Groupe Carrus n5

PMC Range: a complete, segmented, interoperable system based on Star System

JOURNAL JULY 2009 NUMBER-05

PMC 2021 Transformer: a betting window and a self-service terminal all in one!

False starts: Vigipack速Cube2 makes all the difference Germany and Austria connect to Star System SGCPM Bruxelles

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EDITORIAL

PRODUCT

Diversification + skill = convergence In the early 90s, when Jacques Carrus noted that the terminals and systems developed by PMC for the pari-mutuel applications had a lifespan of more than 10 years, he decided to orient his teams, in between producing two generations of systems, towards developing an emerging technology: digital video surveillance. Today, PMC is the leading supplier for banks.

Now, 15 years later as the entire world is facing a huge economic crisis, some sectors are standing up well to the difficult conditions, in particular betting and gambling, as well as video surveillance. That was a stroke of luck for Groupe Carrus, but was it really just a coincidence?

These two activities require the highest security and quick reaction time, and it’s no surprise that they are closely related both in terms of economic resistance and technological development.

PMC now outfits race tracks not only with betting systems but also with Vigipack systems for surveillance of the starting gates and monitoring false starts.

Just as betting at the races isn’t merely a game of luck, Jacques Carrus’ calculated bet on diversification, anticipating the needs of racetracks, was based on his teams’ skill and has led to the convergence in their activities.

Jérôme and Pierre-Antoine Carrus Directeur de la publication : Jérôme Carrus Rédaction : Florence Rossollin,

Marie Chasteau de Balyon Direction artistique : Raphaël Michon Maquette : Isabelle Achouri Coordination/Édition : Markcom Photos : Yann Pendaries, Ludovic Zuili 30, rue des Petits-Hôtels F-75010 PARIS Tel 33 (0)1 42 49 89 11 www.groupecarrus.com

EVENT

PMC 2021 Transformer: a betting window and a self-service terminal all in one!

Groupe Carrus has announced its patent for the PMC 2021 Transformer, a transformation kit, the latest addition to the PMC product range, and the kit made its official début the weekend of July 18-19 on the race tracks of Biarritz and Pronichet. This exclusive new invention, the PMC 2021 Transformer, makes it possible to transform a betting window into a self-service terminal in just a matter of seconds so that it is directly available for betters to access.

At this initial introduction, the PMC 2021 Transformer won over many betters, particularly those who are seeking a certain degree of confidentiality, and in the near future the three prototypes will be tested in the Centre-East, Western and Anjou-Maine regions of France. After this trial period, production will start in earnest in the fall of 2009; the PMC 2021 Transformer is eagerly awaited by many.

CPM in particular is anxious for delivery of the Transformer to complete their computer system with this new item in 2010, along with the Spanish and Swiss operators, who see this equipment as a major innovation that will allow substantial productivity gains.

Multiple advantages for winning over new markets It’s worth mentioning that PMC 2021 Transformer has more than one trick up

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its sleeve. Its transformation kit is quite simple; it adds multiple services to a betting window, including a complete payment system, and it only takes a few seconds to turn a PMC 2020 terminal into a self-service terminal. The transformation kit can be purchased separately from the terminal; for example, a racetrack or a sales point in a city can acquire PMC 2021 Transformers so that betters can make wagers at hours when their regular windows are closed. The whole system doesn’t take much space and they work in any environment. The costs are significantly lower than regular terminals, and there are several possible variations.

The advantages of such a product for race tracks and for any betting center are clear: the same installations can serve as both a betting window with a clerk and a realtime self-service terminal for betters.

The PMC 2021 Transformer surely has a long, successful career ahead of it.

VIGIPACK®

Groupe Carrus, partner of the Grand National du Trot The biggest trotters have been at the tracks in France since March 4 for the 27th annual GNT. This major event on the racing circuit is an important time for race goers who avidly follow the 14 stages in this tour de France of horseracing, with its grand finale at Vincennes on December 20. For nearly 10 years, Group Carrus has been present at the GNT and offers race track companies extensive choices.

There are two major new elements at this year’s event. Guy Roux has replaced Madame de Fontenay and her «Miss France» title winners as honorary ambassador, and the much appreciated magnums from the Groupe Carrus have gotten a complete make-over.

Guy Roux, when soccer meets the races While the common thread between the famous soccer trainer from Auxerre and a beauty queen may not be obvious at first glance, Guy Roux does draw just as large a

Guy Roux talking with Jérôme Carrus and Marie Chasteau de Balyon at the CroiséLaroche race track during a GNT meeting.

crowd. Both betters and racing companies are overjoyed to hear their favorite past time talked of as a sport in its own right and the drivers and jockeys recognized as true athletes. The races, too often scorned by the sporting world, have regained a certain professional respect with Guy Roux’s participation.

Art on the tables at the GNT Every year, 250 magnums of Château du Taillan, a major Bordeaux wine, make their way across the tables of France for the GNT’s official dinners. This year, Groupe Carrus has enlisted the skill of Wayne Ensrud, the famous New York painter, to design the new label. Among his other accomplishments, Wayne Ensrud has designed the labels for several different years for the Beaujolais nouveau made by the Duboeuf house, a successful venture that gives the lie to the old saying «What matters the flask, as long as there is drunkenness within.»

False starts:

Vigipack®Cube2 makes all the difference

The race track companies of Beaumont-deLomagne and Bouscat in Bordeaux have just chosen Vigipack®Cube2 to monitor the trotting race starts on their tracks. We’re betting that they’ll be the first in a long line given the remark

by Jean Frère, commissioner of French horse racing: «The solution that Vigipack® provides is a good system, it’s quick to watch the video, the image is clear and the cost is lower than the direct competitors’.»

Excerpts of the recording of a start at the Beaumontde-Lomagne race track using the Vigipack®Cube2 system.

Some race tracks already have a camera and recording system, but because the regulations that took effect on May 1, 2009 stipulate that horses responsible for false starts will be penalized in their ranking for the new start, the racing companies will now have to provide formal proof of error. All tracks that have starts with photoelectric timed gates will have to equip them with a recording system.

This new regulation shouldn’t pose any problems for the races, and in order to avoid any delays the recordings should be able to be viewed at almost the same instant as the start. This is one of the Vigipack® system’s major strengths, as the images can be viewed without searching or rewinding back through the recording. Another essential point is the quality of the images, which leave no room for doubt. As the images given here as examples clearly show, here again Vigipack®Cube2 makes all the difference.

After Cagnes-sur-Mer and the video surveillance of the gates, here is another connection between Groupe Carrus’ two fields of activity, with the added advantages of a new organization on the field and the close cooperation between the CPM and Vigipack® teams.

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PRODUCTS

PMC Range:

a complete, segmented, interoperable system based on Star System PMC holds an important place in the selective club of brands that have mastered centralized betting management systems. Star System is the backbone of a real suite of segmented, interoperable solutions. Each type of material contributes something to make it possible to manage all types of client needs. Whether it’s in the context of a latest generation physical network or conditions of temporary usage or particularly exacting standards, there is a reliable PMC solution suited to every situation.

PMC 2015

PMC 2021

COMPACT

TRANSFORMER

PMC Compact is a light, easy to manage pari-mutuel betting terminal that adapts perfectly to different configurations at the points of sale.

Easy to use, with high-performance peripherals and the latest security, it guarantees speed and reliability for your operations and allows you to offer a broad range of diversified betting.

PMC Transformer, currently in the prototype phase before full-scale production begins, is the newest addition to the PMC range. It is an exclusive innovation that makes it possible to transform a PMC 2020 Omni betting window into a self-service terminal that is immediately accessible to betters.

PMC

POCKET PMC Pockets is a portable, wireless pari-mutuel betting terminal that is ultra-compact, light and equipped with nearly limitless wireless connection possibilities. It can be used by professional operators or by betters themselves in the stands at the track, in clubs, restaurants or other improvised points of sale.

PMC 3000

PMC 2012

CLASSIC

PMC 2005

And there is always the PMC 2012 Classic.

After 10 years of loyal service in the network, it continues its career in numerous race tracks, with its still legendary reliability.

NOMAD PMC Nomad is an ultra-compact, light, pari-mutuel betting terminal.

Its easy installation and full autonomy make it perfect for use in non-standard points of sale, traveling windows or for recording bets made by telephone on private accounts.

PMC 2020

OMNI PMC Omni is a quick, powerful, parimutuel betting terminal that is highly secure. With its adaptable architecture, many integrated peripherals and multiple possibilities for connections and multimedia functions, it offers users an effective platform for application developments and setting up sales promotion operations.

STAR SYSTEM PMC 3000 Star System is a high availability, real-time server that centralizes and manages all the transactions coming from various terminals on a public or private, local or distance network. It is modular and failure-resistant and can manage networks that include anywhere from several dozen to several thousand terminals, while still guaranteeing the highest security at all levels.

PMC 2060

SELFBET PMC Selfbet is the new self-service pari-mutuel betting terminal developed

by PMC. It is completely compatible with the entire range and offers the fundamental qualities that are characteristic of PMC solutions: complete security, modularity, good design, reliability and easy installation and maintenance. It is perfectly interoperable and can function under the Star System or under another, outside system.

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INTERNATIONAL

TEAMS

Just in time:

The watchword of the PMC maintenance unit As part of the ISO 9001v2000 certification awarded to PMC, the examiners who carried out the quality audit hailed the efficiency of the maintenance unit’s procedures. Because there will always be some breakdowns, what is of key importance is the set up the organization so that it can manage them the best way possible. That is precisely what Thierry Lamotte, Samuel Lesoing and their team strive to do.

PMC’s Maintenance unit in the Port de Bonneuil industrial park is strategically located, just a stone’s throw away from Saint-Maur and Groupe Carrus’ development department and at the intersection of the major highway, railway and waterway networks east of Paris. That’s an important point when you consider that the unit, which deals with nearly 1,000 pieces of equipment every month, works with just-in-time management and under the principle that every machine that arrives must be replaced the very next day.

Responsiveness and multi-tasking are the key qualities of the electricians who make up the PMC maintenance unit.

for the malfunction in their workshops. This item, identified with the bar code marked on it, is then sent to Bonneuil. It is scanned upon arrival before being analyzed again and sent to the right repair unit for the nature of the malfunction. During the repair operation, every step of the process is recorded up

Fail-safe traceability for an efficient partnership The organization for maintaining the roughly 17,000 PMC betting windows and terminals installed in France and throughout the world is subject to near military discipline, and every act follows a strict code. The central link in the chain of traceability is the bar code on every piece of equipment produced, which is used throughout the entire process.

This begins with A&O, Groupe Carrus’ maintenance partner who, with 30 platforms across the country, is in direct contact with the PMU points of sale. Whenever there is a maintenance request, A&O exchanges the equipment then analyzes the item responsible

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Thierry Lamotte is devoted to the field of PMC maintenance. He started 20 years ago as a technician and today is head of the unit.

until the final check and the return of the equipment.

A constantly renewed knowledge base Since 2004, all of these steps have been managed by an ultra-high performance computer tool that was studied and implemented by Thierry Lamotte and Gilbert Faucitano, PMC’s computer specialist. This tool makes it possible to manage all of A&O’s and the unit’s repairs on a daily basis, all of this in connection with Groupe Carrus’ principal clients, particularly the PMU which has its own nomenclature. This digitization makes it possible to follow operations with extremely detailed statistics, allowing us to glean important information about the entire process. This provides data for an essential knowledge base for PMC’s R&D and for continuous improvement in the performance and reliability of the products. It is also important as part of customer relations to distinguish between the breakdown of the material due to intrinsic malfunction and other breakdowns which are the result of improper or inappropriate usage.

But, by whatever path Thierry Lamotte pursues excellence in his work, he dreams, like all maintenance department heads, of the company having no need of his services…

Germany and Austria connect to the Star System

German Tote, the German operator, manages and centralizes bets via a network of 62 real points of sale in Austria and Germany. German Tote, directed

by Rico Luiking, in cooperation with PMU, offers Austrians and Germans, in addition to their local races, all of the French races.

Romania Last February, the residents of Bucharest discovered a new company, «Hypobet», the newest betting operator to develop the structure necessary for wager-making.

Since July 2, thanks to a partnership between Hypobet and PMC, Romanian betters can record their wagers on French horse races in some 50 points of sale, every day, using PMC 2012 and PMC 2020 Omni terminals. This is also the beginning of a new phase for Romania, as it is also now directing its network of sites in cities using its very own Star System application that functions on a Stratus server with a Linux operating system.

Serbia

The paddock at the Belgrade Horse Track Rico Luiking, CEO of German Tote

The Austrian and German networks have been equipped with PMC 2012 terminals since 2003 and for the last year have been linked with PMC’s international server, Star System. The objective was straightforward: to save two precious elements—time and money. On that front, German Tote and PMC have been very satisfied with their collaboration and are discussing a future together with more cooperative projects.

Hooking up to the Star System, or a handsome economic operation In June 2008, PMU decided to replace all its computer equipment. Little by little, the latest innovations from PMC’s R&D, the PMC 2020 Omnis will replace the PMC 2012s in the PMU network. This was a major operation for Groupe Carrus, but one that placed the German operator in a fairly serious financial bind. In order for German Tote to remain connected to SIC (PMU’s central server) and continue working with the French races, the company would have to make the same investment as the French network. German Tote understandably wanted to keep the 80 mint condition PMC 2012s they had acquired and asked PMC how to resolve the problem. So Groupe Carrus made its international server available to Austria

and Germany, and on June 25, 2008, the first PMC 2012 was linked to Star System via a GPRS connection with a modem that PMC also supplied, representing another major savings, the cost of communication.

German Tote and PMC important projects for the future «We really appreciate the careful answers that Groupe Carrus quickly provided to meet our expectations. German Tote is constantly trying to offer its customers new products, that’s why we’re working with PMC on several projects.» Rico Luiking, CEO of German Tote can boast about a 17% growth in turnover for the past year, and he relies on Groupe Carrus’ teams to help bring about the development he wishes to see in his company. The main goal is to increase their network from 62 to 150 points of sale. As for the internet, German Tote is currently doing trials to allow them to take bets on French races on their website beginning this fall.

In the future, Germany and Austria could use the ITSP (Inter tote system protocol, part of Star System) to connect to foreign totes, like those in Sweden or South Africa and take bets on local races in neighboring countries like Switzerland and France.

On June 21, 2009, the Belgrade horse track was linked up to the international PMC Star System server. All four Serbian race tracks will be connected sometime in July. For now, bets are limited to races in Serbia, but in the near future, betters will be able to make wagers on Croatian races.

French races will be included beginning sometime in September.

Betting windows at the Belgrade Horse Track

In cooperation with the local operator, the Monaco company, PMC is also contributing to creating a network of some 15 points of sale for late July. By 2010, Serbia should be able to count on nearly 100 points of sale.

®

la sécurité en réseau

JULY 2009

> Modulo THE NEWEST GENERATION RECORDERS Vigipack®Modulo takes video surveillance one step further.

• Adaptable for 8, 12 or 16 gates • 25 images per second by cameras that are simultaneously recording, transmitting and displaying them • Status displayed on the screen • Audio recording • Low power requirements