Wednesday, February 20, 2013

news.casinolife

news.casinolife

AGEM, AGA and JCM Global Announce 15th Annual Golf Classic Fundraiser to Benefit the National Center For Responsible Gaming

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 09:51 AM PST

 

 

LAS VEGAS (February 19, 2012) – For 15 years, the annual AGEM/AGA Golf Classic Presented by JCM Global has been one of the premiere events in the gaming industry, and now the fun, high-profile event is back and better than ever as organizers celebrate 15 years of fun and fundraising.

This year's Golf Classic takes place April 30 on the award-winning greens of Cascata in Boulder City, Nevada.

"Thanks to our generous sponsors and players, to date we have raised more than $1 million for the important research of the National Center for Responsible Gaming. That's an incredible accomplishment, and there is still more work to be done. That's why we are inviting the industry to join us today as a sponsor or as a player. This fun event is one of the hottest tickets of the year, and we have a limited number of spots, so don't putter around; get in on the action now!" said event producer Tom Nieman of JCM Global.

Registration is open now and is limited to the first 128 participants. Green fee is $600 per person or $2,000 for a foursome. Registration and sponsorship information is available by calling (702) 651-0000 or by visiting www.golf.jcmglobal.com.

The Golf Classic title sponsors are the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) and the American Gaming Association (AGA). The event is presented by JCM Global and benefits the NCRG, the only national nonprofit organization dedicated to funding research on gambling disorders and increasing awareness about responsible gaming.

Other sponsors include Ainsworth Game Technology, Aristocrat Technologies, Bally Technologies, Caesars Entertainment, Casino Enterprise Management Magazine, Gaming Partners International, Gaming Laboratories International, G2E/Reed Exhibitions, Hikam America Inc., Konami Gaming Inc., MEI Group, Nanoptix Inc. and Patriot Gaming & Electronics Inc. Sponsorship opportunities remain available. To become a sponsor, contact JCM Global at (702) 651-0000.

Over the past 15 years, the AGEM/AGA Golf Classic Presented by JCM Global has raised more than $1 million in support of the National Center for Responsible Gaming.

About the National Center for Responsible Gaming The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is the only national organization exclusively devoted to funding scientific research on gambling disorders. Founded in 1996 as a 501(c)3 charitable organization, the NCRG is the American Gaming Association's (AGA) affiliated charity. For more information, visit www.ncrg.org.

About AGEM AGEM is an international trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of electronic gaming devices, systems, table games, key components and support products and services for the gaming industry. AGEM works to further the interests of gaming equipment suppliers throughout the world. AGEM has assisted regulatory commissions and participated in the legislative process to solve problems and create a business environment where AGEM members can prosper while providing a strong level of support to education and responsible gaming initiatives. For information, visit www.agem.org.

About the American Gaming Association The American Gaming Association represents the commercial casino-entertainment industry by addressing federal legislative and regulatory issues. The association also serves as a clearinghouse for information, develops educational and advocacy programs, and provides leadership on industry-related issues of public concern. For information, visit www.americangaming.org.

 

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NEWave® Celebrates 20 Years of Software Leadership, Protecting Casinos from Fines, Increasing Efficiencies and Enhancing Casinos’ Bottom Lines

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 09:42 AM PST

LAS VEGAS (February 19, 2013) – When Jim Bach and Dick Favero founded NEWave® in 1993, their mission was clear: take their in-casino experience and computer knowledge and create software that would help casinos do business more efficiently, with less waste, and protected from regulatory fines. Now NEWave is celebrating 20 years of succeeding at their mission and has been serving the industry longer than any competitor.

What started as a clear vision to help the industry has grown into a tremendously successful business, with NEWave solutions in more than 250 casinos in the U.S., and a customer base that is four times larger than any competitor.

Today, NEWave has 15 multi-property contracts, and more tribal casinos use NEWave software solutions than any other. Further, NEWave has successfully provided Microsoft solutions longer than any competitor, and all told, more than 20,000 industry users are trained on NEWave software, approximately six times that of any competitor.

Bach, NEWave's Chairman, said, "We have been working very hard for the last 20 years, developing partnerships and creating innovative solutions with our customers. As I look back over the last 20 years, the thing I am most proud of is that our first customer – Station Casinos – is still a customer. That says to me we have the right products, backed by the best service team anywhere."

Bach and Favero have carefully built a team with extensive in-casino experience. "It's important to our customers that our team have first-hand knowledge of casino processes. Because of our staff's in-casino experience, our customers can be absolutely certain that their processes are understood. Why? Because we've been there. We've used those processes, and in some cases, we developed those processes," Bach said.

What started out as a two-man operation has grown considerably, and now NEWave has more than four times the staff of any competitor. "Our staff size is important to our customers. Because of our size, we have specialists in each area. That means we can deliver superior service in every area," Favero said.

Today, NEWave's Management, Sales, Development, Service and Training departments are staffed by professionals with in-casino experience. Collectively NEWave's staff has more than 550 years of in-casino experience.

Another key area where NEWave's staff makes a tremendous difference is the company's unlimited 365/24/7 support, calls that are answered directly by NEWave employees. "We work in a 365/24/7 industry, where customer service has the highest priority. At NEWave, we are extremely proud of the unlimited support we give to our customers, a service structure that is unmatched," Bach said.

NEWave's three award-winning product suites – myCompliance Manager™, myRevenue Manager™ and myDocument Manager® – continue to lead the industry in compliance and efficiency. And in 20 years, not one casino using NEWave software has ever been fined for non-compliance.

"Never has a customer been fined while on our watch. Additionally, casinos have conducted their own internal research, and they tell us our software saves them about $100,000 per year. So we are saving our customers money every year, and protecting their bottom line from fines," Favero said.

 

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Leap Forward Gaming Announces Significant Joint Development Agreement with Venetian Macau Limited

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 09:39 AM PST

 

Reno, NV  February 19, 2013 – Leap Forward Gaming, Inc. (LFG) of Reno, NV announced today that they have entered into a significant Joint Development Agreement with Venetian Macau Limited (VML), a subsidiary of Sands China Ltd. and operator of The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel, Sands® Cotai Central and The Plaza™ Macao and Sands® Macao, to bring LFG's patented SaffariNet® multimedia ecosystem to their table game operations.

Ali Saffari CEO of Leap Forward Gaming

The joint development agreement provides for the integration of LFG's SaffariNet® ecosystem with VML properties' gaming tables to provide marketing, bonusing and progressive campaigns along with additional game opportunities to enhance the player experience at each table station, providing for a total transformation of the table game business.

"We are extremely pleased to partner with Leap Forward to develop our vision and market focus in expanding our table game offerings," said Tim Merrill, Vice President of Casino Operations, Venetian Macau Limited.  "The SaffariNet® ecosystem offers the innovative features and capabilities we desire to further enhance our continued commitment to player entertainment value while enhancing operational efficiencies."

"VML and Leap Forward share a common vision that the table gaming floor of the future will integrate many features that are currently only available in gaming machines.  The integration of SaffariNet®'s multimedia ecosystem solution into the table game world provides for many new and unique opportunities for VML properties," said Ali Saffari, CEO of Leap Forward Gaming.  "We are honored to work with such a visionary and progressive partner as VML in expanding our end-to-end ecosystem from slot games to table games, and so much more."

 

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Gaming Standards Association (GSA) Welcomes Six New International Members

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 09:33 AM PST

 

LAS VEGAS (February 19, 2013) – The Gaming Standards Association (GSA), the leading standards-setting organization for the global gaming industry, has welcomed six new members to its growing list of international member companies.

Joining as Silver Members are American Gaming Systems (AGS) of Nevada and Four Winds Interactive of Colorado. Joining as Bronze Members are EWA CyberSolutions of Virginia; Interseven Gaming Team of Spain; Nidec Sankyo Corporation of Japan; and U1 Gaming of Montana.

The diversity of the types of the new member companies as well as the international nature of the new group underscores GSA's leadership on the global gaming stage. GSA President Peter DeRaedt said, "Our list of new members includes companies from an incredibly broad spectrum of the industry, and from countries around the world. This shows GSA's broad appeal and significance, across disciplines and countries."

GSA offers a range of membership levels to suit any company's budget and business interests. For more information on the many benefits of membership, call (510) 492-4060 or visit gamingstandards.com.

 

 

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Best ICE on record for Aristocrat

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 09:30 AM PST

 

London, 19th February 2013 The recent ICE exhibition was Aristocrat Europe's most successful to date. Having increased its stand presence by 50 per cent and shown its most comprehensive range of gaming solutions ever, Aristocrat Europe reported outstanding customer feedback and broke all its previous sales order levels at the London show.

"Going into this year's ICE, we knew that the breadth and depth of our games portfolio was extremely strong," said Donal Maguire, Sales & Marketing Director – Europe. "Off the back of some highly positive floor performance figures from games released over the last three months, we were anticipating very strong demand for a number of marquee products and titles."

Aristocrat Technologies Donal Maguire, Sales & Marketing Director Europe

The star of the show, taking pride of place at the front of the Aristocrat stand, was Superman™ The Movie, a licensed Hybrid Stepper game featuring three standalone progressive jackpots and a wealth of nostalgic video footage.

"Customers were excited to see one of the world's strongest and most recognised brand characters, and were assured of the longevity of the franchise, with the follow-up game Superman II™ also previewed at the show," said Maguire.

This continuity of theming also spurred strong sales of another game backed by a big screen name. "ZORRO™ The Legend Returns is another licensed Hybrid Stepper showing tremendous popularity with players over the last quarter. Orders continue to flow in, and judging by the response at ICE we can expect a similar pattern from the sequel title ZORRO™ The Mask and The Rose, unveiled at ExCeL," Maguire added.

A third licensed theme also contributed to Aristocrat's successful ICE in VIRIDIAN WS™ Feature Top Box guise. The Mummy™ is virtually an identikit performer to ZORRO, explained Maguire, with animations that set a new benchmark in videogaming entertainment. "Customers couldn't help but marvel at this spectacular game and those lucky enough to already have it installed on their gaming floors were equally impressed by the new content of the sequel, The Mummy Returns™."

Whilst the licensed route is striking a chord with European operators and players, Aristocrat remains in a strong position with core gaming concepts showing extraordinary prowess within key gaming segments. Wonder 4™ is one such example, with performance remaining extremely robust on gaming floors world-wide up to a year after its initial release. This 'Multi-Play' segment, where players can select up to four games and play concurrent sets of reels, is maintaining steady sales orders, which continued at ICE.

"The success of Wonder 4 shows no sign of slowing down," said Maguire. "More and more operators are discovering its magic and are now eagerly awaiting the release of an expanded library of games through the follow-up 'Special Edition' and Deluxe formats."

2013 marks Aristocrat's 60th anniversary, with the company's ICE presence kicking off 12 months of celebrations across the world's major trade shows. While proud of its heritage, the company is using the milestone as an opportunity to focus on the future, as Maguire explained.

"Not only did we have a strong and innovative line-up of new casino games at ICE, we also demonstrated core competencies in parallel sectors including the street market, VLT route operations and Online. We're excited about the potential to deliver Aristocrat's leading gaming content through new channels, including internet, mobile and social gaming platforms, and working with our customers to broaden our offer as the industry evolves."

"Our theme at this year's ICE was 'Let's Go!'. It's a simple call to action that reflects our excitement at the outstanding new games and products we're bringing to market and how energised we are to partner customers and be part of their success. Our end-game is creating the world's greatest gaming experience, every day, and from the response we received at ICE we believe we're on track to do just that," Maguire concluded.

Superman and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics.

The Mummy and The Mummy Returns are trademarks and copyright of Universal Studios. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing, LLC. All rights reserved.

ZORRO © 2013 Zorro Productions, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

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G2E ENHANCES iGAMING OFFERINGS WITH YEAR-ROUND ONLINE PROGRAMMING

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 09:17 AM PST

 

 

 

 

 

LAS VEGAS – Global Gaming Expo (G2E), the premier trade show and conference event for the international gaming entertainment industry and the leading resource on iGaming, will expand its programming to offer year-round online sessions focused on all-things iGaming. G2E Online will now include a series of 10 webinars throughout the year on topics such as Internet gambling legalization and regulatory updates, operating models and technology options, player protection and payment processing, and more.

Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr President and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA).

As an introduction to this groundbreaking online program, registration for the first two G2E Online sessions, streaming live from iGaming North America on Wednesday, Feb. 20, will be offered at no cost.

“As efforts to legalize and regulate Internet gambling in the United States advance, and the global market continues to grow, we’ve seen increased interest from G2E attendees for access to educational programming on this issue,” said Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., president and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA). “As a direct result of these requests, G2E is excited to expand its Internet gambling offerings with G2E Online. This series of 10 webinars will sort through the critical issues and provide practical tips on how to succeed in this evolving market.”

The first G2E Online session will kick off at noon (EST) on Feb. 20 with welcome remarks and a keynote address from Fahrenkopf. During this session, he will offer his views on the political possibilities of legalized Internet gambling in 2013 and beyond. He will address key questions impacting the industry, including: Will there be continued federal efforts and, if so, what will the proposals look like? How will the various state legislative efforts fit into the grand scheme? Will the tension between state lotteries and private sector operators continue, or will there be regulatory hybrids that appeal to both? The session will be moderated by Sue Schneider, founder of eGamingBrokerage.com.

After a short break, the day’s second session will begin at 1:15 p.m. (EST) and will feature a panel of iGaming visionaries who will discuss how the marketplace and political landscape for iGaming in North America will take shape in the next five years. Moderated by Steve Lipscomb, founder of World Poker Tour, the panel will include John Acres, founder of Acres 4.0; Atul Bali, president for the Americas of Aristocrat Technologies, Inc.; and Stephen Martino, director of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency.

G2E Online is just one component of G2E’s comprehensive iGaming offerings. In addition to the 10 G2E Online sessions, iGaming will be a primary focus at this year’s G2E and G2E Asia events. The iGaming Congress and the two-day iGaming conference track at G2E 2013 will provide an overview of Internet gambling operations and regulations around the world, as well as in-depth sessions intended to prepare the U.S. market for business in advance of potential legalization. For those who cannot attend the conference in person, G2E also offers online access to the iGaming Congress and iGaming conference track through iGaming Virtual at G2E. G2E 2013 will be held Sept. 24-26 at the Sands Expo and  Convention Center in Las Vegas.

G2E Asia 2013 will also feature iGaming-specific sessions that will take a close look at Asian online and social gaming models. G2E Asia 2013 will be held May 21-23 at The Venetian Macau, in Macau S.A.R., People’s Republic of China.

The remaining eight webinars of G2E Online are available for $499 as part of the G2E Online Fast Pass. This pass also provides access to iGaming Virtual at G2E. Additionally, the G2E Online Super Pass, which includes the remaining eight G2E Online webinars, the iGaming Virtual ticket and a five-day G2E 2013 conference pass, is available for $2,500.

For more information on G2E Online, or to register for G2E Online, visit www.prolibraries.com/g2e/events/g2eonline2013. For more information on G2E and G2E Asia, visit www.globalgamingexpo.com and www.g2easia.com. Also, connect with G2E on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

 

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ANOTHER ORGANIC ROULETTE(tm) IN JAMAICA’S NEW GAMING LOUNGE – ODYSSEY

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 01:18 AM PST

Interblock together with the Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL) installed first G4 Organic Roulette(tm) in Kingston. As part of Supreme Ventures strategic plan for continued expansion in the gaming industry, they opened the doors to Odyssey Gaming Lounge on Saturday, February 9, 2013. The new gaming lounge is nestled between Usain Bolt’s Tracks & Records Sports Bar and Fiction Lounge in Market Place in Kingston, Jamaica.

Odyssey Gaming Lounge, popularly referred to as the Secret Room during its build out, is a non-smoking facility, the first of its kind in Jamaica to introduce ticket in/ticket out for game play. A high definition digital experience and a facility that will bring ease of gaming for all its customers. The world class gaming machines have been arranged in the split level facility with the main floor and a high stakes mezzanine level.

Mr. Brian George, President and CEO of Supreme Ventures Limited in his remarks at the opening said: “We are pleased that through Interblock, we have been able to install one of their state of-the-art 8 seater G4 Organic Roulette Games in Odyssey. This gives Odyssey Gaming Lounge an option to optimize the floor layout and maximize the lounge’s turnover. Every play station is equipped with a proximity sensor, which prolongs the lifetime of the monitors. The illumination of the machine brings out the beautifully designed curves of play stations with ergonomically arm and footrests.”

Mr. Klemen Sitar, Regional Sales Manager at Interblock, commented the installation: “We are pleased that Supreme Ventures recognized the superiority of our products. With installing G4 Organic Roulette(tm) with 08 play stations, Supreme Ventures have upgraded their range of Interblock products from existing Megastar and EBS roulettes, which they’ve purchased in the past. With this installation they have upgraded their new location with most advanced roulette product in the Island of Jamaica. We are very confident that our Organic Roulette will please even the most demanding players in Kingston.”

Interblock company would like to express gratitude to Supreme Ventures team for all their support!

 

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