In the white paper, the regulator is focusing on the technical standards of gaming machines and the testing strategy. 

The consultation suggests five new standards, a license condition, and a social responsibility code provision. This code proposes time and monetary limits and would include safe gambling messaging and session time.

The UKGC is also seeking views on three existing standards it is looking to amend. Moreover, the commission wants to consolidate the 12 existing gaming machine standards into one standard. This will be twinned with steps to amend the format for greater consistency with remote gambling and software technical standards.

Lastly, the consultation includes plans for gaming machine technical standards updates and the testing strategy that looks to remove obsolete material.

Tim Miller, the Gambling Commission’s executive director of research and policy, summarized that the top priority of the white paper is to ensure that gambling happens safely. The consultation is committed to this aim along with the implementation of gaming machine changes. 

On the cost of these new measures, Miller invited consumers and gambling businesses to share evidence that will help them calculate the likely costs of these regulatory changes, as well as the overall impact.

The consultation started yesterday (January 29) and will last 16 weeks, ending on May 20.

The post UK Regulator Consults on Gaming Machine Standards appeared first on CasinoBeats.

“We’re eager to complete the integration of G2S with our EGM system software” said Larry
Hodgson, vice president of engineering at Incredible Technologies.

“Our partnership with Comtrade will allow us to expand into new markets where G2S technology is the preferred EGM management system. We’re now able to provide an integrated solution that is growth- focused and player centered.”

Created based on GSA Standards, the G2S (game to system) EGM Protocol Engine offers the vendor the functionality to integrate a library of layered features to facilitate multiple host support, media server-initiated messages and detailed data to allow better performance analytics.

As a part of the sCore G2S Solution business logic extensions highlight key insights to
open two-way communication between EGM and host systems.

“G2S Protocol Stacks allow fast implementation and permit scalability and successful
product performance,” explained Igor Rus, director of systems at Comtrade Gaming.

“As we negotiate new global entry points, the cooperation with Incredible Technologies reinforces that the market continues to develop along our strengths. Opportunities for innovation provide partners with solutions and prove that progress is in development.”

The post Comtrade Gaming boost for Incredible Technologies’ slots  appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The key finding was that 14 per cent of 11-16 year olds in the UK – more than 50,000 – had spent their own money on gambling in the week prior to being canvassed, at an average of £16 spent. This is up from the 12 per cent recorded last year but lower than in years prior to 2017.

For context, this compares with 13 per cent in the same age range who had consumed alcohol in the preceding seven days, while four per cent admitted to smoking and two per cent to taking illicit drugs,

Those 11-16 year olds that gambled did so mostly with their friends, placing private bets for money (six per cent) while four per cent bought National Lottery scratchcards and three per cent played fruit/slot machines.

Six per cent played online using a parent or guardian’s account. However, this group’s online activities were again dominated by the National Lottery, with just two per cent of those youngsters surveyed claiming to have played at “other gambling websites” with their parents’ permission.

One per cent of 11-16 year olds said they had played on non-National Lottery gambling websites without their parents’ permission.

Despite the bounce from 2017’s low rate, there is encouragement regarding attitudes to gambling with 59 per cent of respondents agreeing that gambling is dangerous, while 49 per cent said that someone had spoken to them about the problems that can arise from gambling.

Still, 1.7 per cent of 11-16 year olds are categorised as problem gamblers.

In a press release, Tim Miller, executive director at the Gambling Commission, said: “Protecting children from the harms that can come from gambling remains one of our highest priorities. In the areas we have regulatory control, we continue to strengthen the protections in place to prevent underage gambling, such as our recent proposals for enhanced age verifications checks for online gambling.”

“But regulation alone cannot address all of the risks that young people may face from gambling. Our latest research shows that the most common forms of gambling by children do not happen in gambling premises.

“Some of these are legal, such as bets between friends; some of these are unlawful, such as gambling on machines in pubs. But all of them present risks to young people as there is no form of gambling that is risk-free. It is therefore vital that all those with a part to play in protecting children and young people – parents, businesses and regulators – work together.”

Just week, the Gambling Commission confirmed it had written to pubs regarding the more effective control of young people entering the premises to play on gambling machines.

Read the full 2018 Young people and Gambling report here

The post Online resists rise in gambling among 11-16 year olds appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Following the previous installation of the jackpot systems Egypt Quest and Cat 4 Cash, Das Game has made a significant additional investment in EGT products.

Three Super Premier 75 cabinets line up alongside the P-42V St Curved slot machines, while 30 slots for models P-24/24 Up and P-27/27 St Slim – already widely popular with players in Latin America – have been added to the Elegance gaming floor.

“Our customer [Das Game] appreciated the innovative approach, used in Super Premier 75. Undoubtedly it is one of our most stand-out products,” said Nadia Popova, director of EGT for Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico.

“The Curved cabinets are also gaining momentum in Suriname and are a perfect addition to Das Game’s establishment, known for its high-level of service and guests, apt to enjoy the latest gaming achievements.”

Part of the installation is the P-27/32H St cabinet, featuring a 27-inch widescreen touch display and a 32-inch LED-illuminated landscape top-box.

Continued Popova: “Suriname is one of our major markets in South America. We are partnering with all key operators in the country and have so far reached a market share of 60 per cent.

“Among our priorities for the year, apart from the installations of our already popular cabinets, will be the launch of new slot models, as well as of the EGT Multiplayer’s products. So I am confident in EGT’s future growth in the region.”

The post More success for EGT in Suriname appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Operated by the Millionaires Group from South Africa, the venue is known for its high-profile reward programs. Via a series of launch events, both companies presented six P-42V Curved St cabinets, housing the Chinese-themed four-level progressive Fu Gui Rong Hua jackpot and six P- 27/27 St Slim machines with the four-level mystery-progressive Diamond Life.

The games are connected to a community jackpot system, which is also linked to the casino’s many slot machines.

“The operator became acquainted with our products at the numerous international exhibitions we take part in every year and was impressed by the wide range of machines, games and services EGT has to offer,” said Silvia Marinova, director of EGT Colombia.

“The Millionaires Group is famous for its demanding way of choosing the products and is always in search for the best, so we are proud to be among the selected suppliers. As a beginning, we have chosen to present to the guests casino some of our most popular cabinets and jackpots in Colombia and the more time passes the more we are positive that our approach was correct.”

The Millionaires Casino Bogota reports that the EGT machines are usually occupied most of the time and by different types of players, with game dynamics, the bonuses and the opportunity to hit more than one jackpot level at a time when playing the Fu Gui Rong Hua coming in for particular praise.

EGT Colombia has several more deals for the country in the pipeline, some of which will be confirmed in 2019.

The partnership with Millionaires Group will see more installations in Colombia, as well as in the operator’s foreign markets.

The post EGT grows further in Colombia appeared first on CasinoBeats.

In a press release regarding an on-market share buy-back on the Australian Stock Exchange, Crown acknowledged the view of regulator VCGLR that Crown Melbourne’s trial use of blanking buttons on 17 of its 2,628 machines for a three-week period in March and April, 2017, may have breached the Australian Gambling Regulation Act.

The VCGLR is taking the view that the trial constituted the variation of a gaming machine type and should not have gone ahead without the regulator’s prior approval. The use of blanking buttons effectively reduces the gambling options available to players of those machines.

In the statement, Crown said: “Crown Melbourne’s position is that the trial did not require prior approval and therefore there has been no contravention of the GRA.

“Crown Melbourne has recently provided a detailed submission of its position to the commission, which [we understand] the commission is currently considering.”

The review could lead to a suspension of Crown Melbourne’s licence or other disciplinary measures.

The post Crown Resorts facing allegations of machine tampering in Victoria appeared first on CasinoBeats.

However, Justice Debbie Mortimer found the allegations had not been proven and threw out the case. The ruling clears the way for trading to resume in Aristocrat stock on the Australian Securities Exchange, which had been halted at the request of the company while the judgement was awaited.

Guy had alleged that the design features of Dolphin Treasure were misleading to players, a claim Aristocrat denied and that the court found had not been demonstrated.

In a statement, Aristocrat welcomed the ruling: “As we have said throughout, Aristocrat is a high-integrity business that takes our regulatory obligations extremely seriously. We strive to scrupulously uphold our obligations with respect to EGM compliance.

“We will continue to support balanced and fact-based harm minimisation initiatives, and do more where we can, recognising that these issues are complex and require collaboration across industry, regulators and the community. In this vein, we will consider the court’s judgment in detail.”

Normal trading in Aristocrat Leisure is expected to resume on Tuesday, 6 February.

The post Trading in Aristocrat shares to resume after Guy case thrown out appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The contract will focus on distributing EGT products across Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Laos and Nepal.

EGT is currently known in the Philippines from the casinos, owned by the state regulator PAGCOR, as well as in Laos, Macao, Sri Lanka and Taiwan. In all those countries the Bulgarian manufacturer is represented with its Vega Vision multigame machines.

“The Asian market is large with high potential and I am confident that Channel Paradise will boost our presence in the region,” said Boyko Boev, manager business development at EGT.

“The company has an impeccable reputation and is aware of the tastes and preferences of the domestic players. We are confident that our new partner will present EGT’s products in the most appropriate way, providing our R&D team with the needed feedback to adapt our existing gaming solutions to the local requirements, as well as to develop entirely new ones aimed specifically at those markets.”

Eng Meng Chuah, chief operating officer for Channel Paradise, added: “We anticipate the return of EGT to the G2E Asia exhibition in Macau in May this year. I am certain that our new partner will have a lot to show in terms of interesting new products.”

The post New Asian distributor for EGT gaming machines appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Over more than 1,200sq.m, stand S4-330 will be home to a wide range of slot cabinets, jackpots, multigame mixes, multiplayer solutions, online games and the EGT casino management system.

Four completely new cabinets, all powered by the Exciter III platform, will be launched. Models EGT-A-27/27 Up and EGT-B-27/27 St offer visual clarity with two high-resolution 27-inch widescreen frameless monitors, with a same-size topper option. A large keyboard, clear stereo sound and eye-catching design are also some of the advantages of the other two debuting cabinets – the EGT-A-27/32 Up and EGT-B-27/32 St.

Dragon’s Turn is an Asian-themed four-level progressive jackpot game from EGT that will have its debut in London. In addition, EGT will have on show two recently developed multigame mixes – the Purple Collection of 48 titles and the Gold Collection HD.

EGT’s ICE portfolio will also include the Spider casino management system and a range of multiplayer solutions, including the STORK and S-line HD multiplayer terminals, different roulette models, including the 12-seat T-Line roulette touch table with an automated wheel, and a rich variety of multiplayer games.

The post EGT doubles ICE presence for 2018 appeared first on CasinoBeats.