Friday, October 30, 2009

We Have Moved

http://amusementarcade.info

The link above is the new and updated 'Amusement Arcade' website.

All the latest news and views are posted there and you can also browse and search for Amusement Arcade related purchases.

Best Wishes,

Kinger!

Thursday, April 02, 2009

SECURITY SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR TRIPLE 7 MACHINES!

BARCREST:
CRITICAL


Game Executive Version No V 3.7.3.2


Barcrest Group has updated the Game Executive Software for all Triple 7 machines to provide added security, protection and control of the coin handling system following recent attacks on the Horizon cabinet. Details of these have already been circulated on Critical Machine Security Bulletin No 23 12th Feb 2009. Barcrest Group recommends that the new Game Executive Software is fitted to all Triple 7 machines at the earliest opportunity.

Copies of the updated Games Executive Software can be downloaded to any standard USB stick from the Barcrest Group BBS at https://files.barcrestgroup.com or alternatively can be ordered through our after sales team on 0161 830 6549. This executive can be used to update any machines running software 3.2.4.6, issued August 2008, or later. If your machine is running a Game Executive older than this please contact Barcrest Group technical support for advice on how to update to this latest version.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Revamped Amusement Arcade Site

An upgraded www.amusement-arcade.co.uk website, which is now more of a blog style, can be found with new and regular updated information for those in the amusement trade.

It's just being tested at the moment but will soon carry all kinds of 'Amusement Arcade' news and views. Also, readers can leave their comments if they so wish.

Have a good Christmas everyone and don't be too negative about the credit crisis ... staying positive and keeping on moving forward will get us all through it.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Help for bingo clubs announced - But high street ‘machine shed’ proposal rejected

Proposals to help bingo clubs by a slight easing of restrictions on gaming machines were announced by Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe today.

In a statement to Parliament Mr Sutcliffe proposed that the number of category B3 (£1 stake/£500 prize) gaming machines allowed in licensed bingo clubs should increase from four to eight. The move is a one off measure designed to help the bingo industry, which has seen about 15% of bingo clubs close in the last four years.

Mr Sutcliffe also announced plans to bring forward by a year a review of stakes and prizes for low stake gaming machines. The review will only look at category C and D (50p stake/£35 prize and 10p stake/£5 prize respectively) ‘fruit’ machines typically found in pubs and some seaside arcades and traditional seaside amusements like ‘penny falls’ and ‘crane grabs’.

But the Government has rejected proposals from the adult arcade industry to increase significantly the numbers and stakes of B3 machines in Adult Gaming Centres (arcades commonly found in high streets).

Mr Sutcliffe said that proposals by the industry could create high street ‘machine sheds’ and put public protection at risk. It would also pre-empt work being carried out by independent regulator the Gambling Commission into the risks associated with high stake high prize gaming machines. Their current limit of four will remain unchanged and there will be no review of stakes and prizes for category B machines until this work is complete.

Earlier this year industry body BACTA proposed that Adult Gaming Centres be allowed category B3 gaming machines at a ratio of 20% of the total number of machines per arcade, an increase on their current limit of four. They also proposed a doubling of the maximum stake to two pounds.

Mr Sutcliffe said:
“Bingo clubs also play a crucial role in many communities and we want to see that continue. For some people, especially older and retired women, bingo is their main leisure pursuit. It is therefore of great concern that nearly 100 bingo clubs have closed in the last four years.

“Having listened carefully to the case put forward by bingo clubs, I am persuaded that a number of special circumstances apply to the bingo industry. I’m confident that allowing a small increase in bingo clubs, where gaming machines are not the main reason for people to attend, will provide much needed help to struggling clubs without putting public protection at risk. I hope to implement these plans by the end of the year.

“I am also concerned that traditional seaside arcades are struggling and I want to help. Though public protection will still be our number one priority, we will bring forward a review of stakes and prizes for low stakes machines by a year.

“However, the proposals put forward by the adult arcade industry could encourage ever larger ‘machine sheds’ in town centres across the country, with significantly higher numbers of high stake high prize machines. I believe this would put public protection at risk and pre-empt the Gambling Commission’s ongoing research into the risks associated high stake and prize gaming machines.

“While I understand that some parts of the industry are experiencing difficulties, ever increasing stake and prize levels should not be a general solution to the industry's economic problems.”

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is launching consultations on these plans immediately which will affect England, Scotland and Wales. If Ministers then decide to proceed, necessary Orders will be put forward which will need to be approved by Parliament. This will require a debate, and potentially a vote, in both Houses.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Gambler In Landmark Court Case + More News

Bowling takes amusements into casinos

Tenpin bowling is providing a basis for the expansion of amusement games in Chile.

Local Brunswick importer Family Entertainment Centre Geyger Mailath, run by Steve Geyger, is installing bowling lanes in a variety of locations ranging from shopping malls to petrol stations - and amusement games have accompanied the installation.

The company handles Chile, Peru and Bolivia for Brunswick and in general they have been installed in the food court areas of the locations.

It has also gone into social and sports clubs, including Club Manquehue in Santiago and Club Concepcion and Club Llancolen in the south of the country where wooden bowling lanes have been replaced by the synthetic Brunwick models.

In every case an assortment of new amusement products including simulators, video games, Wurlitzer jukeboxes and pool tables have also been installed.

'We have also put them into countryside locations, in mining areas in the north of the country and industrial units run by oil companies in the south, incities like Valdivia and Puerto Montt where bowling and amusements have also gone into their sports centres,' said Geyger.

The company has completed a 12-lane installation in a Shell petrol and service station in Rancagua in the centre of Chile, which with its food court has become a community gathering centre for the city.

Notably, the bowling installations are going into three of the 15 new casinos which are being opened in Chile towards the end of the year, with Calama in the north, Talca in the central area and Osomo in the south as the locations. The company is in negotiation to take bowling and amusements into other casinos as they open.

The total investment of the new casino sector in Chile is thought to be US$604m.

Gauselmann revenues top €1bn

The giant Gauselmann Group, Germany's largest manufacturer and operator of amusement and gaming products for the street market, again exceeded revenues of €1bn in the fiscal year 2007.

The result matches the previous year, despite difficult market and competitive conditions. There was in fact a rise in consolidated revenues to €1.056bn, compared with €1.007bn in 2006.

Total business volume totalled €1.28bn, down slightly from €1.33bn in the previous year, while foreign business contributed to about 50 per cent of total revenue.

Gauselmann reported that the new German gaming machine laws brought foreign competitors into the market, but it 'asserted its position as the leading company in the field of electronic amusement with and without prizes in Germany.'

Its interests in Atronic, the Austrian-based supplier of casino slot machines, were affected by the Russian downturn, and other pressures resulted in the transfer of the remaining 50 per cent shares in Atronic to partner GTECH.

In the arcades business, the group has 200 locations in Germany under the Merkur-Spielothek brand and 100 under the Merkur Casino brand in other countries, particularly Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Machine leasing had seen group investment of €137m (€110m), with particular emphasis on the sports betting business in Italy where the company has licenses for 76 offices and 157 sales points in the region north of Rome.

The company has 5,781 staff (5,493) of which 4,270 positions are in Germany.

Gauselmann Group said that it would concentrate on core competences in 2008 and advance in both domestic and international sectors during the year.

Venue set for Asia expo

The Venetian Macau resort-hotel will host this year's Asian Attractions Expo from July 16-18.

Exhibitors will come from more than 65 countries and up to 150 exhibitors will display their products and services for the amusement industry.

The expo will also feature two social events giving participants access to industry leaders and colleagues.

Games Media in Category C push

Monster Cash is the latest Category C product from Games Media, which according to the company has full approvals from all major retailers.

The aim of the game is to light eight or more numbers on the entry trail to access the cash ladder gamble and three red bars, to be awarded a super feature.

Three like fruits on any of the five win-lines enters the player into the feature board, with positions on the board awarding cash shots, feature shots, win spins shots, super shots and bonuses.

Jacobs appointed as BMI president

BMI Gaming of the US has elevated industry veteran Paul Jacobs to the post of president of the company.

BMI has been extremely successful in marketing amusement games through websites in the US and other markets.

Jacobs was previously vice president of the company, but founder and CEO David Young said that his management skills had proved invaluable to the company over the past year.

Jacobs has 40 years in the industry, notably with Exidy, Universal, Capcom, SNK and Data East.

Playtrix expands gaming portfolio

Playtrix introduced a wireless blackjack game, where the players use remote controls to play, at ICE last year and the company expanded its product range even more at ICE this year.

This now includes a wireless multigame with 15 games, a five-player blackjack and a five-player baccarat.

In addition to its regular customer base in North America, which includes large corporations that operate casinos and gaming rooms in many countries around the globe, Playtrix has now received orders from major operators in Europe.

'Our production line has been running at full capacity since last December,' said the company's George Samaha.

'The wireless games are small to ship and easy to install anywhere, but they are real gaming machines for real operators. And most of the games are proven for many years in operation in countries around the globe.'

Playtrix offers the possibility to rent the games at a fixed rent or on a profit sharing basis. 'It is simple,' said Samaha. 'The games connect to a mobile phone and report the statistics by sending and receiving short messages.

'You send an SMS from your mobile phone asking for the report and, if your phone is already registered with the game, it replies with the statistics.'

Grosvenor takes action against fraudster

Grosvenor Casinos has resorted to legal action after an Arab high roller wrote two cheques worth nearly £7m that bounced.

Ahmed Al-Reyaysa exchanged the cheques for chips at the Clermont Club in London.

After he spent the money playing roulette, the casino discovered that the individual did not have enough money in his bank account to honour the cheques.

The Clermont has since gone to the High Court to try to reclaim the cash.

Gambler in landmark UK court case

A compulsive gambler is suing William Hill for £2m he lost on bets after asking the UK bookmaker not to accept wagers from him.

Graham Calvert, a respected and highly successful greyhound trainer from the north-east of England, was at one stage earning £30,000 a month through his trade. He initially took to betting up to £5,000 a time at William Hill and is understood to have quickly escalated to placing single bets of up to six times this amount.

Calvert claims that in May 2006 he asked William Hill to close his account, but that his self-exclusion order was not effective, as he was allowed to continue placing bets with the bookmaker until December.

Calvert's legal representatives maintain that William Hill should be held responsible for the losses because it did not successfully implement its own self-exclusion policies. William Hill is vigorously defended the allegations.

Atronic progressive wins slots award

Atronic's multi-level progressive King Kong Cash was named best slot machine Game at the Gaming Awards event in London in January.

Anette Jauch, marketing director at Atronic International, said: 'We feel extremely honoured that King Kong Cash has been chosen by the international jury.

'The King Kong Cash linked gaming concept has been very popular with players in the international market and it is a testament to a great product that a panel of gaming experts recognised its potential.'

New Belgrade casino draws large crowd

Guests flocked to the Grand Casino Beograd in the Serbian capital Belgrade last week for a two-day gala extravaganza at Casinos Austria International's newest casino and entertainment venue.

Completed in a record time of just one year, the casino enjoys an enviable location on the Danube Promenade. The new complex provides an unmatched selection of gaming, dining, entertainment and event facilities.

In addition to state-of-the-art gaming at 25 tables and 222 of the latest slot machines, Grand Casino Beograd also features a VIP gaming area for high rollers, three restaurants, an elegant piano bar, a stylish roulette bar lounge and terrace, the multifunctional Parada event room and a Vicky M store, offering a range of designer jewellery and Valentino accessories.

Nevada gaming revenues up

Nevada's Gaming Control Board has reported that the state won US$1.1bn from gamblers in December, a 3.1 per cent increase from the same month a year earlier.

The take for casinos along the Las Vegas Strip rose 0.8 per cent to a total of $614.9m for the month.

Asia deal to boost online poker

AsianLogic, the online and land-based gaming company, has entered into an agreement with Capital Events of Singapore to acquire and take over the running of the renowned Asian Poker Tour, Asia's original and largest poker tour.

Under the terms of the agreement, AsianLogic will manage the running of APT's online and land-based tournaments and assume control over the APT brand and related URLs.

The move will provide AsianLogic with access to APT's extensive database of players and contacts, and will in turn drive additional online traffic to AsianLogic's poker sites.

'Following our successful IPO, this agreement is further evidence of our strategy to grow our customer reach and appeal, and reflects the strength of AsianLogic's market leading presence in the Asia-Pacific region,' commented AsianLogic CEO, Chris Parker.

'Poker continues to grow across the region at a very fast rate. We have been in negotiations for some time with APT which, as the first poker tournament organiser in Asia with an excellent brand and strong brand recognition, was a key target for us.'

GB swings to Q3 profit

Following a significant investment in new online products and services, GB Group, the Chester, UK-based data and identity specialist, has unveiled pre-tax profits of £74,000 in the third quarter, compared to a loss of £300,000 in the prior-year period.

GB, which has expertise across a range of sectors and whose technology enables companies to combat identity fraud, said group revenues increased by 45 per cent to £4.8m in the three months ended December 31, 2007.

Revenues from the company's identity verification business, DataAuthentication, doubled to £2m compared to the comparable period in 2006, while DataIntegrity and DataSolutions, providers of identity based marketing services, generated revenues of £2.8m, an increase of 27 per cent on the previous year.

GB said the news represented an 'important milestone' for the business. Commenting on the announcement, CEO Richard Law said: 'The group has continued to move towards the online delivery of its solutions, all of which address the issues increasingly faced by businesses in relation to the identity of their customers, in particular identity fraud.'

GB's share price grew 3.5 per cent to 29.25p, raising the company's market value to almost £25m.

NetEnt signs mystery licence agreement

Gaming software provider Net Entertainment has signed a licence agreement with a well-established bingo operator. The company, which at this point would like to remain anonymous, has purportedly rapidly established itself as one of the leading bingo operators on the Swedish market.

'Operators are more careful and thorough when choosing software suppliers nowadays and the fact that we managed to sign this agreement against fierce competition is proof of the high quality of our product,' commented NetEnt CEO Johan Ohman.

The bingo group, which according to NetEnt has a 'significant' amount of registered players, is currently applying for a gaming licence in Malta. The planned launch for its casino is the second quarter of 2008.

ReferBack wins affiliate award

ReferBack, the exclusive affiliate programme of leading online gaming giant, Carmen Media Group, came up tops in this year's prestigious CAP Awards when it was chosen as Best Overall Affiliate Programme.

'We are honoured and delighted,' said Grant Laubscher of ReferBack. 'Although it is always great to win awards, receiving the highest honours in the CAP Awards is especially satisfying. It is the most valuable accolade an affiliate programme could ever hope for, as the voters are the affiliates whom they serve.'

Source: IGI

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Thomas Automation - Update

THOMAS AUTOMATION LTD
5 Weldon Road
Loughborough
Leics LE11 5RN
England

T: 01509 225 692
F: 0845 283 3226
E: sales@thomasa.co.uk
W: www.thomasa.co.uk

NEWS RELEASE
Release date: 01.02.08

AmEx 2008 - The 29th. Irish Amusement & Gaming Trade Exhibition - Lynch Green Isle Hotel, DUBLIN - 04.03.08 & 05.03.08

We are pleased to advise you that once again we will be exhibiting at AmEx on stand number 30

Rob Clarke and Ian Fuller look forward to seeing you there to discuss all your change requirements.

For more information on the above, please contact:

Mark Edmundson, Rob Clarke or Jo Taylor at:
T: 01509 225 692
F: 0845 283 3226
E: sales@thomasa.co.uk

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

BACTA Show Rumours Rife

Speculation at the London ATEI last week surrounded the future of the show. When BACTA, the trade association, sold the ATEI and ICE shows to Clarion Events at the end of 2004, it was shut out from running a show for four years. The 'non-compete' clause ran out with the 2008 event.

BACTA officials were keeping quiet on rumours that it was investigating the possibilities of running its own show again in 2009. The gossip even suggested that BACTA was in secret negotiations to buy the show back from Clarion.

The rumours were fuelled by the continuing disenchantment of many ATEI exhibitors with the layout, the gradual encroachment of the casino show and high prices for stands.

David Snook