AB UK articles from March 2004

AB UK archives from March 2004

From the editor.
March 1, 2004... BELIEVE it or not, I have a life outside the confines of this magazine and the hours of toil I pour into it every month. Occasionally when chatting with friends over the staple journalistic diet of cigarettes and alcohol, the subject of work...

DCD.(UK News)(L&M Deith Sales)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... * DCD has appointed L&M Deith Sales--a division of Deith Leisure--as distributor of its new Zap Zone concept. DCD makes softplay interactive ball areas and plans to introduce them to arcades.

Four new members have been appointed to the Gaming Board of Great Britain.(UK News; Gillian Milburn, Eve Salomon, Ben Gunn and Bill Knight)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... * FOUR new members have been appointed to the Gaming Board of Great Britain. Gillian Milburn is deputy site manager of the Boat Museum in Ellesmere Port and is also a magistrate. Eve Salomon was until the end of 2003 director of legal services...

The ATEI was the main launch pad for JVH's Double Dice machine following on from its successful testing period.(UK News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... * THE ATEI was the main launch pad for JVH's Double Dice machine following on from its successful testing period. The interest shown was immense and culminated with Steve Robins, TCS Funtime's sales director, placing a significant order with...

Martin Riley of Sammy Europe reports that the company was inundated.(UK News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... MARTIN Riley of Sammy Europe reports that the company was inundated with overseas buyers at the ATEI show.

Sega/Sammy saga sees Satomi succeed Sato.(UK News)(Hajime Satomi)
March 1, 2004... EXECUTIVES at Sega and Sammy's European offices have received no news about the future of the video companies' respective distribution channels despite widening rumours that they will merge. Reports from various gaming websites claim that...

Two more clauses for concern.(UK News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... TWO extra clauses have been introduced to the proposed new Gambling Bill. They were added by the DCMS just after the London show at the end of January. There is now a proposal that pubs will not have to apply to magistrates for a licence...

Leisure Link appoints inspired board members.(UK News; Norman Crowley and Luke Alvarez )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... AFTER a highly impressive showing at the ATEI, Leisure Link has appointed two new members to its board from its subsidiary firm inspired Broadcast Networks (IBN). IBN co-chief executives Norman Crowley and Luke Alvarez have both been...

Following success at the ATEI, Bell-Fruit Games is to take to the road with three of the biggest hits of ATEI going to Ireland and Blackpool.(UK News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... * FOLLOWING success at the ATEI, Bell-Fruit Games is to take to the road with three of the biggest hits of ATEI going to Ireland and Blackpool. Recently launched AWP Pony Express is now fully approved after a strong test period while new...

Private equity company Charterhouse, which was accused of paying over the odds for UK Coral Eurobet when it stepped in ahead of Rank to buy the company for 860m [pounds sterling] in 2002 made a quick profit through an 830m [pounds sterling] refinancing which will allow the firm to recoup 60 per cent of the capital it spent buying it.(UK News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... * PRIVATE equity company Charterhouse, which was accused of paying over the odds for UK Coral Eurobet when it stepped in ahead of Rank to buy the company for 860m [pounds sterling] in 2002 made a quick profit through an 830m [pounds sterling]...

Costa-ffective deal for JPM with Spanish giant.(UK News)(R. Franco of Spain)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A UNIQUE deal has been concluded between a UK and a Spanish AWP manufacturer which will sea them producing each other's games for their respective markets. R. Franco of Spain and JPM of the UK signed the agreement on joint manufacturing...

Section 21 passed over at ATEI.(UK News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... THE potential of Section 21 machines was not as obvious on the stands of manufacturers and suppliers as many thought it would be at this year's London show. Machine makers appeared to be slow to appreciate the opportunities offered by a...

Jolly Roger makes a rare foray into off licence.(UK News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... IN a total break with the established Jolly Roger modus operandi, the UK-based kiddie ride manufacturing company has not based its latest ride around licensed characters. After many years of making almost exclusively licensed rides based...

TCS Funtime.(UK News)(Appointments)(Simon Barff)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... * SIMON Barff has been appointed Managing Director Designate of TCS Funtime and will work with founder directors Stephen Robins and Bob Hepworth in the company's Leeds headquarters. Mr. Barff has worked for Associated Leisure and Kunick (now...

PUB operator JD Wetherspoon has converted all of its AWPs to accept notes for play and credit.(UK News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... * PUB operator JD Wetherspoon has converted all of its AWPs to accept notes for play and credit. The company has more than 1,800 AWP machines across its UK estate of 630 pubs. The changeover, which started in January, was carried out by Leisure...

Members of the UK gaming industry are leaving themselves wide open to prosecution and massive financial penalties because of their failure to take new laws about money laundering seriously.(UK News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... * MEMBERS of the UK gaming industry are leaving themselves wide open to prosecution and massive financial penalties because of their failure to take new laws about money laundering seriously, warns leading corporate crime and fraud solicitor...

The UK's gaming industry is ranked 501st for investment attractiveness out of 1,015 UK industries, according to Plimsoll Publishing's newly launched Industry Investment Index.(UK News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... * THE UK's gaming industry is ranked 501st for investment attractiveness out of 1,015 UK industries, according to Plimsoll Publishing's newly launched Industry Investment Index. The survey reports that for every 100 [pounds sterling] invested...

Germans start war of words over fungames.(UK News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... THE Managing Direct or of German distributor Stella has fired a warning shot across the bows of British manufacturers claiming they are not good enough at making games For the German market. The sales of fungames, UK AWP style games which...

Mazooma opens a record book.(UK News)(Crown Direct)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... WHILE there was no shortage of multiplayer games at the ATEI this year, following on from last year's successful showing. Big Screen Monopoly on the Mazooma stand raised a few eyebrows. The Mazooma team had cause for celebration when it...

Openshaw memorial award to debut in Dublin.(UK News)(25th Coin Op Expo--AmEx 2004)(Mary Openshaw Memorial Award for Excellence )
March 1, 2004... THE presentation of the first Mary Openshaw Memorial Award for Excellence is set to be a highlight of Ireland's 25th Coin Op Expo--AmEx 2004, which will be held at the Lynch Green Isle Hotel, Dublin, on March 2 and 3. The award, which is...

Two Belgian suppliers held Open House events for operators in the same week.(International News)(VdW)(National Music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... * TWO Belgian suppliers held Open House events for operators in the same week. Pusher manufacturer VdW ran its event from February 10-13 and neighbours National Music threw open its doors from February 11-12. Said Laurent van de Wege of...

The European Commission has proposed a Draft Framework Directive on Services in the Internal Market which aims to overcome cross-border barriers to further liberalise the provision of services throughout the EU.(International News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... THE European Commission has proposed a Draft Framework Directive on Services in the Internal Market which aims to overcome cross-border barriers to further liberalise the provision of services throughout the EU. Services are covered whether...

AGI Africa.(International News)(appointment of Rolph Gieske)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... AGI Africa has appointed Rolph Gieske as sales and marketing manager for South Africa and the surrounding islands. Also joining AGI Africa as technical and sales manager is Andrie "Einstein" Luther.

More states enter legal row over video violence.(International News)
March 1, 2004... As state lawmakers round the US began gathering last month for their annual and bi-annual legislative sessions, the question of how government can regulate video game content reared its potentially unconstitutional head once again. So far,...

Common testing to help Spanish market evolve.(International News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... ON February 3, delegates from nearly all 17 Spanish regional gaming boards held a meeting in Madrid with the National Gaming Board to discuss standing regulatory matters. A common protocol for machine testing was approved, to be adopted by all...

Germans not operating video at full efficiency.(International News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... GERMAN operators are being slow to realise the benefits of a new law concerning video games which was introduced in April of last year. According to Patrick Bachelart, Managing Director of German amusement distributor Seldi, there are...

New cabinet technology at ATEI.(International News)(Weche develops new injection moulding for steel cabinets)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... AFTER two years in development, a technological breakthrough in cabinetry has been achieved by Taiwan's Weche. The company chose the ATEI to demonstrate for the first time the Wing-Line, and injection moulded steel cabinet. "Injection...

New website for video gaming community live.(International News)(Bidiots online auction site for video games)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Bidiots Inc. (www.bidiols.com), an all encompassing video game and computer specific auction site has gone live, offering the gamer community a one-stop shop online. Bidiots says it hopes to fill the need that the major auction sites...

Signature Sales & Service.(International News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... ATLAS Distributing Inc., the Midwest's largest amusement and vending distribution company, has been acquired by coin-operated vending and amusement distribution company Signature Sales & Service based in Illinois. Frank Gumma, Signature's...

Octavian International, the gaming systems and software solutions specialist, has signed a games development contract with GiGames of Barcelona, a subsidiary of Grupo Conei.(International News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... OCTAVIAN International, the gaming systems and software solutions specialist, has signed a games development contract with GiGames of Barcelona, a subsidiary of Grupo Conei. The deal will see Octavian develop multiple AWP video games for the...

The UK's largest casino operator, Stanley Leisure, has launched a free entry online casino tournament where winners can take home their share of 12,500 [pounds sterling].(Casino News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... THE UK's largest casino operator, Stanley Leisure, has launched a free entry online casino tournament where winners can take home their share of 12,500 [pounds sterling]. The tournament marks the launch of the new StanleyCasinos.com and...

MGM Mirage is getting into the new UK gambling business by buying up dog tracks.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... MGM Mirage is getting into the new UK gambling business by buying up dog tracks. It has struck a 270m [pounds sterling] (US$420m) deal to buy Wembley, the gambling group. The MGM offer is pitched at 750p per share, or 22 per cent above...

Leisure Exchange looks good for Gala Casinos.(Casino News)(Leisure Exchange development in Bradford)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... GALA Casinos has announced plans to open a state-of-the-art casino in the highly-acclaimed 40m [pounds sterling] Leisure Exchange development in Bradford in October as part of its natural roll-out campaign. At 42,500sq.ft, the casino will...

Old friends bring JAC to market.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SOME familiar faces in UK gaming have got together to form a new company, JAC Gaming Solutions. John and Carlton Murphy of Service Centre Europe (formerly Sega Gaining Technology) and Alan Stedeford of Perconta have formed the new company...

Knights to return to industry to serve Spintek.(Casino News)(appointment of Martin Knights as sales managers)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... FORMER Aristocrat sales executive Martin Knights, who has spent the last few years outside the industry, has returned to lake up a position with UK-based Spintek Casino Supplies. He will be handling UK sales for the manufacturer of bespoke...

Happy happy to go into Freefall on coin counting.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... CASINO coin validation has entered a new era with the introduction by Happ Controls Europa of the Freefall, the first-ever digital laser coin detector. This fast and accurate unit is designed specifically for casino operations and can...

British Land Company sees Mirage as partner.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... MGM Mirage and The British Land Company have announced their intention to develop a leisure and entertainment complex, with a projected cost of between 200m [pounds sterling] and 250m [pounds sterling] adjacent to British Land's Meadowhall...

Sweet smells success at ICE show.(Casino News)(International Casino Dealer 2004.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... PETER Sweet of the Grosvenor Gloucester Casino has won the title of International Casino Dealer 2004. The three days of the ICE show in London saw 18 of Europe's top dealers come head lo head in a battle of skill and style at the TCS John...

Hendon Mob land Prima package from sponsors.(PRIMAPOKER.COM sponsors the poker team for the Prima Poker World Tour 2004)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... PRIMAPOKER.COM has set a new record with the largest terrestrial sponsorship in the history of poker by backing the poker team known as the Hendon Mob on their second global tour. The team will challenge the world's best poker player's as...

Paddy Power sets up online venture in Alderney.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... ALDERNEY has added another big name to its list of blue chip online casino operators. Paddy Power, Ireland's largest betting company, has chosen this third largest of the Channel Islands as the jurisdiction for its latest online casino...

Roulette wheel manufacturer Cammegh claims that its new all-acrylic wheel is "the most accurate roulette wheel ever made.".(Casino News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... ROULETTE wheel manufacturer Cammegh claims that its new all-acrylic wheel is "the most accurate roulette wheel ever made." Being made entirely from acrylic means it is also durable. "This makes it ideal for automated roulette games where...

UK Seaside resort Blackpool, which is at the centre of plans to build the first resort casinos in Britain, is seeking a "visionary leader" to deliver the town's brave new future.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... UK Seaside resort Blackpool, which is at the centre of plans to build the first resort casinos in Britain, is seeking a "visionary leader" to deliver the town's brave new future. Blackpool Borough Council and its partners are to advertise...

3M extends range with 17" LCD touch monitor.(Spares)(3M Touch 5ystems UK Ltd)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... 3M Touch 5ystems UK Ltd. has added a new 17ins. LCD Touch Monitor to its range, combining the popular features of its existing 15ins, unit with a larger form factor to give more flexibility in user interface design. The MicroTouchT M170...

Eurocoin signs up GPT product.(Spares)(GLOBAL Payment Technologies)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... GLOBAL Payment Technologies Europe and Eurocoin have signed a distribution deal for the entire range of GPT Casino Validator products. Eurocoin will have the rights to distribute GPT products throughout Europe and will provide GPT with...

Games Warehouse finds that it's good to ccTalk.(Spares)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... DESIGN house Games Warehouse, a specialist in software gaming compendiums, has become the first company to use Money Controls' ccTalk PCI Card in volume, for its innovative new SWP application Paragon. Established in 2002, Games Warehouse...

Scan Coin is launching the latest additions to its range of coin counters.(Spares)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SCAN Coin is launching the latest additions to its range of coin counters. The new high-performance SC350 and SC360 coin counters replace the existing SC3000 series of machines to fill a gap between heavy-duty counters and small back-office...

The new PS-8070 Pentium 4 Book-size PC is the latest addition to Semicom's family of book-size PCs and is based on the Pentium III PS8060 version.(Spares)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... THE new PS-8070 Pentium 4 Book-size PC is the latest addition to Semicom's family of book-size PCs and is based on the Pentium III PS8060 version. It supports CPU speeds of up to 2.6Ghz and comes with four powered serial ports and its size...

Intercard Spain has launched a new wireless reader for its debit card system which enables FECs to now link their machines to a central monitoring system without any cables.(Spares)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... INTERCARD Spain has launched a new wireless reader for its debit card system which enables FECs to now link their machines to a central monitoring system without any cables. The system works on a WiFi connection and has multi lingual...

Spanish game kits supplier Compumatic is now offering a connection to an online administration system through fingerprints of "contactless cards.".(Spares)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SPANISH game kits supplier Compumatic is now offering a connection to an online administration system through fingerprints of "contactless cards." The Barcelona-based company is specialising in personal identification technology to avoid the...

Snap, uWink.(New Products)(new service)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SNAP is the latest touchscreen countertop entertainment terminal >From uWink. It offers over 70 games which can be played for fun or in competition with other networked players. Snap is cost effective and has a number of revenue boosting...

Luna Park, VdW.(New Products)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... THE Luna Park is the brand new six-player pusher from VdW. It has a great play appeal thanks to its modern and attractive look. Four coin chutes per deck allow two players on the same playfield. The pusher also contains a fully LED animated 3-D...

Nicktoons Racing, Chicago Gaming Company.(New Products)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... NICKTOONS Racing from the Chicago Gaming Company is a high speed video driving game aimed at the younger end of the market. It features licensed cartoon characters from some of Nickelodeon's top TV programmes including Rugrats, Hey Arnold!,...

Goldell Tee fore 2005, Incredible Technologies.(New Products)(ATEI for Goldell Tee Golf series)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... INCREDIBLE Technologies chose ATEI to launch its latest instalment of its Goldell Tee Golf series over US show ASI for the first time. The update to the popular golf game will feature seven new courses and a number of features to enhance the...

Ollie King, Sega.(New Products)(skateboarding game introduction)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... OLLIE King is a dedicated skateboarding game with a twist. For the first time in this genre, the cabinet is linkable so that up to four players can race against each other. The game was a big bit at the ATEI and is housed in the Naomi universal...

Nexus, JPM.(New Products)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... THE Nexus, developed by JPM and Maygay, houses a combination of amusement only and SWP games, with up to 12 games available to the player al any one time and up to 18 games on the machine. The Nexus also features a facility to automatically...

Fairground Attraction, JEM Manufacturing.(New Products)(JEM Manufacturing Showcase Systems)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... FAIRGROLIND Attraction is a unique crane/AWP game designed and developed by the UK's JEM Manufacturing Showcase Systems for the larger arcades and coastal resorts. The four-player game comes with a three-reel AWP. If players achieve three...

Machine Gun Action, Hope.(New Products)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... MACHINE Gun Action is a new novelty game manufactured by Japan's Hope and distributed by Cromptons. The game works with air compression and uses recycled pellets and players fire at tin cans to achieve points. The game is based on 50p play and...

Fitting the Bill: the new Gaming Bill is approaching its final form, but the different sectors of the UK industry are hoping for different things from it. ab:UK looks at the submissions made to the scrutiny committee at the end of January.(Analysis)
March 1, 2004... THE BACTA CASE: SEEKING THE LEVEL PLAYING FIELD BRITAIN'S street operators and arcade owners have faced up to their casino colleagues in the little matter of payout machines. They did it on the opening day of the premier European coin...

Trouble ahead? The wants and hopes of the casino manufacturers are diametrically opposed to the needs of the majority of BACTA members. Could this lead to problems with the show set-up as we know it, given that BACTA owns Europe's biggest casino fair--David Snook thinks so ...(Snookered)(British Amusement and Catering Trades Association)
March 1, 2004... THE way I see it, there is some fun and games brewing between BACTA and the casino slots manufacturers. Oh, sure, it is all gentlemanly right now and may stay that way, but the inescapable conclusion is that the two "disciplines" in payout...

Video shop: 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 brings the industry's top salesman to your desk and gives you a choice of the hottest products from a different sector of the market every month. This month ... video. (Sales Pitch).
March 1, 2004... Game: Last Bounty Hunter From: Brent Sales Pitcher: Danny Hester GAMERS up and down the country will get a massive buzz when they see this in the arcades! Based on the Mad Dog McCree phenomenon, Last Bounty Hunter is a Wild...

The greatest show on earth: ATEI back again and bigger than ever, ab:UK's intrepid team of reporters braved the showfloor to bring you the most comprehensive show report around.(Feature)(Amusement Trades Exhibition International)
March 1, 2004... THERE can be no doubt that the ATEI is now the most important coin-op show in the world. The ASI and AMOA in the LIS are declining in individual influence and many are still touting the idea that they should combine to create a single...

The ICE age? The ICE is now bigger, brighter and ... downstairs. But the importance of the show cannot be over estimated as the new gaming bill promises to bring riches to the UK casino industry. Phil Clegg reports on a new dawn for the show ...(ICE Report)(International Casino Exhibition)
March 1, 2004... As London's International Casino Exhibition has grown over recent years, there has been repeated talk of the event "coming of age." In reality this did not happen until this year. The 2004 show was the first one that really looked the...

Opportunity knocks.(Interview)
March 1, 2004... The world's most prolific manufacturer of casino slots--and coincidentally the owner of one of the UK's largest AWP manufacturers--has quietly set up shop in Birmingham. Why is IGT here? Opportunism, for sure. But how does it see its role going...

Globetrotter.(Illustration)
March 1, 2004... BARCREST held its annual lavish bash at The Villa Elephant on the River restaurant during the London show where the company was joined by many of its partners and customers. On one of the more noisy tables was a Spanish contingent from...

Show diary.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... 2004 March 2-3: AMEX 2004, LYNCH GREEN ISLE HOTEL, DUBLIN, IRELAND (EIRE). Contact: MD Associates, Enterprise Centre, Melitta Road, Kildare, Ireland. Tel: +353 45 521190 Fax: +353 45 521198 e-mail:...