AB UK articles from May 2003

AB UK archives from May 2003

From the editor.(corporate mergers and acquisitions)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
May 1, 2003... MERGERS and acquisitions seem to be the name of the game in so many of today's industries. As companies born out of the free market ideologies of the Eighties reach a certain size they have little choice but to swallow others in order to...

Britain to be world leader in remote gaming, says DCMS.(UK News)(Department for Culture, Media and Sports report)
May 1, 2003... Britain will become "a world leader in the field of online gambling" with its handling of the thorny problem of regulating the Internet, said Clive Hawkswood, head of the Betting and Racing Team at the DCMS. He was speaking at the InterGame...

More questions answered in next paper.(UK News)(gaming legislation)
May 1, 2003... Following the release of the position paper on the remote gaming legislation reported above there will be further news early in May. The DCMS will release another position paper on deregulation and its views on other aspects of the proposed...

Quentin Stott and Simon Dawson are to leave rebuild specialist QPS.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... QUENTIN Stott and Simon Dawson are to leave rebuild specialist QPS, the company they helped set up with Paul Malt in 1998. It is not yet known what the pair's next move will be, but it is thought that they will remain in the industry but...

Brian Marks has been made redundant from his position as Northern European sales manager at Sega Amusements Europe.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... BRIAN Marks has been made redundant from his position as Northern European sales manager at Sega Amusements Europe. Marks' responsibilities will be shared between the remaining members of Sega's sales force, Paul Williams, Aaron Gilbey and...

German arcade chain Spielothek, owned by the giant Gauselmann Group, has sold off its three British arcades.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... GERMAN arcade chain Spielothek, owned by the giant Gauselmann Group, has sold off its three British arcades. Grandspan Ltd. has purchased the Spielothek in Bristol and the centres in Cardiff and Swindon have gone to Bonanza 2000.

Players of Incredible Technologies Golden Tee Golf took it upon themselves to organise a North vs South competition.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... PLAYERS of Incredible Technologies Golden Tee Golf took it upon themselves to organise a North vs South competition which took place at the Bald Face Stag pub in East Finchley, London on April 26. Players came from as far afield as Paisley in...

SO.GE.MA has been appointed the official distributor for Bell-Fruit Games in Italy.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... SO.GE.MA has been appointed the official distributor for Bell-Fruit Games in Italy. The UK company launched its first machine for the Italian market at the ENADA trade show in Rimini in March.

Dial M for merger as four court Sega deal.(UK News)(Sea looking to merge with Namco rather than Sammy)
May 1, 2003... SEGA executives in Japan are due to meet in early May to make further announcements over the decisions facing the company in light of the latest developments in the company's merger plans. As ab:UK went to press rumours were circulating...

Howell and Ludlow get Global.(UK News)(Roy Howell and Andrew Ludlow acquire Global Games)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... ROY Howell and Andrew Ludlow have bought AWP manufacturer Global Games. Howell who joined the company as a non-executive director at the start of the year will take the role of chairman, while Ludlow will continue as Managing Director....

First TournaChamp competition a succcess.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... THE specially developed TournaChamp competition software developed by. Merit for the UK pubs business, saw its first competition come to an end at 4 o'clock on the morning on March 31. A tired Terry Farr and his colleagues at Cosmic...

The 10,000 machines in the Mitchells and Butlers devolved business out of Six Continents.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... THE 10,000 machines in the Mitchells and Butlers devolved business out of Six Continents, will not go to venture capital company BC Partners. The group bid 2.8bn[pounds sterling] for M and B's pubs business. Six Continents, which was due to...

A name-change has taken place at JVC in Europe.(UK News)(JVC Professional Products (UK) becomes JVC Professional Europe)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A NAME-change has taken place at JVC in Europe. In order to reflect a greater commitment to the Europe-wide market, JVC from April 1 changed from JVC Professional Products (UK) to JVC Professional Europe.

Fifteen hundred Bob the Builder rides later, Jolly Roger, the kiddie ride maker has a record product on its hands.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... FIFTEEN hundred Bob the Builder rides later, Jolly Roger, the kiddie ride maker, has a record product on its hands. Managing Director Roger Newborough told ab:UK: "It proves the sense in licensing big names for rides." The previous record...

Local operators Warwick Tunnicliffe and son Warwick, Jnr. from Warwick's Amusements, were happy to make the two-minute journey.(UK News)
May 1, 2003... LOCAL operators Warwick Tunnicliffe and son Warwick, Jnr. from Warwick's Amusements, were happy to make the two-minute journey up the road to the Norbreck Castle Hotel for the Blackpool show.

AMLD hopes sweeten bitter bingo budget pill.(UK News)
May 1, 2003... ALTHOUGH his budget did not entirely please bingo operators, there could be some good news for the coin-op industry as the Chancellor Gordon Brown has indicated there may be a review of Amusement Machine Licence Duty (AMLD). Brown...

Rebuilds get multi-player boost.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... THE growing popularity of expensive multi-player AWPs appears to have given the rebuild sector a boost as operators hunt out more cost-effective alternatives to brand new AWPs. Arcade operators in particular are increasingly siting...

Eight out of 10 machines to accept notes.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... IT is likely that 80 per cent of the AWPs produced in the remainder of 2003 will have bill acceptors, following the deregulation order which permits bill validators and debit cards on machines. In fact, bill validators have been permitted...

Murray channels SWP content with new firm.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... ENDING months of speculation over his plans, former JPM boss Steve Murray has resurfaced at the helm of a new video content development start-up, Channel 1 Games. The first confirmation of Murray's new project emerged in a recent trade...

Electrocoin's Kevin Weir and John Stergides are joined by UDC's Mark Horwood as preparations are made for the annual Park Avenue Open Day.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... ELECTRCOIN'S Kevin Weir (left) and John Stergides (right) are joined by UDC's Mark Horwood as preparations are made for the annual Park Avenue Open Day. Plans are progressing at pace for this year's event to which over 20 firms have been...

Asylum seekers help coin-op industry progress.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... DEMONISED by some quarters of society, asylum seekers are helping lay the foundations for acceptance of video-based AWPs, according to Project Coin. The company claims its, Joker Poker video poker game, is experiencing significant...

There have been rumblings of a cabinet reshuffle that may result in the departure of Richard Caborn as Minister for Sport.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... THERE have been rumblings of a cabinet reshuffle that may result in the departure of Richard Caborn as Minister for Sport. Sources close to Caborn, who has been pivotal in laying the groundwork for the new Gaming Act and toning down some of...

British importers are warning about an Asian company named Korea Amusement.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... BRITISH importers are warning about an Asian company named Korea Amusement, which apparently offers second hand games at very low prices. Reports are coming in that money has to be paid up-front but the games never arrive.

Novomatic, the Austrian brand from AGI, has six of its new UK AWP machines currently on site test with leading retailers.(UK News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... NOVOMATIC, the Austrian brand from AGI, has six of its new UK AWP machines currently on site test with leading retailers. We understand that five of them are at present topping the performance charts with the operators using them.

Greek courts continue to find in favour of Internet cafe owners.(International News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... GREEK courts continue to find in favour of Internet cafe owners. On March 26 a court in Thessaloniki acquitted three Internet cafe operators from Serres. The judges ruled that the controversial law 3037, introduced by the Government last year...

The latest word on Poland's new Gaming Bill is that the Senate has recommended a number of mostly minor amendments before agreeing to approve the law.(International News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... THE latest word on Poland's new Gaming Bill is that the Senate has recommended a number of mostly minor amendments before agreeing to approve the law. Of the amendments the most significant is that 10 per cent of machine taxes must go to...

Unidesa's absence at the Rimini show caused some surprise.(International News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... UNIDESA'S absence at the Rimini show caused some surprise. Word is that the Spanish giant is developing Italian games, but will not show them until the approval system is in place mad regulations published.

Mobile payment plans on hold in Germany.(International News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... GERMAN group Bally Wulff has suffered a setback in its ambitious new mobile phone credit introduction initiative following the closure of its Deutsche Bank-owned banking partner PayBox. As part of a rationalisation drive instigated by...

Italian law begins to take shape.(International News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... THE slow drip feed of information on how Italy's new gaming legislation will shape up continues. As ab:UK went to press the industry was awaiting two government decrees, anticipated for imminent publication. The first of these...

Ecast and Happ to bring Infinity within reach.(International News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... ECAST has partnered with Happ Controls in the United States to convert existing Midway Touchmaster Infinity countertops into fully operational Ecast-powered machines. Operators will be able to purchase these Ecast-powered upgrade kits from...

Fun game ban possible as Germans get tough.(International News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... BRITISH manufacturers will lose a lucrative export market later this year, according to inside information passed to ab:UK. The German fun game business, which British manufacturers have dominated for the past 10 years, could be shut down...

Belgium has credit card refused.(International News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... WHILE, as anticipated, Belgium's cash-strapped arcades have been granted a higher maximum loss-per-hour on gaming machines, hopes for credit card payment reintroduction have come to nothing. As predicted in last month's ab:UK, the Belgian...

Namco takes alleged counterfeiter to court.(International News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... NAMCO, which owns the rights to the popular Pac-Man and Galaga video games, has announced last month that it had filed a suit and obtained an injunction against a seller of alleged counterfeit arcade video games in the US. The suit is...

European Commission sources have revealed that euro counterfeits are on the rise, although the total number of counterfeits remains very low.(International News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... EUROPEAN Commission sources have revealed that euro counterfeits are on the rise, although the total number of counterfeits remains very low. Coin operators should remain alert, in particular for a newly discovered false 2[euro] coin....

Rowe International has retooled its one-year-old Starlink 15 Internet-enabled jukebox.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... ROWE International has retooled its one-year-old StarLink 15 Internet-enabled juke box, offering fewer options than the factory's top of the line digital jukes and thus lowering the unit's price tag to distributors and operators.

Zonke Monitoring Systems has been granted a certificate of suitability by the Investigations and Licensing Committee of the Mpumalanga Gaming Board in South Africa.(International News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... ZONKE Monitoring Systems has been granted a certificate of suitability by the Investigations and Licensing Committee of the Mpumalanga Gaming Board in South Africa. The province is the first to introduce limited payout gaming machines in the...

The proposed purchase of Lowen and Bally Wulff by the Dutch bank ABN-Amro is said to be still on "because all parties are interested.".(International News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... THE proposed purchase of Lowen and Bally Wulff by the Dutch bank ABN-Amro is said to be still on "because all parties are interested." The only potential stumbling block seems to be the price that Bally Wulff's owner, Alliance, is asking.

Going good for Gala as course includes casino.(Casino News)
May 1, 2003... GALA Group has signed an exclusive agreement with Arena Leisure to develop Europe's first racino--a casino integrated into a racecourse. The agreement is one of the strongest examples yet of the opportunities opening up for consumers and...

King Solomons mines net port.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... ONLINE casino group King Solomons has launched a portal site, creating a one stop shop for online gambling. The new site, titled www.ksgambling.com, will be an umbrella for all King Solomons' online gambling products, including...

Sega Gaming gets Royal approval in Belgium.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... GLASGOW-based Sega Gaming received approval of its new game, Royal Derby, for the Belgian market in April. Royal Derby has been designed with the Belgian regulations in mind and will come as a basic four-player game. Should the...

Bookmaker Ladbrokes has paid out a record 84,198.50 [pounds sterling] (US$127k) on a horse that does not exist.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... BOOKMAKER Ladbrokes has paid out a record 84,198.50[pounds sterling] (US$127k) on a horse that does not exist. A Scotsman, Stuart Johnstone, from Livingston, won the money on a virtual horse race, a computer-generated event screened in...

EndX has installed its intelligence system in another Belgian casino.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... ENDX has installed its Intelligence system in another Belgian casino. Casino Blankenberge now runs its entire membership, marketing and cash desk elements with the system. EndX has now put the system into three sites in Belgium and expects to...

The Coinmaster saga continues.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... THE Coinmaster saga continues. The multi-player game manufacturer that went into administration a few weeks ago has been subject to a management buyout led by Keith Ingram, Adrian Parker, Ken Kennedy and John Evans. The new company will be...

A UK man won over 9,000 [pounds sterling] worth of gold ingots in a "Turn Your Weight Into Gold" competition at the Gala Casino in Dundee.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A UK man won over 9,000[pounds sterling] worth of gold ingots in a "Turn Your Weight Into Gold" competition at the Gala Casino in Dundee. For the first time ever, Gala linked up 25 of its UK casinos to announce the winner.

The partnership between Mikohn and Oldham-based gaming software specialist EndX entered a new phase in March with the selection of the EndX Intelligence casino management system by the Sithonia Beach Hotel Casino in Halkidiki, Greece.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... * THE partnership between Mikohn and Oldham-based gaming software specialist EndX entered a new phase in March with the selection of the EndX Intelligence casino management system by the Sithonia Beach Hotel Casino in Halkidiki, Greece....

Shares in Stanley Leisure, the casinos and betting group, fell by nearly 25 per cent after the company issued a profits warning.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... * SHARES in Stanley Leisure, the casinos and betting group, fell by nearly 25 per cent after the company issued a profits warning. The warning came after some unfavorable horse racing results and a fall in drop in the casinos.

Lots of slots possible but not 40,000, says IT.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... TALK of the UK slots market reaching a total of around 40,000 once the new gaming regulations have had time to settle down post-2005 are exaggerated, according to Innovative Technologies' Managing Director Kevin Ashurst. "We have around...

Alderney sets standard.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... IN the 2002 annual report of the Alderney Gambling Control Commission, Chairman John Godfrey said: "Alderney is now regarded as being at the forefront of the regulation of Internet gambling worldwide." This is reflected in the quality of...

New software for Harrods online.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... HARRODS is to significantly extend the reach of its online casino, Harrods Online Casino, with the launch of its casino based on Kismet technology. Kismet's software will give Harrods Online Casino the ability to offer highly targeted...

The Interactive Gaming, Gambling and Betting Association (iGGBA) presented its new line-up of officers.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... * THE Interactive Gaming, Gambling and Betting Association (iGGBA) presented its new line-up of officers at its latest meeting in London. The new officers are as follows: Chairman--Andrew Tottenham, Managing Director, ROK;...

KERZNER International has made its first investment in the UK market with the acquisition of a license to open a 30,000sq ft casino in Northampton.(Casino News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... * KERZNER International has made its first investment in the UK market with the acquisition of a license to open a 30,000sq ft casino in Northampton. This development will be followed by further investment in the UK as the law changes.

Suzo excels.(Spares)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... FRESH from Suzo is the Excel Hopper, for use in either AWPs or slots. Aimed at the newly-expanding UK industry, the Excel will hold 2,000 1[pounds sterling] coins. From the previous range of Suzo hoppers the Excel has a new plastic wheel...

Firefly shines.(Spares)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... HEBER Ltd. has introduced another addition to its ever increasing PC-based range of Firefly products. The Firefly system has been designed and produced in response to customer demand. It provides a complete video gaming platform in a...

Unitek update.(Spares)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... LEADING display manufacturer Unitek Displays plc has released a new range of LED video screen systems intended to build upon the success of the MS series screens. The "V-series" is headed by a new system controller allowing significant...

Money Controls sets new quality standards.(Spares)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Money Controls has successfully completed its transition to the new quality standard ISO9001: 2000 six months ahead of schedule. The company is now certified to the new standard, which concentrates on continual improvements in customer...

Brent delivers new acoustics.(Spares)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... SPARES, components and equipment supplier Brent Electronic has increased its range of high quality audio equipment with the addition of Jamo's X530 two-way bass reflex system speaker. Featuring 8ins. woofers and 1ins. horn-loaded dome...

Forge Europa increases weight of LED range.(Spares)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... AFTER Forge Europa has expanded its range of 200mm character height numeric LED displays to incorporate a vast range of illuminated colours including AllnGaP red for high ambient/low power consumption applications. The displays are available...

Proving that distributors are not a dying breed: there's been growing talk around international markets that the distributor channel is becoming redundant, as more and more manufacturers supply direct to their larger clients. David Snook met up with Electrocoin's John Stergides who explained that the distributor is still critical to the UK industry.(Focus)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... THE days of dozens of British distributors gracing the UK coin machine industry are long gone. Diminishing margins and manufacturers' "house accounts" have put paid to the vast majority. But London-based Electrocoin has just enjoyed two of...

V3/Beach Head 2003: Desert War Global VR.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... GLOBAL, VR's new, economically priced Vortek game, the V3, is ready to ship and will go to operators with the hot new software title Beach Head 2003: Desert War installed. It is the latest addition to the top-earning Beach Head series and it...

Virtual Cop 3 Sega amusements Europe.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... SEGA'S latest shouter involves an intricate storyline and it takes inspiration from the latest special effects trends in science fiction movies. The game introduces the ES Mode step pedal. Step pedals are not new to shooting games, but have...

Ballistics Triotech.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... BALLISTICS is available on the Triotech motion seat simulator. On-screen the player is a pilot in the Ballistics races and propels a Speeder bike through magnetic tubes that serve as the racetrack. There is a full 360-degree range of movement...

Ball Master, Sattori Systems.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... IN this new concept game, Ball Master, the player stands inside the 8 cubic foot capsule and kicks a ball at different panels as they light up and in sequence. Each panel hit is worth varying amounts of points and a fair bit of skill is...

Dirt Track Racing 2, Jesler Enterprises.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... JESLER Enterprises, the manufacturer of the popular ElectraRide and Carismo simulators is readying to release Dirt Track Racing 2 as new software for its rides. Tim first incarnation of the ride did very well and predictions are that this new...

Bubble & Squeak, extreme gaming.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... BUBBLE & Squeak is the latest game from the Extreme learn. It comprises a very large and colourful wraparound feature trail that can be accessed by high low gambling to the cheese symbols on the win ladder from a fruit win, or by Tic Tac Toe...

Holy Smoke impulse gaming.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... THE feature game is entered using overlaid symbols on the reel bands to complete a seven stage trail which overspills on to five start positions or by gaining a cash award. Some of the numbers on the hi-lo reel have bonus overprinted on them....

Winning Ways, Spectrum, Golden Roll vivid gaming.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... THREE new lo-tech club machines Winning Ways, Spectrum and Golden Roll--have been developed by Vivid's design team. These new random machines draw from the knowledge gained during the development of Vivid's successful 50p bingo products,...

Top Dog Barcrest Games.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... TOP Dog is the latest UK AWP from Barcrest Games designed for pubs, LBOs and arcades. This brightly colored, stylish game has a feature trail and hi-lo gamble option, with an additional supertrail, extra feature positions and super cash...

Fun Express Blackpool Pleasure Beach.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... NEW from Blackpool Pleasure Beach is the Full Express, a coin-operated kiddie train which can run on up to 150ft of track. The tram is battery operated and can run on ally configuration of track but on average should have a footprint of...

Club The Two Towers Bell-Fruit Games.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... BELL-Fruit Games' ATEI release the latest Lord of the Rings AWP, The Two Towers, is now available as a club machine. The club version of' The Two Towers features all file elements that made the AWP a hit, including the hi/lo super feature...

Balmoral pool table, Sam Leisure.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... SAM Leisure has announced the launch of two new English pool tables. The flexibility of the Formica finish, already made popular on the Sam Atlantic. is now complemented by the introduction of a turned-leg option on the new darkwood Balmoral...

Bedazzled, Mazooma Games.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... MAZOOMA has launched its latest hi-tech AWP Bedazzled. Overlaid numbers on [he reel add to a trail with a bonus on position 4 to assist feature entry. This is gained from obtaining position 8 or higher on the trail. The main feature consists...

Fred's Fire Truck, RG Mitchell.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... FRED'S Fire Truck is Mitchell's latest ride featuring Fireman Fred (a cheeky dog character), two seats and a fun interactive game. The ride was launched at AmuseUK and will no doubt have a tremendous impact on Mitchell's UK and overseas...

Cash Bang Wallop Barcrest Games.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... CASH Bang Wallop is a brand new multi-stake machine from Barcrest Games. Players must win a turbo gamble to exchange into the main feature, where they can hi-lo gamble to progress into different wraparound trails, containing cash shots,...

Flipz lazer-tron.(New Products)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... FLIPZ is a new coin toss-pusher combo game that will keep coins flipping. Players use the shooter to toss coins at one of 64 targets. The more targets the player lines up--the more they win. Two targets lined in a row will win 10 tickets and...

The more the merrier: we at ab:UK know how hard it is to make sure you get to, and get around, all the trade gives you a choice of the hottest products from a different sector of the market every shows. But never fear, Sales Pitch brings the industry's top salesmen to your desk and month. This month ... multiplayer AWPs.(Sales Pitch)
May 1, 2003... Game: Ring A Bell Manufacturer: JPM Pitcher: Simon Barff "BEFORE PRODUCING RING A BELL WE SPENT A GREAT AMOUNT OF CARE RESEARCHING THE NEEDS OF THE PLAYERS AND OPERATORS IN THE BINGO AND ARCADE SECTORS." ENTERING a new...

Video replay: the majority of coin-op minds are currently concerned with the review of the Gaming Act, but while all that goes on video--a much maligned sector in recent years--is making something of a comeback. Could we be set for another boom in the video game market?
May 1, 2003... IT may be a little early to talk or a boom in the UK video market, hut it's looking as if the lean times of the last few years may be coming to an end. The last halfdecade has seen a dip in the video amusement market that has not been without...

TCS: tour completed: as TCS's European tour comes to an end Phil Clegg met up with the key players to find out how things went and to see what's next for the mobile showroom.(Casino Feature)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... THE TCS Group's tour of Europe ended with a celebratory party in Reading, UK, on April 7. The tour, which lasted three months, consisted of a large mobile showroom that brought the products to the customers. The bus visited 13 different...

Crowning glories: rumours have been flying around the industry for weeks now about an imminent purchase of Deith Leisure by fellow distributor Crown. Phil Clegg met up with company supremo Dennis Roden to discuss how the business was built up to the success story it is today.(Company Focus)
May 1, 2003... With the proposed acquisition of Deith Leisure, the subject of much speculation in the industry over recent weeks, Crown Direct could strengthen its already pivotal position at the forefront of distribution in the UK. This major...

High street hopes: by the time this issue hits your desk, RAL might well be under new ownership. Britain's largest adult gaming centre chain is said to be the target of an acquisition by a venture capital company. Coming at a time when the industry might find its high street centres in competition with high street casinos, what's the attraction?(Interview)(Cover Story)
May 1, 2003... NICK Harding is playing his cards close to his chest. Let's he very careful about it; he is certainly not saying that RAL is about to be bought, hilt a 90-minute conversation in an Italian restaurant in Milton Keynes is going to bring out his...

Credit check: with deregulation and a new Gaming Act in sight, new methods of cash handling are close to becoming an industry reality. But while new payment technology promises increased cashboxes, it won't be all plain sailing, as Danielle Green discovers.(New Technology)
May 1, 2003... COULD the "coin of the realm" that lends its name to this industry be poised to take a back seat? After all, a Deregulation Order recommending introduction of note payment on gaming machines awaits Parliament's attention and with a new Gaming...

Northern sights: venue aside, the Blackpool Show will always give the UK industry something to talk about. This year the kit that took centre stage was the ubiquitous multi-player, but other topics were also on the agenda.(Showpiece)
May 1, 2003... IN the last issue of this magazine we reported on Blackpool Borough Council's plans for the redevelopment of the town. The proposed blueprint for the new look resort is bold, ambitious and perhaps a touch optimistic--but that is how it should...

British predators on the hunt in Rimini: the Italian market has long wished for a reputable coin-in, coin-out law--now it looks like one's on the way, can it be any surprise that the Government has upset the industry with the way it is being introduced? David Snook visited the Rimini show to see a hoard of UK manufacturers descend on the fledgling Italian AWP market hungry for a piece of the action.(Showpiece)
May 1, 2003... UK manufacturers of AWP machines flocked to Rimini on the Italian coast at the end of March for the annual ENADA Primavera trade show--one of the largest in Europe--lured by the glitter of a "new" market. They found a show which actually...

Globetrotter.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Hall of Fame Awards Dinner on the first night of the AmuseUK show attracts a wealth of experience from all walks of the industry. Here Globetrotter ran into three industry stalwarts in the shape of Harry Levy's Ray Bitton and ATE's Brian...

Show diary.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
May 1, 2003... MAY 8-9 EUROPEAN CASINO SUMMIT, HYATT REGENCY HOTEL, GREECE. Contact: ATE Conferences, BACTA House, Regents Wharf, 6 All Saints Street, London, N1 9RQ UK. Tel: +44 207 713 0302 Fax: +44 207 713 7454 e-mail: sscade@ateonline.co.uk...