The Italian VLT market
– server based gaming finds its natural home ?
Paul Sculpher reports back S
erver based gaming – SBG – has been touted as the next big thing in the casino market for some time.
Anyone who’s dropped in at Aria,
in Las Vegas’ City Center complex, can’t help but notice something different about the slots in the building, which can download new content through the server without needing direct access from a technician.
However, server based gaming as such has a much wider history, and has found perhaps the perfect environment given the legislative framework in Italy. Subsequent to the decree that allowed VLT (Video Lottery Terminal) gaming in Italy, theoretically to raise funds to repair damage from the earthquake in L’Aquila in April 2009, the law was drafted in such a way as to make the server based element mandatory. With the relevant government ministry, the AAMS, requiring direct access to VLT income numbers to verify their 2.8% (soon rising to 3.8%) tax on turnover, this resulted in fertile ground for SBG suppliers to pitch their products, as central control of all of the units in operation lends itself well to easy measuring of the turnover.
The existing 10 concessionaires were offered the opportunity to apply for VLT licences, based on a pro-rata share of their existing AWP machine operations. The stakes and prizes are dramatically different to the existing AWP offer – maximum stakes of 10 Euro per spin and Wide Area Jackpots of up to 500K Euro as compared to 1 Euro stakes and 100 Euro prizes – and the regulations as to where the VLTs could be sited ensure that fairly standard concerns for gambling issues are addressed, such as keeping children
42
away from the higher stake / prize games and separating alcohol provision.
The route to the current situation, with between 25,000 and 27,000 operational VLT terminals across Italy, has not been smooth, however. The process for gaining final permission to operate these terminals involves a number of permissions to be gained by the different stakeholders in the process. Suppliers of the gaming equipment must first get their platform approved for use in Italy – and with the systems being accessed directly by the government with tax implications in mind, it is understandable that this is needed. It’s even necessary for individual suppliers to go back for certification if they wish to supply a second concessionaire, assin each case the operating licence is held by the concessionaire and as such each implementation of a supplier system has to be certified. Currently there are also operating challenges such a, cross-ticketing,
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52