Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | November 2008 Talking Heads We have added a new junket model. Asian junkets are very specific to this part of the world. Bally is making sure that the system product we have can account for those junkets to improve control and accountability. As the market becomes more competitive, operators want business intelligence add-ons that tell them more about their players, what they are like, how they play—it helps them understand players better and gain more control of their business. Those tools help operators manage their expenses and resources. On the games side we have just released a new product called Quick Hit™ Platinum, which builds on t h e success of our Quick Hit™ stepper product. Quick Hit™ was the re-birth of steppers. It’s not only a stepper, it is topped with a video top-box. This was a bit of a revolutionary product in Macau. We took this product and put it in an elongated cabinet and added an extra jackpot, taking the total to six. The new version is similar to a stepper but in video format with the top box separated from the main game. The next game product we are about to release is our CineVision™ product in a reel. Reels are getting more popular in Macau. Bally has definitely found a niche with this product that is strong for us and it is doing really well. The CineVision™ reel product will roll out at City of Dreams. With the benefit of hindsight, is there anything you wish you had done differently in Macau? If I had to do it again,I would do it exactly the same way. We came here in February 2006, just as the market was about to ramp up. We were focused on ensuring The Venetian Macao’s system implementation was as flawless as possible given its scale, and we achieved that. On the products side we built a good client base in Macau, and later Asia, with Blazing 7s™, Hot Shot Progressive™ and Quick Hit™, and built up a lot of confidence in Bally and our products. One of the most difficult parts of our Macau expansion was growing our personnel.We were busy hiring at the same time as our customers were ramping up their businesses—I would have liked a bit more breathing space there, but in the end it worked out well.We have a great team. Labour continues to be the number one concern for all of us. Right now, Bally is where we need to be: we have 26 team members, most of which are Macanese in keeping with our desire to be a strong Macanese-built business. If we had to grow, adding to the team may become a challenge. At the moment we have some breathing space, and as long as engineers keep coming out of the universities,I think we’ll be all right. Bally’s iVIEW™ player-communication technology Reel Money™ is available on the new CineReels™ platform, an award- winning stepper product based on the CineVision™ cabinet. Reel Money™ is a five-level “game-in-game” progressive slot that offers players a chance to win all five progressive jackpots with just one spin The Hot Shot Progressive™ on Bally’s CineVision™ widescreen cabinet has proved a hit in Macau 36