Coinslot 2361 digital

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March 28 – April 3, 2014 • No. 2361 • www.coinslot.co.uk

COMMENT

39

Industry news 4Seaside amusements 10Category C Report 12B2B Listings 30Latest machine charts 32Classfied ads and opps 33Jabro Surreal Soccer 37Comment & Analysis 38

COINSLOT

Tax cut for bingo, tax rise fBUDGET 2014Overall, the Chancellor of theExchequer’s Budgetannouncements weresomething of a mixed bag forthe amusement and softgaming industry, with goodnews for the bingo and singlesite sector contrasting with thelack of a decisive move interms of FOBT sitingallowances.

The key elements of theBudget, with reference to theUK coin-op sector, are asfollows:

• Duty on bingo will be cut to10 per cent, and the duty onfixed odds betting terminalswill be raised to 25 per cent.

• Alcohol duty will rise in linewith inflation, apart fromScotch whisky and ordinarycider, duty on which has beenfrozen.

• Beer duty will be cut byanother one pence, and fuelduty is frozen.

• 15% place of consumption(POC) tax will come in witheffect from 1 December 2014.

• The main rate ofcorporation tax will be reducedto 21 per cent from April 2014and further reduced to 20 per

cent from April 2015. The smallprofits rate remains unchangedat 20 per cent.

BACTA’s chief executiveLeslie MacLeod-Miller said ofthe cut in bingo duty: “We aredelighted for our colleagueswho supply bingo that theirvoice has also been heardresulting in a reduction in bingoduty for accounting periods

Nick Harding, chief executiveof Praesepe, owners of the

Beacon Bingo chain whichincludes Europe’s largest bingoclub in Cricklewood, North WestLondon, has praised the govern-ment for having the vision tohalve the rate of duty on bingoto 10 per cent.

In a statement issued after theBudget speech, Harding said: “Atlast we have a governmentwhich has had the vision to sup-port the UK bingo industry andwho recognises how importantit has been to generations of play-ers for over 50 years. Reducingthe unfair tax burden which theprevious government hadimposed on UK Bingo PLC

means that clubs all over thecountry will now be able to startto reinvest and provide theirplayers witht h em o d e r nfacilitiesthat theydeserve.I have nod o u b tthat mil-lions of UKbingo play-ers will

Bingo boss salutes ‘visOPERATORS

Overall, it doesappear strange thatthere will be so manyrates for gamblingtaxes... However, itappears unlikely thatthis complexity willchange any timesoon.

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INDUSTRY

Category C finally holdshigh hopes for the future

ESSENTIAL GUIDE

Budget boost for bingo

March 28 - April 3, 2014 • No. 2361 • www.coinslot.co.uk

39

x rise for FOBTs

starting on or after 30 June2014. This sets anotherimportant precedent forgovernment showing supportfor our industry and wecontinue to collaborate closelywhere appropriate with othersectors on a range of activitiesthrough the newly formedIndustry Group for ResponsibleGambling.”

4

aving had time to reflect onlast week’s Budgetannouncements, BACTA

CEO Leslie MacLeod-Miller, said thatthe change to the rate of MGD on B2machines from 20 per cent to 25 percent has to be seen in the context ofthe current political debate con-cerning £100 a spin games and givesa direction for where governmentpolicy might be heading.

BACTA’s position has always beenclear that it supports social responsi-bility and the trade body does notbelieve that games should be pro-vided if they damage the vulnerable,but that the government shouldadopt a consistent policy.

MacLeod-Miller told Coinslot: “Ifthe Secretary of State believes thereis no reason why B2 machines shouldnot be made available by bookmak-ers, logically the government shouldallow these machines to be offeredby other adult only premises, includ-ing bingo halls and adult arcadeswhich are currently only allowed tooffer machines at £2 a spin.

“If the government will not allowall adult premises to offer £100 aspin machines immediately, then noadult premises should be permittedto offer them until the research con-cludes that they can be offeredresponsibly.

“BACTA and other industry sec-tors were dismayed by the commentsof SG Gaming and Inspired suggest-ing that the code of practice which isbeing proposed for £100 a spingames in bookmakers which willinclude mandatory time and spend-ing limits to be offered to players,should be adopted across all machineand premises types. The currentissues concerning £100 a spin gameshave no relevance to games in other

premises types where the maximumstake is £2 (or £5 in relation to B1machines in casinos).

“The Secretary of State, the Minis-ter, MPs, local authorities and vocalstakeholders all recognise that the‘serious concerns’ regarding B2s areconfined to these games and there isno suggestion that the long-standingcommitment to social responsibilityacross the industry for those whooffer other games, is in need of fun-damental action in terms of policy.Indeed, BACTA continues to buildupon its social responsibility creden-tials and will shortly launch its SocialResponsibility Manifesto. Underthese circumstances the recognitionby Treasury that games which stakemore than £5 are really in a categoryof their own, is further welcome con-firmation that a firm distinction isdrawn based upon stake.”

BACTA’s chief executive believesthat the Budget, which reflectedchanges to the Finance Act follow-ing the Triennial Review, was areminder of the importance ofBACTA’s lobbying power.

BACTA fought very hard for reliefunder MGD for low stake and prizemachines, particularly at the seaside.The 5 per cent rate for pushers andother games which formerly appliedto the 10p/£8 cash games, has nowbeen increased to 20p/£10 cashgames to reflect the change in the tri-ennial for pushers where the stakeand prize has increased to 20p/£20of which the cash prize is no morethan £10, is particularly welcome.

This is a direct result of BACTA’svigorous lobbying campaign duringthe implementation of MGD whichalso saw exemptions for B3A andtournaments. It should be noted thatwhile 5 per cent will apply to20p/£10 cash games, these remainCategory C games under social lawas the stake and prize limits for reelbased Category D remain unchanged.

McLeod-Miller concluded: “Thiswill present another opportunityfor innovation for manufacturersof Category C games and we aregrateful for the support of Treasuryand the Minister, David Gauke forthis concession.”

be raising a glass to GeorgeOsborne over the coming weeksand will be making him their‘Caller of the Year’.”

“Bingo provides a source ofgaming entertainment for mil-lions of citizens of all agesthroughout the country. TheBeacon Bingo clubs play animportant role in the communi-ties they serve and ConservativeMP Brian Binley, whose con-stituency includes the Beaconclub in Northampton, has goneon the record stating the bingosector plays a more useful rolein society than some social serv-ices that the government pro-vides. The decision to reduce theduty by 50 per cent represents aringing endorsement of the

sector and a victory for commonsense.”

Larry Kehoe, operations direc-tor responsible for the develop-ment of the Beacon Bingo brand,concluded: “We were delightedto be part of the Boost Bingocampaign organised by TheBingo Association and manythousands of our customerssigned the petition which wastaken to Westminster. The deci-sion will allow us to implementmore of the initiatives we havebeen working on to improve fur-ther the bingo experience forour customers and to continueto deliver fantastic value formoney entertainment in a safe,secure and socially responsibleenvironment.”

Government should apply logicto B2 machine entitlementPOST-BUDGET REACTION

In the wake of last week’sBudget, BACTA’s chiefexecutive Leslie MacLeod-Miller has praised the tradebody’s lobbying power,despite an unfavourableoutcome regarding thesiting of FOBTs.

es ‘visionary’ Chancellor

12

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4 Coinslot March 28 - April 3, 2014

Industry

BINGO INVESTMENT

The Rank Group has revealed plans forthree new bingo clubs as a result of

the Chancellor’s announcement onbingo duty.

Rank has committed to a programmeof investment and job creation in itsbingo clubs as a consequence of lastweek’s Budget announcement that

bingo duty would be reduced from 20per cent to 10 per cent.

The duty reduction brings thetaxation of bingo into line with mostforms of gambling in Great Britain,including sports betting, footballpools and online gambling and

closer to the effective level of sales taxfor general retail.

Rank, which currently operates 97Mecca Bingo clubs across Great Britain,revealed that as a result of the dutychange it was now able to invest in themodernisation of the bingo industrythrough the development of three newclubs. In addition, the future of a numberof existing clubs would be secured.

Rank Group chief executive, Ian Burkesaid: “The announcement is an importantboost for Britain’s bingo clubs, whichprovide a range of social and economicbenefits for the communities they serve.By bringing bingo duty into line withother forms of gaming entertainment,

the government has created a basis forrenewed investment and innovation.”

Rank has identified a number of townsand cities in Britain where, in the light ofthe Chancellor’s announcement, itwould like to develop new clubs. Nowthe group will complete more detailedmarket research, commercial negotia-tions, planning and licensing.

Importantly, the new clubs will beused as a base for innovation, testing newconcepts and new technologies to repo-sition its bingo clubs for the future.Rank’s hope is that this process of inno-vation, research and development willtrigger successive rounds of reinvest-ment nationwide.

third of a millionbingo customerswho backed a cam-

paign to boost theirfavourite game are cele-brating, after the Chancel-lor reduced the tax burdenon bingo clubs in almost400 communities acrossBritain.

In last week’s Budget,George Osborne reducedthe duty on bingo clubsfrom 20 per cent to 10 percent, exceeding the cam-paign call for a 5 per centreduction. It means bingoclubs across England, Scot-land and Wales have beengiven an extra boost andcan now fulfil their com-mitment to invest in newpremises, modernisation

and jobs.The Boost Bingo cam-

paign, run by The BingoAssociation, gathered morethan 330,000 petition sig-natures from bingo playersacross Britain. Over 50 MPssupported the campaign,either in their constituen-cies by visiting their localbingo club, or on the floorof the House of Commons.

The campaign reached aclimax when the petitionwas delivered to the Chan-cellor’s residence atNumber 11 DowningStreet, on February 26.Nearly two hundred bingoplayers joined MPs for a cel-ebratory procession pastthe Houses of Parliament.Rob Halfon MP, Brian Binley

MP, Therese Coffey MP,Peter Aldous MP, PhilipDavies MP and Meg HillierMP came out to meet theirconstituents and give theirfull support to the BoostBingo campaign.

Announcing the changethe Chancellor of theExchequer, GeorgeOsborne MP, praised his col-leagues in Harlow andWaveney and the “vigorouscampaign to cut bingoduty” before saying: “Theywant the rate cut to 15 percent, I can go further - bingoduty will be halved to 10per cent’”

Miles Baron, CEO of theBingo Association, said:“This is the most fantasticnews - everyone is

absolutely delighted. Thedecision to reduce duty by10 per cent means bingoclubs will get an evenbigger boost than we hadhoped for.”

He added: “As chief exec-utive of The Bingo Associa-tion, I would like to say anenormous thank you to the330,000 people whobacked the Boost Bingocampaign by signing ourpetition, to the dozens ofMPs who visited their localclubs and asked questionsin the House, to PLMR whosupported us with our cam-paign, and of course to theChancellor… for recognis-ing the importance of bingoclubs in nearly 400 commu-nities across Britain.

“Bingo operators identi-fied a programme of invest-ment that would be freedup by a 5 per cent tax reduc-tion. Now that we havesecured a 10 per centreduction, operators willbe relooking at their invest-ment and modernisationplans, to stimulate theindustry. Bingo fans acrossthe country will be cele-brating!”

Bingo’s steady reinven-tion from a dying, archaicpastime for old ladies to amodern, vibrant game forall adults continues apace,then, while machine manu-facturers and distributorsalike will be keeping a closeeye on the sector’s fortunesin the coming months.

Chancellordeliversmajor shotin the armfor bingosector

BINGO

The UK bingo sectorcelebrated a hugeboost from theChancellor last weekas bingo duty washalved from 20 percent to 10 per cent inthe 2014 Budget.

Budget triggers immediate Rank investment

A

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Chancellor GeorgeOsborne’s announce-

ment to increase tax on B2machines (FOBTs) to 25per cent has caused some-thing of a stir among MPs.Rather than reducing themaximum stake on FOBTsfrom £100 to £2, thus cre-ating the ‘fair playing field’the coin-op industrywants, Osborne has usedthe tax system to squeezethe LBO sector.

In 2013, Osborne intro-duced Machine GamingDuty (a 20 per cent tax onall takings) to replace

Amusement MachineLicence Duty (a fixedcharge of £2,500 permachine). In last week’sbudget statement, GeorgeOsborne increased FOBTtax to 25 per cent. The movehas caused predictableconsternation in certainquarters and saw Lad-brokes’ and William Hill’sshare prices drop in theimmediate aftermath of theannouncement. Ladbrokesfell 5.7 per cent whileWilliam Hill fell 4.4 per centin just ten minutes, havingtraded roughly flat immedi-

ately before the Budget.Adrian Parkinson, con-

sultant for the Campaignfor Fairer Gambling, stated:“A 25 per cent tax rate onFOBTs may well wipe£78m off the bookmakers’profits - but does little toprotect those affected byproblem gambling.

“It will be suggested thatthis move will slow downthe proliferation of bettingshops on high streets, butthe addictive nature ofFOBTs means the bookmak-ers will still be raking inhuge sums. The governmentshould be looking at dealingwith the root of the problem- the high stakes and highintensity play of FOBTs,rather than tax the losses ofthose addicted to them.”

Matt Zarb-Cousin,another consultant for theCampaign for Fairer Gam-bling, added: “A £2 per spincap on FOBTs would bringabout economic, socialand commercial benefitsand could be imple-mented today.”

Ultimately, from a coin-op perspective, the levelplaying field has failed tomaterialise, but the highstreet betting sector, whichuntil now had boomedwhile coin-op had strug-gled, will feel hard done byas compared to the Budgetfortunes of the bingo andsingle site sectors.

Somehow, though, theplaying field has been lev-elled albeit only by theaddition of a new player -HM Treasury.

INDUSTRY AMUSEMENTS LEISURE B2B COMMENT NEWSWEEK

REPORT The essential guide to the UK’sCategory C sector. The key issues and keyproducts that are driving the genre forward. 12

REMOTE GAMBLING

In response to the Budgetand the draft Finance Bill,

The Remote GamblingAssociation has restatedits view that a rate of 15 percent for the new point ofconsumption tax is toohigh and that the regimestill does not appear tomake allowances forbonuses and incentives.The RGA said: “Thisheightens the risk thatBritish licensees will losesignificant market share toblack market operatorsand will undermine the

regulatory objectives ofDCMS and the GamblingCommission.”

The government isgoing ahead with its pro-posal to introduce a pointof consumption tax forremote gambling and hasincluded the details in thedraft Finance Bill. From

December 2014, operatorswill have to pay 15 per centduty on the gross profitsthey make from betsplaced by customers whoare located in the UK.

The DCMS’ pre-legisla-tive scrutiny of the pro-posed regulatory reformsstated that: “In setting atax rate for remote gam-bling, the Treasury shouldbear in mind that too high arate would be liable todrive customers and com-panies into the unregu-lated, black market.” TheRGA believes that the gov-ernment does not appear

to have taken account ofits view.

Clive Hawkswood, CEO,RGA concluded: “Thereason that the vast major-ity of well-known Britishcompanies operate fromother jurisdictions is thatthe UK tax burden is unrea-sonably heavy and makesit very difficult to competein the international market.This new regime has giventhe government the per-fect opportunity to correctpast mistakes and it is veryworrying that despite allthe evidence it has notdone so.”

The Campaign forFairer Gamblingclaims that thegovernment’sincrease on FOBTtax to 25 per centisn’t necessarily thebest idea.

RGA admits to black market fears

B2 machine taxrises to 25 per centFOBTS

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OPERATORS

After releasing positiveyear-end accounts,

single site operator BobRudd is firmly set ongrowth and acquisitionover the next few years.This being said the com-pany is currently lookingto invest in an energyefficient fleet strategy.

Bob Rudd has com-mitted to becomingmore environmentallyfriendly by lowering CO2emissions across itsfleet. Not only will thisbenefit the wider envi-ronment but it alsorelieves taxation pres-sures for the companyand its staff. The com-pany currently has a fleetof circa 90 cars and 10vans, 80 per cent ofwhich are below the gov-ernment’s recom-mended 95 C02 level.

Bob Rudd himself hasjust taken delivery of aBMW i3, the first fullyelectric car the companyhave tested. Rudd will beputting the car throughits paces over thecoming weeks to see if itis a practical option forrenewing the fleet. It iscompany policy to buyall of the vehicles asopposed to hiring them,as they can offset thecosts in the first tax year.

Rudd listed the bene-fits of offering a lowemission fleet as follows- first year write off, lowbenefit in kind charges,very low, if any road taxand high miles per gallonon fuel consumption.

he UK amusementsindustry will see thelaunch of a new

trade event this year. TheAutumn Coin-Op Show isscheduled for October 15-16 at Chelsea Football Club,Stamford Bridge, London.

Organiser Karen Cookeexplained the thinkingbehind the new show: “Inrecent years we’vereceived numerousrequests from UK compa-nies for an event at whichthey can gain feedback onnew products prior to theirlaunch during the Januaryshow season. We believethe time is now right, evi-denced by overwhelmingsupport and firm commit-ments from companies

eager to secure space at thetwo day event. The showwill concentrate on therequirements of the UK andwill take place at a uniquevenue and at a traditionaltime in the coin-op calen-dar, after the summerseason and prior to EAGInternational.”

Harry Levy of Harry LevyAmusements was amongthose to welcome the newinitiative: “As a manufac-turer the Autumn Coin-OpShow will provide us witha great opportunity to gainessential feedback fromour customers, prior toproduct launches in theNew Year. Our industry is asociable one and over theyears we’ve lost some of the

traditional opportunities toget together at the end ofthe season. We’re veryhappy to confirm that we’llbe exhibiting at this newshow.”

Reflex Gaming’sQuentin Stott confirmedhis company’s participa-tion, saying: “ReflexGaming is highly focusedon the UK market and we’reexcited to be taking part inthe Autumn AmusementShow and enjoying thesocial and business oppor-tunities it will inevitablybring. The industry finallyhas a sensibly priced twoday show at a prestigiouscentral London locationand we hope manufactur-ers and visitors alike will

get behind the event toensure its success.”

Crown Direct’s manag-ing director Dean Hardinghas confirmed that his firmwill also be taking part, andthe show’s organisers havealso received bookingsfrom several other leadingcoin-op companies.

Cooke is keen to ensurethat the new event reflectsthe needs of its partici-pants: “Over the comingmonths we’ll be develop-ing the programme for thetwo days. We’re anticipat-ing a friendly, intimateevent and those companiesconsidering exhibitingshould contact me as soonas possible to avoid disap-pointment,” she urged.

GUN CRIME

Six males have been arrested aftera man threatened a Bolton pub

worker with a gun in a row over afruit machine.

The alarm was raised by a workerat The Claremont Arms in HalliwellRoad, Bolton, last week after a man

brandished a gun. The incident hap-pened after the bar worker asked thegroup, who were playing on a fruitmachine, to buy a drink.

They refused and one of the menrevealed what is thought to havebeen a gun. They then walked off.Police have now arrested six people,boys and men aged between 15 and

26, on suspicion of firearmsoffences.

Five have been bailed pendingpolice investigations, and a sixthperson is still in custody. Police saidthe weapon has been seized and isbeing forensically tested.

Any witnesses are asked to callpolice on 0161 856 5761.

Bob Ruddgoesgreen

Six arrested after row over AWP

New coin-optrade showscheduled for October

EVENTS

With the outlook forthe UK amusementand coin-opindustries at its mostpositive for severalyears, the industry isset to benefit fromthe launch of a newcoin-op show,taking place inLondon at the end ofthe summer season.

PUBS

The immediate reaction to the2014 Budget from the British

Beer and Pub Association was oneof delight as Chancellor of theExchequer George Osborne cutbeer duty by a further penny a pint.The beer duty escalator was alsoscrapped by the Chancellor.

Commenting on the second,historic beer duty cut in the

Budget, Brigid Simmonds, BBPAchief executive, said: “This is fan-tastic news, and George Osborneis again the toast of Britain’s brew-ers, pubs and pubgoers. It will pro-tect over 7,000 jobs over twoyears, mostly jobs of youngerpeople in Britain’s pubs.”

She added: “It also shows thatthe government has understoodour case, that taxes on British beerhad become far too high, and

action was long overdue. I hopethis becomes a trend in futurebudgets for this British-made,lower-strength drink.”

The potential implications forthe single site operating sector areall positive. Drinking in pubs willremain (just about) affordable andwill hopefully not just slow downthe rate of pub closures but alsoboost footfall levels by bringing afew more lapsed customers back.

BBPA delighted at beer duty cut

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TRADE BODIES

Park, pier and attrac-tions trade group

BALPPA held its Parlia-mentary lunch on March10 in the Churchill room atWestminster. It wasattended by 65 BALPPAoperating and trade mem-bers and 25 MPs andLords.

Chairman Bob O’Con-nor spoke on the value oftourism to the UK and howall political parties shouldbe aware of the effect oflegislation on businesses.

Clive Efford, ShadowTourism Minister, spokeabout his new foundunderstanding of thebreadth that an organisa-tion such as BALPPA hasin the visitor attraction and

tourism industry. Heunderstood the case thathad been made for cuttingVAT on tourism butcouldn’t commit so closeto an election and hopedthere would be more

opportunity to debatetourism in the near future.

Dan Jarvis was awardedthe BALPPA ParliamentaryChampion award for hisprevious work withBALPPA on tourism

issues. Jarvis said a fewwords of thanks andwished all the BALPPAmembers well in what is agreat industry.

BALPPA chief executivePaul Kelly concluded: “TheBALPPA members whoattended the luncheon feltit had been a great suc-cess and were looking for-ward to engaging withtheir local politicians onthe key subjects such asde-regulation of schoolholidays, zero hours con-tracts and cutting VAT ontourism.”

APPOINTMENTS

The Gambling Commis-sion has continued its

push to bring in a range ofindustry expertise with theengagement of two seniorindustry figures ahead ofthe implementation of thechanges proposed in theGambling (Licensing andAdvertising) Bill.

Ladbrokes customerservices director SueHarley and Roger Parkes,former director of groupcompliance at Betfair, willboth work with the Com-mission in coming monthsto provide expertise andinsight to support the Com-mission’s work in regulat-ing remote gamblingoperators based offshore.

Harley joins the Com-mission in early April on afixed term contract. As anexecutive director, she willtake on responsibility for abroad policy and manage-ment portfolio. Parkes isalready working with theCommission, providingadditional experience andinput into the Commis-sion’s preparations forimplementation of the Bill.

These arrangementssupplement the expertisein the Commission’s exist-ing cross-functional teamsin areas such as enforce-ment, legal, intelligencegathering and player pro-tection.

Jenny Williams, CEO atthe Commission, said “Sueand Roger’s experienceand industry knowledgewill prove invaluable aswe move towards imple-mentation of the changesto remote gambling regu-lation.”

PLUSH

Ganz, the manufacturerof the Grumpy Cat

plush line, has received sixreports of the cat’s eyesdetaching and causing apotential choking hazardto children. Thousands ofthe stuffed toys are beingrecalled due to chokinghazards.

While no injuries havebeen reported, the firm isworking with the Con-sumer Products Safety

Commission to recall threestyles of the plush.

The recall is for the eight

inch Grumpy Cat in layingposition, a five inch long sit-ting Grumpy cat and a fourinch Grumpy Cat key clip.

Aimed at children agedthree and above, the toysdepict the glum expres-sion of the cat that hasbecome an internet sen-sation.

Ganz is urging cus-tomers to immediatelytake the recalled toys awayfrom children and contactthem for a free replace-ment or a full refund.

Grumpy Cat plush recalleddue to choking hazard

GamblingCommissionstrengthenssenior team

BALPPA hails Parliamentary lunch a success

FORECAST

Seaside amusementscould be in for a bumper

summer after forecasterssaid it could be the hottestthe UK has ever experi-enced.

Scientists at JustusLiebig University inGiessen, Germany, have cal-culated a 75 per centchance that this summerwill be a very hot one, withBritain set to experience anEl Niño weather pattern.

Professor Armin Bundesaid the El Niño weatherpattern would see waterson the Pacific equator risehigher than usual, leadingto hotter temperatures

across the globe.It is even thought that

the UK’s hottest tempera-ture, which was recorded

as 38.5C in Faversham,Kent, in 2003, might betopped in 2014.

March has already seen

unusually warm weatherbring benefits for seasideoperators around thecountry.

Earlier this monthtraders in Weymouth wel-comed a great start to theseason as sunshinebrought temperaturesapproaching 20C with it.

Ciaron Telford, ofWeldon Family Amuse-ments, told local press: “It’sgood to see the sunshine soearly this year because itdoes put a smile onpeople’s faces. I hope itstays.”

In response, bookmak-ers have cut the odds ontemperatures exceedingthe 25.6C March record setin 1968 in Mepal, Cam-bridgeshire, after gaugeswent well above the 12Caverage for the month.

Scientists predict summer scorcher

GAMING

Colin Child, theRank Group’s

senior independ-ent director, hasresigned from theboard with imme-diate effect. Child joinedthe board of Rank on 1 Jan-uary 2012 and becamesenior independent direc-tor and chairman of thenominations committee on1 July 2013. He becamechairman of the audit com-mittee on 17 October 2013.

Rank’s chairman and

chief executive,Ian Burke, is lead-ing the search fora new seniorindependentdirector. A furtherannouncementwill be made

when a successor hasbeen identified.

Burke said: “On behalfof the board of Rank Iwould like to thank Colinfor his commitment andhard work during his timewith Rank. The board isextremely sorry to seehim go.”

Child exits Rank Group

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orthing’s The LidoFEC has hit back inthe face of criti-

cism of its plans for a newa £1.25m retractable roof.

Some residents of theseaside resort took tosocial media site Face-book to demand that theFEC instead reinstate theswimming pool that wasbuilt over in 1990.

Manager Martin Barretttook to Worthing Lido’sown Facebook page to callon those making negativecomments to retractthem.

He wrote: “We appreci-ate people have opinions,

but it has proved impossi-ble to tolerate the level ofblatant negative propa-ganda. Therefore wekindly ask for false state-ments to be removed fromcertain Facebook grouppages.

“This will avoid endan-gering all possible fundingand the need for us topursue legal action andcompensation. Commentslike these are damaging toThe Lido and for Worthingas a tourist destination togain additional visitors.”

It is hoped theretractable roof wouldhelp turn the FEC into a

year-round attraction thatwould double the numberof visitors, as well as create30 to 50 part-time and full-time jobs.

With funding comingfrom the government’sCoastal CommunitiesFund, it would be built bythe same company thatdesigned structures forThe O2, London Zoo,Lord’s cricket ground andLondon 2012 venues.

Plans for the roof havebeen submitted to Wor-thing Borough Council andif permission is granted,work is scheduled to startin the autumn and be com-

pleted in two weeks.Joe Skilton, manager of

Worthing Lido’s amuse-ment arcade, told localpress that a swimmingpool would not be as pop-ular as the rides currentlyhoused on the site.

He commented: “Therides do draw in a lot ofpeople during the winter. Ifthere was a pool therewould be no-one here at all.”

Able to withstand windsof up to 90 miles per hour,the roof would operate viaweather sensors and becapable of closing in min-utes.

Once in place, the area

within the lido could alsobe used for Christmas faresand even a temporary icerink during the off season.

Philippa Bradbury, theFEC’s PR and marketingmanager, urged people tosupport it: “The poolclosed down in the firstplace because it wasmaking a big loss. As a busi-ness model it doesn’twork.

“If we don’t get themoney for the roof, whichwe won’t without publicsupport, it will go toanother town. It won’t goto somewhere else in Wor-thing.”

Portsmouth City Council hassaid it is to issue the owners

of South Parade Pier with a sum-mons regarding work to makethe structure safe.

The council had ordered DawnRandall and Fred Nash to makethe pier safe within seven days orsee it take control over two

weeks ago.Council leader Gerald Vernon-

Jackson said it had requestednecessary work to stop peoplefrom going under the pier and toprotect anyone under the canopybe carried out.

Randall has reportedlyinsisted she and co-owner Nashwere given until March 31 tocarry out the work.

She also said that contractsfor the pier’s sale had beenexchanged on March 7, but didnot reveal who the new ownerwas and how much it had paid.

She did confirm that it had notbeen sold to the South ParadeTrust, despite the trust claimingNash and Randall had offered tosell it to them, subject to priceand contract.

AMUSMENT PARKS

The former owner ofMargate’s Dreamland

amusement park arereported to be consider-ing asking for a judicialreview into the decisionthat saw it lose control ofthe site.

Last October, Dream-landLive lost its case at theCourt of Appeal againstthe compulsory purchaseorder that handed owner-ship of Dreamland toThanet District Council.

The three judges thatoversaw the appeal ruledagainst DreamlandLiveand said a governmentinspector had been enti-tled to conclude that theproject to turn the siteinto a heritage amuse-ment park was “opera-tionally viable”.

DreamlandLive - whichhad put forward its ownproposals for an amuse-ment park and up to 500homes - claimed the coun-cil and the DreamlandTrust’s scheme was notfinancially viable and thatthe CPO should not havebeen made.

Judicial review aside,the Dreamland Trust nowplans to open the heritageamusement park, com-plete with the restoredGrade II-listed Scenic rail-way roller coaster andother historic rides, in2015

Summons issued over South Parade Pier repairs

PIERS

FormerDreamlandownersconsiderjudicialreview

Worthing FEC calls oncritics to support roof plans

Management at TheLido FamilyEntertainmentCentre have calledon Facebook criticsto remove negativecomments aboutplans for aretractable roof.

FEC

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11Coinslot March 28 - April 3, 2014

lub Ramblers in Prestonis fighting to stay openafter complaints from

residents. Owners of the club,previously Fishwick RamblersWorking Men’s Club, will bebattling to stay in businesswhen they appear before coun-cillors this week. The privatemembers club has applied for apremises licence to continueserving alcohol and putting on

entertainment.After complaints from resi-

dents about the behaviour ofdrinkers and noise problems inthe neighbourhood, however,the police have raised objectionsto the city council’s licensingsub-committee. In a letter to thesub-committee, Sgt John Lovickrevealed Lancashire Constabu-lary objected to the club’slicence application “on the

grounds of crime and disorderand public nuisance.”

He also said there were insuffi-cient measures in place for thepolice to make a decision onwhether the club could tradesafely. A report from the council’senvironmental health depart-ment states that the authority wasinformed in October last year thatthe club had changed its nameand amended its rules.

The report adds that in Novem-ber the police applied for areview of the club premises cer-tificate on the grounds of crime,disorder, public nuisance and afailure to operate the CCTV sur-veillance system as required.

The club had subsequentlypromised to operate the CCTVproperly, restrict drinking-uptime to 30 minutes, keep music atan acceptable level and urge

drinkers to leave the club quietly.The Ramblers was taken over

by members Sandy Smith andTracy Bamber last May because itwas struggling financially. Smithtold local press: “They were losingmoney hand over fist. Being mem-bers, we put it to the committeethat we that we would take it onand we have bought them out. Itis a family club and we are tryingto keep the traditions going.”

WMC saved bymembers nowfaces new threatWORKING MEN’S CLUBS

A long-established working men’s club in Preston, Lancashire, which recentlyenjoyed a stay of execution under a new committee, faces a new threat from localresidents and the police.

The UK’s seaside townshave proved to be

amongst the most populardestinations in the latestawards issued by global holi-day review website TripAd-visor.

A total of 26 UK proper-ties secured awards in the Tri-pAdvisor 2014 Travellers’Choice awards for hotels, upfrom 14 in 2013.

While London againscooped the most awards ofany UK town or city, it wassmaller seaside towns thatgenerally outshone the largercities – with Torquay, St Ivesand Blackpool all landingmore awards than anywhereelse outside the capital.

The All Seasons GuestHouse in the seaside resortof Filey, North Yorkshire,came in second in the list ofthe world’s top ten hotels,while Lauriston Court Hotelin Llandudno was judged byholidaymakers to be theworld’s third best bargainhotel.

Three of the top four inthe list of the world’s bestB&Bs were English seasideresorts, with the UK home tosix of the top ten, includingfirst and second place, as wellas boasting a further nine inthe top 25.

Devon was revealed as theUK’s biggest winning countyafter Greater London, with

eleven hotels securingawards across five of theseven categories in thisyear’s awards – more thanNew York and Rome com-bined.

James Kay, TripAdvisorspokesperson, commented:“For the twelfth year run-ning, these awards recog-nise the finest hotels acrossthe globe, according to thosethat really matter - the trav-ellers themselves.

“To see hotels in Devonoutperforming those inglobal tourist hotspots likeNew York and Rome demon-strates just how well thehotel industry here is per-forming.”

Coastal towns outshinecities in TripAdvisor awardsTOURISM

Even with theunpredictableweather,accommodation atthe UK’s seasideresorts has beenvoted amongst themost popular in theworld.

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Essential Guide to Redemption Machines & Prizes2 weeks

MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014

30B2B listingsand industrymarketplace

32This week’s

machinecharts

33Classified

sales, job andbusiness

opps

37Jabro Surreal

Soccer season

t’s been three months sincethe government enacted anew £100 jackpot limit for

Category C machines, with opera-tors across the country keen toupgrade their existing stock amidtentative reports of climbing cash-box figures.

Trade body BACTA has been main-taining an overview of the Cat Cmarket in the wake of the TriennialReview and sees some cause for opti-mism. “It is still early and there is amixed picture depending upon loca-tion and type of premises,” said chiefexecutive Leslie MacLeod-Miller,“but there are reports of positivemovement and clearly the increasedprize gives the opportunity for themanufacturers to be even more cre-ative in developing games that servea complex market.”

Ahead of the review in 2013,BACTA were hard at work develop-ing the case for a jackpot increase.“BACTA produced importantresearch showing that consumerswould favour a £100 prize abovethe £70 prize,” said MacLeod-Miller.“We had presented this research toJohn Penrose and the DCMS teamas a background to the £70 prizeand it has been consistently quotedas evidence in the economic casefor uplift.”

The trade association were alsokey in ensuring that all facets of theindustry work together to convincethe government of the need for arethink. “BACTA led the creation ofthe cross industry submission to theCommission and DCMS for the lastTriennial and all sectors inputted

into the dataset, liaising closely withthe BBPA and AMLR,” said MacLeod-Miller.

Not resting on their laurels, BACTAhave been preparing the ground forthe Gambling Commission’s nextanalysis. “Cat C is very competitivemarket and the industry needs asmuch opportunity to innovate andremain competitive,” said MacLeod-Miller. “We have announced that weare beginning to look at strategiesand data framework for the next Tri-ennial review remembering also thattechnical standards also need to beconstantly revised whilst stilldemonstrating social responsibility.”

With this review some years off,however, the group has assembled alist of priorities it hopes to tackleduring 2014. “BACTA has announcedthat it will be re-launching its com-mitment to social responsibility inMay with a series of initiatives,” saidthe chief executive. “We are proud ofour strong record on social responsi-bility and are the only sector that hasa dedicated compliance staff whoserve members in providing socialresponsibility training, test purchas-ing and general advice. BACTA wasthe first sector to introduce a uni-form compliance toolkit for each ofthe appropriate BACTA divisions.”

The group will also continue tosupport its members as and whenthe need arises. “Social responsibil-ity is our number one priority,” saidMacLeod-Miller,” but there are alwaysthreats to our sector and we will bethere fighting for every BACTAmember regardless of their size andbusiness type.”

Essential Guide to... Category C

Regardless of what goes on once that loosechange has dropped into the coin mech, Cat C

machines have long been the ‘industry standard’amusement with prize piece or, from a player’s per-spective, the omnipresent ‘fruit/quiz machine’. Thissituation hasn’t come about by luck alone anddespite much speculation surrounding the futuredirection of the Cat C machine, the sector hasthrived due to solid manufacturing practises and alot of hard work and creative thinking on behalf ofthe UK coin-op supply chain.

Nowadays, Cat C machines are many and varieddue to the knowledge that different venues attractcontrasting demographics and what might be acashbox winner at one location could just as easilybe a shocker at another.

Furthermore, the country’s foremost manufactur-ers, distributors and operators have supported theCat C sector for decades, so there are plenty of rea-sons to be upbeat about a machine category thathas matured despite the Gambling Act, the smokeban, the credit crunch and consecutive recessions.

With the Cat C sector now encompassing anumber of different game types, features and cabi-net designs, the market has grown to the point thatproducts that might have once set out to competewith each other can co-exist and help keep thesector buoyant.

Due to coin-op’s versatility, knack for innovationand an awareness of what brands work, the Cat Csector is looking pretty strong right now, despitethose well-publicised pre-MGD fears. What thebiggest curmudgeon couldn’t deny is that there nowexists a raft of entertaining, diverse Cat C productsout there with imaginative gameplay features.

Now that the £1/£100 stake and prize level isbeginning to establish itself, the big test now is howindustry stakeholders can help make the sectorthrive against a backdrop of mobile gaming, app-driven entertainment and a bunch of consumerswho, with all due respect to Cat C’s founding father,the reel-based ‘fruity’, want a bit more quality enter-tainment for their quid.

COMMENT

Win £100!Sounds good,doesn’t it?

forewordalex lee

Despite being the long-established andfamiliar ‘entry level’ slot machine genre,the Cat C sector is undergoing anumber of changes as the industry looksto make these stalwart machines evenmore appealing to the masses in thewake of the £100 prize uplift.

BACTA lookingto the futureWith increased stakes and prizes for Cat C machinesnow in effect, trade group BACTA is making plans for thenext Triennial Review and setting out its stall for theremainder of 2014.

Coinslot MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2014

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Essential Guide to ... Category CSector Overview

Although hi-techCat C machinesoften showcase theleading edge of thesector’s technological development,there remains a robust market forclassic lo-tech machines. “There isalways a need for lo-tech machines,particularly for the non-pub arenasuch as arcades and bingo,” saidReflex Gaming managing director,Quentin Stott.

Old vs NewTo inform players of the changingstakes and prizes for Category Cmachines, operator Gamestec ran

a competition to win100 prizes in 100days. “This promo-tion spanned bothanalogue and digitalproducts for the firsttime,” said the

company’s commer-cial director, Peter Davies.

Raising awarenessThere is no statutory min-imum percentage pay-out for modern Cat Cmachines, although man-ufactures must make in-formation available about a game’scategory, payout percentage andwhether they are compensated orrandom. Legacy machines, definedas those that were in use before 31August 2007, are required to enforcea minimum payout of 70 per cent.

Payout varianceAccording to govern-ment regulations, CatC machines are onlypermitted in certain locations, including arcades, pubs, bingo hallsand casinos. The number of machines allowed in each venue depends on what kind of licence itpossesses, with both arcades andbingo premises permitted to housean unlimited number of Cat C devices.

Cat C on site

SWOT ANALYSIS

Now imbued with a prize figure that actually means something, theCategory C sector can build on the hard work it has undertaken eversince the maximum payout was an altogether more modest £25.

ith the recent Budget announce-ment that the beer duty escalatorhas been scrapped and the price of

a pint is to go down by a penny, the singlesite sector can continue to build on theopportunities that Cat C machines bring.

Both the AWP and SWP product genres,as evidenced by the machines and contentshowcased in Coinslot this week, havesome seriously strong offers despite themuch-advertised demise of the pub sectorin terms of sheer numbers. The obvious pos-itive response to pub closure rates is ofcourse that it’s as much about the survivalof the fittest as it is about the unfairness ofthe Smoke Ban, the beer tie and the fact thatsupermarkets are still permitted to sell alco-hol almost as loss leaders. Furthermore, as anumber of coin-op stakeholders havebrought to the attention of Coinslot, thepubs that have survived tend to be popular,well-frequented and keen to site as muchCat C entertainment as is permitted.

With this challenging backdrop, latest£1/£100 stake and prize levels notwith-standing, the Cat C sector has developedinto a multi-strand concern that looksstrong enough to support the needs of pubsof all types, rather than becoming frag-mented to the point of collapse. Let’s notforget, as well, that there are plenty of AGCs

and bingo halls that have Cat C machineson site and both these styles of venue havebeen keen to get involved with taking thelatest available equipment.

Indeed, many could argue that the timingof the latest Triennial and the Cat C prizeuplift within, while not perfect, did give Jan-uary’s EAG International a bit of a boost interms of prototype products and talk ofpotentially richer pickings for the sector.

Nowadays, the Cat C sector has a numberof distinctive styles, including hi-tech, lo-tech, reel-based, video-based, communityand the latest initiative Cat C Lite, with theunifying elements being the £1-£100 stakeand prize level and gameplay which contin-ues to tread a fine line between its skill andrandom elements.

In addition to the Cat C machinesdeployed in the 49,000 pubs across the UK,there are a further 47,000 AWPs across allgambling sectors in the UK (AGC, bingo,LBO and casino) according to the latestavailable BBPA and Gambling Commissionfigures. Add to these numbers those in oper-ation in working men’s clubs and servicestations and one could reasonably estimatethat there are more than 100,000 Cat Cmachines on site in the UK, despite the word‘decline’ being oft-linked to both coin-opand pub numbers these days.

Judging by evidence based on the recentEAG and the myriad of varied Cat C prod-ucts seen in Coinslot in recent weeks, UKmanufacturers intrinsically know how tobetter serve the interests of both the opera-tor and the player.

Undeniably, the main players in the coin-

op industry have enjoyed the big shot inthe arm that the recent Triennial handedthem, reinforcing the underlying beliefthat Cat C games of all types can continueto be prolific cashbox earners, regardlessof their guise in terms of what is presentedto the player.

STRENGTHS

• Cat C is very much ‘part of the furni-ture’ in pubs, AGCs and bingo, there-fore veryapproachable/non-intimidating from aplayer’s view

• All the major manufacturers and dis-tributors heavily involved in continuingthe sector’s progress

• £1 now universally seen as an ‘impulsespend’, therefore £1/£70 stakes stillacceptable to players

WEAKNESSES

• Competition from other forms of digitalentertainment and reduced consumerspend

• Value for money from player’s perspec-

tive can still be questionable in certainsubgenres

OPPORTUNITIES

• £100 prize level is a meaningful amount toplayers and has given developersrenewed impetus

• Updatable content viadongles/CDs/online lessens need forshipping, reducing costs and making iteasier to bring new games to market

• Community and multi-stake games on theup, as well as more creative SWP content

THREATS

• Spectre of more pubs becoming food-led• Mobile gaming on tablets/

smartphones/laptops

SWOT ANALYSIS CATEGORY C

Prize uplift, whilelong overdue, has reinvigoratedthe sector

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Essential Guide to ... Category CMarket Perspectives

Amessage of support in the recent UK budget andstrong performance from gaming machines have

combined to give Gala Bingo a buoyant start to 2014. “Weare very pleased with the start to the year,” said managingdirector, Simon Wykes. “Admissions are in growth,EBITDA is ahead of budget with machines performanceyet again the stellar performer.”

Among the company’s machine portfolio are a range ofCat C machines, themselves bolstered by a recent jack-pot increase. “The £100 prizes will clearly help and initialsigns are encouraging,” said Wykes. Gala have foundsuccess in the past by combing modern technology withclassic products. “Server based Cat C content, particu-larly community gaming, performs well,” said Wykes,“and there is still a significant and loyal following for

some of the older analogue kit.”The company’s strong opening to 2014 has paved the

way for the company to realise some of its long-heldambitions. “The budget changes to GPT will enable us tofinally open Southampton, years after we acquired thesite and will herald the start of a multi-million pound refur-bishment programme across our estate,” said Wykes.

However, Gala are reticent to invest in the new ‘Cat CLite’ machines, brought about by a decrease in MachineGames Duty on machines with lower stakes and prizes.“I’m sure we will trial some but it’s hard to see the eco-nomics working,” said Wykes. “If machines generallycost the same to purchase why would you invest in lowerstake content that significantly under performs higherstake content?”

oinslot: Three months on from thenew Cat C legislation, how wouldyou assess the impact of the new

£100 prize?Nigel Davis: The impact has been very pos-itive indeed, and overall we are verypleased at the way in which the manufac-turers have interpreted the £100 oppor-tunity and the response the games havereceived from our customers. The focusgroup research we undertook last autumnand which we shared with our colleaguesin the manufacturing sector at Novem-ber’s Machine Symposium, has provedincredibly useful. It has helped us to gainthe maximum benefit from the newjackpot and, as importantly, helped usto avoid the pitfalls which our players

signposted in the research. Our key strat-egy has been to introduce new games on£100 and not to convert existing and pop-ular games from £70 to £100. We see £100

as being the best offer to date and onewhich can compete and indeed

beat legacy machines.

CS: Have you con-verted all of yourbingo and AGCestate to £100? If not,when do you envis-age full conversion?ND: Each one of ourvenues has had £100games from the

outset, but we have not seen this asgaming’s equivalent of the Le Mans start.Our machine deployment has beenundertaken sensibly and backed up byour own experience, the response of ourcustomers and empirical data. It’s clearthat one size does not fit all and there’sno value in taking a gung-ho approach tosomething which is so fundamental to thehealth of the business.

CS: Which Cat C products are currently thestrongest performers for Praesepe? Towhat would you attribute their success?ND: Four games stand out: SG Gaming’sRainbow Riches Money Mad Mushrooms,Blueprint’s Luck of the Irish, AstraGaming’s Bullion Bars and Project’s FindThe Lady Two Card Gamble.

CS: Does the new £100 prize also affectcommunity Cat C gaming?ND: For some games the answer is yes. Forexample, SG Gaming has an interesting con-cept by which they are offering commu-nity play across different games. Essentiallythe debate comes back to the need to offersomething new and not to be accused ofshort changing players by simply convert-ing successful £70 products.

CS: What marketing initiatives have youembarked upon to communicate the new£100 prize to your guests?ND: As a company we place great empha-

sis on communicating with our customersand explaining any changes to the offer-ing. The communications activities aredivided into messaging and channels. Atthe outset we took the strategic decisionnot to focus on the new jackpot level butto focus on new games - making a virtue of£100 when players could already play fora £500 jackpot seemed slightly confusing.We have used every channel possibleincluding digital, SMS, POS window dis-plays, stickers, posters, tent cards as wellas our new Jackpot FM internet radio sta-tion. We have also made certain that ourcustomer-facing staff are fully briefed andaware of new game deployments inadvance of them going live. The human ele-ment of being able to ask staff how a gameplays is really important but frequentlyoverlooked.

CS: Are you optimistic about Cat C per-formance over the summer period?ND: The weather plays an important rolein determining footfall whether you oper-ate in a town centre or at the coast. Barom-eters in summer 2013 may have been ‘setfair’ but the heat wave was not kind toinland AGCs. Having said that, as a companywe are as optimistic and upbeat as we haveever been. The strategy that we have fol-lowed to ensure that £100 is an opportu-nity grasped has given us the bestopportunity to build on the successachieved so far.

NATIONAL OPERATIONS

‘Our machine deployment hasbeen undertaken sensibly’Nigel Davis, head of machinesfor Praesepe, outlines the AGCand bingo group’s strategy onimplementing the new £100jackpot Category C gamingmachines.

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BINGO OPERATOR

Resurgent Gala mixedon Cat C future



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Essential Guide to ... Category CMarket Perspectives

or nationwide operator Gamestec, the creation of a new £100 jack-pot limit created considerable logistical challenges. However, with afew months grace following the decision of the Triennial Review the

company was able to transition smoothly to the new standards, says com-mercial director, Peter Davies.

“Thanks to considerable detailed pre planning which began immediatelyafter the announcement of the Parliamentary committee vote endorsing£100, implementation has been swift and relatively straightforward,” he said.

That said, Davies paid tribute to the hard work his team had put in to makethe transition a success. “Thorough planning upfront meant that once thegreen light was given we were able to mobilise our staff who, it’s fair to say,performed prodigiously. Having clocked up a total of 300 workshop hours inthe run-up to implementation, they amassed a further 1,100 man hours onthe road and on site to complete the week one roll out. Tight control of con-version kit inventory and the quality of the kits has supported a swift andeffective roll out where the pace has been maintained.”

In total, Gamestec completed more than 10,000 conversations in eightweeks, including more than 3,000 analogue and digital machines.

“Communication was central to the success of this operation,” said Davies.“In advance of the roll out we engaged with every customer to understandtheir priorities. We amended our ring around process to ensure that commu-nication with every site was robust and every customer knew exactly whenwe were coming, what was going to be achieved and the benefit to them.This led to jobs being completed first time.”

With the machines in place, early performance indicators on the new£100 jackpot Cat C machines have been positive. “Some games have takenlonger to bed in with players than others, but now they have we are seeingyear-on-year growth against an average annual decline,” said Davies, “so thesigns are good. We have to be somewhat cautious, though, as year-on-year fig-ures will be impacted by poor pub trading due to poor weather in the firstfew months of last year. The run up to Easter and performance of first genera-tion dedicated £100 machines (rather than conversions) will be a key indi-cator to ongoing revenue impact, but again so far performance indicatorsare good.”

Recent weeks havealso seen the MachineGames Duty on 10p/£20games drop to five percent, creating the ‘Cat CLite’ category. “We arelooking forward to thefirst results from the CatC Lite products we areinstalling,” said Davies.“We fully expect thisproduct to appeal toplayers who currentlyplay machines else-where, other than pubs,and who are currentlyput off by complex hi-tech games or, indeed, bythe cost to play.”

OPERATIONS

Gamestecperfects Cat C rolloutIn the wake of the change to Category C stakes and prizes,Gamestec initiated a complex logistical plan to upgradethe majority of their existing machines.

With the new stakes and prizes regula-tions for Cat C products now in full

effect, operators around the country areclamouring to install the latest machinesto ensure that they provide the most attrac-tive offering to their customers.

Pubs have increasingly turned to ReflexGaming to provide them with updatedgames. “Operators were very keen to gettheir machines upgraded as soon as it waspossible,” said gaming managing directorQuentin Stott. “As implementation fol-lowed the Christmas break, it was incum-bent on us to supply our kits in advance, sowe worked closely with our customers toget their upgrade processes moving asswiftly as possible.”

As expected, the new jackpot has stimu-lated increasing interest in Cat C machines,particularly among pub goers. “It is stillearly days, but there has definitely been avery positive effect thanks to the new £100jackpot,” said Stott. “This is particularlynoticeable where there has been amachine change to £100 in the site. Wheremachines have just been upgraded to thenew jackpot in the same location, theimpact has been less discernible. Now weare getting the first wave of machinesgoing on site that have been specificallydesigned for the new jackpot and the ini-

tial results are looking very positiveindeed.”

The success of these machines can, inpart, be attributed to their unique positionin the market. “The £100 jackpot is thehighest proposition for that environment,”said Stott, “and this is clearly an attractiveproposition for players over other cate-gories. The pub sector is still very muchfashion-based, with a regular turnover ofnew concepts and games going into top-earning sites and cascading down throughestates. So players have the advantage ofconstantly refreshed machines to play.”

Away from the pub sector, Reflex seespotential for the ‘Cat C Lite’ machines inother kinds of venues. “A change in thefiscal law meant that we had the possibil-ity to create a new 20p/£10 machinewhich attracts the lower rate of 5 percentMachine Games Duty,” noted Stott. “Ourview is that it might prove to be ideal forAGC and Bingo, where customers tend tohave a higher dwell time. In this environ-ment we feel that it might attract playersaway from traditional Category Dmachines and offer value for money to thelocations, due to the lower MGD rate. Wehave therefore created the Starlight - a four-game Category C compendium and we areeagerly waiting to see how it will perform.”

PUBS

Quenching pubthirst for the£100 jackpotReflex Gaming was well prepared to meet the needs of puboperators looking to upgrade their Cat C machines to allow for thenew and improved jackpot limit.

F



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Essential Guide to ... Category CMarkt Perspectives

SINGLE SITE

“Since Red Rose Leisure installedGames Warehouse’s Category C and

D content on the 39 Paragon terminals atsites that have the appropriate licence, ithas really opened them up to a wideraudience.

Some traditional Category C pub play-ers have definitely come across to theParagons, as when we have checked thestatistics to see what games are beingplayed, use of the Category C contenthas continued to increase.

We take care to set the menus upproperly to ensure the higher-played Cat-egory C and D games are clearly visibleon the front side, and in the year that wehave had the content on the Paragonsthere has definitely been a 20 to 25 percent increase in revenue.

The version of roulette has been par-ticularly great. There are a lot of EasternEuropean workers in the area in theNorth West, and they like to play num-bers game.

Their grasp of English might not be thebest, but they understand the numbersand when we have spoken to them onsite visits a lot of them told us that theylike the Paragon because of the CategoryC and D numbers games and the roulettegame that we have been able to add to it.

Paragon’s Category C and D gamesare also very easy to understand as well.There aren’t buttons all over the machinelike you would find on a regular CategoryC AWP cabinet, making them userfriendly and opening the terminals up to awider potential player base.”

ParagonCategory Ccontent gives25 per centrevenue boost

Thanks to the addition of appealing new Category C games likeroulette, Andy Grey, partner at Red Rose Leisure, has seen asignificant uplift in revenue from its Paragon terminals.

MANUFACTURERS

Bell-Fruit valuesquality overcost-cuttingQuality remains the vitalcomponent of the Category Csector, a fact that has neverstrayed from the focus at Bell-Fruit Games. Which is all themore reason that when it comesto entertainment and delivering thebest formula for the player, cuttingback can only threaten youropportunities for going forward.

he drop in Machine Games Duty(MGD) to 5 per cent on devices witha 20p/£10 prize configuration has

prompted speculation about the sector’sgrowing potential. However, Bell-FruitGames’ sales and marketing director, JohnMcLoughlin, argues that entertaining theplayer remains the most important factor inensuring success.

“What will motivate operators to buythese machines is the cashbox performance,”he said. “The reduction in MGD is welcome,but this does not affect the player, who doesnot benefit directly from five per cent rate of

MGD. From the player’s perspective it is allabout the quality of the game experience. Ifwe get this right it will be reflected in thecashbox performance which, in turn, will bereflected in sales volumes.”

In addition to working on attractive ‘Cat CLite’ games, Bell-Fruit has continued todevelop a wide range of titles that challengetraditional gaming divisions. “Historically hi-tech players have been associated with thepub market and lo-tech players with the bingoand AGC markets,” said McLoughlin. “Prod-ucts such as iPub, on which both hi and lo-tech games are available, have demonstrated

that there is a market for both types of gamewithin the pub environment. Our task is tocome up with the variety of games that willappeal to all types of machine players.”

However, the company remains awarethat, in certain venues, natural restraintsmake certain games more suitable thanothers. “There is certainly some truth insaying that lo-tech games are most popularin bingo halls, where machine play takesplace in the periods between bingo sessions,”said McLoughlin. “In this environmentsimple games that are not feature-rich arelikely to be most popular.

T


With the gaming industry now wellinto 2014, RLMS has been able to

take a closer look at its prediction thatthis would be a major year for Cat C. Theearly signs are positive, with machinesbuilt to the new £100 jackpot standardincreasing posting good numbers.

“RLMS Sales have had a fantastic startto 2014,” said managing director, ChrisBoulton. “The first significant volumesto move were the Bell-Fruit Games hi-techs, with retailer nominations fromthe off and single site operators happyto invest in the likes of Turbo DoND,Powerplay and Worminator.”

With those initial successes in mind,RLMS are have placed a number ofbrand new products into thefield for testing. “The secondtranche of models are in thethroes of being tested and Ihave to say the performanceis outstanding,” said Boulton.“Mega Rich, Crazy ChairGold £100 and Time To PlayDoND £100 all look set tobe injection models ofchoice for April and Mayacross the many differentpub retail estates, as well asother multi-site venues. Inshort, we couldn’t have askedfor a better start.”

In addition to the adjustmentto stakes and prizes for CatC machines, theM a c h i n e

Games Duty on 20p/£10 machines waslowered to 5 per cent. “There’s a buzzfrom many sectors on the opportunitiesaround 20p/£10 Stake & prize combina-tion,” said Boulton. “Whilst this is stillCat C, and hence can only be operatedwithin adult areas, it allows the operatorto offer true amusement style games atonly 20p play, but with plenty of interac-tion and activity because of the stakeand prize ratio.”

With machines in this class provingpopular with operators and players,RLMS has been sure to stock up on anumber of new products. “This style ofplay will be available on both multi-play-

ers, such as Bullion BarsClassic and Party Time

Classic, as well as thenew R-Cade 777 fromAstra, a model whichwill be as comfort-able sat in an AGC,bingo or indeed pubenvironment,” saidBoulton. “In addi-tion, we’re just

about to test twonew games from

Bell-Fruit in the newMini-Eclipse cabinet,

Monopoly Fortunes andDouble DoND, both of

which have this stakeand prize option.”

DISTRIBUTORS

RLMSpreparedfor Cat CinfluxWith new stakes and prizes debuting alongside Cat C taxreductions in early 2014, RLMS has capitalised by stocking up ona range of exciting new machines.


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22

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Essential Guide to ... Category CMarket Analysis

ollowing the introduction of newCat C stakes and prizes, AstraGames design director, Andy Din-

ning has been pleased with the immedi-ate growth he’s seen in the market. “£100has presented a much needed boost forall sectors and Astra Games is benefittingfrom some very encouraging figureswhich, in turn, signifies growth within theplayer base,” he said. “The pub sector hasa real appetite for Astra video product inthe form of iPub and it’s fair to say we arethe market leader in the digital sector. Sowhen you have the passion for games andthe creative solutions with an acceptablejackpot level it does stand to reason thatgrowth will be achieved.”

Astra has also been quick off the markwhen it comes to designing machines thattake advantage of the new standards.“Astra has designed games that embracethe new jackpot,” said Dinning, “100-1,Ton-up and Totally Bonkers, each of whichhas been designed with the objective ofappealing to the player whilst deliveringa great gaming experience.”

This ability to quickly conceptualiseand execute designs that respond tochanging market conditions is a result ofa carefully considered business strategy.“I chair a creative think tank involvingeach of the Astra Gaming Group of com-panies that allows collaboration betweenall of our design teams and encourages

GAMES DESIGN

Astra drives Cat C deveMaking use of the knowledge and expertise of its sister companieshas allowed Astra to emerge as one of the leaders in the newlyaltered Cat C market.

REFURBISHMENTS

Cat C rebuilds on point for Concept With new jackpots and tax regulations shaking up the Cat Cmarket, Concept Games are well placed to provide operatorswith a cost-effective rebuild and game design service.

Among the most popular servicesfrom Leeds based Concept

Games is to deliver a new lease of lifeinto well-worn classic machines. Byrevamping these older products andbringing them up to new standards,operators can secure attractivemachines from their gaming floor withouthaving to shell out for a new device.

Thanks to the recent jackpot increase, thedesire for new machines has increased. Costsensitive operators are looking at companiessuch as Concept for a sensible alternative. “Ourcompany has found that the price gapbetween new and rebuild has grown larger,”said Concept’s David Garforth, “so we repre-sent very good value for money as our prod-uct also performs well in AGC sector.”

With the gaming industry only a few monthsinto this new jackpot regime, sales have beenbuilding slowly, but Concept expect interestto increase as the year advances. “It’s never astampede, especially these days,” said Garforth,“but sales are good and of course it’s word ofmouth that brings most sales, so triennialupdate sales always gather pace as the yeargoes on and the games prove themselves.”

With changing stakes and prizes comechanging design specifications, for both theinternal and external features of a game. “Stan-dard reel based games have remained along

the similar simple format,” said Gar-forth, “but the inner program designhas structurally changed as the jack-pots have got bigger.”

The size of the jackpot also has animpact on a machine’s externaldesign. “The bigger jackpot games

tend to be no frills more serious format,” saidGarforth, “but this year we have developedmore light hearted comedic artwork andsounds for our lower stake product likeGolden Winner and Silver and Gold.”

In addition to the new jackpot rules, tax on20p/£10 machines has also been relaxed inrecent months, with Machine Games Dutydropping to 5 percent. Concept predicts thatthese machines are likely to be big earners inyears to come. “The 20p/£10 is a perfect stakeand prize and always has been,” said Garforth.“Five games for a pound in the Northern townsespecially works really well and the machinecould not have a better hit ratio.”

In addition to lower cost per play, the addi-tion of a reasonable jackpot will make this pop-ular with both casual and dedicated gamblers.“The £10 jackpot and repeats make this a moreserious players game,” said Garforth, “unlike the10p machine which has always been a time con-sumer for the player who just wants to stay allday. I feel that this product will play a huge partin AGC operating in the forthcoming years.”

As a leading supplier of gamingmachines and digital content, Blue-

print Games is taking a measuredapproach to the new era of Cat C prod-ucts. “We have seen a positive reactionfrom an operator and a retailer perspec-tive to the new jackpot so far,” said man-aging director, Simon Barff (pictured, left).“As new games are developed to £100 thissector will improve still further, as wemaximise the opportunities offered andlearn from the players’ reaction.”

This growth will be largely driven by thedevelopment of new machines, as design-ers get to grips with the possibilitiesopened up by the new limits on stakes and

prizes. “We will see with the new gamescoming through, which have been createdspecifically for the new jackpot, howdesigners have achieved a better balancein the game play,” said Barff. “As for lotech games, we will see a better chance ofreplicating the style of B3 £500 games tothe lower £100 jackpot.”

However, despite the revitalised Cat Cmarket still in its infancy, operators havebeen keen to jump on board. “The uptakeof both our analogue and digital range ofCat C has been excellent,” said Barff. “Allour King of Games (Digital) units are nowon £100 and the upgrade on Alice and theMad Hatter was 100 per cent.”

SUPPLIERS

Blueprintexpectsstrong startto continue SIMON BARFF (LEFT) AND ANDY HALL,

SALES AND OPERATIONS MANAGER

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developmentAs a relatively new entrant into the Cat-

egory C sector, 24 Seven Gamingconsider the recent adjustment tostakes and prizes to be quite timely. “AllCat C product is now being measured ona level playing field,” said managingdirector, Simon McCarthy, “which has tobe good for the operator, as it ensuresgood quality product is purchased. Oper-ators have been extremely busy withthe replacement and injection ofnew £100 product - so feedbackhas been limited. However, fromwhat I can see there is a definiteincrease in performance.”

Building on this early success,the company is keen to push on tocreate newer and even more prof-itable machines. “It is our opin-ion that through continueddevelopment of analogueproduct, business should con-tinue to grow at a slow but

steady pace,” said McCarthy. “This isextremely encouraging for us.”

The company is also intent on ensur-ing that the industry is prepared to argueits case at the next triennial review ofstakes and prizes. “We need to worktogether to collate all the necessary datato put before government to ensure aneasy a path as possible for the nextreview of stakes and prizes,” said

McCarthy. “To do this we mustengage and ensure key data is col-lated and provided to the appropri-ate departments of the government.Clearly, the very early indications arethat the £100 jackpot is a positive

move - we need to worktowards a future increase

in both stake and prize -while still rememberingthat, above all, it isentertainment we areselling.”

MANUFACTURING

24 Seven hit the ground running

cross pollination of ideas,” said Dinning. “Ibelieve that the creative solutions offeredby Novomatic, Astra, Bell Fruit andEmpire all add to a better offering and thathas to be seen as a big step forward for thebusiness. Put simply, there is no other com-pany able to deliver that in the UK.”

The company has also been exploringthe options opened up by the reduction ofMachine Games Duty on Type 2 - or Cat CLite - machines to 5 per cent. “I see greatopportunities with Cat C Lite and theappeal is widespread,” said Dinning. “Cur-rently we have demand for reel based in thearcade and bingo sectors and massivedemand for video across our customerbase. We have taken advanced orders in thepub sector and with the co-operation ofour sister company Gamestec we seesteady and sustainable demand.”

As a softer gambling experience, thechanging regulations open up Cat C games

to a new audience. “Astra views Cat C Liteas an appealing alternative to SWP and avery attractive proposition to bring backa more active profile for the players,” saidDinning. “In short, Astra applauds anyopportunity to deliver great games andplans many game pack releases to accom-modate demand.”



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Essential Guide to ... Category CMarket Analysis

Just over a year ago, Games Ware-house again broke new ground inthe touchscreen multigame arena

with the unveiling of a Cat C GamingMenu for the nation’s 10,000+ ParagonSWP terminals.

This unique development enables oper-ators to explore the ‘hybrid’ route and intro-duce an additional gaming opportunity toplayers at extremely low cost. In fact, in soft-ware terms, the additional cost is preciselyzero. The fairly ‘flat’ reception it receivedfrom many of the largest operator andretailer customers was dispiriting to say

the least. These are the same people whoforever ask us what we are going to doabout machine performance – and yet hereis a concept that is truly revolutionaryrather than just run-of-the-mill ‘innovative’.We engaged with major customers throughevery step of the development process, andwere given every encouragement that thiswas exciting and welcome. And so it indeedproved to be... but just not with them.

Across the smaller and more truly inde-pendent areas of the single site sector, theParagon Cat C Gaming Menu has proved tobe a welcome addition. As our own recent

research showed, over 22 per cent of allParagon terminals in the UK have the Cat Ccontent option activated and earning forthem. That’s more than 2,000 machines.

From the outset, the objective of theParagon Cat C exercise was to facilitate theeasy utilisation of spare AWP permits inthousands of UK pubs and present ‘table’games such as Roulette in a more player-acceptable format than that offered by anupright ‘fruit machine’ terminal. Huge pubretailers who choose to group these hybridmachines alongside traditional AWPs whenpreparing statistics, instead of identifyingthem as a separate product, may say that itdoesn’t work. But they are comparingapples to oranges. As a product enhance-ment to the previous Paragon, designed tooffer more to a wider player audience, ourCat C option is a success. As has been seen,it is perfect for the smaller independentoperator serving the tens of thousands ofindependent outlets. The former has nei-ther a vast capital expenditure budget norhundreds of surplus old AWPs in stock; thelatter is a true entrepreneur who is happyto trust his local ‘expert’.

Circumstances have therefore enabledus to ‘segment’ Paragon and deliver a prod-uct that can be tailored to suit different mar-kets. This was not the journey we originallyintended to take, but we have arrived at amore than satisfactory destination. Anyoperator with a tight budget, who is alreadyoperating Paragon and wants to offer addi-tional Cat C content to his customers,should snap this option off at the elbow -not least because our own unique versionof Roulette is in fact the very best execu-tion of this timeless classic available to theUK pub player.

And so the situation we now find our-selves in with regards to Cat C takes usback to the very beginnings of GamesWarehouse. Back then, a dozen years ago,Gamesnet and itBox were offering some-thing new - but exclusive - to the cus-tomers of their national operator owners.The fantastic opportunity that presenteditself to us was to provide an alternativeto these products for the remainder of theoperating community and so we becamethe ‘independent’s friend’.

In the case of the Cat C option forParagon, history seems to be repeatingitself, and we are once again deliveringcompetitive advantage to the independ-ent operator.”

CONTENT DEVELOPERS

Cat C optionsprove a successNick Hardy, marketing director for Games Warehouse, explainshow the Paragon Category C Gaming Menu has proved to be awelcome addition for the independent, single site sector.

“ With the government’s Triennialreview of stakes and prizes

prompting a change in Cat C jackpots,operators such as Kossway Automat-ics have been faced with the momen-tous task of upgrading machines forvenues across the country.

“£100 implementation has proved tobe quite a challenge,” said sales direc-tor, Rob Hill. “Kossway looked closelyat all the AWP models on our estate andplanned carefully for the purchase ofkits for the best machines only. This willensure this equipment not only pro-vides longevity for us but also providesour customers with the highest earningequipment.”

Rather than travelling to applyupgrades to machines currently in use,Kossway opted to centralise their oper-ation. “We made a decision not to fitany kits on site,” said Hill. “We felt amachine change in addition to the newjackpot would have more of an impactand that kits fitted in our in-house tech-nical department will result in fewerservice issues.”

With so many of the company’svenues keen to upgrade, this strategyhas allowed Kossway to ensure stan-dards remain high. “The majority of ourvenues have been delighted to upgradeto £100,” said Hill. “This increase is longoverdue and essential to drive incomeforward.”

This confidence in the potential ofthe new stakes and prizes has been vin-dicated almost immediately, with manyof venues reporting goodresults from theirnew machines. “Theearly signs are verypositive,” said Hill,“and we have seenvery largeincreases in somecases. The chal-lenge is nowwith the gamedesigners toutilise this newjackpot to themaximum andprovide operatorswith some muchneeded new ideaswith regard tocontent.”

OPERATIONS

Kosswaytacklesjackpotchallenges



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ASTRA GAMES

stra Games has undertaken a two-pronged assaulton the Category C market in a bid to capitalise onthe implementation of the Triennial Review of

stakes and prizes and the emergence of the new ‘Cat CLite’ genre.

The first component in Astra’s Cat C arsenal is MagicGames 100 Ultra, a compendium of 12 games boastingfour incredible titles from the prestigious Novomaticstable. They comprise Roaring Forties, Fruit Sensations,Hot Chance and Mega Joker and feature alongside eightother games in one of the industry’s most iconic cabinets,the FV623.

According to Sales and Marketing Director Alan Rogersthe addition of the four new Novomatic games brings anenviable dose of kudos to the Magic Games platform. “AstraGames is delighted to have been afforded the opportu-nity to go to the market with games of this pedigree,” hesaid. “We serve a highly discerning customer base com-prising operators and retailers who demand products ofthe highest quality. These games fulfil that brief in spades.”

Turning to Cat C Lite – the Cat C derivative first pioneeredby Astra – the company has three highly desirable options

in R-cade777, Bullion Bars and Party Time. Focusing specifi-cally on R-Cade777, Astra has successfully created an eight-strong suite of games comprising Lucky Bet Roulette, Dealor No Deal East & West Wing, One Hundred to One, WinWishes, Jack and the Giant Jackpots, Mega Free Spins GoldenKey, Party Time Bingo and Cops ‘n’ Robbers Lucky Streak.

“R-Cade777 is an exciting and compelling new prod-uct initiative based on what the industry is informally call-ing ‘Category C Lite’, a machine classification that enablesa 20p/£10 stake/prize configuration that attracts thelower, five per cent rate of Machine Games Duty (MGD),”said Rogers. “That has to be good news for customers, whocan now access a value-for-money product that offers aslightly more compelling prize option yet remains at thesofter end of the gaming spectrum.”

Astra Games are keen to remind stakeholders thatgames that fall within the ‘Cat C Lite’ bracket qualify forthe five per cent rate of MGD applicable from February 62014 according to the Machine Games Duty (Types ofMachine) Order 2014. As such they are subject to anyfuture change in MGD that may subsequently be imposedon a ‘type 2 machine’.

Products

Astra pushinghard on Cat C

With new stakes and prizes in effect, AstraGames are exploring their options for bothtraditional Cat C titles and the nascent Cat CLite sector.

It is now 14 months since the launch of 24 Seven Gamingand during this time, the company has created a base

software platform for its customers’ existing product,which forms the basis of its game development.

“This is a major part of the strategy at 24 Seven – to offeroperators a cost effective and reliable market conversionand rebuild vehicle to utilise their second hand stock,” says24 Seven gaming managing director, Simon McCarthy.

The first of the company’s range of Cat C products util-ising this format and platform to be released in 2014 wasCrazy Vegas. This game was initially launched on £70 andwas subsequently updated to the £100 jackpot and offersa proven game style. Initial results have been extremelypromising. “We wanted to launch with a game that wouldoffer operators a safe bet for strong cashbox returns,”said Simon.

In a separate and strategic development, 24 Seven cannow also provide game content using the Heber (Pluto 6)technology. The first game to be designed for this systemis called Wok Around The Clock, which is housed in thenew Orbit Plus cabinet.

“We believe that this continues to show our long-term

commitment to the UK Cat C analogue market place,”adds Simon. Wok around the Clock, sees 24 Seven take acompletely different approach in a bid to explore the newpossibilities of the £100 prize. We wanted to take ourgame design to a different level with several additionalfeatures to maximise player enjoyment. The reactionfrom customers at the EAG wasextremely gratifying.”

24 Seven is lucky enoughto have secured two of themost experienced distribu-tion partners in the UK marketfor its Category C games inWessex Coin and Blue MonkeyGaming.

“Now we have the product andthe route to market, we can confi-dently look toward the future, par-ticularly given that the £100Triennial has opened up newopportunities for the manufactur-ing sector,” concludes Simon.

24 SEVEN GAMING

24 Seven creates new from oldOnly a short period into the lifetime of 24 Seven Gaming, the company has establisheditself as a major player in the Cat C conversion and rebuild market.

A



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Essential Guide to ... Category CProducts

ell-Fruit Games is firing on all cylin-ders in the Cat C market segment,with a compelling blend of games

that fulfil player demand in both the lo-techand hi-tech arenas. With the implementationof the £100 jackpot now firmly in place, theNottingham manufacturer has lost no timein developing a range of games designed tomaximise cashbox potential from the newpayout and boost player appeal.

On the lo-tech front, the firm has intro-duced two new games in Double Deal or NoDeal and Monopoly Fortunes, both of which

are presented in the Cut Down Eclipse Cab-inet. The former can operate in stand-alonemode or connected to others to give a com-munity game experience.

Monopoly Fortunes is a three-reel gamewith holds and nudges and can also be oper-ated as a stand-alone model or connectedfor community play.

Turning to hi-tech, Bell-Fruit has launchedDeal or No Deal Crazy Chair Gold and Timeto Play Deal or No Deal. Crazy Chair Goldincorporates a classic Deal or No Deal superfeature with LED values that can ramp up to

£100. Time to Play, meanwhile, includes abrand new feature from BFG – the TimedDOND activation. Watch the timer countdown from five minutes or less to zero. Col-lect eight red boxes and you get an extra bluebox. When the timer reaches zero and youhave a blue box, you are automaticallyawarded Deal Or No Deal – wherever youare in the game.

According to sales and marketing direc-tor John McLoughlin, Bell-Fruit’s pursuit ofexcellence across the Cat C genre, includinghi and lo-tech game styles, is essential for

maintaining healthy demand and servingthe different needs of the player base. “Ouraim is to constantly deliver games that cancater for all tastes across a variety of venues,”he noted. “We want the Bell-Fruit brand toresonate positively with machine players ofall persuasions and to achieve that yousimply can’t be a one-note symphony.”

The new arrivals join current Cat Cmodels Worminator and Mega Rich, both ofwhich have achieved major approvals.

BELL-FRUIT GAMES

BFG firing on allcylinders in Cat C sectorBell-Fruit’s ever popular Deal or No Deal series has been repurposed for the new £100 Cat C jackpot,joining a range of new hi and lo-tech machines.

BLUEPRINT GAMING

Blueprindigital an

With a strongbackground indigital Cat Cmachines,BlueprintGaming hasmade the leapinto analoguewith predictablypositive results.

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eprint produces bothtal and analogue Cat C

Leeds based Concept Games has announced theirnew range of Cat C £100 products for AGC operators

at the turn of 2014. The company are proud to be one ofthe few companies who continue to support reel basedgaming in the UK.

Concept - who support the popular range ofmachines originally manufactured by UK manufactur-ers Bell Fruit and Electrocoin - has once again manu-factured a full range of new Cat C games for use withthese popular brands.

The range starts with affordable software and decalkits, designed to fit all casino models as well as a selec-tion of flat top and sit down machines. Also available area series of four single player

rebuild machines, namely Silver & Gold, Bullion Club100, Random Club 100 and Jackpot 7's. Concept hasalso covered the original Golden Winner machine tocreate a great new three-player rebuild called GoldenWinner Deluxe.

Concept's David Garforth commented that, "the £100machines do seem to have helped get Cat C back on itsfeet after the loss of players to B3. The new jackpotseems to have helped justify the 50p stake, which we feltwas possibly the stumbling block under the last £70 tri-ennial review."

“As well as the £100 jackpot, a new MGD tax reductionon 20P/£10 to 5 per cent has to be this year's big break-through,” said Garforth. “This price of play and jackpot

moves the old Cat D forward in AGCs on in leaps andbounds - giving manufacturers the ability to create a veryappealing category, whilst moving 10p players onwardsout of the Cat D timewarp.”

Concept has also created a full range of 20p/£10 prod-ucts in line with their £100 products and tests on theseproducts are showing great results. “In order for Cat D tomove on, an answer to low spend gaming was needed,”said Garforth, “now it is here, the 20p stake will facilitatea much more exhilarating game for players – early resultsare more than promising.”

CONCEPT GAMES

Concept Gamescombines new with oldEnergised by jackpot increases and tax reductions, Concept Games has produced a rangeof new Cat C products inspired by classic machines.

CALL DAVID, TIM OR DIANA:TEL. 0113 2798216 MOB. 07884 585898

£100 KITSKITS FOR ALL ELECTROCOIN CASINO MACHINES

BAR X CASINO/BAR X 5/BAR X 10BIG 7/RED BAR/MAGIC 7/MAGIC 10

BAR X 7/DIAMOND 7S/JACKPOT BARSALL £425

£100 NEW MACHINESRANDOM CLUB 100 £1695BULLION CLUB 100 £1695

JACKPOT 7S £1695SILVER AND GOLD £1995

20P £10 KITSALL ELECTROCOIN CASINO MACHINES £295

RANDOM GOLD FLAT TOP £295BAR 7 FLAT TOP £295

SEVENS ABOVE FLAT TOP £295

20P £10 MACHINESGOLDEN WINNER THREE PLAYER £5995

SILVER AND GOLD £1995

REDEMPTION TICKETS JUST ASK!!!WE CAN CONVERT MOST THINGS TO REDEMPTION

TICKETS AT GREAT AFFORDABLE PRICES

£100 ATAFFORDABLE PRICES

FROM CONCEPT GAMES

Blueprint Gaming has been the UKmarket leader in the provision of digital

Category C product for some time now,with its King of Games compendium lead-ing the way. The company began produc-ing analogue Cat C machines fairly recently,in response to customer demand, and themachines are also performing very strongly.

“Our success in both digital and ana-logue Category C games is due to the highpedigree of our software teams. We are ded-icated to driving the digital income forwardstill further from what is already a strongbase and so we have appointed a dedicateddigital content manager to help achievethis,” says Simon Barff, managing directorof Blueprint Gaming’s Machine Division.

“Since the introduction of the new £100jackpot we have noted a substantialincrease in income from our installed baseof King of Games machines, ranging from12% to as much as 35%. Clearly King ofGames is more than bridging the gapbetween digital and analogue in singlesites,” he said.

King of Games, which is housed in theGenie cabinet, has a full game menu with£100 content with further titles beingreleased throughout the year. Of the cur-rent crop, Luck of the Irish, a five winline

multi-stake game, is performing verystrongly, as is Superspins Bar X. Slot-stylegame Golden Pharaohs and casino-stylegames like Hotpot Roulette and Chase theAce are also becoming increasingly popu-lar with players. In addition, BlueprintGaming has added a new Black Jack game,in which players try to beat the dealer towin the jackpot.

Blueprint’s latest analogue Category Cmachine, Paddy’s Payday, received fullretailer approvals this month. It follows onfrom the success of the previous analogueCat C machine from Blueprint; Alice andthe Mad Hatter, which was also housed inthe Sunlight Cabinet.

“Orders for Paddy’s Payday have beencoming in thick and fast, however, with ourbuild schedule, we have managed to satisfycustomer demand,” says Blueprint’s Andy Hall.

This strong run of reel-based machinesis set to continue with Viva Las Vegas, whichis Blueprint Gaming’s next release andwhich is performing very well on site test.The cabinet features a striking dual-coloured red and green frame and a vibrantglass festooned with Vegas dancing girls.Viva Las Vegas has already picked up majorpub retailer approvals and more areexpected to follow.



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Essential Guide to ... Category CProducts

Reflex Gaming has an excellent and varied range of Cate-gory C machines to suit all kinds of venues. Let’s Get Jackpotted, which gained an almost clean

sweep of retailer approvals on £70, continues to performextremely well on site at the new £100 level. It has been fol-lowed by Alice Queen of Hearts, which was launched at theLondon shows and has already gained no fewer than sevenmajor retailer approvals.

Best of British has just gone out on site test. It is a multistake machine offering a two-reel bonus on 25p, a four-reelbonus on 50p and a reel bonus on every game on a £1 stake.Players advance up the grid with different start points forthe feature. The Best of British feature starts with the bestvalues – it offers a ‘take it or leave it’ style of play where

values are eliminated and the player is offered a cash valuebased on the values remaining.

This machine will be followed by Fiddle ‘A’ Fortune,which takes players to the Emerald Isle. This will come outon site test by the end of March. Once again it offers multistake/multi win line options, with one win line becomingactive on 25p, five win lines on 50p and five win lines and abonus red feature active on £1. Normal Feature entry maybe boosted to Super Start or Mega Start via the red Fiddle aFortune symbol on reel three.

For the arcade sector, Reflex Gaming has the Apollo £100digital Category C housed in the attractive Starlight cabi-net. This is a five game, single monitor, video compendiumfeaturing three reel-based games, one poker and a roulette.

REFLEX GAMING

Reflex Gaming launches new jackpot Repurposed classics join new machines out on test to create a varied Cat C offering from Reflex Gaming.

GAMES WAREHOUSE

ack in the early 2000s, when all the High Streetpubs were packed every night and the highlyambitious itBox connected terminal still existed,

one of the most innovative and successful SWP gamesever created was Heads Up Texas Hold’em Poker fromAlternative Universe.

This brilliantly unique development challenged the estab-lished definitions of ‘skill’ and attracted a whole group ofnew SWP players through its ready association with theonline poker boom that was just catching fire at that time.

With graphics that replicated the online sites of the day,and game play that was repeatedly proven to demand playerskill to achieve success, the game deservedly attracted newplayers and dominated the SWP cashbox for many months.And then disaster struck: the Gambling Commission out-lawed the game because it failed to meet certain new crite-ria, namely those that referred solely to presentation andhad absolutely nothing to do with whether or not it was a

game of skill, which is demonstrably was.This arbitrary ruling was never challenged and this truly

great version of this classic game was a goner. Fast-for-ward a decade later and the original Heads Up TexasHold’em game is back on Paragon. Thanks to last year’sintroduction of the Cat C

Gaming Zone as a Paragon software option, the develop-ment team at Games Warehouse has been able to work withthe original Alternative Universe team to reconfigure thiscashbox classic as a Cat C offer that is fully compliant andmeets all of the required technical standards for an AWP.

“This is no quick or cosmetic re-hash,” said GamesWaerhouse marketing director Nick Hardy, who was him-self a ‘guinea pig’ when the original game was tested over10 years ago. “This is a fantastic recreation of one of thebest SWP games ever released and operators of our Cat CMenu can look forward to it giving their Paragon cash-boxes a welcome boost.”

Know when to Hold’emThe cashbox classic, Heads Up Texas Hold’em, returns to Paragon as a Category C gamingoption from Games Warehouse.

EMPIRE GAMES

Housed in the Barcrest Horizon Plus cabinet, andoffered as a hybrid, Empire Games’ new The Holy

Grail Category C innovation can be operated as eithera dual stake category C game or alternatively as afixed or dual stake category B4 game.

The Holy Grail sees the player commence on aquest to find elusive treasures with the ultimate HolyGrail being the main prize. The game is played usingfour base reels where ‘three of a kind’ wins can beachieved from left to right or right to left or, alterna-tively, ‘four of a kind’ wins can also be attained. Eachwin allows the player to instantly engage in the fea-ture whereby he spins the feature reel to progressaround a lapper trail. The lapper consists of BonusNudges, adding to cash and feature columns, as wellas collecting castle towers, crystal balls and bonuses.Each active position can be Hi/Lo gambled to incre-ment again.

Collecting three Castle Towers activates the topboard which allows the player to climb and swapcolumns where treasures such as winning streaks,cash knockouts, cash strikes and crystal balls. At thetop of each column is the ultimate prize of MegaStreak which guarantees the Jackpot.

Collecting three Crystal Balls opens up a ‘take it orleave it’ prize board feature whereby the player par-ticipates in seeing prizes from two columns of awardsbeing extinguished and being offered a cash sumfrom the wizard to which the player has to decide totake it or reject it. The player will be left two cash out-comes whereby a final offer is made and if rejectedthe cash value depicted on a hidden reel is revealed.If the player can light the three crystal balls ‘Red’ thenthe column of lower awards are removed completelygiving the player a better chance of winning highervalues.

Empire managing director Craig Beer said: “All inall The Holy Grail offers both the player and the oper-ator a unique playing experience with the versatilityto be able to operate it on a multitude of venuesthereby extending the longevity of the product andgiving better value for money.”

Holy Grailleads Empire’sCat C crusade

Bridgend-based gaming machinemanufacturer Empire Games haslaunched its latest hybrid Cat C, TheHoly Grail.

EMPIRE’S CRAIG BEER (LEFT)AND STEVE YOUNG WITH THEHOLY GRAIL

B



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29

JNCSALES

Vast ranges of AWPs, SWPs,Drivers, Simulators, Sit-downs and

amusement equipment

“Let’s talk about it”

[email protected]

Tel: 0117 9382552 Fax: 0117 9382218Aftersales Tel: 0117 9382225

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[email protected]

www.namco.co.uk

B2B Arcade Crane Services

www.thewon.co.uk

B2B Air Hockey

MARKETPLACE

CALL NOW01843 866464

Harry Levy Amusement Contractor LtdTel: +44 (0)1843 866464 | Fax: +44 (0)1843 860144

Email: [email protected] | Web: www.harry-levy-amusement.com

TicketHouse Crane

We buy and sell all gaming equipment with over 400 units in stock - From Pool-tables

to Fruit machines we have it all.

For the best prices please call us today

Tel: 01795 844 169 Email: [email protected]

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B2B Carpets & Flooring

[email protected]

www.antrimcarpets.com

B2B Change Machines

Tel: 020 8391 7700 Fax: 020 8391 7760 Email: [email protected] www.suzohapp.co.uk

“Great range of Change Machines available”

Amusement and Gaming Equipment Finance with Rates

from 3.1%

Immediate Funds Available 98% Acceptance Rate

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ckpot collectionex Gaming.

With the £100 jackpot increase on thehorizon, the team at RLMS Sales knew

they needed to fill their warehouse spacewith analogue multi-players completewith iconic branding. These machinesneeded to be fresh enough to appeal tonew players, without alienating the moreestablished player base.

The game play also had to competewith legacy style gaming machines,giving little and often, to make for a highlyinteractive game, yet with the excitementand appeal of being able to enter into the£100 Streak feature, with Jackpot repeat.In short, they needed to be attractiveenough to make a centrepiece in anyadult gaming environment.

Members of the team were also keento offer stake and prize flexibility foroperators, in the event that they wantedto turn down to Cat D or take advantageof the new Cat C Lite combo of 20p/£10,both of which attract only five per centMGD for the operators.

The resultant product output, notesTony Glanville, sales director for RLMS, arethe two brand new models from the Astracamp, Party Time Streak and Bullion BarsStreak, both of which are being shipped

out to customers during March and April.“We first saw these models at EAG and theyreally did look the part,” said Glanville.“There is very little competition for thisstyle of game from any other manufacturerand they represent an excellent opportu-nity for operators who are thinking ofreplacing tired and worn looking legacythree-players which may be upwards of 15or 20 years old. Furthermore, with the sup-port from Astra, we can offer these multi-players out on an attractive, interest-free,six-month payment plan, which is beingwell received by many of our customers.”

Chris Widdowson, key account man-ager added: “The walk up factor for thesetwo models will really appeal to the playerbase. Whilst it’s early days as to whetherthe Party Time or Bullion Bars has the edge,it really is down to the operator with thelocal knowledge of their players’ prefer-ences, as to which they go for. Of course,where undecided, I shall be offering myprofessional opinion and recommendboth, side by side.”

The Streak three-players are availablefor pre-Easter delivery from RLMS Sales,with payments that can be spread rightthrough to September.

RLMS SALES

RLMS streaksahead withnew multi-player rangeTo make best use of the fresh jackpot regulations, RLMS hassecured a range of multi-player machines from Astra.

All games offer a multi stake 25p or 50p play, with a£100 jackpot.

Lady Luck Band of Gold is Reflex Gaming’s ‘Cat CLite’ offering, housed in Reflex’s mini-cabinet. Thegame takes advantage of the lower 5 per centMachine Games Duty level, but benefits from therecent Cat C technical standards. Players can choosefrom 10p/20p play with a £5/£10 jackpot, depend-ing on the level of their stake.

“This is the first of a new breed of products beingdeveloped for AGCs and bingo halls which aim toincrease the average stake from those players pre-ferring low stake, value for money games,” says Reflexgaming managing director Quentin Stott.


UK pub group GreeneKing has pledged torecruit over 2,000 ap-prentices this year. “Asour business grows,we are proud to offerthe apprentices that join Greene Kingthe opportunity move straight onto acareer path to allow them to fulfil theirtrue potential,” said HR director, JohnSmith.

The (Greene)apprentice

By making a better businetop priority, the Chancellothat successful and confid

the key to transfogrowing economone that is felt inhigh streets.JOHN LONGWORTH, DIRECTOR GENERAL COMMERCE, GIVES HIS REACTION TO 2014

Listings


30

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MARKETPLACE

B2B Gaming Machines

W W W . A M G L E I S U R E . C O . U K

SALES HOTLINERIPON 01765 640 900

KINGS LYNN 01553 692 817SKEGNESS 07879 841 151

TURBODOND

LAST FEWIN STOCK

B2B Juke Box Specialists

[email protected]

www.rlms-sales.com [email protected]

rane and redemption prize specialistWhitehouse Leisure is already doingsome seriously brisk business ahead

of the traditionally busy Easter tradingperiod. The firm has added a number of newlines since the turn of the year and believesthat the industry is very upbeat about itsrange of licensed plush and gifts along withits latest line of resin prizes aimed squarely atpusher beds.

The company’s Ian Whittinghamexplained: “We’ve brought in a number ofnew Despicable Me 2 designs for 2014. Lastyear, the brand was by far our biggest sellerand it’s already continuing to attract hugeorders this year with purple Minions and Min-ions in costumes proving popular as well asGru, Agnes and Unicorn characters whichfeature strongly in the movie.

In addition to DM2 plush, Whitehouse haslaunched a number of redemption prizessuch as mugs, breakfast sets, keyrings andbackpacks. “We’ve had repeat orders uponrepeat orders for these,” he added.

Whittingham revealed that Whitehousehas also acquired some strong new Disneylines for 2014. “These really take it to anotherlevel,” he enthused. “Doc McStuffin was thebiggest retail brand in 2013 and we’ve nowadded it for the leisure sector this year,” headded.

Furthermore, Whitehouse has massivelyincreased its resin range of prizes, which areintended to be positioned in redemption cen-tres and on pusher beds. “We have a totallyexpanded range this year and there is a greatvariety in both generic and branded designs.These are high quality both in terms of manu-

Whitehouse Leisure‘blown away’ by demand

PLUSH & GIFTS

Just six months after the Bank of Englandannounced it would start introducing

polymer banknotes - starting with a new £5note featuring Winston Churchill in 2016 -the Royal Mint has unveiled new shape-shifting plans of its own.

In an effort to reduce the rate of counter-feit coins entering general circulation, thenation’s coin manufacturer intents to intro-duce a replacement £1 coin in 2017. Thenew 12-sided prototype coin will be con-structed from two different coloured

metals and utilise multiple layers of cut-ting-edge technology.

It will be the most secure coin in circula-tion and would allow the UK to rapidlyreduce the amount of counterfeit coins, theRoyal Mint stated. The coin will containIntegrated Secure Identification Systems(iSIS) enabling not just coins, but the wholecash cycle to be more secure, protectingthe public, vending machine operators,retailers and the wider banking system.

Commenting on the new coin, David

C

CURRENCY

New £1 coin to bring a newlevel of cash handling securityAfter 30 years of service, the current £1 coin will be retired andreplaced with the ‘most secure coin in the world’.

2361-p30-32-Listings_Coinslot NEW 25/03/2014 13:36 Page 1

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er business environment hisChancellor has recognisednd confident companies areto transforming Britain’seconomic recovery intois felt in homes and on

eets. DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE BRITISH CHAMBERS OFIS REACTION TO 2014 BUDGET


MARKETPLACE

B2B Prizes

www.zoltaruk.com

B2B Pool Tables & Accessories

B2B Novelty

Distributor of snooker and pool accessories and manufacturers of genuine Superleague tables and spares.

Telephone

01952 586226

For a quote call Chris Jones +44 (0)1273 699900

gaming | betting | gambling

S&Jcommunications

Get great PR from theindustry experts

B2B Marketing

B2B Juke Box Specialists

SOUNDNETTHE NO.1 MUSIC SERVICE YOU CAN DEPEND ONMAKE THE MOST OF YOUR JUKEBOXES CALL US NOW ON020 7644 8888www.soundnet.net

B2B Skill Ball Deluxe

B2B Spares

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www.cromptons-spares.co.uk

For Spares, Refurbishments,Repairs and Special Offers

call Matt or Terri on 01843 593335

For FREE technical support callSteve or Hugh on: 01843 593353Email: [email protected]

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INTERNATIONALJCM SECURE KURSAALVALIDATION

Cash handling provider JCM Global hasbeen chosen as the preferred supplier

of bill validators to Casino Kursaal in SanSebastian, Spain. The venue made itsdecision following a four week trial of thecompany’s iVizion validator, which will nowbe rolled outacross thecasino.“Casino Kur-saal is one ofSpain’s mostimportantcasinos, andwe are honoured and humbled to havebeen chosen,” said JCM EMEA generalmanager Payam Zadeh.

PERIHERALS &COMPONENTS

SUZO COMPONENTSWELCOMED AT ENADA

Both slot machine and VLT manufactur-ers welcomed Suzo-Happ’s range of

video LCD buttons at this year’s EnadaSpring show, which took place in Rimini,Italy, last week.

The group had a wide range of productson show at theexhibition, includ-ing the 42-inchInteractive ProTable, AES readyhoppers and theBill-to-Bill ban-

knote recycler.Harald Wagemaker, executive vice pres-

ident of sales and marketing for Suzo in theEMEA region, said: “New products andnew solutions not only create new demandfrom our existing customers but bring innew clients. This great feedback reflectsour growth strategy for Italy.”

Namco Funscape has launched aMother’s Day offer that will seeMums receive a free game with thepurchase of at least one full-priceadult or junior game on Sunday,March 30.

Mum’s bowl free

facture and the brands themselves, whichmeans they are very collectable. We’veadded Care Bears, Thomas the Tank Engine,Fireman Sam, Barney and a big range ofDisney branded products such as Winnie thePooh, Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Donaldand Daisy Duck, all supplied in display boxes.

Whittingham believes the present White-house collection to be as strong as it’s everbeen but revealed there are some ‘fantastic’new products still to be introduced through-out the year.

Bellis, chairman of Innova-tive Technology and a well-known figure in the cashhandling industry, com-

mented: “This announcementhas everyone in the industry

talking. With information yet to bereleased on the actual size of the coin Iwould hope for a coin thinner than theexisting £1, which is currently one of thethickest coins in circulation worldwide. Mypersonal preference will always be for cir-cular coins but I would welcome the extrasecurity measures outlined to help combatthe level of counterfeit £1 coins.”

A public consultation will be held overthe summer focusing on how to manageany impacts before a final decision is madeon the precise specification of the newcoin, including the metal composition.



32

B2B Analysis

Sponsored by

NOVOMATIC LEADS, OTHERS FOLLOW

CATEGORYB3 (£2/£500 Max.)

CATEGORYD (10p/£5 Max.)

CATEGORYB4 (£2/£4000 Max)

AGCsThis LastWeek Week Name / Manufacturer

1 1 Magic Lotto Ultra Novomatics2 2 King Of Slots Blueprint3 5 Mega Bars Big Hit Project4 3 Big Party Astra5 - A Bet Astra6 6 Lady Luck Reflex7 4 Triple 8 Barcrest8 - Rainbow Kings Astra9 - Casino Star Reflex10 - Casino King TS22 Project

Based on data supplied by a representative number of UK sitesSupplied by RLMS Sales

Members clubsThis LastWeek Week Name / Manufacturer

1 1 Public Enemy Reflex2 2 Street Casino 2014 Storm3 3 Flamin’ 400 Reflex4 4 Judgement Pay BFG5 5 Magic Six JPM

Based on data from representative sites. Supplied by sector professional

FEC - familyThis LastWeek Week Name / Manufacturer

1 2 Party Time Classic (3 Player) Astra2 2 Party Time Classic (3 Player) Astra3 1 Bullion Bars (3 Player) Astra4 4 Gold Rush Stampede (4 Player) Barcrest5 5 Adders And Ladders (4 Player) Vivid6 6 Rainbow Riches (3 Player) Empire7 3 Party Games (4 Player) Astra8 8 Party Time Arena (4 Player) Astra9 9 Party Time (3 Player) Astra10 10 Crazy Fruits Bellfruit

Based on data from four sites Amusement Equipment Co Ltd

FEC - adultThis LastWeek Week Name / Manufacturer

1 1 Magic Games U/R Novomatic2 2 Rainbow Riches Party Barcrest3 3 Free Play 70 Project4 4 Find The Lady 70 Project5 - Super Big 7 S/D Electrocoin6 6 Party Time Aerna (4 Player) Astra7 7 Rainbow Riches Party Barcrest8 8 Magic Games S/D Novomatic9 9 Party Time Classic (3 Player ) Astra10 - Magic 7’s Random Electrocoin

Based on data from four sites Amusement Equipment Co Ltd

CATEGORYC (£1/£100 Max.)

Single siteThis LastWeek Week Name / Manufacturer

1 1 DOND Winfall BFG2 4 DOND Lucky Streak BFG3 3 DOND Powerplay BFG4 2 Bank Job - Rob the lot QPS5 5 DOND The Big One BFG6 6 DOND Pure Gold BFG7 7 Galloping Jackpots REF8 - Worminator QPS9 8 DOND Turbo BFG10 9 DOND Double Chance BFG

Taken from a representative number of sites around the UKSupplied by national operator

AGCsThis LastWeek Week Name / Manufacturer

1 - X3000 Multigame Amatic2 2 Magic Games 100 Ultra Novomatic3 - Find the Lady 2 card Project4 4 Encore T7 (GP3) SG Gaming5 8 Magic Games 3 Novomatic6 - Alice’s Wonderland £100 Reflex7 - Magic Games 3 (s/d) Novomatic8 - Triple 7 (GP2) SG Gaming9 9 Bullion Bars Arena Astra10 6 Triple 7 (GP1) SG Gaming

Based on data from a minimum of 10 locations. Supplied by Praesepe

FILMCHARTS

DUKE DUMONT FT JAXJONES: I GOT U

UK Box Office ChartThis LastWeek Week Name

1 - Need for Speed2 3 The Grand Budapest Hotel3 1 300: Rise of an Empire4 2 The Lego Movie5 4 Non-Stop6 5 Ride Along7 6 The Book Thief8 7 Escape from Planet Earth9 8 Mr Peabody & Sherman10 - Under the Skin

NEED FOR SPEED

GEORGE MICHAEL:SYMPHONICA

MUSICCHARTS

UK Jukebox ChartHighest Earning Tracks on Sound Leisure jukeboxesThis Last

1 1 Happy Pharrell Williams2 2 Rather Be Clean Bandit3 3 Money On My Mind Sam Smith4 4 My Love Route 94 feat. Jess Glynne5 5 Timber Pitbull feat. Ke$ha6 6 Dark Horse Katy Perry feat. Juicy J7 - Tsunami (Jump) Dvbbs feat. Tinie Tempah8 7 Hey Brother Avicii9 8 Shoot Me Down David Guetta feat. Skylar Grey10 10 Trumpets Jason Derulo

Based on data supplied by Soundnet

http://www.soundnet.net/

www.soundnet.net

AlbumsThis Last

WeekWeek Name

1 - Symphonica George Michael2 - Kiss Me Once Kylie Minogue3 3 Girl Pharrell Williams4 2 A Perfect Contradiction Paloma Faith5 1 The Take Off And Landing of Everything Elbow6 - In The Arms Of An Angel Nicholas McDonald 7 6 Love In The Future John Legend8 - Going To Hell Pretty Reckless9 - Home Kian Egan10 9 If You Wait London Grammar

DownloadsThis Last

WeekWeek Name

1 - I Got U Duke Dumont ft Jax Jones 2 2 My Love Route 94 ft Jess Glynne 3 5 All Of Me John Legend 4 3 Happy Pharrell Williams5 1 Tsunami (Jump) DVBBS & Borgeous/Tinie Tempah6 6 Dark Horse Katy Perry ft Juicy J 7 7 Rather Be Clean Bandit ft Jess Glynne 8 - Word Up Little Mix 9 4 I’m A Freak Enruque Iglesias ft Pitbull10 9 Money On My Mind Sam Smith


33

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For Sale

Classifi edTo advertise: Contact Kathryn Norris on 01204 396 397

Crown Direct 33Cricklewood Electronics 34Leeds Leisure 34DC Payments 35JNC Sales 35

UK Amusement Supplies 35Recruitment 36

For Sale

Business Opportunities Wanted

Wanted

WANTEDCMS

CHAMELEON CAT C/B3

ANY CONDITIONDEAD OR ALIVEHighest prices

paid always07973 188493

PINBALL HEAVEN LTDPARTS/REPAIRS/ACCESORIES

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LARGE STOCK OF PINBALL PARTS ALWAYS AVAILABLE

TEL 01772 816677EMAIL

[email protected]

Adult Gaming Centres and

Family Entertainment Centres.

In Hampshire and

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Funds Available with the ability

to make quick decision.

Telephone Phil on 07894 915971

BUSINESSES WANTED

TelephoneAMR AMUSEMENTSon 01179 822238

Town Centre, Crawley,Sussex

FOR SALELEASEHOLD ARCADE

UDC - Family Bowling (Ticket)............................ £850Football Fortune (Ticket) 4pl .............................. £850 Unis - Xball (Ticket) throw balls at screen game .....£795Coastal Double Jam (Basketball-Ticket) ..............£475Falgas ghost hunter whacker (Ticket) .................£375LAI lighthouse (Prize) ......................................... £295Cromptons Frantic fruits (not fully working) ....... £295Football Table (Home Edition) .............................. £1757X4 Pool Table .....................................................£150

Collectors original machinesTaito Crazy Balloon............................................. £995Konami The Simpsons ........................................ £325Konami Xmen ..................................................... £325

F O R S A L E

Newton Le isure07939 600444

jay5n@hotmai l .co .uk

PRICES ORNEAREST OFFER

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gaming...and so much more!

New & Used Machine Prices

All prices subject to VAT and Carriage

T8 VEGAS PARTY £7,995PERFORMER 22 £7,995KING OF SLOTS SLANT £7,795CASINO KING TS22 £7,495KING OF SLOTS VISION £6,995BIG PARTY 500 A-SERVE £6,995MEGA 7 / D&J / MEGA BARS £4,495MEGA GAMES SLANT £2,995JACKPOT KING £995RUMPLE WILDSPINS £995

Cat B3 £2 Stake WIZARD OF OZ 2 PLY £12,995EXPLOSIVE £11,995TICKET MONSTER £11,795CONNECT 4 MINI £8,995HARPOON LAGOON £7,995MONOPOLY £7,495DOWN DA CLOWN £6,995RAINBOW SHOOT TO WIN £5,995MILK JUG TOSS £5,995DOODLE JUMP £4,995TEMPLE RUN £2,995

Redemption

Kiddy Rides

SUPER REPEATER 3 PLY £14,495RAINBOW PARTY 3 PLY £14,495BULLION BARS STREAK £10,995CRAIC IN FUN 3 PLY £5 £8,495PARTY TIME CLASSIC £5 £8,495BULLION BARS CLASSIC £8,495

Multiplayer Gaming

SWEET FALLS COIN/TKT £18,495MRY GO ROUND COIN/TKT £16,995BIG PRIZE WINNER £4,995

Pushers

E CLAW 900 TWIN £8,995E CLAW COSMIC £4,995

Cranes

THIS WEEKSSPECIAL

GALAXY SPACE FLIGHT £6,995HOT WHEELS £6,995SPORTS CAR GT £3,250

HHOOT HHOOT TT 550000 BB33TNNINNEE GGAAMMEE MMEENNUUNEE GGAAMMEE MMEENNUU

£3,250ONLY

+VAT

> Full playpod re-spray> Led lighting> All new artwork and buttons> Repainted race track> New sounds> Available for Easter

1x Cash version £79951x Ticket version £8495 Mike Ansell - 07980 679961Offi ce - 01430 470788

DONKEY DERBYFACTORY REBUILD

FOR SALEMagic 6 club (B4) machines

£400 JackpotAll stakes£1300 eachTelephone

07768 275044

34

B2B


TELEPHONE - 01132 040885

Tim Stanhope,Keith Parker or John HoodTel: 01132 040885Fax: 01132 560180John mobile: 07766 247876Email: [email protected] 59/62L, Springfield Commercial Centre,Bagley Lane, Farsley,LEEDS LS28 5LY

Leeds Leisure Ltd£100 JACKPOT SNOW

WHITE & THE SEVEN TENNERS

£100 JACKPOT DONDELIMINATOR

£100 JACKPOTBEST OF BRITISH

£1,395

£1,075

£100 JACKPOT DONDEAST AND WEST WING

£995

POA

CLUB MACHINESCOPS & ROBBERS JUDGEMENT DAY (NEW) ............. £1,895FLAMIN 400 (NEW) ............................................................. £1,895PUBLIC ENEMY (NEW) ...................................................... £1,895FUN IN THE SUN .....................................................................£695ROCKY ........................................................................................£195

CASINO LOW TECHJACKPOT 100 DIGITAL ....................................................... £2,995CASINO RANDOM GOLD £100 .......................................£895CASINO POUND STRETCHER £100 .................................£895DOND CASINO CRAZY CHAIR ........................................£695MAGIC GAMES 2 ......................................................................£395MEGA JACKPOTS (£35) ..........................................................£395FULL HOUSE ..............................................................................£395RANDOM GOLD .....................................................................£395POUNDSTRETCHER ...............................................................£395CASINO DOND (VIDEO) ......................................................£350CASINO WHEEL OF WEALTH .............................................£295DOND CASINO .......................................................................£295ROLL X .......................................................................................£295JOKERS WILD CLASSIC ..........................................................£295CASINO MAGIC 7S ................................................................£275FANTASTIC 5 (VIDEO) ...........................................................£250CASINO BAR X 10 ...................................................................£245

VIDEOSHOUSE OF THE DEAD DELUXE 46” TFT ..................... £1,695TIME CRISIS 3 DELUXE ....................................................... £1,695CHASE HQ 2 SSD ................................................................. £1,095BATTLEGEAR 4 SSD ................................................................£995ARCADE MULTI-GAME (NEW) ...........................................£995TABLE TOP ARCADE MULTI-GAME (NEW) .....................£895FAST & FURIOUS U/R..............................................................£795ARCADE CLASSIC UPRIGHT ...............................................£595

B3 £500KING POTS £1 ...........................................................................£995STAR ATTRACTION ................................................................£895WORLD OF GAMES ................................................................£795SUPER 500 ...................................................................................£695COPS N ROBBERS ....................................................................£595PARTY SLOTS .............................................................................£495

£100 JACKPOT AWPSJACKPOT 100 (DIGITAL) .................................................... £2,995BEST OF BRITISH ...................................................................... POASTREETS CASINO (DIGITAL) ........................................... £1,795SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN TENNERS ....................... £1,395SHOOT THE LOOT .............................................................. £1,195DOND BANK ON IT .......................................................... £1,075DOND ELIMINATOR ........................................................... £1,075DOND EAST & WEST WING ................................................£995

£70 AWPSSTAR WARS DEATH ASSAULT ..............................................£295RAINBOW RICHES DUBLIN YOUR MONEY ...................£295RAINBOW RICHES ON THE FIDDLE.................................£275HOT HOT HOT ........................................................................£195TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT ............................................................£195SAFE CRACKER .........................................................................£195PACMAN POWER ....................................................................£195

AIR HOCKEYAIRBOY XTREME MINI ....................................................... £1,495GARLANDO SPEEDY 7FT ......................................................£745

BOXERSJAKAR BOXER MATRIX ..........................................................£795PRO BOXER................................................................................£495

MACHINE SPARES & COMPONENTSIssue 2362 - 4th April

REDEMPTION MACHINES & PRIZESIssue 2363 - 11th April

CAT B3Issue 2364 - 18th April

NORTHERN SHOWCASE (CROWN DIRECT)Issue 2365 - 25th April

UPCOMING FEATURES

PC TOWER REPAIRS

Call LeedsLeisure on

01132 040885

BARCRESTASTRA

PARAGON ETC.

FOR SALE

Please call:

01132 040885

RANGE OF OBSOLETE DECALS

AND KITS

AVAILABLE FOR £5/£35/£70 JACKPOTS.

£100 CONCEPT CONVERSION KITS FOR

Please call:

01132 040885

RANDOM GOLD POUNDSTRETCHER

CASINO BAR X 7 CASINO BIG 7

£445

35

B2B


MONOPOLY ROAD TO RICHES ..£395POKER FACE ..........................£345COPS N ROBBERS VIDEO ......£345MONOPOLY WONDERS OF WORLD ..£345JUMPIN JACK CASH .............£345BULLY’S STAR PRIZE ............£345DOND WHAT’S IN YOUR BOX ..£295DOND BEAT THE BANKER .....£295GOLD DIGGER ........................£295CARRIBEAN CASH .................£245BULLYS PRIZE BOARD ..........£245

SPACE RAIDERS .................... £195VORTEX ................................. £195SHOW ME THE MUMMY ......... £195OPEN THE BOX ...................... £195CRAZY CASH POINT .............. £195COCK A DOODLE DOUGH ....... £195PHIL THE POWER .................. £195CASH OR BUST ...................... £195STAR WARS NEW HOPE ......... £195INDIANA JONES .................... £195ROB DA BANK ........................ £195

PUMP IT UP PRO LCDWAS £2,495 ..............NOW £2,295DANCE STAGE EUROMIX 2WAS £2,195 ................NOW £1,995DDR FUSIONWAS £2,195 ................NOW £1,995DANCE STAGE EUROMIX 1WAS £1,995 ................NOW £1,795DDR SUPERNOVAWAS £1,995 ................NOW £1,795PUMP IT UP PREX 3WAS £1,495 ................NOW £1,395PUMP IT UP EXCEEDWAS £1,495 ................NOW £1,395DDR DANCE STAGEWAS £1,495 ................NOW £1,395

KIDDIE JET SKI NEW (INTERACTIVE) .. £4,495KIDDIE JET SKI (INTERACTIVE) ...£3,995PUPPYLAND CAROUSEL ....£2,995KIDDIE MOTO ..................... £2,495KIDDIE BALLOON RIDE ....... £1,695BEAR IN A BOAT ................. £1,595KIDDIE COASTER ................ £1,495JAY JAY THE JET PLANE .. £1,495BANANAS IN PYJAMAS ...... £1,495BARNEY ON A TRAIN ......... £1,495FORKLIFT ............................ £1,195TWEENIES .............................£995NESSIE DINOSAUR ................£895

£395

MONOPOLYROAD TORICHES

£1,995DANCE STAGE

EUROMIX 2

£195CASH

ATTACK

£195CASH

OR BUST

£345BULLYS

PRIZE BOARD

£1,495BANANAS

AND PYJAMAS

£4,495KIDDIEJET SKI

NEW

USED £3,995

£1,795DDR

SUPERNOVA

WAS £1,995

ALL MACHINES FULLY WORK-SHOPPED, PAT TESTED AND ADIPS TESTED AS STANDARDFOR FULL STOCK LIST OF OVER 1500 MACHINES, PLEASE VISIT WWW.JNC-SALES.CO.UK

JNC SALES UNIT 1, CCT BUILDINGS, GREENSPLOTT ROAD,

CHITTENING TRADING ESTATE, AVONMOUTH, BRISTOL. BS11 0YB

TEL: 0117 9382552AFTERSALES TEL: 0117 9382225

LOOKING FOR CHEAPCAT D FILLERS?ONLY

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36

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Recruitment

SENIOR TECHNICIAN WANTED

Bell Leisure has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Technician with experience to join our team, working for one of the East Coasts leading and fastest growing leisure Companies.

We need a person that’s highly motivated with a sound knowledge of amusement machines and the ability to resolve electromechanical problems as they arise. The Senior Technicians position would entail the successful applicant being able to work directly under our Technical Director. You would be working with some of the latest and most advanced technology in the industry and maintaining it to the highest standards.

An excellent salary will be negotiated with the opportunity of promotion as our company continues to grow. If you think you have what it takes for a career in our family entertainment complexes then we look forward to hearing from you.

[email protected] or alternatively call 07894451326 for more information.

Sceptre Leisure are looking to recruit

REGIONAL DIRECTORBased from our Preston depot.

This challenging yet rewarding role involves the overall responsibility for our depot serving the North West area.

Running circa. 3,000 machines and the team of staff that supports this requires a multitude of skills, including but not limited to the following:

Experience of the amusement machine sector within the licensed trade.

Track record of building and developing customer relationships.

Ability to manage a team including collectors, installers, engineers, workshop technicians and administration staff.

Knowledge of P&L accounts; being able to manage revenues and costs.

A desire to use entrepreneurial skills to enhance the business.

The successful applicant will become part of an ever growing organisation with depots nationwide and a strong head office support network.

If you feel you would be suitable for this role, or would like to find out more, please contact Debbie Arnold.

[email protected] t: 01772 69 42 42

or alternatively send your CV to Debbie Arnold, Sceptre Leisure, 139 Brookfield Place, Walton Summit, Preston, PR5 8BF

To subscribe, email:[email protected] or [email protected]

01204 396 397

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2361-p37-Surreal soccer_Coinslot NEW 25/03/2014 14:18 Page 1


Two major coin-op sectper cent and the beer d

“

media watchalex lee

Good news for bingo and single sit

commentalex lee

hile it’s nigh onimpossible toremain apolitical

while commenting on aBudget, I’d like to give it mybest shot. While parity with- or indeed a ban on - FOBTsremains nothing more thana pipe-dream for the coin-op sector, at least those‘lucky’ enough to be per-mitted to operate themhave been hit in the pocketwith a tax rise to 25 percent. No ‘level playing field’in that case, but certainly atouch of schadenfreude.

In more positive news,the reduction in bingoduty from 20 per cent to 10per cent should see some-thing of an uplift in thatparticular sector withhopefully a knock-oneffect in footfall andmachine takings. Similarly,the scrapping of the beerduty escalator and the 1pcut per pint should givethe single site sector rea-sons to be a little morecheerful, especially as the£1/£100 begins to estab-lish itself in its many andvaried gameplay guises.

Talking of £1/£100, theUK coin-op industry facesa serious challenge aheadof the new, 12-sided £1coin coming into circula-tion in 2017 to replace thecurrent nugget. While thecash handling equipment

manufacturers will under-standably be working flat-out, operators around thecountry will be once againforced to dig deep as theylook to upgrade theirequipment in order toaccept the new coinage.

The new £1 coin, billedby the Royal Mint as “themost secure coin in theworld”, is on its waybecause of concerns aboutthe 30-year old coin’s vul-nerability to counterfeit-ing, with an estimated 45million forgeries in circu-lation. Talk of 2p coinsbecoming ‘tokens’ if theyever went out of circula-tion is suddenly relevant to£1 coins. Just a thought…

Ironically, the upcomingcoin is based on the designof the old threepenny bit,the 12-sided coin whichwas in circulation between1937 and 1971, so theRoyal Mint’s solution to21st century forging tech-niques is to release whatamounts to an update of acoin that existed pre-deci-malisation. Upon announc-ing its imminent arrival, theRoyal Mint declared that acompetition will be held todecide what image to puton the ‘tails’ side of the coin.I’m sure industry stake-holders will have apolarised view on that par-ticular piece of artwork.

Good Budgetnewstempered by new £1challenge

Pensioners, pub goers andworkers were the big winners

in the Budget - as well as Worces-ter’s Gala Bingo hall, according tothe Malvern Gazette.

Chancellor George Osbornedelivered a budget based aroundtax cuts, cheaper booze, afreeze in fuel duty and help forsavers. It was also aimed atchasing the grey vote - with anew “pensioners bond” beinglaunched for over 65s, allowingthem to save up to £10,000 witha return rate of four per cent.

Beer duty has been slashedby 1p for the second year run-ning, duty on ordinary cider hasbeen frozen while taxes on ciga-rettes will rise two per centabove inflation.

During his address in the com-mons, Osborne also revealedgrowth forecasts for the economyhave been revised upwards to 2.7per cent for 2014, with the Officefor Budget Responsibility sayingthe UK is outstripping alladvanced nations.

Worcester MP Robin Walkersaid: “There was a lot of goodnews in there, it wasn’t a shockbudget about big headlines but alot of small, positive things.”

In a surprise move Mr Osbornealso said he was slashing bingohall tax in half, down to 10 percent, saying the numbers of themhad “plummeted by three quar-ters over the last 30 years.”

It came after 300,000 peoplesigned a petition calling for thetaxes to be reduced. Gala BingoHall in Foregate Street, Worcesterwas just one of the backers to it.

West Worcestershire MP Har-riett Baldwin said: “There aresome great pieces of news forhard-working local people in thisbudget. I have many pensionersand savers in my constituencyand I know that they will wel-come some of the importantchanges to pension rules and taxfree savings.

“Overall, I think that this is abudget which will leave mostpeople better off and reward hard-

working people while creating theright conditions to create newjobs and continue on the impor-tant task of reducing the deficit.”

Elsewhere, plans for a new£14m casino and hotel-led devel-opment in central Bath have beenrecommended for approvaldespite the impact the project willhave on the historic fabric of thespa town, according to the InsiderMedia website.

The scheme, within the BathCity Conservation Area and WorldHeritage Site, requires the demoli-tion of several properties andalterations to a grade II-listedbuilding to make way for a 148-bedroom hotel, a casino and twonew restaurants.

Located close to Bath’s cen-tral shopping area, the applica-tion site is in an area populatedby restaurants, offices, a theatreand comedy club, and boundedby Saw Close, Upper BoroughWalls, Bridewell Lane and West-gate Street.

A number of listed buildings

W

“We are notamused”

Comment

2361-p38-39-Comment_Coinslot NEW 25/03/2014 13:45 Page 1

39Coinslot March 28 - April 3, 2014

or coin-op sectors received a boost in the recent Budget, with bingo duty reduced by tenand the beer duty escalator being scrapped.

In the wake of last week’sBudget, the Deloitte bettingand gaming group hascommented on the implicationsfor the betting and gamingindustry“ politicsbarney horn

quote unquote

”gle site sectors

TO COMMENT ON ANY ARTICLE


including the Gala Bingo Club,a former theatre, and the LoftClub, now The Market pub, arelocated on the site as are TheClinic, which is currentlyvacant, an office building at 1-2 Bridewell Lane, the RegencyGarage, which is closed andused partly for storage, and asmall weighbridge kioskbuilding.

Of these buildings, the devel-opment proposes the demoli-tion of the former RegencyGarage, the Clinic building, theweighbridge kiosk and 1-2Bridewell Lane.

A significant part of the gradeII-listed Gala Bingo Hall has alsobeen earmarked for demolitionand alteration, with the retainedelements forming part of thenew casino.

The Market building wouldprovide an entrance to a newfour-storey building to be devel-oped which would incorporatetwo ground floor restaurants.

The hotel would provide 148

bedrooms over four floors witha maximum capacity of 296guests, while the casino wouldbe spread over three floorsincluding bars, dining and pri-vate function/meeting roomswith a 900 capacity.

The two ground floor restau-rants would have space for 290covers inside and a further 140outside.

The casino, which has beengranted a provisional licence,will be operated by GroupePartouche SA in partnershipwith Global Gaming Ventures(Bath). The hotel will be oper-ated by Z Hotels.

In a report to be scrutinisedby councillors, planners recom-mend the development forapproval, subject to conditions,and say it would bring activityand vibrancy into an importantand historic site.

And finally, plans for Har-wich’s first bingo hall in morethan 30 years could proveunlucky for some if they get

given the go ahead amid fearsfor noise disturbance, accord-ing to the Harwich and Man-ningtree Standard.

Owner Mike Gibbons wantsto convert the former snookerhall in Kingsway into a bingoestablishment. The hall hasbeen closed for seven yearsafter it was found not to be aviable business.

Top Draw Bingo Ltd will oper-ate the hall if the plans areapproved by Tendring Council.Gibbons said: “There isn’t goingto be much noise it is a bingohall and is played in completesilence. We are using the ampli-fying equipment to put thecaller’s voice around the room.”

“Players at Beacon Bingo in Redcar will be delighted not only that their campaign to cut the duty from 20 per cent to 15 per cent has beensuccessful, but that the Chancellor has gone further by cutting it to 10 per cent. Bingo is a harmless social form of gambling and, from havingtalked to many players that day, it seems to me exactly the kind of thing that we should not penalise too heavily, as opposed to the high-stakes FOBTs visited on us by the Labour party. I totally support the rise in taxes on those machines, of which we would like to see less.”

IAN SWALES, LIBERAL DEMOCRAT MP, REDCAR

The Chancellor’s announce-ments on gambling taxes will

have delighted certain sectorswhilst dismaying others. Asexpected, the Budget confirmedthe 15 per cent place of consump-tion (POC) tax will come in witheffect from 1 December 2014. Thishas huge implications for theonline betting and gaming sector.

To a certain extent the proposalsimplifies the existing rules andensures all gambling by UK con-sumers is subject to UK tax, regard-less of the operator’s location.However, it will increase operat-ing costs and could lead to furtherconsolidation in the market.Online gambling operators areunlikely to be able to pass on thecosts to consumers, but could beforced to cut back on marketingand player promotions.

The Chancellor also confirmedthe Government will consult onextending the horserace bettinglevy (currently 10.75 per cent) tooffshore bookmakers addinganother significant cost to off-shore operators receiving bets onUK races.

However, the real surprisescame in relation to bingo duty andmachine games duty on fixed oddsbetting terminals (FOBTs) whichare played in land-based bettingshops and some casinos. The Chan-cellor announced the bingo dutyrate will fall from 20 per cent to 10per cent for accounting periodsstarting on or after 30 June 2014following a successful campaignby the bingo industry giving a wel-come boost to bingo halls.

There had been strong rumoursthe Chancellor was consideringreducing bingo duty to 15 percent, which would have broughtan element of consistency to gam-bling taxes - both betting duty andthe POC tax are at 15 per cent. Thereduction to 10 per cent goesmuch further than expected with

the government estimating thiswill cost the Exchequer £30m for2014/15 and £40m a year fromthen on.

Whilst pleasing the land-basedbingo industry, the Chancellormore than balanced this out byannouncing that with effect from1 March 2015 the machine gamesduty charged on FOBTs will risefrom 20 per cent to 25 per cent.This will lead to a significant costto betting shop operators esti-mated by the government to be£75m-£90m per annum once thechange is introduced. As it cur-rently stands, the intention is thatthis will apply to all games playedon FOBTs including B3 gameswhich will be taxed at a lower rateif played on a B3 machine.

Overall, while there has beenmuch talk of simplifying taxes, theposition has become increasinglycomplex with seemingly similargambling experiences beingtaxed at different rates. As an exam-ple, once the changes have gonethrough, duty on roulette will becharged at 15 per cent if played on-line, 25 per cent if played on aFOBT and between 15 per centand 50 per cent if played in acasino depending on the gamingturnover of the casino. All land-based gambling businesses alsopay a significant amount of VATwhich they cannot recover.

Overall, it does appear strangethat there will be so many rates forgambling taxes; 3 per cent (finan-cial spread bets); 5 per cent lowerMGD rate; 10 per cent (spreadbets, bingo duty); 15 per cent (bet-ting duty, remote gaming duty,pool betting duty); 20 per cent(standard rate machine gameduty); 25 per cent (higher ratemachine games duty) and 15-50per cent (casino gaming duty).However, it appears unlikely thatthis complexity will change anytime soon.

Winners and losersin the tax game“The 1p cut in beer duty will make a difference, any cut

always does. Things are going okay because we have a goodcore of regulars in here. But costs do go up and my account-ant always says we can’t absorb it, so it gets passed ontocustomers. So the cut is good news.”

COLIN KENWRICK, LANDLORD, BERKELEY ARMS, WORCESTER

“The betting industry was left to ponder a further attack onthe sector with an increase in taxation on category B2machines (FOBTs). The tax burden was increased from 20per cent to 25 per cent, with the consequence of almostimmediate falls in the share prices for both Paddy Power andLadbrokes. It is estimated that the increase will raise a fur-ther £75m from an industry that already pays in excess of£1bn in tax.”

EWEN MACGREGOR, BOND DICKINSON

“Rank Group, which operates 98 Mecca Bingo clubs, saw itsshares jump by more than 6 per cent on the announcement(to cut bingo duty in the Budget) to 153p, up from 143.1p onopening (15:21).”

IAN SILVERA, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES

t

2361-p38-39-Comment_Coinslot NEW 25/03/2014 13:50 Page 2


WOMEN 1ST ANNOUNCES2014 CONFERENCE DATE

Women 1st, the initia-tive that aims toincrease the number

of women working in seniorpositions in leisure and thewider tourism and visitoreconomy sector, hasannounced that its thirdannual conference will beheld at the Marriott HotelGrosvenor Square in Londonon July 3. The event will fea-ture a number of high-profilekeynote speakers, along withtwo panel sessions with sen-ior leaders and a choice ofinteractive workshops to helpdelegates boost theircareers, confidence andcharisma. Speakers alreadyconfirmed for the eventinclude: Carla Buzasi, editor-in-chief of The HuffingtonPost UK & AOL UK; women’sempowerment guru andWomen 1st patron, LynneFranks; and psychologist Dr.Linda Papadopolous, who

has appeared on televisionand radio programmes asdiverse as Big Brother andBBC News. Last year’sWomen 1st’s Conferenceattracted over 150 delegates.Simone Roche, director ofWomen 1st, said: “This is abrilliant opportunity forwomen working in leisure tomeet people and make new

contacts, hear first-handadvice from senior leaders,and boost their own skills andconfidence. “The conference

isn’t just for women either.Anyone with an interest in thediversity agenda is welcometo attend.”

ENTERTAINMENT UNIVER-SITY HEADING TO DUBAI

he next meeting ofthe FoundationsEntertainment Uni-

versity is to take place at the

Dubai World Trade Centre onApril 7-8, to coincide with theDubai Entertainment Amuse-ment and Leisure Show at thesame venue. FoundationsEntertainment University isan educational workshop andseminar program covering allaspects of market and finan-cial feasibility, planning,design, financing, develop-

ment, marketing and manag-ing a location-based enter-tainment business for longterm success. Project typescovered include family enter-tainment centres, bowling,laser tag, children’s entertain-ment and edutainment, playcafes, eatertainment, hybridcinemas, small amusementparks and many others.

Calendar

TO COMMENT ON ANY ARTICLE


UK EVENTSMARCH 201426TiLEzone London Transport Museum,

UK www.tileweb.org

INTERNATIONAL EVENTSMARCH 2014

26-28China Attractions Expo2014 China National Convention Cen-tre Beijing China www.caapa.org

APRIL 2014

8-10 DEAL 2014 Dubai World TradeCentre, UAE www.dealmiddleeast-show.com

MAY 2014

8-10GTI Asia Taipei ExpoTaipeiWorld Trade Centre, Taiwan www.gti-expo.com.tw/taipeien

UK EVENTSJUNE 2014

4Park Avenue Open Day, Park Avenue,

London, UK www.electrocoin.net

JUNE 2014

18-20Asian Attractions Expo,China National Convention Centre,Beijing, Chinawww.iaapa.org/AsianAttraction-sExpo

EDITORIALEditor: Alex LeeEmail: [email protected] Tel: 07772 280 299Assistant Editor:James Walker Email: [email protected]: 07816678021Managing Editor:Ken Scott Email: [email protected]: 01273 699 900ADVERTISING SALESKathryn NorrisEmail: [email protected]: 01204 396 397Fax: 01204 392 748SUBSCRIPTIONSSarah HaworthTel: 01204 396 397DIGITAL VERSIONMarc LawtonEmail: [email protected]: 01204 396 397PRODUCTIONDesigner: Gina LloydEmail: [email protected] Production &Pre-Press:Dave RoderickEmail: [email protected]: John SullivanGB Media Corporation Ltd,Bolton Technology Exchange,33 Queensbrook,Bolton, BL1 4AY Tel: 01204 396 397Fax: 01204 392 748

Email: [email protected] Executive:Emilie BeauTel: 01204 396 397OFFICESEditorial and Production:3rd Floor, 20 New Road,Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1UF (UK)Tel: 01273 699 900Advertising andSubscriptions:Coinslot International, BoltonTechnology Exchange,33Queensbrook,Bolton BL1 4AY Tel: 01204 396 397Fax: 01204 392 748

Opinions expressed in this publication shouldnot be regarded as the official view of GBMedia Corporation Ltd, except where stated.Views, opinions and recommendationscontained in this publication are put forward forconsideration only. No action should be takenin reliance upon any such views, opinions orrecommendations. Neither GB MediaCorporation Ltd nor contributors accept anyresponsibility for any loss occasioned to anyperson howsoever caused or arising as a resultof or in consequence of action taken orrefrained from in realiance on the contents ofthis publication.

Notes for contributors: Coinslotwelcomes the submission of articles forconsideration by the editor with a view topublication. Submission of an article will beheld to imply that the article contains originalunpublished work which GB MediaCorporation Ltd may lawfully publish. Allsubmissions are made at the owner’s risk.© GB Media Corporation Ltd, 2013All rights strictly reserved. No part of thispublication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted in any formor by any means without the prior writtenpermission given, full acknowledgement ofauthor, publisher and source must be given.

EAS Amsterdam may be biggest yetW

Newsweek

T

ith more exhibitors bookedfor this year’s Euro AttractionsShow, organiser IAAPA

believes it could be biggest in theevent’s history.

Already the largest conference andtrade fair for the attractions industryin Europe, it is set to take place in Ams-terdam’s RAI Exhibition and Conven-tion Centre on September 23-25.

EAS 2014 will feature more than380 exhibitors showcasing the latestproducts and services for the indus-try and is expected to attract more

than 8,500 visitors from 80 countries.Karen Staley, vice-president of

IAAPA Europe, said: “In 2009 we hadone of our best shows in Amsterdam.

“With numerous projects going onin the attractions industry in thenorth western part of Europe, it’s log-ical to return to this world-class Euro-pean city.”

During EAS, the RAI Exhibitionand Convention Centre will be themeeting point for the E8.6bn leisureand attractions industry in Europe.

The show floor will feature the lat-est products for amusement andtheme parks, water parks, family

entertainment centres, culturalattractions, shopping centres, casi-nos, resorts, arcades, golf centres andconcert facilities.

In addition to the trade show, EASwill offer a diversified programmewith conference and networkingevents.

European industry leaders willgive presentations on innovativetechnologies, storytelling, safety, in-park spend, events, human resources,water parks, family entertainmentcentres and indoor play facilities.

W

2361-p40-newsweek_Coinslot NEW 25/03/2014 12:26 Page 1

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