G3Newswire EMEA NEWS
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SPAIN - BENIDORM VERUS EUROVEGAS AND BCN With the dual threat of EuroVegas and BCN World looking to lure tourists to Spain to the wider regions of Madrid and Cataluña, the Valencian government is looking to adopt new gaming laws to boost its own appeal as a gaming destina- tion. The intention is to counter the threat of the two super casino projects by increasing and improving casino facilities in Valencia and the tourist resort of Benidorm. The local gov- ernment has confirmed its intention to modernise the cur- rent Gambling Act to liberalise and facilitate the casino busi- ness’ expansion in hotels and other tourist establishments. This will be through the opening of casinos, mini-casinos and games rooms in hotels, as well as any other hospitality offer, no matter what their core business. The government will simplify the application process and reduce any procedures. Currently in the region, the Acrismatic Group own the Casino Mediterranean Alicante and Orihuela-Costa; Cirsa operates Casino Cirsa Valencia; whilst Orenes runs the Grand Casino Castellón-Puerto Azahar.
UK - CLARION ADDS TO TEAM The team responsible for ICE Totally Gaming, ICE Conferences, EiG, GiGse, BgC, WrB and the recently estab- lished Corporate Intelligence division (Ci), has a new Marketing Director in the form of senior events specialist Jo Mayer. Jo, who will be part of the Clarion team attending G2E and EiG in Barcelona, has over 18-years marketing experience delivering major events including the award winning Ecobuild which attracted 45,000 visitors and as Head of Marketing for UBM Live.
GERMANY - JCM RECRUITS JCM Global has welcomed popular EMEA gaming industry figure, Jaime Bonet, as Sales Manager for South and East Europe – Gaming for its JCM EMEA offices. Mr. Bonet will serve JCM clients throughout the EMEA region, focusing primarily on jurisdictions within Spain, France, Portugal, Eastern Europe and South Africa. He fluently speaks English, German, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Catalan. Mr. Bonet brings more than 10 years of gaming industry experience to JCM.
UK PLANS GROWTH FOR CAT B-C-D
The British government has set out plans to stimulate the gaming machine market, one element in a package of changes UK - Legislation
Changes to stake and prize limits for gaming machines came as part of the government’s response to a three month consultation that invit- ed views from the gambling industry, charities and faith and community groups on the value of stakes and prizes on a range of gaming machines.
The consultation ran earlier this year and looked at machines classified as category B, C and D and found in places like betting shops, seaside arcades, pubs and casinos. It also included a call for evi- dence in relation to B2 (sometimes referred to as fixed odds betting terminals - FOBTs) and con- cerns about their link to problem gambling.
The proposals follow advice from the Gambling Commission and the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board which makes clear there is scope to increase stake and prize limits for some cate- gories of gaming machines provided the industry makes progress in strengthening player protection.
The proposed changes are underpinned by com- mitments from the gambling industry to bring in greater player protection measures set out in new voluntary codes, including voluntary monetary
and time limits for players, improved voluntary self-exclusion mechanisms and enhanced player warnings.
After considering the formal advice from the Gambling Commission and a wide range of views in the consultation, it has been decided not to pro- ceed with a precautionary reduction in stakes or prizes on FOBTs at this stage. However, the gov- ernment shares an expectation with the Gambling Commission that there needs to be more work done to explore the potential harm of these machines and has told the industry they must share their data on machine use to inform new research on their impact. The government expects rapid progress from the industry in this area.
Additionally, the government has asked the industry to monitor the effectiveness of new play- er protection measures that will that will start imminently and provide greater safeguards for players.
Emma Delta completes OPAP Greek state share purchase
GREECE Investment fund Emma Delta has now completed its acquisition of a controlling shareholding in OPAP, the Greek betting group, from the Greek state.
Emma Delta has acquired the 33 per cent stake in the Hellenic Football Prognostics Organisation S.A. from the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund for a total consideration of €652m.
UK - FANTASTIC PERFORMANCE FROM MATSUI A fantastic year for Matsui Gaming Europe has been sealed with record figures that are just rewards for the dedication of Dave Holt and his team in the UK. The latest refurbishments from the Rank Gaming Group including all chips and wheel checks, plus the switchover from the take-over of four Gala Casinos by the Rainbow casino group has meant this has been one of the busiest ever years for the company.
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Jiří Šmejc, an Emma Delta share- holder, said: “We are delighted that we can now begin what we set out to do: building a stronger and more innovative OPAP. We are commit- ted to the long-term growth of the Group, which we will pursue by creating value throughout the enterprise and making OPAP more cost-efficient. The company will be managed by an experienced team of industry and financial experts from Greece and abroad."
Emma Delta also announces the appointment of Kamil Ziegler as Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of OPAP, and of Michal Houst as Executive Board Member, following a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Group in Athens.
Ten members of the Board of Directors have resigned and have been replaced by newly elected and appointed Members.
Kamil Ziegler, the new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OPAP, is a Czech national who has a successful track record in the gaming industry, having served as the CEO of Sazka, the Czech Republic’s national lottery organi- sation owned by KKCG Investment Group. He has also served as Chairman and CEO of the state-owned bank Konsolidacní Banka and of Raiffeisenbank Praha. Mr Ziegler has also been an Executive Finance Director at PPF Group.
“We are extremely excited to be taking on the great responsibility of managing such a significant asset in Greece,” Mr Ziegler said.
UK SG Gaming, a division of Scientific Games, has entered into a deal with AMG Leisure, a UK distributor. AMG will become a distributor of SG Gaming’s arcade and bingo products, including its state-of-the-art T8 terminal, game software and support services to a wide customer base. Phil Horne, Group Managing Director at SG Gaming said: “We are committed to supporting independent operators and single site arcades. Working with AMG Leisure as a supplier helps to get our products and content into this very important segment of the arcade and bingo sector.” Mark Sowray, Managing Director at AMG said: “We are really looking forward to working with SG Gaming and are excited to be able to offer their terminals and exciting content to our customers.”
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