Oneida Nation Selects Bally's Casino Management System
Bally Technologies was awarded a contract with the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin to provide a comprehensive system solution for its eight casinos in Wisconsin. After a highly competitive selection process, the Oneida Nation chose to replace its current system with a Bally system, including 2,375 iVIEW patron-communication network displays, Bally Business Intelligence Solutions, TableView Real-Time Table Rating and Player-Tracking System, and Bally's full suite of Power Bonusingª, casino marketing, player-tracking and promotions tools. The Oneida Nation will become the first casino with more than 2,000 slot machines to go live with Bally's SDS Version 11 slot system across an eight-casino network. Ramesh Srinivasan, executive vice president of Bally Systems, said: "The Oneida Nation is a very progressive gaming operator and we are extremely honored and humbled to become their systems partner for the future. We look forward to helping the Oneida Nation take their gaming operation to the next level." The Oneida Nation will go live late this summer with Bally's fully networked floor systems solution over the gaming operator's new high-speed Ethernet floor network. For more information, visit www.ballytech.com.
Bally Expands Video Slot Library
Bally Technologies continues to add even more depth to its proven portfolio of stepper and video slots with the recent release of a range of new games. To support its ALPHA Elite V32 cabinet with new titles that promise to be in demand, Bally has released a number of new video titles for that cabinet, including Playboy Platinum, expanding on the success of one of gaming's most popular licensed titles, as well as the Power Progressive Platinum video slot series featuring three new games: Double Wild Rose, Rich & Famous and White Gold. Further augmenting Bally's video-slot portfolio is a new series of "bankable" games. Bally's new Treasure Series creates four new and unique video slot titles around a common treasure theme: Jungle Treasures, Savannah Treasures, Arctic Treasures and Pacific Treasures. "Our product pipeline is very strong, with a very exciting and well-balanced lineup of innovative video and stepper slot themes for the global gaming market," said Gavin Isaacs, Bally's COO. "Gaming operators will definitely see the results of our customer-focused game development in the next six months."
As part of Bally's commitment to expand and improve its video-slot portfolio, the company also entered into a non-exclusive agreement with Ainsworth Game Technology Limited under which Ainsworth will provide Class III video slot content for Bally's game cabinets in North America. The agreement allows Bally to augment its own video library with Ainsworth's consistently strong-performing video slot titles for Bally's customers in the United States and Canada. The Ainsworth game content will be available on Bally's ALPHA Elite V20 and V32 game cabinets. Bally will be responsible for regulatory approvals as well as sales, marketing, service and support. Isaacs said, "Ainsworth's games are consistently among the top-performing games in Australia, which is primarily a repeat-player video market like most of the Native American and riverboat markets in North America." For more information, visit www.ballytech.com.
IGT Hires Chris Satchell as CTO
IGT CEO and President Patti S. Hart announced that she has hired Chris Satchell to fill the newly added position of chief technology officer at the company. Satchell comes to IGT from Microsoft, where he was chief technology officer for the Interactive Entertainment Business, responsible for technical strategy and execution across the video gaming business. "Chris brings a long history of success and great depth of technical expertise to IGT," said Hart. "He will play an instrumental role in shaping our strategic and tactical technological vision and refocusing our internal technology support on many levels within the organization." The new position will have direct management responsibility for IGT's Information Systems team, research and development, and the advanced software architecture group. For more information, visit www.igt.com.
PureDepth and Aurora Design to Develop New Games Using MLD Technology
PureDepth Inc., the creator of Multi-Layer Display (MLD) technology and a leader in new visualization experiences, announced an agreement with gaming and product developer Aurora Design Inc. (ADI) to create two new MLD-based casino games. The games will use advanced MLD effects to provide eye-popping visuals that will offer an unparalleled gaming experience. PureDepth's MLD technology is currently in use in more than 70 REELdepth video slot machines made by IGT, the world's largest casino gaming machine manufacturer. The REELdepth machines by IGT were named 2009 Lottery Product of the Year by the Public Gaming Research Institute. The games mark PureDepth's first foray into game development for the U.S. casino market. "I worked with PureDepth for years as the senior vice president of IGT Labs and saw first-hand the incredible impact of REELdepth games with MLD technology," said ADI Founder and President Randy Hedrick. "These new games are an exciting opportunity to showcase the amazing visual experiences created with MLD when using the development tools produced by PureDepth. MLD technology allows us to bring highly interactive skill-based game features to the gaming community that other types of 3-D display technologies aren't capable of delivering." For more information, visit www.puredepth.com or www.adiideas.com.
TransAct's Epic 950¨ Printer Selected by City of Dreams
TransAct Technologies announced that its Epic 950 printer was selected exclusively by the City of Dreams entertainment resort on the Cotai Strip of Macau for all of the approximately 1,350 slot machines featured on the casino floor. "We are very pleased with this exclusive win, which provides further confirmation that the Epic 950 printer is fast becoming the most sought after TITO printer on a global scale," said Bart C. Shuldman, chairman, president and chief CEO of TransAct Technologies. "Operators continue to seek the best technological features with maximum flexibility for their slot floors, and the Epic 950 fits that description perfectly." For more information, visit www.transact-tech.com.
Rainmaker Revenue Management Installed at UNLV
The Rainmaker Group announced that the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) installed Rainmaker's revolution Product Suite to enable students to gain hands-on experience with the gaming industry's most widely used casino hotel revenue management system. Tammy Farley, principal of The Rainmaker Group, said, "Rainmaker partners with the top gaming hotel companies worldwide to implement our systems, so it is appropriate that we also provide our revolution system to the industry's most respected educational gaming program at the University of Las Vegas." For more information, visit www.letitrain.com.
Union Gaming Group Named Advisor to State of Kansas
Union Gaming Group, a Las Vegas-based independent research and advisory group focused on the global gaming marketplace, has been selected as part of a team of advisors for the Kansas Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board. The firm will provide financial suitability and stability analysis of casino applicants for the state. The Kansas Lottery Commission is considering five proposals for prospective casino operators in Sumner and Wyandotte counties. The Kansas Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board will likely select the two winning applicants by late summer. "We are delighted to have been selected as an advisor to the Kansas Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board," said Grant Govertsen of Union Gaming Group. "As the state moves forward with its thoughtful evaluation of proposed casino developments, we look forward to working with Kansas officials and the other teams of advisors to provide a robust analysis of the casino applicants." For more information, visit www.uniongaminggroup.com.
CDI Announces CasinoCAD© Sale to Sands Bethlehem, Preview of iGuide
Casino Data Imaging (CDI) announced that Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem has licensed CDI's CasinoCAD© data visualization and report writing program. The recent sale marks the third CasinoCAD© installation in Pennsylvania. "The Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem's selection of CasinoCAD© is a great validation of CDI's technology direction," said George Levine, CDI corporate spokesman. "Our software and support is designed so casino operators have the flexibility to chart their own course for analysis. We look forward to partnering with this world-class property." The recently opened Sands debuted with 3,000 slot machines and is the eighth casino to open in Pennsylvania.
CDI also announced the G2E Asia "sneak preview" of its iGuide amenity/retail and casino games locator technology. iGuide's proprietary Point2Point technology presents an easy and memorable way to guide visitors from their current position to any location within a gaming/hotel/retail venue. The iGuide generates routes to the selected game or amenity automatically based on the visitor's selection. Casinos will have several ways to channel patrons via specific pathing to enhance visitor exposure plus maximize revenue generating locations. "Built ground up for the gaming industry, this new .NET based product is fully developed, and we are just rolling out to select locations in the USA," said Levine. Website, in-room and iPhone applications are part of iGuide's product development path. For more information, visit www.casinodataimaging.com.
New AGA Report Demonstrates Industry's Resiliency
Though the economic recession reached a fever pitch in 2008, it had the second highest revenues on record for the U.S. commercial casino industry. According to a report released from the American Gaming Association (AGA), gross gaming revenues topped $32.5 billion in 2008, a 4.7 percent drop from 2007's record-breaking total. "The U.S. is grappling with the most severe economic downturn in more than a half-century, and, like nearly every industry, the commercial casino industry has been hit hard," said Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., president and CEO of the AGA. "However, it continues to be an important provider of jobs and direct gaming taxes, helping states, communities and families weather the economic storm." Widely regarded as the most comprehensive resource of its kind, State of the States: The AGA Survey of Casino Entertainment offers an in-depth, insider's look at how the commercial casino industry was affected last year by plunging consumer confidence and the widespread credit freeze. The report includes state and national economic impact data, as well as public opinion polling results on a variety of gaming issues. The new edition of State of the States reveals that commercial casinos returned more than $5.6 billion in tax revenues to gaming communities across the country last year. Those sorely needed contributions helped fund vital local public services, such as transportation, infrastructure and education. Additionally, the report indicates that the industry remained a major U.S. employer, providing valuable jobs to more than 357,000 people. This year's report also takes a close look at the economic impact of the gaming equipment manufacturing sector, which exhibited growth in 2008 despite the challenging environment. It features data from Applied Analysis, collected on behalf of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, that demonstrate the ongoing contributions of this critically important but too-often overlooked segment of the gaming industry. The 2009 States of the States report includes several additional tools and resources, such as a pocket guide with topline national and economic data, as well as a glossary of frequently used gaming-related terms. A full copy of the 2009 State of the States can be downloaded at www.americangaming.org.
Gaming Support USA Receives Ontario Gaming Supplier License Approval
Gaming Support USA announced that it has received approval as a gaming supplier by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Ontario is the largest gaming market in Canada, recording both the highest casino and slots revenues of any Canadian province during fiscal 2007-08. "Obtaining this approval for Ontario is an important milestone for our team," stated Don Baugh, CEO, Gaming Support USA. "We have worked hard to build a quality customer base across America for our range of revenue-enhancing products. This approval will allow Gaming Support to begin supplying Canadian operators with the world-class solutions we have delivered to the American, Asian and European markets, including our industry-leading digital signage and bonusing technologies." For more information, visit www.gamingsupport.com.
PokerPro Approved by Nevada Gaming Commission
PokerTek Inc. announced that PokerPro has been officially approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission. This approval opens business for PokerTek in the state of Nevada. Nevada installations, coupled with other major installations across the globe, have proven that automated poker on PokerPro is now an accepted and often preferred solution to operators looking to run a profitable and successful poker room. PokerPro has many benefits for the player, such as 100 percent accurate game play, more hands per hour and automatic player comps based on frequency of play. PokerPro deals Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and Seven Card Stud almost 100 percent faster than a human dealer, which allows operators to offer all types of games and recognize revenues that were once impossible. PokerPro will continue to grow in popularity, and with the new Nevada approval, that growth can only be expected to increase. For more information, visit www.pokertek.com.
Gaming Support's BonusBox Receives GLI Approval
Gaming Support announced it has been granted Gaming Laboratories International certification covering its BonusBox player bonusing system. "Gaming Support is delighted to announce this critical product approval," stated Lucien van Linden, Gaming Support's CEO. "The results from BonusBox field trials have been nothing short of phenomenal and we look forward to rolling out this exciting new technology to regulated jurisdictions worldwide." BonusBox is a gaming peripheral that enables operators to award physical bonus prizes to slot players. Offered in standalone and linked configurations, BonusBox creates a direct, intimate connection between prize and player, increasing notions of "winability," excitement and value. For more information, visit www.gamingsupport.com/bonusbox.
GLI Recognized as Testing Lab for Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore
As Singapore moves closer to opening its marketplace to casino gaming, Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) has been officially recognized as a testing laboratory by the Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) of Singapore, the regulatory authority responsible for supervising and regulating the casino gaming industry in Singapore. The CRA designates qualified testing laboratories with the status of SRTL (Singapore Recognized Test Lab) to provide testing services for gaming equipment deployed at casinos within Singapore's jurisdiction. As an SRTL, GLI will test games, systems and progressives against standards established by the CRA, and GLI will test games and systems for interoperability. GLI Senior Director of Global Engineering and Client Services Ian Hughes said: "We are honored to achieve the status of an SRTL. We are glad to have participated in the CRA's closed consultations with the gaming industry for the Singapore Technical Standards on slots and systems." To be recognized, GLI had to prove, among other items, its accreditation with ISO 17025, its internal compliance processes and its experience in testing gaming equipment for major gaming jurisdictions. For more than 20 years, GLI has been the world leader in independent testing for the gaming industry. With 13 testing laboratories spread across Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America, GLI is the only laboratory of its kind to hold both U.S. and International accreditations for compliance with ISO 17025 and 17020 standards for technical competence in testing and inspection services. For more information, visit www.gaminglabs.com.
Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians Rejoins CNIGA
The California Nations Indian Gaming Association announced that the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians has rejoined the organization. Rincon Chairman Bo Mazzetti said: "CNIGA's proven track record of protecting tribal sovereignty and economic development supports our tribal goals and vision. Rincon looks forward to partnering with CNIGA to ensure tribal gaming rights and protections for future generations." The northern San Diego County-based tribe operates the Harrah's Rincon casino. "CNIGA welcomes the Rincon Tribal Government back to the association and we look forward to their participation and contributions," said CNIGA Chairman Anthony Miranda. "Together, CNIGA and our member tribes will continue our work to preserve and protect tribal sovereign rights now and for generations to come." For more information, visit www.cniga.com.
WMS' Participation Footprint Surpasses 10,000 Gaming Machines
WMS Gaming announced that its installed base of participation gaming machines now exceeds 10,000 units. The achievement of this growth milestone for installed units reflects WMS' ongoing success in developing and placing participation gaming machines with appealing and innovative play experiences enabled by the company's foundational server and networked-gaming technologies. WMS' participation footprint has grown steadily, increasing by more than 40 percent, or more than 2,900 units, since the September 2006 introduction of games featuring the first generation of the company's Community Gaming foundational technology. Since the first game theme was launched on the Community Gaming platform, WMS has also introduced games on three additional foundational platformsÑSensory Immersion, Transmissive Reels and Adaptive Gaming, each a unique and player-appealing form factor. "The combination of unique technologies for the slot floor, industry leading creative game content and our intellectual property has resulted in the development of the industry's most successful and exciting portfolio of participation gaming machines," said Brian R. Gamache, chairman and CEO of WMS Industries Inc. For more information, visit www.wms.com.
Winslow Mexico named Table Games Director at Potawatomi Bingo Casino
Winslow Mexico has been named table games director at Potawatomi Bingo Casino. Mexico most recently worked in that same capacity at Northern Lights Bingo Casino, Potawatomi Bingo Casino's sister facility in Carter, Wis. Prior to that, Mexico had been with Potawatomi Bingo Casino for nine years. As table games director, Mexico will be responsible for the overall administration of operations and functions of the table games department, made up of more than 700 team members. "I enjoy the experiences I've had in table gamesÑthis is the department in which I came up through," said Mexico. "I'm looking forward to building on the great department we already have here and instilling an enthusiastic attitude among the team." Mexico is an enrolled member of the Forest County Potawatomi. For more information, visit http://www.paysbig.com.
INAG Announces Youth Sprint Car Racing Sponsorship
INAG President Mark Jones announced the sponsorship of youth sprint car racing. Mystery Card Roulette (MCR) has become the No. 1 roulette-style card game in California and is now playing in Oklahoma at Kiowa and Choctaw Casino and Resort. INAG's business has grown more than 400 percent in 2009 alone, and Jones is happy to support a youth activity that keeps kids off the street and on the track. Let's see if the drivers can take off as fast as Mystery Card Roulette has. For more information, visit www.inag11.com.
GameLogic Named a Top Emerging Technology Company
GameLogic announced it has been selected as an AlwaysOn East 100 top company. The award is given to private, emerging technology companies east of the Mississippi that create new business opportunities in high-growth markets. In 2008, GameLogic was named to AlwaysOn's AO Global 250 list, recognizing the next generation of game-changing global technology companies. GameLogic was selected by AlwaysOn for demonstrating leadership in the areas of innovation, market potential, customer adoption, investor value creation and media buzz. "GameLogic is revolutionizing the way the gaming industry markets," said John E. Taylor Jr., GameLogic president and CEO. "More and more casino and lottery operators are using our web-based solutions to reach new and existing players far more efficiently and effectively than traditional marketing methods. It's an honor to have our solutions further validated and to be a member of such an esteemed group of companies." GameLogic and its fellow winners were honored at the Venture Summit East May 20 to 22 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Boston. For more information, visit www.gamelogic.com.
Gary Platt Selected as WSOP Dealer Chair Supplier
Gary Platt Manufacturing supplied 325 dealer chairs for the famous World Series of Poker tournament that is being held at the Rio Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Gary Platt Manufacturing also shipped more than 350 chairs to Hipodromo De Las Americas in Mexico. The casino selected the Sierra X-Tended Play upholstered in Hue Grape. Gary Platt also shipped 450 Gazelle Style chairs to Skagit Valley Casino Resort in Bow, Wash. Skagit Valley has a new expanded gaming area. For more information, visit www.garyplatt.com.
Microsoft Appoints Bentfeld as GM
Microsoft Corp. announced that Fred Bentfeld has joined the company as general manager of its U.S. Distribution and Services Group, which encompasses Microsoft's retail, hospitality, consumer goods and professional services verticals. With a more than 30-year track record of serving enterprise customers, Bentfeld will lead strategy, sales, partnering, marketing, technical strategists and solution specialists across the group. He will report to Vice President of U.S. Commercial Sector Industries John Fikany. "Fred is a proven leader with solid expertise in the issues facing distribution and services customers today," Fikany said. "We look forward to tapping his extensive partnering, sales and leadership experience to continue to drive momentum in delivering Microsoft-based, industry-relevant solutions for our customers." Bentfeld most recently served as managing partner at Integrys Holdings LLC, where he led business development and growth for a number of Integrys enterprises. For more information, visit www.microsoft.com/presspass.