IGT Scores Big Systems Deal with Northern Quest Resort & Casino; IGT and LT Game Form Partnership to Expand Game Distribution
IGT once again raised the bar on systems innovation with an agreement to install its Advantage 9.1 System Suite along with sbX Media Manager at Northern Quest Resort & Casino. The comprehensive systems solution includes IGT’s Point Play and Xtra Credit bonus applications, sbX Media Manager and IGT’s Service Window. IGT’s acquisition of DoubleDown Interactive provided engaging social casino style entertainment to more than six million players monthly. With its IGT Advantage 9.1 system installation slated for August 2014, Northern Quest Resort and Casino deployed IGT’s Point Play “downloadable credits” and Xtra Credit “free play” bonusing applications floor-wide. Northern Quest also leveraged IGT’s Service Window and sbX Media Manager applications to offer real-time incentives creating more memorable gaming experiences for its players.
Two gaming service and product suppliers joined forces to expand distribution in Macau and North America, in a three-year agreement between global casino gaming entertainment leader IGT and Paradise Entertainment Limited subsidiary LT Game. Under the terms of the agreement, IGT distributed LT Game’s live and electronic table game systems in the United States and Canada, while LT Game served as distributor for IGT’s slot machines in Macau. As IGT and LT Game each seek to expand their global market share and product portfolio, this partnership provided the unique opportunity to leverage existing sales, service and compliance infrastructures to drive revenues from incremental product segments. The terms of the agreement specify that IGT will distribute LT Game products on an exclusive basis across jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada. IGT is also granted right of first refusal for distribution of LT Games to Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico, South America and Central America. For more information, visit www.igt.com.
Casino Estoril Names JCM Global Preferred Bill Acceptor Supplier, JCM Enters into Definitive Agreement to Acquire FutureLogic
Casino Estoril awarded preferred supplier status distinction to JCM. The honor comes less than a month after another Portuguese casino named JCM its preferred supplier. Specifically, Casino Estoril named JCM’s award-winning iVIZION® as its preferred bill validator, adding to the growing list of casinos in Portugal, across Europe and worldwide that have named iVIZION their preferred bill validator. Casino Estoril has been a JCM customer since 1997, and have benefitted from the security and speed of JCM’s landmark WBA® and UBA® products. After a three-month test, the casino has decided to evolve the floor with the better, smarter, faster iVIZION.
JCM also entered into a definitive agreement to acquire FL Group, Inc., doing business as FutureLogic, from American Capital, Ltd. The acquisition added to JCM’s exceptional line of peripheral component products, including bill validators, printers and digital media. FutureLogic printers and couponing solutions, such as Ticket2Go™, TableXchange® and PromoNet® systems products, provide key technology platforms for growth initiatives and recurring revenue. The products strengthened and diversified JCM’s peripheral portfolio to the marketplaces and industries it serves globally, such as banking, gaming, kiosk, retail and transportation. In addition to the FutureLogic line of products, JCM will continue to market, sell, service and support the Nanoptix line of printers, including the award-winning PayCheck 4™ thermal printer. For more information, visit www.jcmglobal.com.
Multimedia Games Announces First 40 Qualifiers for the National TournEvent of Champions Finals
Multimedia Games hosted the National TournEvent of Champions in collaboration with casinos across the country to crown the nation’s best slot tournament player. Through June, the first 40 casino finalists qualified to compete for the national title at the Wynn’s XS Nightclub in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2014. Qualifying rounds continued through September with a total of 120 slot players competing for the National Championship and a grand prize of $200,000. The April-June qualifiers include: Isabelle Elliott, Big Bend, Calif., Rolling Hills Casino; Martin Placko, Edmond, Okla., Riverwind Casino; Arlene Mohler, Marshalltown, Iowa, Meskwaki Bingo Casino & Hotel; Janice Kenty, Rainy River, Ontario, Seven Clans Casino – Warroad; Sheila Williams, Olalla, Wash., Muckleshoot Casino; Nancy Salisbury, North Liberty, Iowa, Jumer’s Casino & Hotel; Pamela June Rademacher, Sequim, Wash., 7 Cedars Casino; Jolynn Rice, Anacortes, Wash., Swinomish Casino & Lodge; Lonnie Clausnitzer, Puyallup, Wash., Emerald Queen Casino; Richard Marcoe, Puyallup, Wash., Emerald Queen Hotel & Casino; Teddy Christensen, Granger, Iowa, Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Resort; Brandi Hicking, Airway Heights, Wash., Northern Quest Resort Casino; Larry Lenoch, Rochester, Minn., Treasure Island Casino; Wendy Lee Davidson, Lewiston, Idaho, Clearwater River Casino; Alvin Lehman, Columbus, Ind., Indiana Grand Racing & Casino; Bret Oakerson, Richmond, Ind., Hoosier Park Casino; Charles Hicks, French Lick, Ind., French Lick Resort & Casino; Bernadette Gaeta, Madera, Calif., Table Mountain Casino; Shirley Dowd, Fortuna, Calif., Bear River Casino; Wayne Austin, South Boardman, Minn., Turtle Creek Casino; Robert Brian, Five Lake, Mich., Turtle Creek Casino; Sareth Sok, Richmond, Calif., Cache Creek Casino; Shelly Wood, Marysville, Calif., Colusa Casino Resort; Tamell Jackson, Oak Park, Ill., Majestic Star; Ardyth Lee Biffel, Acampo, Calif., Jackson Rancheria Casino and Hotel; Edilberto Pimentel, Elk Grove, Calif., Thunder Valley Casino; Jay Kaster, Green Bay, Wis., Potawotami Carter Casino; Tammy Phothiboupha, Rockford, Ill., Ho-Chunk Madison Casino; Angelina Lemus Lopez, Lindsay, Calif., Eagle Mountain Casino; Sharon Haines, Arcadia, Wis., Ho-Chunk Black River Falls Casino; Barbara Franken, Milwaukee, Wis., Ho-Chunk Wisconsin Dells Casino; Christina Scinta-Fox, Niagara Falls, NY, Seneca Niagara Casino; Brian Woloshen, Dallas, Texas, WinStar World Casino and Resort; Karen Underhill, Arlington, Texas, WinStar World Casino and Resort; Thomas Hamilton, Hurst, Texas, WinStar World Casino and Resort; Susan Nolan, El Cajon, Calif., Spa Resort Casino (2); Greg Ostrander, Port Allegany, Pa., Seneca Allegany Casino; Bruce Bobman, Mercer Island, Wash., BJ’s Bingo Casino; Dustin Broussard, Kaplan, La., Paragon Casino; Les Staff, Warroad, Minn., Shooting Star Casino. The National TournEvent of Champions takes slot tournaments to a whole new level. Two TournEvent of Champions buses crisscrossed the country from April-August, through 22 states with more than 250,000 players competing for the chance to represent their casino in Las Vegas. Casinos hosted slot leagues, semi-finals and then in-casino finals to find the top player to represent them at the National Championship. Of the first 40 qualifiers, there were 21 women and 19 men. They ranged in age from 22-92 and cover a wide spectrum of backgrounds from real estate agents to entrepreneurs, and military veterans to government workers. Many of the qualifiers were enjoying the golden years of retirement and one even hails from the Great White North, Canada. National TournEvent of Champions began in 2012 with regional competitions in California and Washington. The event crowned its first national champion in 2013 after 88 players from 77 casinos competed in the finals at Lagasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo in Las Vegas. The 2014 event was even bigger with 120 players from 98 casinos and a total purse of $500,000—double the 2013 purse. The National TournEvent of Champions tour buses were sponsored by Strictly Slots, APSM Systems, Effinet, Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, e-gads!, Andover Audio, Quixant, Sequel Data Systems, Unistar-Sparco Computers, Sunkist Graphics and VSR Industries. For more information, visit www.multimediagames.com.
GTECH to Acquire IGT, Creating Global Leader in Gaming Technology and Equipment for $4.7 Billion in Cash and Stock; Now in Direct Contact with French Customers
GTECH S.p.A. announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with International Game Technology, Inc.. Under the terms of the transaction, IGT and GTECH combined under a newly formed holding company organized in the United Kingdom (NewCo). IGT shareholders received a combination of $13.69 in cash plus 0.1819 NewCo shares (subject to adjustment) for each share of IGT common stock, equal to an aggregate value of $18.25 per IGT share. GTECH shareholders exchanged each of their existing GTECH shares for one newly issued ordinary share of NewCo. The aggregate transaction value was approximately $6.4 billion inclusive of the assumption of approximately $1.75 billion in existing IGT net debt. The transaction created the world’s leading end-to-end gaming company, uniquely positioned to capitalize on opportunities across global gaming market segments. The new company combined best-in-class content, operator capabilities and interactive solutions, and joined IGT’s leading game library and manufacturing and operating capabilities with GTECH’s gaming operations, lottery technology and services. The agreement drove scale across all businesses, geographies and product lines and is expected to achieve more than $280 million in run-rate synergies by the third year following closing of the transaction. The combined entity would have more than $6 billion in pro forma revenues and in excess of $2 billion in pro forma EBITDA based on the last twelve trailing months as of Mar. 31, 2014. The combined entity is expected to generate significant free cash flow and the transaction will be accretive on a cash earnings per share basis immediately.
GTECH built direct contact and communication with French gaming operators through the creation of its new French subsidiary, GTECH France S.F.M. Based in Paris and spearheaded by its director Marc Attal, GTECH France S.F.M. directly provides sales, service and maintenance of gaming machines for the French gaming market. The transition from GTECH’s former French partner and distributor Ludi S.F.M. to the newly founded GTECH French operations will be seamless for customers. The company works in partnership with its French customers and offers them the same high level of services and quality standards that customers around the world have come to expect from GTECH. GTECH has been doing business in France for 20 years, and has a solid understanding of the French market and its specific requirements. French operators will directly benefit from GTECH´s long-standing experience across all gaming segments and channels, including machine gaming, systems, interactive, sports betting and lotteries. For more information, visit www.gtech.com.
Scientific Games to Acquire Bally Technologies In $5.1 Billion Transaction Awarded Two-Year Instant Game Contract Extension with Minn. Lottery
Scientific Games and Bally Technologies, Inc. announced that the companies entered into a definitive merger agreement whereby Scientific Games agreed to acquire all of the outstanding Bally common stock for $83.30 in cash per share, which represents a 38 percent premium to Bally’s closing stock price on July 31, 2014 . The aggregate transaction value is approximately $5.1 billion, including the refinancing of approximately $1.8 billion of existing Bally net debt. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of the two companies.
Scientific Games Corporation announced that it signed an extension of its contract with the Minnesota Lottery to continue as a provider of instant lottery games. Under the agreement, the company will continue as the secondary instant game provider to the Minnesota Lottery for two additional years beginning July 1, 2014. In addition to traditional instant games, Scientific Games also provides the Minnesota Lottery with its Sciplay™ ecommerce solution, which facilitates the sale of both draw games and eInstant games via web and mobile channels. In February 2013, Scientific Games and the Minnesota Lottery launched eScratch™ games, representing the first-ever deployment of eInstant games by a U.S. lottery. In fiscal year 2013, the Minnesota Lottery generated more than $553 million in total retail sales, which included nearly $360 million in instant game products. For more information, visit www.scientificgames.com.
Bally Technologies Installing Largest Single-Property Table Game Progressive in North America; Muckleshoot Casino, Washington State’s Largest Operator Selects Bally Technologies’ Systems Solutions; Foxwoods Resort Casino Selects Bally Technologies as Mobile Provider
Bally Technologies, Inc. partnered with Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. for the world’s largest installation of table game progressive jackpots. Bally’s new Game Manager 2 software will be used to track progressive jackpots on 43 tables across Mohegan Sun’s three casinos: Casino of the Earth, Casino of the Sky and Casino of the Wind. The Mohegan Sun upgrade marked the installation of the greatest number of table-game progressives Bally had performed in North America. Game Manager 2 enables multi-level jackpots and multiple fully configurable reserve pools, allowing players to compete for multiple real-time incrementing meters with just one wager. The product was developed by SHFL entertainment, which was acquired by Bally in November 2013.
Bally Technologies, Inc. announced Muckleshoot Casino selected its award-winning systems solutions to excite players at its property in Washington State. Muckleshoot Casino deployed Bally’s iVIEW Display Manager (DM) with Elite Bonusing Suite (EBS) across more than 3,100 video gaming machines to provide its guests with player-centric bonusing events that make them want to extend their play experience. The Auburn, Wash., property utilized EBS promotions like U-Spin Bonusing, Virtual Racing and Virtual Racing NASCAR across its iVIEW network. With iVIEW DM, casino operators can present self-service player-account access, marketing messages and secondary bonus games on the main game screen—all without interrupting play. iVIEW DM is backward compatible on most gaming devices with a touch-screen display. EBS, when combined with iVIEW DM, can add excitement and anticipation to the slot-play experience. EBS applications have been proven to increase coin-in, carded play, new card signups and time on device at casinos across North America.
Foxwoods® Resort Casino in Connecticut utilized the award-winning mobile concierge platform from Bally Technologies, Inc. to offer its patrons a feature-rich mobile app. The agreement was part of a continuing partnership between Bally and Foxwoods. Bally’s cloud-based mobile platform enables casino operators to create and easily update special content and offers and immediately distribute the information to targeted potential customers. Bally has created more than 150 features for casino operators to incorporate into their apps, allowing them to entertain, educate, interact, market and learn from their guests and players. Guests at Foxwoods can use the cloud-based mobile app to book shows, make restaurant reservations, check player club point balances, view promotions and much more. The app is available for iPhone®, iPad®, Android™, Blackberry® and other devices. For more information, visit www.ballytech.com.
Aristocrat and House Advantage Enter Into Licensing and Development Agreement, Launches nLive™ Virtual Casino Solution for Desert Diamond Casinos & Entertainment
Aristocrat also entered into an exclusive licensing and development agreement with renowned casino loyalty solution developer House Advantage. Under the agreement, Aristocrat became the exclusive licensee and sales distributor for House Advantage’s gaming product suite in the North American market. Aristocrat embedded House Advantage software into Aristocrat’s Oasis 360™ casino management system. Aristocrat will also act as first level of support for the HALo suite of products, bringing world-class service to the software suite. Additionally, Aristocrat and House Advantage worked jointly to develop new casino promotional software and loyalty solutions. The agreement brought House Advantage’s field-proven and industry-leading loyalty marketing systems to Aristocrat, including: HALo CORE, a multi-platform loyalty marketing solution and its Advanced Marketing tools; HALo Promotions driven by HALo Kiosk and HALo Web; HALo Mobile Enrollment and Age Verification.
Leading slot and systems manufacturer Aristocrat launched an nLive™ virtual casino solution for Desert Diamond Casinos & Entertainment. This latest launch added to Aristocrat’s footprint of free play sites, which is the largest in North America. The Desert Diamond nLive site was the first for a casino using a competitive casino management system. Players at Desert Diamond Casinos’ three locations in Tucson, Sahuarita and Why, Arizona have access to the new nLive free play content through the enterprise’s main site, www.ddcaz.com. The nLive free play site uses Aristocrat’s exclusive nLiveLink™ technology, allowing Desert Diamond Casinos to compare nLive data with the brick-and-mortar operation. The installation at Desert Diamond Casinos marked the first time nLiveLink was used between Aristocrat’s free play site and a competitor’s in-house system, fulfilling on Aristocrat’s promise to deliver solutions properties want, the way they want them. nLive won the “Innovation Award” in the 2013 Gaming & Leisure Gaming and Hospitality Awards and was named a Casino Journal’s Top 20 Most Innovative Gaming Technology Product for 2011. Aristocrat’s nLive/nLiveLink combination has begun a new era of gaming in the U.S. and changed the meaning of the word “interoperability.” nLive/nLiveLink sites have been proven to drive repeat visits in the land-based casino by allowing players to enjoy the fun, excitement and brand of their favorite casino anytime and anywhere. nLive is a comprehensive, turnkey solution that empowers casinos to take their brand to players online in a free-play environment. While other platforms brand the online casino to the supplier, nLive empowers the casino to extend its customer experience outside of the casino walls with an incredibly large range of games. nLive’s play-for-fun casino offers players an incredible range of games including some of Aristocrat’s favorite games like 5 Dragons™, 50 Lions™, Big Red™, Imperial House™, Miss Kitty™, More Chilli™, Queen of the Nile™ and Sun and Moon™; and table games like card keno, hi lo solitaire, jacks or better, pro blackjack and roulette. nLiveLink gives casinos the power to analyze advanced reporting on both land-based and online activity and target players with customized offers. Additionally, nLiveLink empowers operators to learn about their online customer behavior and how it corresponds to land-based behavior. For more information, visit www.aristocrat-us.com.
BMM Testlabs Congratulates Frank Fahrenkopf as 2014 Fall Resident Fellow, Harvard
BMM Testlabs congratulated Frank Fahrenkopf on his selection as a Resident Fall Fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics, Cambridge, MA. Frank Fahrenkopf, a non-executive Director to BMM and a member of BMM’s Global Compliance Committee joined other Fall Fellows to lead weekly study groups and interact in the intellectual life of Harvard Community. Frank Fahrenkopf brought a wealth of experience to the Harvard Institute of Politics with a political career spanning co-chairman, Commission on Presidential Debates; former president and CEO, American Gaming Association; and chairman, Republican National Committee (1983-89). BMM looked forward to a continued productive and engaging working relationship with Frank Fahrenkopf, and congratulated all six invited Harvard Institute of Politics Fall 2014 Fellows: Kristen Soltis Anderson, Frank Fahrenkopf, Christine Gregoire, Anton J. Gunn, Phil Kent and Valerie Biden Owens. For more information, visit www.bmm.com.
WMS Receives High Achiever Distinction at Awards Summit
On June 5, WMS Gaming Inc. received one of eleven High Achiever awards from the Manufacturing Leadership Council at the 2014 Manufacturing Leadership Summit. High achievers were selected in nine categories from recipients of the Manufacturing Leadership Awards, which were announced in March. WMS was recognized in the Supply Chain Leadership category for the WMS Procurement Transformation Project, which simplified the WMS supply chain by implementing sourcing strategies to increase efficiency and shorten material lead times. The initiative directly advanced WMS’ ongoing integration with Scientific Games and expedited the completion of prioritized organizational goals. WMS joined a number of distinguished companies in receiving the ML High Achiever Award, including Procter & Gamble Company, BMW Manufacturing Company, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company and Oracle Corp. For more information, visit www.now.wms.com.
NMi’s Expanding Core Team Welcomes Ali Heydary as Laboratory Manager in Vancouver
NMi announced the latest addition to the NMi Gaming division, Ali Heydary. Heydary came from a strong background of project management in gaming development for the tribal gaming market, along with compliance testing for online, lottery and land based gaming in multiple jurisdictions worldwide. With the growth of NMi, since bringing on customers such as Evolution Gaming, Amaya and Williams Interactive, NMi is ramping up its core teams on both sides of the Atlantic. Heydary will be heading up the Vancouver laboratory, which has already doubled in size since its opening last year. For more information, visit www.nmi‐gaming.com.
Eclipse Chooses Gaming Informatics and the IRIS ERP System
Eclipse Compliance Testing announced it has chosen Gaming Informatics and the IRIS ERP system to upgrade its existing testing and reporting system. The GD-API, developed by Gaming Informatics, is open-source to all in the gaming industry. For more information, visit www.gaminginformatics.com.
Rainmaker’s GuestREV® Breaks New Ground In Evolution of Hospitality Revenue Management
The Rainmaker Group broke new ground with the integration and rollout of online reputation management (ORM) metrics, powered by TrustYou, in its flagship profit optimization product, GuestREV®. Rainmaker partnered with TrustYou and Caesars Entertainment to help add incremental revenue to the bottom lines of traditional hotels and casino-hotels by augmenting their pricing capability with reputation data aggregated from reviews, Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) and various other social sources. More than 155 traditional hotel and casino-hotel properties already place their trust in Rainmaker’s solutions. A recent recipient of the prestigious “Trend Setter” Award, GuestREV was called “the perfect system for cutting-edge casino-hotels looking to make decisions based on total guest value” by Info-Tech Research Group, which evaluated seven revenue management systems. Only one Trend Setter was awarded among Revenue Management System suppliers. Of the seven systems evaluated, only GuestREV received a top score for all nine advanced features that assess the strength and value of the systems. Market differentiating features assessed included channel management, competitive rate modeling, controls, demand forecasting, events and promotions, groups, multi-property, non-room revenue and reporting. Online reputation management can be added as another market differentiating feature of GuestREV. The growth of social platforms and peer-to-peer recommendations continues to skyrocket. Results from a survey conducted by ChannelAdvisor and TripAdvisor Forrester reveal that social media directly influences more than eight in every 10 online bookings and that nearly one in every two guests won’t even consider booking a hotel that doesn’t have reviews. TrustYou provided the reputation data for hotels and their competitors used in Rainmaker’s pricing models, along with competitor pricing, to enable more informed pricing decisions. TrustYou has one of the largest sets of structured review data in the world and powers some of the world’s top Metasearch players like KAYAK, Trivago, Ixigo and Wego, helping to increase conversion rates on these sites. For more information, visit www.letitrain.com.
AGA Announces Its Most Diverse Class of Gaming Hall of Fame Inductees
The American Gaming Association announced its most diverse class of inductees into its Gaming Hall of Fame with the selection of the late gaming law expert Bob Faiss; former Las Vegas mayor and current Caesars executive Jan Jones Blackhurst; Nevada gaming control board pioneer Patricia Becker; and the second-ever tribal gaming leader to be selected, Ernie Stevens Jr. The 2014 class was inducted into the Hall of Fame during a ceremony hosted by MGM Resorts International in Las Vegas on September 29th as part of the industry’s annual trade show, Global Gaming Expo (G2E). The Gaming Hall of Fame Charity Gala and Induction Ceremony is an annual event organized by the AGA and its members to honor achievements in industry leadership and entertainment. Induction into the Gaming Hall of Fame is the highest honor accorded by the gaming-entertainment industry. Each year, individuals who have distinguished themselves through significant contributions to the industry receive this distinction. More than 80 people have been inducted into the Gaming Hall of Fame since its inception in 1989. All proceeds from the event will benefit the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG). For more information, visit www.americangaming.org.
BIS² Reports Record Growth and Debuts New Name, VizExplorer
Visual analytics provider BIS² reported triple digit growth and announced a new name, VizExplorer, as part of a strategic initiative to better align its brand with growing market share and portfolio expansion. VizExplorer quickly established itself as the leading provider of casino analytics and data applications software with more than 280 gaming and entertainment properties in 5 continents and winning multiple gaming industry and technology awards. To accommodate the gaming industry’s ever-increasing appetite for its products and services, VizExplorer strengthened its employee-base in software development, installations and marketing. Recent key executive appointments include Enterprise-Software Veteran Ian Bonner as CEO; Adobe/Omniture alumni Garrett Stolle as VP sales; marketing analytics expert Dr. Ralph Thomas as chief data scientist; and former IGT, Cadillac Jack executive Chris Korpi as assistant VP of Native American relations—who joined founders Andrew Cardno and Mukesh Gordhan. Additionally, the company opened its third office in Las Vegas. The company, backed by leading entertainment and media agency WME, launched a new website and a fresh new look in order to emphasize its commitment to its customers and “harness the color of data” in driving business success. For more information, visit www.vizexplorer.com.
SHIFT Interactive Secures an Agreement with Casino Powerhouse MGM Resorts International to launch InteractivePro™ Tables
SHIFT Interactive and MGM Resorts International announced that a multi-year agreement was signed to support the launch of the highly anticipated, InteractivePro™ Table. The initial 20 InteractivePro™ Tables were installed during this initial market-testing phase beginning July 28 at two of Las Vegas’ landmark casinos: MGM Grand and The Mirage. The new InteractivePro™ Table offers a unique 10-point multi-touch experience suitable for a wide range of applications, excellent for television, video and interactive entertainment in bars, casino floors, hotel suites, restaurants and lounges. Each IPT operates with the proprietary InteractiveProVision™ Platform and Application that allows up to four user screens at the same time. The IPT comes in three configuration models which are bar, lounge and dining height. All are manufactured from industrial grade components, ensuring high reliability and suitability to withstand harsh public environments. The launch of InteractivePro™ Table fortified a long-standing relationship between MGM Resorts International and the Suzo-Happ Group. The InteractivePro™ Table was originally developed for the Australian sports betting and wagering market, allowing its players to watch sports and access their betting account while at the IPT. Since its inception the table has evolved to a more sophisticated interactive entertainment product. For more information, visit www.suzohapp.com.
G&D supplies Highly Secure SIM Card Platform for the Digital Wallet in Switzerland
The Swiss mobile network provider Swisscom counted on highly secure NFC-enabled SIM cards from Giesecke & Devrient to allow its customers to make payments with “Tapit”. Tapit is the digital wallet for smartphones in Switzerland and used by every mobile network provider in the country. The smartphone app used NFC technology to allow users to make payments, collect loyalty points and open doors. G&D’s SIM card was the central security element in this system, safely storing sensitive information such as digital payment cards or employee ID for building access. Since the beginning of July, Swisscom mobile network customers were able to use Tapit in all shops which already accept contactless payments. There were already more than 50,000 such shops in Switzerland, including branches of Coop and Migros. In the future, Swiss mobile network customers will also be able to use the digital wallet to manage their loyalty cards. As of September 2014, Tapit’s payment function supported Visa payment cards issued by Cornèrcard, with further card issuers set to follow. The NFC-enabled SIM card from the SkySIM CX family, which G&D delivered to Swisscom, fulfills the particular security requirements stipulated for conventional payment, ticketing and identification applications. The SIM card was approved by EMVCo, American Express, MasterCard and Visa. Several different NFC applications can be run securely at the same time on the SIM card. The SkySIM CX family also supports the transit applications MIFARE, CIPURSE and Calypso, meaning it can also be used as a travel pass for local public transport. The SIM cards can be supplied in the 2FF, micro-SIM, nano-SIM and triple-SIM form factors and are compatible with 2G, 3G and LTE networks. For more information, visit www.gi-de.com.
EGT with New Great Success in Panama
Euro Games Technology received the pleasure to place 40 of their new Premier P-24/24 Up installed with multigame Multi-3 in five of the most well recognized casinos in Panama, all owned by Codere—one of the largest casino operators in Buenos Aires and Mexico. The operator equipped Crown Casino El Panama, Crown Casino Continental, Crown Casino Soloy in Panama City and Crown Casino Nacional and Crown Casino Plaza Mirage located in David, Chiriqui Province, with eight of the contemporary P-24/24 Up video slot machines. All cabinets were installed with the multigame Multi-3, which contained 39 attractive game headlines from the constantly growing video-slot library of EGT. The decision for the new premier acquisition was made after the huge interest and success of the products from the Vega Vision + series of which the operator installed in the prestigious Sheraton Crown Casino & Hotel in Panama, in August 2013. The Premier P-24/24 Upright cabinet has bold and at the same time elegant design that makes it suitable for every casino environment. The slim LED illumination alongside the cabinet sets it apart while the two 22 inch displays charm the player and provide the necessary comfort for enjoying one of the 39 classic and brand new game titles from the Multi-3 multigame. The Premier P-24/24 Up features an attractive multimedia video topper which displays the current jackpot values or video animations offering maximum entertainment to the players. The experience was enhanced by the intuitive stereo sound system, which turns the configuration into an undisputed favorite of every player. Last but not least, the perfect mechanics of the cabinet makes the maintenance much easier and saves time. For more information, visit www.egt-bg.com.
Gamblit Gaming Partners With Shanda Games, Gamiker, Flexball To Add Real Money Gaming Mechanics To Mobile Games
Gamblit Gaming announced partnerships with Shanda Games International Europe, Gamiker and Flexball. All three companies will utilize Gamblit Gaming’s proprietary platform to let users add real money gaming mechanics to any mobile or PC game with a single, simple integration. Shanda Games International Europe is a division of Shanda Games, one of China’s leading online game companies and publisher of some of the world’s most popular massively multiplayer online games and mobile games, including Dragon Nest and Million Arthur. Shanda Games International Europe will reveal their roadmap of mobile titles developed with Gamblit Gaming’s proprietary platform later 2014. Gamiker is a Los Angeles-based publisher of mobile gambling games that offers engaging and creative alternatives to traditional casino style games. Gamiker’s first title launching with Gamblit Gaming will be Hatching Dragons, a free-to-play puzzle game that introduces collectible dragons and their eggs to the old mold of Jewel and Candy Matching games, the world’s first “Match-3” game to offer real money gambling. The company planned to release a larger slate of games in Q4 2014. Headquartered in Seoul, Korea, Flexball is an innovative mobile game studio focused on developing high-quality social gambling games. Titles built on the new Gamblit Gaming platform will be announced in 2014. Gamblit Gaming’s platform gave game developers access to real money gaming capabilities to enhance mobile games, tap into the lucrative online gaming and land-based casino markets and attract the high income consumer. Developers can integrate a single SDK into their existing mobile games or design new, original real money games with Gamblit Gaming’s development kit. Gamblit Gaming provided all of the technology, operations, account management, security, gambling licenses, regulations and compliance elements needed. The company also helped casino operators deliver a new entertainment experience to not only attract new players, but retain existing players. Through Gamblit Gaming, casino operators can compete on innovation while driving growth and revenue. For more information, visit www.gamblitgaming.com.
Flextronics Recognizes Outstanding Contributions by Strategic Suppliers
Flextronics announced the recipients of its 2014 Strategic Supplier Awards that were honored last month. The Awards recognize outstanding performance, strategic value-add, excellent service and innovation by suppliers that exemplify what it means to be a strategic supplier at Flextronics. Suppliers selected for the awards were nominated by employees of Flextronics in various business groups as well as Flextronics procurement professionals. Awards were given to strategic suppliers during the Flextronics Strategic Supplier Summit which was held last month at the Flextronics Customer Innovation Center located in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Companies recognized as a 2014 Flextronics Strategic Supplier Award recipient include: Aerotek Inc.; Alpha; Altera Corporation; American Express Global Business Travel; Arrow Electronics, Inc.; ASM Assembly Systems; AT&T; Avnet, Inc.; Bayer Material Science; BizLink Holding Inc.; Bourns; DEK; Derivados del Metal S.a. de C.V.; DHL International; Digi-Key Corporation; Diodes Incorporated; Elementum; Fairchild Semiconductor; FCI; FedEx; Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.; Fuji Machine Manufacturing Co., Ltd.; Fujitsu Components America, Inc.; Future Electronics Inc.; Guardsmark, LLC; Hardware Specialty Co., Inc.; Henkel AG & Co. KGaA; Induspac AG & Co. KGaA; Infineon Technologies AG; Infor; KEMET Corporation; KOA Corporation; Kuehne + Nagel INC; Microchip Technology Inc.; Micron Technology, Inc.; Microsoft; MolexMurata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.; New Vision Display; Nidec Corporation; Nippon Chemi-Con Corporation; NXP Semiconductors; Olympic Country Co., Ltd.; ON Semiconductor; Panasonic Corporation; PENCOM; PennEngineering; Porter’s Fabrication; QUALCOMM Incorporated; SABIC; Schneider Electric; Serviacero Worthington; SK Hynix; STMicroelectronics; Taiyo Yuden Co., LTD.; TDK Corporation; TE Connectivity Ltd.; Texas Instruments Incorporated; TNT Express; Tripod Technology Corporation; TTM Technologies, Inc.; United SheetMetal, Inc.; UTI Worldwide Inc.; Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.; Walsin Technology Corporation; Worldmark; WPG Holdings; Yageo. For more information, visit www.flextronics.com.
Turning Stone Goes Cash-Play with Crane Payment Innovations
Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York upgraded its entire slot floor of 2,100 games with CPI’s combination of MEI SC Advance note acceptors and EASITRAX Soft Count. The installation was completed in 2014 as part of a $15 million investment by the Oneida Indian Nation to upgrade the casino’s entire operating system and provide new cash-play slot machines. Guests can enjoy an enticing slice of Vegas right in the heart of Upstate New York. Turning Stone first opened its slot floor in 1995 with an account-based system that required guests to load money onto cards prior to game play. SC Advance was part of the SC family of note acceptors that achieved an installed field base of nearly one million units across the worldwide Gaming industry. Equally impressive, more than 110,000 of those units were coupled with the EASITRAX Soft Count in the US alone. EASITRAX was an integrated hardware/software cash management system that drives operational efficiencies from the slot floor to the back room. It works by gathering data from multiple SC Advance note acceptors and funneling that information into a secure remote database that can be accessed to track revenues and analyze slot performance. For more information, visit www.cranepi.com.
Boyd Gaming Announces Senior Executive Appointments
Boyd Gaming Corporation announced several senior executive appointments aimed at refining the company’s operations and driving future growth. The company announced that it appointed Chris Gibase to the newly created position of senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Gibase directs all of Boyd Gaming’s marketing functions, including digital and print media, advertising, B Connected, E-Commerce and event marketing. Gibase also oversees the company’s slot strategy. A 37-year veteran of the gaming industry, Gibase previously served as senior vice president, operations, a position he held for 10 years. Gibase first joined Boyd Gaming in 2002. Boyd Gaming also announced that it named two executives—Steve Schutte and Vince Schwartz—to the position of senior vice president, operations. Schutte has day-to-day oversight of four properties—Diamond Jo Casino, Diamond Jo Worth, Sam’s Town Shreveport and Sam’s Town Tunica. Schutte was most recently senior vice president, operations of the Hard Rock Rocksino near Cleveland, Ohio. Schutte has nearly 20 years of executive experience in the gaming industry, including five years as senior vice president, operations for Station Casinos. Schwartz was previously vice president and general manager of the IP Casino Resort and Spa. In his new role, Schwartz is responsible for the operations of three properties—the IP, Treasure Chest and Amelia Belle. Schwartz served as general manager of Treasure Chest for three years before joining the IP in August 2012. Additionally, Boyd Gaming expanded the responsibilities of Ted Bogich, who has served as senior vice president, operations of the company’s Midwest properties since late 2012. In his role, Bogich is responsible for Blue Chip, Par-A-Dice, Kansas Star, Delta Downs and Evangeline Downs. Gibase, Bogich, Schwartz and Schutte report directly to Paul Chakmak, executive vice president and chief operating officer. For more information, visit www.boydgaming.com.