News INTERNATIONAL UPDATE IGT on the US starters block
IGT Interactive is ready to seize the opportunities presented as the US online market opens
Convergence was the theme on the IGT Interactive booth at G2E Las Vegas. As two games, Cleopatra and Wheel of Fortune, are currently playing live online at
www.playnow.com, a site belonging to the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, IGT is building player loyalty and player recognition as the inevitable convergence continues between the once divergent US offline and online gaming sectors.
Speaking to IGT Interactive’s Peter Laverick at the show, his focus is squarely upon the opportunities presented by poker in the US right now. Due to be the first legalised form of online gambling in North America, IGT Interactive is working to tailor its product, which brings the skill of recently acquired online specialist, Entraction, into the sales and business reach of US operators. "Every single casino in the US has a relationship with IGT," outlined Mr. Laverick. "We have account managers with existing relationships with every US operator. Our goal is to be the online partner of the land-based industry, both in regulated markets in Europe, and of course, in the United States."
Attitudes to online gaming have performed something of a handbrake turn in recent months, with hostility turning to warm embrace. This shift still requires a great deal of education in terms of the knowledge base of operators who have, to date, predominately ignored this sector. “We are already working with casinos to offer free-play products to their customers,” stated Mr. Laverick. “The key to free-play is that it can't be a half-baked watered down offer. You have to excite players about online gaming, and to do that you have to offer a great free-play product too."
At the show in Vegas, IGT Interactive provided visitors with a fully fledged poker experience, with the aim of sitting operators around a live table to see for themselves what's available to their players. It was as much a product demonstration as it was a classroom in online poker's capabilities. "Our aim has been to get people who have never played online to sit around a bank of PCs and allow us to take them through the system," stated Mr. Laverick. "It's actually been quite surprising, as most the people sitting playing online have been Vice Presidents of Slots."
December 2011 Page 26
IGT Interactive’s Peter Laverick.
"We are already working with
casinos to offer free-play products
to their customers. The key to free-
play, is that it can't be a half-baked watered down offer.”
Of course, the Entraction offer is multi- vertical, offering not just poker, but casino games, sports-betting, bingo and live casino table gaming. "We have the massive advantage in that we are in a position to convert land-based players to online play thanks to our enormous customer base and games portfolio," said Mr. Laverick. "The US market, when it opens, will be huge, but there will only be a handful of companies best placed to take advantage of the opportunities.
“Many of the companies that are currently in the online space will find it incredibly difficult to adhere to the compliance demands of US regulators. As a land-based provider, we are used to the intense scrutiny of the regulators in this market, but there are going to be legal and licensing hurdles that the current online gaming providers will fail to clear.”
Advantech Innocore offer ideal all-in-one solutions
Located in the heart of east London, UK operator, Aspers Group, is to open the largest casino in the country, a 65,000sq.ft. venue offering a stylish and relaxed live gaming experience, including slots, gaming tables, poker room, a casual dining restaurant, Sports Bar and a Sky Bar with panoramic views over the Olympic stadium. Aspers Group Chairman, Damian Aspinall, commented: “We and our partners at Crown Limited and Westfield have been working on the Aspers casino project for over five years and we are delighted that the day we open our doors to the public is nearly here. Westfield’s Stratford City complex is arguably the finest of its kind in Europe and this flagship Aspers casino will continue to do what we do best – providing our customers with a fantastic live gaming experience.”
Aspers Casino Westfield Stratford City will offer the widest selection of games available in any casino in the UK including 40 gaming tables with classics such as American Roulette, Blackjack and Punto Banco as well as exciting new games including Casino War and Blackjack Switch. There will also be the largest and newest collection of slot machines - 150 in total - which includes the latest ‘Sex and the City’ and ‘Star Wars’ games; 92 electronic casino game betting terminals allowing guests to play in privacy if they prefer whilst still being able to enjoy the thrill of the live gaming experience. The 150-seat dedicated poker room offers the opportunity to experience the world’s fastest growing game in a safe and regulated environment. There will be a daily Texas Hold’em poker tournament as well as a wide range of cash games, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Launching its newly re- developed website prior to the G2E Vegas show, Advantech Innocore showed a range of products at the exhibition that mirrored the impressive depth and breadth of gaming boards visitors to its website can browse through at their leisure. Brand new to the show, however, was the new DPX E120, the successor to Advantech Innocore's successful E105 board. Offering the same level of low cost, high performance as the previous design, the DPX E120 now features the faster AMD
G Series Fusion chipset for even greater performance.
"It's the ideal solution for the South American marketplace," explained Advantech Innocore's Koen Stomph at the Sands Convention Centre. "However, we've had a great deal of interest from OEMs in the US, who have given us a lot of very positive feedback. The DPX E120 is an all-in-one solution for those placing a high value on graphics performance, but don't want to pay a high price for the privilege."
Aspers Casino is located within the new £1.8bn Westfield Stratford City, which as well as containing 250 shops and 70 places to dine also includes a cinema, a 14-lane All Star Lanes bowling alley and a total of 617 hotel rooms across three high quality hotels including a Holiday Inn, Staybridge Suites and a Premier Inn. Aspers Westfield Stratford City will be open 24 hours per day, 364 days of the year. There is an open door policy where all guests over 18 are welcomed.
All but one of Germany’s lander has voted on proposals to implement a highly unfavourable new gambling plan. Under the proposal, 20 sports betting licenses will be issued and a five per cent turnover tax applied. Monthly betting will be capped at €1,000 and in-play betting faces further scrutiny before Germans can take part. There are still no casino games or poker allowed under the bill and it’s unlikely that the EU will approve the plan backed by 15 of the 16 states.
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