Thursday, February 2, 2012

news.casinolife

news.casinolife

BALLY TECHNOLOGIES, INC. REPORTS SECOND QUARTER FISCAL 2012 RESULTS

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 02:41 PM PST

 

 

 

 

 

 

SECOND QUARTER REVENUE UP 15 PERCENT TO $210 MILLION WITH DILUTED EPS OF $0.5

FOURTH SEQUENTIAL RECORD QUARTERLY GAMING OPERATIONS REVENUE

WIDE-AREA PROGRESSIVE INSTALLED BASE GROWS 36 PERCEN

UPDATES FISCAL 2012 DILUTED EPS GUIDANCE TO $2.25 TO $2.45

LAS VEGAS, February 1, 2012 — Bally Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: BYI), a leader in slots, video machines, casino management, interactive and mobile applications, and networked systems for the global gaming industry, announced today diluted earnings per share ("Diluted EPS") of $0.54 and $0.99 on revenue of $210 million and $405 million for the three months and six months ended December 31, 2011, respectively.

Richard Haddrill Chief Executive Officer

"As we celebrate 80 years of success, I am proud that Bally remains a source of true innovation with exciting growth opportunities," said Richard M. Haddrill, the Company's Chief Executive Officer.  "Our recent innovations have resulted in four consecutive quarters of year-over-year revenue and earnings-per-share growth.  Numerous of our investments of recent years are now producing good results."

"In addition to repurchasing approximately 330,000 of our shares during the quarter for $10 million, we also paid down $19 million of debt which reduced our leverage ratio to below 2.0 times," said Neil Davidson, the Company's Chief Financial Officer.  "This quarter represents the 17th quarter in a row that we have repurchased stock."

As of December 31, the Company had $111 million available under its Board-authorized share repurchase plan.  Further, as long as the Company's leverage ratio remains below 2.0 times, the Company's share repurchases are not restricted under the terms of its credit agreement.  The decline below 2.0 times also resulted in a 25-basis point decline in the Company's borrowing costs.

For statistics www.ballytech.com   Newsroom

 

WINWIN tests opportunities for internationalization

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 02:35 PM PST

 

 

 

The number of outlets temporarily reduced by one last year. Opportunities for international cooperation are being explored in 2012.

With its twelve outlets, WINWIN achieved revenues for 2011 totalling 396.4 million euro. This represents a slight drop of 0.87 per cent compared to 2010. This is, however, not an indication of less favourable business performance in the existing outlets but reflects the fact that in the first quarter of 2011 only eleven outlets were in operation.

The WINWIN outlet in Zwettl was closed at the end of 2010 while the new outlet opened in Krems only opened three months later. At this year's ICE in London, WINWIN is looking to explore possible opportunities to form international partnerships.

Such opportunities will of course only be considered in clearly regulated gaming markets. The Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs), which are connected to acentral computer with wins or losses determined using certified Random Number Generators, could well prove as popular in certain international markets are they are in Austria. www.winwin.at

PECHANGA AND BALLY TO ATTEMPT WORLD’S LARGEST SLOT MACHINE TOURNAMENT ON FEB 11

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 10:56 AM PST

 

 

A Guinness World Records®  adjudicator is scheduled to be on-hand as Pechanga Resort & Casino and Bally Technologies attempt to make history and enter the record books by holding The World's Largest Slot Machine Tournament on February 11. The event is free and everyone over 21 years of age is welcome to try and win their share of $100,000 in prizes.

"This tournament reflects our commitment to operating the best casino in the world," said Pechanga Development Corporation President Joaquin Fletcher. "Since the resort opened in 2002, Pechanga has worked to create one of the most technologically advanced slot floors anywhere, and setting this world record highlights the enormous advantages Pechanga's casino has to offer."

More than 1,000 machines on Pechanga's floor will utilize Bally's unique technology to turn them into tournament machines and allow a player on each to compete head to head with 1,000 other players at the exact same time.  The frenzied rush of slot tournament players furiously spinning their machine to rack up their score, trying to place in the tournament, will be a casino-wide phenomenon, for the first time in history.

"This is a milestone in casino promotions," explained Pechanga Vice President of Marketing Lee Torres. "Most promotions and tournaments are located in one area, but this tournament will electrify the entire casino floor.  This is our way to show the world what you can do with the most technologically advanced slot floor on the planet in one of the largest casinos on Earth."

The tournament will award $100,000 in total, with 200 people taking home prizes and the ultimate winner receiving $25,000 in cash. Registration begins at 8:00 am, is free and open to all Pechanga Rewards Club members. Anyone 21 and older with a valid ID can sign up free for a Rewards Card and ambassadors will be on hand to register new players wanting to make history at Pechanga. The tournament will start at 11:00 am. All who are in line to sign up by 10:30 am will play, with successive rounds being held, if necessary.

"This is not just a publicity stunt," said Pechanga Vice President of Information Technology John Kenefick. "On February 11, Pechanga will usher in a new era of casino networked gameplay by instantly turning five different manufacturers of slots into a single tournament mode, casino-wide, with more than a thousand machines. "

Pechanga has more than 1,100 machines that utilize Bally Technologies' iVIEW Display Manager™, which allows casino-wide promotions, including tournaments, to be run with all players competing against each other. For the past year, the casino has run such promotions, including its virtual horse racing, the Pechanga Classic, where each player chooses a horse to bet on and watch the race unfold on screen. However, running a slot tournament is far more complex.

Pechanga's team and Bally technicians have worked for the past two months to make this a reality. More than six casino-wide tests of machines were conducted to work out glitches and make this ready for the public. On January 12, 2012 at 9am, more than 400 Pechanga team members and Bally employees ran a "full load" test on the system to simulate the wild, rapid 'button mashing' fury of an actual slot tournament. More than 1,100 machines passed the test and the Pechanga and Bally leadership were confident to proceed to inviting the public to a real slot tournament on February 11.

"The system worked exactly as planned," said Pechanga Vice President of Slots Buddy Frank. "We are now ready to show the world that not all casino floors are made the same. We have worked for years to build a casino with all 3,800 slots connected on an advanced high speed network. This tournament is the perfect showcase to display what we can do right now, that other casinos will not be able to for years."

"This is a great example of how server-based technology can create contagious excitement on games from multiple manufacturers and take one of the most popular special events for real players to a whole new level," said Bally Senior Vice President of Strategy and Customer Consulting Bruce Rowe

Most casinos have a small number of dedicated tournament machines, requiring them to do multiple rounds in order to have a large number of participants. They bring players in for different heats and then perhaps a final to determine placement and prize awards. With Bally's Display Manager™, any machine with the technology installed, anywhere on the floor, can be turned into a tournament slot instantly and then turned back to normal game mode right afterward. The future of this technology will allow slot tournaments to happen instantly at prescribed times or even as a surprise, where any player can elect to participate or not participate, as they choose.

"I have never seen a slot tournament with more than 100 machines used," concluded Torres.  "This is a technological feat that is unparalleled in the gaming industry,"

As the largest casino in the Western USA, Pechanga offers an all-inclusive AAA Four-Diamond luxury resort in the heart of Southern California's Wine Country of the Temecula Valley. With more than 3,800 slots, 130+ table games, and a 54-table poker room, the resort boasts the soaring elevation changes of the Journey at Pechanga course, ranked as the 4th "Best New Course You Can Play" by GOLF Magazine in 2009. The 445-acre resort also includes a full-service spa, featuring a couple's massage suite; nine award-winning restaurants and a 24-hour food court; superstar concerts in its theater, a comedy club; world title boxing events; and three clubs and lounges, including Silk, the largest nightclub in Southern California.