AB UK articles from December 2003

AB UK archives from December 2003

From the editor.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Quite a lot has gone on in the industry in the last month. Much of it reflected at varying length in the pages of this very issue. The deal that has been penned between Gamestec and Rank raised a few eyebrows and started a continuing stream...

DCMS strikes deal over FOBTs as Jowell introduces Draft Bill.(UK News)
December 1, 2003... FIXED ODDS betting terminals are "on probation" according to Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, who spoke at the Business in Leisure and Sport annual conference on November 19, in London. She said the government...

Coin-op industry reaction muted to Draft Bill and FOBT deal.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Reaction from the coin-op sector to the announcements of November 19 has centred on concerns over the effects of the FOBT on the AWP industry. While no-one was very surprised about much of the Draft Bill's contents, there are distinct...

IAAPA show sees influx of UK operators.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The giant IAAPA trade show in its new venue--the huge addition to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida--saw a further drop in reprensentation from the coin-op sector. It also saw one of the greatest influxes of UK arcade...

Gap at the top narrows as Gamestec pulls Rank.(UK News)
December 1, 2003... Leisure Link's position as the largest supplier of coin-operated machines to the leisure industry in the UK, is under pressure as a result of one of the biggest takeovers in UK coin machine history. Gamester Leisure, through its parent...

Harrison takes lead role at CMS.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Leading single-site machine operating consultancy CMS has a new Managing Director designate in ex-Leisure Link operations director Gerald Harrison. Harrison joins with the object off taking over from current Managing Director Mike Moran...

Kelly to RAL board as Solomon gets Guarantee.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Gala Group chief executive John Kelly has joined High Street operator PAL Holdings as non-executive director, following the 40m [pounds sterling] management buyout in August. PPM, the private equity firm that backed the RAL MBO has worked...

NAMCO Europe's base in London will be used to distribute Taito products in future.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... NAMCO Europe's base in London will be used to distribute Taito products in future. The company has been named as European distributor for the Japanese competitor, beginning with the simulator game Battle Gear 3.

The first EA Sports PGA tour Gold National Tournament was won by Duncan Smith from Ipswich.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... THE first EA Sports PGA tour Gold National Tournament was won by Duncan Smith from Ipswich, who picked up 500 [pounds sterling] with a six under par score. Mark Chilvers of Chilvers Automatics brought the winner to London to pick up the cheque...

Bell-Fruit Games will build all of the AWP and club machine products from Voodoo Games.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... BELL-FRUIT Games will build all of the AWP and club machine products from Voodoo Games following a manufacturing partnership agreement reached between the two companies.

Isle of Man Department of Trade and Industry.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... THE Isle of Man Department of Trade and Industry has appointed John Gilmore as an e-gaming ambassador to look at why most of the island's online casinos have closed down. Gilmore is from Rank Interactive Gaming and has 30 years' experience in...

UK taxpayers could face a 12.4m [pounds sterling] bill after Ministers admitted the Millennium Dome might not reopen for a further four years.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... UK taxpayers could face a 12.4m [pounds sterling] bill after Ministers admitted the Millennium Dome might not reopen for a further four years. Delays in launching the site as an entertainment arena have led to a 258,000 [pounds sterling] a...

Doug Hessian's Sound Sense Electronics celebrates its 10th anniversary this month.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... DOUG Hessian's Sound Sense Electronics celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. Doug, one of the most popular faces in the UK juke box industry, recalls the early days: "Sound Sense Electronics was born in December 1993 when Doreen and...

Still in the juke box sector, Inspired Broadcast Networks, the digital division of Leisure Link, and Entertainment UK, Europe's largest music distributor, have developed a juke box that can instantly play any of over two million tracks.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... STILL in the juke box sector, Inspired Broadcast Networks, the digital division of Leisure Link, and Entertainment UK, Europe's largest music distributor, have developed a juke box that can instantly play any of over two million tracks. The...

The UK did not have any winners in the Golden Tee World Championships 2003, held in Orlando, Florida, at the end of November on the eve of the IAAPA trade show, but there was evidence that non-US players were catching up on their hosts.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... THE UK did not have any winners in the Golden Tee World Championships 2003, held in Orlando, Florida, at the end of November on the eve of the IAAPA trade show, but there was evidence that non-US players were catching up on their hosts. A...

Jumping Bean leaps to top of US pusher sector.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... ONE of the quietest revolutions to have been going on in the UK industry over the past couple of years has been the Mazooma-BFG investment into pusher machines. While the industry generally knew that the partnership was making pushers, the...

Nova to refresh AWP approach.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... NOVA Games is entering the AWP and FOBT markets under the new name AWP.Biz. The company told ab:UK that it has spent two years developing gaming products and Peter Robinson said that he and partner David Jones had been aware of the steady...

Transatlantic venture as Gamesman expands.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... RAPID expansion at UK parts manufacturer Gamesman has seen the company join forces with Coin Mechanisms, one of the US' leading coin validation companies, which could, in time, result in the formation of a new Transatlantic company. The...

Wooding thinks the Link is place to work.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... LEISURE Link has appointed former Red Gaming sales director Steve Wooding as director of sales for gaming. Wooding will take up the position in January and will report directly to Leisure Link's sales director David Purvis. "I am...

Bar X boosted by multi-million pound RAL deal.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A huge vote of confidence in Electrocoin's arcade-style AWP machines has come in the form of a 2m [pounds sterling] order from the largest adult gaming centre operator in the country, RAL. The Milton Keynes-based group placed the order in...

Sam Leisure, UK-based pool table manufacturing subsidiary of Spanish firm Sam Billares.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... SAM Leisure, UK-based pool table manufacturing subsidiary of Spanish firm Sam Billares, has supplied 10 American pool tables to a newly refurbished bar in Croydon, south London. Loop had only been open for one week when it was awarded "Best...

Lawyers start circling as gaming bill draws near.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The growth in the gaming business associated with the new gaming law has attracted the attention of the legal profession--a sure sign large sums of money are expected to cbange hands. London-based law firm Joelson Wilson, has annonnced that...

Punch announced its annual results last month.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... PUNCH announced its annual results last month. Its shares were boosted after it refinanced its 1.8bn [pounds sterling] long-term debt, giving it 265m [pounds sterling] extra cash for possible acquisitions.

Following the launch of the UK's 400-page Draft Gambling Bill the Bingo Association has expressed a number of concerns, both on behalf of its members and the broader gaming industry.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... FOLLOWING the launch of the UK's 400-page Draft Gambling Bill the Bingo Association has expressed a number of concerns, both on behalf of its members and the broader gaming industry. Sir Peter Fry, Chairman of the Association, said: "We welcome...

A Mintel report shows that Britons spent a staggering 17.2bn [pounds sterling] in pubs last year.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A MINTEL report shows that Britons spent a staggering 17.2bn [pounds sterling] in pubs last year. This is more than double the 7.2bn [pounds sterling] spent on activities such as going to the cinema, theatre, museum and bingo combined. The...

One of the major UK bookmakers, Coral Eurobet has completed the acquisition of the 47 betting shops of Geo.(UK News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... ONE of the major UK bookmakers, Coral Eurobet has completed the acquisition of the 47 belting shops of Geo. Akins Group of Nottingham, taking the total Coral holding to over 1,000 locations for the first time. It is thought that Akins will now...

IT will probably be two years before Astra Games makes a serious attempt at taking a slice of the Polish market, said the company's director of sales and marketing.(International News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... IT will probably be two years before Astra Games makes a serious attempt at taking a slice of the Polish market, said the company's director of sales and marketing. At the Polish Surexpo trade show in Wroclaw in October, Simon McCarthy stated...

Qubica, supplier of the innovative Highway 66 mini bowling alley, is looking for European distributors.(International News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... QUBICA, supplier of the innovative Highway 66 mini bowling alley, is looking for European distributors. The company has offices in the US, Canada, Italy, Asia, Australia and Russia and is represented by Crown Direct in the UK but is looking for...

Triotech Amusement unveiled its all-new Mad Wave Extreme Theatre at last month's IAAPA show.(International News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... TRIOTECH Amusement unveiled its all-new Mad Wave Extreme Theatre at last month's IAAPA show. The theatre incorporates a new advanced electric motion base with a third actuator from the Mad Wave Motion family and includes new futuristic seats,...

AMEX 2004--the 25th Irish Amusement Trade Exhibition & Seminars--will be held on March 2-3, 2004 at the Lynch Green Isle Hotel, Naas Road, Dublin.(International News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... AMEX 2004--The 25th Irish Amusement Trade Exhibition & Seminars--will be held on March 2-3, 2004 at the Lynch Green Isle Hotel, Naas Road, Dublin. Opening hours will be from 12-7 pm Tuesday and 6pm Wednesday. The 25th anniversary of the show...

Rowe bought by Merit owner Harbour Group.(International News)
December 1, 2003... In a dramatic last-minute bidding war, an arm of the US-based investment group that already owns Merit Industries has acquired juke box maker Rowe International. The deal with Harbour Group was reportedly valued at just under US $13m in...

Westhoff reaches out to poles.(International News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A NEW Dutch supplier of AWPs to the eastern European market made its debut at the Polish Surexpo trade show in Wroclaw in mid-October, Peter Westhoff set up his Westhoff BV company in May of this year, based in Vaals, near Sittard in the...

WEEE will rock you--if you manufacture AWPs.(International News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... THE report on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and all amendments were adopted on October 21 in the European Parliament. The new Directive amends responsibility regarding the financing of conventional waste from users other...

Arcade Planet makes a return to coin-op orbit.(International News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Arcade Planet, the game and online prize firm that split apart from redemption game maker LazerTron last year, made its return to coin-op with two new innovative products, the first, called The Prize Centre, was at AMOA and IAAPA. The...

Kiwi kids kept from cyber cafes?(International News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A 1990 bylaw designed to control the spread of billiard halls and amusement arcades, could be applied to Internet cafes in New Zealand following concerns over the hours spent by children on computer games. A report by police in Waitakere...

US industry escapes bush fire, but not homeless.(International News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... As the blazes were brought under control, it appeared that no one in the industry has been hurt in the recent firestorm that toasted portions of the Southern Californian geography from suburban San Diego to the resort villages in the Angeles...

Synot has taken orders for over 1,000 JPM machines following the Forbes Show in the Czech Republic.(International News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... SYNOT has taken orders for over 1,000 JPM machines following the Forbes Show in the Czech Republic. The games were Daytona Gold, Phoenix Gold and Jokers Plus.

Tab's Virtual Pinball game is not really just a pinball game--and to prove it the company is about to launch an entirely new non-pinball game to fit the same cabinet.(International News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... TAB'S Virtual Pinball game is not really just a pinball game--and to prove it the company is about to launch an entirely new non-pinball game to fit the same cabinet. Oliver Meincke, sales director of TAB, told ab:UK that Popstar would be...

One of coin-op's favourite games--Whac-A-Mole--is to become a blockbusting brand along the lines of the Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles.(International News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... ONE of coin-op's favourite games--Whac-A-Mole--is to become a blockbusting brand along the lines of the Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles. Whac-A-Mole creator Bob's Space Racers and Dimensional Branding Group, LLC (DBG) have joined forces with...

Lottery officials in Iowa, US, are hoping to make US$20m annually by installing about 4,000 video lottery terminals in restaurants, bars and clubs.(International News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... LOTTERY officials in Iowa, US, are hoping to make US $20m annually by installing about 4,000 video lottery terminals in restaurants, bars and clubs. The machines feature vend lottery tickets, informing players immediately whether they have won...

TCS John Huxley.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... TCS John Huxley has appointed Roger Hawkins (above) as chief operating officer (UK). Hawkins, who recently joined the group as commercial sales director (UK) brings with him a wealth of experience, having previously held the position of...

The case brought by Capital Gaming.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... THE case brought by Capital Gaming against former Coinmaster owner Tony Lynch and others concluded last month. Action was prompted by the manufacture of two roulette wheels to Capital's design but not ordered by or intended for use or...

MGM inks London deal.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... MGM Mirage has signed a deal with Earls Court and Olympia Group to develop a spectacular new gaming and entertainment complex in the Olympia Exhibition Centre in the heart of London. The agreement includes plans that will transform more...

E-gaming division opens at VIP.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... VIP Gaming Solutions has created an entire division dedicated to electronic gaming. Andrew Davies has taken on the role of electronic gaming director and Dean Sparrow is electronic gaming coordinator. VIP's operations director, Roland...

Park Tower receives makeover.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The Park Tower Casino in London has recently undergone a refurbishment, reinforcing its position as one of the capital's most luxurious casinos. The new-look Park Tower has an extended gaming floor, allowing more tables. The move also...

Biqqer show presence for JCM.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... JCM, the manufacturer and supplier of components, currency and security products for the gaming industry, will have a massive presence in London with larger booths at both the ICE and ATEI exhibitions. "We look forward to this event with...

TCS Huxley goes north.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... FROM the spring of 2004, the combined operations of I'CS John Huxley will be housed in a purpose built, state-of-the-art 37,000sq.ft. facility in Stoke-on Trent. This new facility, which will incorporate all of the administration, service...

Isle of Capri moves closer to UK.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... THE Gaming Board for Great Britain has given the go-ahead to American firm Isle of Capri Casinos to own casinos in the UK. As a result, the company is making a "strategic investment" in Blue Chip Casinos plc that will see it become the...

Harrah's e-service says Lucky Me.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... HARRAH'S Entertainment plans to launch a subscription-based Internet entertainment service called Lucky Me in the UK in the first quarter of 2004. Lucky Me will allow eligible adults to pay low monthly subscription prices for access to...

A new casino with a horse and greyhound racing theme opened last month in Dublin.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A NEW casino with a horse and greyhound racing theme opened last month in Dublin. Named silks, the property features roulette wheels specially designed by Cammegh and gaming tables supplied by Abbiati of Italy. The man behind the venture is...

The online casino and poker room, www.888.com, has achieved a media first by advertising on the UK's only stretch Humvee limousine.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... THE online casino and poker room, www.888.com, has achieved a media first by advertising on the UK's only stretch Humvee limousine, available for the first time through London Limousine Promotions. The branded limo is part of an aggressive...

Award winning.(Spares)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... MONEY Controls has won a North West Training Award for its training and development. The award recognised the firm's "exceptional training that has real benefits for the business, the community and the individual." The company was nominated for...

Matrix reloaded.(Spares)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... HIGH performance LED displays manufacturer Forge Europa has enhanced the range of blue seven segment and dot matrix displays now available from the company. The seven segment devices are offered in single, dual, triple and quadruple digits with...

Happ digital.(Spares)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... HAPP Controls has launched a new digital video recorder as part of its security and surveillance range. The machine can record up to four cameras simultaneously and can store up to two months worth of footage on its 120GB hard drive. The device...

UDC to monitor market.(Spares)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... WELLS-Gardner Electronic Corporation, the manufacturer of flat panel displays and monitors, has announced its return to sales in the United Kingdom and Eire through The United Distributing Company. In an arrangement sealed last month, the...

IT--10 years and still growing.(Spares)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... INNOVATIVE Technology has made a raft of changes to its group structure over the past 18 months. At its recent annual sales conference held at the Oldham headquarters, the company introduced its strengthened team for the first time. Now in...

Starpoint's Flexi-Strip grows bigger and bigger.(Spares)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... STARPOINT has launched the high impact F55, a larger version of its Flexi-Strip product. The FS5 enables game designers to create an even trigger feature impact by providing a much larger display area on which combinations or single...

25, Extreme Gaming.(New Products)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... THE most recent release from Extreme Gaming is loosely based on a recent real time hit TV show. 25 offers players a high-tech, feature packed, reel-time experience. The game's wraparound feature is driven by a 12-position reel, leading to...

Black Magic Club, Vivid Gaming.(New Products)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... VIVID Gaming has released its second hi-tech club machine, Black Magic Club. The game has been designed specifically for the club sector and is available with stake and jackpot options from 75 [pounds sterling] to 250 [pounds sterling]. The...

Club Snakes and Ladders, bell-fruit games.(New Products)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... CLUB Snakes and Ladders is the latest in BFG's rebuild range. It is based on the AWP of the same name, a big hit very recently. This familiar board game, complete with Ladders to climb and Snakes to slide down, is enhanced with extras such as...

Videostar, Barcrest Games.(New Products)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... BARCREST Games' new video AWP, Videostar, is now available following a comprehensive industry test. Videostar uses a flexible random game format featuring four different games which can be configured into five different variants a multi-game...

F-Zero AX, Sega Amusements Europe.(New Products)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... SEGA Amusements Europe has released the long awaited F-Zero AX. Players race through a 26th Century Sci-Fi world at a heart pounding 2,000km. per hour F-Zero AX is the latest collaboration of Nintendo and Sega, based on the super powerful...

Battle Gear 3, Taito.(New Products)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... FEATURING a reactive steering wheel, accelerator, brake pedal, gear stick and emergency brake, the game provides players with a choice of 33 cars and 14 different courses which art: suitable for beginners through to experts. Players have the...

Golden Keys, Barcrest.(New Products)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... BARCREST Games has launched a new single player game, Golden Keys, for the bingo club and arcade market. The new lo-tech game incorporates an eye-catching 3D top reel with an entertaining feature which awards extra spins from the top game....

Cops 'n' Robbers, bell-fruit games.(New Products)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... BFG'S legendary Cops 'n' Robbers is to make a comeback. One of the industry's best-loved themes returns in a brand new AWP which, after promising test results, achieved full retailer approvals. Cops 'n' Robbers retains all the successful...

Big deal: when you've been around as long as David Snook, one new deal tends to blend into another. There are still those that stand out from the crowd, however, and the recent deal between Crown and RLMS is one of those ...(Snookered)
December 1, 2003... I SUPPOSE I am trying hard to remember (it gets difficult once senility sets in) a deal bigger than that which is giving Gamestec (alias Kunick but still Music Hire to me) Rank's operations. A bigger deal in the sense of numbers of machines...

Skill bill.(Sales Pitch)
December 1, 2003... We at ab:UK know how hard it is to make sure you get to, and get around, all the trade shows. But never fear, Sales Pitch the industry's top salesmen to your desk and gives you a choice of the hottest products from a different sector of the...

A sporting chance: electronic darts machines are about as popular in the UK market as British beef is in France. However this game is slowly becoming more accepted, as Karen Southall finds out.
December 1, 2003... ENGLAND is a country of traditions. And nothing is more strongly upheld than sporting traditions. Whether it's chanting abuse al football referees, eating strawberries at Wimbledon or losing at cricket, customs such as these are time-honoured....

Size is important: while the big players in the casino industry are, most likely, happy with the proposed gaming legislation, there are those smaller operators who are less than pleased with the situation. Phil Clegg reports on the view of the COA.(Casino Feature)
December 1, 2003... WHILE the forthcoming changes to the law regulating casinos in the UK are being accepted with open arms by the industry, there is one sector that has some concerns. The Casino Operators' Association of the UK has been vocal in outlining...

Linking perk: the arrival of the Internet has opened up a new raft of possibilities for the coin-op industry, not least of which is the opportunity to run online tournaments, ab:UK looks at some of the available options ...
December 1, 2003... WE love to win things, us Brits. There are very few of us who aren't just a little bit interested the first time a Readers' Digest prize draw envelope comes through the letter box or get excited when we scratch off the thin silver coating on...

Station to station.(Interview)
December 1, 2003... Is there a future for the inland arcade? Not to get tied up in semantics, an 'inland arcade' contains amusements, as opposed to an 'adult gaming centre' which is all AWPs. So, with the proposed changes in the law, is there going to be room for...

Preview Jimmy: Scottish Preview is one of the country's smallest shows, but has one of the warmest welcomes, as Rowan McIntyre found out.(Showpiece)
December 1, 2003... Some shows hold huge press conferences on the final day, boasting of vastly increasing attendances. They are the shows that operators travel to, sometimes from all over the world. Then there are others that travel to the operators. These...

Globetrotter.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... WHO says that coin-op isn't a touchy-feely industry. At Scottish Preview Globetrotter caught up with three grown men enjoying a group hug. (From the left) Leon Deith, Mazooma's Brian Lavin and Global VR's Frank Ballouz. DON'T ask why, but...

Show diary.(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... December 8-9: VIRTUAL GAMING FORUM, LONDON, UK. Contact: Osney Media Ltd., 2 Bath Place, Rivington Street, London, EC2A 3DB, UK. Tel: +44 20 7880 0000 Fax: +44 20 7880 0010 website: www.virtualgamingforum.com ...