Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | October 2009 46 Briefs International Briefs Nevada gaming revenue down Nevada recorded its 20th straight decline in gaming revenues during August, according to the Las Vegas Gaming Wire. Casinos across the state collected US$847 million from gamblers during the month, a 9.3% decline compared with $934.1 million won in August 2008. On the Las Vegas Strip, gaming revenues were US$449.6 million, a 9% decline compared with $494 million collected a year ago. All but two areas of Clark County reported revenue declines, from a low of 3.8% downtown to a high of 21.5% in Mesquite. North Las Vegas, fuelled by the November opening of Aliante Station, reported gaming revenues of US$22.1 million, a 21.9% increase compared with $18.1 million a year ago. The Boulder Strip, which includes Henderson, saw a boost from the March opening of M Resort. Gaming revenues in August were US$63.4 million, a 21.5% increase compared with $52.2 million in August 2008. Latin American ‘si’ to server based gaming South American gaming operators are leading the industry in implementing server based gaming (SBG), says an executive delegate to the recent EY!2009 gaming conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dublin-based BetStone, a pioneer in SBG, says operators in Latin America are attracted by the cost savings and time savings available from the technology. “Progressive legislation in South American jurisdictions and early adoption of Server Based Gaming technology means South America has set new standards in the next generation of gaming,” says Avron Goss, Director of BetStone. “The biggest myth is that this is a difficult technology to implement. Nothing could be further from the truth,” adds Mr Goss. “BetStone has installed Server Based Gaming machines in numerous locations from as little as 20 BetStone machines running alongside legacy machines to a whole floor of SBG machines. As technology gets better, use of the technology gets simpler,” he states. BetStone says it offers the largest SBG content library available in the world, with more than 90 games currently available on its platform and an aggressive release schedule delivering 20 games a quarter to its customers worldwide. It adds that its games library already offers Class III and Class II games, Video Poker, Bingo and Table Games, as well as regional specific content. Bally Strikes Gold in California Bally Technologies, Inc. has signed an agreement with Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California to supply up to 5,000 Bally iVIEW Display Manager (DM) controllers. Las Vegas-based Bally, a leader in slots, video machines, and casino-management systems for the global gaming industry, produces this award-winning technology. The game display acts as an interface for communication between the casino customer and the casino staff. Bally says it has been testing Bally iVIEW DM with Pechanga since May on gaming machines manufactured by Bally, Aristocrat Technologies, and Konami Gaming. From mid-October Pechanga will start the process of adding Bally iVIEW DM to 600 slot units, with plans to add the technology to all of the casino’s gaming machines over the next 24 months. Pechanga states it will use the technology for a range of functions including marketing and rewards programmes and customer service including the ordering of drinks by players. “The successful test has shown us that the customer service possibilities are far reaching,” said Craig Clark, General Manager of Pechanga Resort & Casino. US lawmakers urge delay in Internet gambling rules On October 2nd, US House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank and other lawmakers urged regulators to delay the December 1 implementation of financial rules to enforce a ban on Internet gambling, according to a Reuters report. Enforcingtherulesintwomonthstimewouldputanunreasonable burden on regulators and the financial services industry at a time of economic crisis, the lawmakers said. “We are writing to strongly urge you to (...) to extend the date of compliance for the final regulations implementing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act by one year,” the lawmakers said in a letter to US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Congress passed the anti-gambling legislation in 2006, when Republicans still controlled both the House and the Senate. Most of the 19 lawmakers who signed the letter are sponsors of legislation to overturn the ban. The bipartisan group included Republicans Ron Paul of Texas, Judy Biggert of Illinois and Peter King of New York. Casino titans see net worth plunge The annual Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans for 2009 was released at the beginning of October, with casino billionaires including MGM Mirage majority shareholder Kirk M Resort Bally’s iVIEW