Manchester wins UK casino race

UK: The Casino Advisory Panel has chosen Manchester to receive the first regional casino licence in the UK, beating near neighbours and favourites Blackpool and the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, London.

The Panel has also recommended that the areas in which the eight large casinos should be licensed are Great Yarmouth; Kingston-upon-Hull; Leeds; Middlesbrough; Milton Keynes; Newham; Solihull and Southampton.

Licences for small casinos will be granted in Bath and North East Somerset; Dumfries and Galloway; East Lindsey; Luton; Scarborough; Swansea; Torbay and Wolverhampton.

In making its recommendations, the panel decided that "Blackpool's proposal would represent the best test of social impact for the regional casino because most of the social effects would be exported.

"While it is clear that Blackpool is in need of regeneration, in our view the regeneration benefits of the proposal before us are unproven and more limited geographically than other proposals," said the panel.

"If we thought it would fulfil all that is claimed for it, that is to turn round the fortunes of Blackpool, it could be a winner. But we do not think that a regional casino on its own would effect the transformation sought locally, nor optimise the wider regeneration through regional and national economic growth. While we note that willingness to license is high, in the round we do not regard this as the best proposal before us."

Greenwich's bid was overlooked due to the proposal suffering from "uncertain additionality as regards regeneration benefits in general" and the proposal was deemed "unconvincing as to offering the best possible location in which to test social impact."

Manchester's "key role in the regeneration of the north of England" was cited as the main driver behind the decision to award the licence. "Manchester has a catchment area for a casino second only to that of London, and it is an area in need of regeneration at least as much as any of the others we observed - indeed, the city has the greatest need in terms of multiple deprivation of all the proposals before us," said the panel.

Howe named as Quicksilver operations director

UK: Andrew Howe has been appointed operations director at Quicksilver, the largest chain of adult gaming centres in the UK.

A qualified lawyer, Howe has been eight years in the leisure industry and will take over the day-to-day running of the 201 centres in 154 towns and cities across the UK.

Online gaming ads face UK regulations

UK: Online gambling companies based outside Europe will have to apply to the UK government if they want to advertise their products in the country after the new Gambling Act comes into play on September 1, according to a report in the Financial Times newspaper.

While online operators face new, more stringent regulations, a ban on casinos, betting shops and other gambling operators advertising on television in the UK has been relaxed by the government.

Capital Gaming calls in administrators

UK: Capital Gaming closed its doors two days ahead of the London ICE and ATEI shows last week.

The Cardiff-based manufacturer of automated multiplayer casino games had grown out of the ashes of one of the pioneers in that sector, Coinmaster, four years ago.

However, the company had been subjected to severe pressure from the very competitive marketplace, and although it had significantly reduced its borrowing, InterGaming understands that the banks called in administrators, who subsequently closed the doors and made 17 staff redundant.

Astra enters Belgian market

BELGIUM: The first product for Belgium produced by UK machine manufacturer Astra Games went on display on the booth of new distributor Seeben at the London show.

Fortune Dice is a video dice game, conforming to the Belgian laws which demand a ‘live’ game. It has been homologated after having been on test for two months, with, says the company, excellent results.

Bally VP speaks out against show calendar

US: Vice president of sales for Bally Technologies, Gavin Isaacs, sounded a note of concern at the polarising of the major international trade shows into a short calendar time-span, when he spoke with InterGaming at the London ICE show.

“This event at Earls Court is our major shop window for the European casino market,” he said. “This is how we market our games in Europe, but it leads me to be concerned at the way the calendar is showing the big events all so close together.”

He said that with London in January, the SAGSE South American show in November and the major G2E now moving to November too, then the three biggest shows of the year for his company were concentrated into three months.

Bell Fruit, Mazooma ‘not for sale’

UK: Bell Fruit and Mazooma are “not for sale,” was the message which came across clearly from the managing director of the machine makers’ parent company, Danoptra, speaking with InterGame during the London ATEI.

Derek Lloyd, recently installed by the company’s venture capital owners, was able to release figures for the group’s performance during the 2005 financial year and talk a little about his immediate objectives.

There had been some speculation in the UK financial press about the plans to sell off one of the divisions of Danoptra, Leisure Connection, which specialises in health clubs.

Coupled with the opening of negotiations on the further financing of the group with the banks, it led to talk of problems and sell-offs.

Lloyd, however, quickly quashed these rumours, pointing out that it was normal practice for venture capital companies to both renegotiate their financing and also to sell off parts of the business after a three-to-five-year span.

“We have no intention of selling Bell Fruit and the other machine-making businesses for the moment,” he said. “Obviously anything is for sale if the price is right, but we are not actively seeking a buyer.”

Lloyd said that also applied to the operating division, where Gamestec is currently the second largest machine company in the country.

Industrial Lorenzo opens US branch

US: Spanish manufacturer and distributor of components Industrial Lorenzo of Barcelona, has opened a US office.

The company, which specialises in buttons for amusement and gaming machines among other parts, has appointed Louie Rummenigge to head up Industrias Lorenzo Corporation.

The company is based at Itasca, Illinois, close to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

CMI, SGE sign new agreement

GERMANY: A new alliance has been forged by Germany’s Cash Management International and Service Gaming Europe of Glasgow, UK.

CMI’s Birgit Boettcher said that the company was now co-operating with SGE to handle the company’s multi-cash terminals in Britain and Ireland.

Incoming Merit CEO present at ATEI

US: An opportunity to introduce Merit’s new CEO and president, Mike Maas, to the international community, came during the London ATEI.

The company organised a breakfast meeting at which Maas spoke to distributors, customers and trade press, outlining some of the immediate objectives of the company.

Representatives from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, the UK, Cyprus, the US and heads of department from the company’s Philadelphia headquarters, were all assembled for the meeting.

Source: IGI