Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | January 2010 46 Briefs International Briefs Bally gets Boot Hill Bally Technologies, Inc has won a comprehensive systems and server-based technology contract for the first state-owned casino in Kansas. The first phase of Boot Hill Casino & Resort, a US$90 million project in Dodge City, opened to the public in December. Bally is supplying equipment including 579 Bally iVIEW™ interactive, touch-screendisplays; theBallySDS®Version11Windows® system for slot accounting; the CMP™ player-tracking and marketing solution; and Power Promotions™ to enable casino customers to convert points and promotional dollars to playable credits. “Having Bally as our systems technology partner gave us a lot of peace of mind as we opened the doors to the public,” said Mike Tamburelli, General Manager of Boot Hill Casino & Resort in a prepared statement. “Bally’s marketing, player rewards, and bonusing technology will help us quickly build a loyal player base, while the SDS system provides years of proven reliability, security, and powerful data collection. Bally’s customer support is world class, and we feel confident that Bally’s engineering depth will provide a steady stream of technology innovation as we continue to grow and expand our operation.” Manx licence for Mahjong Logic Mahjong Logic has obtained an online gambling licence in the Isle of Man, one of the UK government’s White List jurisdictions. Mahjong Logic, a gaming software development company founded in Stockholm Sweden, describes itself as the leading mahjong software developer of the real money player-to-player mahjong network. The company said its application was approved within 12 weeks of being filed. “We are proud and delighted to be awarded the Isle of Man gaming licence,”said Jonas Alm, CEO of Mahjong Logic, in a prepared statement. “We applied for the prestigious Isle Of Man licence because it represents the highest standards of jurisdictional control in the gaming industry,” he added. “We have several customers lined up and in the coming year we hope to grow our business with a genuinely innovative gambling offering.” EU court blow for Ladbrokes and Betfair The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled against two online gaming operators pressing for an end to the Netherlands’ ban on provision of offshore Internet gaming to its citizens. Ladbrokes and Betfair had claimed that EU law does not allow the Dutch authorities to prohibit private operators from offering Internet gambling and betting services to Dutch citizens. The two companies oppose the monopoly held by Dutch license holder De Lotto. Their reasoning is based on the fact that Ladbrokes and Betfair are both lawfully operating and licensed in other EU member states. The ECJ’s Advocate-General, Yves Bot, when delivering his opinion in mid-December, said holders of exclusive gaming licenses may be authorised, in “certain circumstances” to make their offer attractive by introducing new games as well as by using advertising. M. Bot also noted that when granting exclusive gaming rights to an operator, the competent authorities must ensure an adequate call for tender under the licensing procedure or as part of the renewal of that licence. Talking point Australia’s Draft Report on Gambling has been released by the country’s Productivity Commission and final recommendations are due to be presented to the Commonwealth Government in February 2010. Gaming, Racing &Wagering Australia, a conference organised by Beacon Events taking place from 22nd-23rd March 2010 at Star City in Sydney, promises a fully-comprehensive look at the implications of the Productivity Commission’s recommendations and what the future holds for the different sectors. Demand and supply TCS JOHNHUXLEY was recently announced as a major supplier to the newly opened Magazan Resort Casino in Morocco. The company provided 66 gaming tables, 25 roulette wheels, 25 number displays, 24 chipping machines, 450 William Yeoward gaming chairs, 467 slot chairs, a CardRoom MAGIC Poker system and a selection of cash chips, wheel checks and playing card packs to the new venue. Bill of rules The costs of regulating the United Kingdom gambling industry have tripled under the Gambling Commission, according to a report in the January Bally iVIEW™ De Lotto holds the Dutch gaming monopoly