Visitor numbers at this year’s IMA were up more than 7 percent against last year’s. The focus of interest at the show was on screen-based devices with prizes, the so-called Multigamers. At the same time, demand continues for the classic drum and reel devices, primarily for bars and cafes.

APEX Gaming has made its first inroads into the Irish market. APEX Gaming machines can now be found is ‘Dr. Quirkey’s Good Time Emporium’ in O’ Connell Street in Dublin.

Innovative Technology will be bringing the SMART Way to AmEx this month.  From Stand 39 Innovative Technology will demonstrate its established bank note validator range and introduce the SMART Way to the Irish market. Comprising a true multi coin hopper (SMART Hopper) and a mixed note recycler (SMART Payout) the SMART Way allows any combination of mixed coins and notes to be paid out as change or prizes.

The Global Draw has successfully renewed an agreement to continue as the sole provider of server based gaming machines for major UK bookmaker Gala Coral.

On January 12th, 2010 the foundation stone was laid for the Guangzhou Huachuang Animation industrial park. When completed, the park will total around 1118 acres. At present, there are more than 50 enterprises that have stated their intention to enter.

Inspired Gaming Group (Inspired) has announced an extension to its longstanding agreement with Silver Heritage Limited (SHL) as the exclusive partner for the sale and operation of Open Server-Based Gaming (Open SBGTM) Casino products across Asia-Pacific. The contract is for three years with the ability to automatically extend the agreement.

Avalue, the professional e-service platform provider, is introducing a new invention for Digital Signage application, featuring exceptional energy-saving technology and slimmest appearance green product, the MPC-21W3.

Two new Merkur Casinos have opened in the Czech cities of Prague and Ostrava.  Customers can look forward to more than 50 playing positions and the highest quality service in the new Merkur Casino that opened its doors on 26th January in the Czech city of Prague. The new Merkur Casino offers customers gaming over an area of 500 m². This is focussed particularly on casino-like AWPs, roulette and Video Lottery Terminals from Merkur Gaming (MLT).

On January 20th 2010, ‘3D Technology（Hangzhou）Ltd’ a cooperation with ‘Disney Interactive Media Group(China)’, introduced the first 3D amusement game machine in China. The event was held in Hangzhou.

MEI claims it has introduced the product enhancements that will define the next generation of the CASHFLOW SC bill acceptor. The resulting benefits will further raise the bar of performance expectations in the metrics that matter most – driving improvements in both the player experience and operator profitability.

TransAct Technologies Incorporated (Nasdaq: TACT), a global leader in market-specific printers for transaction-based industries, has announced the promotion of Andrew Hanley to Vice President International Sales effective immediately.

Embed, a leading provider of Debit Card and Point of Sale Systems for the amusement and family entertainment industry has partnered with several top UK industry suppliers to penetrate the UK market with Embed’s Redemption Pro™ redemption management solution.

Highway 66, a scaled-down version of traditional tenpin bowling from QubicaAMF, has now been installed on two of MSC Cruises’ ships.  Highway 66 is space adaptable, and can be set up to accept coins, bills and debit cards, and to award tickets.   The first Highway 66 mini bowling game was installed on MSC Cruises’ new flagship, MSC Spendida. 

The return of sports impresario Barry Hearn to lead snooker into the 21st century has been widely welcomed by Bristol-based World Snooker Services.

Formed in 1990 by Pete Godwin and Eugene James, World Snooker Services (WSS) is aiming to expand and increase turnover this year, spurred on by the financial impact Hearn has had on various other sports.

This month Allstar is releasing a range of cool superballs, delicious candy and a great new flat item.As spring approaches, it’s the perfect time to stock up on new 27mm balls.  For the sports enthusiast, the 27mm Sports Mix is a colourful array of sports balls and includes soccer, tennis, baseball, pool, basketball and volleyball.  Or for those who like to express themselves, Allstar’s 27mm Fancy Faces Superballs are the perfect choice.  Cute and vibrant, these bouncy balls convey a myriad of emotions: such as happy, sad or flirty.

Comestero was present at the IGE with a number of new machines. The new coin validator (RM5 HD) and a full line of cash changing machines (Nexus PRO and COSMOS).

Comesterogroup has evolved its famous RM5. The RM5 HD can consider a good 10 different criteria of identification of the coin, related to the frequency, wideness and  phase measures, besides the one of the diameter of the coin.

From the beginning of this year, UK manufacturers and operators can access European compliance testing services through NMi UK, a joint venture between NMi and UK test house GDS Laboratories. Following their successful entry into the Italian market with their subsidiary NMi Italia, NMi is continuing its successful expansion model by teaming up with local industry experts. This development confirms NMi’s leading position in Europe as a testing laboratory for AWP machines, FOBTs, Casino equipment, online gaming sites and lotteries.

APEX Gaming unveiled major innovations at the IGE – the ‘Pinnacle’ cabinet, the electronic ‘Quikker’ electronic gaming table and the ‘Multi Magic Classic’ games package.

The ‘Pinnacle’ cabinet incorporates two 22” monitors in a dual-slim cabinet with integrated Dolby Surround Sound™. Furthermore, the ‘Pinnacle’ has been constructed to allow utmost flexibility, thus allowing customers to choose between several options such as player tracking and TITO, which are all available together.

The fifth TAB Austria awards ceremony took place during the International Gaming Expo (IGE) in January. Prizes totalling 20,000 Euros were awarded in three categories, each of which had three nominations.

The Austrian gaming colossus has decided to dedicate the next two years to improving its income in the Italian market. “We are dealing with an “exciting” market - says Franz Wohlfahrt, General Manager of Novomatic, stating that the Group has budgeted investments for this purpose totalling 100 million euros. For Wohlfahrt Italy is in fact together with Germany, Great Britain and Spain among the most important gaming markets in Europe thanks to the fact that one can count on a new regulatory framework and above all one that has been updated in the last two years.

The month of January has brought a smile to the casino at Sanremo, which is going through a phase of total restructuring.

They have seen takings of € 7,347,793 which is an 18% increase on the same month in 2009. That is one million one hundred euros more than last year, traditional games have brought in € 2,718,680 (+78.6%). The slot machines have taken € 4,629,113 and during the same period have paid out jackpots totalling € 288,552.

This Barcelona company, specializing in management programs for operating companies, has in the past few weeks appointed a new Commercial Director to its staff. He is Mariano de las Heras, a sales specialist, who has joined it from the multinational Vodafone. He has a Master’s degree in Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, he is a PDD Business Manager for the IESE Business School and a consultant specializing in coaching. Mariano has worked for such prestigious companies as Vodafone and Xerox and for the Civil Service in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The technology that the Basque company EKASA has developed for its RETA project, (Telematic Betting Network), marks a great technological achievement, with features which in many respects are superior to those of the systems used by the large British companies with more than forty years experience. The five years spent on research and development prior to its implementation and EKASA’s accumulated experience in the Basque Region have allowed it to develop a product equipped with cutting-edge, solid and safe technology.

The approval of the new regulations in the Madrid Autonomous Region is bearing fruit and facilitating new opportunities for the gaming sector. A few months ago the CODERE Group launched a concept in leisure and entertainment at Paseo de la Castellan no. 93 in the centre of Madrid, called the ESPACIO CANOE, where it is offering multi-product gaming, which has been met with great enthusiasm by the public. Alongside the traditional Bingo activity and the VICTORIA amusement arcade, 60 machines have been installed fitted with electronic bingo games and multi-player roulette.

As happens when one of the teams needs to gain time during a football match, it seems that those in charge at the Ministry of the Interior have used this well-known football tactic to pass the “hot potato” to the autonomous governments; namely the report presented by the Spanish bingo employer’s association against unfair competition from illegal games on the Internet. The Institutional Studies and Relations sub-section of this Ministry has forwarded the reports it has received to the autonomous governments using the argument that it is they who have exclusive competence when it comes to gaming.

The US Navy’s Office of Naval Research recently released a study that confirms that videogame playing increases cognitive abilities up to 20%. The story on strategypage.com claims videogame activity helps troops solve problems more quickly and enact solutions faster.

The Illinois amusement operators are watching the ongoing political and economic erosion of the planned Illinois video gaming market.  More than 63 towns and counties have already opted, with potentially a dozen more.

As the administrator of the industry’s educational and charitable foundation, the AMOA’s Coin-Op Cares Foundation, will donate $5,000 to Haitian earthquake recovery programs. Additionally, Coin-Op Cares will direct an industry fundraising effort before and during the March 10-12 Amusement Expo in Las Vegas, matching donations from industry sources up to $5,000.

The AMOA hosted its first 45-minute webinar to its Board of Directors and Political Action Committee (PAC) donors in early February. The topics affecting amusement operators included taxes, product safety, smoking regulations, copyright law enforcement and national legislative briefings.

The Ministry of Culture of China has warned that, “as of April 30, 2010, all amusement and entertainment venues are not allowed to operate games and amusement machines that are not listed in the guiding directory of machine models for market access issued by culture administrative departments.” Understandably, this has caused the industry some concern.

Founded in 1992, Saint-Fun started off with the import of video game motherboards. Dedicated to developing sports leisure products, the company has successfully created the Street Basketball frenzy. For the period from the second half of 2009 to the first half of 2010, Saint-Fun is focused on expanding into ODM and OEM for international companies.

Since China passed the “Notice Regarding Further Strengthening the Administration of Amusement and Entertainment Venues”, the government of Shaanxi Province has established the “Amusement and entertainment Venue Administration Methods” based on the Notice and also prescribed the “Notice Regarding Related Issues about the Implementation of Fixed-direction Purchase and Supply on Amusement and Entertainment Venues’ Games and Amusement Facilities”.

ALDERNEY

While many European governments are introducing local licensing regimes for online gambling, the government of Alderney has been eager to transform its licensing framework to adapt to these changes. As such new regulations took effect on January 1, 2010. Source: GamblingCompliance.com

Everyone should be happy. Italy’s government is nearly 1bn Euro richer, its leading slot  operators have secured all the licences to operate the potentially lucrative video lottery terminals (VLTs) which the country is rather suddenly permitting for the first time, and the citizens of Europe’s biggest gaming market have yet another avenue to pursue their craze.

The Irish Government has finally decided to tackle its outmoded gaming laws and has published the findings of its casino committee. Ireland has one of the oldest remaining gaming acts, dating back to the 1950s and the committee’s Chairman Michael McGrath pointed out that life has changed considerably in that time.

If exhibitors and visitors to the London shows hoped to have all their questions about the future of the exhibitions answered this month, they may be disappointed. What we saw this January, were two very different expos serving quite separate sectors of the industry.

“Can you tell me where the amusement machines are?” asked a harassed visitor at the IGE. Unfortunately for him, the answer was that most of the amusements were an hour and a half’s commute across London at the ExCel exhibition centre.