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ITALY
says his firm “has spent a great deal of time advising Less obvious, but perhaps more potent, is the
operators on the use of tickets, and providing threat that VLTs pose to Italy’s four casinos in Venice,
training on the operation and maintenance of Campione, Saint Vincent and San Remo. Says
printers, even down to recommending which ticket Thonhauser: “VLT operations are likely to become
paper to buy”. serious competition for the electronic gaming offer
But are there only going to be winners – or will the of Italian casinos.”
debut of VLTs in Italy take spend away from other And the result could be a shift in the casinos’
gaming sectors? The category most obviously under business models, suggests Magic Dreams’ Gerardini:
threat is slots. “The four Italian casinos offer to the player a wide
Slots are bigger than ever in Italy. 53.5bn Euro was range of different services apart from the gaming
spent on gaming in Italy in 2009, 24bn Euro of it in machines so probably they will reply to this new law
the country’s 400,000 slots. The Italian research by focusing on their strengths.”
body Censis says the total market is growing at 15 It’s not all about VLTs hammering other gaming
percent a year, and that a full five percent of family markets, however. The fast pace of change in Italian
budgets is spent on gaming. gaming is likely to bring new competitors for the
And although others contend that the apparently VLT operators themselves – not least online, where
rocketing figures are in part only showing the legislation authorising up to 200 new on-shore
transition of gaming revenue from the unrecorded firms is likely to be approved in March. Also on the
illegal market to the recorded legitimate one, there is cards, although less certain to be implemented
no doubt that slots are a thriving part of the gaming than the licensing of local online gaming providers,
economy. For example, the average annual turnover is a proposal to allow luxury hotels to open up to
per machine – around 60,000 Euro – increased by 15 new casinos, vastly increasing the opportunities
nearly 600 percent between 2004 and 2008, or for casino gaming available to most Italians – many
about twice the rate of growth in sports betting. of whom already cross the border to nearby
countries such as Slovenia to take advantage of
Maximum payout venues there.
Now there is some concern that VLTs, providing a
similar but sexier and more modern experience, will Totem crackdown
eat into slots’ dominance. Their maximum payout and What’s more, some arcades and bars already offer
jackpot levels, ranging from 1500 to 50,000 Euro, will their customers gaming consoles known as “totems”
also fill a gap that slots – which can offer either 100 or dedicated PCs on which to gamble over the
Euro jackpots or 100,000 Euro progressive jackpots Internet, and while authorities will crack down on
– don’t cover. As Polymniou puts it, “the lure of wide these, their broad similarity to VLTs is already
area progressives paying large jackpots will be concerning the new licence holders. So the VLT
difficult for players to resist”. operators will not be without competition, legitimate
But most are sanguine that the VLT effect on the and otherwise.
slots market will be bearable. As Italian slot There are more twists in this tale to come. In April,
manufacturer and operator Magic Dreams’ General for example, Rome will open up for re-tender the
Manager Luca Gerardini says, slots in the country are provision of AWP and VLT networks, inviting bids
“a solid and mature market. It is a different product, from any EU firm that meets certain conditions of
so surely AWP won’t be cannibalised by VLT.” entry – although these conditions make it almost
Hubertus Thonhauser of Casinos Austria agrees, certain that the existing operators will bid, and be
pointing out the restrictions on VLT locations – most looked upon favourably.
importantly, that they won’t be allowed in bars. “AWPs They’d be unwise not to, for despite some
will be less attractive to customers compared to VLTs,” uncertainty over how different gaming sectors will
he says “but they are much more dispersed over the fare as new competitors arrive, as Casinos Austria’s
country. Therefore I don’t believe that the AWP Thonhauser observes: “The Italian gaming market
revenue potential will decline – it will only grow at a overall will definitely grow – supply has, by far, not
smaller pace.” yet matched demand.”
The rules of the games
At least 85 percent of stakes must be returned to
players; the maximum payout on a single game is
1500 Euro, although larger jackpots are allowed.
Italy’s VLT regulations cover not only how the They can reach 15,000 Euro if competed for on a
units – known as Comma 6b devices – operate, but single premises, or 50,000 Euro if they cover an
who can own them. operator’s entire network. However, no more than
two percent of stakes can go toward a jackpot.
Cost per play is capped at 10 Euro. Customers can
pay in cash, with prepaid tickets, or using payment The stake and payout rules will be reviewed in
cards or smart cards – although from January 2011, January 2011.
only the smart card option will be permitted.
52 FEBRUARY 2010
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