Infinity Gaming Magazine February 2012

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THE WINNERS

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD 2012 RECIPIENT Mr. Bertil Knutsson The Fifth International Gaming Awards Recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Gaming Award Bertil Knutsson

out to international market. It was at this time he invented the ground-breaking chip sorting machine, the Chipper Champ, which changed the face of gaming floors worldwide. In 2001, with his partners, he formed a company introducing Ladbrokes eGaming into the Nordic countries. Within five years the company recruited over 300,000 new members, making around 40 per cent of Ladbrokes eGaming’s total poker revenues. Among many others, he and his family are also major shareholders in Betsson AB and Net Entertainment.

In 2003 TCS acquired John Huxley and TCS John Huxley was born. The company continues to be at the forefront of the supply and manufacture of live table gaming equipment and goes from strength to strength in this competitive arena. On receiving the award, Knutsson commented: “I am overwhelmed and extremely delighted to receive this honour from the IGA Academy. It is very satisfying to be acknowledged not only for my achievements to the gaming industry, but also the varied other work I have been involved with over the years.”

TCS John Huxley chairman Bertil Knutsson received the Outstanding Contribution to Gaming Award at the fifth International Gaming Awards.

Mr Knutsson was honoured at the annual award dinner held on January 23 at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel in London, among leading figures of the international gaming community.

The award, which has seen past recipients include Dr Stanley Ho and Andrew Love, recognises the influence Knutsson has had on the gaming industry. In a career spanning more than 60 years, he is one of the industry’s most influential characters. Born in 1932 as the youngest of four children, he was brought up in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Developing a keen interest in boxing when he was younger, he was an international boxing referee and became a promoter of professional boxing events featuring legends such as Sonny Liston. He also promoted other sporting events such as The Harlem Globetrotters and the tennis tournament WCT, which hosted legendary players such as Björn Borg, Stan Smith, Arthur Ashe, Ilie Nastase and Rod Laver.

It was not until 1959 that he started in the gaming industry, operating casinos in Sweden. However, Sweden soon became too small for his visions and in the early 1980s he branched

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Do Casinos Push the Envelope With Customer Surveys?

By Martin R. Baird

I was recently a guest at a casino hotel in the United States. My stay was at best okay and, in reality, lacking in many ways.

Things got off to a bad start the moment I walked into the hotel.

I waited for more than 30 minutes to check in at the front desk.

Later, people trying to reach me from my office had to call four times before they got through to my room. One day, my room was not serviced. None of these things should have happened and I won’t dwell on my other experiences because the worst is yet to come and that’s the real reason for this column.

A couple of days after I returned home, I received the obligatory email asking for my opinion. They wanted me to fill out a survey, and I flinched at the thought. I haven’t seen a casino survey yet that I liked, but I assumed this property wanted to improve and that learning about my experiences could help.

The welcome page stated that the casino valued my opinion. It also said the survey would take 15 minutes. Suddenly, there was a serious problem and I hadn’t even started. Setting aside 15 minutes for an online survey is like waiting 30 minutes to check in at the hotel.

That amount of time is way too long for the average person.

But I love research, so I moved on to the questions. The questions started out with a traditionally broad look at my stay. What services did I use? How did I rate them? Why did I give them that rating?

These questions were much too detailed for the average guest. I couldn’t help but wonder who, other than me, would put up with this.

Then I noticed a new problem. The questions were transitioning away from learning about my experience. Now they were edging into the realm of marketing. This casino wanted to know how I arrived at the property, whether my airline flight had a connection and how I booked my room. I know a lot about marketing and I know why the casino wants this information. The marketing department wants to justify its efforts and show how smart it is.

If you want to know about my experience as a guest, stop once you have that data. Just because you have asked permission to learn about my experience doesn’t mean you have the right to ask me about other unrelated matters.

Then I came to something I just couldn’t believe. One question in the survey asked about my sexual preference! This casino wanted to know if I was (1) gay, (2) lesbian, (3) didn’t know or (4) other. If I’m gay, what does that have to do with becoming frustrated over standing in line for more than half an hour to check in at the hotel?

Perhaps if I don’t know my sexual preference, I will overlook the day my room wasn’t cleaned and tell my friends they should stay at this property. Again, I understand marketing and segmentation and the idea of knowing how different people make decisions about your property, but really. I mean REALLY!

Do casinos go too far in their surveys? Obviously they do. But please don’t get me wrong. My primary challenge is not the question about sexuality. It’s the idea that a casino would waste a guest’s valuable time with all these questions that don’t even provide worthwhile data for making better decisions. Worse yet, it’s highly unlikely the data will be put to use anyway. A survey of this length produces so much information, no one will want to slog through it to see what it all means.

Research published by Harvard University shows that it only takes five questions to obtain a very accurate picture of who a customer is and what’s important to them. Beyond that, you are wasting time, energy and money.

Martin R. Baird is chief executive officer of Robinson & Associates, Inc., a Boise, Idaho-based consulting firm to the global gaming industry that is dedicated to helping casinos improve their guest service so they can compete and generate future growth and profitability. Robinson & Associates is the world leader in casino guest experience measurement and improvement. For more information, visit the company’s Web sites at www.casinocustomerservice.com and www.advocatedevelopmentsystem.com or contact the company at 208-991-2037. Robinson & Associates is an associate member of the National Indian Gaming Association.

Precious Players

By Desmond Lam

The growth of Macau’s gaming market, VIP in particular, has so far appeared unstoppable. This is buoyed by an increase in the number of players – mostly Chinese. These players contributed US$3.4 billion in gross gaming revenue in the month of October (2011) alone.

Such explosive growth over a short period of time will inevitably lead to some negative externalities that, hopefully, are reversible.

Perhaps more interestingly is how the growth of Macau’s gaming market has helped spur the growth of other sectors, particularly the luxury industry.

It is interesting how the growth of Macau’s gaming market has significant changed the scenes on Macau’s streets. An apparent change is the number of Chinese-speaking ‘outsiders’ who patron shops selling luxury apparel and other accessories. You also see them on streets near to VIP-only entrances to hotel properties and in restaurants late at night. Macau has been experiencing a retail boom in the last few years, in support of the expanded gaming market.

Luxury retail shops here are among the most lucrative retail businesses in the world today. Macau now has many shops selling all sorts of luxury products and brands to cater to its visitors.

While one would expect many of the casino players to keep a low profile during their stay here, there are some who are not afraid to flaunt their wealth. There is almost a dress code for this ‘new generation’ of younger male Chinese players, who actively patronize Macau’s casino properties and retail malls. You don’t have to try very hard to identify them on the streets and in restaurants. A shortsleeve polo shirt from Versace, straight pants from Armani, a gold watch from Rolex, a gold/silver necklace from Cartier, shining shoes from Prada, and more importantly, a Louis Vuitton leather man-bag or ‘murse’ that he cross-slings over his shoulders. A man-bag not only has functional uses for a typical Chinese player (guess where they put their credit cards, cash, chips, and lucky talisman) but also social ones. They carry with them a social status and are a sign of how successful one is. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Armani, and Burberry are some of the popular brands carried by some of these players.

Despite the financial problems in the US and Europe, we are now approaching the one million millionaires mark in China. The superrich Chinese male consumers now represent a formidable force in Mainland China’s luxury industry. According to one report that I read, China’s luxury market has now grown to an annual sale of around US$10 billion. Another report states that more than 40% of purchases in the US$1.2 billion luxury handbag segment come from men. Luxury brands are increasingly bought as gifts. Many Mainland Chinese actually like to buy these brands from overseas where variety is wider and prices are lower.

As the number of casino players and luxury products increases, so does the business for some pawn shops downtown. Macau’s pawn shops offer loans to individuals using personal items as collateral.

Often open 24 hours a day, these shops are often found on streets next to casinos. The typical symbol of a pawn shop in Macau is a bat grabbing a round coin. Inside these pawnshops you can find brand-

ed watches, jewellery and other accessories left behind by those who just can’t beat the house. This is an easy way to get credits – just pawn away the luxury items that you had just bought.

An expanded gaming market has also injected some excitement in the luxury car market. There are now many different types of superluxury cars on the streets of Macau - Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini. The number of luxury MPV (multiple-purpose vehicle) is also on the rise. These cars are often bought by companies to service the VIP guests. They are also bought by individuals who have profited from the impressive growth of the gaming market (VIP in particular).

Precious casino players play a huge part in the growth of Macau and its marketplace – not just in gaming but also in other economically-related areas. Undeniably, they have become a part of Macau’s bloodline and a formidable element (both in positive and negative ways) to the sustainability of Macau’s economic and social development. * Desmond Lam is an associate professor of marketing at the University of Macau. He can be contacted by DesmondL@umac.mo.

Full Tilt Poker Lawyer speaks to Infinity Gaming Magazine Interview with Behnam Dayanim Partner at Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP Law Firm

Infinity Gaming Magazine speaks to Behnam Dayanim, the partner at AVH law firm, whom are handling the negotiations with the US Department of Justice and their client Full Tilt Poker.

Mr Dayanim tells us how the discussions are progressing and what of the future both for Full Tilt Poker and US Online Poker in general Stateside.

Q: Behnam thank you for talking to us today, firstly can we ask you to explain who AVH are and what in particular are your concentrated areas of expertise?

A: AVH is a mid-sized firm with offices in New York City, Washington, DC and Hartford, Connecticut. The firm is very well known for our leading antitrust, intellectual property and complex litigation practices, and in Washington we also boast a regulatory practice with specialties that include gaming, advertising and promotions, data privacy, export control and sanctions. I co-chair the firm’s litigation and regulatory practice group, and specialize in the gaming, advertising and marketing, data privacy and export and sanctions areas. My work includes counseling, regulatory compliance, internal investigations and litigation.

Q: In particular one of you areas of expertise is in the Gambling sector, can you tell us a little about what currently is your firm handling? We understand you cannot name clients and particular cases, but what kind of cases do you currently involved in?

A: Sure. Gaming is one of my areas of focus, and I represent a range of clients, including traditional land-based US companies, internet gaming operators, payments providers and others. In recent months, I’ve been involved in a range of activity, including litigation in the state of Kentucky involving internet gaming, advice to companies looking at various internet gaming models and regulatory work.

Q: Much of 2011 in Europe was all about USA maybe legalizing online gaming or Poker again, was your firm involved in any of this?

A: I’m sorry. As I am sure you can imagine, the state of play with respect to US federal and state legislation is very sensitive at the moment, so I can’t really discuss any work in which I may have been involved on those fronts.

Q: How does AVH see the US making online gambling industry evolving in 2012?

A: Online gaming in the US is inevitable, either at the state or federal level. Nevada is the first state, but will not be the last, to legalize and regulate online gaming. The only question is whether 2012 will see the first steps by states into the market or whether the federal government will enact legislation that provides an overall framework for online gaming in the country.

Q: In your opinion will 2012 see either federal or state legal online gaming?

A: Yes! Which it will be, I’m not certain. But we will see legal online gaming this year – in Nevada, if nowhere else, but I am confident other states will follow suit if the federal government does not.

Q: What has AVH seen a growth in, related to land based or online gaming? Have you been approached mostly on online gaming legislation in the US or other matters most?

A: Our expertise is primarily in online gaming. I am familiar with traditional gaming regulation in many states, but we do not hold ourselves out as traditional gaming licensing counsel. Our clients typically are either of two varieties: (1) licensed gambling companies – either traditional or online – that want advice on internet gaming issues; or (2) non-gambling companies that want to offer online games but not have those games cross offer into regulated (prohibited) gambling.

Q: Most recently AVH and your good self have been involved in the Full Tilt Poker/Group Bernard Tapie case with the US Department of Justice, has that now been concluded?

A: No. That is a very “live” matter. We are hopeful we will be able to get to conclusion soon, but substantial hurdles remain between now and completion. It will be interesting to see how matters unfold in the next few weeks.

Q: On the same subject, what is the legal standing with FTP/GBT going back into a regulated US market, when that happens in the US? A: At this point, there is no regulated US market, other than the soonto-be-opened intrastate market in Nevada. It would be foolish to build a business model based on a non-existent (legal) market. GBT’s strategy is based on a Rest-of-World model. What the future may hold would require an oracle, not a lawyer!

Q: Do you think AVH will see an large increase in online gaming clients in 2012 as more speculation grows on regulating online gambling in the US? A: From your mouth to God’s ears….. I certainly would welcome more inquiries along those lines!

Seriously, I do think this is an area that is drawing increased attention from two directions – the licensed gaming (gambling) companies that know they cannot ignore the opportunities online gaming presents and the non-licensed non-gambling gaming companies that want to replicate the online gambling gaming experience as closely as possible without crossing the line into prohibition or licensing. Licensing is a cumbersome process, and companies that are not familiar with it rightly find it intimidating.

Q: If you could offer one small piece of advice to any European Online Operator, big or small looking to enter a new regulated US online market, what would it be?

A: Find a US partner that already is a licensed US gambling company.

No matter how the rules are set out, it will be far easier navigating a US licensing regime with a US partner that already knows its way around.

Thank you Behnam for talking to us today and sharing your thoughts on the US and online gambling industries.

Chinese Lantern Festival Iced Chocolate THE Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival since more than 2000 years ago. The 15th day of the 1st lunar month is the Chinese Lantern Festival because the first lunar month is called yuan-month and in the ancient times people called night Xiao. The 15th day is the first night to see a full moon. So the day is also called Yuan Xiao Festival in China. According to the Chinese tradition, at the very beginning of a new year, when there is a bright full moon hanging in the sky, there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. At this time, people will try to solve the puzzles on the lanterns and eat yuanxiao (glutinous rice ball) and get all their families united in the joyful atmosphere.

HOT on the heels of the MINI Baker Street and MINI Bayswater comes the third in a trio of special editions for spring 2012 – the all-new MINI Highgate.

Continuing the brand’s established policy of taking the names of fashionable areas of London, the Highgate is a sophisticated new version of the drop-top Convertible.

As with all special edition MINIs, this four-seater offers a raft of unique exterior and interior features. Providing a fresh interpretation of MINI’s premium appeal and style, the Highgate is designed to take the fun and excitement of ‘wind-in-the-hair’ motoring to the next level.

The car is finished in an all-new metallic ‘Iced Chocolate’ body colour, which works perfectly with the tailored ‘Silvertouched Truffle’ fabric roof. The distinctive look is enhanced by truffle bonnet stripes with blue edging. Midnight Black metallic or White Silver metallic paintwork can be specified as an option. The door mirror caps are always finished in the same shade as the exterior.

Titan On the 15th lunar day of the year, some Chinese families worship the Heaven Officer of Taoism and pray for luck at home or temple during the daytime. Traditionally, Chinese should decorate the light lanterns around the house and children carry the candle paper lantern on the street at night. It might the safety concern, not too many follow this custom today. In stead, many people will attend different activities of the Lantern Festival.

Traditional lanterns are made by paper. They can make the lantern tuning around by the heat circulation from the candle inside. Today the light of the lantern is from the electricity. People like to design lantern using zodiac animals, historical figures, saint and gods of Taoism or Buddhism. Certainly, the current year’s animal symbol of the Chinese calendar is most popular subject. Using the computer tool today, they can design the lantern with different movements, the different colors of light and even using the laser light with special visual and sound effects.

In Taiwan, the government builds a giant zodiac animal lantern more than 15 kilometer high on the square of a major city every year to promote the touring business since 1990.

CITAN is the name of the new urban delivery van from MercedesBenz. The name was announced for the first time yesterday at the Mercedes-Benz Design Centre in Sindelfingen, during a symposium on brand competence and city logistics.

The name Citan is derived from the words “City” and “Titan”, so emphasising the vehicle’s role as a high-calibre specialist in city logistics, designed specifically for the rough and tumble of everyday working life.

Its design is correspondingly robust and durable. At the same time it manages to meet the requirements of customers across the service industry, retail sector and a broad spectrum of trades: a generous load compartment with compact dimensions, allied to typical attributes of the brand such as quality, economic efficiency, safety and dynamic driving, all combined with low fuel consumption and the low CO2 emissions to match. The choice of drive systems comprises a broad range of economical and low-emission diesel and petrol engines – including a BlueEFFICIENCY package. A version powered by an electric engine is already being planned.

The controls, the interior and the quality of materials and workmanship in the new Citan are at the high level that has become the hallmark of all Mercedes-Benz vans. The urban delivery van was developed and tested to the same standards as its larger Sprinter and Vito siblings and is in no way inferior to these. As with every Mercedes-Benz, safety is paramount: ESP is part of the standard specification for all variants.

1 million notifications

Water powered smartphones

A POST on Facebook has received over a million comments, making it a contender to take a place in Guiness. 107 fans of the freemium Zynga game Frontierville joined together in a Guinness World Record attempt led by Cathy Matthews and Tracey Hodgson. They collectively hit the 1,001,291 post with an average of 9,358 posts each. Before you start considering Facebook a 21st century institution for free expression and the exchange of new ideas, it appears that a good deal of the comments simply consisted of Matthews typing the word “go” at high speed. “Once you get the rhythm, you can go pretty fast,” she commented. The attempt has been submitted to

WATER may soon be all you need to charge your dying, slick electrical devices. We know its not usually a smart idea to put your smartphone anywhere near a drop of water, but company myFC, has developed a portable fuel cell charger that runs on water called the PowerTrekk.

Guinness for appraisal, but the team is yet to receive a response.

PowerTrekk is a cutting edge product that uses clean fuel cell technology, which efficiently converts hydrogen into electricity. Users simply insert the Pow­erTrekk puck and add ordinary water to provide instant power on the go. “PowerTrekk Water Charger gives your mobile phone power anywhere at any time”, says Björn Westerholm, CEO at myFC. “From now on, you do not have to rely on having an electricity grid nearby.”

Unlike solar chargers, fuel cell power is reliable and quickly generated.

The speed of charging is not impacted by weather or solar position. Furthermore, there is no power degradation like there is with batteries. “The launch of PowerTrekk marks a paradigm shift in fuel cell technology and at myFC we are very excited to bring this cutting edge product to the end consumers”, says Björn Westerholm, CEO at myFC. Millions of people worldwide lack connection to the electricity grid from time to time. This applies for people in emerging markets as well as outdoor enthusiasts and daily cell phone users all over the world. With the launch of the first ever water based fuel cell for commercial use there is now a clean energy solution when in need of a portable source of power.

PowerTrekk is both a portable battery pack and fuel cell, intended for people who spend time away from the electricity grid. PowerTrekk provides instant power anywhere to electronic equipment such as cell phones, GPSdevices and cameras.

Smart gets smarter MOTOROLA has claimed that it will push forward its “smart actions” which makes it easier for people to control how their phones act. The claims could see the tables turning on other smartphones currently battling it out on the market.

For example, if a phone is consistently running low on battery, the phone recommends settings to improve battery life. If a user misses several calls in a row, the phone can suggest turning up the ringer.

Motorola Senior VP Alain Mutricy told Ina Fried of AllThingsD, tackling these functions is certainly possible through menus and Android settings wizards, but he said, “You need to be a geek to do that.”

Motorola also spoke about its potential plans to expand the Razr line. It is also supposedly investing it the Webtop software that allows phones to connect to laptop-like docking stations. The phone maker has already introduced the Razr Maxx — a new, high-end version of the Razr with a more capable battery. There are no confirmed details about new devices or the company’s soon-to-be-reported earnings, Mutricy said that Motorola is focused primarily on the high end of the U.S. market, particularly as carriers upgrade to high-speed 4G LTE networks.

The BEST smartphone is…

BLACKBERRY’S are flying off the shelves like hotcakes in Britain, according to the latest figures from research firm GfK. “The latest results from data firm GfK show that BlackBerry was the #1 selling smartphone in the British market for the second year running,” boasted a press release from Research In Motion today.

“It continues to dominate the market, grabbing 26.3% of December sales and averaging 27.7% through 2011.” The news comes after coCEO Mike Lazardis smartly stepped down from the firm. He handed the reigns over to Thorsten Heins and said: “I absolutely know he will take this company to new heights.”

With increasing competition from Samsung and Apple eating into the smartphone market, RIM firmly believes that THEY are the ones to beat to stay ahead.

After all the controversy surrounding the great BBM blackout late last year, RIM are holding their head up higher than the iPhone fanbase out there with the latest news. RIM said it had more than eight and a half million active subscribers in the UK by the end of 2011, but did not give comparable figures for 2010. However, it said its global subscriber base increased by 35% year on year in December to 75 million.

The manufacturer’s forthcoming plans include an update to its BlackBerry 7.1 OS, which includes features such as the ability to turn a BlackBerry into a mobile hotspot that can be shared by up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices. The PlayBook 2.0 is also due to hit the market in February.

Tricked?

YOU could be part of the Anonymous hacker collective.

It’s been reported that Anonymous tricked its 249,000 Twitter followers into joining their attacks on cyber-space.

Users who click the links inevitably become a part of Anonymous’ attacks, which can be launched only by relying on thousands of personal computers to crash the government websites.

“I’m not sure if participants in this instance would get away with claiming that they innocently clicked on links by mistake,” The Daily Mail quoted Sophos senior technology consultant Graham Cluley, as saying.

Security experts have warned that these very same Twitter users could be jailed for cybercrime.

“This change in tactic from Anonymous, which allows attacks to be launched by simply clicking on a link, means that Internet users need to be extremely careful when clicking on unknown URLs or they could unwittingly be joining this latest zombie army,” he added.

The cyberattacks are a part of Anonymous’ ‘Operation Megaupload’, which was launched to protest the shutdown of a file-sharing site.

World’s largest video game controller BRITISH engineering student, Ben Allen (23), has taken gaming to a whole new level with the world’s largest video game controller. He came up with the concept in …the pub.

The giant NES controller is 30 times the size of a standard controller. It weighs in at a whopping 252 pounds and measures 144 in. x 62 in. x 20 in. That means he and another gamer have to play it by jumping on the buttons.

The giant NES controller was unveiled at London’s Liverpool St. station to kick start the Guinness World Records 2012 Gamers Edition. Commuters had the opportunity to test their gaming skills on the giant controller. What a perfect way to start 2012.

Allen, who studies at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands took five months to build the giant controller and spent about $6000 in the process.

All bets off?

Back to Baccarat CHINESE New Year celebrations have had an outstanding impact on gaming destinations; Las Vegas in particular have noted that Asian bigtime gamblers are flocking to Las Vegas to play baccarat and providing the skills and cash in boosting the casinos out there.

BETFAIR has announced that it will no longer offer its services to South Africans as from next Tuesday. According to the public affairs manager Tom Tuxworth, access to its services from SA-based IP addresses will be blocked.

The decision is in light of the Supreme Court of Appeal ruling last September that declared online, or interactive, gambling illegal, says Betfair public affairs manager Tom Tuxworth. Tuxworth says, following the Piggs Peak decision, Betfair has decided not to take any more bets from South Africans. “Our Web site is in the process of being IP-blocked to the entire country.”

In addition, “the technical work required to put the block in place needed to be planned and tested prior to being implemented”, Tuxworth says. “It was also necessary to communicate with our customers to ensure an orderly closure of their accounts.”

The Gambling Review Commission has recommended that online wagering be legalised, and that more than 10 licences be issued. Changes to the legislation could take about two years to come into effect.

On 14 February, all existing accounts will be suspended and Betfair says South Africans must withdraw their funds before then. Betfair is applying for a traditional back-only sportsbook licence in the Western Cape under the existing framework, says Tuxworth. Sports betting is legal in SA under the current gambling framework.

In other Betfair news, the firm has today launched its next generation iPad App into the Apple store.

The bespoke native application is a marked enhancement from previous products and is the first to come out of Betfair’s development office in San Francisco, where the Company has recently relocated key parts of mobile development under the leadership of Raj Vemulapalli, who was recruited from Yahoo!

Commenting on the launch, Raj Vemulapalli, Vice President of Mobile Engineering and Head of Mobile Technologies at Betfair said: “This App is a game-changer for our customers, offering them a seamless betting experience that replicates the fixed web, whilst making use of the unique features available on iPad. Mobile is the coming force in the betting industry, and the shift from online to mobile is in many ways more exciting than the shift from offline to online.”

Tony McAlister, Chief Technology Officer at Betfair said: “Mobile is increasingly important to Betfair’s bottom line and product launches such as this are now key strategic milestones. In addition, the fact that this App was developed in just two months out in San Francisco shows that our decision to launch a US technology office in Silicon Valley is already paying off. I hope this is the first of many US developed products which will extend our lead in the online betting space”.

“For us to make money in gaming today without baccarat is almost impossible,” said Debra Nutton, senior vice president of casino operations at the MGM Grand hotel-casino. “We need the big whales to make money.”

It’s been known that Baccarat has raced ahead of Blackjack in the world of gaming. It now represents nearly 60 percent of the MGM Grand’s table games revenue over the past year. It’s especially popular this week with tens of thousands of tourists from Asia in town to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

In Las Vegas parlance, a “whale” is a big-time gambler who easily wagers more in one night at the tables than most American families make in a year. Casinos cater to them with plush, secluded gambling salons inside the top casinos — with baccarat games that often start out at a minimum $10,000 per hand. The whales typically favor baccarat — a game romanticized in James Bond flicks and highly popular in Macau and Singapore.

Nevada figures show that during the 12 months ending Nov. 30, casinos statewide won $1.27 billion from baccarat players, with the game offered at 258 total tables in 24 casinos. Blackjack, meanwhile, pulled in just $1.03 billion — even though it was offered across 2,810 tables in 151 casinos. Slots are still the most popular and lucrative form of gambling in Nevada, with nearly 165,000 machines over 330 locations including supermarket, gas stations and airports.

Baccarat has been the most lucrative table game since 2009, and has been increasing its share since then, according to an analysis of gambling revenues by Dave Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “The real high-end play is happening in maybe six or seven casinos,” Schwartz said.

Calls for new gaming exhibition

censes and approvals before it could start work in India, but it could be an interesting opportunity if it materialises.

At the recent and last ICE Expo at Earls Court, many exhibitors called for a stand along casino only gaming exhibition. There was also a group of potential organizers for an alternative show canvassing interest to manufacturers and suppliers.

In an interview with Vietnamnet online newspaper, Sheldon also revealed his investment plan in regards to expanding in Vietnam. Speaking about meeting Vietnaese government officials, he said: “It was for my company to make investments in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to develop integrated resorts. That’s our speciality. We are the only developer in the world that is developing IR which is our convention base.

Not wanting to be named at this stage, but one supplier said that they would be very interested if there was an exhibition setup that only serviced the land based gaming industry. They felt that the current gaming organizer of ICE Totally Gaming were too comfortable with no competition and were squeezing exhibitors with extra costs.

At the recent and last ICE Expo at Earls Court, many exhibitors called for a stand along casino only gaming exhibition. There was also a group of potential organizers for an alternative show canvassing interest to manufacturers and suppliers.

Not wanting to be named at this stage, but one supplier said that they would be very interested if there was an exhibition setup that only serviced the land based gaming industry. They felt that the current gaming organizer of ICE Totally Gaming were too comfortable with no competition and were squeezing exhibitors with extra costs.

That means our fundamental business model is designed to support exhibitions and conventions. We were the only privately own exhibition centre in the world in 1990s to build strong Sands convention and exhibition in Las Vegas.

That’s scenery between what Vietnam wants to have and what we can provide. It would like to boost tourism. We are specialised in tourism and bringing in tourism. Vietnam has no IR so far and that is fundamental component of our company. So it’s an extremely comfortable fit that we can cooperate in this.

We believe the Vietnamese government is very interested in our model and we think it also wants to have our IR in Vietnam.”

ICE show was up on numbers, but not all happy Reports to the iGaming Post have confirmed that there were potential organizers of a separate show for traditional gaming equipment exhibition at the ICE Expo and that their feedback from exhibitors was positive. The iGaming Post does not know currently where an alternative show would be organized, but many exhibitors said they were not happy with the relocation of ICE Totally Gaming to the Excel Centre on the East End of London.

Macau’s responsible plan

One exhibitor said “all our clients like to go out to dinner and the wives like to shop, that is impossible over at the Excel, it would take 40 minutes plus to get into central London from there. There is only a limited amount of hotels and evening entertainment.”

“Every citizen in Macau, not just gamblers and casino workers, shares a responsibility and is a stake holder in the gaming industry’s present and future, which has an important bearing not only on the city’s economic structure, but also the well-being of neighbouring cities”, Sung said.

The association will hope to tackle gambling problems, including providing counselling services for pathological gamblers, Sung told Macau Daily Times.

“With Earls Court still open for business in 2013, Clarion made a mistake moving too soon, they panicked because of the potential of Reed coming in.” The exhibitor continued.

2012 will be a challenging time for Clarion and time will tell if a competition event will materialize for the Gaming Industry for 2013.

One billion people & 1 legal casino ONE billion people and only one legal casino in Goa, could India be crying out for a gaming haven? Las Vegas Sands have got their eyes on developing a presence in the nation, as well as other hot spots around the world such as Spain, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Whilst addressing the media at the Venetian Macao, Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson expressed his desire for a beach head in India. Previously, in 2008, Aldelson said that he wanted to develop a Cotai Strip similar to Macau in India. He revealed that he had approached officials in Delhi’s Ministry of Tourism for permission to run an integrated resort but never heard back.

It will take the company a considerable amount of time to get required li-

A NEW association, Macau Responsible Gaming Association’s (MRGA), has been established today in a bid to focus on responsible gaming. It has the formal blessing of the powerful gaming industry, acknowledged organising committee member and liaison officer Sung Wai Kit.

And MRGA also hopes to work with other social groups such the Federation of Trade Unions, and the General Neighbourhood Association Unions, both of which have a large social network of members and resources.

Sung also stressed and denied that responsible gaming means a negative compact on casino revenue. Responsible gaming is to achieve a more balanced economic structure, or diversification of the economy, to turn Macau into an international travel and leisure centre, as laid out in the country’s 12th Five Year Plan, Sung explained.

Rank to buy Gala Casinos

Rank Group, the owner of the Grosvenor Casino Brand is reported to be preparing to stake £250 million on a deal to buy the casino arm of rival Gala Coral.

The move would see Rank create the UK’s biggest operator by merging its 35-strong Grosvenor Casinos chain with the 24 outlets owned by Gala.

It is being reported that talks involving the two companies were at an advanced stage and could be completed in time for Rank’s interim results on February 9.

Such an acquisition would accelerate Rank’s plans to have 45 Grosvenor outlets by the end of 2015 through the faster roll-out of its G-Casino format, which attracts a younger, less formal crowd. The business, which employs more than 3,000 people, has all but four of its casinos outside London.

A sale of the casinos would allow Gala Coral to concentrate on its Gala bingo and Coral bookmaking divisions, as well as strengthen its finances amid a net debt figure of £1.3 billion at the end of 2011.

The company has been seen as ripe for a break-up since a big debt restructuring in 2010 saw many lenders left with shares in the company, fuelling speculation that Rank would look to buy the casinos.

Rank is listed on the London Stock Exchange but majority owned by Guoco, the investment vehicle of Malaysian billionaire Quek Leng Chan.

UK Tax hike to Gambling Industry It is bad news for Investors in UK gambling companies as they are warned by at least one analyst this week that the industry is facing a tough year due to plans by the government to introduce a damning tax hike.

Oriel, the analyst group, said that while “there are always risks for betting and gaming stocks ahead of the budget,” the risks are “greater this year.”

In March, Chancellor George Osborne will unveil his budget, and it is expected that it will include higher taxes on internet gambling companies that operate offshore, including William Hill, Betfair and Ladbrokes.

As a result, analysts have downgraded share ratings of some online gambling companies and are urging caution in what it calls UK gambling investment risks.

In 2011, the UK government announced that it would be re-examining the way it taxed companies which operated offshore yet still offered their services to UK gamblers.

Several companies operate from tax havens such as Gibraltar so as to avoid the already high 15% tax rate imposed on the gaming industry by the UK government.

The government, however, wants to force these companies to pay taxes as well, and has said that it would address the issue in the March budget. Analysts say that the re-examination “could result in gross profits tax introduced for offshore operators in late 2013 or 2014.”

Due to this scenario, Oriel said that it anticipated “some uncertainty and share price weakness” for some of the main groups mentioned. Oriel downgraded their Ladbrokes and William Hill ratings to ‘reduce’ and removed Betfair from their recommended buy list altogether.

Ladbrokes share prices dropped 1.9p to 139 p, William Hill saw its share prices drop 4p to 222.2p, while Betfair’s were down 11p to 864p.

The business also has more than 100 bingo clubs under the Mecca brand and owns the Bluesq sports betting and gaming business.

Malaysian firm Genting is the UK’s biggest casino operator with 45 sites, including its flagship Crockfords casino in London’s Mayfair.

The only group which has managed to buck this trend is Rank which made public its intentions to purchase the Gala group this week. Rank’s share prices climbed 4.1p to 131.1p.

Rank’s chairman and chief executive officer, Ian Burke said late last month: “Britain’s landbased gaming entertainment industry has potential to boost employment and thereby contribute to the growth of the economy.”

Playtech has also shown that there is still much potential in the UK gambling industry, after it agreed to pay £15 million for the Cheswick based Geneity, which creates lottery and sportsbook software for groups such Betfair, Labdrokes and Coral. The group has also signed joint venture agreements with South African and German gambling groups.

A* for Access All Areas 2012

By Harvy Matharu

TCSJOHNHUXLEY earned it’s A* for its ACCESS ALL AREAS (AAA) event at the Roof Gardens Kensington on the 24th & 25th January 2012. From the moment guests were greeted with a glass of champagne by the Valet Girls at the AAA Limo Lounge at Earls Court and transported in style to the Roof Gardens, they were able to get a taste of things to come. Once at the venue, VIP’s were whisked to the 6th floor of the iconic London landmark, which had been transformed into a stunning casino environment. The all white interior provided an impressive backdrop for the new range of TCSJOHNHUXLEY innovations as well as highlighting beautifully handcrafted furniture..

The event linked neatly in with the ICE show at Earls Court, where global gaming professionals exhibited the crème de la crème of the gaming world. The unique aspect of the event focused on the individuality and exclusivity of AAA; giving guests their very own spotlight and making them feel warmly welcomed.

David Heap, Group Chief Executive exclusively spoke to Infinity Gaming Magazine about the event. He said that “the main aim of the event is to introduce new products, give a quality customer experience and to entertain our visitors at a unique location– the best that London has to offer.”

The Roof Gardens Kensington oozed a lavish and luxurious feel as TCSJOHNHUXLEY’s very finest products gleamed in all their gaming glory. Outside in the roof top gardens, gorgeous pink flamingoes gave the event an exotic, tropical feel. Stepping outside of the chic room was like being transported outside of the hustle and bustle of London as these listed gardens gave the venue and the AAA event a rich edge.

David Heap told us: “Out of all the venues we had to choose from, this had the best location, it offers the best experience for those visiting us, and delivers the best service to our guests. One of the opportunities for us using our Access All Areas format is that we’re able to selectively target the people that we think would benefit from visiting us, as well as all of our valued customers and product partners that we want to see. The response we’ve had has been first class; everyone’s enjoyed it, they’ve appreciated the hospitality and our products, our calm and comfortable atmosphere, and the privacy that comes from a more intimate environment. We’ve managed to get quality time with them as individuals, making much more use of their visit to London.”

I asked David Heap whether they had a location in mind for 2013.

He said: “Access All Areas in 2013, well we have not made a decision just yet; we need to analyse the results from this event and then make a decision over the next few weeks about our activities for 2013. Whether it’s Excel or another unique showcase event, either way, what I can say is that we will focus on an outcome that is best suited to our customers.”

The hot topic at the moment is if and how online and landbased operators from around the gaming globe will stick to their own turf

or join hand in hand as from 2012. David Heap shared his thoughts and insights into the future of gaming: “My predictions for 2012…I think the industry will continue to grow, I think what most landbased operators have started to realise is that if they work together with the online sector, it’s good for both parts of the business, landbased and online.”

Still beaming with pride; David spoke about how proud the TCSJOHNHUXLEY team was to see their Chairman win the Outstanding Contribution Award at the International Gaming Awards on 23rd January 2012. He said Mr. Bertil Knutsson was immensely proud to be recognised and honoured on the glitzy night.

“With regards to the International Gaming Awards and the Outstanding Contribution Award that we were honoured with, it’s fantastic. It is great recognition for both our Chairman and the company as a whole; I know that he’s over the moon with the award. Bertil is quite a modest individual, so we were a little nervous that perhaps he would be embarrassed about receiving such an award, but it’s been very well deserved and well received. He was overwhelmed and extremely delighted to receive this honour.”

Their latest products on show wowed the Access All Areas guests; amongst these, the Infinity Auto Dealer made its sparkling debut at the event. The Infinity Auto Dealer is a revolutionary utility device that offers continuous, fully automated, real-time, card shuffling and dealing using standard casino playing cards. Capable of dealing in excess of 70 Parallel Deal Blackjack or Baccarat hands per hour, Infinity Auto Dealer is the perfect device to significantly drive increased performance on the casino floor. It will feed electronic player terminals, hybrid tables or support online web services to greatly increase profit from your table operation. Infinity Auto Dealer supports an unlimited number of satellite tables and remote terminals without any sacrifice in game speed. David Heap said: “The Infinity Auto Dealer is a fantastic new opportunity for casino operators to dramatically enhance the performance of their electronic gaming terminals through live card games such as Blackjack or Baccarat - it’s the eagerly awaited card equivalent to the auto roulette wheel.”

The SuperNova system was also on show brimming with updates for 2012. It’s now the worlds first progressive Roulette system for local and wide area table game applications and it really has to be seen! SuperNova is a floor wide progressive and game bonusing system for use on all live table games which now includes Roulette.

Card and Roulette tables can be linked to drive increased revenues by adding higher levels of player excitement and loyalty to all live tables. Its multi-level event based and mystery prizes can be employed even on games that don’t normally run progressive jackpots.

The new Tablet Roulette system was another new product on show that seemed to be constantly busy with casino operators literally queuing to have live demonstrations. Tablet Roulette is a very slick server based Roulette solution, offering tablet gaming in a live environment. The system allows casino guests to play live Roulette tables on a touch screen tablet device throughout the gaming venue making it the perfect Roulette solution for what have traditionally been non gaming areas such as bars, restaurants, and smoking terraces.

As well as updates to it’s e-FX range of winning number displays,

TCSJOHNHUXLEY also introduced a new range of eye-catching and functional Interactive Table Limit Signs that will deliver professional yet cost effective table limit information and multi-media messages. Easy to retro fit on to any table shape, these signs incorporate a robust Android based graphics template system with adjustable Minimum, Maximum and Side Bet values that are system generated - with no fixed graphics needed. Table limits can be shown as just Minimum, Minimum and Maximum or Minimum, Maximum and Side Bet.

David Heap, Group Chief Executive commented: “We know our Access All Areas format is very successful with our customers, as it allows them to spend quality one-on-one time with our team in a beautiful location. However it was important to raise the bar for the London event and there’s no doubt the spectacular Roof Gardens provided the perfect venue with its incredible gardens, resident flamingos and stunning layout. All these elements together with our unbeatable range of product offerings allow our guests to experience the wow factor, which is what this is all about.”

The future is bright for EGT

By Harvy M

EURO Games Technology (EGT) showcased their finest products in London recently and proved that they are one of the fastest growing companies in the global gaming industry. INFINITY GAMING MAGAZINE exclusively spoke to EGT about their vision for the future and why they are hoping to bring online and landbased gaming factors closer together.

Concerning Multiplayer Solutions, EGT has showcased the brand new STORK Terminal which introduces a new, more practical and flexible design combined with high-quality technology and user friendliness in every respect.

Krasimir Boev, Multiplayer Solutions Department Manager told us: “We present the new multiplayer terminal, you can choose from 3 wheels to play; each wheel has video streaming for the wheel, that’s why it’s so accurate. They will feel closer to the wheel. This is a standard requirement for roulette wheels to incorporate a video of the wheel. We want to reach out to new customers. We are trying to be compatible all around the world; our customers come from a global basis, with huge experience and partners around the world. Landbased and online players like the reality; with this idea in mind, we just make the distance between players and casinos closer.”

developments in field ergonomics.

EGT showcased a brand new cabinet from the Premier Series. Designed by EGT, the P-22/22 cabinet is a product of our 10 years’ experience in combination with the latest

Silvia Mincheva - PR & Marketing Manager told us: “By designing this product we have taken into consideration different physical and psychic factors and have achieved perfection even in the slightest details. To make things even better, the software for P-22/22 is run by the technologically advances platform Exciter II® which allows better graphics quality and faster performance. A Multigame with 20 attractive games – the Premier Multi-1, completes the Premier Series combination.”

She added: “We showcased the product here first. EGT designed it and we have put together our experience about what we know about the players to develop it. It is also aimed to be extremely economical. The edges are designed to be easy to use and very clear and visible to players.

The software runs innovatively, this means faster animation and the sound is better. It’s an extremely beautiful cabinet with a very amusing animation.”

Speaking about ICE, she said: “The stand has been full the whole time,” said Mincheva.

“Our representatives have been busy throughout the show. It has been one of our most successful shows and we’re expecting even more next year.

“We’re getting bigger and bigger each year so we believe we have a bright future.”

Bally Technologies sign deal with ComTrade

COMTRADE recently announced that it has signed a technology development agreement with Bally Technologies supporting Bally’s Interactive initiatives. This agreement will enable Bally Technologies to leverage ComTrade’s extensive Online development experience to accelerate Bally’s delivery of its award winning land based Slot games to an online audience.

When Bally met Betty BALLY Technologies, a leader in slots, video machines, casino-management, mobile and interactive solutions, and networked systems, recently announced the addition of four new titles to its library of play-for-fun mobile applications: Cash Wizard™, Golden Pharaoh™, Fireball™, and Betty Boop’s Love Meter™. Based on the successful full-size casino versions, these apps are available to download now from iTunes® for iPhone®, iPod touch® and iPad®. With nine titles now available, Bally’s play-for-fun mobile apps have been downloaded more than 92,000 times in just over a year.

ComTrade was recognised ahead of its competitors for offering a team experienced in developing Online Casino Products and robust “Cash Wizard, Golden Pharaoh, Fireball, and Betty Boop’s Love Mescalable online gaming platform. The partnership also further illus- ter are all standouts on casino floors,” said Dan Savage, Bally’s Vice trates Bally Technologies’ intention of becoming a prominent figure President of Marketing. within the online gaming sector.

Each of these apps from Bally are Game Center-enabled, allowing Ales Gornjec, Director of Gaming at ComTrade said “Bally Technolo- players to track their progress and compete against each other on gies is a well respected industry player with a history in landbased leader boards and against themselves to earn virtual badges and gaming that dates back to 1932. This just goes to show that the gap rewards. is closing between the online and land based industries. We believe that ComTrade’s experience and development strengths will acceler- “We’re growing our mobile play-for-fun application library at a rapid ate Bally’s growth in the iGaming space, and we look forward to de- pace and we’re looking forward to introducing additional titles like Betty Boop’s Fortune Teller™, Hot Spin™, and Lighting Jackpots™,” veloping this relationship further.”

Savage said. “When you combine and integrate these play-for-fun “Bally is highly selective in our technology partners and Comtrade slot apps with our impressive collection of custom casino property became the clear choice among the options we explored” said John mobile apps through our Bally Interactive mobile business, you can Connelly, Vice President of Business Development for Bally Technolo- see that Bally delivers an unmatched mobile experience for both gies. “Their world-class experience in IT systems, their previous work operator and patron.” with numerous top tier online providers, along with their deep pool of over 1000 engineering resources make them an ideal partner to work with for Bally Technologies. We look forward a long term relationship with them”.

Innovative Interblock INTERBLOCK once again showcased its very finest innovative designs of its G4 Organic range at ICE. Infinity Gaming Magazine went over to their huge and eye-catching stand to find out what the excitement was all about.

Great interest was shown in all our multiplayer gaming products: • G4 Organic Roulette™ 08 with PID in Football Shape • G4 Organic Roulette™ 10 with PID in Football Shape • G4 Organic Virtual™ 07 Black Jack • G4 Organic Card™ 07 • G4 Organic Twins™ 12 in Football Shape with Roulette and Dice center • G4 Organic Bartop™ • G4 Organic Live Pulse™ Mr. Tom O’Brien, V.P. of Sales at Interblock USA, explained: “We would like to say that each and every show is just getting better and better for the Interblock team. The 2012 ICE show was a huge success for us and we are starting to be noticed by everyone in our business. Our display was first class and the staff did an excellent job with our customers. Well Done.”

Mr. Klemen Sitar, Regional Sales Manager at Interblock, further explained: “This year’s company presentation with a renewed stand and twice the size stand of the last year’s was in my opinion was absolutely stunning. Our client and distributors from Belgium and the Netherlands share the same thoughts with me. Our new range of Organic products, the Football shaped tables with attractive PID’s, Virtual card table, Bartop terminals and especially brand new product, G4 Live Pulse are once again a new step forward for our company. I have enjoyed every moment of the show.”

Our special guest at this year’s show was Slovenian multiple IBF boxing champion, Dejan Zavec. His appearance was a result and continuation of last years boxing theme and Interblock slogan: ‘Fight for the Revenue!’

Mr. Bojan Dreven, Regional Sales Manager at Interblock, commented the show: “Interblock again catches an interest of Casino operators with introducing a new Organic concept, the G4 Organic Live Pulse™.”

“It is another new product in G4 Organic range of products, which completes multi terminal- multigame Organic portfolio offer with more ideas, which brings every casino floor to a new level, helping them to ‘ fight for their revenues’ in this difficult times.”

“It was a pleasure to hear compliments from customers already using Organic products, for them this means more options to see positive trends in the returns generated by their venue floors.”

One of the newest and most attractive amongst the exhibited machines, the ‘G4 Organic Live Pulse or Pulse Arena’ is an impressive looking product, launched for the first time at this year’s ICE 2012 for the first time. The version that was displayed at the show was in theater layout and consists of 32 play stations and two live games, Roulette and Baccarat with the ability to place wagers electronically on a live wheel operated by a croupier or a live shoe being dealt for a baccarat game.

Mr. Miha Miklavcic, Regional Sales Manager at Interblock, added: “For me personally ICE 2012 was the most successful show in the company’s history. Interblock’s fantastic new booth layout, together with our professional sales and development team, has successfully presented the full range of Interblock’s G4 Organic product line to the around the globe customers. Based on the show activities, I believe that our company will increase our leadership as a global provider in electronic table games.”

Mr. Primoz Bohinc, Regional Sales Manager at Interblock, concluded: “First of all I would like to point out that all visitors were positively surprised about our redesigned booth which in their opinion looked extremely attractive and trend-setting. Further they were impressed about our latest product Organic Live Pulse with two different Live generators. Our existing customer’s thinks that this kind of setup can enrich their casino floor towards more “community” type of gaming also on multiplayer gaming machines. In general I would say that this year’s ICE exhibition showed that innovations based on the needs of the operators and experiences of our customers are the right way for the future and fits the slogan “Fight for the Revenue”.

Playtech coming out to play?

THE world’s biggest provider of online gaming software, Playtech, has hinted that it is gearing itself up to enter America’s lucrative market.

CEO Mark Weizer said that the Playtech are in talks with a number of partners at the moment.

“We have lots of potential customers that approached us or that we approached that would like to have us as their suppliers of online gaming products when the market opens up,” Weizer told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

“There is a lot of work being done behind the scenes in various states by various local authorities. We have people on the ground now in the U.S. working with us in order to monitor all these processes,” Weizer added.

The United States Justice Department said in December that only betting on sporting contests is unlawful, giving the green light to other types of internet gambling such as poker and casino games to be legalized.

The company also announced joint ventures with German gaming machine business Merkur and South African gaming and hospitality business Peermont as well as the 11 million pound ($17.2 million) acquisition of sportsbook and lottery software firm Geneity.

Playtech revenue up 89% PLAYTECH has announced an impressive 89% increase on their Q4 2011 earnings compared on a year before. Casino revenues were up 13%, bingo revenues up 9%, while poker revenues declined by 2%.

Overall, the revenues for Q4 approached $90 million.

In addition, Playtech announced recent joint ventures with German and South African partners. As company CEO, Mor Weizer stated, “Playtech is preparing itself for each and every market to make the most of the changing regulatory landscape.”

The success reflects their current playtime with global players.

Playtech are hoping to take advantage of the current online sports betting in the United States. Playtech is looking to take an advantage and pursue business with multiple casinos based in the country. It is also currently in talks with potential partners in the United States.

Mobile sports betting is also looking to be expanded with its acquisition of sportsbook developer, Geneity.

The recent acquisitions and strong performance will allow the company to place itself in a better position in relation to Microgaming, its major competitor. Both companies prepare themselves for mobile casino games with constant innovations and an expanded marketplace offering. This will only make online casino gambling and sports betting a more exciting venture for punters.

Galaxy Entertainment strikes success International Gaming Awards leaves Galaxy starry-eyed GALAXY Entertainment Group Limited won two top awards at the prestigious International Gaming Awards ceremony in London on Monday. The Group received the Casino Operator of the Year Australia/Asia award, and Galaxy Macau™ was recognised as The World’s Best Casino / Integrated Resort of the Year. Furthermore, GEG’s StarWorld Hotel & Casino was shortlisted in the Casino VIP Room of the Year category.

This is the first year in which the International Gaming Awards has presented a gaming ‘Oscar’ for the Best Casino/Integrated Resort, and the shortlist comprised the most high-profile integrated resort properties from around the world. This is the fourth major award that Galaxy Macau™ has won since opening in May 2011, including the most recently announced “2011 Best Integrated Resort” award at the Top Travel Awards in Beijing in December 2011.

Dr. Che-woo Lui, Chairman of GEG said, “We are delighted to receive such encouraging global recognition for our achievements and success in delivering our vision. GEG’s objective has always been to build a unique identity, and develop our casinos and resorts to a world class standard. These awards not only recognize this vision, but are also a great endorsement of our management team’s endeavor and the passion of our devoted staff to succeed.

“We have never sought to replicate Las Vegas, instead we developed Galaxy Macau™ to be a truly integrated and Asian Centric Resort for the Asian market. Combining the inspiration of Asia’s long and distinguished history with world class hospitality, we are proud to have created a globally recognized standard and defined a new category in the industry especially in the Asia P acific region. We are also delighted that GEG is helping Macau diversify into an international tourism and leisure destination.”

Spinning into infinitive success Wynn’s public spat gets messy STEVE Wynn has desperately urged a U.S court to brush off legal claims made by Okada, its largest shareholder. The future control of the $15 billion casino giant could be in jeopardy.

In a 117-page filing with the Clark County District Court in Nevada, Wynn stated that Kazuo Okada, who holds a 20 percent stake in the firm, was “utilising innuendo, hyperbole, half-truths and sweeping generalisations” in his legal petition that was filed on Jan. 11.

Wynn had previously stated that Okada’s inspection requests were “nothing more than stockholder inspection requests, on behalf of Aruze.”

CAMMEGH promoted their latest product, the GLI-endorsed Mercury 360 Bonus Numbers feature, at the ICE show; it certainly caught the attention of many passersby and those who are within the gaming industry. Cammegh states that they “have dedicated the last 20 years to perfecting the roulette wheel and we now feel the time is right to broaden our gaming offer to include high quality tables to complement our growing product range.”

This was certainly evident at the event where their slick, sophisticated products stood out amongst its surrounding competitors.

The GLI-endorsed Mercury 360 enables five additional random numbers to be physically generated by the Mercury 360 roulette wheel each game.

Cammegh added: “Bonus Numbers creates an unrivalled opportunity to bring a wide range of side bets, mystery prizes and, ultimately, progressive jackpots to roulette. We are showing two games using the Bonus Numbers feature, Double Shot and Aurora Roulette, which have received serious interest from our customers, as the Mercury 360 running Bonus Numbers is the future-proofed option for roulette.”

“Nevada law does not afford Okada or any other individual director the right to do an end run around the express statutory limitations on stockholder inspection rights, or to play detective, while unnecessarily distracting and burdening Wynn’s management with the endless task of satisfying his unfounded and unarticulated ‘concerns’,” the filing said.

In an email sent to Reuters on Tuesday, Aruze USA said that as a member of the board of Wynn Resorts, Okada had the right to inspect the corporate documents he deemed necessary to carry out his duties as a director.

“The response of Wynn Resorts’ management, while full of colorful rhetoric, cannot explain this away. We look forward to presenting our position to the Court,” Aruze said.

Wynn Resorts says that to try to get around this problem, Mr Okada had presented his request as a director rather than a shareholder, a “maneuver” the company expects to be “flatly rejected by the court”.

$125 Billion

All bets off?

BETFAIR has announced that it will no longer offer its services to South Africans as from next Tuesday. According to the public affairs manager Tom Tuxworth, access to its services from SA-based IP addresses will be blocked.

The decision is in light of the Supreme Court of Appeal ruling last September that declared online, or interactive, gambling illegal, says Betfair public affairs manager Tom Tuxworth. Tuxworth says, following the Piggs Peak decision, Betfair has decided not to take any more bets from South Africans. “Our Web site is in the process of being IP-blocked to the entire country.”

In addition, “the technical work required to put the block in place needed to be planned and tested prior to being implemented”, Tuxworth says. “It was also necessary to communicate with our customers to ensure an orderly closure of their accounts.”

GAMBLING in casinos roughly generates 1% of the U.S economic activity, according to a study by The Brattle Group and further pushed forward the American Gaming Association. It also revealed that the activity creates around 820,000 jobs from direct and indirect spending.

“There is no doubt the commercial casino industry is a significant and vital part of our nation’s economy,” said Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., president and CEO of the AGA. “The industry generates and supports economic activity that stretches far beyond the communities that host casinos and into the greater American economy.”

According to the report, 566 casinos in 22 states supported about $125 billion in spending and nearly 820,000 U.S. jobs in 2010. Taking all lines of spending into account, commercial casinos directly generated $49.7 billion in consumer spending and about 350,000 jobs, with salaries and benefits totaling nearly $15 billion in 2010. When indirect and induced impacts are taken into account, the industry supports an additional $76 billion in spending with suppliers and other businesses, and more than 470,000 additional jobs.

“The data in this report shows the significant scope of impact of this industry,” said Dr. Coleman Bazelon, principal at The Brattle Group.

“This report shows the economic activity spurred and supported by the commercial casino industry has a ripple effect throughout the nation’s greater economy.”

The Gambling Review Commission has recommended that online wagering be legalised, and that more than 10 licences be issued.

Changes to the legislation could take about two years to come into effect.

On 14 February, all existing accounts will be suspended and Betfair says South Africans must withdraw their funds before then. Betfair is applying for a traditional back-only sportsbook licence in the Western Cape under the existing framework, says Tuxworth. Sports betting is legal in SA under the current gambling framework.

In other Betfair news, the firm has today launched its next generation iPad App into the Apple store.

The bespoke native application is a marked enhancement from previous products and is the first to come out of Betfair’s development office in San Francisco, where the Company has recently relocated key parts of mobile development under the leadership of Raj Vemulapalli, who was recruited from Yahoo!

Commenting on the launch, Raj Vemulapalli, Vice President of Mobile Engineering and Head of Mobile Technologies at Betfair said: “This App is a game-changer for our customers, offering them a seamless betting experience that replicates the fixed web, whilst making use of the unique features available on iPad. Mobile is the “Beyond the Casino Floor” was prepared by The Brattle Group, a coming force in the betting industry, and the shift from online to consulting firm specializing in economics. The report is based on eco- mobile is in many ways more exciting than the shift from offline to nomic modeling and analysis and supported by data from AGA mem- online.” ber companies and publicly available sources.

Tony McAlister, Chief Technology Officer at Betfair said: “Mobile is increasingly important to Betfair’s bottom line and product launches such as this are now key strategic milestones. In addition, the fact that this App was developed in just two months out in San Francisco shows that our decision to launch a US technology office in Silicon Valley is already paying off. I hope this is the first of many US developed products which will extend our lead in the online betting space”.