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EUROPEAN UPDATE Epicinstall forTCSJohnHuxley


TCSJohnHuxley USA installs the latest gaming products aboard the Norwegian Epic


TCSJohnHuxley USA recently supplied all of the live casino gaming equipment to Norwegian Cruise Line’s largest and most innovative ship to date – Norwegian Epic. Launched summer 2010, the 150,000 ton Norwegian Epic has a total 4,200 passenger berths, boasting a wide range of accommodation including the largest suite complex at sea, along with more than 20 dining options. The casino is the fleet’s largest and most elegant to date and features all the latest products.


Following more than four years of development and construction, the team at NCL Miami Head Office decided they wanted the new casino to offer the latest state of the art gaming products as well as a range of traditional games. Working very closely with TCSJohnHuxley, the NCL Executive Management decided to install one of the latest innovations after seeing its launch at the 2010 IGE show.


TCSJohnHuxley’s fully automated MultiPLAY HD Auto Roulette featuring the Gemini wheel offers cashless gaming combined with bill acceptors and ticket printers. The result is a live-hybrid roulette platform that requires no dealer or inspection, which is ideal for the casino at sea.


SriLanka passes newgaming law


The Sri Lankan Parliament has passed the country’s first Casino Regulatory Bill in its final reading lastmonth. It’s hoped that the new law will encourage international operators to develop new projects in Sri Lanka.The newmarket is expected to be especially attractive for India-based investors, with early reports that India’s Delta Corporation intends to expand in Sri Lanka and the SouthAsian region with plans to invest US$225min the next three years according to Delta Corp’s CFO, Hardik Dhebar. In India, where casinos and gaming is largely prohibited, Delta Corp has become a surprisingly successful operator with its two casinos.


IGTandWMSGaming presented an interoperability demonstration at the G2E show in Las Vegas which showed the two companies working collaboratively to leverage the infrastructure provided by the industry's open game-to-system (G2S) casino floor network. In joint demonstrations on their respective booths, IGT and WMS showcased new player communication capabilities that can be achieved with the implementation of G2S across both Service Window using IGT's sbX Media Manager and FreedomPort Player User Interface windowing platform enabled by WMS' WAGE- NET networked gaming solution.


“The entire teamat TCSJOHNHUXLEYUSA


was proud to be a part of this exciting project.We are


grateful that NCL put their trust in us to deliver our great


range of products to this stunning new


addition of their fleet. Wewish the onboard casino staff the very best of success.”


Brad Broderick, VPof Sales for North America,


TCSJohnHuxleyUSA.


In addition, to the MultiPLAY table the casino incorporates 29 other gaming tables consisting of various Blackjack games, LuminAR Roulette, Craps and Hold ‘Em Poker. The latest generation e- FX Insignia number displays and Saturn roulette wheels complete the order. All of the tables were custom designed executive barrel bases incorporating luxurious laminates and materials specified by the NCL Design Team.


“TCSJohnHuxley were very attentive to our requirements before, during, and after the order was delivered making sure we were totally satisfied,” comments Jim Abbas, Norwegian’s Vice President of Casino Operations. “The tables look great with the robust and practical design that we customised prior to building to match our operational and aesthetic needs.”


Spain sells lottery stake to stave off EU bail-out


Spain has stepped up efforts to fight off a potential bail-out from the European Monetary Fund with plans to sell the country’s stakes in its lottery and airport-operating businesses to raise €14bn ($18.3bn). The struggling country also plans to axe a one-time jobless benefit.


The government, which said earlier in 2010 that it had no plans to sell the lottery, will dispose of 30 per cent of the company, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told the Spanish Parliament in Madrid in December. Spain’s Loterias y Apuestas del Estado had a net profit of €2.99bn in 2009, up 3.5 per


cent from a year earlier, and channeled €2.92bn to the Treasury, according to its annual report. Sales were €9.84bn.


The privatization of 30 per cent ‘initially’ will be carried out as part of a new gaming law. The government is in negotiations with the industry and regional governments with a view to drafting the bill that will regulate online gaming. If Spain were to approve online gambling, that brand could be quite valuable, because they could cross-sell customers. The stake could be worth €4.5bn to €9bn, based on the value of European online gambling companies.


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“This is the latest example of interoperability and cooperation between manufacturers to provide operators with a glimpse into another level of flexibility and choice for their floors," said Chris Satchell, IGT chief technology officer. "Expanding the options for application delivery in the game screen was a logical next step in our collaboration with WMS, and we're eager to see where this collaboration takes us.”


Larry Pacey, WMS chief innovation officer, added: “Together IGT and WMS have developed a software-based solution executed on a GSA Standards-based infrastructure. As part of our commitment to interoperability, WMS and IGT continue to work together on a path toward an open and compatible environment that meets casino operator's needs. This approach ensures our windowing and application platforms are able to co-exist, which will drive measurable benefits for the operator by leveraging the upfront development of a robust, well integrated solution that can encompass a vast array of gaming and non-gaming applications.”


TheRepublicofCapeVerdehas signed a tourism cooperation agreement with Macau, which according to the former’s Transport and Seas Minister Manuel Inocêncio de Sousa, will see the island off the coast of Africa take advantage of Macau’s gaming expertise.


Cape Verde reviewed its gambling laws last year after it became evident that they were hindering investment in a casino industry on the island. In October 2010 the Cape Verde government announced that the Ministry of Tourism had sent two officials for six weeks of intensive training in the technicalities of gaming regulation. Half that time was spent in Portugal and the other half in Macau.


The objective is to set up an effective Cape Verde Inspectorate General of Gaming following the approval of amendments to gambling law, making casino investment in the country more attractive. The government plans to launch tenders for casino concessions in special casino zones and to establish a body of casino inspectors to regulate and tax the new gaming industry.


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