Sceptre Leisure is teaming up with German firm Gauselmann Group and its UK subsidiary Blueprint Gaming to develop a digital gaming system for the British pub market.

AIM-listed Sceptre, which already operates about 22,000 machines nationally, will be exclusive supplier of Gauselmann gaming hardware to UK pubs. Blueprint, meanwhile, will provide the underlying software and game content.

Rank Group is to be official gaming partner of The X Factor in Britain under a three-year deal with FremantleMedia, which manages the rights to the show’s brand.

Its Mecca Bingo, Grosvenor Casinos and Bluesquare.com operations will exploit the X Factor connection through a branded online bingo game, slots and mini-games.

JPM is following up its first Al Murray the Pub Landlord AWP with a second game for the UK Category B4 market.

It says that All Hail to the Ale will offer the same “instant player appeal and cheeky humour” as the debut title in the series, Al Murray’s Big Nite Out.

The U.S. will finally lose its position as the world’s biggest casino market in 2013 when it is overtaken by Asia Pacific, according to a new forecast from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

In its annual report on gaming, the firm predicts that global casino revenue will rise by a compound annual rate of 9.2 percent over the next five years, from a current $117.6bn to $182.8bn in 2015.

The king of game companies listed on the Taiwan stock market, MacroWell OMG Digital Entertainment (OMG), and China-based HNA Group are partnering to launch a cloud-based entertainment platform, YH Youth DreamNet.

They will also build YH Entertainment Mall, a new-style entertainment business which combines the virtual and real worlds.

The city of Zhongshan in China’s Guangdong province has gained good results from the policy it adopted last year of focusing on content for the game industry.

Zhongshan companies including Golden Horse, Golden Dragon and Unis showcased new products that they had independently developed at the China Zhongshan International Games & Amusement Fair 2011, with an enthusiastic reception from buyers.

Chang Ping Elementary School in the Hsinchuang district of New Taipei City has taken advantage of unused space on its campus to install amusement facilities such as a rock climbing gym, basketball machines, a golf range and hammering machines.

The new sports and leisure area, called Chang Ping Disney, opened on 19 November and can be used by students for physical fitness training or physical education classes.

Population 62.7m

Under 15 10.9m

Aged 15-64 41.5m

Urban population 80 percent

Major cities London (8.6m), Birmingham (2.3m), Manchester (2.2m)

GDP per capita $34,800

A huge family entertainment centre under construction in the Caucasus nation of Azerbaijan will feature a 16-lane bowling alley.

Megafun, a project of developer Yeni Hayat, is located in the capital Baku (pictured) and scheduled to open in March. The 10,539-square-metre facility will also include 169 slot machines, 13 simulators, 17 rides, seven cinemas, and an ice rink.

The presidium of the European Tenpin Bowling Federation (ETBF) has announced the venues for the European Bowling Tour Masters 2014 and 2015.

The EBT Masters 2014, the men’s and women’s finals of the 2013 European Bowling Tour, will be held at Dolfijn Bowling in Tilburg, Netherlands. The one-day event will be on Monday 3 March 2014, the day after the finals of the EBT Hammer Bronzen Schietspoel Tournament 2014.

Australia’s Jason “Belmo” Belmonte defeated Tommy Jones of the U.S. in the men’s title match at the 2011 Bowling World Cup in South Africa.

Belmonte lost the first game, 259-279, but proceeded to win the next two, 247-216 and 259-236, to secure the title.

Overall, Belmonte had 765 (a 255 average) in the title match and 751 (a 250.33 average) in the semi-final, for a total of 1516. Over the six games of the stepladder final, that gave him an average of 262.66.

Brunswick European staff player Alessandro Silletti has bowled his way to the Polish Cup.

The 20-year-old Polish/Italian dual national, known to his peers as Alek, recorded a tournament average of more than 230 and remained undefeated through all the matches, some of them coming down to the last frame.

For the first time ever at ICE, all core Crane Payment Solutions products will be showcased on one stand. At last year’s ICE, following Crane’s acquisition of Money Controls in December 2010, Money Controls products were still featured on a separate stand.

Among the products on display will be the Money Controls Ardac Elite and CashCode one-bill validators.

The only German-owned producer of electronic selector equipment for the international market, WH Münzprüfer Berlin will showcase its innovative products at IMA in Düsseldorf and ICE in London.

The well-known EMP 900 series with six-way sorting will be shown in a new version with 32-bit microprocessor technology for the highest quality of coin acceptance and optimum counterfeit rejection.

E-Screen is a European distributor for touchscreen components and displays, including the latest in multitouch and large-format touchscreens from 3M, NEC and Mitsubishi.

ICE will see the launch and demonstration of products such as customised winning-number displays, the E-Poster, large-format displays and touchscreens, touchscreen kiosks, and software to allow real-time and customised communication with gaming customers.

Sales director Colin Veitch is eagerly anticipating ICE. “We have a great range of really noteworthy products this year, which we believe will undoubtedly make a major impact in European VLT and gaming in 2012. There is already huge interest in our European launch of the Epicentral couponing software system, and we can add to this the new 3M multitouch solution, our market-leading range of Epic printers, the new iVizion bill acceptor from JCM, and the advanced wide angle HD TFTs from Kortek.”

Premiering at ICE is IGT Cloud, a casino management service solution that empowers operators to optimise their operations and engage players. The cloud computing service will supply IGT Analytics for robust reporting, and IGT Floor Manager to manage game content and allow access to the largest game library in the industry.

Among the products on show from Suzo-Happ will be the Celebration Topper, which interfaces into the SAS Jackpot line of the slot machine.

When the selected level of a jackpot is achieved the topper triggers a Celebration Event. This includes customisable video messages on the 15.6-inch LCD display, light pipe LEDs rising out of the top of the topper, flashing LEDs on the sides of the LCD, confetti, and loud audio.

AstroSystems will be at both London shows. Explained sales manager Steve Priest: “By adopting and maintaining a strategy to exhibit at these concurrent shows, we have demonstrated our support and commitment for both amusement and gaming markets. The upshot has been a significant increase in sales into the UK amusement market, especially with the Microcoin SP and QL coin acceptors, and an equally rewarding result with our gaming customers.

Kiddie ride and amusement machine manufacturer Falgas Industries will exhibit at EAG for the first time in January.

Falgas Industries Group was started some 50 years ago by Joaquin Falgas and has expanded to become a truly global business, winning several innovation awards and exporting to more than 110 countries worldwide.

Visitors to ICE Totally Gaming will be part of the biggest ever online and offline gaming exhibition, according to show organisers Clarion Events.  A total of 22,466 square metres of stand space has been contracted to gaming exhibitors, a record high for an edition of ICE.

Soundnet is the exclusive music content provider to leading jukebox manufacturer Sound Leisure and music programmer for 15,000 public venues.

Its expertise in music also extends to video and encompasses site profiling, the sourcing of content, distribution in encrypted form and the handling of legal and compliance issues.

Diversified technology company 3M promises to demonstrate one of the industry’s most innovative, widest-ranging multitouch product portfolios at ICE.

New product prototypes based on 3M projected capacitive technology (3M PCT) will be showcased for the first time in Europe by 3M’s Touch Systems division. These include sophisticated multitouch desktop display models specifically designed for high-fidelity touch LCD displays in sizes ranging up to 32 inches.

E-Service is a company focused on supporting operators and equipment owners in ensuring that they continue to secure a return on their investment. Founded by managing director Mike Clokie eight years ago, it supports UK and European operators with replacement parts, repairs and consumables, and has Approved Service Contractor status with some of the industry’s most trusted brands, including Azkoyen, 3M, Wells Gardner, Kortek, Tovis and JCM.

ICE Totally Gaming claims to be the only exhibition in the world which brings together the online and offline gaming worlds.

For the low-stake street gaming business, ICE provides an unusual global perspective that can’t always be found at the more territory-specific events.

2012 will see the return of the popular Racing Post Cafe at ICE, showcasing a wide range of products for both businesses and punters.

Racing Post Business-to-Business Services provides content for the betting industry, incorporating expert data into individual displays and publications for Websites, newspapers and localised race cards.

Historically the German AWP market has had limited choice, says Apex Germany, but it plans to change this with a major presence at the forthcoming IMA. Across a 500-square-metre stand, it will present a range of new choices for operators in Germany.The Pinnacle upright AWP with two 22-inch monitors has been approved by the German testing board PTB.

The Gaming Standards Association (GSA) says “it is important for us to exhibit in London because it is important that the European marketplace understand that they are just as affected by and have as much potential profit from standards as every other gaming marketplace.

The British social gaming company and ICE exhibitor Enteraction is partnering with Praesepe to launch Beacon Bingo Social on Facebook in early 2012. This game represents Praesepe’s first foray into the booming social gaming market, typified by games like CityVille and Slotomania, and bolsters the work the company is already doing in social media.

With the release of its XGS System this year, BetStone is now able to deliver cloud-based gaming management systems and a library of over 140 games without requiring expensive local installations of servers. In addition, BetStone’s portfolio of land-based games can be expanded to online and mobile through its channel partners.

A wide range of Advantech industrial PC products will be on display at ICE

Advantech-Innocore is a full member of the Advantech corporation, now the world’s largest company in industrial automation devices and computing. For customers of Advantech-Innocore, this means they now have access to the widest range of industrial and semi-industrial PC components:

Since its formation in 2001 ITM Leisure has grown at a consistently healthy rate. The company is a high-end supplier of licensed plush, redemption products and crane graphics to the coin-op and amusement industries.

Much of ITM Leisure’s product development and testing is carried out in a live arcade environment.

For for the first time in nearly ten years Thomas will be on its own stand at EAG 2012.

Said sales manager Ian Fuller: “We will be launching an entirely new range for 2012 – the Thomas 8000 series – plus will show the 5001 and 5002 high-capacity change machines and will unveil a brand-new version of the extremely popular 3004.”

Inspired Gaming Group will focus on three key themes for ICE: server-based gaming, marketing and rewards, and platform convergence.

It will unveil Core VIP, a new bonus and reward system, at ICE for the first time. It is the latest platform innovation to come from the company, and the first and only system to allow in-game rewards for all games, even third-party titles.

Apex Gaming will be releasing a new Multi Magic games package of 20 games. This adds to the existing games packages Multi Magic I, Multi Magic II, Multi Magic III, Magic Fruits, Hot Magic Fruits, Hot Magic Fruits XXL and Multi Magic Classic, and brings Apex’s game library to 110 titles.

Apex will also use ICE to release its new 3D platform, Evolution. The first games package contains five titles: The Adventures of Captain Nemo, Legend of the Sphinx II, Wonderland, Ocean Tale 2, and Royal Fruits.

ExCel London, EAG International Expo’s home, sits in a district known as London’s Eastside, now a vibrant area brimming with hotels and restaurants in addition to offering world-class shopping. The area is already benefiting from a billion-pound transport infrastructure investment, making ExCel a very easy destination for travellers.

After a year highlighted by strong sales growth and the development of its own entirely new gaming platform, JPM is planning an extensive presence at ICE.

Following the successful launch of Video Max Power, JPM will also be demonstrating its latest innovations in online content development via JPM Interactive (JPMi) and its proprietary Gameology platform.

TE Connectivity will show the latest Elo TouchSystems products for gaming applications at ICE.

The main highlight will be a new 22-inch gaming LED touch monitor, the 2244L, which is a wide-viewing-angle version of the recently released 2243L 22-inch open-frame monitor. There will also be a new 55-inch model in the Interactive Digital Signage (IDS) family featuring multitouch, and a small seven-inch LCD display.

Sega Amusements Europe plans to show more than 60 products at EAG, ten of them making their debut at the event.

Said general manager Justin Burke: “Sega Amusements Europe is involved with around 50 shows but EAG International Expo is really a breath of fresh air. We have found the location to be convenient, with good hotels and restaurants within walking distance.

By tradition, January’s IMA trade fair is a meeting place for the industry where plans are made for the year just started, contracts are concluded and information is exchanged. But in 2012, the German and wider European political and regulatory environments are likely to dominate the discussions of visitors to Düsseldorf.

DRGT will be exhibiting for the first time as “DRGT powered by SiP” at the forthcoming ICE.

It is only a year since DRGT announced its entrance into the international systems markets after many years of successful operations in the home market in Belgium. But the purchase of Austria’s SiP in the summer has provided synergies that will allow “DRGT powered by SiP” to present a wide range of systems choices.

Making their world premiere at ICE are two new solutions from JCM, the iPro and iPro-RC bill validators, the perfect next step for those using JCM’s award-winning UBA.

The iPro combines SMLED sensors with the anti-fishing technology that JCM says made UBA the most popular bill validator in Europe. Its modular design means it can quickly and easily replace an existing UBA head for instant improved performance.

WOW is the brand-new multimedia upright cabinet that Italian casino machines manufacturer Magic Dreams will launch at its most important exhibition of the year.

It will also introduce the Time Voyager Jackpot and the High Voltage series.

With Time Voyager, players jump from past to future with a unique goal: to hit the biggest jackpot of all time. The past is the starting point for their experience through the ages but only by activating the Time Machine can their performance be boosted by the future.

Kate Chambers, portfolio director at ICE Totally Gaming, explains what the London show has to offer.

“ICE Totally Gaming is the only exhibition that brings the online and offline gaming worlds together, which means that visitors to ICE have a unique opportunity to see at first hand the challenges, trends, technologies and opportunities impacting the entire gaming landscape,” she says.

Throughout its 14-year history, registered charity GamCare has been supporting those with gambling problems, helping to raise awareness and address the issues associated with gambling addiction.

Working closely with the industry, GamCare has always been a keen participant at trade events, and EAG is an important date in the charity’s calendar.

Aristocrat Technologies will take to ICE the largest number of games that it has shown in recent years.

It brought forward European release schedules for several games suited to the region’s playing tastes after they received a positive response from European operators when previewed at the Las Vegas G2E event in October.

“We will introduce novelties for such highly developing segments of the international gaming markets as VLT and server-based gaming,” said Merkur Gaming’s spokesman Rolf Falke. “Success of our VLT and SBG range of products is guaranteed by the winning combination of well-founded know-how in this part of the gaming business, the advanced ADP technology and Merkur’s huge library of game content.”

Spielo International, the new entity formed by the merger of former sister companies Atronic and Spielo, will appear in its fully-integrated form at ICE for the first time in 2012.

Serving the VLT, commercial casino and AWP sectors, its line-up includes content with innovative functionalities like Episodic Gaming; new and proven content within linked, progressive, and community games; and player-tested cabinets, established core game titles, licensed brands, and systems solutions.

TST, part of Gaming Laboratories International, says it is coming to ICE “because Europe continues to be the hotbed of the global i-gaming industry. Many jurisdictions and players across the UK and the European continent are embracing i-gaming, and TST has been at the forefront of discussions to build regulations and conduct testing to ensure the game is fair for everyone.

Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) will be showcasing exclusive tools that help regulators and suppliers do their jobs easier, faster and more efficiently. For example, it will have the newly-released and award-winning GLI Mobile app for iPhone and iPad that enables regulators to take the lab with them anywhere.

Sound Leisure’s managing director Chris Black has been with the family firm since he left school, and he’s not bored yet.

How did you first get involved with the amusements industry?

I left school in 1986 at the age of 16 and intended enrolling on a painting and decorating apprenticeship. I had always been a hands-on type of person, and that appealed to me.