AGEM Announces Three New Members
The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) announced that its board of directors has approved the membership applications of three new companies, bringing the trade group comprised of the world’s leading gaming suppliers to a total of 93 members. The new AGEM members are: AxesNetwork Solutions, based in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, providing casinos and their customers secure and reliable online cashless payment management solutions, along with player tracking and machine statistics modules; Phelps Dunbar, LLP, based in Baton Rouge, La., a leading law firm providing global licensing and legal services to gaming equipment manufacturers; and THT, based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, manufacturing innovative casino gaming machines with a current focus on electronic poker tables. For more information, visit www.agem.org.
AGA Makes Statement on Internet Gambling
The American Gaming Association acknowledges that a properly regulated legal framework for Internet gambling is the best way to protect consumers. The AGA also believes that online gambling operators and suppliers should be held to the same level of probity to which AGA members adhere in their traditional land-based operations. The AGA will continue its policy of putting any gaming legislative proposal through three tests: 1) The legislation must not create competitive advantages or disadvantages between and among legal commercial casinos, Native American casinos, state lotteries and pari-mutuel wagering operations; 2) No form of gaming that currently is legal shall be made illegal; and 3) The legislation must respect fundamental states’ rights in an appropriate manner. Decisions on whether to support, oppose or remain neutral on individual pieces of legislation will be made by the AGA board on a case-by-case basis. For more information, visit www.americangaming.org.
Bally Announces Isle of Capri Rainbow Casino Deal, Illinois VLT Changes
Bally Technologies Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive purchase agreement with Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. to sell its Rainbow Casino in Vicksburg, Miss., to Isle of Capri, pending regulatory approval. Under the terms of the agreement, approved by the boards of directors of both companies, Isle of Capri Casinos will pay Bally $80 million in an all-cash transaction, assuming the transaction closes by approximately June 30, 2010.
Bally Technologies named Suzo-Happ Group North America as its exclusive distributor for the new Illinois video lottery market. Under the agreement, Suzo-Happ will promote, sell, service and maintain Bally’s gaming devices for the state’s new video-lottery program, legalized in July 2009. The new program permits a limited number of video-lottery terminals in licensed bars, taverns, restaurants, truck stops and other venues that offer on-premise alcohol consumption, and requires that the devices be sold through a distributor.
Bally also announced the appointment of Rick Meitzler as director of sales to oversee Bally’s Illinois video lottery operations, working closely with Suzo-Happ. Meitzler returns to Bally after serving as senior vice president of Ainsworth Game Technology’s North American business. Before that, he served nearly 30 years with Bally Technologies in various sales and service functions, ending his tenure in 2007 as director of Midwest sales. For more information, visit www.ballytech.com.
Gary Platt Announces New Controller
Gary Platt Manufacturing has hired Spencer Campbell for the position of controller. Campbell is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno. He has worked in the gaming industry for the past two years and has worked with a variety of manufacturing companies. For more information, visit www.garyplatt.com.
GCA Expands Presence in North America, Asia
Global Cash Access Holdings Inc. announced that it continues to expand its presence in Canada and Asia and has entered into several new agreements with international casino operators for the provision of its cash access products and Central Credit services. GCA recently installed at its first Vancouver location, Edgewater Casino, operated by Paragon Casinos. GCA has also signed an agreement for services with seven properties in British Columbia and three in Alberta. GCA has also further developed its presence in Asia through services provided by Central Credit, a wholly owned subsidiary of GCA. All major casino operators in Macau are now using Central Credit’s products, including Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore, Star Cruises Limited in Hong Kong and Emperors Palace Hotel Casino and Convention Center Resort in South Africa. For more information, visit www.globalcashaccess.com.
In the fourth quarter of 2009, GCA began servicing Gila River Indian Community’s newest facility in Arizona, the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino; the Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pa.; The Tavern Casino, located at The Greenbrier resort in Sulphur Springs, W. Va.; and Pinnacle Gaming’s newest facility in St. Louis, Mo., River Spirit Casino. In the future, GCA is looking forward to being a part of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community’s Grand Opening of their newest facility in Scottsdale, Ariz., Casino Arizona Resort & Spa – Talking Stick; Downstream Casino Resort in Quapaw, Okla.; and Oklahoma’s Choctaw Casinos. For more information, visit www.globalcashaccess.com.
IGT Announces Service Window Solution, 2010 Network Systems Users Conference
International Game Technology announced its new Service Window solution for legacy IGT 80960 video machines. This new Service Window solution, which is scheduled to be deployed in fall 2010, is the only GSA-compliant player interface available for IGT 80960 machines. “Now operators will have access to future technologies on the gaming machines they have today,” said Rich Schneider, executive vice president of gaming products. “And, because this solution is GSA-compliant, it gives operators more control and flexibility for the types of content distributed across the network, creating a better player experience.”
IGT also announced its fourth IGT Network Systems Users Conference, scheduled for July 20-21 at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Online registration is available at www.IGT.com/UsersConference. Attendees will have the opportunity to see sbX™ in action at ARIA. The conference’s featured speaker, IGT’s Chief Technology Officer Chris Satchell will share insights on community gaming, cooperative play, player personalization and lessons learned from the world of video gamers. For more information, visit www.igt.com.
ATRONIC Installs at Gran Casino Costa Brava
ATRONIC is providing a comprehensive and unique end-to-end solution to Gran Casino Costa Brava on Spain’s east coast. ATRONIC is now installing the complete systems solution including online platform and modular systems software, as well as its latest linked gaming solutions and top performing core games, which are scheduled to go live when the casino opens in July 2010. Some of the systems include: CRYSTAL.netTM casino floor network, the Star|TABLES advanced table management system and Display MasterTM, the most efficient Roulette table display on the market. The casino will also feature the latest ATRONIC slots and games. For more information, visit www.atronic.com.
FutureLogic Granted Patent for Dual-Port Promotional Printer
FutureLogic Inc. announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently issued U.S. Patent No. 7,594,855 entitled, “Method and Apparatus for Gaming Promotional Printer,” for a gaming promotional printer that is connected to a gaming machine via a main communication port and separately connected to a promotional coupon controller via an auxiliary communication port. Additionally, FutureLogic Inc. was issued U.S. Patent No. 7,666,078 for a Financial Transaction Printer with Promotional Printing Capabilities and Australian Patents AU2008201594 for A Gaming Promotional Printer and AU2003248926 for a Gaming Machine Printer. “We are proud of this achievement and look forward to working with casinos and our EGM customers to implement this exciting technology in our products,” said Eric Meyerhofer, FutureLogic’s CEO. For more information, visit www.futurelogicinc.com
GSA Creates Committee to Develop EGM Validation Protocol
The Gaming Standards Association has created the Game Authentication Terminal (GAT) Committee. Comprised of GSA members from around the world, the newly formed committee will work to formalize a common GAT protocol interface for use in verifying the software on a gaming device by physically connecting to the gaming device. The committee will also define a common method of validating software from high capacity storage devices, such as CD-ROM, DVD, hard drive and disk-on-chip. GSA President Peter DeRaedt said, “The work that comes out of GAT will benefit the entire industry by solving a problem, reducing costs and creating a standard that will be globally acceptable.” For more information, visit www.gamingstardards.com.
Konami Announces Promotion of Ross O’Hanley
Konami Gaming Inc. is pleased to announce that effective April 1, 2010, Ross O’Hanley will assume the role of senior director, North American game sales and marketing. In addition to his current role, O’Hanley will take on the operational and strategic responsibilities for North American game sales. This new role has been established to provide additional focus on increasing Konami’s market share in North America, which is in alignment with the company’s objective of being a top tier supplier of gaming and systems products on a global basis. O’Hanley joined Konami as senior director of marketing in October 2008. For more information, visit www.konomigaming.com.
JCM Global Expands Sales, Service Teams
JCM Global has expanded its Sales and Service teams. In Sales, JCM Global has welcomed David Wafle as territory sales manager and Tobin Scott as sales executive. In Service, Jerry Pittmon has joined the team as customer service manager. Wafle will help JCM Global clients in Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey, New York and Canada with his extensive gaming industry experience. Scott will assist JCM customers in Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Washington. Jerry Pittmon joins JCM Global’s world-renowned Service Team as customer service manager. “It’s about having the best,” said JCM Global VP of Sales Mark Henderson. “The best customers deserve the best products, the best sales and the best service, and adding David, Tobin and Jerry to the JCM Global team builds on JCM’s tradition of accepting nothing less than the best.” For more information, visit www.jcmglobal.com.
Multimedia Elects Stanley to Board of Directors
Multimedia Games Inc. announced that shareholders approved the appointment of Timothy S. Stanley to serve on the company’s board of directors. Stanley brings more than 20 years of business and technology leadership to his service on Multimedia Games’ board including approximately eight years in senior management positions at Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. From 2006 to 2009, Stanley served as Harrah’s chief information officer and senior vice president of innovation, gaming and technology and from 2003 to 2006, was Harrah’s chief information officer and senior vice president, information technology. For more information, visit www.multimediagames.com.
Seminole Gaming Chooses gameViz Solution
BIS2 announced that Seminole Gaming of Florida has chosen to install the award-winning gameViZTM software. gameViz is a gaming industry-specific Web 2.0 data visualization software solution that allows casino operators to directly query their data without the requirement for ETL, and see the results visually using innovative and powerful Super Graphics. gameViz represents the next generation of advanced data visualization software for strategic, operational, and analytical users of gaming data. It enables users to understand and take action on their gaming data in a new way. Using visual documents to view complex data analysis gives the users a better way to understand their data and quickly identify patterns and improvement opportunities. For more information, visit www.bis2.net.
H.H. Robertson Announces New Casino Contracts
H.H. Robertson Floor Systems has been chosen to provide its in-floor wire distribution system products for four new casinos across the U.S. The projects are: Hollywood Casino, Perryville, Md.; Fair Grounds Gaming & Raceway, Hamburg, N.Y.; Jackson Rancheria Reconstruction, Jackson, Calif.; and Manchester Point Arena Casino, Point Arena, Calif. The Urban Design Group specified H.H. Robertson’s in-floor wire distribution system in Hollywood Casino’s design. For the Fair Grounds Gaming & Raceway, H.H. Robertson Floor Systems’ product will be used in a new casino that will replace the current facility in Hamburg. For more information, visit www.hhrobertson.com.
GLI Promotes Dan Lewis to Director of Engineering
Gaming Laboratories International has promoted Dan Lewis to director of engineering. Lewis has been with GLI for seven years as the company’s technical devices manager in the Las Vegas Lab, overseeing the intricate process of device testing. In his new position, Lewis will direct all engineering effort in the Las Vegas Lab and will report directly to Ian Hughes, senior director of engineering and client services. Hughes said: “Over the past seven years, Dan has proven himself to be an invaluable team member and team leader, and our customers can continue to feel confident that only the best engineers are testing devices and systems.” For more information, visit www.gaminglabs.com.
CDI and Qualex Announce Partnership
Casino Data Imaging (CDI) and Qualex Consulting Services Inc. (Qualex) announced a partnership to launch new BI developments for CDI’s leading CasinoCAD© data visualization analysis product set, as well as to co-develop CDI’s next generation program modules and platforms. George Levine, CDI’s corporate spokesman, said, “Aligning ourselves with a great company such as Qualex enables CDI to expand our program capabilities with smart, elegant and cost effective solutions to the casino industry.” Qualex is an award-winning leading BI software integrator headquartered in Miami, Fla., with international offices in London, Mumbai, Buenos Aires and Santo Domingo. For more information, visit www.casinodataimaging.com.
VisuaLimits Signs Agreement With Soboba Casino
VisuaLimits has signed an agreement to install 30 units of its table game management system signs at Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, Calif. VisuaLimits proprietary technology incorporates within an attractive, unobtrusive table game sign, an integrated table game management system, which affords casinos the ability to enhance pit operations by solving scheduling and dealer performance inefficiencies, through the management of real-time game status reporting and automated dealer monitoring. COO Ryan McClellan said: “In today’s economy, there is clearly a need for cost-effective solutions to improving efficiencies. I’m sure the results achieved will set new standards for pit operations control.” For more information, visit www.visualimits.com.
WhiteSand Consulting Changes Name
More reflective of its consulting and casino management services, WhiteSand Consulting has become WhiteSand Gaming. As the company continued to grow and expand, board members felt it was time to change to WhiteSand Gaming and create a new website that provides a great resource for its customers. WhiteSand continues work in the U.S. and continues to expand presence in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa. In addition, they will be releasing the first edition of the “WhiteSand Tech Report,” a new monthly product review that will highlight the features and functionality of some of the newest and most promising solutions in use by casino resorts today. For more information, visit www.whitesandgaming.com.
VIAGE Brussels Selects Gaming Support
Gaming Support announced today that one of the world’s leading casino operators, Casinos Austria International (CAI), has selected Gaming Support as its exclusive signage provider for its new property, VIAGE Brussels. Under the terms of the agreement, Gaming Support will provide custom designed signage that will communicate to patrons the vision behind the new VIAGE complex. For more information, visit www.gamingsupport.com.
Rymax Welcomes Jagelka as Western Regional Sales Manager
Rymax Marketing Services Inc. is pleased to announce the addition of Joseph Jagelka to its team as western regional sales manager of product sales. Jagelka joins the product sales team, servicing clients throughout the United States and abroad. With more than 20 years of experience within the consumer products and incentive industries, Jagelka will be an enormous asset to the product sales team. Jagelka has been in various management and field sales positions for Vivitar, Casio and A.T. Cross. For more information, visit www.rymaxinc.com.
Rivers Casino Announces New GM, VPs of Gaming, Marketing
Todd MoyerTodd Moyer, a graduate of Shippensburg University with more than 20 years of gaming industry experience, has been appointed to the role of general manager for Rivers Casino. Moyer replaces Acting General Manager David Patent. Moyer previously served as the general manager of Diamond Jo Casino in Dubuque, Iowa, and held executive positions with Palace Station Hotel & Casino and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, as well as Trump Marina Hotel Casino in Atlantic City.
Rivers Casino welcomes Corey Plummer as vice president of gaming. In his current role, he leads the development of strategic initiatives for VIP services and gaming—including Corey Plummerthe casino’s proposed table games. Plummer served as the vice president of slots at Red Hawk Casino in Shingle Springs, Calif. prior to joining the Rivers Casino, and worked for Aristocrat Technologies Inc., opened Native American properties and managed gaming and casino marketing both domestically and internationally.
Danielle K. Bateman joined the Rivers Casino leadership team as the vice president of marketing in December 2009. Under Bateman’s direction, the casino’s marketing initiatives have helped drive revenues up to record levels in February and March. Prior to Danielle K. Batemanjoining Rivers Casino, Bateman served as an integral member of the opening team at Philadelphia Park Casino (now Parx Casino) in Bensalem, Pa. For more information, visit www.theriverscasino.com.