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“The rapid development of the Italian AWP market makes us
very optimistic about the course of the VLT market and our
expansion in this field.” Fabio Schiavolin CEO | Cogetech
Networked Systems | Spain
Italian VLT
licence
THE
FORTUNATE
FEW
Slot operations and
licence fees
While the Italian VLT
charges will necessar-
ily have a negative
hamper Cirsa in Q3
impact on Cirsa’s
balance sheet in the
short-term, the
gaming giant is well
placed to enjoy future
Cirsa has booked a net loss for the third
growth in what the
industry concedes will
quarter of 2009, after a strong performance become a highly lucra-
in the group’s casino operations failed to
tive market. Intro-
offset one-off gaming charges and a
duced in the closing
months of 2009, Italian
sluggish Spanish arcade market. James
video lottery terminals
Walker reports.
are taxed at an
average rate of just
four per cent of gross
etworked operat- Terrassa-based Cirsa attrib- On October 30, 2009, Cirsa demand in the third quarter of enues per darevenues, cy.”ompared
N
ing systems giant uted the results primarily to a was granted a 10-year licence 2008 - driven by sales of the hit with a tax rate of 12.6
Cirsa Gaming Cor- decline in its Spanish slots to operate 2,583 video lottery game Perla del Caribe - also per cent for traditional
poration swung operations, which experi- terminals in Italy. As part of the hurt results. slots. Although the
to a loss in the enced a E3.6m drop in pre-tax VLT licence the group is Cirsa’s casino division con- machines can only be
third quarter of fiscal 2009, earnings. This was exacer- required to make a total tinues to perform well, with a installed in authorised
hindered by a slowdown in its bated by a drop in bingo rev- payment of E15,000 per ter- 5.8 per cent rise in net operat- gaming sites - such as
core Spanish slots market and enues, resulting from the minal, of which 50 per cent - ing revenues being attributed bingo halls and
a multi-million euro fee relat- swine flu outbreak in Mexico, E19.5m - was factored into its primarily to the “good per- gaming arcades - they
ing to its newly signed video and earnings from its busi- most recent trading state- formance” of its venues in offer jackpots of up to
lottery terminal licence in ness-to-business division. ment. Cirsa will be required to Latin America, particularly in E500,000. This will
Italy. Although the group, which pay the remaining 50 per cent Panama and Argentina. The likely prove to be a
Net operating revenues for employs more than 13,000 by June 30, 2010. group said: “On October 15, huge draw for con-
the group, which manages people across 70 countries, The 40-year-old company 2009, we started operations at sumers in casino-
arcade slot machines and said its casino unit continues also took a hit from operators our Casino de Rosario in scarce Italy, and
lounges around the world, to outperform the market - in Madrid, who delayed their Argentina. Since opening, the despite the enormous
slipped 1.4 per cent during earnings rose by E7.6m in the orders for new slot machines casino, which hosts 2,000 initial charges Cirsa
the quarter to E272.9m. Net quarter to E32.5m - its bottom as they awaited new regula- slots machines and 80 tables, should start to see
loss amounted to E2.1m, com- line was also eroded by a non- tions which were announced has exceeded our business strong returns in the
pared to a profit of E8.2m in recurring charge to the Italian in August and implemented plan expectations in terms of coming months.
the prior-year period. gaming authorities. later in the year. High levels of number of visitors and rev-
Display Technology | Japan Expansion | Germany
Asian companies strive to mass-
produce larger OLED displays
Larger OLED screens could be the next ‘big
W
hile OLED displays can Printing. The new company will
be found in mobile add the manufacture and sale of Companies cite
thing’ in coin-op video gaming in 2010 now phones and other small OLED displays to Casio's current
that Casio and Toppan have agreed to form
electronic devices, the high line-up of small and medium-size
costs of mass-producing them thin-film transistor (TFT) liquid
Germany as an
a new subsidiary.
has kept the technology from crystal displays (LCDs), in order
being a serious contender for to strengthen competitiveness
opportune market
TVs, PCs and video game in the small and medium-size
screens in a market dominated display markets and to foster
by cheaper LCD panels. But new growth. HIGH-PROFILE COIN-OP sions, and two fun poker ver-
companies like Toppan Printing, With the combined technolo- COMPANIES CITE sions - FunTime and FunBlind.
Casio Computer, Samsung gies and expertise from the two GERMANY AS THE LAND Nathalie Kervaon, marketing and
Mobile Display and LG Displays companies, the new site will OF OPPORTUNITY IN 2010 sales co-ordinator of MEI, the
see opportunities in larger mass-produce OLED and TFT Eszter Darvas of Playsystem KFT British manufacturer of auto-
OLED Displays and are looking LCD displays. Ichiro Ohno, who from Hungary considers the matic payment systems, is
at long term investments in the is currently Corporate Officer presentation of her company to equally convinced of the impor-
technology even though there and Senior General Manager of the German market at the forth- tance of her company’s pres-
are still technical barriers to the Electronic Device Division coming IMA show very impor- ence at the Düsseldorf trade fair:
overcome. at Casio, will become the first tant: “The market in Germany is “Germany is an important market
Japanese firms Casio Com- CEO of the new venture. The very large. The legal framework for MEI. We are well received in
puter and Toppan Printing have sales target for the first fiscal for poker games is not yet fully the marketplace and continue to
agreed terms to form a new year is predicted to be approxi- mature. If our fun poker philoso- grow our presence. It is critical for
company for the mass produc- mately Y35bn. phy is well received by players, us to attend the show and
tion of OLED displays using tech- Samsung Mobile Display is our participation in IMA will have support our customers. Attend-
nology from the parent reviewing the possibility of achieved its objective.” With ing the show also gives us the
companies. building an OLED line in Tang- Gold’em Digital, Playsystem KFT opportunity to listen to the
For the small and medium- jeong, South Chungcheong presents a series of products for market and to learn more about
size display business, Casio will Province, by using 5.5th-genera- poker games for four, six or ten its needs. Additionally, it gives us
establish a new company and tion technology for organic players, as well as Texas an opportunity to showcase new
transfer a portion of the new panels to be used on larger TVs Hold’em cash game and technology which is a result of
company's shares to Toppan over 30-inches. Sit’n’Go mini tournament ver- former learning.”
GamesWorld | 38 | December 2009/January 2010
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