not personal security, on the people of Hong Kong. Effectively, they are imposing the criminal system of the PRC onto the Hong Kong common law system, leaving them with complete dis-

Setting the Policy Stage The most notable uses of China’s influence have been through two policies that have held for the better part of the last decade. The first of these includes the Belt and Road Initiative 20

China can control who enters and leaves the country to gamble

Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping believes gambling is evil and disrupts the social balance of society

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Along with Hong Kong, Macau is a Special Administrative Region where the “One Country, Two Systems” strategy is employed

Not only is the PRC watching beyond its borders, but it is also cognizant of the gaming activities among its citizenry with its desire to keep a harmonious society.

cretion to decide who should fall into which system.”

A year since the passage of the National Security Law in Hong Kong, it brings into question many of the issues Chan raised just over one year ago. It also brings into question the ability for China to maintain the validity of One Country, Two Systems. Beijing also believes that this policy would apply to the Republic of Taiwan, claiming that it is also a part of the PRC.

limiting the number of visits that an individual could make to Macau. This also extends into other regions of Asia as Beijing controls the ebb and flow of its citizens in and out of the mainland. None of these previous attempts to control access to gaming have had as significant an effect as the pandemic did, but all of them have had some effect over the 20-year modern history of Macau since the monopoly ended and opened to the six current concessionaires.

The Pandemic Pullback

Tourism (and Gaming) Economies

The policies that have been ushered in since the outbreak of Covid-19 have kept jurisdictions like Macau in a long-term recovery mode. While restrictions at the border of Macau have been lifted, movement from mainland China back into the city continues to be subdued. This was seen as the gaming enclave recorded its lowest monthly total of this year so far with only $554 million in revenue. This was down significantly from just over $1 billion in the previous month, but even further still from the pre-pandemic levels of $3 billion in average monthly gaming revenue.

As Covid-19 cases have increased with some of the latest variants, it has continued to slow the return of the most immediate flow of visitors into Macau. Most significantly, severe restrictions remain in place between Macau and Hong Kong, which has been largely shut off since the beginning of the pandemic.

Hong Kong remains one of the largest gateways into Macau, with Guangdong serving as the other major artery. While this border has been shut because of the pandemic, Hong Kong has also implemented the policies under the National Security Law and has shown the degree to which cutting off one of the main conduits into Macau can slow revenue generation in this market that is highly dependent on Chinese customers.

Macau is not unique to the challenges of border and visa restrictions, but the pandemic pullback has presented an entirely novel set of challenges. In what some have referred to as the responsible gaming measures that have been imposed by Beijing, policies such as visa restrictions have historically been imposed on travel to Macau over the years.

This was done through a change in the policies surrounding visas or by

Prior to the pandemic, many of the emerging gaming jurisdictions around the world were dependent on Chinese guests for tourism and, in turn, gaming dollars. This was not just focused on the immediate region in Asia. However, as developers would look at jurisdictions around the globe, jurisdictions in the immediate Southeast Asia region had become dependent upon the flow of Chinese tourists to the area and the gaming dollars that have been associated with some of their travels.

Proximate markets in the region including the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Malaysia—just to name a few—have built much of their gaming business off of the increased tourism into these markets driven by the Chinese gamer. Some of these revenues could also be attributed to business customers with Chinese companies establishing operations in these regions, either for lower costs of goods or to influence markets based off of BRI. Whether from tourism-driven play or “locals” that have moved into the market to follow their business interests, the influence of the Chinese gamer on the regional gaming market has been significant and pervasive.

With the story continuing to unravel and reveal the nature of high-end play through Crown in Australia, the dominance of, and in some cases the dependence on Chinese play can be significant. The junkets that have operated in key gaming markets throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia, had served as a solid pre-pandemic revenue source for these casinos but also as a sore spot for the Chinese government. With gaming being viewed as harmful to the balance of Chinese society, Australia and other markets will face a number of hurdles to bring these tourists back from China into their respective markets.

OCTOBER 2021 www.ggbmagazine.com

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Under an amendment to the criminal law, anyone who “organized” trips for mainland Chinese residents for the purpose of overseas gambling “will be deemed to have committed a criminal act.” As the MCT has acknowledged, these are designed to better regulate the travel market and safeguard the lives and financial safety and property of its citizens.

Casinos in the Philippines, such as Solaire in Manila, depend on a steady flow of Chinese gamblers

The Mysterious Blacklist China has maintained a blacklist of jurisdictions that violate the PRC’s policies on gaming. The blacklist has become somewhat of a point of conjecture, as no one has ever seen a published copy of it. With that said, China does exert a level of influence to make a policy statement with the threat of a blacklist toward other counties that rely on its own citizens as driver of gaming revenue and tax dollars to these jurisdictions.

As reported earlier this year in the South China Morning Post, China believes that over 1 trillion yuan ($155 billion) is wagered overseas by its citizens annually. The hope with the blacklist is to continue to curb efforts to attract Chinese gamblers to other parts of the world.

The policy was first announced in August 2020 when the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT) announced the first tranche of limitations on cities and countries that have “lured Chinese tourists for gambling activities.” Under an amendment to the criminal law, anyone who “organized” trips for mainland Chinese residents for the purpose of overseas gambling “will be deemed to have committed a criminal act.” As the MCT has acknowledged, these are designed to better regulate the travel market and safeguard the lives and financial safety and property of its citizens.

In 2021 alone, China has raised a second and third set of additions to the blacklist as a warning to jurisdictions around the globe for both brick-and-mortar and online gaming operations. Not only is the PRC watching beyond its borders, but it is also cognizant of the gaming activities among its citizenry with its desire to keep a harmonious society.

While the additions to the list from January and July are yet to be made public, it would seem likely that among others, many of the jurisdictions mentioned above are likely on the list. Other markets may include Saipan, where Imperial Palace has been crushed by the lack of Chinese guests, leading many to believe that they are included on the blacklist. As Japan emerges as a future jurisdiction for integrated resorts, the question will be whether it is on the list or it can use gaming as a vehicle for tourism from Chinese visitors.

Prior to the announcement of the blacklist, the PRC would use its influence primarily through some of the earlier policies on the international scene, including BRI, which continues to provide an avenue for China to exert its geopolitical influence that now has expanded into vaccination distribution, as 22

Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

seen most recently in Vietnam, where China one-upped the U.S. by doubling its contribution in order to provide further influence. There is also a deep history in online gaming with jurisdictions such as Cambodia stopping all online operations in response to Beijing, while the Philippines have continued their efforts through Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

A Post-Pandemic World While the world continues to speculate what the “new normal” may end up being, one of the biggest questions remaining is how the PRC will reemerge beyond its own borders. For the better part of the last 18 months, China has shut off its borders to anyone entering the country, but it has continued to restrict travel by its own population that was known for generating substantial tourism volume to other parts of the world that in many cases also includes gaming activities.

There are many unknowns that still exist in the long-term reach of the PRC and its influence in gaming markets around the world, as well as within the gaming enclave that is allowed in Macau. China’s actions during the past few months solidify the notion that they will keep a close eye on gaming in general and try to focus it within their own borders to the greatest extent possible. Macau’s continued elevation in its relationship with Guangdong and its contribution to development of the region through Hengqin Island are key examples of the influence on the gaming market domestically.

Another example is the controls over the flow of money and the use of digital currency to restrict transactions involving markets outside of the PRC, especially those that may differ in opinion or the general views on gaming. It will still be several months and years until this all plays out in its entirety, but China seeks to control gaming markets as much as possible as a key factor on a geopolitical scale in an effort to maintain the balance within its own society.

The lesson for operators should be, and continues to be, not to rely on these tourists as a primary source of revenue to sustain operations and diversify their product.

Brendan D. Bussmann is a partner and director of government affairs with Global Market Advisors (GMA).

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Next Up: Sportsbooks in Sports Venues

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In May, a sportsbook opened in the Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C., the first of its kind in the country.

Since then, a growing list of teams have announced similar agreements with sportsbooks. By Bill Sokolic

T

he Cubs are down 8-0 to the Giants in the 7th inning. Getting out of Wrigley at the end of the game is an experience in gridlock. So, you gather the whining kiddies and high-tail it out to beat the traffic. It’s a scenario that plays out in stadiums throughout the country.

Arenas, too. The exodus means fewer peanuts and Cracker Jack sold, and not as many souvenirs. And fewer butts in the seats if the Cubbies stage an unlikely comeback.

Just suppose that adjacent to the stadium sits a sportsbook where you can make in-game bets, including whether the home team ties the score. Or whether Ian Happ goes yard in his last at-bat.

That day isn’t here yet at Wrigley, but DraftKings expects to open a retail sportsbook along Sheffield Avenue at the iconic ballpark in time for the 2022 season.

It won’t be the first and won’t be the last stadium sportsbook.

DraftKings is opportunistic when it comes to expanding its sportsbook presence, says Chief Business Officer Ezra Kucharz. Not only will the company open a location at historic Wrigley Field, but also at the TPC Scottsdale golf courses in Arizona.

“Some sports fans want to congregate and sweat out the action with their friends. At DraftKings we believe life’s more fun with skin in the game,” Kucharz says.

Sportsbooks at sports venues offer all that and more, he says. “It’s a completely immersive experience with odds boards, scrolling tickers that provide up-to-the-minute player stats and news, plus betting kiosks and top-notch dining service.”

Don’t forget the Cracker Jack. “Keeping engaged fans in seats longer gives teams the opportunity to further monetize them, selling an extra beer or hot dog and producing more ad impressions,” says Brian Wyman, senior vice president, operations and data analytics for The Innovation Group. “It also makes the product they’re selling more compelling, making fans feel like they got additional value out of the ticket they bought.”

Increasing fan engagement and all the benefits that entails—more peanuts and Cracker Jack sold—is just one positive of having a sportsbook in your favorite ballpark or arena. These positives speak to why sportsbooks have found a home in an increasing number of venues, ever since William Hill, since purchased by Caesars, opened the first sportsbook in the Capital One Arena in D.C. in May. The Caesars Sportsbook at Capital One Arena is so far the only venture of its kind. Both the NBA’s Wizards and the NHL’s Capitals play at the arena. A temporary, pop-up version received over 113,000 bets that totaled $12.2 million in September 2020 alone, according to Legal Sports Report.

“In partnership with Monumental Sports and Entertainment—owners of the arena and the two teams—we believe the in-arena sportsbook provides the best experience for sports fans and signifies a new era in sports betting,

The Caesars Sportsbook at Capital One Arena is so far the only venture of its kind. Both the NBA’s Wizards and the NHL’s Capitals play at the arena

bringing our customers closer to the action,” says David Grolman, senior vice president of operations for Caesars Sportsbook. “Our mobile betting app is tethered to the retail space, so any user within a two-block radius of the sportsbook (including in the arena and for live in-game betting) can bet on games from the convenience of their mobile device.”

The space has direct access to the arena so fans can visit before, during or after games, and anytime in between. The sportsbook boasts a full-service restaurant, too.

“Our vision was to create a hospitality and entertainment destination to be enjoyed by all, locals and visitors alike,” Grolman says. “A dynamic food and beverage menu curated by Michelin-starred Chef Nicholas Stefanelli, wall-towall TVs, and a prime location have all made it a popular place to meet with friends, watch games, and entertain guests year-round, not just on game days.”

And the NBA has no issues—as long as the sportsbook adheres to certain OCTOBER 2021 www.ggbmagazine.com

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According to the NBA, a duly licensed brick-and-mortar sportsbook may be operated within a team arena by a third party pursuant to an agreement that has been pre-approved by the NBA.

rules and gets the league’s permission.

According to the NBA, a duly licensed brickand-mortar sportsbook may be operated within a team arena by a third party pursuant to an agreement that has been pre-approved by the NBA. An NBA-approved sportsbook must be located within an area of the arena that is separated from all arena common areas and accessible solely by attendees who are legally able to gamble under all applicable state and local laws, says NBA spokesman Kyle Van Fechtmann.

At the outset, the NFL banned kiosks and betting windows in stadiums.

While the ban remains in place, the Arizona Cardinals announced a partnership with BetMGM with plans for a retail sportsbook at State Farm Stadium as soon as 2022. It will not be inside the stadium, but on a tract adjacent to the complex, according to the Washington Post.

The atmosphere at most professional sports arenas like the Capital One Arena is electrifying, says Matteo Carli, IGT PlaySports senior vice president. “Installing sports betting opportunities enhances that excitement among fans,” he says.

For IGT, the move opens up the opportunity to utilize its PlaySports technology and hardware, he says. “PlaySports produces data that customers can use to tailor their offering to players, ultimately strengthening the operator-player relationship. We’ve recently extended our PlaySports partnership with FanDuel Group to additional states, including Arizona at the Footprint Center, where the Phoenix Suns play. We expect to see many more stadiums and arenas,” Carli says.

Sports arena operators can also benefit from adding IGT’s PlaySports Pad, which can be tethered to a range of surfaces such as a bar or tabletop to bring sports betting directly to players, he says.

Sportsbooks offer on-the-spot expressions of fan passion and bettor convenience, and enhance the overall game attendance experience, sports handicapper Howard J. Klein says.

“It’s also great for teams because it provides a well-funded and built-in sponsor, and it keeps people more interested,” Wyman says. “Mostly, they stimulate that most pregnant of all potential: in-game betting as the action unfolds. It’s also worth noting that these sportsbooks may be operational year round, giving the stadium/arena opportunities to sell food and beverage, merchandise, and tickets even on days without games.”

What about the aforementioned whining children? Won’t exposure to putting a wager on Ian Happ leave its mark, especially teenagers?

No, Wyman says.

“First, I think the industry works really hard to keep problem gamblers and underage gamblers away from betting, and I think there will generally 26

Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

be very controlled access to sportsbooks and lounges, so I don’t see the presence of kids in the stadium as problematic at all.”

It’s crucial that management oversees the entry to the sportsbooks by making sure to card everyone, Klein says.

“The worst possible thing would be for widespread underage gambling to take place and cause scandal that would bruise the image of the arena and the team and throw a shadow on the ability to conduct safe sports betting in an arena setting.”

IGT’s technology includes the most advanced responsible gaming features ensuring player verification and protection, Carli says.

“I think about it this way: sporting events have long offered adults ways to enhance their experience in ways inaccessible to kids.

We don’t think twice about the beer vendor yelling ‘Beer here!’ in the stands full of kids, or about whether kids should be welcome at racetracks,” Wyman says.

Keeping underage gamblers away from the betting windows is just one potential fly in the ointment, and not a very big one. But as Wyman points out, betting in a sportsbook in a stadium or arena takes revenue away from casinos. “Every dollar bet on a sportsbook in Nationals Park means a dollar not spent on a mobile sportsbook or one inside a casino. The loss of money in casino sportsbooks also means a possible loss of ancillary gambling.

States should consider the impact this might have on their gaming tax revenue,” he says.

Another potential drawback: if arena sportsbooks are legalized in states where mobile wagering outside the arena is either limited or banned, it restricts revenue potential, Klein says.

That said, there are numerous ways to judge success of stadium/arena sportsbooks. Ticket sales and handle will be two measures, Wyman says.

Also, sign-ups for the apps from sports fans in attendance, Klein says.

“Then there’s the revenue generated by each game, concert or event and the marketing push behind the facility to stimulate other things like food and beverage sales, merchandise and such,” he says.

Wyman agrees. “But I also think teams should look hard at some really important secondary metrics: the rate at which fans leave the stadium during/after the game, (partial) season ticket sales, and responses to customer satisfaction surveys.”

Caesars is pleased with the results at Capital One Arena. “We look forward to building on the success of our first in-arena sportsbook with another concept to be opened in 2022, the Caesars Sportsbook at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks,” Grolman says.

Says Wyman, “At the end of the day, I firmly believe they’ll see a jump in revenues and bolstered fan engagement across the board, and on top of that I think they’ll be expanding their reach and attracting new audiences.”

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Peak Performance IGT continues to manage a diverse range of products that excel in a growing number of market areas

BY FRANK LEGATO

M

ost observers of the gaming industry are aware of the history of International Game Technology, LLC. The company that the late Si Redd started as A-1 Supply in 1975 was created by Redd to market a product he had refined when he was working for Bally Manufacturing in the mid-1970s, video poker.

As the story goes, Bally—then the king of the slot world—had declined to market the poker machines, granting Redd the rights to market them on his own. By the time the new company, known as Sircoma by 1978, went public as International Game Technology in 1981, video poker was one of the hottest attractions on slot floors in Nevada and Atlantic City.

IGT, of course, has evolved several times over since then, various acquisitions and mergers taking the company into product areas from casino management systems to lotteries, while still achieving decadeslong dominance of the gaming machine market—stepper and video reels, video poker. The IGT of today looks quite different than the IGT that introduced the legendary Wheel of Fortune slot machine precisely 25 years ago.

But talk to anyone at IGT today, and the impression is that this is a story still being written. The company seems to be in perpetual motion when it comes to product development, including spreading the supplier’s footprint into as many new product areas and new markets as possible.

As for the slot product, again, perpetual motion. New cabinets are launched every year, along with games carefully designed to maximize the features of the hardware. IGT developers continue to maintain a strict regimen of research, from focus groups to live test banks, to improve and expand the company’s slot library. At the same time, the company continues to improve its electronic table game product, one of many examples of seizing an opportunity in a surging market.

Meanwhile, IGT’s R&D muscle is being applied to a number of newly emerging product areas, as the company moves to take its proven content to any number of new markets and new channels. IGT’s video lottery business and Class II business both are growing across North America. The company has moved into the historical horse racing market, and is one of the leading providers of content to the rapidly growing online gaming market.

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Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

IGT executives Ken Bossingham, senior vice president of sales; Cari Blomquist, vice president, Core Game Studio; and Domenico Pastia, senior vice president of global product

IGT also is one of the leading platform suppliers in the emerging sports betting market, another business segment that is rapidly growing.

On the system side, the company’s IGT Advantage casino management system itself is in an advanced state of evolution, the latest in its cashless, cardless slot play solution, the only turnkey solution available to address the sudden demand for an option to cash-handling and a contact-free experience brought on by the lingering pandemic.

As IGT’s range of products continues to grow, the company relies on top executives like Nick Khin, senior vice president and chief operating officer, to manage what has become a remarkably diverse range of products.

Khin attributes IGT’s success to how his teams are organized, and the talent heading those teams. That includes executives like Domenico Pastia, senior vice president of global product; Ken Bossingham, senior vice president of sales; and of course, those on the front lines of product development, such as Cari Blomquist, vice president of IGT’s Core Game Studio.

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“The way we are set up and organized really helps,” Khin says. “It is a very disciplined process.

Each of our main lines of business has dedicated product teams. They do a lot of research on their respective markets, and they’re charged with really developing a detailed, long-range roadmap for each of their businesses. And of course, we’re always testing strength of our offerings against what’s in the marketplace, and against what our customer expectations are, as well.”

The Peak65 will launch with new titles in the Wheel of Fortune and The Price Is Right franchises, along with proprietary brands including Megabucks MegaVault and Gong Xi Fa Cai Grand.

Focus on Hardware These days, those customer expectations begin with hardware. IGT is still expanding its “Peak” family of cabinets, which began last year with the PeakBarTop and has continued with the PeakSlant49, PeakSlant32, and Dynasty Peak Terminal for ETGs, leading up to this year’s G2E launch of the new Peak65.

Pastia says it’s altogether proper to call it the “Peak family” of cabinets. “That was our philosophy when we started to develop this product,” he says.

“The objective is to keep a consistent look and feel; it should be immediately recognizable.”

He adds that from the start of development, the focus has been on the player. “We did extensive market research, and the innovation in this product family is front and center. The objective is to make each hardware distinctive, with some specific unique feature. With the Peak32, we are the first in marketing a product that has three seamless screens. The Peak49 has the progressive curved screen—the first time that’s been used with this curvature.”

Now, the company is launching the large-format version in Peak65.

“The Peak65 is the ideal complement to our already impressive Peak hardware family that extends to premium, core, video poker and ETG,” says Blomquist.

“It’s a luxury cabinet that has sleek lines and a very polished, yet approachable feel for players. Additionally, due to its scale, operators can place it in high-traffic areas, top it with attention-grabbing merchandising and add a two-seat bench to even further its appeal.”

The Peak65 will launch with new titles in the Wheel of Fortune and The Price Is Right franchises, along with proprietary brands including Megabucks MegaVault and Gong Xi Fa Cai Grand.

“The PeakSlant32 and PeakSlant49 continue to produce tremendous performance for our customers,” Blomquist adds, “with standout titles such as Regal Riches, and we’re optimistic that the Peak65 will continue this momentum in IGT’s next-generation cabinet family.”

The launch of Peak65 will coincide with another cabinet launch, as IGT introduces the Diamond RS stepper cabinet to augment its familiar S3000 cabinet.

The Diamond RS features IGT Diamond Glass, which overlays video elements on the reels for special effects. IGT is using it first on a modern version of the classic Top Dollar reel-spinner.

“IGT has been the market leader in the mechanical reel segment for more than two decades, first with the S2000 and most recently with the S3000 cabinet,” notes Bossingham. “Our customers rely on IGT in the stepper space and look to us to lead the segment’s content and hardware evolution. Our Diamond RS cabinet is designed to fill many roles on our customers’ casino floors and high-limit rooms.

“Consistent with IGT’s traditional strength in the high-denomination segment, the Diamond RS will house next-generation titles such as Double Top Dollar and Double Gold. The Diamond RS also supports a portfolio of proven low-denomination games such as Red Hot Tamales 2 which incorporate elements from both the mechanical reel and video genres.”

Bossingham notes the Diamond RS is the result of research no less intense than that used to develop the Peak family. “In creating the Diamond RS, we’ve leveraged our experience and insights to create a cabinet that our customers can deploy with confidence,” he says. “We’ve paired extensive market research with IGT’s classic stepper DNA to develop a next-generation cabinet that we are very proud of and believe will drive play on our customers’ floors.”

Bossingham adds that R&D continues to produce top content for all other IGT form factors. “High-performing content is essential for both IGT’s growth and that of our customers,” he says. “We are continually innovating our content and cabinets to ensure that we can offer our customers and their players compelling, market-leading gaming experiences.”

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“We are a VLT powerhouse. This is not an understatement. We really do have the highestperforming VLT content in almost every single VLT market in North America. We have dedicated teams of people that are focused on developing VLT games.”

—Nick Khin, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, IGT

IGT’s footprint is prominent.

“We are a VLT powerhouse,” Khin says. “This is not an understatement.

We really do have the highest-performing VLT content in almost every single VLT market in North America. We have dedicated teams of people that are focused on developing VLT games.”

He adds that VLT development is different than casino slot R&D. “We know there is no such thing as a generic VLT game, so a lot of our VLT games are market-attuned, making sure each game is absolutely right and appropriate for the market we want to put it in.”

Most of the VLTs are multi-game units, with the proven performers of the particular market. “There are real player favorites, but also some brand new content,” Khin says. “We really have a nice balance in those multi-game sets.”

Crisis and Opportunity IGT was well on its way to perfecting a system to offer players a cashless, cardless option on the slot floor long before the Covid-19 crisis made such a system an urgent need for operators across the industry. Resort Wallet and IGTPay are now offered as part of the IGT Advantage casino management system.

While other cashless, contactless pay setups require partnerships to complete the function to where credits go to a slot machine’s meter, Resort Wallet with IGTPay is a complete, turnkey cashless, cardless function that works within the Advantage system.

“We are in fact the only casino management system in the industry that has a fully integrated and built-in payment gateway,” says Khin. “It really gives the players the ability to transfer money from external sources—from their bank account, credit card, etc.—directly to their player account, without a need to connect to a third-party payment solution.

“I think it’s going to do a lot in terms of enhancing the overall player experience. I think it will afford the best player experience out there when it comes to cashless solutions.”

Since the solution is only available as part of IGT Advantage, Khin says it has generated a lot of interest in the system itself. “It’s generated a lot of discussion within our own install base as well,” he says. “It’s giving our existing customers another reason to continue to invest in their systems architecture and their systems product, because we’re able to demonstrate to them that there really is an ROI attached to this.”

Of course, the other market areas that surged during pandemic shutdowns and have continued that growth ever since are the concurrently growing areas of online gaming and sports betting.

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ing IGT content for online use, using the company’s proprietary remote gaming server.

“Some of our best content is currently available on the RGS,” says Khin. “Here in the United States, we’ve seen, partly due to Covid, phenomenal growth in terms of iGaming and iGaming revenues. Plus, we’ve seen a couple of new states open up to iGaming. Recently, we saw Michigan open, and IGT’s games are generating a significant share of the overall iGaming GGR. Our share over there is around 30 percent.”

He says classics like Cleopatra, Da Vinci Diamonds, Fortune Coin and Wheel of Fortune games are popular on iGaming sites, and that library is growing rapidly.

“IGT’s casino games are quite frequently leveraged in the company’s iGaming portfolio,” says Blomquist. “IGT’s vast IP and content library is one of its greatest assets, and leveraging our assets across channels has long been a pillar of IGT’s success.”

Blomquist says her Core Studio works very closely with IGT PlayDigital, refining the games for the various platforms. “Many of our top-producing PlayCasino games such as Cleopatra and Fortune Coin got their start on the land-based side of our business and emerged from my skilled studio teams in Reno,” she says.

“When a game designer creates a game that is high-performing in both formats, it’s an even more exciting achievement. Take for example, Fortune Coin. Fortune Coin was first created in Reno as a land-based core title. Due to its success in casinos, it migrated to online, then had a follow-up land-based and iGaming version created, Fortune Coin Boost!, and now there are several IGT games across the portfolio that draw upon its math and mechanics.”

She says the PlayDigital team has a “very exciting” Wheel of Fortune roadmap planned for the next several months, including one of the top-producing titles from the land-based side.

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Blomquist says one of the top “crossover successes” between land-based and online has been the Powerbucks product in Canada.

“As the industry’s first omnichannel WAP game, all versions of the game launch simultaneously, making tight land-based and PlayDigital alignment critical,” Blomquist says. “Although Powerbucks is a premium IGT product, the solution’s base games come from all parts of the organization, making the need for collaboration even more critical.”

Meanwhile, on the sports betting side, the IGT PlaySports platform is growing its footprint right along with the expanding number of states implementing sports betting programs.

“We’re very proud of our sports betting platform,” Khin says. “We spent a lot of time working on that platform and actually getting it approved in Nevada. We’re one of the very few new sports betting platforms that are actually approved in Nevada.”

Some of the top operators of sportsbooks and mobile betting programs use the IGT PlaySports platform, including FanDuel, Boyd Gaming, Delaware North and Resorts World Las Vegas. “We are live in about 50 different sportsbooks across the United States,” Khin says. “We’ve seen phenomenal growth in that area.”

New Horizons While growing with existing customers in all product areas, IGT is growing in a few other verticals. This year, IGT expanded its presence in the historical horse racing market with multiple partnerships with HHR system suppliers.

In June, IGT sold a large number of historical horse racing machines to Churchill Downs, Inc. in Kentucky.

“Historical horse racing is here to stay,” says Pastia. “We are currently present in all the active jurisdictions—Kentucky, Virginia and Wyoming. And we are closely monitoring all the possible jurisdictional evolution that may expand the addressable market. And we will definitely be ready; of this, I’m sure.”

IGT titles including Wheel of Fortune, Fortune Coin, Griffin’s Throne and Stinkin’ Rich are successful in the HHR market, on IGT’s CrystalDual 27, CrystalSlant and CrystalCurve hardware.

Another expansion in a new product area is one that’s not new to IGT, but is receiving a lot of new attention: Class II games. “Since the beginning of 2020, we have been expanding our Class II offer,” says Pastia. “At the same time, we have increased our commitment to Class II content development, al32

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most doubling the number of games we bring to market every year.

“We do not simply port Class III games. We are bringing to the Class II market a subset of titles never seen before in Class III, that we believe are useful to differentiate the IGT offering.”

The Wheel In all of IGT’s offerings, one theme keeps cropping up: Wheel of Fortune. The company is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the iconic game, which was first released in 1996 and did as much to change the nature of the slot machine as any game in history.

Pastia says IGT has some surprises planned for Global Gaming Expo in celebration of the Wheel’s 25th birthday, to go along with a display of 27 units hosting 11 different Wheel of Fortune themes.

“Wheel of Fortune created more than 1,000 millionaires since inception,” Pastia says, noting that works out to $100,000 every 65 hours. “And it’s paid more than $3.3 billion in jackpots. It’s made a lot of people happy.”

“In my view, it’s a confluence of factors that drive IGT’s Wheel of Fortune success and longevity,” says Blomquist. “From a game design perspective, players understand the game and know to root for the wedge with the largest value in the wheel bonus. Additionally, more experienced Wheel of Fortune players have a good feel for the games’ hit frequency and expect a wheel bonus at a certain frequency. We are very intentional about meeting those player expectations when creating new iterations of the game.”

Blomquist adds that the other factor in the game’s longevity is the brand itself. “It’s familiar to many people due to its decades of success on TV, and has become synonymous for winning big prizes,” she says. “IGT does a phenomenal job of staying true to the iconic brand, yet also evolving the slot experience to keep it current across high and low denom, and the video and stepper genres.”

It all boils down to a corporate culture that benefits all product groups, says Khin.

“It is all about making sure that we keep our offerings fresh, and not taking anything at all for granted. Continuing to innovate is very important. And we make sure that we’re listening to our customers.

“Corporate culture is absolutely critical to any successful business, and we operate in many different and diverse areas, but it’s really important that our values are consistently applied across our entire organization.”

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GLOBAL GAMES 2021 Despite the lingering effects of the pandemic, casinos have rebounded, and slot manufacturers have kept on rolling

By Frank Legato

T

he unprecedented year of 2020 certainly had a big impact on the gaming industry, not the least of which was cancellation of in-person gaming trade events—including the biggest of them all, the Global Gaming Expo.

July’s Indian Gaming Tradeshow was the first big event to get the industry back together on a face-to-face basis, but on balance, it was a warmup to the most important event on the industry’s calendar. Great anticipation surrounds G2E 2021, when the entire industry converges on the renamed Venetian Convention and Expo Center for the first time in two years for education, networking, and the most important exhibit of new products in the business.

Slot machines have always been at the center of the G2E buzz, and this year is no different. It’s no secret that all the slot manufacturers kept R&D rolling at full speed during last year’s industry shutdowns, and this year, most are still launching a backlog of content. But all that R&D has led to what will surely be one of the best “new model years” the slot sector has ever seen.

Welcome to the 20th annual edition of Global Games, our roundup of the best new products from all the major slot manufacturers.

As far as innovation, the suppliers have not disappointed. On the following pages, you’ll see radical new cabinets, new game styles, and new versions of all of the most popular game mechanics, from hold-and-re-spin to cash-on-reels to persistent-state features to multiple progressive bonuses to bonus wheels.

Each slot manufacturer—they are presented

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in alphabetical order— adds its own flair and style to these game mechanics. Each slot-maker also continues to change the landscape of casinos through new hardware, from IGT’s Peak65 to Scientific Games’ Mural to the Orion Curve Premium from AGS to the Big Mech from Bluberi. And yes, there are more, but you can find them all by flipping through the following pages.

Slot technology, meanwhile, continues to advance. Ultra-high-definition video monitors—some in breathtakingly large displays—have become as standard as the on-board wireless cellphone chargers and LED button decks. Cashless and cardless play technology is one of the fastestgrowing trends, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, which also has led manufacturers to create new pod configurations for their games that naturally promote social distancing.

But in the end, it’s the game content residing on all this technology that impresses the most. Competition among the suppliers has led each to add what is some of the best veteran talent in game design and product management.

And the content they are all producing has never been better.

The talent in the supply sector is sure to make this return to G2E an event to remember.

Have a good show!

All articles written by Frank Legato unless otherwise indicated

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AGS Premium Territory AGS rides high with the Starwall and its premium titles as it matures into an omnichannel supplier hutdowns, pandemic restrictions and the rest of the challenges the industry has experienced over the past two years have not altered the upward course of Las Vegas-based AGS. That course has been the drive to fully develop the supplier’s three main divisions—slots, table products and, most recently, a fast-evolving interactive division.

The table products division has gotten a big boost with the introduction of side-bet progressive systems like the STAX Progressive product, which adds a must-hit-by progressive to table games, and more recently, Bonus Spin Xtreme, a progressive side bet system that enables casino operators to link all table games on the casino floor to the same jackpot pool. The inclusion of a single progressive winner plus a bonus prize for everyone participating at a given table has been described by many as a game-changer for the pit.

The other two divisions are inextricably linked. The success of the interactive division has come from a continuing effort to port the most popular land-based slot titles for online casinos—using a proprietary remote game server that cuts out the need for a third party.

The same goes for the company’s recent move into the historical horse racing market, with popular AGS titles consistently converted for HHR use via a partnership with Exacta Systems.

But the biggest push on the slot side for AGS has been the rollout of the remarkable Starwall merchandising display, and the concurrent introduction on that format of premium games on the Orion Portrait cabinet—the company calls the overall platform “Starwall x Orion.”

Starwall is a giant video backdrop display for Orion Portrait cabinets that frames Orion games in a 4K video display of adjacent LED panels. The gamesynchronized video canvas—measuring 8.5 feet tall by 5 feet deep—displays the theme, colors and features of the game content. It is available in multiple different configurations.

At this year’s Global Gaming Expo, the company will display a new format for the Starwall that addresses today’s social distancing concerns while promoting a comfortable, more private play experience. “We’ll be show-

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Bringing the Best

ing a six-game Starwall setup in what we call the football shape,” says Steve Walther, AGS vice president of product management, slots.

“It actually enables a little bit more space, still taking into consideration some of the social distancing norms. We have two additional configurations that we’ve launched—the 45-degree variation and the 22.5-degree football. It actually moves the games out a little bit, and adds some additional space for players. It gives them 5 feet of distance between each seat to allow them to have a little bit more breathing room.”

The Starwall product was launched concurrently with the new Orion Curve cabinet, which highlights 4K graphics on a 49-inch curved portraitstyle monitor. AGS recently debuted an Orion Curve Premium platform, which is designed for 4-pods and 5-pods of Orion Curve games, merchandised with a 360-degree video display and theme-specific illuminated wedge spacers, along with premium game content just for that package.

Both products have been hits with players, and AGS has used the combination of the two to introduce lease-only premium experiences for players.

“With the Starwall merchandising and the Orion Curve premium package, those video displays attract people with awesome-looking graphics,” says Walther. “The Starwall captures people’s attention and vision when they walk by. They find a cute character. They want to engage with the cute character, and we deliver with the game below it, with that character interacting throughout the game. There’s really an identification with the character while they play.”

The successful rollout of the Orion Curve Premium and the Starwall x Orion family of games has shifted the emphasis to filling these platforms with new content. “Our focus is on allowing our customers to take advantage of the investments they’ve made in AGS products, and the opportunity to make additional investments in the newer products that we have coming out, to expand their presence of AGS on the floor,” Walther says.

The first introduction on the new Orion Curve Premium cabinet gives a clear indication that AGS already has a head start on this goal. One of the biggest hits over the past year for AGS has been Rakin’ Bacon! Deluxe. The debut family on the Orion Curve Premium, it is an extension of one of the company’s most popular games with a wealth of new features for the Starwall x Orion setup.

Rakin’ Bacon! Deluxe—with launch games Golden Blessings and Pirate Plunder—adds interactivity to the familiar piggy-bank character—for instance, the piggy reacts with an “oink” if the player touches it on the screen. “Boost” symbols grow the prizes in the Jackpot Pick Bonus. In the free-game bonus, symbols land to expand the reels up to a maximum of seven rows, which results in 16,807 ways to win on each spin.

At G2E, the company will launch a new premium title for the Starwall x Orion setup called Prize Stacks. The launch titles, Tiki Jungle and its companion theme, Tiki Shores, combine a cascading wins feature with expanding reels.

The main feature is triggered when tiki symbols stacked on the first four reels combine with a gold tiki symbol on the fifth reel. The tikis turn into cash-on-reels symbols, and the player is awarded the credit values. The values then cascade down to be replaced with other symbols, paying with each cascade until they exit the screen at the bottom.

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Orion Standouts

four progressive jackpots.

Randomly during the 30-line primary game, the main tiki character will jump on screen to expand the reels. “The bigger the stack, the more that value multiplies as it goes down the screen,” says Walther. In the free-game feature, the reels automatically grow one row with each spin, up to seven rows high. “The bigger the reels, the bigger the stacks,” Walther says. “As the reels expand, you get more pay lines and more opportunities for pays. This is meant to be entertaining and fun, but it still has that nice, volatile kick that AGS is known for.”

AGS also is bringing exclusive content to G2E for its new in-line football configuration with the Orion Curve Premium platform. Vegas Gold is a player-selectable multi-denomination game that includes a hold-and-spin feature and a three-reel multiplier reel that spins to award a multiplier of up to 10X on each reel.

Also featured for this configuration are the new multi-denom Mega Boost games Wheel Charge and Wheel Charred. Featuring a six-level jackpot, these games offer an upgradable boosting wheel, cash-on-reels, and a free games bonus, framed by clever animated characters that dance around the Mega Boost Wheel.

Another Starwall x Orion offering to be unveiled at G2E will be the Epic Reels game family of Japanese-themed games, Musha and Mouko, which include a hold-and-win feature, free games, multipliers, and a dual-wheel bonus, including a credit wheel and a jackpot wheel, which awards the Grand, Major, or static jackpots with multipliers added.

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In addition to those games created for the Starwall x Orion and Orion Curve Premium cabinets, the collection of Orion cabinets will be showcased at G2E in the form of a number of standalone, for-sale games.

One of the standouts is a new game series called Bubble Mania, with launch titles Potion Pays and Hai Long. Both the witch-themed Potion Pays and the dragon-themed Hai Long include a persistent-state feature in which bubbles with cash-on-reels values appear from the bottom of the reel array and float upward with each spin.

In addition to credits, the bubbles can award one of two progressive jackpots. If they land on a trigger symbol—a crystal ball in Potion Pays or a pearl in Hai Long—they pay the indicated credit amount. The bubbles can randomly grow to cover more reel spots—even the entire reel array, virtually guaranteeing a payoff.

But the heart of these games, arguably, is what happens in the bonus features. In the primary game, randomly, bubbles appear over reel symbols to award a credit amount or one of the progressives. In the free-spin round, the reels expand up to seven rows—meaning the bubbles have much more real estate on which to rise upward across the reel array, and more chances at awards.

What could be the most fun is a feature called the Bubble Pick Bonus. This is an interactive touchscreen event in which a fast-paced succession of bubbles— large and small, bearing credit amounts and the occasional jackpot—fly up the screen, and the player touches as many as possible to accumulate awards.

“There’s a lot to this game,” says Walther. “With the persistent state, if you see that big bubble, it’s more likely you’re going to want to continue to play. It’s got the interactive touch bonus where you’re popping bubbles to win prizes. It’s got expanding reels, cash-on-reels—a number of features that are popular in the market today, all rolled into one.”

Another standout for sale on the Orion Curve is the Coin Bonanza family of games, launched with the games Lucky O’Reilly and God of Gold.

Lucky O’Reilly places a fun Irish theme on a five-by-five, 50-line array. The main Coin Bonanza bonus is a mystery feature that can appear at the start of any spin in either the primary game or on free spins. The feature drops a random number of cash-on-reels coin symbols to the reel array and pays the accumulated total of adjacent symbols.

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There are retriggering free games and three levels of progressive jackpot, each won with line combinations.

God of Gold can trigger the three levels of progressive jackpot through the Coin Bonanza cash-on-reels feature.

Other new games are featured on both the Orion Upright and Orion Slant dual-screen formats. Two of the cleverest are Cluck Cluck Cash and Meow Meow Madness; both offer a new twist to the cash-on-reels play mechanic and entertaining characters to keep players smiling.

Cluck Cluck Cash features a comical chicken character in the top screen that grows taller and fatter as wild bonus symbols are collected in the primary game, until it randomly bursts to let loose a coin shower of bonus credits.

There is a hold-and-win feature in which five initial spins are awarded, and players collect prize symbols including instant-win credit amounts and multipliers, and a new spin is added for each cash-on-reels symbol that lands on the screen.

During the free games, all royal symbols are removed, leaving only highpaying symbols and bonus symbols. Meow Meow Madness adds a karaoke feature to the free games. The central cute kitty character puts the lyrics at the bottom of the screen—“Meow.. meow... meow,” naturally.

Both games have a hilarious jackpot pick-em bonus with the chance to win multiple jackpots.

The Orion Slant includes the Top Ca$h family, with the games Golden Boat and Lucky Nuggets. Both include cash-on-reels, up to 100X credit multipliers, progressives, and up to eight free games. Also on this cabinet is the new player-selectable multi-denom Money Charge Boosted games Prosperous Lion and Mighty Wolf, which feature an enhanced version of AGS’ Money Charge Jackpots feature and an upgraded hold-and-spin boost bonus.

The parade of new games will mostly be available to operators by the end of the year, according to Walther.

New Horizons Among the most recent developments on the slot side for AGS is the company’s move into the historical horse racing market. In partnership with platform supplier Exacta Systems, the company has already ported content for HHR games in Kentucky that includes Rakin’ Bacon!, Tiger Lord, Peacock Beauty and others on the Orion Portrait cabinet. At G2E, the company will introduce the HHR games Golden Blessings and Dragon Tao. The company also will make the Orion Curve available to the HHR market, according to Walther. “HHR has been strong for us,” he says. “You’ll see HHR games at G2E.” Walther adds that the majority of AGS’ new premium and for-sale content will be available for both the Class II and Class III markets.

Meanwhile, the company continues to port its top games for online gaming sites, where its most popular land-based titles have been reprising their success.

“You’ll see an interactive display at G2E,” says Walther. “We’re finding there’s a strong resonance between the land-based style of game and the online games. So some of the best-performing games online are also in land-based—for example, Capital Gains, one of our strong dual-screen games and part of the original Money Charged Jackpot series, is a top performer for us online globally.”

The remarkable variety of AGS content has been possible thanks to a diverse group of game developers who often collaborate with each other. “That’s an area where AGS has really put some focus over the last few years—diversifying its developer group to appeal to diverse gaming audiences,” Walther says.

The result, of course, is an ever-growing variety of new game content for all the company’s product groups—and an ever-growing game library for all types of players.

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Ainsworth STAR Power A-STAR Curve XL leads the way as Ainsworth exploits its best game styles and branches out to new markets n the five years since Australia’s Ainsworth Game Technology opened its North American headquarters in Las Vegas, the supplier has honed its ability to churn out high-earning slots, and has perfected the art of designing one style of game in particular: the high-denomination, traditional-style video slot.

Ainsworth has released a parade of high-denomination offerings, from basic volatile three-reel games in five-line and nine-line configurations to five-reel games taking advantage of the most popular game mechanics of the day.

The company’s high-denom games definitely are big earners.

A glance at the Eilers-Fantini Game Performance Report on any given month will reveal anywhere from five to 10 high-denom Ainsworth games among the top 25 revenue performers. Surveys

by ReelMetrics and other industry gauges reveal similar results.

Lower-volatility, low-denomination games, including a few carefully selected brands, have rounded out the company’s product library with offerings that, again, utilize the game features that have proven to be popular with players.

For the past few years, Ainsworth also has concentrated on creating the hardware that will best exploit the appeal of its game content. Last year, the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted a major hardware rollout as the A-STAR Curve, a sleek cabinet featuring a 43-inch floating infinity monitor and dynamic LED lighting, gave Ainsworth game designers a powerful new development tool kit.

This year, as the A-STAR Curve is hitting its stride, Ainsworth takes its product library to yet another level with the launch of the A-STAR Curve XL, a massive new premium cabinet featuring a 55-inch, 4K curved infinity monitor, a 27-inch, high-definition topper, and the same dynamic LED lighting and LED touch-screen button deck that distinguished the A-STAR Curve.

First introduced at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow in July, the cabinet is designed for the premium player.

“We couldn’t be more excited about the A-STAR Curve XL,” says Mike Trask, Ainsworth’s director of product marketing and strategy. “We’re really trying to reach a true gaming ops premium space with this cabinet.

We think the game content has a few of the things that have

I

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made Ainsworth very successful over the past five to 10 years.”

The launch series for the A-STAR Curve XL mines the company’s high-denom appeal with a game series called Take It or Leave It, with inaugural games Super Hot 7s Classic and Solid Gold 8s Classic. Both are three-reel, fiveor nine-line games with traditional bar and 7 symbols, and multiplying wild symbols including 2X, 3X and 5X. The top of the huge monitor is occupied by a giant bonus wheel.

The wheel bonus provides the game’s hook—the player gets up to four wheel spins.

The wheel blacks out while spinning, and lights up one or more slices for the bonus award. The player can take the first result or try up to three more times for a better wheel result.

(The game even advises the player when the bonus offer is “hot.”)

The games are offered in a multi-denomination package with a recommended menu of $1, $5 and $10. According to Trask, the top-performing configuration on Ainsworth’s three-reel high-denomination offerings has been a $1 denomination with nine lines, with a max bet of five credits per line—a $45 maximum bet.

“We’re seeing average bets on those come

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in well above $9; people are really chasing the wheel feature,” he says.

In fact, according to Cody Herrick, Ainsworth’s senior director of game design, the latest statistics show that average bets on games offered in this configuration are around $22—between two and three times the minimum cover cost.

“It’s built for gamblers,” Trask says of Take It or Leave It, which was developed by high-denom master Terry Daly. “There are no free games. There’s no fluff to it. This is a chase for a progressive or a massive win on that wheel.”

The two launch games on the A-STAR Curve XL will be “front and center” at Ainsworth’s G2E booth, Trask says, adding that there are a number of follow-up games for the format that are in the pipeline that will be introduced at the show, including linked, branded versions of some of Ainsworth’s classic high-denom titles.

The A-STAR Curve XL is expected to launch in the California, Oklahoma and Nevada markets by Q4 of this year.

Curve Classics Meanwhile, Ainsworth’s G2E exhibit will showcase a wealth of new content on the A-STAR Curve. The cabinet launched last year with new versions of games from the family that has been one of Ainsworth’s biggest success stories, the QuickSpin series. At G2E, Ainsworth will introduce a new game family in the series, called QuickSpin Growing Wheel.

Both launch games in this series carry drinking themes—Bier Bier Bier and Mai Tai Money, both low-denomination, five-reel, 40-line games. The themes are played out through a persistent-state feature involving four drink glasses perched above the reels. The bar symbols on the reels each have a character attached—the beer maiden in Bier Bier Bier and the tiki character in Mai Tai Money.

Stacking bar symbols fill the drink glasses above the reels to add multipliers

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to wheel slices that are the same color as the drink. Wheel slices can grow up to 25X before a spin occurs.

“The free games are very similar to our original QuickSpin titles,” says Herrick, “but those free games still give you a chance for that wheel spin, which is where the real money is coming from in this game.”

A new game family to be showcased on the A-STAR Curve is Lucky Stars, with launch titles Emperor’s Lucky Stars and Blazin’ Hot Lucky Stars. Both games highlight a collection feature that grows a metamorphic pot on the monitor. “The more of a special star symbol you collect on reels 2, 3 and 4, the bigger the visual representation (of the pot) will grow,” says Herrick, whose team designed the game. Flames and shooting stars appear when the pot is close to full, which leads to a a free-spin feature.

In the free-spin feature, the player collects stars, each bearing a credit prize. If 15 stars are collected within the feature, it triggers a spin of the bonus wheel, which includes large credit amounts and each of two progressive jackpots. “If you’re playing at the 10-cent denomination (it’s a multi-denom game), and you’re able to get into that wheel spin, it’s a guaranteed taxable amount in the U.S.,” says Herrick, referring to the $1,200 slot tax threshold.

Other new games to be launched at G2E for the A-STAR Curve include Cards of Cash, a family of three games with a unique card pick-em bonus activated with an ante bet; Jie Jie Gao Sheng, another collection game that employs a persistent-state feature; and Star Hit, a four-game family of linked and standalone progressives featuring a nine-level progressive.

Also on display will be A-STAR Curve games that already have proven themselves in the field, including Tiger’s Throne and Panther’s Throne, both released in the summer. These games employ a mechanic similar to the legacy Sweet Zone titles, which designate random groups of reel spots in the array in which wilds, multipliers and other bonus features are applied to wins.

Overlays on the four-by-five reel array appear in a persistent-state feature.

“Eventually, those overlays become wild for the player,” explains Herrick.

“When you land a special symbol within that overlay you get an expanding wild. The more overlays you get, the more expanding wilds you get, until eventually the tiger (or panther) roars. He’ll drop down wilds and wild multipliers into your held overlays, and that will combine for a win and reset the feature.”

The free-spin feature doubles the reel array, from four-by-five to eight-byfive, and “sticky” wild symbols remain in place for the feature. “This is mid-tohigh volatility,” Herrick says. “It fits very well with some of those original Sweet Zone titles, which we had a lot of success with.”

Other established A-STAR Curve games on display will be two rare Ainsworth licensed-brand slots, George Lopez Neighborhood Tour, released in March; and PAC-MAN Wheel, released in May. “These are nice IP pieces that 42

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really round out our library and give customers some additional options,” says Trask.

The A-STAR family of cabinets is expanding with the A-STAR Dual Screen, launched at the NIGA show; and A-STAR Slant, which makes its world premiere at G2E. “A large part of our effort in this is refreshing our high-denom content library,” Trask says.

“Most of the top-performing games in highdenom will be available on these cabinets—titles like The Enforcer, Eagle Bucks and Dollar Chief, all of which you see on the Eilers-Fantini reports every month.”

Trask says the company is phasing out the old A-560 cabinet, since at eight years old, it becomes more difficult to procure parts. “So, we’re very excited to use (A-Star Dual Screen and Slant) as a means of keeping that classic, traditional Ainsworth content alive, and hopefully giving it a little kick.”

Finally, the casino slots display will include a lineup of Class II games, products of the South Carolina studio of the former Nova Technologies, which Ainsworth acquired in 2016.

Blazing HHR The other advantage of the Nova acquisition was that company’s Class II central determinant system, which has fueled one of Ainsworth’s most successful new ventures, its move into the historical horse racing market.

Ainsworth used the Nova technology to develop a proprietary HHR platform, after which the company signed an agreement with Churchill Downs, Inc. that resulted in the slot-maker’s largest-ever single order—nearly 1,000 machines to populate CDI’s Derby City gaming parlor, opened in 2018 around five miles from the operator’s flagship racetrack.

Ainsworth has ported many of its most popular titles into HHR versions using the platform. “Ainsworth has created more than 100 unique titles in the HHR market,” Trask says. “We’ll show probably close to a dozen HHR units at G2E. We believe in the business. We have more than 2,000 units in operation across the U.S., and I want to be very clear that those 2,000 units are Ainsworth games. Much more than that run via our HHR system.”

Ainsworth created a development kit allowing other manufacturers to use its HHR platform to place their games and cabinets on the Ainsworth system, and so far, partnerships with IGT, Scientific Games, Konami and Aristocrat are bringing games from those manufacturers to venues in Kentucky and elsewhere.

As far as Ainsworth titles, in addition to 1,000 at Derby City, there are another 600 or so around Kentucky, and others in Alabama and Richmond, Virginia.

According to Deron Hunsberger, Ainsworth chief commercial officer, more HHR expansion is on the way.

“New Hampshire recently passed HHR legislation; they’re in the rule writing stage,” Hunsberger says. “Louisiana recently passed legislation allowing HHR games in the OTB market. Churchill Downs is the largest operator of OTBs in Louisiana, so we’re confident we’ll have the lion’s share of installations in that market.

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“We’re still imminent on going into Wyoming. We’re in negotiations with an operator there. And then, we’ll enter Oregon around November.”

New Horizons A more recent acquisition has opened up another new market for Ainsworth— video lottery terminals. Early in 2020, the company purchased the assets of MTD Gaming, Inc., a major route supplier of VLTs in Montana that recently added route supply in South Dakota and Louisiana.

“They produce a few poker games and some very simple slot games, but we believe the true gem within this package is five unique keno games,” says Trask.

“These are the kind of very, very volatile keno games which have definitely become popular in the local Las Vegas market.”

The five MTD keno games currently in the market offer keno titles featuring free games, multipliers and other familiar slot-style mechanics. The games recently were installed in a few California casinos, and are awaiting tests in Nevada, with plans to launch some units in other markets across the U.S. One particular advantage for MTD games in Nevada will be the fact that the company has a longstanding exclusivity agreement with Golden Entertainment in Montana—Golden also is one of the major route operators supplying bars and other non-casino venues in Nevada.

In Montana, the multi-game MTD units are branded Montana Gold.

Under Ainsworth’s new markets, they will be branded Gambler’s Gold.

“Montana Gold is the top-performing product in the (Golden Entertainment) route,” says Hunsberger. “That’s a market where keno is the primary game being played, so the game really centers around a really unique keno offering in that market.”

Shortly after the Ainsworth acquisition, the company entered VLT markets in South Dakota and Louisiana.

“It’s performing extremely well in the South Dakota VLT market,” Hunsberger says. “South Dakota is not as much of a keno market as the others, but our slot product in the mix is performing best there. In Louisiana, everything is a poker derivative in the VLT market. Our poker product performs extremely well there, and we’re able to utilize some of the reel concepts to do bonus sequences in the poker games in that market.”

Hunsberger says there is definitely demand in Nevada for the Gambler’s Gold product. “We’re very excited to get it out,” he says. “We plan to go on field test with some large local operators in Nevada, and of course, we’ll utilize our relationship with Golden in their route.”

The other emerging business for Ainsworth is in the online gaming space. In May, the company signed an exclusive agreement with iGaming aggregator GAN, which has been porting Ainsworth content for the growing U.S. internet gaming market. The company’s goal is to port all A-600 and newer games to the GAN platform for introduction online.

The company’s games already are live on close to a dozen iGaming sites in New Jersey, and recently entered the Michigan market. The Pennsylvania market is next.

“We’ve opened a small group here in Las Vegas to focus on porting over our land-based content to the real-money online side,” says Herrick. “They have a large number of games they’ll continue to work on and port over to the online market—real-money and social. We’ll look to continue to expand that team as more markets open up, eventually getting to the point where we’re going to develop original content for the online space just like we do for land-based.”

For Ainsworth, it all comes back to the high-earning content the company continues to introduce to all markets. There will be more than 100 titles across Class III, Class II and HHR on display in the company’s G2E booth, and Ainsworth’s customers can rely on one fact: the games will earn.

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Aristocrat Gaming Top of the Charts Aristocrat keeps churning out games in diverse cabinet styles that land at or near the top of industry performance reports ne constant for the past half-decade—spanning even last year’s pandemic shutdowns—has been obvious to anyone examining the monthly Eilers-Fantini Game Performance Report: Aristocrat Gaming dominates the stats.

Aristocrat games are routinely at or near the top of all industry performance reports, and that dominance spans all of the slot-maker’s many game styles and cabinets. Every time a new game is added to the venerable Buffalo franchise, you can bet it will crowd onto that top performance list with all the other Buffalos. The same is true across Aristocrat’s game library.

Not just games, but cabinets as well. Aristocrat’s MarsX cabinet has been the industry’s No. 1 dual-screen cabinet pretty much since it was introduced in the summer of 2019.

“We have had a number of successful products in recent years, and our focus through the pandemic was continuing that momentum,” says Jon Hanlin, Aristocrat’s senior vice president, commercial strategy and business analytics. “We continued to invest in our design and development so that we would have compelling product to aid in the recovery of the industry.”

Nothing aids the recovery of the industry more than high-earning games, and Aristocrat has plenty on tap for its similarly top-earning cabinets, from the MarsX dual-screen to the MarsX Portrait and last year’s star, the imposing Neptune Double.

This year, Aristocrat adds the Neptune Single cabinet, un-stacking the Neptune’s stacked monitors to feature a single 49-inch display. The company also will launch a new premium cabinet at G2E, the details of which are being kept under wraps until the show.

“We are creating large-than-life experiences for players with hardware,” Hanlin says. “A new cabinet we will reveal at the show will create a cinematic canvas for the most premium slot viewing experience in the market. Additionally, the Neptune Single continues the already successful Neptune Double cabinet, and this cabinet series delivers exceptional slot entertainment experiences.”

O

Expanding Libraries The new slot entertainment experiences have been rolling out all year, as Aristocrat continues to maximize the potential of all those cabinets, beginning with the Neptune Double, launched last year with Crazy Rich Asians and Timber Wolf Diamond.

In July, Aristocrat launched new content for the cabinet, which features

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stacked, curved 49-inch monitors, part of a remarkable display that gives players a comfortable viewing angle for everything on that enormous game field, right up to the top progressive meters, easily viewed from the custom-designed chair simply by looking up.

“Neptune Double has been a focus cabinet for us,” says Ryan Scott, vice president of gaming operations at Aristocrat. “It’s one of the cabinets of the future for us. It includes a brand new version of our sound chair that is much more comfortable and moves back and forth. The ergonomics of the cabinet are fantastic. The button deck has as a large display, so when you sit in the new sound chair the game play goes from the player’s lap to all the way overhead.”

The year’s most recent release on the Neptune Double is Wild Wild Buffalo. Released in June, the game combines Aristocrat’s most legendary game brand with a popular game mechanic in the “Wild Wild Bonus”

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“We are creating large-than-life experiences for players with hardware.

A new cabinet we will reveal at the show will create a cinematic canvas for the most premium slot viewing experience in the market.”

—Jon Hanlin, Senior Vice President, Commercial Strategy and Business Analytics, Aristocrat

cash-on-reels feature.

The reel array is novel, with three rows of symbols on the first two reels and four on each of the other three, fueling a ways-to-win setup. In the main bonus, wild symbols on the first two reels combine with cashon-reels symbols and random 2X and 3X multipliers. There is a five-level progressive topped by a $500,000 wide-area prize. A Jackpot Bonus Wheel awards progressives, progressive multipliers, and free games, while the bonus wheel awards up to a 10X progressive multiplier.

Also released in the summer on the Neptune Double was Game of Thrones: King’s Landing, based on the final season of the epic Game of Thrones TV fantasy series. It follows the theme of King’s Landing, the capital and largest city of the series’ Seven Kingdoms. Icons and bonus events recall the Drogon beast and the Red Keep, the seat of the story’s king.

The base game is a 40-line video slot on a four-by-five reel array. In a mystery feature dubbed Drogon High Fire Reels, the Drogon randomly appears and expands the reels to a height of seven to 14 rows, with wild symbols added to two or more reels. Random free spins also expand the reel array. A separate Red Keep Bonus involves cash-on-reels symbols accumulated for a payoff, using Aristocrat’s “Hold & Spin” pay mechanic.

“This has gone live and has received really fantastic feedback,” says Scott. “Game of Thrones is one of the most recognizable licenses that we have—one of the most recognizable licenses in the industry, period—and this game pairs great game mechanics with that great license and a brand new cabinet. All the imagery comes through beautifully.”

At G2E, Aristocrat will launch the follow-up to the Game of Thrones series, The Power of 88 Dragon, on the Neptune Double. This game combines the mechanics of three former Aristocrat hits. From Gold Stacks 88, it borrows the imagery and stacks game mechanic in the base and free games. It is topped off with an entertaining mystery bonus along the lines of the legendary Cash Express franchise that borrows from VGT Red Screen free spins for win values.

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In the main bonus, wild symbols on the first two reels combine with cash-onreels symbols and random 2X and 3X multipliers. There is a five-level progressive topped by a $500,000 wide-area prize.

“This game combines three really powerful features,” says Scott. It’s a multi-denom game, and has a cool metamorphic ball that you can actually see on the edge lighting. So as it grows, you’ll see the edge lighting grow with it.”

A dragon feature results in cash values, in a display resembling the train in Cash Express.

Dual-Screen Dominance The premium content on the Empire Double cabinet, of course, is matched by a wealth of new content on the industry-topping MarsX dual-screen cabinet. “Our dual-screen MarsX cabinet has been the industry’s top cabinet since its launch,” says Sony Syamala, vice president, commercial strategy and game sales at Aristocrat.

“Even our launch titles, Buffalo Gold Revolution and Fu Dai Lian Lian, are still doing fantastic, always in the top 25 on the Eilers list. So, we’re going to continue that dominance with more titles coming to support that.”

One of the most successful has been Gold Stacks 88. The four-game family, released in 2019, features expanding wilds and a pick-em feature leading to one of four jackpots. This year, Aristocrat augments the game with several new mechanics in Gold Stacks 88 Empire.

“This is an action-packed game that takes the Gold Stacks 88 experience to the next level,” says Hanlin. “Gold Stacks 88 Empire is a beautiful combi46

Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

nation of triple metamorphic and bet-up mechanics.”

The game reprises characters from the original series, such as the Baby Choy character, while adding two new metamorphic “piggies,” activated when the player bets up past the minimum 88 credits. Reel symbols feed the characters, which grow larger until a collect feature is triggered.

The game also features a wheel bonus, reel expansion, multipliers, stacked wilds, and the twin-spin feature from the classic Fire Light game. The new version can link with Gold Stacks 88 games already in the field.

Of course, the iconic Buffalo theme also is the subject of a new dualscreen MarsX game this year. Buffalo Gamble takes the original Nevada Buffalo game math and adds an intriguing gamble option for winning spins.

After a winning spin, the player has the option to bet on a 50/50 proposition to double the pay by picking red or black for a card flip.

Hitting the gamble button again offers a one-in-four chance to quadruple the win by picking a card suit for a card flip.

According to Syamala, this title also gives the traditional penny Buffalo game a multi-denom option—1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents or 10 cents. “Adding only the 2 cent option immediately increases your coin-in,” Syamala says.

Another new entry for the dual-screen format is Big Fu Cash Bats, which features both a triple metamorphic collection feature and a cash-on-reels mechanic. Syamala notes that one other special feature on this game is an openended free-games round. The free-games continue indefinitely as long as at least one winning combination is hit.

Next up on the dual-screen is Win Line, a “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” offering. The goal is to get a cash symbol on the first reel and numbers on subsequent reels. For instance, “$” followed by 1, 2 and 3 returns $123. “Then we’ve also added a zero and a double zero,” Syamala says. “For example, you get a dollar symbol on the first reel and a zero or a double zero on reel five, with no other numbers, it will give you a re-spin.”

The multi-denom configuration on this goes up to $1. “We are looking at trying to get this game into high-limit rooms, using the dollar denomination,” says Syamala.

Finally, Aristocrat brings back another fan favorite on MarsX Portrait with Mighty Cash Ultra 88. This game adds features from the Mighty Cash family— notably, a metamorphic free-game trigger—to the original Ultra 88 experience.

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“Our dual-screen MarsX cabinet has been the industry’s top cabinet since its launch.”

—Sony Syamala, Vice President, Commercial Strategy and Game Sales, Aristocrat

Portrait of Success The single-screen MarsX Portrait cabinet, launched last year, has extended the success of the dual-screen MarsX. Naturally, it all starts with the Buffalo brand.

Buffalo Cash, which Hanlin calls the “next great middenom game,” adds higher denominations—5 cents and 10 cents—to what has been Aristocrat’s hot release of the year, Buffalo Link, making the game, itself a sequel to the iconic Dragon Link and Lightning Link franchises, a great addition to the high-end slot room.

The game uses the well-known free-spin round and other game features of the Buffalo brand, and adds new features like 2X and 3X wild multipliers and a mystery “must-hit-by” bonus that awards either the Hold & Spin feature or free games, as well as a four-level jackpot consisting of two static awards and two progressives.

Also on the MarsX Portrait is a new Asian entry called Bao Zhu Zhao Fu (internally nicknamed “Bonus Boost”). This game features three groups of metamorphic firecrackers in its main feature. As collecting symbols trigger each group of firecrackers, a different Hold & Spin feature is activated—called “Ultra Spins,” “Double Up” and “Extra Spins.”

Another unique MarsX Portrait game is Jackpot Catcher, which includes a persistent feature with cash-on-reels. According to Syamala, betting up on this game increases the odds of reaching the bonus feature. The persistent feature lands rings on the reel array, which, when matching up with a cash-on-reels symbol, awards that amount. The rings remain on the reels for three spins, and the feature returns to three spins when a new ring lands.

As the bet rises, so does the number of rings appearing on the array. With continued success, the player can achieve two higher levels, “Delight” and “Ultra,” each with more rings and higher cash-on-reels values.

Finally, the MarsX Portrait this year features a new version of the multi-reelarray hit Wonder 4. As with the original, Wonder 4 Boost Gold allows the player to wager to play one of several games on each of four reel arrays, choosing a single game or mixing and matching titles.

This version adds two new multi-screen bonus features. Free games are triggered by different triggering symbols. Normal blue coins trigger regular free games, which, as in the original, play out on one reel array, enlarged to fill the screen. This version offers different icons to trigger Super Free Games, played out on all four reel arrays at once; and Extreme Free Games, which doubles the overall setup to eight reel arrays on the big portrait screen.

In all, collecting gold Buffalo symbols changes regular picture symbols on the screen into the high-paying Buffalo. With eight reel arrays going at once, this feature is super-charged.

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Spreading the Wealth The MarsX cabinet family, of course, is not the only form Aristocrat videos take. The unique flame55 curved-monitor cabinet this year hosts another sequel to a hit game—FarmVille 2.

The comical animation of FarmVille made it one of the most successful games on Aristocrat’s EdgeX cabinet. FarmVille 2 builds on that with a unique metamorphic feature. Instead of a coin pot, this version features a “corn pot.” Filling the corn pot opens a link to progressive free games.

The company also will bring new offerings on the Arc Single and Helix+ cabinets. Dragon Cash Big Jackpots follows up the mid-to-high denom success of Dragon Cash with a $1 million single-site progressive jackpot.

Like the original Dragon Cash series, the new version also includes the Hold & Spin feature with cash-on-reels, and free games with royal symbols removed to offer cash-on-reels symbols only.

Wrapping up Aristocrat’s G2E offerings will be new games on the popular RELM three-reel mechanical reel-spinning cabinet, and the new RELM 5 Reel format, which hosts, naturally, another Buffalo game in Buffalo Instant Hit!, as well as several other titles.

In all, Scott says Aristocrat’s G2E exhibit is a fitting sequel to what the company showed at July’s Indian Gaming Tradeshow. “At that trade show, we featured games that were recently released, because we hadn’t seen those customers in a long time. That was a different trade show for a lot of the vendors,” Scott says.

“But G2E is a chance for us to really show that Aristocrat is the leader in innovation, and we have a few things up our sleeve that we’re excited to reveal at the show.”

DRIVING THE FUTURE OF GAMING The future is on display at G2E with proven omni-channel performers and industry leading products and services.

VISIT US AT G2E | BOOTH# 1116 ScientificGames.com The look and feel of the games and their individual components and displays are trade dress of Scientific Games Corp. and its Subsidiaries.

TM and © 2021 Scientific Games Corp. and its Subsidiaries. All rights reserved.

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Aruze Expect the Unexpected Aruze continues to explore the boundaries of slot design with unique products while pouring new content into an array of cabinet styles ruze Gaming America has been known for stretching the boundaries of what a slot machine can do. From the grand presentation of games like Paradise Fishing and Mad Mountain on the Muso Limited community-style setup to new ways to present popular game mechanics, to what arguably is the most unique electronic table game in the business, Aruze has been known for pushing the envelope.

Over the past two years, the Las Vegas-based supplier has launched a collection of state-of-the-art hardware in the Muso series, each variation introduced with games designed for the format. Meanwhile, it has continued to perfect Roll to Win Craps, the ETG that mimics a live craps game with flash.

Aruze will highlight these products at the Global Gaming Expo, along with yet another product introduction that will turn more than a few heads.

“For us, it comes down to two words—unexpectedly defined,” says Fred Nunez, Aruze’s global director of product management. “We’re creating things you wouldn’t expect from Aruze, but you could say that if anyone would do them, it would be us.”

“We’re taking what’s expected and redefining how you’re going to view it,” adds Laura Sims, manager of product management and sales promotion.

For new games on the slot side, Aruze’s game developers have taken care to create games exploiting the best features of each cabinet style.

The Muso Curve-43, with its 43-inch curved vertical monitor, designed in a “J” shape, features LED backlighting and an ergonomic glass-table button deck with a 13.3-inch LCD touchscreen interface. The Hybrid version of the cabinet adds an integrated base including a comfortable footrest and full-length LED web lighting. The Muso Triple-27 and Triple-27 Hybrid bring similar features to a three-monitor setup.

The 27-inch LCD toppers on both styles of cabinet are used for much more than the traditional attract mode. In many titles, the top monitor is integral to the game play, with animation, bonus features and progressive displays interacting between the topper and the game below.

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More Muso This year, Aruze once again adds to the Muso cabinet collection with the Muso Dragon, designed to highlight Asian games on the casino floor. Shining gold dragons perch atop a mountain of coins that connects the cabinets. Red button decks and custom lighting and footrests complete the package.

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The inaugural game series for the Muso Dragon is Fu Jin Shu, with launch games Fu Jin Shu Dragon and Fu Jin Shu Phoenix.

Both games feature Expander Reels, Free Games and Wild Hold Spins.

The Wild Hold Spins trigger six spins to collect as many wilds and wild multipliers as possible.

Meanwhile, the game library continues to grow for the Muso Curve43 and Muso Curve-43 Hybrid, with a collection of games available on both versions.

Early this year, the company launched the Frontier Spin collection, the four games in the series each centered around a different wild frontier animal, its image staring out of the center of the 43-inch monitor and coming to life for various bonus events.

Casinos have been featuring banks that mix and match the games Frontier Spin Wolf, Frontier Spin Bison, Frontier Spin Bear and Frontier Spin Stag. The banks are particularly compelling because of the animation on the 27-inch toppers, which flows from left to right across all games on the bank.

Large icons representing the three bonus events stream across the top boxes until a player triggers one, causing the icon to stop at the top of that machine and travel down to the reels. Bonus Wheel sends down a giant wheel for a spin that awards a credit amount or one of four progressives.

Ultra Big Reel offers the same potential awards on a single giant reel that travels down for the bonus spin.

If Super Pick Jackpot stops above one of the machines, the player enters a picking bonus to match icons of one of the four progressives.

The bonuses are triggered by overlays that appear over the four-by-five reel grid.

Joining this game is a collection of standout games for the Muso Curve-43 cabinets, most bringing a new twist to a popular game mechanic.

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Such as multipliers. That’s what the X Wheel game is all about. The heart of this title is a bonus wheel with nothing but multiplier numbers on it. As with Frontier Spins, the games in the series are distinguished by a central character—X Wheel Panda, Lion, Chili or Tiki.

During the primary game, credit amounts on cashon-reels symbols randomly travel up to the bonus wheel, which spins to multiply the award anywhere from 2X to 20X. In the free games, all cash-on-reels bonus symbols travel up to the middle of the bonus wheel. After six free spins, the X Wheel spins to multiply the total.

A second free-spin feature blackens out all but the cash-on-reels symbols, which remain in place for the entire feature. The collected total is then multiplied by the wheel, and should the entire array be filled with the cashon-reels symbols, an extra bonus is awarded.

And finally, there is a mystery event that can land one of four progressive jackpot levels. Any wild symbol may randomly trigger the Jackpot Wheel. Flames appear as a wheel containing just progressive slices spins to a guaranteed award of a Mini, Minor, Major or Grand jackpot.

According to Sims, the game family, recently launched in casinos, is being paired in groups of the Panda and the Lion, or others with the Chili and the Tiki. Aruze provides a sign package for each.

“It’s a really great mix of game play,” Sims says. “The performance has been fantastic for us, and a huge part of it is the anticipation that occurs until the very end of the feature, when the bonus is at least doubled. Also, you trigger one of the two features with great frequency. That is a huge part of what’s drawing people to this game.”

“We’ve had this out for two months on one test bank, and it’s been the No. 1 game for both months, against all the major competitors,” notes Nunez, who adds that the No. 2 game on the same test bank has been another Aruze game, Coin Collector on the Muso Triple-27 cabinet.

Another standout on the Muso Curve-43 is Raging Volcano, another game using wild symbols and multipliers to spice up the action. During both primary and free-game play, flame symbols randomly steam from the volcano centered on the monitor down to the reels, awarding wilds and wild multipliers.

“This can happen quite frequently,” says Nunez. “The nice part about this game is the amount of pays in both the base game and the free games, giving substantial meat back into the

base game. It’s something the industry has been slowly shifting away from because everybody’s bonus-happy.”

This game also features a four-level progressive. In this case, each jackpot displays different-colored gems. If three of the same colored gems land on the reels, it triggers the corresponding jackpot, up to a Grand resetting at $5,000.

Finally, Aruze is using the Muso Curve-43 to launch two new licensed game groups from Bandai Namco, Dig Dug and Wacky Gator.

The Dig Dug games are based on the arcade game of the same name, which features Pookas, red creatures wearing comical goggles, and Frygars, fire-breathing green dragons, who are chased through an underground maze by Dig Dug, the protagonist controlled by the player.

In Aruze’s Dig Dug Pooka and Dig Dug Frygar, if the Pooka or Frygar character appears on the reel directly below Dig Dug, the main character will pump them up OCTOBER 2021 www.ggbmagazine.com

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until they explode into wild symbols.

When a rock symbol appears on a reel, all symbols below the rock will become wild. During free games, reels expand to eight rows high, with 60 lines. The jackpot can be triggered any time a gold coin appears. Fifteen individual spinning reels appear. Frygar or Pooka will be held as the player tries to fill the column for the jackpot above.

If Dig Dug appears, he increases the jackpot level for that column.

Wacky Gator is based on a Namco series of whack-a-mole-style arcade games.

Aruze’s Wacky Gator Green River and Pink River both offer a wild feature, triggered by the Gator character. If three hiding Gator symbols appear, players will select one to reveal eight free games, Gator Respin or a credit prize. Gator Respin is a hold-and-spin feature in which three spins are awarded to collect Gators with credit awards. If at least one Gator is collected on a spin, three more spins are awarded. If Gators fill all 15 reel spots, it triggers the Grand Jackpot.

Triple Threat The Curve-43 games are joined by a collection of new offerings on the Muso Triple-27 format, headed by the Cash Blaze game family.

Cash Blaze Eastern Festival and Cash Blaze Tropic Jungle offer players a choice of volatility in the free-spin round—fewer spins with larger potential awards or more spins with smaller awards.

The game family also offers a new twist on the cash-on-reels mechanic. Any three cash-on-reels bonus symbols award all their prizes and retrigger the spins.

These prizes can include static bonuses and progressive jackpots.

Another new game series on the Muso Triple-27 is Fortune Drums, a wheel game with four inaugural games in Zodiac Beasts, Bag of Wealth, Dragon Boat and Chinese Luxury.

When the main bonus is triggered, the Fortune Drum blares out three beats with the words “Don! Don! Don!” (It’s the Asian version of how a drum sounds.) That triggers another synchronized bank display. Credit awards and the four progressive jackpots stream across the top monitors of all the games in the bank, dropping the award down to the triggering machine. “Because this synchronizes all the way across the bank, it really gets your attention when someone enters the feature,” says Sims.

Go Go Claw is another example of how Aruze is redefining the slot floor experience.

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One of a Kind The more-or-less standard cabinet setups of Aruze, as normal, are joined by several games that are one-of-a-kind presentations. On the Muso Limited community-style cabinet, Dragong Phoenix and Dragong Lion feature a community event in which the giant Dragong wheel will spin across all connected games. Wheel spins are joined by free games and wild symbols.

For the Aruze-exclusive Roll to Win Craps, the radical hybrid electronic craps table that places electronic wagering stations on a standard table that features a back display formed by a series of LED panels, new features have been added as a result of feedback from customers.

The game now features adjustable wagers rather than a fixed bet. Above the C&E bet on the layout are now two Hop bets.

On the display, the company has added a “Roll the Dice” cue after bets are closed prior to each roll. “It’s a cue for players and surveillance,” Sims says. “We want to focus on making it easier for the operator.”

Another change is an enhancement of how the dealer—only one, as opposed to four in a live game—earns and collects tips. “It now gives a range of tips selectable by the customer,” says Sims. “We recommend electronic tipping, but some casinos have internal controls—they want to be able to print their tip tickets. So, we’ve added that functionality as well.

“From our perspective, we want to offer as many options as possible, because many casinos operate their pits totally differently. So, the more options we have, the more we’re supporting all our customers.”

“This is going to be the thing that captures the next generation of craps players,” says Nunez. “We saw craps dying off across the U.S. Something like this is going to get people to keep playing craps.”

Finally, in the never-before-seen category from Aruze is a completely new type of offering that harkens back to the days of carnivals and arcades—a casino claw machine.

Go Go Claw resembles the claw machines at the arcade in which you manipulate a construction-style crane to grab trinkets, watches or other prizes. But in this case, you’re manipulating a claw with a joystick and touchscreen to grab plastic balls filled with bills representing cash prizes, and move them to a prize chute to win a credit award.

It is an RNG-based game, but the simulation of skill is compelling. The player feels as if he or she is actually manipulating the claw. The return-to-player percentages are similar to those found in normal slot machines, and the two titles—“Cash Grab” and “Grab It!”—are presented in dollar denominations.

Go Go Claw is another example of how Aruze is redefining the slot floor experience.

“Just as with Roll to Win Craps, this is something that players already know how to play, but we’ve reinvented it,” says Sims.

“We’re defining the boundaries of what gaming can be. When you look at something like Go Go Claw, it’s something that everyone understands how to play, but it’s reinterpreted in a way that it’s totally new, and feels really exciting.”

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Bluberi Breaking Through Bluberi adds top talent as it targets growth in Class II and Class III markets

I

n January 2020, Andrew Burke, longtime head of the slot division at Las Vegas-based supplier AGS, left that company to take on the assignment of building Bluberi Gaming Canada, Inc., a slot supplier founded in the mid-1990s in Drummondville, Quebec, into a significant player in the U.S. slot market.

The company’s entire operation was at the time centered in Drummondville, which is between Quebec City and Montreal. Burke’s first order of business was to establish a presence in the gaming capital of Las Vegas.

Though R&D is still centered in Drummondville, Burke’s connections in Nevada served him well as far as partnerships—and in building the team that would be required to further develop Bluberi’s U.S.-based game library.

Burke had a head start with respect to Bluberi, and was familiar with the Canadian firm’s products—AGS had been the exclusive distributor for Bluberi in North America. But his experience in helping build AGS into a force in the gaming market would also serve him well at Bluberi.

For one thing, his experience taught him that real growth comes from gathering the top talent available. From his own former company, Burke brought in former AGS finance and data analytics executive James Prince as director of analytics and insights for Bluberi; Lesley Hodges, former AGS senior director of events, as senior director of marketing; and Cullen Wood, former AGS regional field service manager, as service director for his new company.

In June 2020, Burke brought in Casey Whalen, the former vice president of North American game sales for Konami, as Bluberi’s new chief commercial officer.

By January 2021, Whalen’s sales team consisted of two other Konami veterans— Steven Kohon, who had been senior director of sales for Konami’s Western Region for 10 years, was brought in to handle Bluberi sales in the same vital region, including Nevada and California. Mesa Whitehurst, who had handled sales in the eastern U.S. for five years at Konami, was named Bluberi’s sales VP for the East.

This year, Bluberi again strengthened its management team with veterans, this time from IGT with Manager of Product Marketing Christian Smith and, most recently, Mike Brennan, who was IGT’s vice president of product management.

Brennan, whose pedigree in product management with IGT extended back through legacy companies GTECH, Spielo and Atronic, is now executive vice president of product management and game studios for Bluberi.

Brennan says Bluberi’s influx of veteran industry talent is a definite advantage to the company’s growth as a supplier. “Add it all up and you have perhaps 150 years of experience,” he says. “Everybody has experience with these myriad companies, focused on all areas, knowing things that worked well and things to avoid.

We’re all learning from each other, and we’re each bringing something a little dif-

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ferent to the table.”

The other advantage Bluberi has in its growth path, and one reason for the company’s ability to attract top talent, is another similarity to Burke’s former company—a well-financed parent firm. Bluberi is owned by Catalyst Capital Group, Canada’s largest private equity firm.

“They’ve got $5 billion in assets under management, they own Gateway Casinos, with nearly 30 properties in Canada, and they just acquired Cirque du Soleil,” notes Brennan. “So we’ve got big pockets from our owners, we’ve been around for 28 years, we’re ready to grow into Class III, and we’ve got strong Class II roots.”

Bluberi currently has more than 7,000 units of their design in the field, split between Class III and Class II. Brennan says the quality of that product speaks to the strength of the R&D team in Drummondville, which, in addition to current Bluberi slots, is responsible for hits like Royal Reels and Diamond Lotto, which are distributed under a different brand.

Brennan says all that talent will be used to fulfill the company’s mission, which he says is to become a world-class supplier of slot machines. “We want to have world-class games, and we’re working really hard on that,” he says. “In the meantime, we want to be the easiest company to do business with, so when customers are looking at all their options, they’re choosing Bluberi because we’re going to focus on customer service. We’ve got aggressive metrics on delivering product, turning around contracts, field misconfigurations, and having a flexible approval process.”

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Bluberi is evolving its R&D efforts along the way. According to Brennan, the company has ramped up product research through focus groups, honest internal assessment and marketspecific breakdowns, and has instituted its first test banks.

“Test banks are something that’s worked in the past,” Brennan says. “We want to be rigorous in testing because that’s part of a content improvement program—you put your product out there and see how the players react. It allows you to identify your hits, and take risks under less market exposure.”

While the development process is refined, he adds, the company is concentrating on spreading its footprint of licenses to new jurisdictions, prudently. “We had our first-ever placement in Arizona,” Brennan says. “New Mexico is coming up, and Ohio, and we’re very big in Alabama with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians—we have over 600 games live with them. Miccosukee in Florida is a big partner of ours too.

“We’re plotting responsible growth in North America.”

Building the Library That growth has already begun—Bluberi is diversifying its product mix for all its customer areas. According to Brennan, the company currently develops 20 to 25 games a year. “Just about everything is available in Class III, Class II and TLS, the Tribal Lottery System in Washington state,” he says.

“Not everybody makes all their games available across those different verticals. We’re putting up some development gates to make sure that we can maximize our at-bats. Every single one can’t be a hit, but we can ensure that we’re stressing the good, along with the fast, when we bring product to market.”

Last year, Bluberi launched a new cabinet, the Novus b49, with a 49-inch portrait monitor. This complements the 3-year-old, 10.5-foot b.POD, which features dual 23-inch screens topped with a 55-inch portrait monitor. All new b.POD game content will also be available for the Novus b27 series.

This year, a new cabinet is added to the mix, a product completely different than anything Bluberi has offered. It’s the result of another of Burke’s industry connections, a relationship with industry legend Steve Weiss and his bZillions game studio. While at AGS, Burke tapped Weiss’ studio for its Colossal Diamonds game and giant Big Red cabinet.

Weiss and bZillions are now reprising that role for Bluberi, with a new cabinet they’re calling Big Mech. It is a giant cabinet that fits on a standard base. “It’s got the same button deck as the Novus b49,” says Brennan, “and we’ve added these barrel reels that allow the players to actually see the reel mechanism.”

Brennan says they’re still perfecting the Big Mech, improving the lighting and other visuals in the see-through mechanical show, leading up to its debut at G2E and an expected Q4 release.

The launch game will be Reels of Steel, a traditional three-reel, single-line game. Brennan says the reels themselves are fully stenciled metal, as opposed to Mylar or other plastic compounds used in modern slots. It will be available in high denominations.

“We’re hoping for three-pods and caps, really going after that high-denom player,” Brennan says. “But I also think we’re going to get a lot of impulse play on this. It’s got a higher hit frequency than you usually get out of a three-reel, one-line game. And there are some surprises behind these reels.”

There are wild symbols, and pays in the traditional pay table start at a single cherry. (Thus, a single wild symbol returns the single-cherry win.). There are LEDs behind the reels that allow more modern mechanics, like cash-on-reels in the free spins.

Free spins are triggered by a bonus symbol on the third reel, transforming the 56

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color of the LED-framed reels to blue and launching a free-spin bonus.

Core Strength While Reels of Steel on Big Mech is Bluberi’s first premium, lease-only game, the company will arrive at G2E with standouts in its growing core library on the cabinets launched last year.

On the Novus b49 is Colossal Dragons, recently certified by BMM Testlabs and currently in the market.

The game features many of today’s most popular game mechanics, from cash-on-reels to expanding reels in a ways-to-win format, to a wild feature that leads to a progressive jackpot.

The base game is a ways-to-win format played out on a reel array with three rows of symbols on the outer two reels and four symbols on each of the three middle reels. In this configuration, the game offers 576 ways to win on each spin. Colossal Dragons symbols on the outer reels are wild.

Randomly, the middle reels expand to eight rows, boosting the potential to 4,608 ways to win on a random number of spins.

Also randomly, a Wild Feature will trigger on expanded reels to spin one screen-length reel, to a credit award or one of the four jackpots.

There are two different cash-on-reels features. In the primary game, special reels appear loaded with cash-on-reels prizes up to 50 times the total bet. In the Dragon Bonus, the player collects cash-on-reels awards with the potential of winning one of three progressive jackpots. There is a free-spin bonus in which the first reel is completely wild for four spins.

The hold-and-spin feature brings a new twist to the mechanic—instead of cycles lasting three spins, the feature continues as long as at least one cash-on-reels symbol locks in place with credit values increasing from reel 2 to reel 4.

Another standout, to be released around the time of G2E, is Devil’s Lock.

The base game is played out on 15 individual reels in a five-by-three array. It is a 40-line game featuring frequent stacked symbols, with a unique unlocking prize feature. Symbols with Devil prizes, reaching up to 100 times the bet each, can all be unlocked and won if the wild Devil symbol lands on the center reel. The wild Devil sticks on the center reel for up to six free spins.

One other new game featured on the Novus b49 is Waves of Fortune, which includes a frequent mystery wild symbol that can appear on all five reels, during regular play or free spins. The game can award up to 100 free spins, with multipliers of 2X, 3X or 5X. Brennan says there also will be new games for the b49 cabinet unveiled at G2E. “The development process is long, but this is the type of fun stuff that we want to come together,” Brennan says. “We’re 115 employees, so we have to do things differently. We have to be agile. We’ve got to take some chances in order to stand out.”

Brennan says one of his goals is to develop a distinctive identity for Bluberi games, implementing characteristics that are unique to the brand. “Hopefully we’ll have some Bluberi signature items,” Brennan says. “We want to create not just a game here or there or hit here or there, but something that’s across our portfolio— that’s iconic, that makes players and operators think, ‘Oh, that’s Bluberi.’”

“G2E will represent the culmination of over a year and a half of hard work, rebuilding the company and rebranding to celebrate the culture and the history of Bluberi,” said Burke recently. “And while a culmination often signifies an ending, at Bluberi, we are just getting started.”

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Everi Holdings All Cylinders Everi continues to log top earnings in a variety of product groups, as the company distinguishes itself for innovation

B

y just about any measure, Everi Holdings is riding high in the slot market.

The company’s recent accolades range from industry recognition in the form of a host of awards—including Best Slot Product two years running in GGB’s Gaming & Technology Awards—to dominance where it counts, in earnings reports.

Everi has established a residency of sorts in the monthly Eilers-Fantini Game Performance Report, typically recording results among the highest earnings in video and mechanical reels, in core games and premium leased titles, and among its array of cabinets.

The company’s customers are responding—as is Wall Street.

“Over the last six years, we’ve really transformed from primarily a Class II company into one of the big players in the slot space,” says Loren Rosenberg, senior vice president and chief product officer, games for Everi. “We’ve grown from an estimated 6 percent ship share in 2019 to 9-10 percent through the end of June 2021. With that, our stock has been trading near an all-time high.

“We’ve continued to grow our base. In the premium gaming ops area, we’ve grown from 25 percent to 43 percent of our overall footprint at June 2019 compared to June 2021. With this greater number of premium units in our footprint our daily win per unit grew 34 percent from 2019 compared to June 2021.”

He notes that the premium footprint is only one part of a total product library that serves customer needs with respect to every game genre, and making sure Everi offers the best variety of game configurations. “We’ve listened to our customers over the years as far as operator configurability—giving them more options,” Rosenberg says.

“Our approach is aimed at giving customers flexibility that enables them to tailor games to their floors’ needs, which includes hardware banking strategies, minimum and maximum bets, and configurability of progressives, as examples.

We know it’s not ‘one size fits all.’ It’s all about listening to players and operators to address real needs.”

As a result, the industry accolades have rolled in for Everi. In the first two annual Eilers-Krejcik Gaming slot awards, the company collected nods for Cash Machine as Top Performing Core Mechanical Reel Game, Smokin’ Hot Stuff Wicked Wheel as Top Performing Third Party IP Branded Game, Empire Flex as Top Performing New Core Cabinet, and the overall company as Most Improved Supplier, Core.

In GGB’s last two Gaming & Technology Awards, Everi won for The Vault

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in 2019 and Smokin’ Hot Stuff Wicked Wheel in 2020.

The Southern California Gaming Guide contest yielded four Everi awards, including two first-place nods. “When you look at our portfolio across the spectrum,” says Rosenberg, “we really have delivered.”

The Flexing Muscle If any one product reflects the success of the Everi’s portfolio, it’s the Empire Flex cabinet. First released at the end of 2019, the hardware package—featuring a 49-inch curved monitor, curved LED light bars and a high-quality sound system—was slowed by last year’s pandemic shutdowns, but its overall performance has transcended all the roadblocks.

“Since we launched Empire Flex, it’s been No. 1 in nine of the last 12 reports from Eilers-Fantini,” Rosenberg says, “and we’ve consistently had an index over 1.47 (times house average). And that level of performance has remained consistent as we’ve added casinos as well as units.”

Of course, top-performing content has helped. Flex has hosted the Wicked Wheel, Power Shots and Emperor’s Frog/Tree game families, and the most recent hit, two new versions of the unique Crush game, which replaces spinning reels with a sculpted dragon or Aztec head that the player sends flying down to crush boulders for wins.

“We’ve had four different play mechanics that have just been really strong and have had great longevity since we launched this cabinet at the end of 2019,” Rosenberg says.

Earlier this summer, Everi released Super Dragon and its sister game Super Buffalo on Empire Flex. “These games are all about wheel innovations,” notes Rosenberg. “In Super Dragon, we have a wheel that offers 10 slices.” Moreover, players can win multiple wheel prizes. Six bonus symbols on the reels get one prize pointer on the wheel, but it rises from there—seven symbols yield two wheel prizes; eight yields three, and so forth.

In Super Buffalo, the number of triggering symbols increases a multiplier on the wheel prize, from 2X to 10X. “These games are great,” Rosenberg says.

“They mirror some of our more player-popular mechanics displayed in Smokin’ Hot Stuff Wicked Wheel, combined with jackpot features from our soon-to-be-released Smokin’ Hot Stuff Wicked Wheel Fire and Ice games, to create new unique content.”

Two more exclusive Empire Flex titles, Gold Hills and Star Wild, were set for a third-quarter release. Gold Hills, with launch titles Lucky Mule and

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“We know it’s not ‘one size fits all.’ It’s all about listening to players and operators to address real needs.”

—Loren Rosenberg, Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer, Games, Everi

Prospector Pete, wraps the mining theme around expanding reels, multipliers and scatter pays. Multipliers are awarded through a mystery TNT blast.

“We’re really excited about Gold Hills,” says Rosenberg. “This is our first standard game that utilizes some of those moments that have made Discovery Channel’s Shark Week and The Vault extremely successful, as they go into a Frenzy Mode where the whole slot array completely changes form.

We’re taking features we’ve leveraged with some of our premium titles and bringing them to the standard for-sale lineup.”

Star Wild Olympus and Star Wild Egypt, both offered in player-selectable multi-denom setups, showcase a time-based Star Frenzy Mode similar to the Gold Run bonus feature in Gold Hills, giving players 60 seconds of star-powered spins for a chance at big prizes. The games also feature an accumulator-triggered jackpot wheel bonus (Star Wild Olympus) and jackpot pick bonus (Star Wild Egypt).

At G2E, Everi will launch three more Empire Flex exclusives—Ultra Cascades, Cha-Ching! and Money Line.

Ultra Cascades is a series of games featuring Everi’s first cascading reels feature. The games combine the features with expanded reels in a ways-towin format, which increases both the cascades and the potential wins.

Cha-Ching! is another game that eliminates spinning reels for a new play mechanic—as the company has scored successes with in game groups like Zap and Crush. Cha-Ching! is essentially a picking game in which the player picks to reveal credit awards and free plays behind boxes. “This is one of those big swings that we take to offer unique concepts,” Rosenberg says.

Money Line is another game featuring a play mechanic that doesn’t depend on reels. In this case, credit amounts, multipliers and wheel-spin icons appear in one of five lines on the monitor, and if they line up—horizon-

tally—the player collects.

The Empire-exclusive games are joined by several new titles available on either the Empire Flex or the Empire MPX cabinet, with its 43-inch flatscreen portrait monitor.

Games in the field including Jackpot Rush, Raging Stampede, Orb Lock Dragon and Lanterns of Destiny will be joined by G2E launches in Blazin’ Riches, Super Jackpot Grand, and the sister games Genie’s Prize and Pixie’s Prize.

Blazin’ Riches Big Diamonds and Blazin’ Riches Big Rubies include a cash-on-reels feature designed to drive up the average bet, including a new mechanic called Gem Pays. When the Gem Respin symbol lands, all gems lock in place for a re-spin. It repeats the process as long as gems land. “Blazin’ Riches packages features that are popular in our games, as well as the industry, and takes them to a new level,” Rosenberg says.

Super Jackpot Grand is a three-game series known for quick-hitting progressives and multiplier combinations awarding up to 5X on wins. Genie’s Prize and Pixie’s Prize are ways-to-win games loaded with bonus features, including a pick bonus, full-reel wilds and a persistent coin-pot feature.

OCTOBER 2021 www.ggbmagazine.com

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The star on this platform at G2E promises to be Cashnado.

Mechanical Momentum If there’s any game area where Everi continues to excel, it is in the traditional three-reel mechanical genre. Games such as Crystal Star Deluxe and Black Diamond are perennial residents near the top of the Eilers-Fantini earnings reports, and the company keeps churning out mechanical games that resonate well with players on both the Player Classic cabinet and Player Classic with Skyline top box.

“We’ve continued our commitment to develop 16 to 20 mechanical games per year,” says Rosenberg, “and the big focus for us is configurability, while sticking to those elements that have enabled our success in the segment like math-first focus, simple game play, familiar mechanics, and clear pay tables which appeal to loyal stepper players.”

This year, Everi has focused on flexibility for the player and operator, in the form of configurability. “How do we offer this experience to different segments of the floor?” Rosenberg says. “We’ve been putting into most of our games, starting with Double Black Diamond, configurable minimum and maximum bets—offering nine-coin games all the way up to 90-coin games in the same software. Rather than just pursuing the dollar segment on the floor, we can appeal to the nickel or 10-cent player by leveraging the content we have.”

He adds that configurable resets on progressive jackpots is another new feature.

Among the standouts among mechanical games launched this summer have been Double Black Diamond and Double Fortune, the first reel-spinners to offer all that configurability. Both feature the traditional mechanics of Everi’s hit game Black Diamond, with four symbol-driven progressives.

At G2E, the company will launch Diamond Power Grand, Smokin’ Hot Gems Grand, Gold Shots and Wild Freedom. All keep the classic game style and four symbol-driven progressives with the configurable bets and progressive resets.

Other mechanical three-reel standouts are new versions of Everi’s branded game groups, Press Your Luck and Snoop Dog Presents The Joker’s Wild, the premium brands leveraged in forsale versions. Press Your Luck features a game board of credit prizes, multipliers and progressives displayed in the top box. The Joker’s Wild game mimics the card game of the popular TV game show.

“We wanted to leverage these licenses to provide different experiences 60

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to our classic mechanical players,” says Rosenberg. “We have true traditional classic math paired with enhanced features that you would expect with these licenses.”

More games are on tap for the Player Classic cabinet with Skyline top box as well. Star Jewels and Blazin’ Gems utilize the expansive top monitor for a classic pay-table display and five-tiered progressive. Triple Double Gems and Triple Double Patriot utilize multiplying wild symbols in a similar setup.

GLI-approved in July, the games are performing phenomenally well early on, says Rosenberg. “Mechanical games normally build an audience over time.

These games have come out of the gates higher than most of our mechanicals, so we’re excited about where we think these can go.”

Set for a Q4 release are 5X Gran Coronas and 5X Wild Jackpot Gems, featuring large multipliers and a five-tier progressive.

Premium Plays Everi’s prowess in mechanical reels extends to its premium game category with the Skyline Revolve platform—that’s the Skyline setup with a top bonus wheel added.

“We’re always shooting for the moon to develop the next and greatest content that’s going to be on the floor for years,” Rosenberg says. “Skyline Revolve

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is one of those swim lanes, and has been the No. 1 premium mechanical cabinet in the Eilers report the last eight consecutive months.”

Among the hits this year on Skyline Revolve are Gold Standard Jackpots and Cash Machine Jackpots, extensions of the hit game Cash Machine, with its “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” reel setup. Both of the new games use the same numerical reel results as Cash Machine—for instance, 10-5-00 on the three reels returns the top $10,500 jackpot on the dollar game. The new versions add a wheel bonus that includes progressive jackpots as wheel slices.

On tap on Skyline Revolve for G2E launch are American Wheel and Star Wheel, patriotic sister games featuring wild multiplier symbols and a bonus wheel including credits and two progressive jackpots.

Premium video categories also are receiving much attention this year. One highlight is on the Flex Fusion cabinet, the full-feature bank version of Empire Flex that features an overhead display with audio, lighting and sounds fully synchronized to game play.

The star on this platform at G2E promises to be Cashnado. One of the intriguing features of this game is that it’s a player-selectable multi-denom game in which the odds at two progressives scale upward as the denomination is increased.

But the feature sure to draw a crowd is called the Cash Grab Bonus, in which bills and progressive icons fly across the 49-inch touch-screen monitor, and the player tries to touch as many as possible to increase the bonus award.

Also on Flex Fusion is a pair of games extending the Hot Stuff Wicked Wheel franchise with “Fire” and “Ice” versions, both 243-ways-to-win games with seventier progressive jackpots. Both have central bonus wheels including progressives and a progressive picking bonus. There also is a random bank-wide bonus event.

New games also will be launched on the Empire DCX, the premium cabinet featuring dual curved 43-inch landscape-style LCD monitors that was launched with The Karate Kid and The Mask. Featured on this cabinet will be MonsterVerse, a monster-themed game that showcases a “Godzilla Lock and Respin” mechanic. Landing a red Godzilla expands the reels up to eight rows. It also includes a feature in which players can wager an ante of $40 to play four reel arrays at once.

Also on tap for the Empire DCX is Shark Week Feeding Frenzy, which adds a ton of new features to the TV theme, on dual 43-inch horizontal screens. Progressive jackpots scale with the denomination. In the primary game, wild reels expand to the left. It reprises the popular “Cage Bonus” feature from the original.

Finally, new games for the Empire Arena platform—home to the monster hit The Vault, which is still growing its install base 20 months after its launch—include Dragon Kingdom, Jackpot Falls and Fu Lu Shou.

TournEvent Reimagined Along with the new games in all the various Everi game groups is the next generation of TournEvent, the custom-designed tournament platform that has allowed operators to not only design their own tournaments—there are more than 5,000 62

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TournEvent-enabled EGMs at 400 casinos in North America—but participate in the national TournEvent of Champions, with satellite events across the U.S. and Canada leading to finals staged in Las Vegas.

According to Rosenberg, the TournEvent of Champions, sidelined due to the Covid-19 crisis, is anticipated to return in 2023. Meanwhile, Everi is introducing the next generation of the TournEvent platform at G2E 2021.

“We’re turning everything that you know about TournEvent on its ear,” says Michael Conway, Everi’s vice president of communications and media for the Games Division products—and the longtime host of Everi’s TournEvent finals in Las Vegas.

“The first step was a logo rebranding; it has a whole new exciting look. But beyond that, we’ve strategically evolved TournEvent over the past year and a half to reimagine what slot tournaments will be in the future.”

The new TournEvent is split into five distinct modules. TournEvent Classic is the traditional group-style play that first launched more than 15 years ago, and the platform that both operators and players are familiar with—but now available on Everi’s dual-screen and portrait cabinets.

TournEvent Now allows players to log their tournament sessions at their leisure, on tournament-enabled machines in any of several Everi cabinets.

TournEvent Winners Circle uses a dedicated premium bank for championship round play. TournEvent Cross Play enables all TournEvent-supported cabinets in a casino to participate in a multi-round group-style TournEvent or TournEvent Now promotions. TournEvent Concierge allows players to register 24/7, using player’s club points among other features.

“The new TournEvent builds on the best-in-class tournament solution with new features that make it more powerful and flexible for slot operators and casino promotion teams,” Conway says. “And we’ve made it more fun for players. We believe it all comes down to simplicity and flexibility for customers, and providing a solution that best suits their players and their floor needs. This next generation of TournEvent is squarely aimed at improving ease of use for customers and players and driving increased revenue.”

Everi’s new casino offerings are complemented by the company’s stillgrowing digital division, which has had great success porting all of the company’s game styles for internet casinos using the company’s proprietary Spark Remote Game Server. That includes the supplier’s top mechanical reel-spinning titles, which have translated well to the online world.

It all comes down to driving customer return on investment, says Rosenberg. “What is our games mission statement?” he says. “First is innovating with intent to drive customers’ ROI across all slot categories that we’re in.

“We take all of our swings with serious intent. We invest in terms of R&D a fraction of what other suppliers do. If we’re going to move into a segment, we want to be successful—not only for ourselves, but for our customers. This is the intent of everything we put on our roadmap.”

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Gaming Arts Outside of the Box Gaming Arts continues to grow as a casino slot supplier by charting new territory

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here’s a saying in Major League Baseball that helps hitters to succeed in an era of shifting defenses: “Hit it where they ain’t.”

The saying definitely could apply to the maturation of Las Vegas-based Gaming Arts as a supplier of slot machines. A well-known supplier of bingo technology and equipment that only began producing casino slots four years ago, Gaming Arts has found much success in departing from the expected route.

“We like to do things that we have a strong feeling of success behind, but then the other 40 percent of the time, we want to do something that is completely out there,” says Keith Kruczynski, vice president of game development and design for Gaming Arts.

Games like Hamster Libre, which features a bonus wheel spun by hamsters on a treadmill. (Animated hamsters, of course.) Or the Dice Seeker series, with its persistent feature involving a video roll of the dice.

Kruczynski—formerly one of the top game designers at Bally—along with other veterans, from Chief Commercial Officer Jean Venneman, an IGT veteran who in the 1990s headed the team that created the iconic Wheel of Fortune game, to Product Marketing Manager Jason Babler and company President Mike Dreitzer, both veterans of Ainsworth, certainly know how to produce games with familiar features that stack up to any slots from long-established suppliers. Game groups like the fun Pop’N Pays series and the Da Fa Ba series of Asian games are still popular in the marketplace.

But what has distinguished this veteran team are the products that are outside of the box. Take Casino Wizard, a multi-game unit that includes electronic versions of four different table games. After being introduced at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when some casinos had not yet restarted table games and many players still were uncomfortable crowding around live felt tables, the game has endured to remain popular long after casinos reopened all their games, and has logged outstanding performance from coast to coast.

“Casino Wizard is a super unique product because there’s truly nothing like it out there,” comments Dreitzer. “Obviously, there are electronic table games, but this is the only multi-game ETG in a slot cabinet that’s in the field.”

Kruczynski comments that Casino Wizard was a surprise hit. “We were never an ETG company,” he says. “We never came into this thinking, ‘Hey, we’re going to make a great ETG.’ It happened by accident. But as we learn, we’re getting a ton of feedback from our customers, and we’re taking that feedback and putting it into the next iterations of games.”

The Next Generation While those games, offered on the legacy upright Phocus U104 and the hybrid Phocus S104, got the company where it is today, this year, the company adds what is a must these days for any supplier, and something that fosters ever-more 64

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creative game design: a portrait cabinet.

The Vert-X Grand, unveiled in July at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow, features an ultra-bright, 4K 49-inch portrait monitor, theater-quality sound, an ultra-bright LCD button deck, programmable LED play buttons, and attention-grabbing LED side lights.

Kruczynski says the Vert-X Grand is the product of intense R&D efforts that continued during last year’s pandemic shutdowns.

“During the pandemic and during the shutdown we were lucky enough to keep R&D going completely throughout that time,” he says. “You have to learn a new way of doing work and doing business, but because we didn’t slow down, we were able to make huge advancements on our platform side and on our hardware side.”

Gaming Arts’ first portrait cabinet is actually the product of nearly three years work, notes Kruczynski. “We’re really proud of how far we’ve come with the Phocus, the dual-screen product, and that we’re able to compete with that.

But we know that in this space, the portrait is where it’s at. And that’s where

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Next up on the Vert-X will be a game group called the “Pub Series,” a fun group of games themed according to styles of pubs around the world.

you’re really going to make some inroads and then really show some extremely good performance.

“And with the dual-screen performing above house average and even close to two times house average, that leads us to believe that on the portrait, performance is going to get exponentially higher.”

Handily, the first approval of games for the Vert-X came a week before the Indian Gaming show. “That was a nice champagne-popping moment in the office for us,” Kruczynski says.

That first approval is of a game series that will feature prominently in Gaming Arts’ booth at the Global Gaming Expo—headed by the games Let’s Spin and Let’s Spin Vegas.

At the core of the games—they are similar, except for the Sin City theme in the latter title—is a new kind of wheel-spinning bonus.

“You have concentric wheels, and a really powerful gambler game featuring bars and 7s,” says Kruczynski. “It is a great, eye-catching art package, and we added a level of level of persistence with the symbols and the trigger.”

The base game on each title is a five-reel, 243-ways-to-win game, which Kruczynski says he favors because the wins are easy for players to understand.

The reel symbols are classic—cherries, 7s, card suits and fruit symbols, with icons such as dice and slot machines added in the Vegas version.

On top of the reel set are four concentric wheels, each with slices showing multipliers from 1X to 5X, plus icons representing four levels of progressive jackpot—a Mini, a Minor, a Major and a Mega, the top prize resetting at 100,000 credits times the denomination—$1,000 on the penny version of the game. The jackpot values go up as more wheels are activated. (The Mini is available on the first wheel, the Minor on the second, the Major on the third, and the game’s top jackpot, the Mega, on the outermost wheel.)

The wheel is triggered frequently, by a simple combination on the reels—a “Let’s” symbol on the first reel and “Spin” symbols on any of the second

through fifth reels. When a player hits “Let’s” on the first reel and “Spin” on the second, it activates the first concentric multiplier wheel. If that first symbol is landed and “Spin” symbols land on reels other than the second, those symbols stick on the screen for three spins, giving the player extra chances to land multiple wheel spins.

The “Let’s” symbol on the first reel displays a credit amount. Up to four “Spin” symbols on adjacent reels cause the corresponding wheels to spin, and multiplier symbols that land are multiplied together and applied to the credit amount. For instance, a 300-credit “Let’s” symbol with wheel multipliers of 3X, 2X and 5X would yield a bonus of 9,000 credits—three times two times five, for a 30X prize. According to Kruczynski, the frequency of the wheel spins increases in the free-spin bonus.

Kruczynski says the idea for Let’s Spin actually came from one of the company’s artists.

“One of the things we do here is every year we do a game summit, and everyone—artists, testers, engineers, even product managers—is allowed to contribute ideas. And I’m really proud of the fact that, of the 30-odd games we have out there and approved, I only came up with two of the ideas—and that’s more than OK by me.”

Of course, the idea doesn’t need to be fully developed. The artist pitched the idea with a drawing of concentric circles. That sparked discussion, and the development team took it from there.

“The persistence came in and the multipliers came in—because he originally just had credit values on the wheels. We thought the idea of multipliers multiplying multipliers was really powerful,” says Kruczynski.

Next up on the Vert-X will be a game group called the “Pub Series,” a fun group of games themed according to styles of pubs around the world.

First up will be Kaleigh’s Pub, celebrating the Irish bar; and Anastasia’s Tavern, with a Russian vodka theme. Then will come Isabella’s Tequileria, with the Mexican tequila vibe, and Sophia’s Cellar, depicting an Italian wine bar.

Each game includes clever features centered around the main character, who does things like filling up your glass for four spins in a persistent wild feature.

Up to 12 wild symbols can land in the feature, and stick until the glass is full.

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In primary and free-game spins, shot glasses randomly pop up to award multipliers up to 20X or one of four progressive jackpots.

Each of the games also features custom-written, toe-tapping music appropriate to the nationality showcased in the theme.

Core Strength Of course, the creation of the new portrait cabinet doesn’t mean development has stopped on the legacy Phocus dual-screen cabinets. At G2E, new game groups will be featured on the dualscreen format, headed up by the Quick X series.

Launch games Quick X Old Glory and Quick X Clear Cut both reprise the idea of “multipliers multiplying multipliers.” Frequent wild multipliers on reels 2, 3, 4 and 5 in a 243-ways-towin format multiply wins at 2X, 3X, 4X and 5X, with a maximum potential of 625X. Each game also features a fast-hitting progressive, beginning with one Quick X symbol on the first reel, which triggers the lowest of five progressive jackpots. This is followed by anticipatory spins as the player climbs up a progressive ladder toward the top jackpot, resetting at $3,500 on the penny version of the game. (It is available in denominations all the way up to $50, with progressives rising accordingly.)

“Quick X is a very hardcore gambler style,” says Kruczynski. “There are no free games. There’s no bonus. There are progressives triggered off the the symbols on the reels, and there are multipliers.

“And what’s funny is that the reason that you have Quick X was because of Let’s Spin. We really liked those multipliers that were interacting with each other and multiplying each other, so we said, we can do a dual-screen game that has a similar mechanic—but let’s make the focus the progressives, and not a wheel.”

He adds that the jackpots are super-frequent. “The lowest progressive is going off every 44 plays,” he says.

Two other sister dual-screen games are Rise of the Pharaoh and Rise of the Queen. The games incorporate orbs in a unique feature. A pyramid on the reels triggers a blue, red or gold orb to drop to the screen—“the blue being the lowest values, the red being the middle values and the gold being an astronomical value,” Kruczynski explains. The orbs stick on the screen and move to the left with every spin. If a pyramid lands to match up with an orb, that credit value is awarded with a multiplier or a chance of winning free games. “It’s a really different mechanic, in a five-line game, so the vast majority of the wins are coming from these orbs and from the free games,” Kruczynski says.

Another new game on the Phocus dual-screen format is Fortune Flip, which features the HaloTop virtual wheel. In a frequent feature triggered by winning spins, the wheel will display an interactive coin flip to reveal a multiplier ranging from 2X to 50X. A free-game bonus features more frequent and highervalue coin flips. A match-three progressive picking bonus can lead to one of four jackpots.

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And then there’s Cyber Dragon, an extremely volatile dual-screen game featuring eight animated 3D “Chinese Beast” characters. Three Beast symbols in one of 10 free games trigger a persistent “Super Free Games” feature, in which the reels consist only of Beast symbols and blanks. Three or more Beast symbols within three spins awards a bonus and resets the spins to three. After five successful spins, the next-level Beast is awarded with a higher pay table. The player can advance up to eight levels.

During primary-game and normal free-game spins, the player can be awarded a “Pa-Fu Wedge.” Once eight wedges are awarded, a wheel spin is triggered that can grant one of three progressives, credit awards or free spins.

“The biggest thing with our games is the innovation,” says Babler. “One thing we get complimented on the most is that we are doing things differently. We look different, our game styles are different. It’s not reiterations of former games that are already out there.

“We’re trying to carve our own lane as opposed to trying to follow in the footsteps of everybody else.”

So far, it’s been a successful formula, with around 700 units and climbing on the dual-screen format as the Vert-X hits the market. “From my perspective, that shows the compelling nature of the content we’ve created for the dualscreen cabinet,” Babler says.

Dreitzer adds that there is a ton of green space ahead for Gaming Arts. That includes not only the U.S., but Canada, where the company is about to go live in Ontario, to be followed by British Columbia and the rest of the provinces.

“We want to keep penetrating the market,” Dreitzer says. “We have 135 licenses and growing, and in North America, there’s probably more than 300 to secure. So there’s a whole lot more opportunity to get our product out.”

Meanwhile, Kruczynski says the company will maintain a “small group mentality” as its footprint grows. “It’s really tough to steer a giant ship,” he says.

“It’s really easy to move the smaller ones a lot faster and be more nimble.”

“We’re a smaller company in a very competitive, mature space,” says Dreitzer. “We always ask ourselves what our customers might be asking: ‘Why Gaming Arts? Why do we need Gaming Arts games on our floor?’ That is a challenge for us to try harder and to be unique. Keith always uses the term ‘fun for the gambler.’ So, that’s the ethos upon which we build a lot of these games.

“How can we offer something that doesn’t exist that creates its own path?

That’s really what we’re going for. At the end of the day, we’re in the content business. The players have to choose to play the games, and so far they’ve been choosing with their their dollars to play our games.”

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IGT Full Steam Ahead IGT moves forward with new cabinets, new markets, new games, and new R&D efforts to maintain market dominance

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here is no product area at IGT that has seen idle time. For as long back as multi-level progressives as one of the one can imagine, there has been constant research, game development areas of closest attention. “Over the and expansion of offerings in all product groups. last couple of years, we’ve been very In hardware, IGT has spent the past year expanding its offerings in the Peak focused on increasing and signififamily of cabinets, starting with the PeakBarTop and continuing with the Peakcantly improving our multi-level Slant49, PeakSlant32, and Dynasty Peak Terminal. This year, the company is progressives offering, and we completing its new hardware offerings not only with new Peak cabinets, but have dedicated significant renew presentations for steppers, video poker, electronic table games, VLTs and sources and significant historical horse racing. investment to that efThe content utilizing these new forms continues to expand as well. New fort,” he says. versions of longstanding hit game franchises will be found on the new premium Development in this video cabinet, while a new stepper cabinet will host a modern version of one of and other areas is being the classic slot hits of all time. helped by amped-up reNew games on PeakSlant32—a perennial top-persearch efforts. “We have exforming candidate in the Eilers-Fantini monthly survey— panded our test bank What has been arguably and other hardware launched last year combine new program, something we set up concepts, themes and game mechanics with content that about five years ago that was the most famous slot draws on IGT’s entire history. focused on core (games),” says machine brand in history Meanwhile, IGT as a whole has continued to move Khin. “We’ve now exwill be prominent in forward into new product areas, excelling in areas such as panded that program to IGT’s booth at the Global its cashless solution, the industry’s only turnkey e-wallet, premium games—in Resort Wallet with IGTPay; its IGT PlaySports sports-bet- Gaming Expo, to the particular, the multi-level ting platform, which fuels several of the industry’s top tune of 27 units hosting progressives. Before we release those multi-level prosportsbooks; and expanding business areas including hisgressives to the market, they must go through and pass 11 different Wheel of torical horse racing, Class II, VLTs, and a rapidly growing our rigorous test bank program.

Fortune themes. interactive business in IGT PlayDigital that enjoys large “We’re giving our customers confidence and comshares of the markets in several states. fort that the games they are putting on their floors are And this year, all those product categories have one games that are going to really perform for them.” game family in particular in common: the venerable Wheel of Fortune slots He adds that the multi-level progressives span premium and core game franchise. IGT is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the iconic title with new groups, for-sale and for-lease. versions in just about every game genre. What has been arguably the most famous slot machine brand in history will be prominent in IGT’s booth at the Form Factoring Global Gaming Expo, to the tune of 27 units hosting 11 different Wheel of Game development efforts these days at IGT are likely to begin with the hardFortune themes. ware, with launch games for new cabinets tailored to the strengths of the hardNick Khin, IGT’s senior vice president and chief operating officer, notes ware. Such is the case with the new Peak65 video game cabinet, which will that the company’s product development has not ceased since the last Global debut at G2E with new titles for both Wheel of Fortune and The Price Is Gaming Expo, despite all the challenges of the last two years. He says overall Right game franchises. game development has thrived in all game styles, but specifically mentions IGT spent several years creating new content for the “Crystal” series of

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cabinets, from CrystalSlant to CrystalCurve. The Peak65 cabinet enhances what could be called the “Peak” family of cabinets, which began early in 2020 with the release of the PeakBarTop, followed in late 2020 with the PeakSlant49 with premium content, then the PeakSlant32, featuring a market-first three 32-inch monitors, and continuing this year with core content on the Peak49 cabinet.

Peak65, with its imposing 65-inch 4K monitor, is the latest addition. The cabinet will launch with Wheel of Fortune High Roller, featuring a versatile wheel bonus that can include multiple pointers, progressive jackpot slices, multipliers and mystery bonuses.

The base game reprises the expanding reels mechanic first seen in the hit game Hexbreak3r. The reels expand with a “High Roller Arrow” that adds multipliers and extra pointers to the bonus wheel.

The new Wheel of Fortune title will be accompanied by a The Price Is Right title expected to be revealed at G2E. IGT will have one more new cabinet to launch at G2E, with new games to match—these ones stepper titles in the new Diamond RS cabinet and format. Augmenting a stepper collection that is still growing on the core S3000 cabinet, the Diamond RS features a new generation of transmissive reels technology that allows a stepper cabinet to host multiple pay-line configurations on the same cabinet—essentially, a multi-game, multi-denomination mechanical reel-spinning slot.

“We are extremely proud of the Diamond RS,” says Domenico Pastia, IGT’s senior vice president of global product. “It is a good blend of technology, and it has the look that made IGT the indisputed leader in the stepper category over the last 30 years.”

Pastia says Diamond RS is the result of intense market research into what makes IGT steppers popular. “The design is really classic,” he says. “We created a custom top box that allows us to present a pay table at its best, because we felt that is what the players are asking for.”

The cabinet design also incorporated market research performed in 2019 by a team led by Roger Pettersson, senior director, core product and product marketing, to ascertain player preferences on the stepper side.

“As you know, IGT really grew up being a powerhouse in the mechanical reel/stepper market in the 1990s and 2000s,” notes Anthony Baerlocher, vice president of innovation and mechanical reels at IGT (and part of the 1990s team that created the original Wheel of Fortune slot machine).

“The S2000 is probably the best-selling slot cabinet in history, and we still have a lot of customers really holding onto those old cabinets, the old games— their players still have a passion for that look and feel.” IGT engineers and researchers, he says, sought to answer the question, “What’s the look, the feel that is an IGT stepper cabinet?”

Baerlocher also cites the pre-launch research for the Diamond RS as important in its development. “We spent three months, right before Covid hit, sending out our research team, doing ethnographic research... For the first time, we really

Top Dollar has been recreated down to the detail of even using identical reel strips, but thanks to the transmissive reels, those reel strips can present a five-line, six-coin version and a nine-line, 10-coin version of the game in addition to the basic single-line, two- or three-coin version. jumped in and spent hours and hours walking around casinos with players, not asking what they did and didn’t like, but really just understanding what makes them tick, what drives them to the games that they play.

“That feedback really drove a lot of the final decisions on what this cabinet ended up looking like, and how it functions.”

On top of checking off all those player preferences on IGT steppers, the Diamond RS distinguishes itself with its use of IGT Diamond Glass, which places a transparent video overlay on top of mechanical reels. “It’s not like the old transmissive reels—that technology has come a long way,” Baerlocher says. “Our own internal teams have done a ton of research maximizing the light that comes through, and the materials we use on the reel strip to get the images nice and crisp.”

To launch the new stepper cabinet, IGT has drawn on a franchise more than two decades old, the beloved stepper game Top Dollar. Fans have known that game by its original incarnation, a classic stepper with a carnival-style bonus played out by alternating lights behind cash symbols silkscreened on a glass top box.

The Diamond RS version is called Double Top Dollar.

“Double Top Dollar is going to be our premier launch title at G2E,” says Baerlocher. The key to its development, he says, was to use modern technology to recreate the feel of that traditional mechanical reel-spinner.

“I can’t tell you exactly what I told the producer of the game, but it was to the effect of, ‘Don’t mess this up,’” Baerlocher says. “So, they went back and found original files—all the original sound files, using the same color, the same MC calling out numbers, saying, ‘Yo, you’re a winner!’ We found the original files and digitally enhanced them.”

He says the sequence of the lights in the top box was recreated. “When you enter the bonus, the flashing sequences are all the same,” he says. “It comes up as close as possible to the original game.”

“I think it’s fair to say we’ve been very true to the brand,” says Khin. “And we have also not done anything to the math of the game. This plays the same way as the original.”

But the transmissive technology of the cabinet allows for multiple pay-line configurations in the same cabinet.

As Baerlocher notes, Top Dollar has been recreated down to the detail of even using identical reel strips, but thanks to the transmissive reels, those reel strips can present a five-line, six-coin version and a nine-line, 10-coin version of the game in addition to the basic single-line, two- or three-coin version.

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“Now, you can actually enable all three of those games,” Baerlocher says, adding that you can set different denominations on each setup. “You might want to run the one-line as a $5/$10/$25, the five-line as a $1/$2/$5 and the nine-line is a 50 cent/$1/$2 denomination— all on the same cabinet, and let the player decide.”

The setup of Double Top Dollar is only the first such game using the transmissive technology for multi-game versions. “We’re doing that with a lot of our high-denomination games,” Baerlocher says. “At G2E, we’re going to have Double Gold, Pink Diamond, Double-3X-4X-5X Pay, Triple Gold Bars, and a couple more with that one/five/nine-line multigame option. We’re lucky we have such a great library of classic titles to draw from.”

Building the Library Of course, IGT’s augmentation of its game library is by no means restricted to launch titles for new cabinets. At G2E, the company will launch new titles for all legacy cabinets and game styles, beginning with that stepper style IGT mastered long ago.

“We’ve started a transformation of the S3000 product line,” Baerlocher says.

“About three years ago, we took a step back with the studio and really started reevaluating how we build our new games... We came up with a whole new set of ways to do math and present the games to the player that meets the needs of the 2020s, not the 1990s when I used to design a lot of the games.”

Naturally, the new stepper offerings include a new Wheel of Fortune title.

On the premium CrystalWheel Stepper cabinet, Wheel of Fortune 2X Wild Diamond Spins features a three-reel, nine-line bet structure and an operator-configurable max bet of nine, 18 or 27 credits. The primary game features multiplying wild symbols that double or quadruple the win. The iconic bonus wheel, with up to three pointers, includes the top progressive.

New stepper games also abound on the S3000 and S3000 Jackpot cabinets.

In the three-reel format for higher denominations, Wolf Run Respin brings the hold-and-re-spin mechanic to one of IGT’s oldest established video slot brands.

The wild Wolf symbol on the center reel—it randomly nudges there—locks for a re-spin with a multiplier of 2X to 5X. Lucky Golden Toad, another three-reel, high-denom entry, features a “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” pay scheme with a multiplying re-spin feature.

Also designed for higher denominations is the five-reel, 15-line Triple Double Diamond Jackpots, with five or more multiplying wild symbols triggering one of five jackpots. Multiplying wilds also figure prominently in 4X3X2X Jackpot, 70

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a 15-line, 15-coin five-reel game; and Triple Double Diamond Jackpots.

Big City 5s, a low-denomination five-reel entry, features 10 jackpots, each tied to reel symbols. Five jackpot symbols on any of the 20 lines wins the corresponding prize, in the primary game or during up to 32 free games.

Video Versatility Among the standout video offerings for this year is the premium Megabucks Mega Vault, which combines the extremely volatile program of the Mega Vault five-reel video slot with the Megabucks wide-area jackpot.

The game features free games with locking wilds and multipliers, offering frequent chances at successive big wins. Locking Megabucks sub-symbols in free games create a suspenseful Megabucks progressive chase.

There also is a persistent-state picking bonus that can be triggered at any wager, which guarantees a jackpot win and a shot at the top Megabucks prize.

The core video area for IGT this year offers up a mix of new games and revived classics on the PeakSlant49 and PeakSlant32 cabinets.

On the PeakSlant49 are three games that bring back classic IGT video slot themes—Wolf Run Eclipse, Da Vinci Diamonds Masterpiece and Stinkin’ Rich Skunks Gone Wild.

Wolf Run Eclipse features a five-level progressive with a top jackpot starting at $10,000. It also features stacking Wolf symbols in the base game, and a wheel bonus that awards credits, free games or one of the progressives.

Da Vinci Diamonds Masterpiece reprises one of IGT’s all-time favorite themes in a game featuring “Tumbling Reels,” with multipliers increasing with each tumble. It is a ways-to-win game in which the sizes of symbols change to increase the ways to win on each spin.

Stinkin’ Rich Skunks Gone Wild reprises the Stinkin’ Rich theme in hilarious fashion, in a 100-line game in which “Richard” the Skunk jumps down to the screen to add wild symbols. And yes, the Lynyrd Skynyrd song “That Smell” still provides the backdrop.

On the PeakSlant32 cabinet are more revivals of classic IGT video in Lucky Larry Lobstermania 4 Link and Super Sally Shrimpmania 4 Link.

Lucky Larry’s original “Buoy Bonus” picking event is reprised in the new version, along with a collect feature that can lead to three different bonus events, including a wheel feature.

Also on the PeakSlant32 are the companion games Green Lighting and Lucky Lighting, featuring cash-on-reels jackpots.

On the premiuim side, WuWu Coins Link on the PeakSlant49 features a

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IGT as a whole has continued to move forward into new product areas, excelling in areas such as its cashless solution, the industry’s only turnkey e-wallet, Resort Wallet with IGTPay, and its IGT PlaySports sports-betting platform, which fuels several of the industry’s top sportsbooks.

hold-and-re-spin event, Lock & Respin, in which the player has three-spin cyles to land coins to trigger fee spins and wild symbols. Additionally, Money Mania Cleopatra, with sister game Money Mania Pharaoh’s Fortune, are on a unique progressive link with a top wide-area static jackpot of $100,000 and a secondary wide-area progressive resetting at $4,000.

The game utilizes a player-selectable bet structure that starts at a 75-cent minimum and allows for a max bet of up to $37.50 to appeal to players with different bankrolls. Jackpot levels rise with the bet.

The Money Mania Jackpot Bonus utilizes a unique innovation on the Lock & Respin mechanic combined with a ladder-style bonus.

Also on the PeakSlant32 are the companion games Lucky Lightning and Greek Lightning, 576ways-to-win games featuring cash-on-reels jackpots.

Video Poker IGT continues to reinvent the video poker genre the company has dominated for decades, including, this year, a new lineup of hardware. In addition to the changing lineup of both traditional video poker and specialty bonus video poker on the PeakBarTop and older bar-top units, this year IGT launches the multi-game All Star Poker III platform on the CrystalSlant cabinet.

The new multi-game setup features 10 games, including the popular Powerhouse Poker, which awards bonus hands with multipliers on paying hands in exchange for a 10-credit per-hand bet; and Ultimate X Bonus Streak, which, for an extra per-hand ante, awards multipliers that apply to a pay table hand and stick for a random number of hands.

A new version of Powerhouse Poker—Powerhouse Poker Plus—is offered on the CrystalCurve cabinet; and on the Cobalt 23 cabinet is 3 Way Action, which allows players to bet on three ways to win on each hand—the five-card dealt hand, the five-card hand on the draw, and a seven-card hand that adds two cards from the remaining deck.

Other specialty games apply simple bonuses that are easy to understand and to appreciate. In Lucky Suit Poker, the player picks a “lucky suit” at the start of a hand and receives a multiplier of up to 12X whenever the first card dealt matches

the suit. In Super Triple Play, a one-credit ante doubles the pay for four of a kind.

Branching Out IGT continues to improve its other expanding product areas. Its electronic table games portfolio, anchored by the new Dynasty Peak Cabinet, accommodates multi-game content bundles and a library of innovative side bets for baccarat, roulette and blackjack.

At G2E, IGT will launch its Concurrent RNG multi-game software, which enables players to play multiple games simultaneously and increases the rate of play.

IGT also will display a bar-top application in which players can pause from video poker or slot games to place sports wagers using the IGT PlaySports platform.

The company also has expanded its Crystal Betting Terminal, previewed two years ago as a sportsbook terminal at which players could place a wager and watch the contest at the same station. IGT is launching a new version that adds casino games to the terminal.

“We have spent a lot of time further developing that product,” says Khin. “The product that you’re going to see at G2E will have slot content and poker content on it, as well as the sports betting content. This was always our vision of having a product that a sports bettor could sit at—they could watch the game, they could play sports, but they could also play slot games and and poker, if they so wish.”

Rounding out IGT’s trade show display will be new products in the VLT, Class II and historical horse racing genres—all of which are in growth mode for the company.

IGT is the top VLT provider in Canada, and No. 1 performer in many U.S. opeator markets as well. In Class II, the company is steadily growing its footprint. “We’ve been putting a lot of focus and attention on Class II, and it’s starting to really show,” Khin says. “This was an area we identified as a huge opportunity for us.”

In all, two years after the last Global Gaming Expo, IGT is ready. “It’s been 24 months, and we’ve been hard at work,” Khin says. “We’ve been preparing for this G2E for quite some time.”

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Incredible Technologies Rising Up A unique three-screen cabinet with a rising portrait monitor drives new games as Incredible Technologies expands to new markets

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ithin the space of a decade, Incredible Technologies has matured as a casino slot supplier.

Based just outside Chicago, the highly successful amusement game manufacturer—supplier of the legendary tavern game Golden Tee Golf—presented its first casino slots to the industry at the 2012 Global Gaming Expo. By 2019, the company had to move production of Golden Tee Golf and other amusement games out of its Illinois plant to accommodate what had become a thriving slot business.

Last year, the company moved into new markets with a new Class II system and an increasing presence online through partnerships with GAN and Spin Games.

IT’s relatively young slot business has been marked by testing and retesting its games, and consequent G2E game introductions accompanied by hard data showing the titles to be proven earners. It also has been marked by an evolution of hardware, with its Infinity family of cabinets progressing from the original Infinity U23 to the tall Infinity Skybox, to the large-format Infinity V55 and Infinity Summit premium cabinets.

But IT’s newest hardware, to be officially launched at G2E, is something else altogether. Already in the field in a few jurisdictions, the Prism format and its first core cabinet, the Prism VXP, is turning more than a few heads in the industry.

“Prism is our first new platform since we debuted Infinity in 2013,” says Caitlin Harte, director of product marketing for Incredible Technologies. “Infinity was really a workhorse platform for us; we built upon it with different screens and different formats, but we feel like the time is right now to introduce a brand new platform.”

The new platform has increased horsepower, brighter graphics, and an oversized LED button panel. “Prism to us really is the combination of light and shape,” Harte says. “The cabinet itself embodies that by using reflective light and creating unique shapes as well.”

But what makes the platform’s inaugural cabinet, Prism VXP, special is what that VXP stands for—“vertical expansion.”

The cabinet presents three screens to the player—the main 27-inch 4K touchscreen landscape monitor is augmented by the 18.5-inch button deck, the largest in the business, which doubles as an extra touchscreen monitor for use in various bonuses and game play. But sitting behind the main game screen is a giant 55-inch flat-screen 4K monitor.

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The real innovation here is that the big screen doesn’t just sit there. During bonus game play, the 55-inch monitor physically rises, using a commercial-grade motor to smoothly move into position for game mechanics on the entire grand display.

But the real innovation here is that the big screen doesn’t just sit there.

During bonus game play, the 55-inch monitor physically rises, using a commercial-grade motor to smoothly move into position for game mechanics on the entire grand display.

“The monitor rises a little over a foot to add game play, and each of the launch game families utilizes it in a different way,” Harte explains. When it is in its lowered position, it provides a lighting effect to frame the main game screen.

Harte says IT’s engineers doubled up on the game software, so in the event of a failure in the motor, the games play completely as normal on the monitors provided. “Every bonus will play the same way; the display would just not expand,” she says. “The art smartly readjusts, so there is no downtime.”

However, she says in all likelihood, the fail-safe will never be triggered.

“The motor is commercial grade; it’s rated to go up and down hundreds of times a day over five years. We’ve had it running, going up and down in our office, for hundreds of thousands of spins of bonus events, and it’s never failed over all that time.”

The cabinet fits in a standard footprint, and since it is designed as a coregame cabinet, it has many other special features besides the moving monitor.

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“We will be at G2E with four game families containing eight titles that have data on them, ready to ship at the show.

That’s important to us.”

—Caitlin Harte, Director of Product Marketing, Incredible Technologies.

For one, it has the oversized touchscreen button panel.

“The idea behind that is to integrate more game play and put more player information right in front of the player’s face, as opposed to having to dig into help screens,” Harte says. “But what having a screen so large down there means is that it allows our designers to basically have a third monitor for game-play elements.”

Harte adds that the Prism VXP is IT’s first cabinet with an integrated stand and spacers. It also is equipped with a new sound package. “It actually has two speakers overhead within the light bar,” Harte says. “So we can do dual-channel audio, putting jackpot bells or other attract-mode sounds in the background while keeping the game soundtrack going below.”

Player comfort and safety also were taken into account. Thick plastic shields players from any contact with moving parts. There are dual bash buttons, and a newly designed wedge between units that allows for a more versatile spacing arrangement to promote distancing. “We were the first company with a 4K video wedge between games, with our V55 product,” says Harte.

“This is an upgraded version. It has a 4K screen, but a much slimmer profile, and it’s built on its own base, which allows us to create a lot of different shapes—it is cylindrical, which allows it to create more flexible angles.”

Filling the Library The Prism VXP will be launched with four new game families at G2E—UpShot, Pinwheel Prizes, Ultra Rush Gold X and Power Push.

The UpShot family consists of initial games Brilliant 7s and Prosperity Rising. Both are 25-line games with a pinball-style bonus initiated on the 18.5-inch touchscreen button deck. In the interactive UpShot Bonus, pinball springs appear on the button deck and the player pushes them to launch virtual pinballs at the expanded monitor, which displays four levels of moving targets.

As the bonus moves to the next level, the credit values increase leading up to the top level, where wheels dart across the screen. If one is struck, players get to spin the wheel for a guaranteed progressive or jackpot prize.

There also is a free-spin bonus, with “Wild Upgrade” scatter symbols.

When one of these symbols lands, a second three-by-five reel set appears over the main screen. The VXP display elevates with each Wild Upgrade awarded, with the chance to add up to three extra reel sets. Players can also collect multiple wheel scatter symbols during the event, which can lead to one of the jackpots.

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theme. In the 10-spin free-game round of this game, a separate pinball bonus is triggered by only one UpShot scatter symbol. The player launches one pinball for credit awards, added wilds, or a wheel spin for progressive and jackpot prizes.

The Pinwheel Prizes game family includes base games Cat & Tiger and Majestic Oasis, both 40-line games. Each game features five pinwheels on the top monitor displaying credit prizes. Scatters increase the value of the pinwheel wedges, which remain until three scatter symbols trigger a spin.

The free-spin round in each game triggers the VXP feature. The reels expand into a double set with 40 additional pay lines for eight free spins. In Majestic Oasis, the free-spin round features a lock-and-spin mechanic on the top reel set. Pinwheel scatters lock in place and stay until three fill a reel to trigger a spin of the corresponding pinwheel.

The Ultra Rush Gold X family, with initial base games Wei Yi and Bingwen, features cash-on-reels symbols that display credit amounts and four jackpots. The bonus feature plays out on a reel set including only cash-on-reels and jackpot symbols, in a hold-and-spin feature with three-spin cycles.

The Power Push family, with titles Shiseijuu Fortunes and Lóng de Xiyuè, uses the moving monitor to simulate the old coin-pusher machines that dotted casinos in the 1980s. Primary games feature an eight-spin persistent feature in which coins are collected, and return to the reels after eight spins as wild symbols. The player also collects letters to spell out the word “BONUS,” which triggers the VXP feature.

The VXP feature replicates a coin-pusher game, with the top screen rising to spill coin awards and several icons representing 10 jackpots into the chamber.

The screen descends as a pusher sends prizes down to a bottom chamber. The player is awarded three “pushes.”

The games are all offered in player-selectable multi-denomination mode.

IT will display games in all its other formats at the G2E show, including its Grand Crystal 2 electronic table games launched early this year. But Prism will be the star of the show.

All of the games on the Prism platform are core, for-sale offerings. As is typical, Incredible Technologies set up test banks in a handful of locations over the summer, and will arrive at G2E with earnings numbers to back up the game concepts. “We don’t like to go to G2E without data to back up anything that we bring,” says Harte. “We will be at G2E with four game families containing eight titles that have data on them, ready to ship at the show. That’s important to us.”

Harte adds that all eight of the titles were developed during last year’s pandemic shutdowns, with no more than two people in the office at any one time.

“It’s actually quite impressive.”

Impressive, actually, has been the norm for IT.

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Konami Gaming, Inc. Full Speed Ahead Konami moves to maximize all its slot formats with new content, in both established and new product areas

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or Konami Gaming, Inc., the tumultuous year 2020 drew attention away from product introductions that will define the company’s products for years.

Perhaps the most significant of these introductions was the launch of the Dimension series of cabinets, which was officially under way only weeks before last year’s industry shutdowns when the company unveiled Dimension 49J, along with the game series All Aboard.

Since Konami R&D kept going during the shutdowns, the company continued its development of the Dimension series, along with games designed specifically for those new cabinets—first Dimension 49J, with its central 49-inch J-curved monitor, to be followed later last year as casinos reopened with the Dimension 27, a core video cabinet utilizing three 27-inch screens; and Dimension 49, the portrait version of the series with a 49-inch flat-screen monitor.

This year, as Konami introduces its customers to the new Dimension 75C and its massive 75-inch curved main monitor, the company is seeing the blossoming of the cabinet series, as innovative new content has poured out of Konami’s development studios to maximize the potential of each of the new form factors.

As of August 2021, the core Dimension 49 had rested atop the Eilers-Fantini Game Performance Report in the for-sale category for four straight months as the top-performing portrait cabinet in the industry. In the premium leased category, Dimension 49J and its the two inaugural game families, All Aboard and Ocean Spin, were also consistently near the top of industry performance reports.

Game releases so far this year have continued the momentum of the Dimension games leading up to Global Gaming Expo 2021, when the company will display new content for all the cabinets in the series.

“Konami noted some big successes,” says Tashina Wortham, Konami Gaming’s marketing communications manager. “We have All Aboard premium, and the Dimension 49J premium both high on the industry performing charts month after month, and then the SYNKROS casino management system and its cashless and cardless functions also gaining a ton of traction with our casino customers.”

Wortham says this year’s focus is to continue the momentum in all product categories. “How do we take those big wins and translate them to make them even bigger and better for our customers?” she says. “You’re going to see even more Dimension premium product and content. You’re going to see even more SYNKROS technology in terms of cashless, cardless, and compliance. We believe that Konami is in a state of very strong product, strong people and strong partnerships.”

At G2E, new content will be highlighted in all the established categories, plus new markets such as historical horse racing, for which Konami signed partnership agreements with Ainsworth and Exacta Systems taking Konami content into

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HHR markets.

“We successfully expanded into the HHR market this year, which is huge,” says Wortham. “Also, we see Class II, VLT and VGTs as strategic expansion areas for Konami, as we actively investigate and invest in those areas.”

Meanwhile, the popular SYNKROS casino management system is spreading its footprint, most recently as the system of choice for the new Resorts World Las Vegas on the Strip.

Wortham credits the stability of Konami’s slot and system business to one of the most longstanding teams of veterans in the business at the top. “We have very tenured, consistent leadership,” she says. “The combined Konami experience of the six people in our C-Suite stands at over 80 years.”

Rapid Roadmap The Konami roadmap of products is swelling quickly in all product categories.

For the premium Dimension 49J, the success of All Aboard was followed by more success with its follow-up on the cabinet, Ocean Spin, released in March.

“Ocean Spin is out in the field and doing phenomenally well,” says Andrew Culverson, regional product marketing manager for Konami.

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Ocean Spin, with base games Kingdom’s Treasures and Pirate’s Riches, features a wheel bonus triggered by six cash-on-reels coin symbols. The total amount of the coin values is tallied, and the wheel spins to a multiplier applied to the coin total.

In the second quarter, Konami released two new versions of the All Aboard game series, All Aboard: Go West! and All Aboard: Masked Warrior.

Both include the popular All Aboard train feature. Go West! features a freegame event in which symbols obscured by stage doors open to reveal either wild horse symbols or All Aboard train symbols.

Masked Warrior, themed around feudal Japan, features a mighty ninja character with special doors in the free games opening to reveal wild ninja symbols or the All Aboard train symbol.

As in the original, when the All Aboard feature is triggered, all the train symbols transform into credit awards.

After the win is registered, the credit awards remain in place on the reel array and all other spots become independent reels, re-spinning for three free spins. Each time an additional train symbol lands, it reveals a new credit award, and all of the credits on the board are awarded again. The free-spin count returns to three, and the feature continues, re-awarding the total credits on the board with each new train symbol.

“These additional All Aboard titles allow the casinos to refresh their banks with additional titles,” Culverson says. “By Q1 2022, we’ll have approximately an additional 20 titles in the premium lineup that we’ll release to the market.” This includes another Ocean Spin game, and the high-denomination All Aboard Gold Express.

The latter includes the inaugural All Aboard titles, Dynamite Dash and Piggy Pennies, in multiple higher denominations with a Grand Jackpot progressive resetting at $50,000 or $100,000.

At G2E, more new Dimension 49J premium titles will be launched, including the showcase game Lucky Envelope. It is a linked progressive slot with a 243-ways-to-win base game and four jackpot levels that scale by denomination. Wild red envelope symbols on the first two reels can randomly trigger a jackpot pick game. The player chooses from 30 red envelopes to match three icons for a guaranteed jackpot.

Players can also win an instant Mini or Minor award through the game’s Coin Feature. During primary play, the Coin Feature is triggered by collecting a red envelope on reels 1 and 2 in conjunction with coin credit prize

symbols on reels 3, 4, and 5. The free game feature takes the Coin Feature even further, by only requiring a red envelope on reel 1, with coin credit prizes available across all the remaining reels. The series launches with base games Plum Riches and Jade Wealth.

The Big 75C This year, the premium leased category welcomes the newest version of the Dimension cabinet series, the Dimension 75C, featuring a huge 75-inch curved monitor. “About 30 percent of the monitor is touchscreen-enabled,” says Culverson. “This will take all of our premium Dimension 49J content— we can port it over to this cabinet.”

That process has already begun. Konami arrives at G2E having developed Dimension 75C versions of all four All Aboard games—Piggy Pennies, Dynamite Dash, Go West! and Masked Warrior.

Culverson says while the footprint of the Dimension 75C is slightly larger than the 49J, “it still has a decent footprint because of the curved backs. You can still get that tighter pod configuration.

“It has all the edge lighting, and the KXP platform, like the other Dimension products. Our first placement was in Southern California, followed by a Las Vegas Strip location. They’re both doing extremely well.”

All the Dimension 75C products offer custom-branded bank filler displays and overhead signage.

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Konami arrives at G2E with Dimension 75C versions of all four All Aboard games— Piggy Pennies, Dynamite Dash, Go West! and Masked Warrior. footprint machines typically go on the floor and stay for a significant period of time,” says Tom Jingoli, Konami’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

“We have a robust lineup of game themes with the two premium content titles we’re releasing—All Aboard and Ocean Spin could stay out there for years, as you’ve seen with some of the other large-format cabinets.”

“Our premium Dimension 49J content will reside on the Dimension 75C; we’re going to stay true to that strategy for a while,” says Jay Bertsch, Konami’s senior vice president and chief commercial officer.

“We’re going to make sure that we have a good backlog of titles to serve our customers that are in it for the long haul on the premium side. It’s an investment by our customers, and we’re making sure that they can capitalize on that.

“That being said, we have some phenomenal products on the for-sale side as well.”

For-Sale Strength The for-sale libraries of the other two Dimension products, Dimension 49 and Dimension 27, are being augmented just as quickly and thoroughly as the premium products.

The first game on the Dimension 49 cabinet, Fortune Mint, is in the field now, and according to Culverson, “doing phenomenal” numbers.

Fortune Mint features coin symbols that transform to random multipliers and jackpot symbols when appearing in a highlighted section of the reel frame. The game displays a giant glowing coin across the upper part of the screen.

Any coin symbols that land in the center three reels can transform to 10X, 3X, or 2X multipliers, for wins multiplied up to a maximum of 1,000X. There also is a “Question Mark” feature, in which coin symbols on the center reels display question marks and transform to multipliers or instant progressive prizes.

The launch titles are Fu Gui You Yu and Fu Xing Gao Zhao.

Fu Gui You Yu features a mix of red color hues during the primary game, bursting into gold during the free-game feature. As players enter the free-game event, reel 1 is boosted with a wave of additional coin symbols, increasing potential for winning symbol combinations.

Fu Xing Gao Zhao is an available complement to Fu Gui You Yu. This original title features 2X wins during the free games.

During G2E, Konami is promoting new games on the Dimension 49 including Jackpot Orbs, a new symbol-driven progressive series featuring lucky orb symbols across all reels, each assigned a number digit. Whenever digits com78

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bine in a string of three or more orbs on a pay line, the player is awarded the displayed amount as an instant credit prize—with wins up to 90,000 credits.

Orbs in the center reel can also randomly display a Mini, Major, Mega or Maxi award, which will be awarded over and above the credit prize when appearing in combination with a winning number symbol pay. Launch titles are Jackpot Orbs Fortune and Jackpot Orbs Wealth.

Also coming this year on the Dimension 49 will be Rising Diamond, featuring a unique expanding reel mechanic that takes advantage of the tall portrait screen.

There are two unique game iterations: Pink Edition and Blue Edition. Wild diamond symbols that appear in the middle three reels are colored pink or blue. Every time a wild dia-

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mond symbol lands on the reels, the player is rewarded—with an expanded reel frame and/or the free game feature.

On the Dimension 27 triple-screen cabinet, Konami is showcasing game groups including Mystical Pearl and Panda Power.

Mystical Pearl games feature an undersea-themed linked progressive focused on collecting simmering pearl symbols, for a “Stay & Spin” bonus that can lead to one of four jackpots—fixed Mini and Minor prizes and progressive Major and Grand prizes.

Any time throughout primary play or the free games, the hero character can randomly deliver additional pearl symbols to the reels, increasing the odds of triggering the Stay & Spin feature.

Any six or more Pearls will trigger the feature, where players have the chance to win random credit prizes or one of the jackpots. Mystical Pearl has two compatible base game options: Mystical Pearl Mermaid and Mystical Pearl Neptune.

Also at G2E and targeted for release this year is Panda Power, an original new linked progressive jackpot series combining popular Konami base games on the lower screen—including Dragon’s Law Twin Fever, Lion Carnival, Solstice Celebration and Thunder Warrior—with both a bonus reel frame and a bonus wheel shown on the middle and top screens respectively—effectively leveraging all three game screens to deliver different game play experiences.

When three or more Panda Power symbols land on the primary reels, the Panda Power Feature is awarded. The middle bonus reel frame is activated, and players receive one spin on a reel filled with only panda face symbols and blank symbols. Depending on how many panda faces land at the end of the spin, the player is awarded a corresponding number of bonus spins. The player then moves to the prize wheel in the top screen where they have the chance at a guaranteed additional prize beyond the awarded bonus spins.

“This has a unique two-level progressive,” comments Culverson. “This is the first game we’ve released that has a feature on every single screen. The player will hit the feature in the base game, and it will go up to the second monitor for a Panda Power feature where it lines up the pandas and determines the number of bonus spins. And then it will go to that top box and spin the wheel to determine either a multiplier or progressive. We’re utilizing the entire three-screen display.”

Culverson says Konami also is adding classic titles from earlier formats to the Dimension 27. Celestial Moon Riches and Celestial Sun Riches Eclipse, first released on the Concerto cabinet and still doing very well in the field, will be displayed at the show on the Dimension 27. The original games are presented as an expanded “Eclipse” series with an added hold-and-re-spin feature.

“The exciting thing about where Konami is with respect to the platform is that much of the Dimension hardware extends across the entire product set,” says Bertsch. “We’re in a great spot from the supply chain side, based on the way that engineering has designed it all. Other than the fact that it’s a different button 80

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Using Money Klip, players simply load funds to their loyalty account at the cage or an interfaced TITO kiosk, for secure digital transactions directly at the gaming machine. Players simply insert their card at the machine and enter their secure PIN.

deck on the 75, it’s pretty much the same entire platform across the portfolio, which is great.”

All the game advances are augmented by the advances in SYNKROS. The system is still growing its footprint across the industry, and is the CMS of choice for some of the biggest operators in the industry, including the new Resorts World Las Vegas, which can tap into all SYNKROS modules.

That includes the cashless module, Money Klip. Using this function, players simply load funds to their loyalty account at the cage or an interfaced TITO kiosk, for secure digital transactions directly at the gaming machine. Players simply insert their card at the machine and enter their secure PIN. Upon successful verification, a message will appear confirming that the cashless wagering account is enabled, and players are invited to click the money icon to enter how much cash they wish to bring into the game from their Money Klip. When the card is removed from the machine after play, any remaining balance is transferred back into their Money Klip account.

Players can even spend their digital funds at non-gaming outlets like property restaurants and bars.

Konami has also gotten industry praise for SYNK31, the comprehensive Title 31 Anti-Money Laundering (AML) system that allows SYNKROS administrators to gather, track, review, and complete all AML requirements.

This system is developed as CMS-agnostic and is being offered to operators with competing casino management systems.

Konami will have a reduced presence at G2E this year, but Jingoli says they are making up for that through technology shown at Resorts World Las Vegas, just down the Strip from the Venetian Expo Center.

“We’ll have our system there, with some of our latest, greatest technology when it comes to cashless,” Jingoli says. “We’ll be doing events there after the show so we can take our customers over there and show them the system and products at work in a live environment.

“We’re positioned very well. The system side of the business has had a record year, and we’re well into another great year.”

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Novomatic Americas Presenting the Best Novomatic Americas comes to G2E 2021 with premium and core content, exciting new progressives and a whole lot more

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or gaming manufacturers and suppliers, the Global Gaming Expo is typically the culmination of a year’s creativity, a showcase for products developed, refined or rolled out in the previous 12 months.

This year’s G2E is twice that—a grand stage for innovations that would have been on display at the 2020 expo, and products brainstormed during and in response to the shutdowns.

While most gaming floors were dark for at least part of last year, Novomatic Americas maintained its foundational business operations with an overarching goal: to support its clients through a uniquely challenging phase.

“Watching the year unfold, we were focused on what we as a company could do to help our customers and in turn help our business,” says Rick Meitzler, the company’s president and CEO. “I’m proud of what our company and employees have achieved.”

Through the worst of the pandemic and as the recovery began, productivity was nonstop at Novomatic Americas, the North American arm of the Austrian giant, which celebrated its 40th anniversary during the outbreak.

The result will be on view at G2E this year: sleek cabinets, new concepts in sports betting retail technology and video gaming technology; stunning product lines; and a variety of entertaining premium content, core content, systems and exciting new progressive jackpot product lines. Here’s what’s in store: The company will launch the new Thunder Cash Link progressive game, Voodoo Magic. The game will enhance the popular multi-level jackpot offering and give operators a new theme to add to an already exciting link.

The game, using the new Signature Tower Design, features a beautiful Voodoo Priestess who comes alive in a magical bayou setting—with magical rewards to match.

For the Ultra entertainment experience, Novomatic Americas will launch the Ultra Boost Link progressive, giving a new boost to the popular lock-and-spin feature. This family of games has three titles to raise jackpot winnings: Grand Eagle, Tiger Storm and Great American Buffalo. Operators can go wild and unlock two matrices that players accumulate wins on, simultaneously. And the bright retro yellow design draws players from across any casino floor.

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One game has remained at the top of the Eilers-Fantini Game Performance Report small supplier list since July 2019, consistently occupying first or second place in the rankings. The Money Party link, with its fun Fruity Fruity and Juicy Juicy themes, has made a splash on gaming floors across the U.S. Novomatic also has released several stunning families of stand-alone progressive titles. This attractive mix of games includes the Eternal Mandarin Ducks, Royal Crane and Nobel Peacock progressives, available on multiple cabinets, ensuring flexibility for operators.

Leveraging the success of the Dancing Series of games are Dancing Tiger Gold and Dancing Lantern Gold. With desirable rising-lantern jackpot mechanics and entertaining trigger features, these games will keep players entertained while their jackpot totals pay. And for those who like mythology jackpot madness, the Mythological Creatures family of games are an ideal choice, with the Mighty Minotaur and Enchanted Pegasus paying Power Prizes.

The Ji Deng Gao Zhao link is packed with player appeal. Shown on the

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“To be successful, we needed products that deliver long-term customer value.

G2E is the biggest stage to present our best. We’ve focused on diversifying our progressive offering.”

—Rick Meitzler, President and CEO, Novomatic

Signature Tower with two themes available, the enchanting Foo Baby, Jade Dragon and Happy, Lucky Cats are symbols of luck and prosperity for all who play Lucky Trail and Lucky Path.

Since 2012, Novomatic Americas has created market-specific gaming products for the North American and Caribbean jurisdictions. Products range from slot machines for Class III and VLT/VGT markets to lottery solutions, electronic table games, management systems, tournament systems, play-forfun online/mobile games, social games, sports betting systems and ancillary services. The company is an undisputed leader in kiosk hardware as part of its ever-growing portfolio. The Novomatic ActionBook offers quick response times and a user-friendly, multi-touch-screen monitor experience, for the kiosk of choice for multiple software providers and large operators. The ActionBook Mini and ActionBook Plus promote increased wagering levels.

“To be successful, we needed products that deliver long-term customer

value. G2E is the biggest stage to present our best,” says Meitzler. “We’ve focused on diversifying our progressive offering. Voodoo Magic and Charming Lady Boom, our new Thunder Cash linked progressive themes, allow our customers to expand the popular brand on their floors. We look forward to the launch of our new sports betting kiosk, the Novomatic ActionBook Mini, which will change the sports betting kiosk landscape.

“While we’ve continued to focus on customer care, service and support, it is a matter of continuing to build our credibility with an exciting pipeline of new products and confidence with our customers so that we deliver on their expectations.”

As ever, Novomatic Americas delivers on three fronts: Player Entertainment. Customer Value. Superior Service.

—By Marjorie Preston

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Scientific Games Customer’s Choice Scientific Games tailors its new content to the needs of its customers across several channels

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cientific Games Corporation has always made its presence known in every gaming industry channel one can imagine—casino slots, table games, table utility products, ETGs, systems, lotteries, iGaming, sports betting.

The company has been a one-stop shop for the gaming industry.

Earlier this year, Scientific Games announced that it intends to shed its lottery and sports betting divisions, to concentrate on content and to reduce debt through the sale or spin-off of both valuable businesses.

Matt Wilson, group gaming CEO for Scientific Games, notes that the move is a logical reorganization of the business.

That, he says, is because content is at the core of everything SG does, from casino slots to table games to systems to online gaming.

“The common thread across all of those products is great content,” Wilson says. “Great content is what you need to win in all those different channels.”

Wilson, formerly president for the Americas at rival slot-maker Aristocrat, joined SG in March 2020 at the invitation of Barry Cottle, president and CEO of Scientific Games. Under Cottle’s leadership, Wilson has assembled what he calls his “dream team” of veterans and colleagues, to produce that great content.

The Big Canvas There’s one item visitors to Scientific Games’ G2E booth, not to mention visitors to casinos, are not going to be able to miss this year: the company’s new Mural slot cabinet.

Launched in April, the Mural features dual stacked 55-inch 4K curved monitors—that’s 110 inches of game real estate, the most in the business—in a presentation that rises 11 feet, and gives game developers a vast canvas on which to work.

The Mural includes all the state-of-the-art features—the touchscreen-enabled iDeck button panel, the embedded wireless charger, and a next-generation Salem processor offering game designers unprecedented horsepower.

But the visual impact is what sells it. Looking at a bank of Mural games from across the floor “creates a billboard on the gaming floor,” says Nathan Drane, Scientific Games senior vice president, global product management.

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“You can see it from a distance—it draws a crowd, it creates excitement.”

For the first game suite designed for the Mural, SG has brought out its biggest guns. The first two games are Willy Wonka: Dreamers of Dreams and Emperor’s Coins—88 Fortunes.

“The cabinet brings to light some of our biggest brands and franchises,” says Drane. “We’re cultivating our brands. Willy Wonka is one of our strongest licenses to launch this new cabinet, and we’re really leveraging the whole screen.”

The Willy Wonka game uses every inch of the massive display for the player-favorite “Super Oompa Loompa” feature, including a multiplier reel that stretches all the way to the top. A giant Wonka Double Wheel can award a credit prize and a multiplier, and Fizzy Lifting Free Spins feature a reel set and wilds that float up over the display.

Emperor’s Coins, the latest version of the iconic 88 Fortunes series, leverages one of the company’s most successful internal brands. “This is one of our strongest brands of all time,” Drane says. “We’ve taken it from Dancing Drums to Emperor’s Coins... The great thing about this brand is understanding the intrinsic value and what the players are seeking in 88 Fortunes, and taking that to this big cabinet format.”

This includes the largest pot-style feature you’ll see, from anywhere across the casino floor. That’s the popular game mechanic in which symbols collect in a pot that swells until randomly bursting with credits, wilds or bonus events.

“In Emperor’s Coins, you fill up the pot every time you land a wild; players are very familiar with that mechanic,” says Drane. “This is the biggest pot we’ve ever done— this can scale from one machine to two machines, from three machines up to four machines, and the pot just gets bigger. So this is creating an event for the gaming floor, but also excitement for the player in front of you.”

Scientific Games will bring six titles to G2E on the Mural presentation.

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Portrait Success The launch of the Mural and its games follows last year’s big cabinet introduction, the Kascada upright portrait cabinet, which is completing its rollout this year in North American, Asian and Australian markets.

Kascada features a unique 43-inch, double-curved monitor with ultra-high definition 4K graphics.

Dedicated Kascada games already in the field include Coin Combo, which has typically occupied high positions on the Eilers-Fantini performance charts.

Coin Combo is billed as the “next generation” of 88 Fortunes, and specifically of the Duo Fu Duo Cai series. It includes all of the familiar elements, including the Fu Babies (“You can see the babies are actually a little more mature now; they’re growing up,” laughs Drane), Wealth Pot, and Jackpot Feature, but with new enhancements. For instance, players now have the opportunity to level up the jackpot awarded and possibly win a double Grand jackpot.

Also, the “pot” feature is enhanced in Coin Combo. Instead of one Wealth Pot, there are three, and each pot corresponds to a different free bonus event.

The four initial titles in the Coin Combo series are Hurricane Horse, Carnival Cow, Marvelous Mouse and Terrific Tiger. “While the pot feature is the same across all the games, each has a unique mechanic—a hold-and-spin, a multiplying multiplier, a persistent wild, a pick-one chase,” says Drane. “You can place all four games on your floor and get different experiences out of each.”

Another new Kascada game is 5 Treasures Explosion. The 5 Treasures game was originally part of the Duo Fu Duo Cai series. “We’re bringing it to the widearea progressive space on the large-format cabinet,” Drane says.

Drane says that in addition to Kascada, the game can go on SG’s other largeformat cabinets, the V75 and the Wave XL. Also on the Wave XL and the Gamefield 2.0 cabinet is a new entry to SG’s Monopoly franchise, Monopoly Cheaters Edition.

“The host, Monopoly Man, actually helps you cheat in the game,” says Drane. “And the benefit of it is he always helps you; he makes the outcomes better. He might take the dice away and give you higher-scoring dots. He might move you along the board. He might give you a jackpot. He’s going to change your base game. This brings more fun to Monopoly.”

Another Monopoly title on the Kascada is Monopoly Money Grab, which combines a persistent cash bag feature (similar to the pot mechanic) and a holdand-re-spin feature with cash-on-reels symbols.

But the real star is the Monopoly Money Grab Bonus, which randomly spews dollars out of the “Monopoly Cash Jar” for the player to snatch. “This is really resonating with players,” says Drane. “They are very familiar with that mechanic, and it adds another dimension to Monopoly.

“When people see Monopoly, it’s good brand equity. But what’s also important for us is to build the next brands. How are we going to innovate, create new themes, and create something that players love? That brings us to Cash Falls.”

Cash Falls brings the hold-and-re-spin feature right to the base game, in the form of the player collecting coin symbols that include credit awards and jackpots, which stay on the reels for as long as more land in a three-spin persistent feature.

When the coin icons fill a reel, they “fall” out to award the accumulated value.

It also has a novel reel setup in a ways-to-win format. The first two reels have four symbols each; the third and fourth reels, six symbols; the fifth reel, eight symbols. This results in 4,608 ways to win.

Finally, SG is launching a new title in its other mega-franchise, The Wizard of Oz. Called The Wizard of Oz Over the Rainbow, familiar game mechanics are here joined by cash on reels, a persistent “bubble” feature, and a must-hit-by jackpot.

Tables to Gifts Scientific Games’ other big product rollouts at G2E involve innovation in the electronic table game area, as well as systems and utility table products. There also is an intriguing new sales model for live table games.

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ETGs are now presented in a new cabinet called Quartz. The new cabinet showcases a larger 26.5-inch LCD high-definition player touchscreen—capable of displaying up to eight different games—a 12.5-inch customizable LCD screen for optional marketing displays, and new eyecatching lighting effects.

According to Rob Bone, senior vice president, global systems and tables for SG, those eight ETG games represent an expansion.

“We hadn’t offered every type of game to make our Quartz cabinet a fullfloor solution,” Bone says. “Now we have craps, we have our additional proprietary table games, and we have new games like Roulette X—a roulette game on steroids. We’ve basically taken a standard roulette game, which pays 36-for-1, and remapped the math to give the player an enhanced bonus experience. So on every spin, randomly anywhere from two to six numbers will be selected for anywhere from a 50X to a 1,000X multiplier.”

Also on the table side, a new shuffler called MDX is being launched, and SG has initiated a subscription service called VALT, which allows operators to pay one regular subscription price for any and all SG live table games.

On the system side, the big emphasis at G2E will be on the seamless Unified Wallet cashless solution, but also on a new promotional module that works within SG’s casino management systems called Player Boutique.

“Every year, our customers spend $800 million in gifting services—‘Come in and we’ll give you a bottle of wine; come in for a vacuum or an air fryer,’” Bone says. “People come in and stand in line for gifts, and when they’re in line, they’re not playing. We’ve integrated the gifting into the game.”

Player Boutique uses the iVIEW 4 display on SG terminals to give players options for their gifts. “Players can redeem gifts through the game in a system that is integrated with Amazon, and the gift is shipped to their house within two days,” Bone says.

The Player Boutique system also can use the on-screen display as an enticement to earn more points: “Play to this level and get this gift.”

“We’re seeing a lot of momentum with Player Boutique,” Bone says.

Momentum, in fact, is something being seen across Scientific Games’ product mix. Wilson gives all the credit to his team.

“We have a very unique business because there are so many people that come from very diverse backgrounds—a lot of former WMS employees, Bally employees, Shuffle Master, Aristocrat,” he says. “It’s a melting pot of all those different ways of doing things. And we’re figuring out the best ways to unlock all of that talent.”

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Sega Sammy Creation Genesis and Growth Sega Sammy Creation increases its U.S. footprint with new hardware and game styles

A

leader in Asian gaming makes its Global Gaming Expo debut this year.

Sega Sammy Creation Inc., which opened its Las Vegas office in October 2016, has since established a strong customer base in Nevada and is expanding to other parts of the U.S., according to Senior Vice President of Sales Takashi Maekawa.

Sega Sammy built its U.S. presence with the crowd-pleasing Genesis Star slot cabinet, which featured an interactive LED lighting system and a play button with an industry-first vibration system.

This year, the firm launched its next-generation Genesis Crest cabinet. The Genesis Crest offers an even more immersive gaming experience with its ultra-high-definition 4K monitor, 49-inch screen and alluring LED lighting effects. Its expansive game library promises to offer something for every casino patron.

“With this product, we’ve increased our footprint in Nevada and among key operators in Southern California and Florida, and also have seen a large increase in Oklahoma,” says Maekawa. “We will be in the Northern California market in the upcoming months, are currently working on entering Arizona and Arkansas, and will be looking into other markets to expand into.”

Sega Sammy Creation is a unit of Yokohama-based Sega Sammy Group.

In Japan, Sega Sammy may be best known for its robust pachislot and pachinko business. But the multi-faceted entertainment giant also develops game software and amusement machines, operates amusement centers, and develops and manages hotels, theme parks and integrated resorts in Japan and South Korea.

Everywhere it operates, the Sega Sammy vision remains the same: To be an innovative leader in the global gaming industry, delivering an uncompromising, exciting and inspiring gaming experience.

“Our passion is evident in our superior-quality products,” says President and CEO Scott Winzeler. “We act with integrity to provide a first-class service experience. We approach every aspect of our business with an innovative and open mind to provide exciting entertainment and long-lasting relationships.”

In today’s competitive landscape, gaming clients “are always looking for core proven products, with some room for new and different things,”

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“We approach every aspect of our business with an innovative and open mind to provide exciting entertainment and long-lasting relationships.”

—Scott Winzeler, President and CEO, Sega Sammy Creation

Maekawa notes. Sega Sammy Creation “aims to provide games to fit both needs, providing stronger core content with our Crest cabinet from our recent experience in the U.S. market, and also providing new and innovative products based on our experience and skills from the arcade and pachislot markets.

“We’re excited not only with the new cabinet but with our vast variety of game content, and look forward to entering new markets in the U.S.” While Sega Sammy launched its Genesis Crest at a challenging time, during the turbulence of the Covid-19 pandemic, “we have seen promising performance,” says Maekawa. “We are exhibiting at G2E Las Vegas for the first time, and are excited to finally meet and introduce our latest products to everyone in person—our current as well as new customers. We look forward to showcasing the Crest cabinet and the rich variety of games that we have to offer.”

—By Marjorie Preston

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Zitro Glare of Success Zitro fills the library of its new Glare cabiinet while branching out to new channels

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ictionary.com defines glare in different ways, but the one most apropos to Zitro’s latest cabinet is “a dazzling or showy appearance.” Compared to the preceding cabinets from Zitro, Glare cabinets are wider, much brighter, and much easier to service.

When it debuts in the first quarter of 2022, Glare will include a large library of titles to guarantee fresh content and unique experiences to players, says Sebastian Salat, CEO of Zitro. Some of these games will be ready to go by the current year’s end.

One of the stars of the Glare product line is the Altius cabinet. Altius measures almost 31 inches wide, more than 100 inches high, with a depth close to 33 inches. The cabinet features a 55-inch giant LCD. “Altius Glare will be launched with four Wheel of Legends titles featuring the best graphics and animations of the gaming industry, as well as amazing premium sounds, providing players a fantastic experience,” Salat says.

All games will run in both existing cabinets and the Glare versions of those cabinets. “So, for instance, the game that runs on the Allure cabinet will also run on the Allure Glare cabinet. Same will happen for the Fusion and the Illusion versions,” Salat says. “Any new games developed in the future will also be compatible with both the existing product line and the Glare product line. Zitro wants to protect the customers’ investment by launching all new games ready for both products.”

Besides Glare, recent Zitro games are also making an impact in new jurisdictions.

In the summer, Zitro USA introduced the 88 Link Lucky Charms and Wild Duels Progressive multi-game machines at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa. The games come in the new ultra-slim Allure Cabinet with three 27inch HD LCD monitors, along with SynchroScreens, in which the upper screens sync up on a bank level, creating a visual spectacle comparable to the aesthetics and functionality of a cost-intensive overhead signage. The games carry five levels of progressives, and the top award starts at $10,888.

“We welcome these exciting new games from Zitro USA,” says Dan Ingster, vice president of slot operations at Hard Rock Tampa.

Both 88 Link and Bashiba Link include multi-level stand-alone and localarea progressive jackpots. “They provide players with bonus rounds, in addition to the dazzling sounds and graphics,” Salat said.

88 Link Lucky Charms combines for the first time Zitro’s Link Bonus with a multi-way game mechanic on the Allure cabinet, with four games inspired by Japanese culture.

Unveiling new products is a relief in the Covid-19 pandemic era. Zitro, headquartered in Luxembourg, faced difficulty during the pandemic, something they still deal with as new strains evolve.

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“When the pandemic started, we took all the necessary measures to protect our employees, help our suppliers and business partners, and support our customers, since casino operators all over the world had to close their facilities temporarily, or operate under very tough restrictions,” Salat says.

He sees positive trends in the growing vaccination programs in many countries. “But we need wider and faster distribution of the vaccines worldwide, so tourism and entertainment can come back to the pre-pandemic levels and economic growth can accelerate.”

Zitro, founded by Johnny Ortiz in 2007, has not simply been waiting for the Covid-19 crisis to pass. “We have been working very hard to catch up with our ambitious game development and product engineering plan, so we can be prepared to respond to the increasing demand for our very successful games worldwide,” Salat says.

The pandemic has heavily impacted Zitro customers worldwide from an economic standpoint. “We understand the need to release better titles than ever, and the need to make sure those titles are compatible with the equipment hardware our customers already own. To launch great performing titles to attract players to the casinos is the single best thing slot manufacturers can do,” Salat says.

The pandemic has also accelerated online casino play.

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One of the most successful games Zitro has been commercializing for the land-based casino markets is the group of Link King local-area progressives.

The first Link King games have already launched in digital format and can be played in many online casinos around the world. “After Link King, the Link Me and 88 Link games will be also available in digital format, and more and

more games will follow to make our digital game offer comparable to our already existing, amazing game offer for online casinos,” Salat says.

Zitro Digital oversees the distribution of digital games to online casino operators. “Our digital game portfolio includes the widest offer of video bingo games as well as some of our most successful video slots,” Salat says. “Our goal is to launch our games for the digital market immediately after they have been launched for the land-based markets, so we can offer players the very same game choice no matter the distribution channel they decide to use.”

Don’t forget Zitro’s video bingo products. “We center all our efforts in commercializing these products in European, Latin American and Asian markets, where this type of game is extremely popular,” Salat says.

—By Bill Sokolic

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MARKETING

Anticipate Surprises Is your brand ready for the next curve ball?

M

y former brand manager at Isle of Capri Casinos, Elissa Plastino, and I had a few routines and processes we depended on. One was that each May, we would update the crisis communications plan in preparation for hurricane season.

A decent, updated plan for a crisis should always be at the ready. On a personal note, I found myself without such a plan as Hurricane Ida set her sights on south Louisiana. Although that was a wake-up call for me, I did see businesses across New Orleans reopen (slowly for sure). After seeing the huge generators attached to almost all of these buildings, I knew their ability to reopen because they had a plan.

Certainly, 2020 was a wake-up call for businesses across the country. As the pandemic spread, businesses closed their doors, and employees found themselves struggling. Whether you think them good or bad, the aid packages served as a much-needed bandage until the next crisis.

Our Band-Aid came in the form of how we leaned in further to digital communication.

However, I see us use offers so often as a BandAid to stem the flow of competitors stealing customers or play. It makes me wonder if any of us is ready for the next curve ball in a way that can still enhance our brands.

Some items should be in daily practice.

By Julia Carcamo

at times, he issued a public letter of apology that included words such as “humiliated” and “mortified” to describe himself. He never blamed the weather but rather introduced a customer bill of rights and a detailed outline of how the company would make things right.

Reframe your notion of an official spokesperson (and media outlets).

There was a time when one person in the organization was the official face and voice of the company. Rather than depending on an official spokesperson, today’s news comes to us from our friends and family. Your social media team is now the “official source.”

It is even more important now that these staff members have a pipeline to the correct information and be empowered to act and respond quickly. The days of waiting on news cycles and official press releases are gone.

Today the customer is the journalist, and that journalist doesn’t necessarily take the time to fact-check. Your response team has to have the ability to respond quickly and with accuracy and empathy. The next time you watch a news program, count how often a fact is attributed to a source from social media.

The deeper part of preparing your team for a curve ball is making sure your entire team is on the same page. It helps with having to make quick changes, but more importantly, it can propel your business forward.

Be accountable for your company’s actions.

The No. 1 reason a crisis spirals out of control is because someone stepped into the spotlight and shifted the blame. Do you remember that United passenger being dragged off the plane?

United’s CEO doubled down by praising employees for going above and beyond. I remember after the Deepwater Horizon explosion and how (in an effort—hopefully—to emphasize what a top priority cleanup was) the BP CEO said he was anxious to get on with his life. A high bar was set by JetBlue CEO David Neelan when an ice storm hit the East Coast, grounding nearly 1,000 flights. Voice cracking

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Understand who your customers are, are not and could be.

There is probably no industry that knows quite so much about its customers as the casino industry. We use a plethora of information to tailor marketing to appeal to those we know, but our customers could be anyone in a crisis. As marketers, we must know who we are pushing away with our message. Remember that BP example I mentioned? I will pass one of their stations up and never consider stopping in. I wasn’t their customer before, but now I don’t think I will ever be if I can help it.

When a dear friend and business associate of mine participated in an annual Mardi Gras tradition, she made an off-handed remark that caused an uproar way beyond her friends and family to her customer base along with many unknown, future customers and fans. She quickly apologized, acknowledged her ignorance, and challenged her organization and herself for deeper understanding.

Continually prepare and improve your response.

There are several reasons you should be ready to respond.

• Biological occurrences such as the current pandemic.

• Accidents as simple as chemical spills and as extensive as fires.

• Bad actors (robbery, terrorism, etc.).

• Mother Nature such as wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, and floods.

• The tech-related crisis, which we see all too commonly now.

Whether you are preparing for a hurricane, pandemic, or an outbreak of food poisoning, preparation is key. It can safeguard your revenue, your reputation, your customers, and your team members.

On a personal note, having a crisis plan has been the most important lesson I learned this year. As I found myself on what the power company called an “island,” I, along with the whole of our community, found myself trying to figure out a Plan B quickly. Planning allows you to identify corporate and vendor partners and allows you to put certain things into a queue you hope never to use.

Julia Carcamo has held property and corporate leadership positions at medium to large casino companies. She is president and chief brand strategist at J Carcamo & Associates, serving casino properties from coast to coast. She writes on a variety of casino and general marketing topics and is founder of the highly lauded Casino Marketing Boot Camp.

Contact: julia@jcarcamoassociates.com.

“It’s the gambling, Stupid.”

Words that will live forever in the minds of everyone that had the privilege of working with Michael Meczka.

Those four words were his way of reminding us all to focus on our core business and not be overtaken by distractions.

Our industry lost a giant in August.

Regarded as “the dean” of market research and consumer insights in the gaming industry, Mike will always be remembered for his unabashed honesty, integrity, sense of humor, and knowledge of what makes this industry tick.

So prophetic were his words that the gaming industry, this year, will undoubtedly break the previous gambling records.

Thanks Mike for forever keeping us honest. You will be missed for your lifetime of achievements serving this great industry.

YO U R A D M I R I N G CO L L E AG U E S AT

C3 GAMING

GHI SOLUTIONS

J CARCAMO & A S S O C I AT E S

P R O F I TA B L E C U S TO M E R S

SLOT S T R AT E G I E S

T H I N K-T R A F F I C

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The Compliance Game The protection afforded by compliance software is needed now more than ever

By Dave Bontempo

P

ay friendly entities now, or unfriendly ones later.

Casino operators increasingly grasp this message regarding the pivotal gaming compliance sector. The era of colossal growth, numerous government regulations and the Covid-induced staff shortages has them chasing their own paperwork.

Operators see the need to catch it. Via due diligence and by hiring outside vendors, casinos suffer fewer high-profile incidents like The Big One. That was a $75 million fine levied against the Tinian Dynasty Resort and Casino in the Northern Mariana Islands for Bank Secrecy Act violations by the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in 2015.

Yet even the “lesser” violations (Atlantic City’s Trump Taj Mahal was fined $10 million for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act in 2015) can hurt an operator’s bottom line and reputation.

Casinos understand the importance of customer identification and verification, currency transaction reports, record-keeping, and the realization that Title 31 is serious business.

Fortunately for them, industry specialists can address the dilemma.

The VIP Shield Company officials contacted by GGB stress how the casino gaming industry is one of the most regulated industries in the country. Operators must ensure state regulations are met along with those outlined on the federal level.

Of these, Title 31 of the Bank Secrecy Act includes a few considerations operators must meet pertaining to antimoney laundering (AML) regulations.

At a minimum, Title 31 requires every casino’s AML program to provide for all of the following: • Internal controls (policies and procedures designed to assure compliance with Title 31 and the Bank Secrecy Act) • Continuous training of casino 94

Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

employees, including identifying unusual and/or suspicious transactions • Independent testing for compliance, the scope and frequency of which correlated with the specific casino’s money laundering and terrorist financing risks • A compliance officer responsible for day-to-day compliance with Title 31 and the casino’s AML program • Procedures for using all available information to determine, when required, the name, address, and Social Security Number (SSN) of a person, as well as to verify their identity • Procedures for using computers to aid in assuring compliance if the casino has computerized systems • Procedures for using all available information to determine any transactions or patterns of transactions required to be reported as suspicious Global Payments Gaming Solutions’ VIP Shield is designed to help operators adhere to these standards. VIP Shield provides casinos with a new level of compliance assistance by automating anti-money laundering and IRS reporting processes, including multiple transaction log (MTL), negotiable instrument log (NIL), monetary instrument log (MIL), chip log transactions and suspicious activity reporting (SAR).

The configurable, web-based solution provides custom reporting to isolate risk potential while automating 90 percent of MTL transactions, empowering operators to focus on their patrons.

Company sales pitches encourage operators to stop manual compliance processes that jeopardize their business.

Accessible directly through Global Payments’ VIP LightSpeed platform, VIP Shield automatically flags transactions for necessary compliance actions and posts chip log entries as needed.

The solution also executes SAR and incident reporting as needed.

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“Observing how many casinos were processing hundreds of documents by hand on a daily basis spawned the idea of creating a solution to streamline and reduce the time spent on this process.”

—Matt Montano, Partner, CasinoSoft

VIP Shield is easy to use, and requires a minimal learning curve for cage staff. It is automated. A casino can focus on its guests and 90 percent of MTL transactions are pulled automatically.

The product is configurable, and can reduce the learning curve with custom verbiage, colors and alerts. It has a reports component, helpful to sharpen awareness and isolate risk potential, according to company officials.

Versatile Solutions CasinoSoft software solutions help create a work-from-anywhere opportunity in an otherwise traditionally heavy paperwork-based role, partner Matt Montano indicates.

The compliance software and service sector provides a robust need for CasinoSoft products.

“Business has surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Normally that would be great news, and it is great news,” Montano asserts. “But the gaming industry and so many other industries found that people were not coming back as expected.

Whether it was looking for a career change, or wanting to continue working remotely, people were not racing back to their old jobs.

“Casinos found themselves struggling to bring back employees and meet business demands at a time when customers are flocking back. Budgetary restraints and/or the scarcity of people coming back to their jobs or applying for open positions have contributed to just about every casino being short-staffed, even with a record customer count and related revenues.”

CasinoSoft tries to maximize employee productivity with its presence in this space. The company provides tools to help automate and simplify the compliance process.

Because paperwork is digitized with the company’s Automated Document Management module (ADM), it can be accessed right from a laptop once scanned. Auditors and compliance managers would be able to work remotely and process all required paperwork and reports.

With each document being bar-coded, ADM will automatically sort and file the paperwork in the designated folder and account. This will save casinos invaluable time and money, Montano asserts.

The product has been in development for over a year.

“Observing how many casinos were processing hundreds of documents by hand on a daily basis spawned the idea of creating a solution to streamline and reduce the time spent on this process,” Montano says.

“By reducing the amount of time it takes to prep, sort and file the paper-

work, it also reduced the time it takes to audit the paperwork since everything is bar-coded and automatically sorted and filed in the appropriate location and accounts. Our ADM module works hand in hand with our Title 31 and Taxforms modules, and continues to make the overall compliance tracking and reporting process better and better.”

The product is shockingly simple to use, according to Montano. It takes all the documents generated by the company’s Title 31 and Taxforms module and allows them to be scanned in bulk on a Fujitsu high-speed network scanner.

“Each document has bar codes assigned so the system can analyze the bar codes and know exactly where to send and save the document in the right location,” Montano says. “No pre-sorting is required. We assign the few buttons on the scanner a designated location to send documents or slips to.

“One staff member can simply grab all accumulated paperwork for the shift or end of day and drop in the scanner, select the right button and hit send. W-9s, W-2Gs, 1099s, and any other tax documents or slips can all be scanned and filed in about five seconds.”

Montano touts the product’s game-changing dynamic.

“From an IT perspective, all the scanners are driverless and networkdriven, and do not have to be connected to a PC for control,” he asserts.

“After the initial setup, the small scanner can be placed just about anywhere and fully controlled and configured at the server level. This saves IT countless annual hours troubleshooting and debugging driver config issues at the workstation level.”

Montano adds that the system also is a great space-saver for behind the cage or casino closets.

“Some customers such as Superbook Sports and Treasure Island are already using our Automated Document Management module and pleasantly surprised on how easy it is to use,” Montano asserts.

“They are saving much time now and no longer need to manually process paperwork.”

The Casino Edge Compliance and technology services have become increasingly significant for Wipfli, which advises companies in this sector. As a firm of more than 3,000 associates and 70 dedicated directly to the tribal gaming industry, it helps clients with an array of services. This includes everything from a sim-

OCTOBER 2021 www.ggbmagazine.com

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“We are seeing sports betting continue to be the fastest growing sector in gaming with the American Gaming Association reporting sports betting revenue of $1.85B in the first six months of 2021.”

—Grant Eve, Partner, Wipfli

ple audit and American Rescue Plan Act strategy to implementing a new CRM system such as Salesforce, or a new cloud-based accounting system.

“The U.S. gaming industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the country with regulations from states, local gaming authorities and at the federal level,” says Grant Eve, company partner. “To keep at the forefront of compliance, casinos need to continue to invest in education and the compliance departments. A lot of the time, casinos’ internal practices go beyond legal requirements, and that will be beneficial as regulations begin to change.”

Eve indicates that Wipfli has learned to operate remotely and quickly, whether it comes to audit, Title 31/AML compliance, training, or implementing new systems.

“Our technology team has been busy with the shift to digital, as customers have rapidly wanted to shift systems to the cloud and implement customized ERP systems at a rapid pace which the industry has never seen before,” he says.

In the compliance realm, Eve says that Wipfli’s CasinoEdge powered by Intacct is the industry’s leading accounting financial management software.

The product has been associated with an exponential increase in demand with a high sense of urgency, allowing employees to work remotely in a safe and secure environment.

CasinoEdge has seen an exponential increase in demand since the Covid19 pandemic began.

CasinoEdge Intacct has been recognized as an innovative game-changer in the casino landscape, Eve says. He encourages clients to use the Wipfli team to: • Leverage real-time, department-level dashboards that deliver daily flash reports. CasinoEdge Intacct auto-compiles data from front-of-the-house solutions, including tables, slots and food and beverage, with mapping and posting of daily bank activity.

• Streamline revenue audit via enhanced process automation.

• Automate processes such as electronic procurement. CasinoEdge Intacct streamlines procurement processes by up to 90 percent, enabling full digital document management and the ability to make electronic purchases and approvals from any mobile device.

• Eliminate IT maintenance. CasinoEdge Intacct is built in the cloud with automatic updates. No hardware upgrades.

• Enjoy seamless, multi-entity management. CasinoEdge Intacct delivers easy, cost-effective reporting against data sets and across any combination of 96

Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

properties. Start go-live projects in as little as 90 days.

• Eliminate email. With CasinoEdge Intacct, the audit trail and communications are housed in the accounting system.

• Help minimize fraud and create audit-ready financials using role-based controls.

The compliance need gains additional importance with the proliferation of legalized sports betting. Changes occur practically at the speed of sound.

“We are seeing sports betting continue to be the fastest growing sector in gaming with the American Gaming Association reporting sports betting revenue of $1.85B in the first six months of 2021,” Eve says.

“When there is exponential growth in any industry, compliance usually lags behind as it tries to decipher where the risks are and how the operations work. With sports betting, the regulators need to have a good understanding of how the sportsbook is structured to understand where risks lie.”

The typical operating models of sportsbooks include outsourcing 100 percent of the function to an outside provider, the casino operating its own sportsbook, or a hybrid approach which seems to be the most common, he says. With each model, the regulators should understand the infrastructure and operations to ensure they are approaching compliance properly and in an educated manner to ensure they are expending their resources to create the most value.

Training for Success Compliance effectiveness starts at the top, a spokesman for Vector Solutions says in a report compiled for GGB. The commitment to compliance starts with prioritizing it among the property’s objectives, policies and procedures, the spokesman says. This should be implemented through employee training, AML program monitoring and enforcement.

AML training programs are not a “one size fits all,” the report says. Building a strong and robust training program should consider the size of the property, the roles and responsibilities of each employee and the method of communication for the required training, the company indicates. The assigned training courses should be completed on a recurring basis to ensure employees understand compliance fundamentals and changes to the gaming

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laws and regulations.

Self-reporting demonstrates to FinCEN that the property is committed to building a culture of compliance as reporting of completed training is required for all employees, the source continues. Manual reporting can take a multi-person team to keep track and depends on the coordination and cooperation between various departments within the property.

Vector Solutions has an online solution. The company designed training to range from required compliance content to professional roadmaps for frontline and executive team members.

“Our course catalog includes a Title 31 Suite for employee training,” the official indicates. “Our Title 31 Suite training courses are regularly updated to comply with federal training requirements.

“Vector Solutions for Casinos has been in the industry for over 10 years, as a leading Saas provider for online Title 31 and anti-money laundering training, helping clients meet federal mandates for reporting certain cur-

rency transactions to uncover money laundering and other financial crimes,” the spokesman adds.

The company has built a comprehensive gaming-specific course catalog containing nearly 150 online training courses from Customer Loyalty to Safety, Leadership Training and more, all hosted in the powerful Learning Management system, Vector LMS (formerly CELEXA, a Casino Essentials brand).

Vector Solutions serves more than 350 casinos nationwide. Vector LMS for Casinos is used by Boyd Gaming, Jack Entertainment, Bally’s Corporation, Four Winds Casinos, Wind Creek Hospitality, Desert Diamond Casinos, Muscogee Creek Nation Casinos, Delaware North Casinos and Foxwoods Resort Casino, the official says.

Throughout the industry, vendors have found a sweet spot. Their programs help casinos maintain records for government agencies. As a side benefit, the casinos organize these records for themselves.

OCTOBER 2021 www.ggbmagazine.com

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FRANKLY SPEAKING

by Frank Legato

Psychedelic Sausage

98

Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

Ross Mollison, the founder of Spiegelworld, which owns the restaurant.

“We say Italian-American Psychedelic, and people say, ‘Where’s the psychedelic? Are my potatoes going to be fluorescent pink or something?’ They’re not. The psychedelic is about everything, the art, the walls... Walk through Superfrico’s purple doors and you’ll get a feast for the senses.”

I don’t know about you, but if I’m entering a restaurant through purple doors, I don’t expect psychedelia. I expect pole dancers. But I’ve got to admit, fluorescent pink potatoes wouldn’t be a bad idea.

I guess I’m just not “hep” when it comes to being a connoisseur of fine cuisine. Or art... There’s a painting in Superfrico called Psycho Pop Party by Brooklyn artist Adehla Lee that the article calls a “statement of purpose” for the restaurant.

Evidently, Psycho Pop art is like Andy Warhol stuff with a psychedelic glow.

Sometimes I don’t get art. But Warhol was from my hometown of Pittsburgh, so his stuff is A-OK with me.

Moving on, according to a recent report in the Las Vegas Sun, Nevada marijuana dispensaries are well on their way to opening “marijuana consumption lounges” that will create a “next-level” experience for anyone who would like to legally sit around and consume marijuana.

Planet 13, the largest marijuana dispensary in Las Vegas, plans to convert a 20,000-square-foot warehouse into a state-of-the-art marijuana lounge. It will be connected to what they call their weed “superstore,” so there will be an ample front-end supply of party favors for all the guests.

Here’s hoping they have big, cushy couches, and large speakers for Pink Floyd music. And cheeseburgers, of course.

Recreational marijuana use in Nevada is still banned from inside casino-hotels, although from what I smell on just about every visit to a Strip casino, it’s at least tolerated in parking garages.

Normally, by the time I get to the casino elevator, I’m ready to scarf all the Italian-American Psychedelic food I can find.

VICT OR R INALDO

O

n September 24, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas debuted a new restaurant called Superfrico, which, it says here, serves “Italian-American Psychedelic” cuisine.

I remember that. I’d go over my “Nana’s” house, and I’d be sitting there watching the pasta noodles do a conga-line dance between the meatballs and the anchovies, which themselves would be singing “Old Man River.”

OK, that was back when I was young, and had really long hair, and it’s not a real stretch that there could have been some sort of chemical involved.

(Stop laughing. My hairline didn’t start receding until way after that.

Like, when I was 26.)

According to the Robb Report, Italian-American Psychedelic is something of a “fusion” between Asian and Italian food. According to the article, “One distinguishing trait of Superfrico’s food is using Asian ingredients to amp up the umami of dishes. So the restaurant will serve 48-ounce Creekstone Farms tomahawks that are wet-aged in shio koji.

There will be yuzu kosho squid with tangerine honey and charred scallions. And a chicken Parmesan that’s marinated in a yuzu-based ponzu sauce and coated with panko.”

OK, either I’m tripping right now, or I have to seriously brush up on my food dictionary. Amping up the umami? Had to look that one up.

Umami means “savoriness.” As in, “Can you pass the mustard? This bratwurst has no umami.” Or, “That bean dip oozes with umami.”

Then there are the tomahawks that are wet-aged in shio koji. Hey, if someone hands me a stone Native American ax without shio koji, I’m out of there.

“Chicken Parmesan marinated in yuzu-based ponzu sauce.” OK, now they’re just making stuff up. I can do that, too: “I’ll have the yazoo-drizzled shwamoo with the root’n-toot’n banana creole, coated with panky.”

“Oh, and Scrapple on the side.”

There is some stuff on the menu I do understand, like mortadella pizza that is a blend of Northern and Southern Italian flavors. (My family’s from the south, so I’ll pass. What, I’m supposed to put sausage from Milan on my pizza? Never!)

I’m still not getting why this food is “psychedelic.” Do the sausages glow with purple light? Does the prosciutto throb and move around on the plate? Maybe the restaurant itself is psychedelic, in an Italian-American kind of way. Like, they have background music of Perry Como singing “Purple Haze,” or Frank Sinatra singing “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Is In).”

Oh, I see. It does explain the psychedelic thing near the end of the article (I probably should have read the whole thing), in a quote from

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Technology, Responsible Gaming’s Front Line Technology has put a casino in every pocket.

Can it now help improve safeguards for problem gamblers?

By Marjorie Preston

M

ost people who gamble do it for fun. Sure, they’d like to bag a big jackpot. But win, lose or draw, they can play and walk away.

For others, gambling can turn into a compulsion with potentially grave consequences for their relationships, jobs and finances.

Operators are on order from regulators, lawmakers and health professionals to identify and flag people with signs of a problem. Tools like self-exclusion programs, self-imposed play limits and pop-up RG messages help some people monitor and curb their behavior before they get in too deep.

And advances in technology are making it easier to pinpoint these disorders.

But identifying a problem and solving it are two different things. How are these technologies working? Are there any missing pieces?

Universal Self-Exclusion A new self-exclusion program, PlayPause from Conscious Gaming, would create a cross-jurisdictional database to keep gamblers who can’t play in one place from jumping to another. Conscious Gaming is an independent nonprofit arm of geolocation leader GeoComply.

“We were established during Responsible Gambling Week not even a year ago, and have been building out the technology ever since,” says Seth Palansky, vice president of corporate social responsibility and communications. PlayPause is already in Pennsylvania, with at least one more jurisdiction ready to join.

The technology encrypts data, creating a “unique hash” of each individual player. “Instead of Excel files with personally identifiable information, it’s a digital token that gives everyone a unique identifier,” says Palansky.

PlayPause is also a “sports integrity tool” that can block athletes, coaches, referees and other insiders from wagering on games.

Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, agrees with the kind of “seamless safety net” that PlayPause could erect. The current framework is “very Balkanized,” he says, “with a bewildering variety of different limits, settings and programs” that may confuse players. “Our model for the last 30 years has been for states and vendors to voluntarily harmonize.”

The big challenge? “Weaving a national system together,” says Palansky.

“Everyone has to be willing to share information.”

100 Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

And that may be a tough sell. Operators who invest heavily in customer acquisition and retention may be loath to surrender those lists, and varying state regulations and privacy laws also may be impediments.

Big Brother is Watching When it comes to RG messaging and session limits, the bigger roadblock may be players who reject what they perceive as “nanny state” intervention.

“They want the least amount of what’s been referred to as ‘responsible gaming speed bumps,’ like, ‘Before you play this game, you must set limits,’” says Connie Jones, director of responsible gaming for the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers.

In Canada, for instance, VLTs in pubs and clubs can only be played two hours before players have to cash out, and RG reminders pop up throughout the session.

“Some experts believe this could actually cause a player to chase their losses if, for example, they’re down $400 and only have a couple minutes left before they’re forced to cash out,” says Jones. “Some gamblers may become totally irritated: ‘I’m not chasing, I’m just down and need to recoup my losses.’”

In Europe and the U.K., player protections increased during the pandemic, particularly for iGaming; the U.K. Gambling Commission has announced even stricter features for online slots coming this month.

“Common features will be permanently banned including auto-play, which led to players losing track of time, and spin speeds under 2.5 seconds,” says Jones. Also out: “sounds or visuals falsely suggesting a win.”

Makes sense, but “precommitment features” like time limits, while often mandatory for tech providers to install, are voluntary for players to use, “and research indicates that player uptake is only around 2 percent. That’s also the case in Australia. Players aren’t utilizing the technology that’s available to protect them.” People with a gambling problem may be most resistant to behavior tracking and analysis, and could migrate to unregulated sites to avoid it.

So while all these measures check the compliance box, they may fall short of their stated goal to help vulnerable players.

The PR Problem “Online Gambling: I Stole £70 to Feed My Addiction.” “Father of Two Took Own Life After Developing Gambling Addiction.” “U.K. Betting Industry

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Advances in technology are making it easier to pinpoint gambling disorders. But identifying a problem and solving it are two different things.

Out of Control.”

These headlines—from the BBC, the London Daily Mail and The Guardian—might persuade any reader that the U.K. gaming industry is conscienceless and predatory, out to exploit the helpless for its own nefarious ends.

The perception is widespread in Europe, says Francesco Rodano, former Italian iGaming regulator, now chief policy officer for Playtech. “There’s a huge problem with media scrutiny and political pressure. Every day you read very visible articles with titles like, ‘Gambling Destroys Lives.’ That is the sentiment, and it’s happening more and more in mature regulated markets.

“The question is, has the industry done enough so far to prevent the backlash?”

Playtech’s approach is less reactive and more preemptive. In 2018, it acquired BetBuddy, an analytics program that uses “70-plus variables” to predict risk as people play—an alternative to “one-size-fits-all” messages that address an entire customer base and also put restrictions on responsible consumers.

“Two people diagnosed clinically as problem gamblers might exhibit completely different symptoms, and that’s why universal measures might not be the best solution,” Rodano says. “Essentially, we use artificial intelligence to analyze those variables for the entire player space of an operator. We’re able to predict the probability that a player will become problematic at a very early stage.

“When a problem gambler is diagnosed, it’s already too late; the only way is to treat them,” he says. “The real challenge is to intercept players on the path to becoming problematic and intervening to help them stay inside the right boundaries.”

Around the world, regulated markets are working to find the right solution, or combination of solutions, with varying degrees of success. In Spain, new RG safeguards require players to enter time and spend limits each time they play; if they reach these thresholds, the session automatically shuts down—whether they have a problem or not.

And the U.K.’s ban on credit card use for gambling led to a £500 million drop in share prices among several of the nation’s biggest operators, according to the website NewEurope.com.

Could the U.S. face the sort of inflammatory rhetoric now rife in Europe? Rodano wouldn’t be surprised. “There could be some sort of negative reaction fueled by media that will drive a negative public perception, and in turn make politicians put restrictions on markets they’ve just opened, which doesn’t solve the problem.”

The rumblings are already out there, of course. A 2018 article in the Regulatory Review of the University of Pennsylvania Law School stated, “To attract problem gamblers, casinos employ devices such as flashing lights, unlimited alcohol and stimulating sound effects. And these attractions work: Up to $5.7 billion of total casino revenue can be traced back to problem 102 Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

gamblers, including 60 percent of all slot machine revenue.”

By the way, those figures came from a 2013 study by the Institute for American Values, which it used to fight an expansion of gaming in New York state. The institute rejected research from the American Gaming Association to reach its findings.

AI for Better RG London-based Future Anthem uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to detect at-risk play from in-game activity, as it occurs.

“When it comes to problem gambling, companies usually try to identify patterns of deposits and withdrawals and people who have previously self-excluded,” says Head of Data Edmond Mitchell. “They create these algorithms that look at behavior of players prior to their exclusion to create predictive models. The problem with that approach is that not everyone who has a problem excludes—and not everyone who excludes actually has a problem.”

For example, he notes, some customers may self-exclude to opt out of promotional messages. Others may just want to take a break. And a £500 loss that is a mortgage payment to one person could be pocket change to another.

The Future Anthem system takes “spin-by-spin information” to capture key markers of harm, “like loss-chasing, playing at unreasonable hours, playing many games in a short period of time,” according to Mitchell.

“From these metrics we can extract data to build a picture of what a person’s regular play style is like. When they start to deviate from that, we can detect it almost immediately and then shoot off the required warning signs.”

He says the technology also recognizes occasional indulgences that don’t rise to the level of a problem. “None of us is perfect every day of our lives. If one day I play a bit longer than I should have, the algorithm will recognize it’s a one-off,” and withhold RG alerts, avoiding a cry-wolf scenario. “If you’re consistently annoying customers with messages that don’t apply,” Mitchell says, “when it does matter you won’t get their attention.”

When the time comes to reach out to a player, a personalized approach is best, to the extent of a phone call from a customer service rep, he says.

“We’re not going to put a big red hand in the middle of screen to stop a player. We want to give them information, say, ‘We’re worried about you.

If you’re having any issues, please contact the operator to discuss what’s going on. If you’re fine, OK.’” In the face of such messages, some players may decamp to black or gray market sites. At that point, they’re no longer the casino’s problem. But they remain a societal problem. “You don’t want to create a system that makes the black market more attractive than a legal operator,” says Mitchell. “Illegal websites have no concern about player welfare whatsoever.”

One U.K.-based firm, Kindred Group, owner of Unibet, has pledged

Strength in Numbers

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©2021 Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM). Membership list current as of September 2021.

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Taking Responsibility Once a problem gambler has been identified, it’s important to send the right message in the right voice—and that voice can vary widely among consumer groups.

to eliminate revenues from problem gambling by 2023. In what it calls an “an industry first,” Kindred says it will achieve the zero-revenue goal with a player safety early detection system (PS-EDS) that “uses smart algorithms to identify potentially harmful behaviors as they develop.”

Now What?

Once a problem gambler has been flagged, it’s important to send the right message in the right voice—and that voice varies widely among consumer groups, according to Sally Gainsbury, director of Australia’s Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic.

According to Gainsbury’s 2018 study of RG messages for BMC Public Health, young adults “were particularly responsive to tone, especially messages that were perceived as condescending” and appreciated “tips to show how they can save money” with linked RG skills and tools.

Older adults rejected messages that sounded like “my mother wagging her finger at me,” and looked for communications that were “clever, upbeat and humorous, with reminders to keep the game fun.” Skill-game players want operators to “call a spade a spade,” with blunt messaging that didn’t dance around the sensitive issue.

Across the board, messages should “promote positive actions—that is, what someone should do, rather than what they shouldn’t do; being empowering—encouraging people to make the necessary changes; and using a positive focus to encourage change rather than a fear-based campaign that shows the severe negative consequences of inaction.”

Messages may be counter-productive “if they depict individuals with gambling problems as being irresponsible or morally weak,” Gainsbury adds. “That’s likely to create stigma and discourage help-seeking.”

The incidence of problem gaming is likely to soar as iGaming and mobile betting expand, says Palansky. “The internet has no borders, and the accessibility (of iGaming) is showing greatly increased gambling harm potential. Michigan launched iGaming in January and calls to their helplines skyrocketed 500 percent. Tennessee’s seen the same signs. New Jersey is showing three times the potential problem gambling concerns than they had with land-based alone.”

But the technology that helped put a casino in every pocket also may hold the seeds of a solution.

104 Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

2016 article in the journal Addiction Research & Theory charged the gamA ing industry with “a haphazard approach” to responsible gaming, to decidedly mixed results. According to the International Center for Responsible Gaming, installing RG features on games, limiting play and other well-intentioned measures didn’t reliably reduce harm “in a real-world setting.”

Alan Feldman would likely agree. As project director for the International Gaming Institute (IGI) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Feldman has said RG policies of the past were driven “more by perception than data… (more by) worries or beliefs than facts and scientific methodologies.”

In an age of all things cashless, contactless and remote, responsible gaming policies can’t be hit-or-miss. In 2020, IGI established the Research Collaborative on Responsible and Cashless Gaming Solutions to “analyze and understand player trends to promote responsible gaming.”

Sponsored by payment technology and software providers Global Payments Gaming Solutions and Sightline Payments, the collaborative seeks “a scientific, data-driven foundation” that can inform better RG initiatives.

Speaking to GGB in February, Feldman said most player-data research is based on lab studies, in which researchers create computer-simulated games, give faux cash to study participants, then watch them play. Not quite a real-world sample. A notable exception was a five-year Harvard Medical School study, funded by U.K.-based iGaming firm GVC (now Entain), that began in 2019. GVC turned over reams of actual player data for analysis from its sports betting, online gambling and poker operations to the school’s Division of Addiction. Global Payments and Sightline will do the same to support IGI research.

“You have to start with the basics,” said Feldman. “Who’s using these systems? How are they using them, and how often? How much are they actually transacting? What’s the decline percentage? We need publishable data you can point to and say, ‘This is the reality.’ Absent that, these conversations spin off into political-speak, and that’s not a good way to create public policy.”

Sightline co-founder Omer Satter believes by working together, cashless providers can advance the discussion. “The rapid digital transformation happening in all verticals means we must fully and comprehensively study, understand and act upon what this changing world means for responsible and problem gaming.”

Global Payments President Chris Justice says digital gaming solutions “not only improve the gaming experience, but help create more responsible gaming practices,” yielding data providers can use to make player safeguards more effective.

Gaming critics may look askance at research sponsored by industry stakeholders, and find it suspect by definition. Seth Palansky of Conscious Gaming says the opposite.

“We have the tools to address all these issues, and we’re doing it,” Palansky says. “That says something positive about this industry.”

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MAKING MY POINT

Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em Know when to go all in… And when to surrender

W

By Roger Snow

hen, if you believe the movie Barbarians at the Gate (or the book by the same name), executives at RJR Nabisco were ready to unveil the first-ever smokeless cigarette in the late 1980s, they knew—after wasting several years and several hundred million dollars—it...

A) Tasted like s—B) Smelled like a f—C) Could trigger a mild hernia And the correct answer is… D) All of the above.

“We’ve spent $350 million and we’ve come up with a turd with a tip?” CEO F. Ross Johnson is said to have said at the time.

“God almighty. We’ve poured enough technology into this project to send a cigarette to the moon, and we came up with one that tastes like it took a dump?”

So, knowing fully well this new product—“Premiers,” they were called— was certain to crash and not burn, leaving in their wake a face full of egg and a bottom line full of blood, what was RJR’s next move?

A) Buried them in the landfill near corporate HQ in Winston-Salem, North Carolina B) Went back to the drawing board and perfected their imperfections C) Fessed up to stockholders and took their lumps And the correct answer is… D) None of the above.

That’s right. Despite anticipating universal disdain from nicotine-ingesting consumers and potential hard-lining from an FDA that threatened to classify Premiers as a drug, one of the biggest and most successful CEOs in the world at one of the biggest and most successful companies in the world in one of the biggest and most successful industries in the world actually launched them into the market.

He should have launched them into outer space.

Because as this is a case study and not a fairy tale, there was no happy ending. Premiers went

on sale. Nobody bought them. RJR lost upwards of $900 million. To divert attention, Johnson and management tried to orchestrate a leveraged buyout of shareholders. Chaos, not to mention a bidding war, ensued, a bidding war ultimately won by LBO kingpin Henry Kravis. When all was said and done and 8K’d, Johnson, his top lieutenants, along with executives from American Express—runner-up to Kravis in the LBO faceoff—got themselves whacked.

It was like the end of a mafia movie. With golden parachutes in lieu of Colombian neckties.

or a promotion you’re designing. Could be just about anything that gets you pot committed and/or thought committed.

What to do?

Well, two things. First off, fight the urge to hype. When working on something new—especially something groundbreaking and therefore unproven—be more like a ninja warrior and less like a carnival barker. Stay stealthy. Don’t make a big to-do at a trade show. Don’t over-market what’s not in the market yet. Don’t beta test it in a high-profile location; rather, go someplace remote. You know, like they did with the atomic bomb.

Secondly, you have to know when to fold ‘em. The flip side of pot committed and thought committed is something called the “sunk-cost fallacy.” Human nature abhors the admission of failure. It’s why you—when you were 16 years old—spent $50 at the carnival midway trying to win a stuffed kangaroo you could have bought online for 10 bucks.

OK, 53 years old, not 16, but the point remains.

It’s also the reason gamblers—or day-traders or house flippers—mounting a comeback from a losing position stay in action until they get even, even if by doing so, they end up losing everything. The smart players, and the smart business people, know how and when to cut their losses.

Next time you’re in this situation, game out all the remaining costs to complete the initiative.

Not just the development costs, but the marketing costs and the opportunity costs and yes, the reputation costs. Add up the true carnage in case of failure, because it’s probably even more than you think. Then, and only then, will you know if it’s worth finalizing.

Or euthanizing.

working on something “When new—especially something

groundbreaking and therefore unproven—be more like a ninja warrior and less like a carnival barker. Stay stealthy.

106 Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

”

There’s a term in poker that describes this, when a player has already bet so much money on previous streets that he or she has to stay in the hand until the end, even if the chances of winning are more none than slim.

It’s called being “pot committed,” and that’s what happened to Johnson and his team. Well, pot committed and “thought committed,” too, because they just couldn’t get off the idea of a smokeless cigarette. And how could they? They’d been hyping Premiers for more than a year in the hopes of boosting confidence in an investment community growing twitchy from the spate of class-action lawsuits against tobacco companies.

RJR had talked itself into a corner… and there was no trap door to escape through. If they hadn’t marketed Premiers, investors would never believe anything Johnson and his team said.

Damned if you do… screwed if you don’t.

Pick your poison.

Looking back on your own career, you’ve no doubt stared down a similar crossroad. And you likely are to do so again. Could be an employee you’re recruiting. Could be an acquisition you’re targeting. Could be a product you’re developing

Roger Snow is a senior vice president with Scientific Games. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Scientific Games Corporation or its affiliates.

GGBNews-FPad2019.qxp_Layout 1 9/17/19 9:31 PM Page 1

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GOODS&SERVICES vestment by Searchlight Capital Partners. Building upon Sightline’s growth in the gaming and hospitality sectors, Sightline recently acquired Joingo, the casino gaming industry’s top mobile engagement and loyalty platform.

SIGHTLINE PAYMENTS ACHIEVES UNICORN STATUS

S

ightline Payments announced the completion of a $244 million funding round valuing the company at over $1 billion. With this capital raise, Sightline becomes Nevada’s first fintech unicorn—one of roughly Cannae Holdings 700 startups worldwide to founder Bill Foley ever earn a $1 billion-plus valuation as a private company.

In addition to Cannae Holdings, headed by William P. Foley II, the owner of the NHL Vegas Golden Knights, this funding round included existing investors Genting Group, Point Break Capital Management, and founding investor Walter Kortschak.

Gaming is one of America’s last cash-centric businesses, with hundreds of billions of dollars running through casinos annually. Sightline Payments was founded over a decade ago by Omer Sattar, Tom Sears and Kirk Sanford to give consumers a way to safely and securely fund their online gaming experience, starting with New Jersey’s launch of online gaming in 2013.

Sightline has helped power the exponential growth of sports betting after the Supreme Court overturned the federal ban in 2018, and continues to lead the industry in innovation by launching cashless gaming in brick-and-mortar casinos.

“Sightline has continuously risen to meet the changing needs of the casino gaming industry,” said Sightline founder and co-CEO Sattar. “As we strive to help lead the digital transformation of the patron experience in our vertical, we are humbled to become Nevada’s first fintech unicorn.”

“After seeing Sightline’s groundbreaking technology firsthand at the recent launch of Resorts World Las Vegas, I am more bullish than ever about Sightline’s ability to be at the forefront of the digital transformation afoot in the North American gaming, sports and entertainment ecosystem,” said Foley.

“I look forward to helping Sightline continue their tremendous growth.”

“The Sightline team has reached new heights to provide innovative solutions to drive our industry forward,” said Sightline co-CEO Joe Pappano. “Our investors’ continued faith in our business will enable us to execute our vision of transforming payments in the casino gaming and hospitality industry.”

This $244 million round is Sightline’s second round in 2021. Sightline closed a $100 million funding round in April, which also included an in-

KONAMI LAUNCHES BATTLEBOTS SLOT

K

108 Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

onami Gaming, Inc. launched the first slot game based on BattleBots, the robot combat competition show, during the taping of the television show’s World Championship.

The industry’s first BattleBots slot machine was previewed at Caesars Entertainment Studios during the new season taping and 2021 World Championship. This never-before-seen slot game includes some of BattleBots’ most iconic robot competitors like Tombstone, Witch Doctor, HyperShock and more. BattleBots slots take players on a combat to cash as robots strike, swing, shove, slice, and smash with each spin.

“For more than two decades, BattleBots fans have taken part in the competition’s most exciting moments. Now BattleBots slots are taking robot fighting time to the casino floor, as another way to join in iconic scenes and machines from the show— with a cash chance,” said Edward Roski (Trey), BattleBots creator and CEO. “Teams and audiences here at the 2021 World Championship event have been truly wowed by the slot game’s unique creativity and massive presence. We’re thrilled to work with Konami to bring BattleBots to the gaming arena.”

“When people across the world watch BattleBots, it gives a sense of excitement, competition, curiosity, and wit unlike any other competition,” said Tom Jingoli, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Konami Gaming. “There is no combat sport quite like BattleBots. And there’s no casino slot quite like BattleBots. We put the BattleBots into a casino slot—where the battle is a bonus and the Giant Nut is a Grand Jackpot.”

The game is housed on Konami’s new Dimension 75C cabinet, which features a 75-inch curved screen in 4K Ultra High-Definition (UHD). Konami will also be making the series available on its award-winning Dimension 49J cabinet. The slot game’s general release is scheduled for next year.

ARISTOCRAT OFFERS TOP GAMES IN ‘LEGENDS’

A

ristocrat Gaming has placed three of its most popular brands—Buffalo, Timber Wolf and 50 Lions—in Aristocrat Legends, a new version of its Wonder 4 offering. Wonder 4 allows players to select any or all titles in a game menu to play simultaneously in four separate reel arrays.

The three player-favorite titles are offered with a common metamorphic jackpot engagement, in which each game has its own persistent collection of coins for added player engagement.

The package also offers four jackpot levels, including two static prizes and two progressives, including a multi-site progressive jackpot that resets at $250,000. A Major single-site progressive starts at $500.

Dimension 49

Aristocrat Legends has three bonus features.

First, Jackpot Match 3 gives players the chance to win any progressive level. In Legends Wheel, two wheels spin to award players a bonus and free games on all four reel sets. In Free Games Booster, free games are enhanced by multipliers and wilds.

The game is featured on the dual-screen EdgeX cabinet, in denominations ranging from pennies to 10 cents.

TCSJOHNHUXLEY SUPPLIES GRAND LISBOA PALACE

T

able game supplier TCSJohnHuxley announced that the company was chosen by SJM Holdings Ltd. to supply table games and related equipment to the operator’s new Grand Lisboa Palace in Macau.

The HKD39 billion (US$5 billion) luxury Grand Lisboa Palace casino resort opened its doors to the public on July 30, and is SJM Holdings’ first venture into Macau’s Cotai district. The first phase of the opening includes the casino, which has been

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TCSJohnHuxley table games at the new Grand Lisboa Palace in Macau

granted a total of 150 mass, new-to-market gaming tables, and authorized to operate 1,200 slot machines, along with 300 guest rooms, restaurants, and event space areas.

TCSJohnHuxley worked closely with the SJM team to ensure all the gaming equipment was produced and installed to the project’s strict and brief schedules. This included the supply of the networked Omni Baccarat Scoreboard System, the TCS Jackpot System, and custom Ora Winning Number Displays, Saturn Roulette Wheels, Blaze sic bo tables, Chipper Champ 2 machines and ADR Dice Shakers.

SCIENTIFIC GAMES LAUNCHES ‘DRAGON TAIL BACCARAT’

S

cientific Games Corp. has launched Dragon Tail Baccarat, the first game in its new Quartz Standalone electronic table game format.

Quartz Standalone is an ETG with the ability to function and run a single game on its own, within its own player terminal.

Dragon Tail Baccarat provides a unique player experience with features such as Free Hand, which enables players to find “Hot Shoes” or trends, and an immediate results or “Bang Up” feature on the player touchscreen.

110 Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

Unique to Dragon Tail Baccarat is the 3D animation of the card squeeze feature, which gives players an immersive real-life baccarat game play experience. Players have the option to control the card squeeze feature by tapping the screen, swiping from the corner or side of the card, by using the “rotate” or “reveal” buttons, or letting the machine run the reveal animation as the player watches. Available side bets include Super 6, Lucky 6, Fortune 7 and Dragon Bonus.

Operators can configure a selectable timer option, in addition to scheduled betting, to optimize peak periods. The Dragon Tail Baccarat trend board can be shown on any digital screen to the preference of the casino operator. The trend board includes game history, statistics and trend animations that display an eye-catching dragon that changes color as the trend continues and music intensifies.

Casinos and gaming properties can easily implement social distancing between Quartz terminals, and the smooth, flat surface of the player screen allows for easy cleaning and sanitization.

D, CIRCA FEATURE ARUZE’S ‘GO GO CLAW’

C

ustomers at the D Las Vegas and sister property Circa in Downtown Las Vegas are crowding around the radical “Go Go Claw” game from Aruze, according to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Go Go Claw resembles the claw machines at the arcade in which you manipulate a construction-style crane to grab trinkets, watches or other prizes. But in this case, you’re manipulating a claw with a joystick and touch-screen to grab plastic balls filled with bills representing cash prizes, and move them to a prize chute to win a credit award.

It is an RNG-based game that simulates the skill of the traditional arcade game. The player feels as if he or she is manipulating the claw while aiming to grab a plastic sphere representing a cash award, and drop it into a chute for a credit prize.

The return-to-player percentages are similar to those found in normal slot machines, and the two titles—“Cash Grab” and “Grab It!”—are presented in dollar denominations.

GAN PLANS MIAMI TECH HUB

G

aming platform provider GAN has announced plans to open a new technology hub in Miami, Florida, in Wynwood, the city’s arts district.

The hub will open with 20 employees.

“We know that Miami is an emerging technology hub,” said GAN President and CEO Dermot Smurfit in a statement. “Wynwood is an incredibly creative, high-energy environment for developers of all kinds. It’s the art district, it’s an unbelievably vibrant Latin-American cultural center point, and you’ve got a wide range of amenities to keep the forthcoming ‘GANsters’ here at Wynwood engaged and retained.”

GAN Director-Product Solutions Michael Endres added, “On the East Coast, we’re in the right place to produce for America while also working closely with Europe; they’re our other tech hubs. We want to be a U.S. center of excellence. We want to be able to develop, deploy, and most importantly, massively improve our platform.”

EVERI DIGITAL WALLET LIVE AT PENN NATIONAL CASINOS

E

veri Holdings Inc. announced that its digital CashClub Wallet technology is powering Penn National Gaming’s new Hollywood Casino York in Pennsylvania under Penn’s mychoice Wallet brand.

It is the third deployment of the Everi cashless technology at Penn’s Pennsylvania casinos, following previous installations at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course and the Meadows Racetrack & Casino.

The new mychoice Wallet provides Penn National’s guests with a secure, convenient cashless payment method on the casino floor, and this installation is part of an agreement that will see mychoice Wallet introduced at Penn National’s other casino properties pending appropriate regulatory approvals.

Everi’s CashClub Wallet is a mobile digital wallet that enables casino operators to offer cashless and

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contactless funding of electronic game play across the casino floor. Penn National’s mychoice Wallet, powered by Everi, will allow guests to deposit funds into their digital wallet at their convenience—at any time or anywhere, including before arriving at the property or while at the property via a debit card, credit card or directly from their bank account.

Guests can then access these funds for use directly at the game, creating a fully cashless, contactless environment that leverages the guest’s mobile device. On the casino floor, mychoice Wallet will interface with the Foundation casino management system from Acres Manufacturing, which provides for direct interaction with all of the slot machines and table games, while also providing instantaneous sharing of slot player data across Penn National’s casinos.

At the conclusion of game play, CashClub Wallet technology enables guests to move funds back into their digital wallet where they can be held for future use or electronically sent back into a bank account. Players can store multiple payment methods and easily move funds in and out of the casino.

Everi’s CashClub Wallet technology supports responsible gaming through spending limit management.

JCM PROVIDES SPORTS BETTING DISPLAY TO SOARING EAGLE

J

CM Global and Michigan’s Soaring Eagle partnered to create an enthralling atmosphere for Soaring Eagle customers at the Ascend Sportsbook with a high-resolution LED sports ticker and LED commercial display installation that streams live sporting events and content for special events.

JCM installed a 40-foot-by1.75 foot MAX-R 2.6mm sports ticker curved solution with 36.9-inch radius with more than 20 TV monitors, and relocated an existing solution.

“Soaring Eagle wanted to further enhance their guests’ experience by creating an expanded sportsbook atmosphere,” said Dave Kubajak, senior vice president of sales, marketing and operations for JCM Global. “The idea was to create a space where patrons could stay and watch multiple sporting events and enjoy the thrill and excitement only live sporting events can bring. We are pleased with the results and very happy to be continuing our partnership with Soaring Eagle.”

This is the second installation of LED digital signage and LED commercial displays at Soaring Eagle. Previously, JCM installed a brilliant 16.5foot-by-8.2-foot ultra-high resolution digital sign on the casino floor to recognize players and reward them for their loyalty.

TRANSACT ISSUES NEW SHARES, RAISES $10.6 MILLION

P

rinter and software supplier TransAct Technologies Inc. has issued new shares of its common stock in a plan to raise $10.6 million in gross receipts.

TransAct said in a statement that it will use the net proceeds from the new-share offer for working capital, and other general corporate purposes, “which may include funding the further development of TransAct’s food service technology business and related sales, marketing and product development efforts, technology improvements and personnel costs in support of TransAct’s growth strategy,” according to GGRAsia.

In early August, TransAct reported its food service technology sales in the second quarter rose 155.3 percent year-on-year and 11.9 percent sequentially, to nearly $3.1 million, benefiting from demand for TransAct’s food-inventory monitoring and food-service tracking system known as Boha.

The stock offering involved 732,500 shares at $14.50 per share, a slight discount on the $14.77 per-unit price of the common stock as quoted on Nasdaq at the close of business that day.

OCTOBER 2021 www.ggbmagazine.com 111

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PEOPLE SWITKOWSKI NAMED CROWN CHAIRMAN; MCCANN, CEO

W

ith the survival of the company still in doubt, Crown Resorts last month named experienced executive Ziggy Switkowski as chairman, replacing Helen Coonan. Crown has endured Ziggy Switkowski multiple investigations into its operations over the past year, and the most recent one, in the Australian state of Victoria, its home base, claimed Coonan’s role. She was seen as being “not credible” by regulators as an element for change within the Steve McCann company.

Switkowski, meanwhile, has a long list of leadership roles in Australian companies, including having been the CEO of both Telstra and Optus, and is currently a director of the NBN Co. He’s also a chancellor at RMIT University and a nuclear scientist. He also has gambling experience, having served as a director for Tabcorp.

The governments of Victoria and West Australia are currently conducting investigations into whether Crown is suitable to hold casino licenses in Melbourne and Perth.

Meanwhile, Crown has appointed Steve McCann as chief executive of Crown Melbourne, replacing Xavier Walsh. Walsh left on August 20 after a royal commission into Crown Melbourne found he failed to address systemic issues related to money laundering, responsible gambling, tax payments and compliance.

McCann, onetime head of Lendlease, joined Crown in June, part of the scandal-plagued company’s attempt to restore its credibility and keep its licenses.

SIGHTLINE NAMES SATTAR CO-CEO

S

ightline Payments announced that co-founder Omer Sattar will serve as Sightline’s co-CEO alongside Joe Pappano. In this new role, Sattar will oversee interOmar Sattar nal operations including product and compliance to help further Sightline’s innovative spirit within regulated markets.

As co-CEO, Pappano will continue to lead 112 Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

Sightline’s strategy, sales, client success and marketing organizations to drive the digital transformation of the gaming and hospitality industries.

Sattar co-founded Sightline Payments in 2011 to enable consumers to safely and securely fund their online gaming experience. Sattar has served as Sightline’s executive vice president since its founding, driving partnerships to adopt digital payments acceptance in gaming, including recently with Resorts World Las Vegas and Boyd Gaming.

Sattar’s leadership resulted in the nearly $400 million in funding that Sightline has received over the past 10 months. Prior to founding Sightline, Sattar served as senior vice president, cash access services for Global Cash Access (now Everi Holdings). Across his career, Sattar has driven critical product innovations to unlock new abilities for customers to access funds across the world.

BOYLE NAMED TO HEAD U.K. GAMBLING COMMISSION

L

ooks like Marcus Boyle will become the new chairman of the U.K. Gambling Commission, replacing Bill Moyes. If so, the move by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport might be a good one for the Marcus Boyle betting industry.

An official announcement regarding the appointment was expected to be made by late September.

Critics allege the commission has not done a good enough job dealing with problem gambling.

Other candidates represented organizations which publicized potential harms. But Boyle, 55, is considered a more neutral selection for an agency integral to the government review of the Gambling Act, according to the Racing Post.

Boyle is a former board member at accountancy firm Deloitte, chairman of the British American Drama Academy, and a trustee of the Serpentine Gallery.

It is understood that Boyle’s previous role as chief strategy officer at Deloitte helped his application for the role.

BEAN NEW CEO OF DESERT DIAMOND CASINOS

D

esert Diamond Casinos & Entertainment last month announced the hiring of Mike Bean as its new CEO. Following an extensive nationwide search by the Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise (TOGE), Bean was selected to take over the operation of three casinos in Southern Arizona and one in the West Valley. He will report directly to the TOGE management board.

Bean has served in senior management positions at some of the largest and most reputable gaming operations in the country, including Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods Resort Casino, Harrah’s EnMike Bean tertainment and Boyd Gaming. At Foxwoods, Bean was part of the team that grew the first casino on the East Coast outside of Atlantic City from 1,200 team members to more than 12,000.

Over the course of more than a decade, Bean played an integral leadership role in the successful development, opening and operation of Mohegan Sun Pocono, Pennsylvania’s first casino and Mohegan Sun’s first commercial casino. Most recently, Bean served as CEO of the Saginaw Chippewa Gaming Enterprises, overseeing three locations.

AT MONARCH, FARAHI STEPS DOWN, SHRIVER JOINS

M

onarch Casino & Resort announced that Chief Operating Officer David Farahi was leaving the company effective September 3 to pursue business interests David Farahi outside the gaming and hospitality industry.

Monarch also announced that Michelle Shriver has joined the company as corporate vice president of operations.

In her new role, Shriver will have primary responsibility for the operation of the newly expanded Monarch Casino Resort Spa in Black Hawk, Colorado. Shriver has been a consultant to the company since April.

John Farahi, Monarch’s co-chairman and CEO, said, “On behalf of the board and our entire team, I want to thank David for his 14 years of significant contributions to Monarch, including nine years as chief operating officer. We appreciate David’s commitment and tireless efforts in managing operations during the construction and expansion of our resort in Black Hawk, Colorado, while also leading our Reno operations.”

Of Shriver’s appointment, the CEO said, “Michelle has a track record of approximately 20 years in the gaming and hospitality industry. She has extensive experience developing a corporate strategy aimed at maximizing revenues and achieving market leadership. As a member of the executive management team of Ameristar Casinos, she was responsible for the operations of all eight of their regional casino resorts.”

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SMALL REPLACING TAIT AT INDIANA GAMING COMMISSION

I

ndiana Governor Eric Holcomb recently announced Indiana Gaming Commission Executive DiGreg Small rector Sara Gonso Tait is leaving the agency after six years to consider a position in the private sector. Holcomb appointed IGC General Counsel Greg Small, the commission’s top attorney since 2015, as the new executive director.

During Tait’s tenure, sports betting launched in Indiana in 2019 and new land-based casinos opened in Gary, Evansville and near Louisville, Kentucky, replacing floating facilities on Lake Michigan or the Ohio River.

Tait also managed the commission’s investigation leading to Spectacle Entertainment giving up ownership of the new Hard Rock casino in Gary and a planned Terre Haute casino, after two top executives faced allegations of criminal and financial misconduct. The investigation also resulted in Indiana casino executive Rod Ratcliff giving up his state gaming license and an indefinite delay in the construction of the Terre Haute casino.

PENN NATIONAL NAMES GM FOR HOLLYWOOD PERRYVILLE

P

enn National Gaming has exercised its first management move following its acquisition of the operations of Hollywood Casino Perryville in Maryland, naming Allie Evangelista Brazilian Allie Evangelista as the property’s general manager.

Evangelista most recently served as GM at the company’s Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course in Ohio. Matt Heiskell, current general manager of Hollywood Casino Perryville, will now oversee operations at the company’s Hollywood Casino Tunica and 1st Jackpot Casino in Mississippi.

The company announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of the operations of Hollywood Casino Perryville in Maryland. In December 2020, Penn National entered into a definitive agreement with Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (GLPI) to acquire the operations of Hollywood Casino Perryville for $31.1 million in cash.

DIXON TO REPLACE AVILES AT IOWA CASINO

J

esus Aviles, president of Dubuque, Iowa’s Q Casino and Hotel, formerly the Dubuque Greyhound Park & Casino, has announced he will retire before the end of the year, to be reAlex Dixon placed by Nevada native Alex Dixon. Dixon most recently served as the West Region president at PureStar, a commercial laundry company whose clients include numerous Las Vegas hospitality businesses.

Dixon also served 11 years as a gaming executive, holding leadership roles at MGM and Caesars Entertainment.

SCHLEHUBER NAMED KEWADIN CASINO GENERAL MANAGER

I Dana Schlehuber

n Michigan, Sault tribe member Dana M. Schlehuber was named general manager at the Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie. Previously Schlehuber served as comptroller for Kewadin Casinos.

GGB

October 2021 Index of Advertisers

Acres Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 AGEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 AGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Analog Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 Aristocrat Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116 Aruze Gaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Bluberi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Bragg/Spin Games LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Casino Player Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105 Casino Trac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Cintas Global Hospitality & Gaming . . . . . .15 Count R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Crane Payment Innovations . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Dickinson Wright PLLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 Everi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5, 41, 43, 45, 47 Fantini Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111 Fox Rothschild . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 G2E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 Gaming Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Gaming Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 GAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Global Gaming Business . . . . . . . . . . .16, 107

GENIUS SPORTS PICKS BORNSTEIN TO RUN U.S. BUSINESS

GGB/Casino Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

D

IGT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover Gatefold

ata firm Genius Sports hired Steve Bornstein to oversee North American business. Bornstein is the second former National Football League exec hired Steve Bornstein in the past few weeks. He will deal with the commercial operations in the U.S. and Canada, as well as seek out potential acquisition targets, and manage the Genius Sports various league partnerships, according to Sportico.

Bornstein helped design media strategy for the NFL from 2002 to 2014. He also served in an executive role with the NFL Network. Before the NFL he spent over 20 years with ESPN and ABC.

Global Payments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 iGaming Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 IGT Global Solutions Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . .115 Incredible Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Interblock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 IT Technology Solutions (BetConstruct) . . .31 J Carcamo & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Kambi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10, 11 Meczka Tribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Novomatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Scientific Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Sega Sammy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Sports Data IO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Table Trac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Thalden Boyd Emery Architects . . . . . . . . .33 TransAct Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 WIPFLI/Joseph Eve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Zitro International Sarl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 OCTOBER 2021 www.ggbmagazine.com 113

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CASINO COMMUNICATIONS

Q

&A

John Acres Founder, Acres Manufacturing Company

J

ohn Acres is already in the American Gaming Association’s Gaming Hall of Fame. He got there by inventing several breakthrough technologies that today are widely used in the industry, such as the first player tracking system, progressive jackpots, bonusing, and more. He sold his previous companies to major manufacturers, but now he’s back with another idea and founded Acres Manufacturing Company (AMC) to promote Foundation, a system that reports data from every slot machine in real time and can change any slot machine’s credit meter on command, allowing executives to reward players immediately. AMC also has other products that make the way a casino interacts with customers easier and more transparent. Acres spoke with GGB Publisher Roger Gros from his offices in Las Vegas in July. To see a Zoom podcast of this interview, visit GGBMagazine.com.

GGB: What makes the new company, Acres Manufacturing, different from EDT, Mikohn, Acres Gaming, and Acres 4.0?

John Acres: Well, it’s very different and very

much the same. We’ve always been about creating fantastic experiences for players, that are simultaneously profitable for casinos. And there’s always opportunity to improve that, especially as technology improves. We’re technologists; we create hardware, and write software, that connects the equipment and the systems to the player, for the casino’s benefit.

And as that technology changes, we come up with new opportunities.

There is a whole lot of data coming in through all the systems, and it’s difficult to know how to interpret that. How is your new Foundation system able to do that better than anything else in the past?

We started with the premise that it’s not enough to do a weekly email or a monthly 114 Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021

email; we needed to know in real time what’s happening with that player. So existing systems were designed to measure your total play, and then report in descending order, by theoretical win, and call the top group the platinum, and the middle group the gold, and the bottom group the silver. And what we found in the age of Amazon and Google is that people expect a lot more personalization. We have opportunities to deliver bonuses in real time, but part of what we need to know is, “Are you almost out of money or do you have a lot of money left?” Because when we deliver a bonus, it’s very contingent upon that.

We also need to know if you are winning in the moment, or losing in the moment. If you just won $100, it’s probably not a very effective thing to give you another $10 in a bonus. On the other hand, if you’re down to three credits left, a $10 bonus might well be appreciated at that moment. So, we wanted to have this very careful timing of the delivery of what we call free play and things like that right now.

We know that there’s a lot of inefficiencies in how players are bonused. That seemed very reasonable 25 years ago, but that needs to be updated. And our system Foundation is designed to collect literally 100 times more information per game play, including the timing of each button pressed, if you pressed bet one or bet max. Are you starting with a $20 bill or a $100 bill? And to report all of that, within half a second of the time that it occurs.

Is Foundation designed to replace the legacy casino management systems?

Over time. But right now it’s meant to supplement. Foundation is first system that can be installed alongside another system.

Let’s say the casino wants to implement cashless wagering. They can take Foundation and put it in, and keep everything that’s running on the existing system. Everything. And

then have cashless on top. Then they can move one application at a time from the existing system, over to Foundation. And the other difference with Foundation is that the whole thing is designed with mobile in mind. All the other systems were designed in the desktop era. Our view of the world is that’s all going to be handled on a mobile device.

We already have our Kai mobile dispatch system installed in almost 40 casinos around the country.

So we’ve got a lot of experience with that; we know that it works.

How scalable is Foundation? Can you get it in a small Indian casino, versus a huge corporate entity?

The smallest installation that we could do reasonably is two machines, and the largest… well, there’s no limit. We’ve got sales going on with casinos with 4,000 to 5,000 machines, no problem.

We’ve got sales going on with casinos that have 20 or 30 properties that are all connected.

A lot of the issues with the previous casino management systems have been training of the casino employees. How are you helping the casino employees to really understand how to use Foundation?

One of the first steps is to stop presenting raw data to the employee, and saying “make sense of this.”

Instead, we have these intelligence agents embedded in our system, that will assign a problem to the nearest available qualified person to do that task.

So, by turning it into specific directions, instead of a bunch of information from which they have to absorb, we get rid of a lot of that training problem.

So, it sounds like Foundation has some applications for responsible gaming as well, right?

Yes, and you can also give players the opportunity to set their limit before they even arrive at the casino. Just like, “I only want to be able to transfer $80 from my bank account to the casino in one night.” The player can control his own spending at that time.

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