MARKET REPORT SUPPLEMENT www.euroslot-online.com
GERMANY
inapprehensible manner that in general the legal market. As a result, more foreign companies have
regulations have little relevance. There are only very become involved in supplying games to the German
few devices of this kind of machine on the market. market – either directly or with domestic partners.
Germany had a new law in 2006, which allowed In 2008, a total of 108,240 jukeboxes, sport- It must be noted that in spite of the reduction of
greater freedom in the design of AWP machines but games and amusement machines with the number of amusement machines sold, rented or
which banned fun games, which were previously and without prizes were marketed, a reduction of leased, the total turnover of machine manufacturers
popular in the country. 7.1% as compared with the previous year. Since and wholesale distributors grew in 2008. Since the
Coin-operated amusement machines comprise 2007, the market analysis also comprises Internet new law was introduced the distribution channels
three different product groups in Germany: terminals that are installed in amusement arcades for AWPs have changed.
• Amusement machines with prizes (AWPs), which and in pubs, bars and restaurants. Excluding this Until the end of 2005, it was necessary to invest
are strictly regulated by the German Gaming strongly growing market segment, industry turnover in new machines if an operator wanted to offer a
Ordinance. fell by 8.1% in 2008. new game. Now games can be updated without
• A second group contains gaming machines The market share for all machine groups of the changing the hardware. Therefire, in spite of the
without prizes, such as touch-screen machines, members of the German Industry Association for reduced number of amusement machines, the total
video games, pinball machines etc. Until the end Coin- operated Amusement Machines (Verband turnover of manufacturers and wholesale
of 2005, fun games were also part of this der Deutschen Automatenindustrie e.V. (VDAI)), distributors grew by 18.4% in 2008.
category. Since 1 January 2006 – when the new the German industry’s association, is, on average, At the end of 2005, around 87,000 fun games
German Gaming Ordinance went into effect – about 90% were in operation in Germany. Fun games are
these once widespread machines have been For the most important product group, AWPs, amusement machines with the issue of tokens.
prohibited. the number of new licences is recorded by the They were developed from AWPs based on British
• A third group includes sport-game machines, such National Metrology Institute (PTB). Up until now, or Dutch legislation and were well-received by
as billiards, darts, table soccer, air-hockey etc. these statistics were a good indicator for market clients. The speed of the games made them
A fourth group of machines that allows players to development, even though not all of the approved particularly attractive. Cycles of only a few seconds
use their skills to influence the outcome of the game licences led to sales. A certain number of licences and absorbing sequences are the reasons players
is subsumed under the term “other games” subject were used for AWPs that were only put on the give for choosing fun games instead of AWPs,
to part 33d of the Trade, Commerce and Industry market for testing purposes. This means that the games that took longer.
Regulation Act (Gewerbeordnung, GewO). The actual market volume was less – around 5% of total But fun games were not only used within the
Federal Criminal Investigation Agency new licences. regulations. To a certain
(Bundeskriminalamt) uses the licensing process for As a result of the new law an increasing number extent they were abused by the “black sheep” in
these machines in such a restrictive and of screen-based AWPs have been introduced to the the industry to provide illegal gambling
opportunities. Fun games were then banned as of 1
January 2006 by the new Gaming law.
INSTALLED AMUSEMENT MACHINES AND SPORT GAMES MACHINES
The German Industry Association for Coin-
operated Amusement Machines, VDAI, maintains
TYPE OF MACHINE 2005 2006 2007 2008
records of the amusement machines installed at the
Amusement without prizes 102,600 42,800 54,050 46,000
end of each year. The machines recorded are not only
excluding internet terminals those supplied by member businesses but also those
36,050 26,000 from other manufacturers, distributors and direct
Pinball machines 2,600 2,500 2,450 2,400
imports. They comprise the number of installed
Score games etc 87,000 27,000 20,000 10,000
jukeboxes, pinball, sport-games and amusement
Video games 13,000 13,300 13,600 13,600
machines with and without prizes. Since 2007 the
AWPs 183,000 200,000 210,000 225,000
number of Internet terminals delivered to
Sport-games machines 26,000 25,500 25,000 24,500
14
SEPTEMBER 2009
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