Summer is here and with it come a raft of depressing headlines - particularly in the UK, concerning the "credit crunch" and the "housing crisis". In the coin-operated amusement business we know only too well that times have been hard for some time now. This month UK operator Gamestec secured new financing, following a couple of very difficult years for the management team, as they fought the twin perils of the UK smoking ban and the highly unhelpful gaming act. This follows the news that another leading UK operator is pulling out of the UK single site business altogether.

Astra Games, part of the Novomatic Group of Companies, has acted decisively to bring an additional international flavour to its Bridgend, South Wales, facility with the appointment (effective immediately) of South African national Zane Mersich as Managing Director.

Ritzio International has acquired new gaming locations in Croatia. As a result of the transaction, the company has added sixteen new clubs in Zagreb and the other urban areas to the fifteen venues Ritzio has been operating in Croatia.

Clarion Gaming has announced major changes to the 2009 January Shows which will see the entire ground floor of both Earls Court 1 and 2 re-branded as the ‘International Gaming Expo'.

Axel Herr left Bally Wulff Entertainment at the end of May by mutual agreement. With immediate effect, the management of the company will be taken over by Tim Wittenbecher, Sascha Blodau and Wolfram Seifert.

Project has appointed Dave Hawkins to the post of Production Controller, working out of the company's London head office. Hawkins, who joins from the automotive industry, is responsible for co-ordinating the entire build process from receipt of the sales order to shipping the completed game for delivery.

IGT-UK has announced that it has acquired Manchester-based mobile gaming company Million-2-1. The acquisition cements the strategic relationship developed between the two companies over the past two years, and marks IGT-UK's entry into the mobile gaming market.

The Austrian online bookmaker Bet-at-home has become the first company from the gaming sector to be quoted on the Polish stock exchange. Bet-at-home is one of several online betting sites serving Poland and has around 400,000 customers signed up. This is around 40 per cent of its overall player base - making Poland its single most important market.

The proposal by InterGame publishing to launch a coin-op exhibition to run during the same week as ATEI brought a robust response from organisers Clarion Gaming. Although not totally surprised by the announcement, chief executive Peter Rusbridge believes that it is being seen by many in the industry as an unwarranted and potentially divisive move.

Mecca Bingo has announced its commitment to providing increased customer choice and amenities by trialling a range of new coin operated games and amusements within its national chain of bingo clubs.

Hot on the heels of the hugely successful Fast Soccer and Fast Rugby, SAM has launched national and sector themed air hockey machines.

Global VR has announced that it has made two appointments to fill the positions of President and Chairman of the Board vacated by former company head Jim DeRose. Company veteran Ken Bayer, will assume the leadership position of company president, while continuing his current role as Executive Vice President, Operations. Additionally, Patrick Imeson, Managing Director of Global VR's financial backer, Black Diamond Financial Group, LLC, will assume the responsibility of Chairman of the Board.

3M has appointed Fernando Fandiño Oliver as Sales Manager - Spain and Portugal. Fandiño Oliver will be responsible for day-to-day account management of existing and prospective customers in the gaming, banking and finance, and industrial markets.

Magic Dreams has launched new products for the Comma 6a Italian market. "The Italian street market was in a stand-by position since several months and finally the government approval has come," explained general manager Luca Gerardini. "We are now delivering machines for the hundreds of orders received for Color Slot and our newest Comma 6a machines."

Chris and Diane Eborall of Sound Leisure celebrated personal goals in completing their 1000th Nostalgia cabinet last week. Chris and Diane have worked as part of the Sound Leisure Woodworking team in excess of 20 years each are now also joined in the department by their nephew, Jason.  

SAM Leisure celebrated completing a successful first year under its new management structure this Spring. Despite the difficulties in the coin-op market caused by the smoking ban, and general economic uncertainty, SAM was able to trade profitably and consolidate its position. The company has just announced it has been able to secure a new, long lease on its Coventry premises and is currently negotiating to purchase the freehold.

Soundnet and Sound Leisure are reporting a good response to their attendance of the second Forum de l'Automatique, which took place at Espace Charenton, Paris in April

Games Media has appointed Peter Collinge as Operations Director with effect from the June 16.

This year's Hot Games Show 2008 will take place from 31 October - 2 November at the Kaohsiung Business Exhibition Center in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.

Afew days from the start of ProGameShow 2008 and bookings for stands are nearly sold out. More than any other similar event, the Professional Game Show represents the state of the art in a complex and changing sector. People who matter and intend to matter in the gaming world already know that taking part at the ProGameShow is a firm date in the calendar for the current year.

Funworld has parted company with its long-time Vice President marketing and sales Norbert Langer. In a release, the company stated that they have parted by mutual agreement. Thomas Keitz, Managing Director of Funworld Germany, will now be the new Vice President of marketing and sales international.

Reflex Gaming is enjoying significant success with two of its Category ‘C’ machines: Jackpot Jewels and Magnificent 7’s. The two games have performed particularly well on site test, resulting in numerous re-orders from distributors.and operators alike.

“Hunt or be hunted!” is the message from the latest Sega title Primeval Hunt – players have to pit their wits and hunting skills against a multitude of dinosaurs otherwise they will become the hunted!

Ritzio International has announced a partnership with a leading Italian gaming machines manufacturer Nazionale Elettronica.

Following a successful UK launch, Barcrest Group has announced the introduction of ICONIC sb, its fully-integrated server-based gaming solution, into Continental Europe. 

Astra Games (part of the Novomatic Group of companies) has confirmed that its Managing Director Neil Chinn has left the company.

Clarion Gaming organiser of the European iGaming Congress & Expo  (EIG) www.eigexpo.com, has announced the schedule for this year’s show, which includes new features, more content and greater networking opportunities for delegates.

Global VR has announced the Need for Speed Carbon Upgrade Kit will be available to customers throughout the world mid-June 2008. This exciting new driver will transform all previous versions of Need for Speed games into Global VR’s latest offering in the successful franchise.

The football event of the year, the EURO 2008, is just about to kick off. To enable operators to make the most of the general football mania, Funworld is offering powerful EURO 2008 packages, to attract players. 

US Congressman Rham Emanuel one of the highest-ranking members in the House of Representatives, recently came to Stern Pinball. Emanuel, who represents Chicago and its outlying areas, brought his family to see how pinball machines are made.

Sega Amusements Europe gathered together its key European distributors and customers at its UK headquarters last month to celebrate the release of the much-anticipated Sega Rally 3 (SR3).

Sound Leisure and Soundnet enjoyed phenomenal success at the recent Andalusian Trade Show in Malaga, Spain. The companies exhibited with their exclusive Spanish distributor Explotaciones Ocio y Diversion S.L. (E.O.D.) a family business based in Malaga specializing in the jukebox sector, with customers covering the whole of Spain.

The Gauselmann Group has opened two new Merkur Casinos in Slovakia under the brand name Merkur Spielo. The new Merkur Spielo in the city of Zilina (population 85,000) in the Northwest of Slovakia is located in a modern shopping centre of the Max chain and offers its patrons 24 multi-games, including Games Unlimited that was specially developed for the Slovak market by the sister company Merkur Gaming, 12 video lottery terminals as well as the multi-player Merkur Roulette on a total surface of 290 sqm.

Paul Williams, the current Managing Director and COO of SEGA Amusements Europe (SAE), will assume the position of President and COO of in the United States. In this new, expanded role, Williams will oversee the entire Western arm of the company, effective immediately. “Under Paul’s leadership, SAE has grown consistently over the past years, despite poor market conditions in the industry,” said Tatsuyuki Miyazaki – Head of Sega Amusement Overseas Business Division.

TransAct Technologies has announced that Vice President of Gaming Sales, Brandon Knowles, has been elected to serve on the Gaming Standards Association (GSA) Board of Directors. The Gaming Standards Association is an international trade association tasked with developing open, industry-developed, communication standards that provide a solution to, or improvement of the communications currently in use.

Ritzio International, has revealed the scale of its German operations which have grown exponentially since the company entered the country last year.

Rizio opened its first gaming club in Bremen, in August 2007. Today Ritzio International manages 137 gaming locations in 11 states and 33 cities. The installation base of gaming machines in operation has reached 2,200 AWPs..

Funworld presented itself for the first time as a multiple product company in Italy at the Rimini trade fair with new products and a fresh market presence. Funworld’s cooperation with Microgame in the skill games sector was also introduced.

Sound Leisure is honoured to have signed a landmark agreement with the world’s premier distributor and restorer of classic and antique jukeboxes. Jukebox Gallery BV is based in the Netherlands and is a specialist agent for all types of modern and latter-day jukeboxes, with a global reputation.

The Polish industry has been shaken by a new interpretation of the gaming law. The sector, worth PLN 10 billion, is on the verge of collapse according to domestic sources. The Ministry of Finance sent a letter to the 66 companies registered in the Polish gaming market informing them that there had been a change in the interpretation of the gaming regulations.

MEI’s success in markets around the world has been built on performance. From the SC bill validator to the 9500 coin validator, MEI’s European business continues to grow. MEI management has seen the positive feedback from end users who have participated in the value-added trials (VAT’s). Thus, it has been a natural progression to offer VAT’s to end users in different markets and with alternative MEI products.

Barcrest Group, along with Games Media and The Global Draw, wholly owned subsidiaries of Scientific Games have announced a strategic relationship that will see the organisations working closely in a number of key markets.

TransAct Technologies Incorporated, a global leader in market-specific printers for transaction based industries, has announced that IGT, a subsidiary of International Game Technology has selected Transact’s Epic 950(R) printer as the default Ticket-In Ticket-Out printer for all new IGT games.

Lock specialist Camlock Systems has launched its all-new website, which has the entire content available in French, German, Italian, Spanish and English.

The new website has over 2,000 web pages, 26 times more than Camlock’s previous site, and features comprehensive information on the company’s entire product range.

British tourism chiefs want Alastair Darling to reduce VAT to the same levels as European competitors to stem a spiraling decline in UK destinations and attractions. The deficit between how much foreign visitors spend in the UK and how much UK tourists spend abroad has risen from £3.9 billion to £19.4 billion since 1996, while the UK’s overall share of world tourism has shrunk to 4.5%.

Sound Leisure will attend the Dubai Entertainment Leisure and Amusement Show (DEAL) this month and is looking for a partner in the region to sell its range of hand-crafted Nostalgia boxes. Sound Leisure will be showing a combination of CD and Ipod models at the show and believes that the high quality workmanship of the range will prove popular with customers in Dubai and surrounding areas.

The Mary Openshaw Memorial Award For Excellence was inaugurated at Ireland's AmEx 2004 in memory of the late Mary Openshaw, the renowned journalist, based in Brussels, Belgium, who served the international amusement industry for over 35 years. The first recipient of the award was Eduardo Antoja, President of Euromat; the second was Mike Nevin, Managing Director of Namco Europe; the third was Hans Rosenzweig, former President of Euromat and the fourth recipient was well-known industry personality Shane Breaks.

Money Controls has the largest selection of hoppers in the industry, and two, the Compact Range and the Combi Hopper System, feature strongly on the company’s stand at Enada Primavera in Rimini.

Nmi is extending its business in Europe. Since the end of 2007, the company has started to provide market access to the UK. “Considering the interest of many manufacturers for our services, we can conclude that we fill a need for accurate testing, internationally accepted test reports and approval on a short timescale for the UK and for Europe in general,” said new Senior Product Manager Jeroen Rommerts.

Namco Europe Limited has underlined its intentions to expand into new business sectors adding British Kiddie Rides specialist Amutec to the existing business. The deal comprises the purchase of the Amutec name and a 10,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, together with expansive assets.

Konami is taking a leap of faith into a new product category as it releases its first game for the Skill With Prizes Terminal market- “Frogger- Hop Trivia”. The Frogger brand is instantly recognisable, from the 1981 classic to the more recent releases on game consoles, and will be used to launch Konami’s new direction in the SWP market.

Games Media, has entered into a three-year exclusive licensing arrangement with Hasbro, Inc. for amusement with prize (AWP) and skill with prize (SWP) gaming machines in the UK and Ireland.

Funworld is making the betting business one of its focal points. With its private brand, BET-solutions, the company supplies state-owned as well as private betting providers with the complete technological infrastructure required for the successful management of sports bets.

The fastest-growing bookmaker in Britain and trading division of Gala Coral Group Ltd, Coral Racing, is highlighting the excitement and real-time action inherent in gambling with the help of Vikuiti Rear Projection Film from 3M, the diversified technology company.

Company figures show Gamestec’s new GO 4 terminals are raising average takings for independent LBO’s by over 20% compared with Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs).

The Gaming Option 4 terminals are based on a mix of the Gambling Commission’s new category B2 and B3 £500 jackpot games designed for the Licensed Betting Office (LBO) market.

Bell-Fruit Games and Cometa Wireless last month signed a partnership agreement to bring Happy Fruits, one of Bell-Fruit's most popular gaming brands, to mobile users worldwide.

The deal allows Cometa to create a version of Happy Fruits machines specifically for mobile phones. This is the first Bell-Fruit game to move into the rapidly evolving mobile gaming market.

Barcrest Group has appointed Tim Kennedy to the position of Sales and Commercial Director for Barcrest Group. He will take up the appointment on May 5, 2008 and in this role will take overall responsibility for sales and commercial matters on behalf of the Barcrest Group business.

At the ATEI Bally Wulff Entertainment invited international guests and co-operative partners to its annual trade fair party. This year, Notting Hill’s First Floor restaurant was turned into a Bally Wulff dancefloor on the second evening of the trade show.

After an exceptionally good Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 as a result of the new domestic gaming regulations, the family-managed Gauselmann Group exceeded revenues of one billion again in FY 2007. The earnings were maintained at the level of the prior year.