G3Newswire SOUTH AMERICA NEWS BRAZIL PRIVATISES INSTANT GAMES
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LATAM – IGT GALAXIS FOR COLOMBIA AND CHILE International Game Technology’s Galaxis enterprise systems solution, (version 980 HF 006) recently received certificates of compliance from Coljuegos in Colombia and from Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego in Chile.
IGT’s Galaxis system is a versatile casino management solu- tion designed to streamline casino operations and to attract, reward and retain players. The scalable system solution boasts a modular design and an open interface, allowing for optimal operator customization. IGT’s Galaxis system is a prominent system solution in gaming markets around the world, including multiple installations throughout Peru.
“We are pleased to introduce IGT’s Galaxis system solution to our customers in Colombia and Chile,” said Marcel Heutmekers, IGT VP of Commercial Gaming International. “IGT’s Galaxis continues to drive efficiencies and augment the player experience in markets around the world and we’re confident that our customers throughout Colombia and Chile will find this solution complementary to the many other IGT products and services in their casinos today.”
PANAMA- NOVOMATIC LICENSED TO THRILL Novomatic has been officially licensed to sell slots in Panama via its local representative company Novo Panamá. Novomatic said it will now be able to ‘strengthen its position in the Panamanian gaming market and significantly increase its current market share in the slot segment.’ Well in advance of the official start up the Novomatic brand had already cre- ated a demand for itself among the country’s major opera- tors, meaning that the company started operational business with a list of orders already pending.
Under the leadership of Managing Director José Teng, who has acquired extensive experience in the Latin American gaming industry, Novo Panamá will increase its footprint in the local market, offering excellent local sales services, tech- nical support and spare parts provision as well as product analysis and a strong customer relationship management directly on site.
José Teng is positive that the local operators appreciate the company’s commitment to first class product, service and support: “Our entire team is determined and eager to grow and to become the best gaming supplier in the country. And we have had an excellent start: It has been only four months since the opening of our offices and we have already sold a significant number of slots to leading casinos in Panama. This goes to prove that the market appreciates the Novo Panamá offering.”
Since the country’s government privatised casinos in 1997, Panama has become a hotspot of the Central American casi- no industry and is even called by some the ‘Las Vegas of Central America’. The country’s strong economic perform- ance and determined investments in infrastructure develop- ment have helped the gaming industry generate significant growth during recent years. Today the local gaming land- scape boasts a strong and broad based gaming entertain- ment offering, that ranges from casino gaming to bingo halls, slot parlors, sports betting, horse racetracks and lotteries.
The Panamanian gaming market currently includes some 15,000 slots and 200 live tables with further potential for growth. Official figures for the year 2014 state total gaming revenues of US$515.24m and gaming tax revenues amounting to US$96.1m.
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Brazil’s government has announced that it is now preparing a tender for the private sector to run its instant games division
Brazil - Legislation
In order to strengthen revenue for the state the Brazilian government has announced that it is now preparing the tender procedure for the pri- vate sector to run the entire operation of its instant games division. Instants are currently managed solely by Caixa (Brazil’s state owned bank). It is understood that measures which authorise Caixa to buy stakes in other banks, either directly or through subsidiaries, are being used to pave the way for Caixa to create a new company to operate instant lotteries.
Superintendent of the National Lottery Gilson César Pereira Braga told press that the tender model for the entire chain of instant lottery games is a requirement for foreign groups and confirmed that he had met with gaming compa- ny Scientific Games as well as six other compa- nies to discuss the matter.
To avoid having to change legislation, Caixa, which has a monopoly on lotteries in the coun- try, will continue as be the official “owner” of the company, but the operation of instants
including pre-production, production, logistics, telemarketing, sales and after-sales will go to a single company or a consortium of private com- panies. Currently, only the distribution of instant tickets by mail, and printing are out- sourced.
The company which is awarded the tender may, it is believed, be also permitted to expand the point of sale network currently in place for instant tickets. Instant tickets are becoming increasingly popular in Brazil. Sales increased by 26.5 per cent from US$ 56,935,494.84 in 2013 to US$ 72,107,753.34 in 2014.
The news comes after the Brazilian Senate approved laws which would allow for two new sports betting lotteries in July. The first new lot- tery will be an instant called Lotex and will be based around the theme of local football clubs.
Argentina Novomatic has announced a significant appointment to the management structure of the Group’s Argentine subsidiaries with Fabian Grous, Managing Director of the Group’s system specialist Octavian de Argentina, taking responsibility for AGI Argentina, as the company’s overall new Managing Director. This new appointment will further strengthen and enhance the management capability in Latin America. Fabian Grous is a gaming industry veteran who can look back on 22 years of experience in various positions within the Latin American industry. He started his career as a casino manager and in 2003 switched from the operational business to become a supplier at the foundation of Octavian de Argentina.
Sun International and Dreams move to consolidate operations
LATAM The consolidation process of operations between the merged Chilean companies Dreams with South African Sun International will start in December. The con- solidation process will run for about a year in the first period in which the company will invest up to US$10m for, among other things, systems development and the unification of players.
General Manager of Dreams Jaime Wilhelm said: “According to the program that we have drawn up within a year we should have consolidated opera- tions up and running and will be seeing the opportunities for expansion. It will be a one-year job, to evaluate operations, the markets, the players we have in
common, to study the competi- tion and regulations. The permits for casinos in these countries are shorter and there are several things to consider first. From that point on we will look at the opportunities for expansion,” he said.
Dreams and Sun International finalised the merger between both companies creating Latin America’s largest gaming opera- tor in September. The merger will create a group valued at around US$400m.
Mr Wilhelm said that the compa- ny would begin a wide ranging study into other markets. “Firstly we have to analyse the different casino formats that exist in dif- ferent countries and study how
to export the Monticello type of casino model that is in Chile. In other countries casinos are smaller and are found in shop- ping centres, and are licensed according to the legislation of each country. We will establish best practices for each of the markets. After this exercise and based on the results of each one of the operations, we will evalu- ate where to start growth,” he said.
The Latin American operations of Sun International, including Monticello in Chile, Ocean Sun Casino in Panama City and a project near completion in Colombia, will be merged in the deal which will see Sun International expanding its pres- ence in the region. Dreams oper- ates six casinos in Chile and has recently expanded into Peru where it operates four smaller gaming establishments in Lima. There are plans for it to expand further in the region
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