Euroslot_Jan09_p20:Layout 1 31/12/2008 11:10 Page 20
EUROPEAN NEWS - SPAIN www.euroslot-online.com
IPS on the crest of a wave
Ludicus joins Zest Gaming
A
large number of businessmen affiliated to the Europer
T
he Ludicus company, which continues to be the technological partner of CONEI, has
become part of the group of companies led by Zest Gaming. Both companies have reached
Association met recently in the Europer headquarters in
an agreement under which the former, located in Barcelona, will develop amusement machines
Barcelona to witness a detailed demonstration of the range of
and other technologies for the second. The fruit of this new alliance is a new product that is
products developed by the IPS company, directed at companies
expected to be presented at the Málaga Fair under the joint brand ZL. This same brand is
operating amusement machines. As a result of the collaboration
operating at the moment in Mexico through Bingames Entertainment Mexico. According to
agreement reached, among other advantages, the Members of
Pablo Carulla, managing director of LUDICUS, “The synergy between the two companies will
Europer-Seremop will benefit from special conditions when
bring about a new form of doing things in the gaming sector. The main objective is to become a
purchasing products and services from the IPS company which
significant Group in the Spanish domestic market, for which it is counting on the business
specializes in control software and hardware for the
experience of Angel Gallego, representing ZEST GAMING in Spain, and the whole professional
management of amusement machines. Ricard Vilaró, the person
team from LUDICUS”. ZL will offer solutions to optimize the takings from arcades, bingo halls
in charge of IPS training, led the session dividing the morning
and casinos. Both companies already provide games in compliance with COMMA 6A in Italy as
into two blocks. The first block, highlighted the benefits brought
well as working on other technological platforms. Angel Gallego, one of the pioneers in the
by the IPS-Maq 3g software for the control and management of
casino sector of the Spanish gaming industry, said “This union will allow to us to work on a new
the machines and, in the second block, the new IPS-BT system
business model based on advanced commercial and technical approaches. One of the premises
was presented that facilitates the reading of the electronic
will be to offer maximum facilities to the operator through a high quality product”.
counters installed in the machines. Incidentally, IPS has obtained
further success following the publication, by the Government of
Aragón of the new regulation covering the connection of
machines in arcades, making it the first company developing
Shade and light in Spanish bingo
connection systems to have its products approved for use in this
Autonomous Region. More than 20 arcades run by several
different operating companies have already decided to connect
up to the server which the Catalan company has installed in
T
hey say that in times of crisis, people spend more money on games of chance,
hoping to change their financial fortunes. However, the bingo hall operators do not
Zaragoza. IPS has spent months interacting with the main
agree with this interpretation. Not surprisingly, the sector has registered a fall of 11.5%
players in the Aragonese amusement sector and is in a
in the Rioja region. Although worrying, the figure is well below the national average,
privileged position to lead this sector of the market as it did in
which according to the forecasts for this year will be around 15 or 16%. This was one of
Andalucia eighteen months ago. The new Regulation authorizes
the topics that was addressed during the meeting of the Spanish Confederation of Bingo
interconnections with a maximum prize of 15,000 currency1 between
Business Organizations (Confederación Española de Organizaciones de Empresarios del
arcades and 6,000 currency1 within each of the premises themselves.
Juego del Bingo). Attending were representatives of the 23 groups in the Spanish sector.
Its president, Javier Franch, said that “we are experiencing the crisis just like everybody,
but one should take into account the fact that bingo consists of two components, gaming
Urgent arcade meeting
and leisure”. But the dark clouds aren’t everywhere over Spanish bingo. Two orders
published this week by the Department of the Interior and Justice, the competent
authority in this area, make Castilla y León the first Autonomous Region where electronic
A
n urgent meeting took place in the Intercontinental Hotel
bingo and virtual cards can be operated in the traditional halls. A pioneering initiative in
in Madrid to discuss the present situation in the market.
Spain that aims to give normality to this sub-sector of the game in line with the thrust
It was attended by representatives of all the Associations of
coming from the electronic and computer media within the context of the information
Arcade Businesses that exist in Spain as well as those
society in Spain. In this way, computers will also arrive in the Castilian bingo halls. They
members of the Governing Committee of ANESAR
will do so in two ways. The first of the new features will be the types of cards that can be
representing the Autonomous Regional Governments that are
used in the bingo halls. No longer will they be just paper, but they can also be virtual,
not members of the Association of Arcades. Faced with the
that is to say, displayed on approved computer terminals. There are also new features
circumstances currently affecting the arcade sector, those
affecting the classic cards, because if up to now the only legal format was that produced
present came to the conclusion that it was an ideal moment to
by the National Mint and Stamp Factory, the new regulation allows bingo halls to print
share a common scenario that would allow all the associations
their own cards, which will mean a reduction in costs, especially beneficial at this time
in the amusement arcade and gaming sector to analyze and
when the companies dedicated to games of chance are going through a bad patch.
study the topics that are currently causing concern, with the
aim of proposing measures of a general nature offering
solutions. The above was in response to the clear reduction in
takings in the arcades. For example, GRECOJOC (Gremi Català
de Sales de Joc i Noves Tecnologies del Joc) reported that for
the year 2008 studies conducted so far have shown a
decrease of 19%, with an estimated turnover of 158.27 million
and yet with the same fiscal pressure and tax rates as last
year. This decrease of 19% seems to agree with those from the
other Autonomous Regions throughout Spain. All the experts
are indicating that the forecasts for the financial year 2009 are
pessimistic. The figure may be 12% down on the 2008 figure,
which would mean that in two years, the sector will have lost
almost 33% in volume. The prospects for business for the next
year are clearly worse and the situation generated could cause
the forced closure of several Gaming Arcades that at the
present time find themselves in an extreme situation.
20
JANUARY 2009
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66