JPM International has renewed its deal with Chatsworth Enterprises to develop and distribute games based on the legendary Crystal Maze TV show.

3M Digital Signage has announced the release of 3M(TM) Digital Signage Software – Network Edition version 3.0. This software provides the ability to distribute and play back media files, schedule playlists, and monitor a network of digital signs from any Internetconnected computer.

The underwater world of Bikini Bottom – home to the cartoon antihero Spongebob Squarepants – is causing another storm in UK arcades.

PayLink drivers have been created by Money Controls for use on the Linux platform to enable more gaming operators to take advantage of its innovative “central technology hub” for PCbased amusement and gaming machines.

Deith Group has announced the successful launch of Football Crazy, the brand new section 16/21 machine from Deith Gaming.

Excel Leisure has announced that its Liberty seven-foot American pool table, first shown at January’s ATEI, “is taking off in a big way”.

UK games designer Project has developed a version of its successful roulette-themed games specifically for the South American markets. Casino Roulette features glass, animations and audio in Spanish and is being distributed throughout Argentina, Colombia and Bolivia.

The new range of high performance colour character modules from Optrex uses the latest colour technology.

The Fer-Interazar 2006 trade fair is taking place in the modern exhibition halls of Ifema in Madrid, the Spanish capital, between September 27 and 29.

Cofar, the Spanish confederation representing the interests of gaming businesses, held its 11th Annual Conference at Madrid’s Hotel Intercontinental on June 15-16.

UK 8-ball pool, or European Blackball pool as it has been renamed by the former European & UK 8-Ball Pool Federation, has been around for about 40 years.

Professional pool player Andy Appleton, from Pontefract, praised a Master Billiards Supplies (MBS) Superleague table on which he had given a much appreciated exhibition of trick shots to guests at the official launch of the EBA’s Ashford World & Masters Pool Championships 2007 at the Tickton Grange Hotel, near Beverley, East Yorkshire, on August 4.

Stan McKenna, managing director of Excel Leisure Products, is one of pool’s most respected individuals. He regards pool tables as a traditional product and thinks operators tend to buy mahogany-coloured tables fitted with green cloth because they are a safe purchase and can be relocated to alternative sites if required.

Simply Pool, an Oldham-based company now in its fourth year, announced a good first half to 2006, particularly in the home market.

Sam Leisure’s business-development manager, Liam Barrett, said about 60 per cent of the company’s table sales are with operators. He thought the number of owned rather than rented tables might be increasing in a fast-expanding home market.

The American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) has voted to appropriate funds to launch a public relations campaign to boost the industry’s image with the general American public. The decision came during the mid-July annual AAMA membership and directors’ meeting in the Chicago area.

More than 25 years after their debut, fans of the early video games will soon have the opportunity to relive their pleasures. Retro games like Frogger, Galaga, Dig Dug, and Gauntlet are being reintroduced in new online distribution platforms.

Some in the American medical community are using video games to help combat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a disorder affecting the ability to focus.

AMOA has renewed its licensing agreement with the three Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) – ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC – through to the end of calendar year 2007. The contract covers public performance rights on music played on CD and vinyl jukeboxes.

The organisers of the largest East European gaming and amusement trade show, EELEX 06, have announced new details of the upcoming trade show.

JPM International has launched a new reel-based AWP housed in the market leading Linear cabinet – Extreme, designed for the Eastern European market.

What is happening at Assotrattenimento, one of the most important associations representing the Italian operators, is an alarm signal that must be responded to. Mario Negro, President, is handing over the helm of an historic association of AWP operators to Massimiliano Pucci, a well-known lawyer who has been active for many years in the field of issues concerning AWPs.

With the introduction of the regulations contained in the manovra-bis governmental measures, also known as the Bersani decree, there will be important changes in the distribution of gaming on offer to the public.

On August 3, betting dealers took to the streets and demonstrated against the current policies and the decision taken to go for root-and-branch reform without any consultation with the sector.

Following about three years of abstinence, the Gauselmann Group has reported five of its own locations in Spain. Since June 21, five already-established gaming halls in Granada are now owned by Merkur Casino.

Tim Wittenbecher, for eight years export manager for Bally Wulff, has been given the power of signature by managing director Axel Herr and the Bally Wulff shareholders.

With its success in the Spanish and Italian markets, Bally Wulff is to extend its dialogue between partners and customers with its own websites for Spain and Italy.

Axel F. Pawlas, CSO of Merkur Gaming, was extremely satisfied with the success of in-house exhibitions staged by the company in June, together with its Italian partner International Games Trade (IGT). The exhibitions, which took place at the sub-distributors Emporio Games in Milan and Berica Giochi in Vincenza, showed the entire range Merkur Gaming offers to the Italian market.

The Europer Association (the Independent Catalonian Association of Companies Operating Amusement Machines) has organised the First Amusement Forum, in which 15 leading businessmen from the world of gaming took part.

The Atzaria Group, comprising four Catalonian companies from the gaming sector, has launched a new portal for betting on the internet. The companies in the group are the MGA-New Park Group, the Conei Group, the Binelde Group and the Rodríguez Villar Group, and each of them holds 25 percent of the shares.

Sleic has initiated a large expansion programme with the inauguration of its new factory in the Algete district of Madrid. The 3,500sq m occupied by the new building contains one of the most modern facilities for the production of machines and the development of new games to be found anywhere in Spain.

GTI Expo 2006 was held on July 7-9 at B, C and D Zones, Hall 1 of the Taipei World Trade Centre in Taipei, Taiwan. The gaming/amusement trade show attracted the participation of companies from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Italy, Russia, South Korea, Singapore and the UK, alongside many foreign visitors from more than 50 countries.

According to the statistical data recently promulgated by the Department of Culture of Hebei Province, the inspections that were conducted into business places in the cultural market, including business places offering internet services and electronic games operations in the cities of Shijiazhuang, Tangshan, Qinhuangdao, Baoding, Handan, Xingtai, Langfang, Changzhou, Zhangjiakou, Chengde and Hengshui in the first quarter of 2006, involved 39,976 people.

According to a recent People’s Daily report, in response to problems such as an ungoverned cultural market and the occurrence of obscene and sexual acts, Anhui Province has recently revised the province’s cultural market administration regulations in order to perfect the administration system, strengthen administration on cultural markets, regulate administration work and ensure the healthy development of cultural markets.

Clarion ATE, organiser of London’s ATEI, ICE and ICEi, has made a number of key appointments in recent months.

The UK office of ticketing and access control specialist OmniTicket Network has announced a number of new installations and updates to existing systems in recent months at prestigious venues in the UK, Ireland and Europe.

Ireland’s Coin-Op Expo – AmEx 2007 – the 28th Irish Amusement & Gaming Trade Exhibition, will be held at the Lynch Green Isle Hotel, Dublin on the March 6-7, 2007.

Merit Entertainment has announced two seizures of its Force video games in South Africa and Hong Kong, which have emphasised both the prevalence of piracy in the industry and the company’s determination to tackle the growing problem.

River City Group has joined the Clarion family of gaming-industry events and media through a purchase. This move follows Clarion’s successful integration of ATE, the producer of the London-based International Casino Exhibition (ICE) in 2005.

Only three weeks remain before Quentin Stott and Kevin Temple set off to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Meningitis UK.

It sounds like something out of Hogwarts – a library stacked full of almost 100,000 songs and videos of every genre and from every decade, which only takes up the space of six hard drives.

AstroSystems Ltd, the European office for currency validation specialist Astrosys International Ltd, has announced the appointment of Leo Bateman as sales representative.

UK trade body BACTA has thrown its weight behind its members and the ATEI with regards to the new floor plan that will see upwards of 200 international amusements companies taking stand space on Level 1 of Earls Court 1.

Games Media has announced that Brian Davies has taken up a permanent position with the company, following a successful period of consultancy.

Heber Ltd, designer and manufacturer of electronic control systems for the gaming and amusement industry, has launched its electronic newsletter, eNews. eNews will be emailed to Heber customers and contacts and includes the latest Heber news, information about new products and case studies featuring customers using Heber products.

For four weeks, Berlin welcomed football fans from all over the world – and for two days, Bally Wulff welcomed operators from all over Europe to experience the atmosphere of the World Cup.

Gaming Laboratories International Inc (GLI), the gaming products and systems testing company, has announced the promotion of Thiran Marimuthu (below) to General Manager of GLI Africa.

The Irish Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Michael McDowell has announced his intention to regulate the casino sector in Ireland, a move that has met with widespread support from privatemembers gaming clubs across the country.

Sega Amusements Europe Ltd. is delighted to announce the appointment of Peter Murphy to head up its new spares business. The company, which is executing various plans to expand it existing business, has picked Murphy as the perfect candidate to set up and develop the new venture.

From July 7 to August 3, Finnish cinema-goers were made fully aware of the latest developments in Photo Play. The exclusive Finnish distributor of Funworld products, Pelika Net Oy, took out an advertisement in cinemas throughout the country in order to increase awareness about the new System 2006 on Photo Play terminals.

Namco Europe Limited, through its subsidiary Namco Operations Europe Limited, has increased its presence in the UK location and entertainment business sector with the purchase of the Number 10 bowling group for an undisclosed sum.

Money Controls GmbH is expanding its operation with a move to new offices with a warehouse in north-west Hamburg. As brand awareness of Money Controls products increases in Western Europe, enhanced facilities capable of meeting demand for product supply and service are required.

Nova Productions has failed in its attempt to delay the Court of Appeal hearing in its dispute with the Bell-Fruit Group by having various matters referred to the European Court of Justice.

Axel F. Pawlas, CSO of Merkur Gaming, has reported that he was fully satisfied with the development of the in-house exhibitions that Merkur Gaming organised together with its partner International Games Trade (IGT), of San Marino, in June.

This year’s Preview promises to be one of the best ever, according to organisers Howard & Wikberg. Not only are online pre-registrations up by an amazing 45 per cent on the previous year, but also there are more overseas visitors planning to attend than ever before.

The biggest event in American snooker history is about to start, when the United States Snooker Association (USSA) hosts the inaugural International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF) world team championships.

Sound Leisure has been picked as an example to other manufacturers in Yorkshire under a new Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) scheme.

Synot held an open day for customers at its headquarters in Uherske Hradiste last month.

German industry giant the Gauselmann Group concluded the 2005 financial year with a “noticeable increase in sales” of 2.8 per cent. Figures improved both at home and abroad. Significant increases have already been reported for the first half of 2006.

EELEX 2006 will feature products from over 200 companies that booked 158 stands and 16,000sq m of space, presenting the vast spectrum of technologies for the gaming, amusement and hospitality industries. Despite recent changes in the local gaming market, EELEX records a 2.5 per cent increase in exhibitors.

September heralds the beginning of the show season and the return to the hectic travel schedule that so many within our industry are familiar with. I noted with interest just how many press releases Euroslot received this month about those who have moved to different jobs over the holiday period.