p4-10 news:News 02/12/2009 11:15 Page 3
CASINO NEWS
No members means more visitors for
News in brief
pioneering Aspers venue
Vegas prize
A trip to Las Vegas for November
T
he Aspers casino in Swansea, Wales, says going 2010’s Global Gaming Expo will be
membership-free has helped it to grow customer first prize at the European Casino
numbers to more than three times the average for Association’s fourth annual
venues outside London. European Dealer Championship,
scheduled for 11-12 May 2010. The
Footfall at the casino in Salubrious Place rose by 13 contest will assess dealers’
per cent in its second year of operation, with Aspers hospitality skills as well as their
welcoming some 35,000 visitors during October alone. technical proficiency with roulette
and blackjack.
And those growing crowds are betting more, too, with
individual gaming spend rising by 15 percent. IGT in Argentina
International Game Technology
General Manager Paul Braithwaite said: "When I was has supplied 1472 gaming
brought in, in July, it wasn’t just a case of riding out the machines and its IGT Advantage
financial storm but critical to keep moving things forward gaming management system to
with new ideas, promotions and innovations.” something for everyone. This is reflected in the fact that Casino Rosario in Rosario,
35 percent of our customers are women and the Argentina. The installation
Those have included participating in celebrations like national average for casinos is only three,” added Noble. represents around 70 percent of
Chinese New Year and community activities such as the games on the floor at the new
business networking events and local charities, as well Swansea’s Aspers was the first British casino to casino, which opened in October.
as offering karaoke and live music. On the food and abandon membership requirements, according to the Said to be the largest in Latin
beverage side, Aspers has responded to the changing firm. Its latest attraction is a new electronic roulette America, it is a joint venture of
economy with offers such as a 99p ($1.70) “credit table, which joins 15 gaming tables, electronic games LatAm operator Casino Club and
crunch lunch”. and a poker room. Spain’s Cirsa Gaming Corporation.
“We’ve seen a big increase in numbers since Paul Meanwhile, the Aspers at The Gate location in the Luck of the Irish?
joined the team and we scrapped memberships and English city of Newcastle upon Tyne is the first British A casino is among the attractions
started attracting new visitors,” said Richard Noble, site to offer Live Draw Poker, already popular in the U.S. planned for a new €460m ($685m)
Chief Operating Officer of Aspers. The casino is giving the game, which has its origins in venue in Tipperary, Ireland.
the Wild West, a six-month trial. Developer Richard Quirke has
“There’s a lot of myths around casinos so by reportedly already spent €30m
relaxing our membership and opening our doors, we’re "This game is legendary, but until the advent of the ($45m) on acquiring land and
hoping to dispel some of those. People don’t have to new AccuPlay table, it was simply too complex to be beginning the project, which will also
gamble when they visit the casino – 50 percent of our managed by a single dealer," said Alan Barnes, Head of feature a full-size replica of the
visitors don’t. Gaming at Aspers at The Gate. "This system keeps track White House in Washington and an
of the game for the dealer, with all betting and payments underground entertainment centre
“It’s an entertainment complex which offers managed electronically.” holding 15,000 patrons. Another
€430m ($640m) casino and sports
resort complex is also planned for
Online gaming “will be legal” in US by
County Louth. Although casinos are
not currently legal in Ireland,
2014, says industry
liberalisation of the law is expected.
Free software (kind of)
O
nline gaming will be legalised in the U.S. by 2014 respondents also opined that while casino-style online Gaming application developer
at the latest, according to experts surveyed by gaming might be legalised, Internet sports betting won’t Radical Blue Gaming is offering free
the American Gaming Association. be permitted for at least five years. “student versions” of its software to
casinos that want to learn more
Half of those polled for the eighth edition of the The industry members surveyed were less sure how about the Game to System (G2S)
G2E Future Watch forecast, unveiled at November’s Internet gambling would affect bricks-and-mortar protocol. The free versions of
Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, said legalisation is casinos. A little over half felt it would have a positive Radical Blue’s G2S host simulator,
likely in 2010 or 2011, while the majority of the effect, but a quarter believed it would hurt, and they EGM simulator and protocol
others were confident it would come just a few years were split down the middle on the question of whether analyser, which the firm says are
later, in 2012-2014. existing online gaming brands would have an advantage “largely identical” to those used
over offline brands expanding into Internet gambling. commercially, were developed for
Yet most felt that the recent legislative packages GSA University’s G2S Certified
proposed by Congressmen Barney Frank and Robert Few, however, said that fraud or problem gambling Engineer courses. Contact Russ
Menendez would fail, and three quarters of online would be difficult problems to surmount. Ristine at
russ@radblue.com.
6 DECEMBER 2009
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