ICE 2012
electric motor, and the boat is an all-fibreglass construct.” Of course, they were also
showing gaming product, with the highlight probably the Derby game, a virtual horseracing product designed for Asia. Albert said: “It’s already certified and we’re bring it slowly into the major casinos in Asia. We’re signing some deals in Europe as well.” The SL terminal was also a
standout, an addition to the company’s multigame series of products. Players using SL can play any Alfastreet game – and even bet on two games at a time.
Casino Technology staged the launch of their new Penthouse slots at ICE, with three games ready to be launched into casinos. As Roy Student told reporters: “Penthouse is a world-renowned brand, and for many years it was looking at entering the gaming industry. They met with Casino Technology and made the decision to enter the worldwide gaming industry with Casino Technology as their vehicle on a global basis, with the rights to develop the slots, artwork and games they are developing.” The slots are certainly eye-catching, and
outside of the UK the Penthouse license is a strong one. The slots’ furniture is also well- made, with a glossy lipstick-print icon the main attention-grabber. The first European installations will be happening very soon, subject to finalising the certification process. Elsewhere for CT, the systems side is capturing their attention. The company is launching its server-based solution this year that will allow operators a fully integrated environment and to launch games across platforms including video lottery terminals, mobile gaming, and online. Rossi McKee said at the press conference:
“We’re planning to launch a casino management module which will provide one common management environment for casino operators across all platforms. Players that use the system will use it to log into one common account no matter where they play or what platform they use. For the operator, all this activity will be visible.” Exciting stuff.
JPM made a big splash at ICE, reiterating its commitment to the UK market in both the casino and AWP sectors. JPM’s Sales and Marketing Director Simon McCarthy revealed that JPM had enjoyed its best-ever ICE show: “The launch of our new platform utilising the Quixant QXi-200 PC based gaming controller
42 MARCH 2012
has opened up huge opportunities, not least in the international casino sector. “This year JPM will be celebrating its 40th
anniversary and as you can imagine, in addition to our new games development, our back- catalogue boasts many classic games which can now be enhanced with the added dimension of stunning video.” The first incarnation of the new platform is
Video Max Power, a localised or remote gaming system featuring some very exciting player bonus features. Video Max Power was exhibited in the popular three-machine configuration, topped with an eye-catching TFT bonus display screen. Video Max Power is a multi-currency system, configurable to meet local regulatory requirements and player preferences which premiered in the Czech Republic, where it became an instant success and plans are in place to launch in a number of markets. An exciting development for JPM is in the shape of JPM Interactive, the company’s online content division which presented an array of exciting games for the online market, including Casino 5ive Liner, Full house, Big X, Turbo Gold and A Pot of Gold. JPMi Director Andrew Davies explained:
“With its portfolio of AWP games, JPMi has brought something new and refreshing to the online sector. The games all offer a high level of interactivity and have been successful in attracting and retaining a new breed of player to the online environment.”
Quixant launched their new QX-40 board, featuring the brand new AMD chipset, and it got them a lot of attention – even down to securing an order at the show, something quite unusual on the component side of the business. Gary Mullins enthused: “The level of interest in the chipset from the industry is phenomenal, and our product is already ready – we’re first out of the blocks with this, and
that means a lot. We’re talking to gaming companies who are designing games with this chipset, before it’s even released, which is unheard of. Their products will coincide with AMD launching the chipset, which is toward the middle of 2012. Our early adopters of the QX40 are going to be a year ahead of their competition; the new chip is more powerful than a graphics card, so it means you don’t need a graphics card. It saves manufacturers a lot of money, generates a lot less heat in the slot machine, the benefits are huge.”
Quixant will be sad to see the back of Earls Court though, with Gary
lamenting: “It was a cracking show, but then it always is; it lived up to expectations and was a good farewell to Earls Court. The venue has worked well for us, we’ll miss it!”
Spielo International had an amazing array
of product on show, with VLT, slots, AWP, systems, and fresh ideas within those distinct areas. The company’s merge with GTECH G2 means even more for the future, as Spielo explores how to leverage that grey area between online and land-based gaming. With the changes of the last couple of years, we suspect that Spielo will be one of the companies leading the charge into this largely unexplored area of revenue- and loyalty-generation. Spielo International unveiled their first
progressive link using Episodic Gaming at ICE. As the player progresses through the game during one session, they can save and reactivate their achieved status during the next play session. The player unlocks more features and additional bet options for more action become available.
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