We live, as the Chinese curse has it, in interesting times – and those of us in the eurozone particularly so. But our sector will, I think, both win and lose from the European crisis. It will gain (at least in the long term) from this turmoil because governments will have no option but to allow more gaming in order to raise revenue and reduce debt. Greece is of course next with VLTs, and we can expect to see other liberalisations along the Mediterranean.

Bally Technologies has brought together all its mobile, Internet, and social projects into a new division, Bally Interactive. Among its goals is to offer mobile and online games – both play-for-free and pay-to-play – to land-based gaming operators. And over the coming year, it will integrate its online and mobile technology with its existing tools for managing slot machines, customer relationships and business intelligence, to give operators "a single view of the player".

Enada brought great results for Merkur Gaming, a member of the German Gauselmann Group. The range of Comma 6a games and cabinets met customers’ requirements. With more than ten game titles, Merkur Gaming offers a wide game library to meet all player preferences. Not only the Merkur gaming machines but in addition their high-class decorations for gaming halls – from branded machine separators to special massage chairs – attracted the attention of show visitors.

For the second time this year Apex Gaming was present as an exhibitor at a major Italian gaming exhibition. Apex Gaming has much experience in manufacturing VLT terminals along with the accounting and jackpot systems that form the complete VLT solution. As a major player in the Czech and Slovakian VLT markets, Apex understands the stringent technical requirements and the way to turn complex maths into popular games.

Today’s Britons may chatter of double-dip downturns and quantitative easing as casually as they dissect the Premier League or The X Factor, but in the casino sector there is little sign of a serious slowdown. Indeed, Aspers Group is about to open the country’s largest venue, a 65,000-square-foot development in the new Westfield Stratford City shopping centre, near the site of the 2012 Olympics.

World of Rides is offering amusement operators a new model of soft-impact bumper car to address safety fears over hard-impact dodgems. The twin-seat car, suitable for children aged six and up, is fitted with a programmable timer that allows the operator to adjust speed, ride duration, and price. Batteries can run for eight hours between charges, and sockets are fitted to minimise the need for setup when cars are charged overnight.

Video lottery terminal (VLT) operators in South Dakota, one of the jurisdictions where the games have been legalised longest, are celebrating good news from the state’s supreme court. They may now operate virtually anywhere the state allows, and cannot be excluded by local authorities, although they are restricted to liquor-licensed locations.

Bet365 appears well-positioned to lead the market for online in-play sports betting, according to a new report from GamblingData and Sporting Solutions. With live betting on events while they take place the fastest-growing part of the e-betting sector, the battle for market share is being fiercely fought. But the new research shows that Bet365 comes first in terms of both the number of different sports covered and the number of specific events on which consumers can bet.

ALDERNEY

The Gambling Control Commission in Alderney is to review its online gaming policies after the discovery that Full Tilt Poker, registered on the island, had misinformed authorities regarding its finances.

Arcades and other leisure venues face security challenges which can lead to vastly increased insurance costs – not to mention the risks of theft and damage. Jon Bruford investigates what operators can do to increase on-site security

From production to marketing to tech support to software development and finally to sales, Steve Priest has spent an entire career with cash handling specialist AstroSystems. In fact, he’s done everything but drive the truck...