p4-10 news:News 02/12/2009 11:15 Page 4
CASINO NEWS
Australia, Bermuda consider overhaul
News in brief
of gambling laws
Touch and eat
Harrah’s Entertainment is using
more food-service technology from
L
aw-makers in Australia and Bermuda are pondering percent of that number are considered problem gamblers. Nextep Systems. Nextep, which first
their gaming policies in exercises which could lead installed its Casino Express kiosk at
to new regulatory approaches in both countries. Comments will be received until 18 December and an The Deli at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic
amended report will then be sent to the Australian City in 2008, has now also
In Australia, the government’s Productivity government by 26 February. deployed the touchscreen self-
Commission is seeking public comment on a draft report service system at the Horseshoe
which urges joined-up policy on problem gambling. In Bermuda, meanwhile, members of parliament are to sites in Tunica, Mississippi and
consider a discussion paper on gaming. Although bingo Hammond, Indiana; Harrah’s in St.
Among the measures it suggest are that bets on and sports betting take place on the British island territory, Louis; and the Showboat in Atlantic
gaming machines should be limited to one Australian there are no casinos and a recent opinion survey found City. Branded for each restaurant,
dollar ($0.95) per button push, that gaming rooms that just 34 percent of the public were in favour of more they join more than 1000 self-
should close regularly for longer periods, and that liberal gaming regulation - while 47 percent were opposed. service kiosks that Nextep has
relocation of ATMs should be considered. rolled out across the U.S. and
However, Innovation Group was retained last year to Canada.
“The significant social costs associated with problem conduct a study on introducing casinos and a national
gambling mean that even policy measures with modest lottery to Bermuda. Derby slot
efficacy will often be worthwhile,” says the draft report, Aristocrat Technologies has
adding that while some of the actions taken by state Ewart Brown, the territory’s premier, has said: “We created the first-ever Kentucky
and territory governments to tackle harm caused by have listened to the developers who are investing heavily Derby-themed slot machine after
gambling will have been useful, others “would have had into Bermuda by building new hotels and likewise to signing a licensing deal with the
little effect, and some have imposed unnecessary those existing hoteliers who are attempting to refresh Churchill Downs racetrack. The five-
burdens on the industry”. and renew their hotel product. There is broad support for real RFX stepper unit will be
some form of gaming in Bermuda from their perspective launched just before the Kentucky
Around 15 percent of Australians bet regularly on but that is not enough to cause the Government to Derby event on 1 May 2010. It
games other than Lotto and scratch-cards, and about ten implement it.” comprises two base games – Oaks
Day and Run for the Roses. “The
Tech and support awards for MEI and Bally
Kentucky Derby is one of the few
sporting events in the world that
appeals to millions of people from
B
ally Technologies and MEI have both been MEI, meanwhile, was awarded the Most every walk of life,” said Casey Cook,
recognised at industry awards events in the US Effective Customer Support award at the VP of Brand Development and
and Europe. Balkan Entertainment and Gaming Expo in Marketing at Churchill Downs.
Sofia, Bulgaria.
At the Global Gaming Business Gaming and Technology Lottery printers
Awards, presented at G2E in Las Vegas in November, Said Mark Greenawalt, the company’s New Comma 6b video lottery
Bally says it won more awards than any other firm for the VP of Gaming for Europe and Africa: terminals being supplied by Spielo
second year running, including two first places for Best “Those responsible are both visible to the Manufacturing to sites in Italy will be
Slot Product and Best Productivity Enhancement. customer and working diligently behind the fitted with Epic 950 printers from
scenes - highly trained customer service TransAct Technologies. About $1m
The slot award went to Bally’s new Cash Spin game, associates, responsive technical support, worth of the printers will ship in the
while its biometric recognition system took top place in logistics experts, quality and manufacturing are all part fourth quarter of 2009 and a further
the productivity category. Bally also appeared among the of a larger equation.” $2m worth during 2010. Spielo is a
runners-up for both categories as well as for consumer subsidiary of Lottomatica Group.
service technology. The Balkan awards ceremony was held at the Palms
Merkur Casino. Buy casinos, sell bookies
British casinos are a more
Patent victories for JCM, Bally
attractive investment than the
country’s betting shops, according
J
CM and Bally Technologies have both been victorious interest on the $11.4m already awarded by the jury, and to analyst Simon French of leisure
in patent infringement cases at US federal courts. issued a permanent injunction that prevents MEI making research firm Panmure. While
In the JCM case, a federal district court judge upheld or selling products using JCM’s patent-protected design. cautious on the prospects for
the verdict delivered by a Las Vegas jury in January that bookies, French said in a report that
found MEI’s CashFlow SC series of bill acceptors had Separately, the US Court of Appeals affirmed a casino attendances were rising, and
infringed patent protection on JCM’s removable stacker decision reached by a Nevada federal district court called casinos his “favoured sub-
mechanism. which held that certain Bally Wheel and iView products sector” of the UK gaming industry.
did not breach IGT patents. Bally’s anti-trust claims Rank Group was specifically
The judge awarded JCM a further $845,000 in against IGT remain to be heard in court. recommended as an investment.
8 DECEMBER 2009
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