Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | January 2009 8 Supplier Awards then, Cash Express has gained traction all over the world, including Asia, showing the benefits that come when a company gets a product right first time. In Cash Express, a random trigger signals the train whistle to blow during play on Aristocrat’s MKVI base game. The lucky player is transported into the second-screen bonus with five spinning reels. The player touches a button to stop each reel, which reveals a number. The numbers are added together to accumulate the score and the score determines which of the four levels of jackpots are won. Once in the bonus round, a player is guaranteed to win one of the four progressive jackpots. Such is the power of ‘The Train Game’, as it is popularly known among players in Macau, that it will take a very strong product to knock Cash Express off the top spot in next year’s IAG Supplier Awards. Not only is Cash Express popular on the mass gaming floor in Macau, but it has also been installed in the VIP room run by Hong Kong-listed junket aggregator Neptune at Galaxy’s StarWorld resort on the Macau peninsula. A Hyperlink version of Cash Express featuring four-level random progressive games was launched on the US market in 2005. Aristocrat’s Hyperlink progressive suite of products includes Cash Express; Cash Express Penny Train; Jackpot Carnival; and Millioni$er, which offers players the chance to win up to a US$1 million jackpot on a penny slot. Honourable Mention: International Game Technology – Party Time! This six-level mystery progressive is another quality product from IGT that performs well across Asian markets. engineered to stay top in its class. It has been described by many commentators as the‘queen’of multiplayer electronic roulette, praised for its player ergonomics and all packaged at a very competitive price. Slovenia’s Alfastreet isn’t complacent, though, about the R8. Slovenia is a world capital of multi-player roulette machine manufacture, as proven by our list of award nominees. The R8, featuring an automated roulette wheel and eight player stations, has been upgraded with new technological features and improved design. Operators have the option of player touch-pad, touch- screen or a combination of the two. Its 17- inch touch screen and outstanding graphics allows quick and near-effortless betting. Industry customers also have the option of bill or coin acceptors or a ticket-in-ticket-out (TITO) system. The proof of R8’s success is in the playing. It is a real revenue generator in the Asia Pacific, one of few regions where multiplayer terminals have a higher net win than stand alone slots. In a still developing gaming machine market its return on investment can’t be disputed—especially in Indochina. Player features include: player privacy and comfort; easy touch screen betting; one- touch betting; multilingual screen menus and low or high wagering functions. The company says plus points of the R8 for operators include: three to five times greater profits in comparison to live gaming; high security and easy maintenance. Honourable Mention: Gold Club – Omega Gold Club from Slovenia has taken great care to ensure the latest ergonomics of its Omega roulette multi-player are perfect for maximising player comfort and time-on- machine. Even in its basic configuration the machine boasts an inclined touch screen monitor and arm rests in leather. The high quality wheel is RNG GLI-approved and the unit comes ready prepared for TITO, cashless gaming and player tracking. Gold Club products are a particular hit in Indochina, where operators value its reliability and ease of deployment. All the software running Gold Club’s roulettes is tried and tested, and the player interface of the Omega and its stablemates is user friendly, allowing players to enjoy their experience regardless of their level of multiplayer knowledge. It features a free spin bonus and frequent mid-levelprogressivewins—ahighlypopular feature with Asian players. Successive jackpots create player anticipation as they move through six levels. Party Time! is available on three platforms—Game King, Reel Touch, and S2000. This progressive product is linked to a variety of IGT games on the Party Time! in-house link system. The Party Time! library allows for mixed or independent theme game banks. Linked,multi-progressivegameplaywith the IGT Progressive Controller can handle up to 63 games at once, and offers a selection of payback percentages and reset amounts. The product has as an eye-catching top box with 19-inch flat screen LCD monitor to display six progressive jackpot levels. It features the hit song, ‘Let’s Get This Party Started’. Winner: Alfastreet – R8 Alfastreet’sR8rouletteprovesasuccessful multiplayer doesn’t have to be totally re- Alfastreet’s R8 Cash Express Best Multi-Player Terminal Nominees: Manufacturer Title Alfastreet R8 Aruze Dealers Angel Royce & Bach Roulette Gold Club Omega Interblock Megastar Roulette Jumbo Technology Co., Ltd Baccarat Shuffle Master Vegas Star