AGEM Announces Seven New Members
The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) announced that its board of directors has approved the membership applications of seven new companies, bringing the trade group comprised of the world’s leading gaming suppliers to a total of 119 members. The new AGEM members are: CSA Group, based in Toronto, an independent, not-for-profit membership association that, through its certification process, is dedicated to safety, social good and sustainability; EWA Cyber Security, based in Herndon, Va., that satisfies its clients’ needs with a comprehensive range of services, including initial needs assessments, policy development, network and product testing, monitoring and training; Genesis Interactive Technologies, based in Las Vegas, that offers a full line of table game products for the casino industry, including chips, dice, cards, tables, layouts, systems and online games; Impact LCD, based in San Diego, a division of Impact Components and a supplier of high-quality LCD products; JCS Technologies, based in Las Vegas, with more than 16 years of history providing the gaming industry with cables, wire harnesses, printed circuit boards and mechanical assemblies; Southwest Fabricators, based in El Cajon, Calif., a full-service contract manufacturer specializing in precision sheet metal fabrication and turn-key assembly for a variety of industries; and Zitro, based in Spain, a global leader in video bingo machines with placements in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Columbia, Luxembourg, Italy and the U.S. For more information, visit www.agem.org.
Bally Signs Agreement to Provide I-Gaming Platform for Mohegan Sun Casinos
Bally Technologies Inc. announced it has reached an agreement to provide its iGaming platform to Mohegan Sun’s casinos in Uncasville, Conn. and Wilkes-Barre, Pa., adding to the growing portfolio of online gaming sites the company develops for casino operators. The agreement will enable Mohegan Sun to offer play-for-free online poker in Connecticut and Pennsylvania in preparation for online wagering regulation. Mohegan Sun selected Bally Interactive following a six-month review process. Bally’s iGaming platform offers casino operators a number of benefits. The platform’s open architecture enables operators to choose from best-in-class content from a multitude of providers. Additionally, content is hosted, limiting the infrastructure required. The iGaming platform is also designed for mobile integration and is ready to accommodate online gaming beyond poker, such as casino table games, video slots, sports betting and social. Earlier this year, Bally Technologies became the first company licensed in the U.S. as an interactive gaming system manufacturer and service provider. For more information, visit www.ballytech.com.
Marcel Heutmekers
Marcel Heutmekers
SPIELO International Appoints Heutmekers to Lead International Casino Business
SPIELO International Senior Vice President and COO Victor Duarte announced the appointment of Marcel Heutmekers as vice president and general manager for the international casino business. Heutmekers brings a wealth of experience to his new role, most recently serving as SPIELO International’s senior director of developing markets. In his new role, Heutmekers will now oversee all of SPIELO International’s casino business, which includes Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Heutmekers has had a long and successful career in the gaming business, including senior positions both on the operator and on the supplier side. As a result, he has an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the needs of the operators across the various territories. As part of his new role, he will be splitting his base between SPIELO International offices in Luebbecke, Germany and Graz, Austria. For more information, visit www.spielo.com.
Darrell Rodriguez
Darrell Rodriguez
IGT Partners with Third-Party Game Developers, Promotes Rodriguez, Signs Agreements with Manitoba Lotteries and Land-Based Casinos
International Game Technology (IGT) announced that they have partnered with several third-party game developers, including High 5 Games, to expand the selection of titles in their game theme library. IGT’s agreement with High 5 Games allows the company to continue with their long-standing relationship and deliver exciting slot entertainment to players, across all platforms, including land-based, social, online and mobile. Big Dragon Lounge™, Golden Three™ and That’s A Hit™ are just a few of the 16, exclusive to IGT High 5 Games titles.
IGT CEO Patti S. Hart announced that she has named Darrell Rodriguez to the newly created position of Chief Creative Officer, effective immediately. Rodriguez has served as IGT’s senior vice president of global game studios since October 2010. The alignment of the company’s creative resources under Rodriguez’s leadership demonstrates IGT’s continued commitment to delivering integrated, dynamic content and solutions for casino operators and players around the globe.
Separately, Chris Satchell, IGT’s CTO and EVP R&D, has announced that he would depart the company on Oct. 19, 2012. “Chris has helped to drive meaningful progress with our technical strategy and product development,” Hart said. “We would like to thank Chris for his contributions to IGT and we wish him well in all of his future endeavors.”
IGT also announced that the company has signed an agreement with Manitoba Lotteries, a public corporation owned by the provincial government of Manitoba, to provide a minimum of 3,000 video lottery terminals. IGT’s GL20 lottery terminals will be installed in Manitoba. These terminals are specifically designed for the video lottery industry and comply with Gaming Standards Association specifications and game-to-system (G2S) protocols. Featured on the GL20’s will be a number of popular IGT titles, such as Lucky Larry’s Lobstermania® and Five Times Pay®, as well as a library of new games including Golden Goddess®, Double DaVinci Diamonds® and the hugely successful Seven’s Wild®.
IGT has additionally announced that it has signed on with 15 more land-based casino partners who will be featuring the DoubleDown Casino solution on their websites—taking the total to 24 since the partnership program was introduced in August. For more information, visit www.igt.com.
SHFL entertainment Inc. Welcomes Juan Pablo Irarrazaval, Announces Agreement with Joingo
SHFL entertainment Inc. is pleased to announce the engagement of Juan Pablo Irarrazaval as general business manager for Central and South America. Irarrazaval will oversee all business development and sales in the area. He will lead SHFL’s efforts in introducing the Equinox slot machines into the region and will set the strategy to effectively support customers in all countries. Irarrazaval previously served as the Latin American general business manager for Aristocrat Technologies from 1999-2011.
SHFL entertainment also announced its agreement with mobile and social technology company Joingo to offer digital versions of the company’s popular casino table games to SHFL’s B2B casino operators via the Joingo Game Network. Together, Joingo and SHFL will enable casino operators to offer their players an authentic Las Vegas-style gaming experience from within their branded mobile app, enjoying integrated casino games such as Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Fortune Pai Gow Poker, and Casino War with more titles on the way. For more information, visit www.shfl.com.
Kelcey Allison
Kelcey Allison
Aruze Gaming Appoints Kelcey Allison
Aruze Gaming America announced that it has appointed Kelcey Allison as vice president, sales for the Americas. In his new role, Allison will be responsible for all sales management as Aruze Gaming continues to expand its presence in the Americas. Allison brings more than 20 years of experience to his new position. Prior to joining Aruze Gaming in 2009, Allison worked for Progressive Gaming International Corp. for more than 10 years in various executive management positions in sales/marketing throughout the United States and Latin America. Previously, Allison held executive management positions at two major consumer electronics companies. For more information, visit www.aruzegaming.com.
WMS Granted Nevada Interactive Gaming Licenses; Williams Interactive Announces Licensing Agreements
WMS Gaming Inc. announced that the Nevada Gaming Commission unanimously approved WMS for both an interactive gaming manufacturer license and a service provider license in the state of Nevada. The interactive gaming licenses enable the company to partner with Nevada casino operators to provide online poker to players. Nevada is the first state to adopt statutes and develop a regulatory framework for online poker in the United States, and the Nevada Gaming Commission is the first regulatory agency to award statewide online gaming licenses. WMS is advancing casino operators’ i-gaming efforts through a comprehensive and flexible suite of products and services that will bridge and connect in-casino, online, social, casual and mobile gaming entertainment into an integrated gaming ecosystem.
Williams Interactive LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of WMS Industries Inc. announced the signing of multi-year licensing agreements with both Betsson AB and Unibet Group. Under the agreements, Betsson and Unibet each will have non-exclusive access to the full selection of the extensive portfolio of proven WMS games, including player favorites such as the WIZARD OF OZ™, Zeus®, Reel ‘Em In® and Jackpot Party® games, through the company’s Jadestone portfolio of online games. Both agreements also anticipate the future opportunity for distribution of WMS gaming content through Betsson’s and Unibet’s online casinos across the mobile channel. In aggregate, Betsson, Unibet and their operating companies provide online gaming entertainment to more than 12 million registered players in more than 100 countries globally. The first WMS games are anticipated to be available on the Unibet and Betsson online casinos early in calendar 2013. For more information, visit www.wms.com.
Konami Gaming Inc. Finalizes License Agreement with Paltronics, Establishes Singapore Office
Konami Gaming Inc. has forged a license agreement with Paltronics, whereby Konami will be able to offer Paltronics’ One Link 3E Suite of Progressive, Bonusing and Media Management products with the Konami Casino Management System (KCMS) and Konami’s extensive catalog of games products, announced Steve Sutherland, chief operating officer at Konami Gaming Inc. Yuji Taniguchi, vice president of research and development for games at Konami Gaming Inc. explained: “This license agreement provides our game designers with the ability to design games with ‘no winning combination required’ progressives using Paltronics’ must-win-by progressive technology. This adds a level of excitement and thrill for players since the progressive jackpot could hit at any time.”
Konami also announced that it has established a branch office in Singapore, announced Satoshi Sakamoto, chief executive officer. The Konami Gaming Inc. Singapore branch will be located at 1 Fullerton Rd, #02-01 One Fullerton, Singapore 049213, and will operate under the experienced leadership of John Gomes, who will serve as the branch’s general manager. Gomes brings 25 years of gaming industry experience to the role from both the operator and supplier sides and has an extensive background in international sales management and business development. Most recently, Gomes served as managing director for IGT in Asia. For more information, visit www.gaming.konami.com.
Kirsten Clark
Kirsten Clark
GPI Promotes Kirsten Clark
Gaming Partners International Corp. (GPIC) announced that it has promoted Vice President of Global Marketing and Product Management Kirsten Clark to senior vice president and chief operating officer – Asia. In this role, she will also continue to be responsible for global marketing and product management. GPIC also announced that Dwight Watson has joined the company as the account executive for the northwest sales region that includes northern Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Western Canada. For more information, visit www.gpigaming.com.
Gary Platt Manufacturing Announces Shipments
Skip Davis, president of Gary Platt Manufacturing is thrilled to announce the shipment of 1,290 chairs to the Grand Sierra Resort Casino in Reno, Nev. All gaming chairs and several of the property’s bar areas were upgraded to Gary Platt seating. The high-limit table games were custom designed through the collaborative effort of Gary Platt’s team and the vision of Nancy Paolino from Innovativo Design in Las Vegas, who also tied together unique colors, textures and finishes to assist in the successful relaunch of Grand Sierra Resort.
Gary Platt Manufacturing also announced that August was an excellent month, shipping more than 4,000 chairs with one shipment of 965 chairs going to Casino Arizona located in Scottsdale, Ariz. Casino Arizona ordered the Barona-style seat with a Hi-lo understructure to give their customers maximum comfort. The design work on this job was furnished by FFKR headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information, visit www.garyplatt.com.
GCA Announces Strategic Partnership with FutureLogic
GCA announced a strategic partnership with FutureLogic. The companies will work together on delivering cashless gaming solutions tightly integrated with current product offerings to expand ticketing solutions in North America. “Our partnership with FutureLogic endorses our long-term goal to deliver solutions tightly integrated with those of our customers,” commented Scott Betts, chief executive officer of GCA. “The partnership also demonstrates our continued commitment to ‘ticket-based solutions’ and operational efficiencies, while assisting operators in enhancing their patrons’ gaming experiences.” “This strategic alliance creates tremendous synergy between our companies,” stated Eric Meyerhofer, chief executive officer of FutureLogic. “We are enthusiastic about partnering with GCA and the momentum generated by this new partnership.” For more information, visit www.gcainc.com or www.futurelogic-inc.com.
Paul Lofgren
Paul Lofgren
American Gaming Systems Granted Manufacturer’s License in Mississippi
AGS announced that on Sept. 20, the Mississippi Gaming Commission granted AGS LLC a manufacturer and distributor’s license to conduct business in the state of Mississippi. “This is a major step forward for our company,” said Paul Lofgren, VP of sales & business development. “The Mississippi market is a key part of our overall strategy in the United States.” Upon receiving all the appropriate regulatory approvals, AGS’ gaming devices will be powered by its revolutionary new Roadrunner™ platform. With its proprietary 3-D graphics engine that features an accelerated video frame refresh rate, Roadrunner produces crystal-clear graphics and superior game-play features for all players. In addition to introducing dynamic new content in the video game segment, AGS will also launch their thrilling new Wheel and Pachinko feature games including Ripley’s Believe it or Not! and Blackbeard’s Treasure and Pay It Again Poker, a game destined to appeal to video poker players of all skill levels. For more information, visit www.americangamingsystems.com.
Station Casinos Appoints Stephen Cavallaro President
Station Casinos announced that veteran gaming executive Stephen L. Cavallaro has been appointed president of Station Casinos LLC. Cavallaro will also serve as the president of Fertitta Entertainment LLC, the company that manages Station Casinos’ assets. Cavallaro brings more than 30 years of casino and hospitality expertise to Station Casinos. For the past eight years, Cavallaro has been chairman and CEO of Cavallaro Consulting Group, providing business and management expertise to various companies including Texas Pacific Group, Station Casinos and Fertitta Entertainment, Ameristar Casinos, Monarch Resorts and Delaware North Companies, among others. Cavallaro will report to Frank J. Fertitta III, who will retain his positions as chairman and CEO of Station Casinos. For more information, visit www.sclv.com.
IDan Schrementi
Dan Schrementi
ncredible Technologies Announces New Promotion, New Headquarters
Incredible Technologies (IT) announced the promotion of the company’s current Director of Gaming Marketing and New Media Dan Schrementi, to vice president of gaming marketing and new media. The position is part of a new senior management role as the growing slot manufacturer continues their market-driven approach to developing leading-edge slot concepts with exceptional return on investment. Schrementi has been with IT for nine years in various marketing roles. After working in the marketing department for the Chicago White Sox, Schrementi joined IT in 2003 as marketing associate for the company’s amusement products such as Golden Tee® Golf. Through the launch of IT’s casino gaming segment in 2005, Schrementi was moved to director of gaming marketing and new media, where he has spent that time developing IT’s gaming marketing brands and product strategies.
Incredible Technologies also announced the relocation from their current corporate headquarters in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Ill., to a new, larger facility in Vernon Hills, Ill., on Oct. 19. President and CEO Elaine Hodgson says the relocation is a promising sign for the future of IT. The new 82,000-square-foot building, located 35 miles northwest of Chicago, is more than twice the size of IT’s current facility. While an emphasis has been placed on greater manufacturing capabilities to better meet an increase in customer demands, office space has also been reworked to optimize development teamwork and creativity. The new facility also houses a casino-like showroom and conference area to be used for meetings and various forms of product testing. For more information, visit www.itcasinogames.com.
NEWave Installs at Riverwind Casino®, Two Ohio Casinos
NEWave has completed installation of its Title 31 software at Riverwind Casino® in Norman, Okla. The installation makes Riverwind Casino the 28th casino in Oklahoma to use or be contracted to use NEWave software. NEWave’s widely used Title 31 software is part of the company’s award-winning myCompliance Manager software suite, which includes Title 31, Tax Form Validator and Compliance Trainer modules. The powerful suite helps casinos guarantee compliance and adherence to taxation requirements and avoidance of potentially costly fines.
NEWave has also signed deals to install its award-winning myCompliance Manager, myRevenue Manager and myDocument Manager® software suites at two Ohio casinos: one in Columbus, and the other in Toledo. NEWave’s myCompliance Manager, myRevenue Manager and myDocument Manager software suites are a powerful combination, and have been field-tested and independently proven to help casinos protect the bottom line, ensure compliance, increase efficiencies, streamline the entire operation, and save casinos tens of thousands of dollars annually. For more information, visit www.mynewave.com.
NRT Technology Expanding its Las Vegas Operations
NRT Technology Inc. (NRT) is expanding its operations. The firm announced a Las Vegas expansion plan to focus on customer service and support, as well as research and development for payment and financial services technology for the global casino market. “NRT continues to grow and grow,” said Michael Dominelli, vice president of marketing. “We are headed to what will surely be a full turnkey provider of cash access service as well as support to our industry leading products and services.” NRT is proud to announce the opening of its new American headquarters on Oct. 1, 2012, located at 744 Pilot Road, Las Vegas. When fully utilized, this state-of-the-art facility will house more sales and support staff, center for excellence in training and education, financial services research and development team. Future plans to run a manufacturing line to produce the industry leading QuickJack™ line of multifunctional redemption devices. For more information, visit www.nrttech.com.
Mark German
Mark German
Gasser Chair Enters Australian Market, Expands into Hawaii
Gasser Chair Co. has expanded into the Australian, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea markets and has appointed Mark German as its new regional sales representative for the region. German will be based out of the southwestern Sydney suburb of Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia. German brings to Gasser a wealth of knowledge and experience from his time working at management levels in the sales and gaming industries. Previous positions include divisional sales manager at Aristocrat; sales manager at Olympic Video Gaming; and New South Wales (NSW) sales manager at IGT, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of computerized gaming machines and network systems products.
Peter Pao
Peter Pao
Gasser also announced a strategic partnership with All Island Representatives Ltd. as Gasser’s representation to the hospitality and military markets in the Hawaiian Islands. Peter Pao, principal of All Island Representatives, began working in the factory representation industry seven years ago. Prior to that, he held leadership positions in the food, smallwares and equipment supply businesses. The partnership with All Island Representatives gives Gasser Chair Co. a prominent presence in one of the United States’ most important tourism markets—Hawaii—enabling hoteliers to have easy access to the comprehensive suite of hospitality seating solutions that have become staples of the service-centric hotel industry in the United States and elsewhere around the globe. For more information, visit www.gasserchair.com.
GLI Names Audit and Compliance Expert Paul Cornbleth Senior Audit Manager
Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) has named gaming audit and compliance expert Paul Cornbleth as the company’s new senior audit manager. Cornbleth brings a tremendous balance of experience to GLI, having worked on the supplier, operator and regulatory sides of the industry. In his position, Cornbleth will be based in GLI’s Las Vegas laboratory and will be responsible for overseeing all of GLI’s work that relates to systems reporting requirements and other associated equipment evaluations. He will also be responsible for administering GLI’s operating controls, guidelines and processes to ensure adherence to industry standards, regulatory requirements and corporate policies. Additionally, he will work with GLI’s Global Professional Services Group to provide World Lottery Association (WLA) certification services to GLI’s clients worldwide. For more information, visit www.gaminglabs.com.
GSA Issues First G2S Product Certification to SPIELO International
The Gaming Standards Association (GSA) has issued the first Game to System (G2S) certification in its certification program. The certification was issued to SPIELO International™ for its INTELLIGEN™ Central System, the Distributed Game Management (DGM) application v2.2, and iLink™ site controller v2.2, which has been tested and certified for the Game to System (G2S) protocol. To achieve GSA certification, products must pass rigorous tests conducted by a qualified ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory and be proven to correctly implement functionality within a GSA standard. Having passed all tests, SPIELO’s INTELLIGEN Central System, DGM application and iLink site controller may now proudly bear the GSA Certified mark. For more information, visit www.gamingstandards.com.
New Casino Neuchâtel Selects Gaming Support Slimline Signs
Casino Neuchâtel has selected to install slimline signs designed and manufactured uniquely by Gaming Support. Casino Neuchâtel will be operated by Kongress + Kursaal Bern AG, which is also licensed by Switzerland’s Federal Gaming Board (ESBK) to operate Grand Casino Bern. “In July 2012, Gaming Support was awarded a contract by Grand Casino Bern to supply it with a range of jackpot signs,” stated Floris Slingenberg, director of sales for Gaming Support. “Grand Casino Bern was so impressed with the quality, flexibility and wide range of benefits our slimline signs offer, that it has purchased more for its new casino in Neuchâtel. For more information, visit www.gamingsupport.com.
Genesis Gaming Solutions Launches Sister Company
Genesis Gaming Solutions Inc. has announced the formation of Genesis Interactive Technologies, a sister company that was created to augment the company’s hugely popular pit and poker room management and player tracking system products. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Genesis Interactive provides a full line of table game furniture and products to the casino industry. Genesis Interactive’s extensive product line includes custom-built gaming tables and furniture, table layouts, precision dice, playing cards, table game displays and readerboards, and table game accessories. For more information, visit www.genesisgaming.com.
WhiteSand Gaming to Add Offices in London and Macau
WhiteSand President and CEO Sal Scheri announced the gaming-services firm will open its first international offices in London and Macau. The move capitalizes on an uptick in successes for WhiteSand Gaming, which has seen marked growth in several areas since its inception in 2001. “Adding offices abroad will allow us to further expand our global presence,” Scheri said. “We can now connect with our international clients on a more personal level, providing them with the individualized attention they deserve.” WhiteSand’s extensive knowledge of both worldwide and domestic markets has sparked the initiative to expand at a time when many companies are scaling back. The new offices, located in two of the world’s prime gaming markets, help solidify an already impressive resume overseas for the Las Vegas-based firm that also has an office in Atlantic City. For more information, visit www.whitesandgaming.com.
CDI Announces New U.S. Sales
Casino Data Imaging announced sales of its award-winning GlobalSuite™ software to seven U.S. casinos including Grand Victoria Casino Elgin and Desert Diamond Casinos. GlobalSuite provides single and multi-casino operators a thorough view of their gaming data from a user configured 2-D and ultra 3-D visualization module and data analysis control center. Easy to deploy, powerful, but affordable, its capabilities allows users to analyze and explore data with unprecedented level of speed, flexibility and visual creativity.
CDI also announced the installation of its award-winning iGuide™ Wayfinding program at San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Highland, Calif. iGuide Wayfinder Plus goes several steps beyond existing “way finder” type technology by combining CDI’s patent pending “point2point” technology with a story board that provides a positive experience for the patron (promoting repeat use). When looking at iGuide’s home screen, the patron sees the casino map and all applicable categories (NaviKeys). iGuide’s navigating technology makes it easy for a patron to follow the orb’s path while identifying landmarks along the way. For more information, visit www.casinodataimaging.com.
The MeJack Breslin
Jack Breslin
dia & Marketing Group Strengthens Strategic Services and Sales with Jack Breslin
The Media and Marketing Group (M&M) announced that Jack Breslin has joined the firm as vice president of strategic planning and business development. Breslin, who will manage the agency’s new Denver-based office, joins M&M with more than 25 years of casino marketing experience. Recently, Breslin directed strategic marketing and business development for Wright Casino Marketing of Denver, which grew the firm from a mail production house to a multimedia, gaming-focused agency with a national presence. After working in the newspaper and radio industries, Breslin started his career in Atlantic City, holding advertising and marketing positions at The Sands Hotel Casino and with The Trump Organization. For more information, visit www.2mg.com.
GambleID Taps Locaid for Geolocation Services
The online gambling industry now has a dynamic, new online service for verifying player identity and meeting mobile location compliance requirements, thanks to a collaboration between GambleID and Locaid. As a rule, the gaming industry must verify all player identities, which can sometimes mean submitting extremely sensitive information to be presented by online players. Largely, this identity verification process proves cumbersome for the customer, as well as difficult for the merchant to accurately maintain and service. The GambleID service provides accurate, real-time identity authentication services on customers for the merchants in the online poker and casino industry that facilitates the mandatory state regulations for customer accounts. “With the addition of Locaid’s unspoofable, carrier-grade location services, the state regulated layer of location validation is provided,” stated GambleID President JD Garner. “Now, when online poker and casino merchants need to assure their state compliance for customer account verification they only need to access one service through the secure GambleID solution.” For more information, visit www.gambleid.com or www.loc-aid.com.
Unity Technologies and IGT Form Multi-Year Strategic Partnership
Unity Technologies announced a multi-year strategic partnership with IGT. IGT showcased games created in Unity at IGT’s booth at G2E. Unity Technologies also demonstrated their industry-leading development technology at Unity’s booth. Unity is used by slot manufacturers and online gambling companies around the world to create some of the most exciting and compelling interactive gambling content. “We are excited by the opportunities offered by combining IGT’s world-class platform and game development, with the power and productivity of the Unity engine,” said Chris Satchel, CTO, IGT. “This is an important step in helping us produce our next generation of industry leading games.” For more information, visit www.unity3d.com.
Fantasy Springs Resort Casino Hires Two Key PlayersVincent Mascio
Vincent Mascio
Dave Polizzi
Dave Polizzi
Vincent Mascio has been hired as the director of table games at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. In this role, he will oversee facilities and equipment of table games and off track betting. Most recently, Mascio was the senior vice president for Sands Macao where he was responsible for the daily operations there, as well as at the three Macao properties owned by LVS, including the Venetian, Sands and the Plaza Casino at Four Seasons. Dave Polizzi has been hired as slot director at Fantasy Springs. In this role, he will be primarily responsible for designing the game mix and configuration on the casino floor. Polizzi has more than 27 years of experience in the gaming industry. Polizzi spent the last two decades working at Trump Plaza Casino in Atlantic City where he last served as the vice president of casino operations. For more information, visit www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
Tom Barham
Tom Barham
The Rainmaker Group Appoints New CFO
The Rainmaker Group announced the appointment of Tom Barham as chief financial officer (CFO). As a key member of Rainmaker’s executive team, Barham will help the company’s continued growth and success by optimizing capital structures, raising capital, and improving and enhancing the company’s financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting capabilities. Barham brings extensive CFO expertise, combined with deep knowledge gained through 25 years of business experience, to his role at Rainmaker. For more information, visit www.letitrain.com.
Avigilon Hires VP of Global Business DevJeremy Howard
Jeremy Howard
elopment
Avigilon announced the appointment of Jeremy Howard to the role of vice president of global business development. In this position, he will build and oversee a vertical-specific sales team comprised of industry experts. This sales team will be focused on growing revenue through strategic enterprise and global standardization opportunities. With approximately 20 years of security industry experience, Howard will be responsible for building and overseeing a sales team focused on vertical opportunities including gaming, retail, critical infrastructure, government, as well as global and national integrators. Before joining Avigilon, Howard was the director of strategic accounts for Verint, a global leader in enterprise and security intelligence. For more information, visit www.avigilon.com.
Spin Games and GeoComply Team Up to Launch Interactive Games Portfolio
Spin Games’ innovative game content will soon come embedded with geolocation capabilities across PC, Mac and mobile devices by way of teaming up with GeoComply. Spin Games’ Founder and President Kent Young states: “We’re excited to be showcasing our new interactive products to the G2E audience. As the North American land-based market looks to move online, we are leveraging all our knowledge of the gaming floor to the online space. Geofencing is critical to success, whether for in-state or in-building gaming and as such we are integrating GeoComply’s location solution from the get-go.”
“Kent and Spin Games really are true innovators in the land-based gaming sector and we are delighted to work with them as they move online with Spin Interactive,” said Anna Sainsbury, CEO of GeoComply. “Top-quality game content will be critical to success as the market evolves, and with this partnership Spin are free to focus on that side of their business as we deal with the compliance requirements for geofencing.” For more information, visit www.geocomply.com or www.spingames.net.
Richard L. Baldwin Joins Union Gaming
Union Gaming Analytics (UGA) announced that Richard L. Baldwin has joined the firm as managing director to head its analytics business. Baldwin has more than 17 years of corporate finance, capital markets, investor relations and general management experience spanning the global gaming industry. Baldwin has held several executive level positions, including chief financial officer at Tropicana Entertainment, executive vice president and chief financial officer at Shuffle Master Gaming, and director of corporate finance and investor relations at International Game Technology. For more information, visit www.uniongaminggroup.com.
Howard & Howard Congratulates Best Lawyers 2013
Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC announced that nine attorneys were selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2013. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. The Howard & Howard attorneys and the practice area under which they are listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2013 are as follows: Ann Arbor office: Patrick M. McCarthy, Commercial Litigation; Las Vegas office: Robert L. Rosenthal, Litigation – Labor & Employment; Royal Oak office: Jess A. Bahs, Tax Law; Joseph J. DeVito, Corporate Law; Lisa S. Gretchko, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Michael V. Kell, Commercial Litigation; Rodger A. Kershner, Energy Law; Henry P. Lee, Trusts and Estates; and Jeffrey A. Sadowski, Litigation – Intellectual Property. For more information, visit www.howardandhoward.com.