things and continually establish a new industry benchmark. We employ people who can quickly act on their ideas, which compliment my own management style. With such a unique urban casino concept, exceptional product mix and an exciting vision for the future I really couldn’t wait to be a part of it!


W


What have been the achievements at Aspers Casinos that you are most proud of over the years? I was the main driving force to introduce Aspers


open door policy following the implementation of the Gaming Act of 2005. The Aspers business model is based on high volume, low spend; so the relaxed door policy was a perfect strategic move for us. At the time it was rather a controversial decision,


because we were entering into uncharted territory, but I had no doubt the business would benefit as a result. Following the introduction, we saw footfall in Newcastle jump from 7,000 visitors per week to 13,000 per week. Sure enough, our main competitors followed suit and I was proud to have played such a key part in this success story that everyone wanted to copy! There have been many achievements and


‘industry firsts’ at Aspers, another example being the launch of the first fully integrated loyalty scheme in September 2007. However, most of all, guiding the group through its expansion and leading a team of committed people fills me with pride.


What do you see as the main issues facing the UK Casino industry today and over the next 5 years of this Coalition Government? The new government has been left with the


legacy of a confusing and poorly initiated Gaming Act. An example of this is the fact that there are two different ratios of slot machines to gaming tables in the new licenses and only twenty slots permitted in 1968 Act casinos regardless of size, which is ridiculous. In addition to this the removal of ‘Section 21’ slots and the decision to significantly increase taxation at the same time as the smoking ban was introduced was very challenging for the whole industry. The large scale austerity cuts by the new government will surely have an impact on disposable incomes and put further pressure on casinos.


hat were your primary reasons for joining Aspers Casinos? Aspers was and remains a young dynamic company with plenty of energy and enthusiasm to try new


What was the inspiration behind the design and Layout of Aspers Casinos? Aspers first provincial casino in Newcastle was


designed by Batesmart, a leading Australian Architectural company that has worked with many international casinos for example Crown Casino in Melbourne. Our casinos are large, spacious, modern venues with high ceilings and luxurious decor. Whilst the layout has to work for us operationally, our patrons sculpt everything we do. We pay particular attention to our patron flow at different times of the day / night.


Recent years have seen an ever increasing range of technical advances in Slots but also machines such as those termed as multiplayer’s, are there any such machines at Aspers if so what was the thinking behind your choice of supplier? All Aspers sites have electronic gaming which has


included Roulette, Punto Banco and Black Jack. We also have the TCS Multi-touch roulette table which has proven extremely popular, particularly for the more novice gamer, allowing them to enjoy all the excitement of roulette with low minimums and without the pressures associated with live gaming. Our key electronic supplier is TCS, and we have also recently installed a small number of Inspired terminals across the estate. We are very passionate about innovation and exciting new product and work closely with suppliers who share the same goals. The provision of strong support and customer service that we as a busy casino operator require including quick response call out to repairs and maintenance, is also a main factor in choosing our current suppliers.


Who were the interior designers for Newcastle and were they the same as those used for Aspers Swansea and Northampton? Batesmart designed both Newcastle and


Swansea, however for Northampton we decided to move to a UK company, Design Coalition, who took the concept to the next level whilst retaining a consistent theme across all properties.


Aspers at The Gate


casino life magazine 11


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