Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | December 2011 46 International Briefs Briefs TCS JOHNHUXLEY names Cath Burns as Global CEO TCS JOHNHUXLEY has appointed Cath Burns as Global Chief Executive Officer with effect from1st March 2012. Ms Burns has 20 years of experience in senior roles at international gaming and technology companies. She comes to TCS JOHNHUXLEY from Bally Technologies Inc in Macau, where she has served asVice President Asia Pacific since 2006. “A well-known and respected gaming professional, Burns was considered the ideal candidate for the role; meeting all the board’s criteria to further advance TCS JOHNHUXLEY’s lead position in the industry and accelerate the expansion and innovation of products and services globally,” said the company in a statement. At Bally Ms Burns established the company’s Asia Pacific head office in Macau for both its gaming and systems operations. She managed large-scale systems installation projects for The Venetian Macao Resort and Casino, Galaxy Macau, StarWorld Hotel & Casino, The Grand Lisboa, Casino Lisboa andMarina Bay Sands Singapore. Ms Burns is also credited with achieving Bally’s re-entry to the Australia and New Zealand gaming markets. She was honoured with a “2008 Great Women of Gaming – Proven Leader” award. “We are very pleased Cath Burns will be leading our TCS JOHNHUXLEY business,” said Bertil Knutsson, Chairman of Knutsson Holdings AB, the parent company. “We considered many talented and qualified individuals but Cath was the stand-out candidate and we are confident her proven track record and formidable results provide the right experience, talent and energy to develop and drive the business forward,” added Mr Knutsson. Commenting on her appointment, Cath Burns said, “I am delighted to join the company at this exciting time and look forward to taking the business forward in the next stage of its development. TCS JOHNHUXLEY is a global brand with an established and strong heritage, a great portfolio of innovative products and a talented and strong team of industry professionals. My aim is to build on this and maximise all opportunities for long term growth and profitability.’ Senate committee votes to allow sports betting at N.J. casinos, racetracks According to a report in NJ.com , sports betting in New Jersey came a step closer to reality on 2nd December, when a Senate panel approved a bill to allow casinos and racetracks to apply for licenses to offer it. The Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee voted 4-1 in favour of the legislation, which would allow New Jersey residents to be able to place bets online as well. It is the latest step in a long process to approve sports betting in the state. Voters overwhelmingly approved a non-binding referendum on 8th November legalising the wagering at casinos, racetracks and former racetrack sites. Betting would still be prohibited on college sporting events in the state or on New Jersey college teams wherever they play. If the measure is approved and signed by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the state will then have to win a lawsuit overturning a nearly 20-year-old federal ban. Currently, only four states—Nevada, Delaware, Oregon and Montana—allow sports betting. New Jersey failed in a previous attempt to overturn the law after a federal judge dismissed a suit filed by state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) and Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) on the grounds that the state—through the Attorney General’s Office— should have brought the suit. Gov. Christie refused to join the lawsuit at the time, but after the referendum passed, he said he would “work as hard as I can to try to make it a reality.” “We get this bill on the governor’s desk,” said Mr Lesniak, a prime sponsor of the bill. “He signs it. The attorney general goes into court and says this ban is unconstitutional.” The measure is intended to help rescue the state’s struggling casino and horse racing industries, proponents of sports betting say, since it is losing millions of dollars to offshore operations, organised crime and states that allow the wagering. Mr Lesniak emphasised that illegal sports betting is already widespread in the state, noting that newspapers publish games’ odds. “Do Congress and professional sports associations expect us to believe that these odds are published so New Jersey bettors can hop on a plane to place their bets legally?” he said. “I don’t think so.” State Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Mercer) was the only panel member to vote against the bill. She said she opposed allowing betting on college sports—even if only on out-of-state teams—and worried that the measure would lead to more gambling. Aristocrat play-for-fun mobile application games pass 100,000-download milestone Leading casino games and systems technology developer Aristocrat has recorded more than 100,000 downloads of its popular play-for-fun mobile app games from the App Store™. “We are thrilled to have achieved this important milestone. At Aristocrat, we create the world’s best gaming experience every day, and what this download milestone clearly says is that players love playing our games in their favourite casino, and love them so much that they want to take the play-for-fun versions with them everywhere they go on their iPod®, iPhone® or iPad®,” said Aristocrat Americas President Nick Khin. Several of Aristocrat’s most popular titles from land-based casinos are available now on the App Store, including Dragon Emperor™, Fire Light™, 5 Dragons™, Geisha™, Imperial House™, Miss Kitty™, Sun and Cath Burns New Jersey Governor Chris Christie