What is the future of the London shows? That was the question being asked by visitors and exhibitors to the ATEI and IGX as they drew to a close this year. The IGX, although small, proved to be a popular alternative to Earls Court for those who broke away this year. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, the aisles busy enough and the set up and break down of the stands far easier to achieve than at ATEI. Apart from that, the costs involved in exhibiting at IGX were a fraction of those at ATEI.

Tomy Europe, the leading toy and nursery manufacturer, has acquired Tomy Yujin Europe, the international vending and gift company, from Yujin Japan. The deal means the two companies can take advantage of shared operating costs and distribution channels. Tomy Yujin will change its name to Gacha International and become a branch of Tomy Europe with Tim Goldsworthy taking the role as General Manager. Gacha International will continue to trade and operate as normal, but share Tomy Europe's finance and operations facilities.

Namco Europe has secured the exclusive rights for subsidiaries Brent Sales and Bandai Namco Games to distribute upgrade kits for Raw Thrills' iconic driving game, The Fast and the Furious Drift. The agreement, which was ratified in the week prior to London's ATEI, covers the UK, Ireland, continental Europe and the Middle East.

Jack Bauer is back, but this time in Stern Pinball's new 24^TM pinball machine.  Designed by Steve Ritchie and Stern's engineering team, Stern Pinball takes FOX's hit television show and turns it into one fast-paced pinball machine that will excite both operators and homeowners.

Brent Electronic started 2009 with a bang. Shortly after announcing its distribution agreement with Bandai Toys, which gives the company access to hugely popular character brands such as Ben 10 and Power Rangers, Brent secured an exclusive UK and Europe-wide distribution deal with Deltronic Labs. The Deltronic range includes the reliable and extensively used DL-1275 ticket dispenser, in addition to the company's popular upright and table top ticket eaters.

LAI GAMES is continuing its fight to protect Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights of its incredibly successful prize vending game, Stacker.

GDTronics Greece has signed an agreement with Nova Productions for the distribution of the amusement and SWP versions of PokerKard to the Greek market. PokerKard is an innovative electronic Texas Hold'em Poker table, which is designed and manufactured by the British firm Nova Productions.

Leading gaming machine operator Gamestec teamed up with Punch Taverns to run a national Tetris tournament on Gamesnet 5 machines. The tournament took place throughout December across more than 400 Punch Taverns' sites, with top prize of £500 at stake.

HB Leisure Ltd., the North Wales based specialist in the skill games and coin-operated amusements business, has appointed a new Managing Director.

Photo-Me International, the world market leader in the manufacture and operation of photobooths, has launched a new campaign giving one lucky entrant the chance to meet chart-topping singer Will Young.

E-Service is releasing a unique, new 26" dedicated TFT LCD kit, designed as a drop-in replacement for the original  CRT monitors in Midway's sit-down Cruis'n series of video games. The new kits, available to order immediately, are primarily positioned as a 25" CRT monitor replacement for the sit-down Midway games such as the Cruis'n franchise (USA/Off Road/World) and California Speed.  The upright versions of these games unfortunately do not have a wide enough cabinet to accommodate the 26" LCD. 

Merlin Technologies, Inc., manufacturers of the Wild Bull- the world's only electronic scoring steel darts machine using a genuine English dartboard - introduces the Wild Bull LIVE! online, steel darts machine with remote-refereeing.

Ritzio International has opened a premium class Allegre Casino in the city of Medellin, Colombia. The property will become the country's most luxury gaming environment yet and offer the highest level of service for upscale clientele in the heart of the city.

Project, the London games developer and TCSJOHNHUXLEY, one of the world's leading casino equipment suppliers have combined their respective areas of expertise to produce a dynamic Live Draw Poker game. This was debuted at the TCSJOHNHUXLEY stand at January‘s International Gaming Expo.  

Gamestec, a leading player in the UK gaming and amusement machines sector, has donated two pool tables to a community group for adults with learning difficulties in Salford.

GTI Asia Taipei Expo 2009 will take place on May 7 to 9, at B&C Zones, Hall 1, Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan.  Twelve companies have already registered, including IGS, Saint-Fun, Subsino and Feiloli.  After the Chinese New Year Vacation, other VIP companies, such as Astro, Injoy, Tecway, Pan Asia, Kingtronic, Huai I and ICT will also complete their registration. 

With the success of the tattoo series released last month, Allstar is revved up to release its latest popular license, Disney's Cars. The animated movie, which was initially released in theatres in 2006, has grown into one of the largest brands in the world, and has become an evergreen property for the Disney Company. The high volume sales of the initial tattoo series has prompted Allstar to release this all new sticker series, featuring 12 die-cut prismatic designs of all the same lovable characters kids today have grown to love.  Allstar anticipates that this new sticker series will be just what people are looking for in the way of a new, hot boy's item - which seems to be lacking from the industry. A double-sided display also available.

With the success of the tattoo series released last month, Allstar is revved up to release its latest popular license, Disney's Cars. The animated movie, which was initially released in theatres in 2006, has grown into one of the largest brands in the world, and has become an evergreen property for the Disney Company.

Visitors to the Dubai Boat Show this month will have the opportunity to experience what it's like racing in the P1 Powerboat Grand Prix world series by riding on a themed motion simulator ride. The simulator designed and manufactured by FX Simulation (UK) Ltd is themed and branded in the P1 livery. Inside, daredevil riders can choose to experience two different races created from real footage of last year's Powerboat Grand Prix.

Mecca Bingo is installing over 300 brand new second generation games machines, supplied by Gamestec Leisure Limited, into its estate of bingo clubs following the change in legislation to allow up to eight Category B3 machines on one site.

147 new millionaires were created in Italy in 2008 thanks to Lotto, SuperEnalotto, Scratch Cards and Lotteries. Although there is of course the theoretical possibility of the same player winning more than once, Scratch Cards on their own have created 116 new millionaires, 19 of whom have won €2 million with the "Colpo Vincente" game.

The outlook for the world economy is not looking that bright at present and many sectors are already suffering damaging blows. Despite that, there is a sector that does not appear to be suffering in this economic climate: the sports betting market has ended 2008 with a clearly positive trend.

"Tricks, slot, machine". It is only a question of entering these three words into a search engine, and hundreds of sites appear, from where it is possible to learn, free of charge or more frequently by making a payment, various techniques on how to bypass the control systems installed on various models via an illegal shortcut, and pocket extra cash. The first piece of advice given to a punter searching through the web sites is to check that the slot machine is in fact loaded with money.

Sport is the great passion of the Italians, above all football, and then Formula One, motorcycling and basketball. If it is not possible to put on boots and get down to the ground itself, you can always bet on your favourite team winning, or on the fastest driver or on the score in the basket ball game. Most of all, young people are trying their luck, with double the excitement: they are adding the hope of winning the derby to the thrill of betting. Last year one bet in two was placed was by people between the ages of 18 and 34.

In Arezzo, the local Service for addiction treatment (SerT) has organised two events to increase awareness for all those who want to know more about these illnesses.

The online poker market continues to grow. In January receipts amounted to about €139.4 million, a rise of 44.9% over the €96.2 million collected in December. Gioco Digitale remains the sector leader: €55 million having been played on its website (+19% on the figure for the last month of 2008), with a market share of 39.4%.

They arrive in dribs and drabs, in their old cars or even on a Vespa. They enjoy free meals, TV, shows. The border area between Rabuiese and Fernetti, with the highest concentration of gaming houses in Europe, has almost become a private club for thousands of grey haired men from Trieste.

For urgent and unavoidable reasons and with little less than a month before the event was due to take place, the organizers of the Málaga Fair have been forced to delay the opening of the Spanish gaming fair. The Fair has been rescheduled for 22nd to 24th April. No-one can fail to appreciate the difficulties in organizing a fair, especially if the event is about gaming.

At the beginning of 2008, an operation called "Operation Arcade" was launched by the Servicio de Control de Juegos de Azar (Department for the Control of Games of Chance), and the Unidad Central de Inteligencia Criminal (Central Criminal Intelligence Unit), with the object of successfully collecting all the information relating to crimes  committed in amusement arcades, against their owners or their employees in the exercise of their work or on account of same, for its subsequent application to operational plans.

Spain has always been a country of contrasts. At the present time there are two large projects to prove this - ‘Gran Scala' and ‘El Mundo de Don Quixote' (The World of Don Quixote). Whilst the first is going ahead with its initial investments, the second is suffering the consequences of the financial crisis and is announcing measures to withdraw.

Madrid will be welcoming the Leaders of Online Gaming to discuss its imminent regulation. It seems that Spain is getting ever closer to regulating gaming in casinos and online betting at state level. At the next conference on "Online Gaming in Spain", which is planned to take place in March at the Intercontinental Hotel in Madrid, the Technical General Secretary of the Department of the Interior (National Commission for Gaming), Mª Ángeles González, will offer an exclusive insight into the progress of the regulatory plans and what the resulting scenario might be.

To educate the public about the military, the United States Army opened its first arcade-style recruiting centre in Philadelphia in August 2008. The 14,500-sq.ft., $13 million facility is called the Army Experience Center. Officials hope to expand the concept to urban zones nationwide.

The Pennsylvania Amusement and Music Machine Association (PAMMA) formed with two goals in June 1982. The first aim was to fight unfair taxes on the growing video game market. Second, the group hoped to achieve legalised video poker in licensed liquor establishments throughout the state.

Governor Joe Manchin of West Virginia has appointed a panel to study current regulations and earnings of the Video Lottery Terminal (VLT) market in West Virginia. Manchin aims to reduce the number of licensed VLTs in bars and clubs. Towns and cities statewide have challenged the current 9,000 maximum, charging market oversaturation.

South Carolina shut down its legal, multibillion-dollar video poker market in 2000, and operators unsuccessfully fought the ban in court. This year, a state senator may try to assemble several lawmakers to write a ballot referendum to revive the state's payoff video poker market. He will launch a referendum campaign in April if no alternative fundraising plan is introduced. Equipment taxes could raise $750 million annually to fund state programs for low-income citizens.

Restaurants are key customers for the American amusement industry, often replacing "mom and pop" tavern and food stores. Thousands of companies operate music and amusement equipment in diverse eateries. However, two market research and food consulting firms predict that up to 3% of all restaurants will close in 2009. Investment giant Goldman Sachs' in-house restaurant analyst projected an 8% figure-approximately 12,000 of all American foodservice locations

Sega Sammy, which has released numerous renowned arcade games during the last 35 years, has finally been struck by the financial crisis. The firm announced on February 11th that it will gradually close down one third of its arcade outlets.  This time last year, Sega announced the expansion of 110 arcades, but now challenged by the economic recession, it has to close down 100.

Huai I, which became internationally famous with the brand name Wei-Ya, mainly produces game machines and video game parts such as monitors, LCD monitors, switching power supplies, IC boards and coin selectors.  The firm's products have penetrated into more than 100 countries in the world.

Organized by Astro and Economic Daily News, the 1st Taiwan Gaming Industry Forum took place at the Westin Taipei Hotel on February 13.  The forum was attended by government officials, civil representatives, scientific search organizations, academic institutions, legal representatives, and Taiwanese and overseas industry experts and associates. The forum served to build a bridge between Taiwan's gaming industry and international casinos.

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Glendale of California, USA, FutureLogic designs and builds high-reliability electromechanical assembly solutions for nearly every printing need. As a leader in super-robust thermal printer technology, FutureLogic is the industry's premier supplier of thermal printers for casino gaming, promotional equipment, kiosk, industrial, RTAL, gas pumps, and medical applications.

THE NETHERLANDS

As part of a sweeping report on the Dutch gambling sector, Holland's minister for justice Ernst Hirsch Ballin has told MPs that a ‘black list' of illegal gambling websites will be circulated to Dutch banks by March, bringing into effect a ban on the processing of internet gambling payments in the country ahead of a possible wider shakeup of Holland's gambling regime later this year. Source: GamblingCompliance.com

It has become impossible to ignore the blurring between the lines of coin-op and betting. A walk around any of the European coin-op shows these days will see a growing number of sports betting companies exhibiting alongside the amusements and AWPs.

The merger between pool table manufacturers Excel Leisure and Simply Pool announced shortly before Intergame's IGX Show in London produced a warm welcome from visitors who came to the show in numbers that left Stan Mckenna and his colleague, Bob Underhill, pleasantly surprised.

Heywood Pool and Snooker, makers of the Supreme range of pool tables, made a re-entry into exhibiting after about four years of absence from London's shows and found exhibiting at the IGX a pleasant experience, with attendance at the show comfortable but not too packed. Customers and potential customers had time to look around exhibits and stand staff had time to talk to them, said a company spokesperson.

There were mixed feelings at the ATEI for SAM Leisure who chose the larger exhibition, rather than the new IGX Show, because of the global nature of SAM's business.

After several months of stress over its problems in trying to ensure its new Superleague range of pool tables would be worthy of the illustrious name they bore, Hazelgrove Superleague's products impressed not only visitors to the company's stand at the IGX Show but also, it appears, members of the staff who had bourne that stress.

Payment Solutions | Germany

The European coin and bill handling industry has become increasingly competitive over recent years. National Rejectors, Inc. GmbH of Germany, however, continues to benefit from the synergies that were brought about following parent Crane Company's acquisition of CashCode in early 2006 for $86m.

The International Gaming Expo 2009 proved a success for bank note validator manufacturer Innovative Technology, with a record number of enquries from gaming manufacturers and distributors.

NCR showcased its NCR SelfServ ATM/TITO (Ticket In Ticket Out) kiosk - which players can use for gaming ticket purchases, winning ticket redemptions and making cash withdrawals - at the IGE. The kiosk is designed to deliver the highest levels of availability thanks to a range of new features, including self-healing technology.

Gamesman showed a total of 140 products, six of which made their European industry debuts. The range included a brand new range of custom topper designs featuring technologies from RGB LEDs to El Lighting and LED Dot Matrix displays. Our OLED and LCD push buttons, which offer manufacturers the ability to either customise button legends or even incorporate full colour video capabilities, will be of particular interest to the manufacturing community."

Elo TouchSystems showed its latest gaming monitor, the 2240L, features a wide viewing angle panel (178° x 178°) in the 22" widescreen format and delivers all the traditional Elo advantages - designed for touch, long product life cycle and wide choice of touch technologies - in a slim housing. Aimed at casino applications, the 2240L can be supplied with surface acoustic wave, capacitive or acoustic pulse recognition (APR) touch technology within exactly the same form factor.

Wh Münzprüfer Berlin GmbH enjoyed a good show at ATEI and was one of the only cash handling companies to choose a stand on the top floor. "I think this has been a good decision for us, we have seen our usual customers and others who might not have noticed us downstairs," commented Andrea Weiblen-Barnick.

The continual focus on further developing the topper market has paid dividends for Suzo Happ. The next wave of innovation was presented at this year's ICE, taking topper technology to the next generation. Traditionally toppers are used to attract players to slots. Now the Suzo Happ toppers can be integrated as part of the game play.

IGE saw the launch of the exciting, new ‘Casino Collection' catalogue from Eurocoin. "This is a 50-page publication aimed directly at casinos and gaming halls across Europe and Africa" explained Veitch.

Despite the efforts made by the organizers, which doubtless were many, the separation between ICE and ATEI presented a real dilemma for the Spanish exhibitors and visitors. Even more so this year when we consider that to add to the confusion already created, one also had the possibility of attending a third event located just a few meters from one of the two entrances to Earls Court. Truly discouraging! The result of this fight, strictly from a Spanish point of view, has been a reduction in the overall number of exhibitors. Some of whom in previous years were regulars, but faced with the possibility of making a mistake or of not being in a good location, chose not to attend, deciding to wait for next year's exhibition since, the theory of marketing is one thing and the reality of the results is quite another.

This year JPM and Crystal showed a variety of games in Cat B3, B4, C and D in a range of cabinets. Under the JPM brand at IGE the recently launched  Jungle Fever, was displayed for both Cat C and B4 categories in the Linear video cabinet.

At IGE, Games Warehouse revealed a ‘facelift' for the Paragon TT.  The market leading SWP terminals on display will introduce a range of new features developed to increase player appeal and improve operation.

Having planned well in advance for a review of stakes and prizes, Barcrest Group showed no less than 15 new Category C products with a £70 jackpot. The good news that bingo clubs were to be granted additional Category B3 positions also created a lot of interest in Barcrest Group's £500 range of games. The unique community gaming product ‘Rainbow Riches Win Big Shindig', was revealed as an ideal contender for bingo clubs looking to gain maximum benefit from the extra positions. Captain Jackpot, a Category C £70 community gaming product, also received enthusiastic approval from visitors.

Leading server based gaming machine provider The Global Draw offered visitors a chance to play for prizes.

"It's not like it used to be, is it?" That was the mantra being chanted around the aisles of Earls Court at the end of January, as the great, the good and the downright ordinary of the amusement industry gathered to show and tell once more.

The breakaway show from London's ATEI, IGX, was hailed as a great success by its exhibitors when it closed its doors on Thursday evening, January 29.

Sound Leisure and Soundnet reported a tremendous response to their unveiling of the Milestones in Music Unlimited at the recent IGX show in London.

Following a very successful show at IAAPA, Pan Amusements, world leader in electronic shooting galleries, scored a hit at the new Intergame Expo. "Considering the state of the worldwide economy we have been extremely pleased with the positive reaction at both exhibitions," says Pan General Manager Paul Adams.

TAB Austria enjoyed a particularly good show this year due to several exciting product innovations. It had already become apparent ahead of the show that the gaming concept FUN4FOUR Multi-Game Terminal would become a bestseller. Several hundred of these multi-faceted, innovative gaming tables were ordered during the show, opening up new market potential for TAB Austria at the same time.

The last 12 months have been difficult for most of the coin-slot industry worldwide. Not so for the ebullient NSM Music Ltd., who enjoyed an even more successful ATEI than last year's record-breaking achievement.