Aristocrat Sues Ainsworth over IP Breach ASIA & OCEANIA
Aristocrat Technologies is suing Ainsworth Game Technology in Australia’s Federal Court, claiming it breached intellectual property rights
Te claimed intellectual property breach concerns Aristocrat’s runaway hit progressive, Lightning Link
AUSTRALIA SUPPLIER NEWS
AUSTRALIA – Spintec is celebrating following a successful installation of its Aura amphitheatre gaming setup in one of the most prominent clubs in Sydney. The installation took place in the first part of the year and initial results are very encouraging. Spintec and its Australian distribution partner, Independent Gaming, have optimistic plans for the Australian market, with the second part of 2019 promising new partnerships and installations.
“We went through a very long certification process, our R&D team invested a lot of time and effort, and now we are very proud of what we have achieved,” commented Primoz Krsevan, Regional Sales Manager at Spintec.
Between August 13-15, Spintec will be at the Australasian Gaming Expo (AGE) in Sydney, at Darling Harbour. Together with Independent Gaming, they will present their latest gaming solutions. “This year’s AGE is very special to us, as we have finally entered into the market and started making the first footprints in the Australian gaming industry,” added Mr. Krsevan.
PHILIPPINES – D’ Heights Resort and Casino has opened in Clark, Pampanga, becoming the sixth casino to open in the Philippines’ Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone. The $250m property is owned by Dong Huang Clark Corp. and has opened with 50 tables and 576 slots although it will be able to operate a further 50 tables by the time its official grand opening comes around in October.
The venue has a VIP floor, a high limit area dubbed D’ Heights Club and a junket area, and will also soon open a five star, 310-room Hilton Hotel and the Hyatt Regency. It is set over the mountain ranges to the west of the Clark Freeport Zone with the resort sitting 350 meters above sea level at its highest point, resulting in a cooler, cleaner and fresher environment.
JAPAN – Casinos Austria International has said it will join the race for a Japanese casino licence if Nagasaki lands one of the IR spots, adding that its project could include a Viennese Philharmonic Orchestra as a permanent fixture. The casino spa would have a special emphasis on state-of-the-art medical treatment
Speaking at the at the Kyushu Nagasaki Integrated Resort (IR) Business-Connect Seminar, Casinos Austria International Japan’s Managing Director Akio Hayashi described the plans as 'amazing' adding they had not been 'seen elsewhere in the world.' He emphasised that CAI wasn't looking to replicate the 'gaudiness of Las Vegas or Macau' but that it wanted to create a 'European-style IR' to suit a regional city with MICE as a key.
P26 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA
Aristocrat Technologies is suing rival Australian slot manufacturer Ainsworth Game Technology in Australia’s Federal Court, claiming it breached intellectual property rights relating to Aristocrat’s Lightning Link progressive link. Te slot giant has accused Ainsworth of the 'extensive and deliberate theft' of slot data. It claims that one employee referred to simply as Prabhu, a long-time employee at Ainsworth joined Aristocrat as a game designer but was there for less than a month before returning to Ainsworth where he was employed as a senior game designer from April 2017. He remains employed by Ainsworth to this date.
Aristocrat claims that during that very short period of employment, Prabhu accessed the game mathematics of Lightning Link, via an Excel spreadsheet, downloaded them onto a USB, and gave the spread sheet back to Ainsworth.
Aristocrat said: “Tis case goes well beyond simple copyright infringement and concerns allegations of extensive and deliberate misappropriation of trade secrets, confidential
Wynn Palace plans US$2bn non-gaming pavilion in Macau
China
Wynn Macau has published plans for US$2bn expansion at its Wynn Palace casino on the Cotai peninsula in Macau. Building work will begin on the Crystal Pavilion complex in 2021, with an opening set for 2024. It will be built adjacent to the Wynn Palace, would include a theater and museum, two hotel towers, each with 650 rooms, interactive sculptures, gardens, a 270-degree fully- immersive, entertainment theatre and a destination food hall that offers a wide variety of regional Asian cuisines. Wynn believes it will attract 7- 10 million people each year to the Crystal Pavilion. Te immersive theatre will use super-live technology, while the art museum will overlook the new gardens.
information and intellectual property. Upholding appropriate standards is part and parcel of ensuring ongoing trust in our business and industry, and is an important part of Aristocrat’s high compliance culture. Aristocrat will always aggressively defend our assets, including our IP. Upholding appropriate standards is part and parcel of ensuring ongoing trust in our business and industry and is an important part of Aristocrat's high compliance culture. We won't be commenting further while the case is on foot.”
Ainsworth replied: "Ainsworth will be vigorously defending the claims made by Aristocrat in these proceedings."
Aristocrat recently demanded to view all Ainsworth’s source code, mathematical tables, game rules, artwork and commercial documents relating to its Jackpot Strike slot machine. Aristocrat alleged that the game was ‘intended to be an imitation of Lightning Link.’
Te first hearing in the lawsuit was scheduled for July 17.
CEO Matt Maddox said back in November: “We have a seven- acre parcel next to Wynn Palace Cotai and we’ve been working very hard on what could come next and what we have so far is a 1.5m sq.ft facility that we think will be a must-see in Macau. In addition, on the north four- acre parcel we were working on a 700-room all-suite hotel that we’ll connect into the north side of Wynn Palace.”
Analysts with JP Morgan DS Kim said: “Target return on investment is 15 to 20 per cent, implying incremental EBITDA of US $300m to US $400m from phase one. Tis would mean 35 to 47 per cent boost, which seems a bit aggressive for primarily non-gaming expansion.” David Katz, an analyst with Jefferies Financial Group added: “Te long-term financial targets released at the 2019 investor day are slightly more conservative than expectations.”
Japan
Tokyo-based BroadBand Security has signed an exclusivity contract with Table Trac to introduce the CasinoTrac CMS to the Japanese market wherever legalised gambling is approved. Japan is expected to become the second largest gaming jurisdiction in the world, behind only Macau, creating between $15 and $25bn a year in revenue. According to UNLV, 2018 gross revenue for all of Nevada from gaming sources was over $11bn. Table Trac's CMS is in over 150 casinos in 12 countries and is multi-lingual, multi-currency and multi-tax reporting. Chad Hoehne, Table Trac founder, CEO and Chief Technology Officer, said: "Tis is truly a watershed moment for Table Trac. We are honored to contribute to this team of worldwide recognised companies where Table Trac's CasinoTrac system will be integrated with Japanese systems as they create the All Japan Project."
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