July infinitymagazine

HEADLINES BALLY BUY SHFL FOR $1.3 BILLION

HEADLINES GENTING & ECA ARGUE OVER ONLINE GAMBLING

HEADLINES 7TH INTERNATIONAL GAMING AWARDS JUDGES ANNOUNCED

InfinityGaming

www.gaming-awards.com | ISSUE JULY/AUGUST2013

IRELAND 40 CASINOS MAX

New legislation announced

AGA CONTINUE POKERSTARS FIGHT

New deal in NJ sparks appeal

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7th International Gaming Awards

FOCUS

Johnny Ortiz President of Zitro

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contents InfinityGaming

EDITOR’S LETTER

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EDITOR LETTER

Welcome to the June edition

MEET THE IGA7 JUDGES

The new line up for the 7th IGA

WITH 8 INTERVIEW JOHNNY ORTIZ BALLY BUY SHFL 11 WITH 14 INTERVIEW STUART TILLY Deal worth $1.3 billion

Social Gaming Association

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FEATURES

20 MARTIN R. BAIRD 25 IRELAND LATEST UK NEEDS THEMED 28 CASINOS Learning by Example

Max of 40 casinos allowed

JJ Woods article

36 GAMING NEWS ROHIN MALHOTRA 38 40 ELLEN LEARMONTH GREAT EMPLOYEES 44 LATEST BUSINESS 46 NEWS From around the World

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STUART TILLY Social Gaming Association

Exclusive vendor deals

InfinityGaming • ISSUE JJULY2013

Happy retention to you

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What’s going on

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EDITOR’S LETTER Lana Thompson - Chief Editor

by

InfinityGaming

EDITORS NOTES Welcome to the July/ August edition of the Infinity Gaming Magazine I hope you all enjoying a lovely summer! What wonderful weather we been having in the UK, perfect for Golf if you are a fair weather chap or chapess like me.

I am sure most of us following Wimbledon are very happy with Andy Murray winning and some of us managed to catch some of the matches live and try our British strawberries and glass of bubbly!

London, read some of the history of the Savoy inside.

We bring interview to you with the Founder and President of Zitro Johnny Ortiz and opinions from Rohin Malhotra, Ellen Learmonth, Martin R. Baird and JJ Woods.

We are very grateful for their time and contribution.

Lana

We are very proud to introduce to you the panel of global industry experts who kindly agreed to Judge the 7th International Gaming Awards.

We are also delighted to tell you that our next event will take place in historic Savoy Hotel in

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Martin R. Baird Rohin Malhotra Ellen Learmonth J.J. Woods CONTACT US Clever Duck Media Suite 105 Park Plaza Point South Hayes Way Cannock WS12 2DB UK Tel: +44(0)1543 578 689 claire@cleverduckmedia.com PRODUCTION Clever Duck Media Suite 105 Park Plaza Point South Hayes Way Cannock WS12 2DB UK PUBLISHING Infinity Gaming Magazine is operated by © Clever Duck Media Ltd ® Company Reg. No. 687 1018 (Registered in England) ADVERTISING: Sponsorship Opportunities Colin@gaming-awards.com Business Partnerships Svetlana@gaming-awards.com

Opinion Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in all external articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Infinity Gaming Magazine Any content provided by our feature writers or authors are of their opinion, and are not intended to malign any religion, ethic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

BUSINESSMAG • ISSUE JULY2013

JOIN US

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IGA News

Savoy named as location for 7th International Gaming Awards

“The Savoy is in a class of its own, and so it should be” - Wall Street Journal.

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lever Duck Media, who host and organise the charity focussed International Gaming Awards (IGA) which is now entering its seventh year have announced the stunning location for its annual event. The Savoy in London will play host to the 3rd February 2014 ceremony.

InfinityGaming • ISSUE JULY2013

The 7th IGA will again see attendees from around the world gather to celebrate the very best the industry has to offer for the last 12 months. With senior executives arriving from Macau, Australia, all over Europe, Canada, Africa, USA and South America.

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Colin Thompson organizer of the IGA commented ” We are delighted to welcome the support of international industry experts. Knowledge and proven success of the organizations our experts associate with is invaluable to the international charity event like IGA. We once again very grateful to Mr Andrew Love for taking the chairman role and for looking after IGA entries.”

IGA News

ABOUT THE SAVOY: To stay at The Savoy is to follow in the footsteps of Sir Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra, Maria Callas, Claude Monet and Katharine Hepburn. An iconic hotel brilliantly reinvented for the 21st century where an unashamedly old fashioned glamour sparkles with a new lustre. Perfectly positioned on the banks of the Thames, the excitement of London is waiting just beyond the world famous entrance.

Press Conferences at the Savoy

iN 2010 On 10th October The Savoy finally reopens to the public, after what has become a £220 million restoration project that has taken almost three years to complete. The opening is marked by the arrival in The Savoy’s own RollsRoyce Phantom of the first guest to check in to the hotel after re-opening, the actor, writer, and broadcaster Stephen Fry. HRH Prince Charles declares The Savoy officially (re)open on 2nd November, after having been closed for almost three years. He unveils a plaque to commemorate the event, in the presence of the hotel’s part owner, HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin AbdulAziz Alsaud , and his wife, Princess Amira. perfectly with the ethos of Sporting Solutions and is the reason why we have launched this product.

Marilyn Monroe & Lawrence Olivier at a Press Conference in the Savoy

BUSINESSMAG • ISSUE JULY2013

Frank Sinatra often stayed, played and conducted

The Savoy has been named Five-Star Hotel by Forbes Travel Guide in the first annual rating of London hotels. Forbes Travel Guide unveiled its inaugural London Star Awards, which recognise the city’s highest rated hospitality establishments, and it named The Savoy as one of just six London Hotel winners. This marks the first hotel ratings in Europe for Forbes Travel Guide, which has anonymously inspected and rated hotels, restaurants and spas since the company’s founding in 1958 as Mobil Travel Guide.

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BUSINESSMAG • ISSUE JULY2013

ARTICLE

– Interview with Johnny Ortiz President of We talk to Johnny Ortiz the man who found Zitro and made it a leading company in such a highly competitive market. We find out who the man is behind the company

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he Infinity Gaming Magazine recently sat down with Johnny Ortiz the President and founder of Zitro to find out more about the company, its plans for the future and why Zitro are doing so well in such a competitive market.

InfinityGaming • ISSUE JULY2013

Q: Johnny thank you for talking to us today, can we start by explaining to our readers what is your position at Zitro and what does the company do?

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JO: Well, I am the president and, in fact, I am the founder of Zitro. The company specializes in Video Bingo.

We manufacture, develop and market electronic video bingo equipment and other related products.

Q: How long has the company been in business

and where did it all start?

JO: Zitro was born in 2007.

At the beginning we focused on the Mexican and Spanish Markets but with a clear international vocation and soon began to expand.

Q: Where in the World do Zitro do business?

JO: We operate in many countries in the Latin American Market such as Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, among others. We also have a strong presence in Spain and have started operations in other places like United States and The Philippines. We have an ambitious plan of international expansion and we expect by the end of this year to enter into other jurisdictions like Italy.

Johnny Ortiz - Founder & President of Zitro

JO: It has affected us as others. Tax increases, changes in regulations and new laws and restrictions (such as the smoking ban) that has sadly affected our operator customers.

Q: Is Latin America a big market for Zitro?

Q: Where is the company based and what services do you offer?

JO: The Company is based in Luxemburg, although we have offices in almost every country where we operate. In Spain we have based the R&D Laboratory where we create new products, software, hardware, etc. We have one of the most advanced gaming laboratories in the world: a state-of-the-art laboratory with more than 12000 m2 focused on innovation, investigation.

Q: What are the most popular products the company has?

JO: Our most popular products are certainly video bingo games. They are games with great graphics, music around the player and wrap it in the theme of the games available for two platforms: BlueWave and its innovative platform BlackWave, which technical characteristics offer the possibility of playing with, surround pictures and sounds that transform the experience of game in a really exciting adventure.

JO: Definitely yes. Latin American is our natural market, and where all began, and Mexico our major business. The success of our product in Mexico has led us to trade and to open markets in other Latin American countries. Our goal is to position our products in those territories in Latin America that have a clear, see through under strict parameters of legality.

Q: Many gaming observers say that Latin America has huge potential for gambling both online and land based, do you agree with those thoughts?

JO: What I can say is that land based gambling is very strong. It is something cultural, a way of entertainment, and our products fit the market and are consider as a preference among players. With regard to the online we expect some of the countries to enact new laws but it is still quite uncertain the final scope and schedule.

Q: Where is the company seeing more growth, is it online games or land based?

JO: The potential of our product allows us to grow in both platforms.

You should see how regulations

evolve each country to operate online in different jurisdictions.

Q: How do you see the future for Zitro, will it be more online games or land based versions?

JO: Zitro is ready to deploy its products in either channel. For sure that at short term we see quicker development in the land based, being already fully regulated. As said before online is something that still has to be regulated in most of the countries.

Q: Does the company do any business in Asia?

JO: Zitro chose The Philippines as starting point for its activity within the Asian market and we are exploring other possibilities of business in this market.

Q: In general how do you see the gaming industry growing, will it be with more innovative games, new regions around the world or a combination?

JO: You never know! This is a very changeable world. We love challenges and I am sure that whatever the future will come we will be prepared to afford it. Zitro is technologically prepared to take on any challenge, contributing innovative solutions for every demand it is faced with.

BUSINESSMAG • ISSUE JULY2013

Q: Over the last couple of years Spain along with the rest of Europe have suffered with the economic crisis, how has the company faired over that time?

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GAMING NEWS

Bally to buy SHFL for $1.3 billion SHFL CEO says deal good for all

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ally Technologies has made an offer to acquire SHFL for $1.3 billion, which represents $23.25 per share for SHFL, with both board members agreeing to the offer and now is up to shareholders to decide.

ing of gaming products and services, which – when combined with our content, technology, operational capabilities and respective geographic footprints – will provide the most comprehensive product portfolio offered around the world.”

The transaction, which was unanimously approved by both the Bally and SHFL Boards of Directors, combines two best-in-class, highly complementary and customercentric gaming technology companies with a shared commitment to innovation to create a company offering the gaming industry’s most diversified suite of products.

Gavin Isaacs the CEO of SHFL and previously COO of Bally Technologies said, “we believe that now is the right time to join forces with Bally as there is a unique opportunity to combine each other’s many strengths, particularly our talented teams who have been the key drivers of success for each organization. It also represents an opportunity for our shareholders to receive a significant premium for their shares,” said Gavin Isaacs, SHFL’s Chief Executive Officer. “Like SHFL, Bally focuses on creating both entertaining player experiences through highperforming content and state-of-the-art technological solutions to increase productivity on the casino floor.

United, we become a larger, stronger organization that we believe will best position the company for future growth. Equally important, we share a common vision to build the industry’s leading supplier based on delivering superior products, solutions and services to customers around the world.”

“Both Bally and SHFL have long histories of proven innovation, excellent customer service and successfully anticipating and adapting to changes within our industry, which makes bringing our two companies together a great strategic fit,” said Ramesh Srinivasan, Bally’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “The transformational acquisition of SHFL – which joins two high-caliber, talented and creative teams – will further enhance our ability to deliver future growth and serve our customers. SHFL’s intellectual property, renowned brands and industry-leading suite of diverse, high-performance products will enable us to offer an unparalleled offer-

BUSINESSMAG • ISSUE JULY2013

Ramesh Srinivasan President & CEO Bally and Gavin Isaacs CEO SHFL Ent

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GAMING NEWS

Genting & ECA argue on effects of online gambling

Rank and Bally sign new deal

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he World Gaming Executive Summit (GES)held recently in Barcelona saw COO of Genting UK and European Casino Association (ECA) President come to a huge disagreement regarding online gambling.

Ron Goudsmit, the ECA President has always maintained that online gambling is cannibalising the land based gambling industry, indeed in well-known exchanges with Las Vegas Sands chief Sheldon Adelson, Mr Goudsmit said that he thinks some 5% of European gambling has been lost to the online sector, however no official study of report has ever proved this.

Peter Brooks the COO of Genting UK said at the World GES that following studies by his company that online gambling had NOT materially affected” Genting’s land-based UK business.

Indeed Gentings own research showed that the proportion of landbased customers migrating to online gambling instead of coming into the casinos is “less than 2%.”

“Online does not cannibalise landbased, for us,” said Brooks. “The experiences on offer are very different.

One – online – is a solo experience and the other is a social experience.”

But Mr Goudsmit disagreed. “Where online gaming is not legalised,” he countered, “the land-based operator cannot offer a legitimate online product and is therefore affected by the unlawful online gambling available.”

Brooks countered by saying. “Lawful land-based customers will not,” he said, “be drawn to online gambling to the detriment of the land-based industry.”

It seems that both sides have their beliefs in the effect of online gambling, but at least Mr Brooks and Genting had done some research.

Bally already supplies Rank with player management and tracking system software and this deal cements the two companies long standing relationship.

“We are confident our players will have a great time playing Bally games,” said Rank Group head of games, Alex Franklin. “Bally is widely recognised as one of the top gaming companies in the world and it is exciting to partner with it as it continues to grow in the online market.”

Bally Interactive general manager Michael Probert said: “Bally games being on the well-known Mecca Bingo is another big step for our online gaming business.”

7th International Gaming Awards Nominations are now open till 18th October FREE TO ENTER THE “OSCARS” OF THE GAMBLING INDUSTRY

BUSINESSMAG • ISSUE JULY2013

Peter Brooks (left) & Ron Goudsmit

The UKs biggest casino operator, the Rank Group whom operate Grosvenor casinos has signed a deal with Bally Technologies for them to supply online games on Ranks online bingo site, Mecca Bingo.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

– Interview with Stuart Tilly Director at the

Social Gaming Association

SGA

The Social Gaming Association

InfinityGaming • ISSUE JULY2013

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he Infinity Gaming Magazine sits down with Staurt Tilly, the Director of the Social Gaming Association and also one of the newest judges for the 7th International Gaming Awards to find out more on the Association.

for Members to openly share opinions and debate issues that affect the industry.

Q: Stuart thank you for speaking to us today, firstly can you tell our readers a little about the Social Gaming Association to which you are a Director?

ST: The Association was established in November last year and last month registered its 100th member. Members represent a broad spectrum of the industry and geography and we’ve been delighted that we’ve been able to reach such a milestone in such a short space of time. It’s an encouraging sign of the industry’s desire to come together to protect its interests.

ST: The Social Gaming Association was established to protect and further the interests of the social gaming industry in response to an increased level of scrutiny from those concerned about what social harm may be done if the industry continues to operate in an unregulated environment. Our key aim at the outset is to develop a unified set of socially responsible practices for our Members to adhere to in connection with the creation, development, distribution and operation of social games, based on key principles such as transparency, protection of the young and vulnerable and other general consumer protection measures (protection of personal data, fraud prevention, responsible advertising, etc). We feel this is a key step in addressing the current concerns of detractors and to ensure that the industry is seen to be operating at high levels of honesty, integrity and probity.

In addition to the above, the Association’s role also includes monitoring key legal, regulatory and commercial developments within the industry; challenging discriminatory legislation against Social Gaming; commissioning targeted research and analysis; educating regulators and other key policy decision makers; and providing a forum

Q: How long has the Social Gaming Association been operational and what has been the response?

Q: How fast is social gaming growing and what if any are the dangers of social gaming to children?

ST: Social gaming has experienced burgeoning growth over the last 12-18 months. Figures published at the end of last year estimated that there are over 800m social gamers worldwide of which 173m play gambling orientated social games (around 2.6% of the world’s population).

The rising popularity of these games has however brought with it an increased level of scrutiny and there have been numerous stories in the press of late about children being able to rack up large bills on in-app purchases on their parents’ credit cards. This has in part led to the Office of Fair Trading launching an investigation to determine whether or not children are being pressured or coerced in to purchasing premium content when using free apps or web-based games.

Additionally, a common argument put forward by those that believe the social gaming sector, with particular ref-

– A discussion with Stuart Tilly reference to social casino style games, should be formally regulated is that such games pose a risk to the young and vulnerable in society being lured by the glitz and glamour in to a pastime they might not have otherwise been exposed to.There is, some claim, an inherent risk posed by trivialising gambling within a playful environment, of the young and vulnerable in society falling victim to some form of gambling addiction.

I would like to see more research and analysis in this area to determine what risks, if any, exist in minors playing social games. In

addition, I believe parents also have an important role to play in ensuring they monitor their children’s activity online, as well as implementing appropriate safeguards that do already exist in the market place.

Q: The SGA supports socially responsible programmes who and what are they Stuart?

ST: One of the Association’s primary objectives; one that it hopes will help to embolden the image of the industry in the eyes of legislators, regulators and other policy decision makers; is to develop a selfimposed, socially responsible set of standards to promote responsible gaming, the protection of minors and the socially vulnerable and to ensure its members conduct their business operations with honesty, integrity and good governance. All members that abide by the Association’s code will be granted an accreditation kite-mark to show players, partners and investors alike

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The rising popularity of these games has however brought with it an increased level of scrutiny and there have been numerous stories in the press of late about children being able to rack up large bills on inapp purchases on their parents’ credit cards” BUSINESSMAG • ISSUE JULY2013

I of course agree that social gaming operators owe a duty of care to their players and society at large to ensure that the young (or indeed any consumer) are not, in any way, put at risk by their games. However it’s important to view the perceived risks with a degree of perspective and proportionality in determining the most appropriate and effective way for operators to provide a safe, secure and protected environment for their consumers to play in. Less than 2% of social gamers actually part with any cash during their gaming experience. The under 18s are not social gaming operators’ target audience and account for only a very small proportion of their customer base. There is also no targeted research or data that suggests there is any link between social game play and an increased risk of developing problem gambling or any other social harm.

Inferring otherwise is either down to mis-applied research or simplistic and sensationalist journalism.

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The 7th International Gaming Awards Categories

Click Here to Nominate •Casino/Integrated Resort of the Year •Casino Operator (Europe, Americas, Australia & Asia) •Casino VIP Room of the Year •Corporate Services Supplier of the Year •iGaming Software Supplier •Gaming Industry Fair Play Award •Industry Publication/Media Service of the Year •Mobile Operator of the Year •Online Bingo Operator of the Year •Online Casino Operator of the Year •Online Poker Operator of the Year •Online Sportsbook Operator of the Year •Payment Solutions Provider Company of the Year •Socially Responsible Operator of the Year Land Based •Socially Responsible Operator of the Year Online •Slot Manufacturer Online or Land Based •Slots Operator of the Year (Online) •Technology Provider/Supplier •Traditional Casino Equipment Supplier •Outstanding Contribution Award

“We are absolutely delighted to be honoured by the International Gaming Awards” - Malcolm Graham CEO PKR “The International Gaming Awards is a truly prestigious event” - Jim Ryan, former Co-CEO Bwin.Party “This is such a special moment and I know all at Sands in Vegas will be over the moon” - SVP Sands “What the IGA is doing is really smart and sure the event will only get stronger and stronger each year” - Mitch Garber CEO Caesars Interactive “My father has been honoured with one award, however I have won three this evening and Melco Crown Entertainment will be delighted when I go home” - Lawrence Ho CEO Melco Crown Entertainment Macau

Staurt Tilly Interview

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hat they are both a socially responsible social gaming business and an active member in good standing of the social gaming community.

Q: You are also the founder and director of the iGaming Counsel, can you explain what that company is and what it offers?

ST: The iGaming Counsel is a legal, regulatory and commercial advisory service dedicated to helping businesses of any nature in the online gaming industry to overcome the challenges that regularly present themselves. Having worked as a lawyer in the industry for a number of years for both public and private gaming businesses, operating across multiple jurisdictions, I’ve seen first hand the difficulties that exist in trying to maintain a competitive edge in such a fast paced, legally complex and fiercely competitive industry. iGaming Counsel therefore aims to provide its clients with the most effective legal and regulatory strategy to overcome such challenges across any number of jurisdictions, whether they are a start up looking to launch a new business or an established operator looking to launch a new product or enter a new market. It also provides general advice in relation to common issues that any business may face on a day-to-day basis.

Q: Stuart you have been in the gaming industry for quite some time, what is your background?

ST: I am a lawyer by trade having trained and qualified at Magic Circle law firm Allen & Overy. Leaving

there in 2005, I’ve since held inhouse legal roles at Sportingbet Plc and Bodog UK and founded iGaming Counsel in 2012.

Q: What is your opinion on Europe and the jurisdictions law, can it ever be solved?

ST: The global legal and regulatory landscape of the iGaming industry today seems to be more complex, inconsistent and fragmented than at any time in its history and this is no better illustrated that in Europe.

Differing approaches to product selection, taxation, infrastructure requirements…or even whether online gambling should be allowed at all, means it’s incredibly difficult for any operator to have a truly European wide offering. The prohibitive expense and administrative burden of maintaining licences in multiple jurisdictions cost and means operators are now faced with having to make a choice of where they offer their services in to and where they pull out. Sadly, it’s the consumer that misses out.

It’s a difficult situation to resolve because each jurisdiction has different interests it is trying to protect and the regulatory landscape is now so wildly inconsistent (and set to become more so as more and more jurisdictions look to regulate), that I can’t see a European wide regulatory system as ever being feasible.

The most workable and efficient solution in my opinion would be for Member States to agree upon some form of mutual recognition of licences so that an operator who is approved for a licence in one State can offer its services in to another

without having to apply for a separate additional licence.

Q: Finally Stuart how do you see the US situation materialising, will the country ever see a federal law or will the future be state by state?

ST: As far as online poker is concerned, the immediate future, as we are already seeing, is State-byState legislation. The success of this largely depends on Inter-State pacts to pool player liquidity as States such as Nevada and Delaware just don’t have big enough populations to sustain viable ecosystems on their own. I suspect we will see such pacts before we see a Federal Online Poker Bill passed, although it will be interesting to see how Representative Peter King’s recently introduced Bill will develop, though given it is proposing to regulate all forms of online gambling (except sports betting), I think it will struggle to get anywhere.

As far as a Federal Bill allowing online sports betting is concerned, I wouldn’t be surprised if I never saw one in my lifetime!

BUSINESSMAG • ISSUE JULY2013

(Continued)

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POKER NEWS

Full Tilt confirm casino

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t has been confirmed that Full Tilt Poker will be adding casino games to its platform, the owners of Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, the Rational Group released a statement confirming the following: “The Rational Group intends to expand our product offering to include casino style games on Full Tilt Poker, while adding new games, we remain committed to building our leadership in poker with PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker and continuing to deliver the highest quality poker experience to players.”

No timetable has been announced

as to when any new games will be added. PokerStars will remain as-is. “These new games on Full Tilt will provide more gaming options with the same high quality player experience, integrity, security, safety and support that players have come to expect from our brands. PokerStars will continue to offer a Poker-only experience,” the statement finished.

ers were who will service Rational group with these games for FTP.

The statement did not say whom the preffered supplier or suppli-

Aussie Government remove poker apps

blocking but the mobile versions were available up until this week.

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oth PokerStars and 888poker apps have been removed from the iTunes store in Australia, the government had requested Apple remove the apps as online poker is regarded as illegal in Australia, even thou online sports betting is legal.

The removal of the apps came as a surprise to users as there was no official statement from Apple or the poker operators that this was happening. Playing online poker on laptops has been blocked for some time using ISP

The move is believed to be an attempt by the government to bring in legal online poker among other games and so encourage overseas operators to apply for a license to provide online gaming in Australia.

Interestingly online poker players can still use the Android poker app by both operators as the games cannot be blocked using the same strategy. So if this move by the government will encourage operators to license is questionable.

BUSINESSMAG • ISSUE JULY2013

Since the removal however PokerStars did confirm the removal on their Twitter account saying “your local authorities are the best point of call for information. As far as we know it’s a ‘clamp down’ on mobile gaming.”

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ARTICLE

Learning By Example: A Resort that Astounds Its Guests and Turns Them Into Advocates Our feature writer Martin Baird talks about “Advocates” this month and the value of having your customers turn in to them. What better way to advertise your business, but by happy customers.

By Martin R. Baird

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write frequently about the importance of turning casino guests into advocates. Now it’s time to learn by example. I once visited The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, and it turned me into an advocate.

Every casino can learn a lot from how this resort treats its guests.

InfinityGaming • ISSUE JULY2013

The advocate experience started the moment I arrived.

When I pulled up to valet parking, a person was at my door immediately, asking if I was checking in. I popped the trunk open and less than 15 seconds later, another person was at my car door saying, “Mr. Baird, welcome to The Breakers.” He said it with a very welcoming tone and nice smile. I loved it.

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But how did he know my name? As I stepped out of my car, I said, “So did you know my name by looking at my luggage tag?” He replied yes with a nice smile, as though to say that’s the way all properties do it. This simple gesture of knowing a guest’s name and using it is a very nice way to differentiate yourself and your property from all others.

As I walked into the lobby with the bellman, he gestured to the registration desk where two young women smiled and in unison said, “Good evening Mr. Baird, welcome to The Breakers. Did you have a nice trip?” The welcome at the curb had now gone from a cute parlor trick to a truly warm welcome.

While checking in, I asked for a room with an ocean view and one of the young ladies quickly said I had an ocean-view suite and that she was sure I would like it.

I’m thinking life is very good.

As the bellman and I walked to the elevator, he pointed out where the restaurant and bar were located and told me how late they were open. As we walked to my room, he explained that it was a suite with a wonderful view, reinforcing my pleasant experience at the registration desk.

The bellman opened the door to my room and noticed an amenity basket on the TV. I was a guest speaker, so I would not have been surprised to receive a welcome gift. But the bellman noticed that the name on the envelope was not mine, so he radioed downstairs and explained the situation. This amazing employee apologized up and down to me for the inconvenience.

He turned off his radio and started talking about other amenities at the property and within 60 seconds the phone in my room rang. He was standing next to it so he answered, “Good evening, Mr. Baird’s room” You could have knocked me over with a feather. This place didn’t miss an opportunity to impress me. He listened, said yes a couple of times and hung up.

ARTICLE

There is no other way to describe it. This resort was doing everything it could to make me an advocate. And it never stopped.

When I was done with my speaking engagement the next day, I had to start thinking about the airport right away. I explained to the valet that I was on a tight schedule and asked if my car could be out front and ready at a specific time. As I walked out the door later, a person grabbed my bags and whisked them to my waiting car.

I wasn’t a whale or a high roller at this property. I wasn’t best friends with the management team. I was just a guy spending the night. Nevertheless, I was treated like I was the highest of high rollers. I’m not rated at most gaming properties, so I don’t know how they treat their valued guests. But I can say I have yet to visit a casino that treated me like a king when they didn’t know me.

If this Florida resort can seize every opportunity to turn its guests into advocates, shouldn’t every casino manag-

er and employee in the industry be able to do the same?

Shouldn’t they give every guest their best effort, not just the high rollers and regulars? Yes, they should.

I have a challenge for you. I want you to out-advocate The Breakers. You have guests that spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars at your property. Don’t they deserve the kind of experience I had when they visit you? What would happen if you consistently tried to turn every guest into an advocate every day?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 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 leader in casino guest experience, management 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 a member of the Casino Management Association and an associate member of the National Indian Gaming Association.

BUSINESSMAG • ISSUE JULY2013

(Continued) Guest service had called to say they were sorry about the gift basket. They asked that I accept the beautiful basket as an apology for the mistake they made.

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GAMING NEWS

NJ goes to appeals court for sports betting

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t could be worth over $500 billion annually, so New Jersey lawyers are going to the appeals court on Wednesday 17th July to fight the case for legalised sports betting for the state.

New Jersey wants to be able to bet on pro and college sports among other sports and that is why the Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NHL, and the NBA – and the NCAA are all fighting the attempt by the state.

The case will be heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia. With New Jersey looking to stop a steep decline in gambling revenues since 2006 that has seen $2 billion in annual revenues in their casinos.

Gov. Christie said he would take the issue to the Supreme Court if the state lost its appeal. It’s a fight that several states are watching closely.

A federal judge ruled for the four sports leagues on the 28th February and quashed New Jersey’s attempt to overturn a federal ban that limits some forms of wagering on professional and collegiate sports to Nevada, Oregon, Montana, and Delaware.

“We will win at the Court of Appeals,” New Jersey Sen. Raymond Lesniak said this week.

The NCAA and the leagues oppose any expansion of the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which limits sports betting to four states, with Nevada having by far the most freedom.

“The NCAA maintains that the spread of legalized sports wagering is a threat to the integrity of athletic competition and student athlete well-being,” said Emily Potter of the NCAA. Christie says the PASPA “is inequitable, violates New Jersey’s rights as a state, and is unconstitutional.” New Jersey voters approved sports betting in a referendum in 2011, and Christie signed the measure last year. “We are confident that the federal Court of Appeals will conclude that New Jersey should be treated equally with other states,” Christie said.

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“To our casinos, it means packed houses during big events, like the Super Bowl, NCAA basketball tournament, every Saturday and Sunday during football season,” he said. Atlantic City’s revenue slumps when the weather turns colder.”

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IRISH NEWS

Ireland to have 40 casinos max

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reland have announced the draft legislation bill for gambling within the state, setting out a limit of a maximum of forty casinos and no more than fifteen tables per casino, also all gambling operators whether land based or online must apply for a license to operate or offer services in Ireland.

Another proposal in the bill will outlaw the installation of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs), which has received so much negative publicity in the UK.

The Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter said, “The legislation aims to effectively regulate the “new and dynamic gambling sector that has emerged in recent years” while providing an opportunity to introduce new measures to “protect vulnerable adults and young people.”

Mr Shatter continued to say that technological changes were the biggest factor in the recent expansion of gambling. “I will ensure that the new law will have the flexibility necessary to deal with rapid and continuous innovation, in the public interest.”

License fees and taxes received from gambling will go towards a new social gambling fund to help with treatment services for problem gamblers, which will be a levy on operators. “I expect the gambling sector to commit itself in a meaningful way to the concept and practice of socially responsible gambling. I will accept nothing less than high quality services and I will make sure that all operators pay their share for the development of services needed by people for whom gambling has become a problem,” Mr Shatter said.

Paddy Power with Facebook on new App betting product on Facebook is testament to Paddy Power’s e-commerce and technology capabilities.

The app called “Paddy Power In-Play!” is still being trialled for desktop users and will roll out to all UK users in the next few weeks, allowing sports betting on horse races, football matches and other sporting events.

The app will be subject to strict age verification checks and will be “invisible and inaccessible to people aged under 18″, Facebook said.

Peter O’Donovan, managing director of Paddy Power Online, said: “The launch of the first real money sports

A Facebook spokesman added: “Online betting is a popular and well-regulated pastime in the UK. “Our carefully chosen partners work within stringent regulatory guidelines to ensure their products and services are used safely and responsibly by adults.

“These products will be invisible and inaccessible to people aged under 18 on Facebook.”

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addy Power has joined up with Facebook to launch the Irish bookmaker’s first real money gambling app on the social giant’s network.

“We are pleased to partner with Facebook on this pioneering work.”

Will Collins, Head of Social Casino partnerships at Facebook, said: “Given the popularity of sports betting in the UK, we’re delighted to be welcoming Paddy Power onto the Facebook gaming platform with an innovative gaming experience.”

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GAMING NEWS

AGA continue fight with PokerStars

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ollowing the announcement last week from PokerStars on their new partnership in New Jersey with Resorts Casino to offer online poker, the American Gaming Association (AGA) has moved again to oppose the online poker giant’s involvement in the US emerging market.

The AGA says that PokerStars operation in any form of business in the US flouts the UIGEA act of 2006.

There were some observers that thought without former President of the AGA, Frank Fahrenkopf and with a new incoming President there could be a possibility of a

change of approach, it is now evident that is not the case.

Frank Fahrenkopf has been strongly against PokerStars ever since the companies failed attempt and following court cases to enter the New Jersey online gambling market with the purchase of the Atlantic Club.

Now with PokerStars new deal with New Jersey’s Resorts Casino having to go through licensing checks and due process, it is certain the AGA will oppose the process every step of the way.

U.S. after the UIGEA was signed into law in 2006 as the main reason why the deal should not be allowed by New Jersey gaming regulators.

New incoming President of the AGA Geoff Freeman will take up the fight against PokerStars now with Frank Fahrenkopf offering his help and expertise from the side lines for sure.

The AGA say PokerStars used deceitful practices by remaining in the

Playtech buys PokerStrategy

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laytech have acquired PokerStrategy for just over 38 million euros from parent company Etruvian Holdings.

PokerStrategy has a poker community and school that has a 6 million membership, that Playtech would certainly view as a strategic asset in its quest to ensure a strong player liquidity pool.

PokerStrategy made pre-tax profit of €19.5m in the last calendar year though it has lost two of its biggest customers recently.

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In a surprise announcement on Thursday 11th July Playtech said it would further strengthen its position in the online poker market.

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ARTICLE

The UK needs themed Casinos

By J.J. Woods J.J. Woods is an industry veteran with a wealth of experience in the gambling industry and offers his thoughts on how the UK market should consider themed casinos.

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asinos generally in Britain tend to be either “Stand Alone” or attached to a Hotel. Unlike other countries they are not attached to Golf Courses or Horse race tracks and the concept of a resort style casino just does not exist. This makes the market very different to other countries, as they very much use other leisure facilities to attract local customers and tourists to their Casinos. In fact the UK Casino model rarely directly markets to visiting Tourists strangely enough.

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Existing Casinos Names: If we look at some of the Casino names for example: Napoleon’s, Mint Casino, Rendezvous, Maxims and Alea they hardly inspire fun or excitement and these are the one that actually have names? I mean the majority are called simply after the company that operates them, e.g. Gala Casino (now part of Rank), Grosvenor Casino’s etc.

Maybe when these large Casino chains were taken over the new

owners thought it too costly to give them individual names. The reality is that whilst not all of them deserve to be Themed and given an individual name, some of them definitely should, after all what Casino chain in the UK has a strong name in the market like The Hilton, Holiday Inn, Ramada etc that they can rely that their existing customers will use whilst in transit, I don’t believe any of the casinos have a real strength here and I think there customers would be happy to go to any Casino unless they have knocked up some serious loyalty points.

The majority of the Casinos in the UK are similar to one another, nice bar, Restaurant, Reception area etc but they are not unique, except to say the older London Mayfair Casinos which are very stylish in their own way. The Ritz Casino does not need a theme because it already has one and that theme is a beautiful renowned building full of glamour and beautiful décor but can the other London Mayfair

Casinos still sell that image of oak panelling with picture and brass light fitting above? I think not, they worked very well over the last four decades but I feel that there are too many of this type of Casino Clubs in London and after all High Rollers pass on and their sons get educated at University and decide that maybe Gambling is not for them.

Themed: It is astonishing to think that it was probably the original Playboy Casino in London which gave us our 1st themed casino and by all accounts it was very successful but why did the industry not learn from this? I realise the Playboy has since reopened over the last couple of years but in my opinion the brand is worn and the re-opening was 20yrs too late. How many people do you see these days with playboy key rings, stickers on their car etc, not too many, whilst it was a great brand I feel it does not work that well in the Casino Market today.

The UK operators need to look at new themes for their Casinos; a good theme would reduce marketing budgets, introduce new players, and bring back the excitement to the Casino floor. That said there is no point as is the case with most casinos in the UK in putting up a name above the casino door and when you pass through the theme and the name disappears!

Advantages of themed Casinos is also that people get attached to the name, I did not want to get into this but here it is, I think one of the most ridiculous names is ALEA and I am not going to bore you with the meaning etc, but just to say can you imagine a group of people on a night out and one saying “let’s go to Alea’’( no I did not think so) my point is in this particular instance he will undoubtedly say “lets go to the Casino” and depending on loca

tion that could be one of several .

If I was an operator in that area he would come to my Casino because it is themed and it is called “The Rain Forest’.”

Lesson Learned: Over many years people in our industry have asked the question: why do people visit Casinos and one of the popular answers is for the experience. We must bring the experience back to the Casinos , we cannot rely like we did in the past, on the gaming tables and the curiosity factor alone. In my day

we were trained to make sure that whether a customer wins, loses or draws they left having had a great experience!

The biggest Slot Machine manufacturers year after year roll out new “themed slot machines’’ at the various gaming shows around the world. They know that themed slots work and they want to offer their customers the best playing experience. On that note: Is it not naïve of UK Casino operators to think that their Casinos do not need to be themed?

JJ Woods was born in Ireland but left in the 1970’s to live in London and he started his career in banking. After four years in Banking in London JJ trained in the Casino Industry. Over the last 30 years JJ has dedicated his career to the setting up, including: design, opening and management of Casinos around the world.

Throughout his time in Ireland JJ has also done several Radio, Television and Newspaper interviews on the subject of Casinos and gaming, he is above all extremely passionate about the Casino Industry and Completed a gaming submission to the Irish Government during Legislation Research. He is a leader in respect of the responsibility of customer care He was responsible for the following Casino designs and set ups in Ireland : Macau (Cork), Silks (Dublin). www.atlanticcasinoconsultants.com Email: info@atlanticcasinoconsultants.com

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The theme must run through the whole of the Casino and that includes almost everything, even the gaming tables. I am sure if you talk to cammegh and explain that you are doing a themed Casino they would be more than delighted to offer ideas and input into a themed roulette wheel and why not? We need to change the way people see casinos.

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GAMING NEWS

Delaware to have online gambling by end of September

Also the state with some 900,000 residents has said it wants to have live online gambling by the end of September. The online regulations that had some 27 pages in total are now open to view to the public after a long wait for them to be published. The process now will involve comments and thoughts from state residents on those regulations before making them law.

Delaware has taken its time moving forward with online gambling, indeed out of the three states to legalise online gambling, Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware, they were the first to do so.

A couple of interesting points out of the 27 page

regulations were that Delaware has no “bad actor” clause, instead it has sweeping powers to determine whom is preferred and not.

Also in its licensing section, the state can skip the majority of licensing process if the applicant already holds a license in another online gambling state, believing it will be more efficient.

All 12 a go in New Jersey It is now official, every one of the 12 casinos in Atlantic City have applied for an online gambling license to New Jersey regulators with the expected launch in November for state wide online gambling, however many observers still believe that date will be pushed into 2014.

The Borgata, co-owned by Boyd Gaming and MGM Resorts , along Caesars Entertainment were among the casino operators who notified state regulators of their plans to partner with an online gaming supplier, according to Lisa Spengler, a spokeswoman for New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE).

The notifications were a requirement for companies who want to begin online gaming as soon as it goes live in the state. Regulators have said the earliest online gaming will start in New Jersey is November.

“For applicants that meet this filing deadline, the Division will be in a position to determine if they can commence Internet gaming operations by the go-live date,” Spengler said.

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elaware the smallest state that has legalised online gambling, has announced its proposal for online gambling regulations within its borders.

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the international gaming awards

categories The IGA Awards is Free to Enter •Casino/Integrated Resort of the Year •Casino Operator (Europe, Americas, Australia & Asia) •Casino VIP Room of the Year •Corporate Services Supplier of the Year •iGaming Software Supplier •Gaming Industry Fair Play Award •Industry Publication/Portal of the Year •Mobile Operator of the Year •Online Bingo Operator of the Year •Online Casino Operator of the Year •Online Poker Operator of the Year •Online Sportsbook Operator of the Year •Payment Solutions Provider Company of the Year •Socially Responsible Operator of the Year Land Based •Socially Responsible Operator of the Year Online •Slot Manufacturer Online or Land Based •Slots Operator of the Year (Online) •Technology Provider/Supplier •Traditional Casino Equipment Supplier •Outstanding Contribution Award “We are absolutely delighted to be honoured by the International Gaming Awards” - Malcolm Graham CEO PKR “The International Gaming Awards is a truly prestigious event” - Jim Ryan, Former Co-CEO Bwin.Party “This is such a special moment and I know all at Sands in Vegas will be over the moon” - SVP Sands “What the IGA is doing is really smart and sure the event will only get stronger and stronger each year” - Mitch Garber CEO Caesars Interactive “My father has been honoured with one award, however I have won three this evening and Melco Crown Entertainment will be delighted when I go home” Lawrence Ho CEO Melco Crown Entertainment Macau

To enter go to the website and nominate before the closing date of 18th October 2013.

GAMING NEWS

Senate meets regarding online gambling rules

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n Wednesday 17th July a Senate subcommittee heard from witnesses and senators that a US unregulated online gambling world could be helping terrorists, pornographers, drug dealers and even human traffickers!

With the only way to stop these evils would be to have a federal regulated law for online gambling, but what the law would be is still unclear.

The hearing of the Senate’s Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee is Congress’s first on the topic since the legislatures of Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware approved online gambling.

“What we have here is a free-for-all,” Sen. Kelly Ayotte said. “Shame on us if we don’t get something done on this. When I think about the issues of money laundering, terrorism [and] drug trafficking, … I hope this is something we move on very quickly.”

Ayotte was responding to the testimony of Fraternal Order of Police National President Chuck Canterbury and Washington attorney Jack Blum, both of whom said the federal government needs to create a national regulatory scheme because state authorities are illequipped to deal with the interstate and international finance problems caused by online wagering.

“We’re always behind the eight ball on technology,” Canterbury said. “Local law enforcement won’t be able to attack money laundering and terrorist activity with 50 laws” for 50 states.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal even suggested that human traffickers and pornographers are taking advantage of the ability to shift money around in online casinos.

“And so, the two worlds merge, pornography and online casinos,” he said.

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yprus will issue its first casino license and allow for building to commence within 12 months, said government Spokesman Christos Stylianides saying, “the license will be granted to the successful bidder within 12 months in order to provide a quick boost to public finances and help the battered economy with jobs and revenue.”

To help stop the collapse of its fragile banking sector and avoid bankruptcy, Cyprus signed a 23 bil-

lion euro ($30 billion) financial rescue deal in March with its euro partners and the IMF. Under the terms, Cyprus had to force large depositors in the country’s two biggest banks to take big losses on their savings. The country also imposed restrictions on money transfers and withdrawals to stop a run on banks.

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Cyprus: first casino license issued within 12 months

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WORLD NEWS

Caesars Interactive Entertainment beats Zynga

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aesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE) has for the first time surpassed Zynga as the leading online social casino game, according to a report by Eilers Research.

It is another blow to the once leading online social gaming company, which has recently installed a new CEO to help bring back the good times to Zynga.

Caesars Interactive Entertainment, is a subsidiary of Caesar Entertainment, a part of the world’s largest gaming company. The CEO of Caesars Interactive Entertainment is Mitch Garber, with also from CIE will be launching their branded World Series of Poker for real money in Nevada later this summer.

According to the report CIE now holds over 18% of the global online

social casino market in the second quarter of 2013, with Zynga holding a 15% market share.

The overall online social casino market is expected to grow by 67% to $2 billion by the end of 2013 says Eilers. While the expected growth is encouraging, the market has the potential of becoming over saturated.

IRS lose winning tax ruling

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he US appeals court has ruled that overseas visitors should only pay tax on their overall winnings in a casino and not at present on each

visit.

This follows several cases where visitors were taxed on each winning bet and eventually ended up losing both to the casino and then paying tax to the Inland Revenue Service (IRS). At present US nationals were only allowed to pay tax on their overall duration winnings, not foreign visitors, that will now change.

Now if a foreign gambler loses eventually in a casino as opposed to one night wining they will not have to pay the IRS anything.

In a test case, Sang Park, a South Korean businessman, visited the Pechanga Casino and Resort in California in 2006 and 2007. While he won more than $500,000 playing slot machines, he lost even more, leaving him with more than $50,000 in losses for those two years of gambling, according to court documents.

Nevertheless, the IRS taxed him on his winnings, claiming he owed more than $150,000 despite the fact that he lost money. Park filed a lawsuit challenging his tax bill.

The IRS were opposing this ruling as it said that the logistics of tracking each players winnings on an overall state would be wholly difficult and near impossible to be accurate.

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“After a night of gambling, it’s no fun to walk out of the casino a loser,” wrote Judge Brett Kavanaugh for a unanimous three-judge panel. “But it’s even worse when the IRS, on your way out, tries to tax you on each individual bet that you happened to win over the course of your losing night.”

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GAMING NEWS

Packer wins Sydney casino battle

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ames Packer the owner of Australia’s Crown Casinos Ltd won a major decision this week with the government approving the companies proposal to build a casino resort in Sydney.

William Hill considers buying Aussie bookmaker

With Casino operator Echo the only casino currently in Sydney suffering the possibility now that their monopoly has finished in the city.

The decision, which strips Echo of its exclusive gaming licence in Sydney, is designed to boost competition to increase the harbour side city’s share of the booming Asian gambling market.

“What was clear was the need to inject competition,” New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell told reporters.

Mr Packer argued that currently only 1% of the major Asian gamblers come to Australia to gamble and with the new development the country can see a growth in gaming taxes.

Billionaire James Packer, who controls Crown, has made no secret of the fact the VIP suite planned for his A$1 billion waterside hotel and residential development is designed to attract wealthy Chinese tourists amid intense competition.

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Crown and Echo, which currently holds the exclusive casino licence in Sydney until November 2019, lodged rival plans last month, with the government stressing only one could go ahead.

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O’Farrell said the government will now hold talks with Crown to reach a binding deal with additional conditions, including an upfront A$100 million ($90.69 million) licence fee and guaranteed payments to the government of more than A$1 billion over the first 15 years of full operation.

The government will also impose a 29% tax rate rather than the 27.5% proposed by Crown.

Bookmaking giant William Hill is reported to be interested in acquiring Australian bookmaker Tom Waterhouse for $150 million according to newspapers reports in Australia.

William Hill who purchased Sportingbet in a deal worth $660 million to move into the Australian market is now according to reports looking to expand further in the growing sector.

There were reports earlier this year that UK bookmaker Ladbrokes had looked at buying Tom Waterhouse, however Ladbrokes eventually denied they were interested.

The Australian online bookmaker is well known for their controversial advertising and recent ad campaigns have cost the company an estimated $50 million in an attempt to increase their market share against much larger competitors.

Reports say this has helped increase their market share but have not managed to turn a profit because of the vast sums spent acquiring more customers.

GAMING NEWS

PokerStars does new deal in New Jersey

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okerStars the largest online poker operator in the World have announced a new deal between New Jersey Resorts Casino Hotel, here is the official announcement of the deal: Resorts Casino Hotel and The Rational Group, operator of PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, have reached an agreement to provide online gaming in New Jersey, the companies announced on the 3rd July.

The agreement links the first casino to open in Atlantic City with one of the biggest online gaming companies in the world.

“

This is another blue chip partner for Resorts to complete a wonderful series of

brands – Mohegan Sun, Margaritaville and now PokerStars,” said Morris Bailey, Resorts’ Company Chairman.

“Resorts is a fantastic partner for us and we are looking forward to launch PokerStars in the U.S. in association with the other quality brands Resorts has brought to Atlantic City,” said Mark Scheinberg, CEO of The Rational Group. “We are very happy to invest in New Jersey and we are excited about building a successful relationship with Resorts.”

The agreement is pending approval by the New Jersey regulatory authorities.

Lawrence Ho to build casino resort in Russia

Although not confirmed by MCE the resort to be built close to the main port of Vladivostok in the gambling zone of Primorye, where Russia have allocated gambling is legal in a country that outlawed gambling back in 2009.

Vladivostok which is in the east of Russia bordering China and Korea, and is scheduled to open in the second half of 2014.

The Wall Street Journal claim sources very close to Lawrence Ho as saying this is going to happen under the company name of Summit Ascent Holdings Ltd, which is a Hong Kong-based company that is 37% owned by Lawrence Ho. Which has signed a preliminary

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ccording to reports by both the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, Lawrence Ho the Co-Chairman of Melco Crown Entertainment (MCE) is planning to build a gaming resort in Russia.

agreement to invest in a “gaming and resort development project in the Russian Federation,” according to the company’s June 28 filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Summit Ascent’s preliminary agreement on the Russian casino is “subject to fulfillment of a number of conditions including legal, accounting and construction due diligence,” the company said in the June 28 statement.

It also needs a definitive investment agreement on or before Aug. 15, it said. That announcement didn’t disclose the location of the proposed casino resort, but is understood to be the Primorye location.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

The Problem with Exclusive Vendor Deals and Turn-Key Solutions A good US gaming partnership should comprise an open platform, a greater sense of accountability and commitment to innovation.

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he US gaming market continues to develop, rampant with hope and expectation regarding what a regulated online market will reap for the different stake-holders. Even for the sceptics, the buzz can be infectious.

“It’s a new era”, heralded Ultimate Gaming’s CEO, Tobin Prior. Even opponents to its regulation like Las Vegas Sands Corp’s Sheldon Adelson, who claimed that “Click your mouse and lose your house” should be a slogan for the industry, pour fuel on the fire for an industry eager for growth.

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Dizzy with excitement, some companies are rushing to enter the market with high-risk strategies due to a lack of the right kind of detailed planning and due diligence.

Online gaming is not just about online gambling revenue. Strategies should be multi-faceted and well-articulated at the outset with due consideration given to the importance of retaining information and integrating it with various parts of the casino’s business - comprising gaming vendors’ machines, loyalty schemes, incentive packages, hotels, restaurants, shows and other business units. However, it appears that whilst many casino executives are focussing on things like licensing the right software, gaming vendors, security, monitoring and payments solutions, surprisingly, insufficient effort is going into developing innovative solutions that could help overcome the many issues that lie ahead.

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When a casino executive on a recent industry panel was asked about their strategy, we were told the priority was mainly to move early and learn quickly. Surely there needs to be more. This kind of thinking has led some to outsource control of their operations and player data to third parties via forms of turn-key solutions due to a perception that it is simply not possible to become expert operators themselves. This is a concern.

Such approaches would make more sense if the US

By Rohin Malhotra

market regulated five years ago when online open platforms, which easily plug into different vendors’ products, were not established. But today, there are a number of solid open platforms that enable casinos to securely retain customer data and provide them with a wide variety of options to plug into (and pull out of in due course) without dire consequences associated with changing turn-key solution partners. It may not be prudent to put all one’s eggs in one basket for a market that has not yet taken form. Would a casino have exclusively committed to a single games vendor? So why do this online when nobody knows what the landscape will look like a short time from now? Such sizeable gambles should be reserved for customers, not the casinos.

Especially as the prospect of regulated online gambling going beyond just poker is no longer taboo in many States, it is odd that some so readily embrace a single online vendor or operator without an open platform.

To date, many online operators that have approached casinos for partnerships have proposed solutions that effectively divest many parts of the land-based operation from their online operation.

It taps into casinos’ fears of not being able to operate online businesses and leads them to enter into restrictive deals instead of partnerships with providers of games and infrastructure upon which casinos can become proficient operators.

A smarter approach could be to accept that any decision to enter into online gaming will need to be done purposefully and with business integration at its core.

Casinos with no intention of getting hands dirty and operating their own online gambling businesses lean towards turn-key solutions - which achieves immediate objectives but can lead to problems over time as stakeholders get further involved but ill-equipped to handle problems.

Open platforms that provide casinos with flexibility are a must and, moving forward, complete turn-key solutions that purport to provide casinos with fully-functional businesses without being established as [and having to be] a fully integrated part of the core landbased business should be resisted.

Fully-integrated open platforms allow casinos to enjoy one overall view and measure of customers’ entire gaming and entertainment worlds across traditional and newer interactive platforms regardless of how customers interact with the business.

Another concern is the apparent acceptance by casinos that they must choose between one of the available options, evident by the tendency to license existing software only. Even if the regulatory landscape does not extend beyond poker, it is still risky to put all one’s faith in a single vendor and somewhat lazy to assume that one’s decision should simply be to select the single most liquid (or populated) network in any one jurisdiction.

What we have seen in Europe from some of the biggest and best poker

A partner may have strong liquidity in some States but may fail to get licensed swiftly or fail to recruit enough licensees in others whereby players cannot find enough tables or styles for their tastes. Or alternatively, vendors’ networks may have many partners which marginalise your casino’s issues and needs in favour of other licensees, or just one that is more important to your licensor than your casino. Or, as will inevitably be the case, the terms of business that casinos may need to cave into in order to be part of leading networks may be tough to digest.

I have had personal experience of being part of a European poker network being faced with the prospect of needing to change an exclusive licensor, and noticed how crippling the experience was. What the US needs here is genuine innovation.

Why for instance is there not a concerted effort to develop poker software - either individually or collectively amongst any collaborators - that can integrate multiple poker networks? Such innovations would revolutionise the US and indeed, the global, market.

An online poker operation, faced with a dominant competitor whose liquidity cannot be leveraged or

a dominant network demanding monopolistic business terms, would be able to have another viable and flexible (and superior) option of being able to partner with multiple poker networks thus offering its players the aggregated liquidity of a number of smaller players (and an aggregated size that can morethen-compete with any dominant player). Both casino and network could adjust remuneration due to the shift of responsibilities and provide a more robust landscape for both business and consumer.

Such technology requires operational planning, and investment and time for development, and is an achievable goal. Moreover, upon any introduction of Federal legislation which could enable casinos to operate online nationally, such software would even plug into different networks either across all or just one State. For a country that led some of the world’s finest innovations from motorcars to airplanes, telephones to tablets and televisions to artificial hearts, it is remarkable just how little innovation is being nurtured.

Exclusively tying an organisation to a single vendor or operator via turnkey solutions that relinquish the need for an organisation to become an operational expert is dangerous in online gaming and should be avoided. The tectonic plates beneath the landscape of US online gaming continues to shift and so an integrated open platform, a hunger and willingness to embrace the role of operator and innovative forwardplanning to help overcome operational issues is required.

Rohin Malhotra is Managing Director of Boofel Enterprises, an international gaming and media consultancy.

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software providers and networks is that the selection of only one can have devastating effects upon the business.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Happy Retention to You!

By Ellen Learmonth

I

t has been said in more than one article over the years that we live in a generation of “throw-a-way” consumers, and that there is little or no value placed on retaining customers, with all the emphasis placed on bringing in new, which is OK as long as there is an endless stream of new players, but if there isn’t, then something needs to be done to keep your players playing.

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The players have learnt to ask for more, learnt to expect more and have - with good reason - adopted a very unhealthy lack of loyalty towards any one operator. A shot at the next big bonus and an easy-out option is a constant battle that is fought behind the retention screens and one that has cost more than one site its reputation.

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Affiliates rely on the operator retaining their players if a revenue share deal is in place and if you ask an affiliate what they think is the solution to player retention the general consensus here is a bigger re-deposit bonus or a cash-back plan. It does help granted, but for most that isn’t the reason why they stay with a particular brand.

As a player I’d want the personal touch that makes me want to stay, it’s not just about the brilliant cash pots,

or the cheapish games, it’s about having the feeling that I as a player am welcomed beyond my money and that this particular site would miss me if I left. A similar feeling I get when I go to my favorite shop where I am greeted by name and the lady at the counter already knows my choice of cheese and suggests trying a new but very similar tasting one to me. Well I am sold if this comes with an introductory offer too. But online the truly personal touch is something that really is in rare supply. Personally I always respected Amazon for their early adaptation of behavioral content the way they would introduce products to me that I would really enjoy based on my previous purchases. They have been doing this for years and that is something we should adopt in our communication marketing to retain customers.

By personal I don’t mean that I get a mail saying “Dear Ellen, here’s a friendly reminder that you have money in your account and you’re not playing with it”, but a call or a mail to ask what can be offered to me based on my previous player pattern. Do not send me a mail of the new slot game if I only ever play roulette. Maybe a nice call if I have not played for some time instead of the “friendly reminder mail” but this is the sort of service that is usually reserved for VIP players. However, a little personal touch in an industry that is all online goes a long way.

– Expert tips and tricks for affiliates

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that I might not have already picked up on.

In short what is needed is a basic hands-on approach that is cost effective and ensures that if the player decides to leave, then everything has been done at the operators end to prevent it. The truth is that players will leave, they will look around for the next best offer and that is always going to happen, especially if they are not winning, but making it easy for your competition to pick up the player because you dropped the ball on retention is a mistake that no one can afford. A good retention program is the best recipe for keeping revenue share affiliates happy and you too.

in digital media for over 14 years covering all disciplines of online marketing with strong expertise in acquisition and affiliate marketing.

She is passionate about innovation and new technology with a strong drive for creativity. Her 2006 World Cup Campaign earned two prestigious creative design awards

Happy Retention to you!

As a player nothing makes me want to play more than a well-intended mail with unique offers for me on maybe my favorite game (and that should not be guesswork) and a healthy supply of fabulous Freebies

Ellen Learmonth has been active

at the New York Festival (Bronze) and The International Davey Award (Gold). Now living in London, Ellen is lending her expertise to some of the major gaming operators.

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good customer support is a must have, being able to contact a support team with issues at all hours of the day is a good start. Offer something different if you notice that the game play has dried up. Just sending out a timed or generic mail that offers more of the same or whatever the latest promotions are without checking to see if these promotions or games have actually been played or used is lazy and something that the player has come to expect. Are you suffering from reduced OR and CTR`s? Yes, sometimes it is not just the Monday Bonus or Weekend Jackpot but seasonal greetings or locale celebrations that trigger a promotion but to be honest with today’s technology we should do better than that.

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GAMING NEWS

Trump partners with Ultimate Gaming for New Jersey

Ultimate gaming the first online poker company that went live in Nevada, will after signing an agreement with Trump Taj Mahal offer their online games to the Trump owned New Jersey casino.

New Jersey which earlier this year legalised online gambling is steering towards going live later in the year and Ultimate Gaming hopes to be first there with their new partner.

Originally the software from the acquisition of CyberArts in 2011, Ultimate Gaming is still the only company offering online poker in Nevada and certainly hope to be the first with Trump to the starting gate in New Jersey.

“Today we are excited to be entering into an agreement with Trump Taj Mahal Associates to bring online gaming to New Jersey ,” said Tom Breitling , Chairman of Ultimate Gaming. “This represents a huge step forward in our desire to offer Americans across the nation the opportunity to enjoy safe & regulated online games.”

“We feel our technology is a major advantage,” added

Tobin Prior , Chief Executive Officer of Ultimate Gaming. “Our proprietary software has been proven to meet regulatory requirements & allows for continuous investment & product development. The technology was acquired in 2011 & developed by a U.S. based company with a completely clean regulatory profile.”

“Ultimate Gaming is a pioneer in the online gaming space & can provide a turnkey solution for our online gaming needs in New Jersey ,” said Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer Robert F. Griffin . “We are delighted to be working with a trusted partner that has a proven track record.”

Macau record 21% growth for June

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une gaming revenues in Macau rose an impressive 21.1% from the same period last year.

That is ahead of analysts’ forecasts WHICH said between 18 and 20 percent.

It is understood the growth came from VIP players for June, however with the Chinese economy expected to slow in the third quarter of this year, many observers believe the VIP market will contract in Macau which makes up 70% of the revenue for the former Portuguese

colony. There is more good news thou for casino operators with the mass market segment of customers growing, which is hoped will cover the VIP sector.

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Government data released Monday 1st July said the total revenues for June were $3.54 billion.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

“Great Employees ”

– What makes a great employee?

Last month we looked at what makes a great Boss, the skills, the attitude and approach towards their employees, that makes a boss great. This month we look at what makes a great employee.

T

he gaming industry like any industry has great employees, good employees and let us say, not so great employees. But what really makes a great employee, one that every company wants to have?

Well last month we looked at being a great boss so let’s look at in this July edition at what makes a great employee.

tell the truth to their employer, even if it lands them in hot water.

5. Confidentiality: This of course is strongly linked to number 4. Great employees always guard the confidential nature of their business dealings and protects everyone’s privacy.

So what exactly is it that makes an employee great? Here we have compiled a top ten list of traits that give some ideas to employers looking to hire and of course to employees who want to operate at the top of their game: 1. Dependability: Great employees are always dependable. They do the job they are supposed to do every time, and no one has to worry that they don’t deliver the goods. A great employee can be counted to always have their work done right, when it is supposed to be done it is a forgone conclusion that they will, and no one else has to spend any time worrying about it.

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2. Team Spirit: Great employees are team players.

They don’t constantly seek out attention or hogs the limelight. Rather, a great employee works with others to make sure that the things that need to get done do get done, for the good of the company.

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3. Taking Direction: Great employees know how to take direction. They know how to take criticism, direction and advice gracefully and make it work for them when doing their job.

4. Trust: Great employees don’t spread office gossip and they don’t dish company dirt. Likewise, they always

6. Participation: Great Employees participate in the day to day life of the office. They don’t bow out of meetings or skip the office birthday celebrations. These things may not be a fun part of working life, and everyone involved knows that everyone else has some place they would rather be - but a great employee wouldn’t be any place else.

7. Likeability: A great employee gets along with other employees. Every office has one person that is in everyone else’s business and talks too loud on the phone

– Standing out from the crowd as a great employee

8. Competence: Great employees have good working skills. It may sound obvious, but a great employee has the abilities needed to do their job, and they constantly seek ways to improve, like going to training seminars or seeking further education. Great workers have great skills.

9. Tact: Great employees have tact and decorum. If there is a problem in the office, a great employee doesn’t make a scene in front of everyone else. A great employee will deal with such issues with privacy and diplomacy. Further, a great employee doesn’t tell tasteless, political or religious jokes, nor do they send emails that tell these kinds of jokes.

10. Attitude: Last but certainly not least, great employees have a great attitude. Bad attitudes bring everyone down. A great employee helps make work great for everyone else

by having a good spirit about their job.

That’s a lot of good traits to try

and acquire! Don’t be dispirited if you fail to match up on a number (but hopefully not all!) of them. Just work on them one at a time and you’ll find your career progressing faster than you would have ever believed possible.

To close our article on employees here are some stats on, everyday employees in the workplace, for instance did you know that: The lost productivity of actively disengaged employees costs the US economy $370 BILLION annually.

Annually in February, June & October more employees leave their workplace than are fired or discharged, why those months? No data can show why.

and 45% say they get a great deal of their life happiness from work.

However at any one time a company will be lucky to have 55% of their employees happy at work.

Another interesting fact on a recent survey on employees says that a happy and engaged employee will save you 6 hours on commute time every week.

18% of your employees at any one time will undermone your senior management, because they are not engaged by the work they do.

Finally and this is no surprise to HR Managers, that employees who are less engaged in their role are more likely to have more time off work than those who are motivated and engaged.

An amazing 86% of employees say they very often feel happy at work, as against 11% Thanks to Richard Rutherford for the article, Richard is a working stiff of 38 years standing! Most of that time has been spent in the software industry.

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and generally stirs things up and gets under everyone’s skin. This kind of employee zaps office morale - a great employee is a good coworker to everyone.

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Miami Slot Sales LLC announces a new Casino Seating Division

BETRADAR UNVEIL NEW VIRTUAL SPORTS BETTING PRODUCT

Miami Slot Seating offers a full range of premium quality casino and bar seating. This new area of the company offers high qualityseating products within the gaming market. There are many models and options with a wide range of pricesavailable to fit any budget.

These units meet the international standards of quality and are both LGA and SGS certified.

Betradar, the world’s leading supplier of sports and betting related data, is proud to announce the release of itsnew virtual sports betting product “Virtual Horse Classics” (VHC). First customers, including the Nigerian online bookmaker NairaBet.com, the Georgian online bookmaker europe-bet.com, as well as Tempobet.com, have already successfully launched the new virtual sports betting product.

All seats are provided with a 3-year warranty which makes it the best warranty available in the today’s market. With a wide range of customization available for each individual unit, providing its customers full control of design possibilities. Some of these customization features include: free embroidered logo service, a wide range of colors to choose from, any desiredheight, different materials(such as PVC leather, fabric) etc.

Betradar’s Virtual Football League has already shown that it is a great success story with a current customer base of around 40 global retail and online operators. With the launch of the new VHC, Betradar is now extending its virtual sports betting portfolio and is thereby on its way to providing a diversified virtual sports betting channel

iGaming Business Wins Contract to Publish IMGL Magazine European Gaming Lawyer

INSPIRED’S BETBOX™ IS THE WINNING SOLUTION FOR CASINO HELSINKI

iGaming Business, who specialise in publishing and providing high level information to the iGaming sector through magazines, events, websites and intelligence reports, announced today that it has won the contract to publish the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL) magazine European Gaming Lawyer. “We are dedicated to education and the exchange of professional information concerning all aspects of gaming law. Europe always has been a particularly significant part of our footprint which continues to grow in this important gaming market” said J. Kelly Duncan, President of IMGL and Partner at Jones Walker in New Orleans. “Publishing magazines is one way that we accomplish our goals. The European Gaming Lawyer is one of our most important titles and always delivers

Inspired Gaming Group (Inspired), the world’s leading provider of virtual sports betting products, today announces an agreement with RAY to install its BetBOX™ virtual sports and bet management system (BMS) in the Casino Helsinki – currently the only licensed casino in Finland.

RAY will be creating a brand new sports bar area that will offer its customers the ability to place bets on virtual races over the counter via a cashier using the Inspired BetBOX POS system. Players at the casino will be able to bet on virtual horse racing, greyhound racing, motor racing, football, tennis, cycling, and speedway.

The Casino Helsinki will launch virtual sports in September 2013 and will be the first installation of Inspired’s turnkey virtual sports BMS (BetBOX™).

Bruce Lee’s legacy lives on in a stunning new slot machine from iSoftBet

Fisticuffs sure to be a knock-out on mobile

Coming soon to iSoftBet’s already-impressive catalogue of branded content, Bruce Lee is about to make waves in the world of online casino gaming with a brand new and powerful slot machine. This incredible 5 reel slot, unique to iSoftBet, comes with an amazing 243 individual winning combinations, bringing all the action and adrenaline from the legendary martial arts icon to the reels in a game like no other. iSoftBet’s branded content has already proved hugely popular with a large number of customers adding iSoftBet games to their platforms, and Bruce Lee is sure to be a welcome addition to anyone’s online casino offering. The Bruce Lee slot benefits from the same stellar audio-visual effects iSoftBet’s customers have come to expect, along with some great features including extended Wilds and an impressive jackpot.

Fisticuffs has long been enjoyed as an online video slot and now gamers can continue the fight on mobile as Net Entertainment adds the offering to its TouchTM catalogue. Set in the early 1900s, when boxing was for gentlemen, Fisticuffs TouchTM features two fighters on the reels ready for action. These two rivals create types of Wild symbol combinations.

Lights, bells and belts all help deliver the finest gaming experience around. Fisticuffs Touch™ is a 5-reel, 10line video slot featuring Win Both Ways and a Boxing Feature re-spin where Wilds remain on the reels for the re-spin.

INTERBLOCK ANNONCES its PARTICIPATION IN ‘PERU GAMING SHOW 2013’ IN LIMA It is a great pleasure to welcome our customers, business partners and friends in the gaming industry to meet with us at Peru Gaming Show & International Gaming Conference 2013 in Lima together with Interblock’s distributor for South America, company Koala Gaming in one of the most important Expo in Latin America for the company, which also celebrates its 10th anniversary.

The 14th of August will mark the unveiling greatness of Interblock’s most advance multi-player platform available on the market - Organic™ product range in modern design: G4 Organic Roulette™ 08 in Football Shape with PID with additional Video game generator.

The boxing feature begins when the Diagonal Wild and the Straight Wild appear next to each other in a diagonal or horizontal position on the reels.

BETWARE AND PRIMA NETWORKS LIMITED, POWERED BY MICROGAMING, AWARDED BINGO AND INSTANT GAMES CONTRACT FOR DANSKE SPIL Leading developer of interactive gaming solutions and open Gaming Platform provider, Betware, in conjunction with Prima Networks Limited, powered by Microgaming, has won a public tender to provide a Bingo and Instant Games solution to the Danish national lottery, Danske Spil (www.danskespil.dk).

Betware in conjunction with Prima Networks Limited have been awarded the contract following a competitive tender process. Danske Spil was impressed with the functionality of Betware’s open Gaming Platform and its Instant Games Platform coupled with Microgaming’s first-class Bingo and Instant Games portfolio.

SkillOnNet.com First to Release Four New NextGen Slots In the next four weeks popular online casino software distributor SkillOnNet will again be ‘first to market’ with four of NextGen Gaming’s latest online slot creations.

Continuing with their successful strategy of first releases the four new slot games will be begin rolling out to SkillOnNet’s increasing number of online casino brands during the course of the next few days.

Starting with The Codfather on July 12 the other three will follow soon after and include Spanish Eyes on July 19, Emperor’s Garden on July 26, and Teddy Bear’s Picnic on August 2. The games are expected to be a hugely popular addition to SkillOnNet’s already impressive collection of NextGen games such as the smash Merlin’s Millions Super Bet, 300 Shields, Cherry Blossoms, Hot Hot Volcano and the holiday sequel Doctor Love on Vacation.

The Barcelona Affiliate Conference Incorporates iGB Espana for a Second Year, Guaranteeing a Successful Event The Barcelona Affiliate Conference (BAC) will be returning once again to the Catalan city on the 3rd - 6th October 2013. Based on the success of last year’s event, this year the autumn conference will once again be incorporating iGB Espana, giving delegates the option to go to both events. Traditionally these events have been held independently of each other and had a different focus. The Barcelona Affiliate Conference is an international event with over 70+ exhibitors and over 1,800 delegates, bringing together affiliates and affiliate programs within the online gambling industry. iGB Espana is a niche Spanish language conference concentrating on the challenges and opportunities available within the Hispanic market place.

G4 ORGANIC LIVE ROULETTE™ IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS IN FRANCE Interblock is proud that another great installation together with one of the top casino operator in France, company JOA Groupe was carried out in Casino de Luxeuil-les-Bains. G4 Organic Live™ Roulette with 07 play stations in silver-black design was placed in the beginning of June, 2013.

Mr. Stéphane Gatius, Director of JOA Casino de Luxeuil, commented the installation: “We had quite long waiting line at launching Interblock product. Our slot machines customers are very attracted by this new game which allows them to discover a roulette in an easier way (the dealer is more available to give explanations; the game rhythm adapts itself to the customer).”

MC&C SIGNS NEW CLIENT BINGOPORT.CO.UK MC&C have announced that it has launched a new TV campaign for leading bingo affiliate website www.

BingoPort.co.uk during the month of July.

BingoPort.co.uk is one of the leading UK affiliate sites offering free bingo and exclusive offers via their partner sites, some of which include Mecca, WinkBingo, PaddyPower Bingo and Ladbrokes Bingo. This inaugural TV campaign introduces its unique offering and promotes the chance for players to win a new car, the objective of which is to attract new registrations and build the BingoPort brand.

MC&C , one of the largest UK independent agencies, has a reputation for being DRTV specialists, and was chosen by Bingport.co.uk to manage this activity because of its knowledge and experience of the sector.

SHAMBALLA JEWELS Renews PARTNERSHIP WITH EUROPEAN POKER TOUR FOR SEASON 10 Shamballa Jewels will be the Official Bracelet Sponsor of the European Poker Tour Season 10 Super High Roller events, EPT President Edgar Stuchly announced.

This announcement marks the fourth consecutive year that the luxury jewellery brand has partnered with the EPT. Recognising the importance of the renewed sponsorship, President of the EPT, Edgar Stuchly, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Shamballa Jewels for the fourth consecutive EPT season. Tournament poker and bracelets have long been synonymous with each other, and the high-end hand-crafted luxury of Shamballa bracelets are a natural fit with the exclusivity of the EPT Season 10 Super High Roller events.”

RedKings Extends iPhone Poker Offer to 17 Countries Popular online poker room RedKings.com have increased the range of its hit Apple iOS mobile poker platform to a further eight new Countries bringing the total now to seventeen.

Added in this second release phase and now available in the iTunes RedKings Poker App Store are some of the biggest online Poker markets in the World including Russian language markets like Belarus, Ukraine and Russia plus the remaining Scandinavian duo of Sweden and Norway.

Commented Jack Simons, RedKings European Marketing Manager, “if anything is growing in online poker it is mobile. We have seen month on month growth since we launched Android last year but the biggest jump of all was when we introduced the iPhone and iPad service a few months ago.

SkillOnNet ‘Hot Wheels’ Races to top of 3D Slot Chart New 3D slot ‘Hot Wheels’ distributed by B2B casino games developer SkillOnNet has screeched its way to the top of the Company’s 3D charts in its first week.

Looking to build on the great success of their 3D slot game series SkillOnNet rolled out this exciting new 3D slot game to its Network of owned and licensed online Casinos two weeks ago and results already in show it to be the biggest ever release of a Company developed slot.

Commented Kevin Cremer, SkillOnNet European Product Manager “we are all really excited by the launch of 3D slot Hot Wheels. Beating the first two week numbers of previously released Vampires Feast, Magic and Wonders, Fun Fair Ride and Ghost Pirates, Hot Wheels seems to have appealed to players of all ages and nationalities. It’s burnouts all the way!”

SPORTING SOLUTIONS ADDS HORSE RACING TO ITS PORTFOLIO Sporting Solutions, the B2B software and data services division of the Sporting Index Group, has announced the launch of its end-to-end B2B pricing service for horse racing. The new horse racing product includes an early pricing “tissue” service on the previous day, solid and responsive morning prices, show prices, results, derivatives and Racing Post content. Sporting Solutions’ multi-award-winning service covers the widest range of sports available anywhere through a single integration to its cloud-based Connect Platform. The company’s growing and impressive list of partners includes William Hill, Betfred, Skybet, Youwin and Goldbet. Ronnie Whelan, Business Development Director of Sporting Solutions, said: “To maximise the profitability of horse racing it is our belief that you need market-leading algorithms and industry knowledge.

The 7th International Gaming Awards Categories

Click Here to Nominate •Casino/Integrated Resort of the Year •Casino Operator (Europe, Americas, Australia & Asia) •Casino VIP Room of the Year •Corporate Services Supplier of the Year •iGaming Software Supplier •Gaming Industry Fair Play Award •Industry Publication/Media Service of the Year •Mobile Operator of the Year •Online Bingo Operator of the Year •Online Casino Operator of the Year •Online Poker Operator of the Year •Online Sportsbook Operator of the Year •Payment Solutions Provider Company of the Year •Socially Responsible Operator of the Year Land Based •Socially Responsible Operator of the Year Online •Slot Manufacturer Online or Land Based •Slots Operator of the Year (Online) •Technology Provider/Supplier •Traditional Casino Equipment Supplier •Outstanding Contribution Award

“We are absolutely delighted to be honoured by the International Gaming Awards” - Malcolm Graham CEO PKR “The International Gaming Awards is a truly prestigious event” - Jim Ryan, former Co-CEO Bwin.Party “This is such a special moment and I know all at Sands in Vegas will be over the moon” - SVP Sands “What the IGA is doing is really smart and sure the event will only get stronger and stronger each year” - Mitch Garber CEO Caesars Interactive “My father has been honoured with one award, however I have won three this evening and Melco Crown Entertainment will be delighted when I go home” - Lawrence Ho CEO Melco Crown Entertainment Macau

LATEST

Microgaming reveals its Playboy online slot

M

icrogaming is revealing its highly anticipated Playboy online slot following the launch of Playboy Live Dealer earlier this year.

Microgaming’s latest online branded game allows players to indulge in the luxurious lifestyle that is Playboy, with a five reel, 243 ways-to-win video slot. Playboy has been portrayed perfectly in the online slot, replicating the sassy appeal of the iconic brand. The graphics used in the game are skilfully hand-painted and have been combined with an original musical composition to complement the Playboy brand.

The video slot has been developed by Microgaming through a licensing agreement with Playboy. The collaboration began with the launch of Playboy Live Dealer, the world’s first branded Live Dealer studio in February 2013. Just six months on, the Playboy online slot is now live with Microgaming operators on the download, Flash and Quickfire platforms in countries where online gaming is permitted. The slot provides an excellent opportunity for operators to leverage the brand’s world-wide appeal and acquire new players.

Jason Turner, Playboy’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of Digital Ventures, says: “In addition to Live Dealer, the Playboy online slot is another great way for online players in the EU and other participating territories to connect with the captivating and fun world of Playboy. With industry leading game design from Microgaming and Playboy images throughout, the Playboy online slot offers players a truly unique online gaming experience.”

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In true Playboy slogan style where ‘the finer things in life are not goals, they are rewards’, the game offers plenty of opportunities to win big. The highlight of the game is its lavish free spins bonus feature which is activated by three or more scatter symbols, represented by the famed Playboy magazine. During the free spins feature, players are greeted into the elite Playboy Club by game hosts Kimi, Sofia, Ashley and Jillian. The journey into the Playboy Club begins with Kimi, who delivers 10 free spins and a 5x multiplier; the exploration continues as players gain multiple entries into the feature, which unlocks sequential bonus rewards first from Sofia and then Ashley. Players ultimately strive to obtain Platinum status unlocking the key to the Club to meet the smouldering Jillian, with a rewarding 25 free spins and a randomly activated Wild Night feature.

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