internationalcasinoreview
“The move by G2E to an early October date makes perfect sense and also creates a much better gap until January’s ICE in London. We are excited by the new product innovations and system solutions that we will show in Las Vegas and so I look forward to welcoming customers, business partners and guests to the Novomatic booth to see our ‘world of gaming entertainment’ for themselves.”
Comment
roundtwo COMMENT
Here we go again: just as we thought the worst was over, it seems as if the shaky recov- ery of the world economy is stalling and that many countries are heading for recession. That is likely, once again, to have serious consequences for the casino industry in many markets, but particu- larly in the US and Europe. Many of the big Las Vegas opera-
tors, however, are in a different posi- tion to the last time: some of them are benefiting from their highly cash gen- erative operations in Asia that are more than paying their way and helping to build the reserves. Almost all of them have been working on reducing their debt burden through restructuring programmes of various kinds, and the
large construction projects that were underway when it all went to pot last time have either been completed or abandoned and are now generating revenues or at least not costing any more.
The risk is that the lack of confi- dence in the immediate future’s pros- perity will lead to lower spending as people and companies hunker down and preserve their cash. This is some- thing that operators rightly fear – and as casinos are a relatively expensive form of entertainment, it is likely to mean at the very least a lower spend per head or worse still fewer people stepping through the doors. So casinos are going to have be very creative in how they attract customers: lower spend per head doesn’t matter so much, so long as overall betting levels remain at reasonable levels – it’s a numbers game after all.
The temptation will be to make do with older machines for another
season or two, not to upgrade systems and generally keep capital expendi- ture under control. Such a policy, however, is unlikely to generate much excitement on the gaming floor, and it reduces the opportunities – particu- larly when it comes to systems – for casinos to save on their operating costs. In the money-go-round of the casino industry, that will have a serious knock-on effect to suppliers. However creativity in attracting
new customers is very much in evi- dence – for example, the importation of brands not necessarily associated with gaming, such as the Margari- taville Casino to open at the Flamingo. The Pussycat Dolls gaming area in Caesar’s Palace was an early, much smaller example. Elsewhere the revival of the link between the Playboy brand and casinos has a similar aim. There is some important capital
investment going on as well, but away from the gaming floor. Caesar’s Linq
Playboy frenzy shows lack of knowledge, understanding and awareness
byphilmartin EDITOR, CASINO REVIEW
I was more than a bit surprised by the furore caused in my home city this month when London Club’s Interna- tional dared to announce a one-off Playboy themed night at its successful Manchester 235 venue. The speculation stirred up by the local media that this was a permanent move was slightly tabloid; the decision to involve comments linked to the Suf- fragettes was ludicrous. I’m extremely proud that the women of Manchester were instrumental in securing the female vote in the early 1900s, a vote that was supposed to give them a choice. For many, many years since women all over the city have been able to not only vote but also have the freedom to make their own career choices. It’s inconceivable to consider that things had one day been different. However, I just don’t understand why women such as Yvonne Edge, manager of the Pankhurst Centre, the birth-
GAMING AWARDS 2008/09/10 WINNER
http://www.gaming-awards.com 28 October 2011 •comment
place of the Suffragette movement, decide to focus their energy on a casino. She rightly points out that the Suffragettes fought and some died for the vote but then goes on to say that a Playboy casino would treat women like ‘objects.’ I wonder if she has ever been anywhere near a casino to make such a comment. If Yvonne thinks the Playboy bunny outfits are revealing she should see the chosen outfits worn by the vast majority in the city on a normal Saturday night out. It’s ironic that the majority of girls I know working in the business environment in Manchester have all jumped at the chance of wearing similar bunny outfits at various fancy dress parties! In my eyes casinos are one of the
safest environments to work in. It makes me wonder if Yvonne under- stands the difference between Playboy the magazine and Playboy the casino at all, maybe she envisages a scene from a centre spread taking place on the gaming floor, who knows? I’m not quite sure the Gambling Commission
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would allow that to happen. She goes on to describe Manchester as a forward-looking city but that any Playboy casino would be a’ step back- wards.’ Even though it isn’t happening, I
would see Manchester launching a Playboy licence as being a huge coup for the city and seeing it mentioned in the same breath as Las Vegas, London, Cancun would be very forward think- ing.
Yvonne goes onto say that women who do not have a job in these difficult economic times will think it is accept- able to sell their bodies. Again what doesn’t she grasp about the Playboy casino brand and the role of a croupier within it? How a fully trained, mathe- matically-astute croupier, wearing the outfit of a bunny girl, could be described as ‘selling her body’ is beyond me. How about professionally trained? How about £60,000 a year with tips? How about providing a pass- port to travel the world? The opening of the Playboy London saw lines of
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placard waving protestors complain- ing about women’s rights, yet I just don’t understand how the well- informed could link women’s rights with a modern-day Playboy casino. Recent campaigns to get Playboy the magazine banned from the shelves of a nationwide, family retailer are under- standable. I could also understand if women’s rights campaigners tried to close down the many strip bars, massage parlors and illegal brothels that advertise themselves throughout the city. But even mentioning a Playboy casino in the same breath as such illicit industries shows a complete lack of knowledge, understanding and aware- ness. Just for the record, Playboy is coming to Manchester...a theme event for one night only. I think it’s supposed to be a bit of fun.
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http://www.europeancasinoassociation.org http://www.eelex.com Jens Halle, Managing Director, AGI
Casinos must invest creatively to win through
Casino operators are in a better position ahead of a likely return to the global economic blues, says Hugh Sorrill, but their creativity in attracting more people to play might leave out the supply side of the industry.
project that will create a cross-Strip retail, dining and entertainment area is designed to be an attraction in its own right but its ultimate aim is to keep people also coming on to the gaming floors in that part of town. On the other side of the US, Genting
has put forward its stunning plans for a resort in Florida, even before reforms to gaming legislation have been devised: a casino is at the heart of it, but the company’s experience of develop- ing Integrated Resorts allows it to dilute the gaming aspect of the its plans, which may make it more appealing to legislators and to the millions of tourists that flock to the state every year. The next couple of years will be dif- ficult: gaming will probably be hit again but even though operators are in a better position, their diversifica- tion more into entertainment means that any money they do spend is unlikely to be spent in the industry, making it even tougher for suppliers.
DOJ action against Full Tilt Poker
demonstrates need to act
byfrankfahrenkopf PRESIDENT & CEO,
AMERICAN GAMING ASSOCIATION
“I have two simple ques- tions: ‘How much and for how long?’ How much money that we don’t know about is being swindled from US consumers and how long will it take before we change laws to protect those consumers? This morning we called on Congress to institute an effective online poker regulatory system to protect American consumers and released an online poker Code of Conduct that would ensure online poker companies are operated honestly, legally and responsibly. This afternoon the Department of Justice (DOJ) accused one of the most well-known offshore online operators, Full Tilt Poker, of bilking players out of more than $300m. The US attorney who made the accusation called Full Tilt Poker, ‘…not a legitimate poker company, but a global Ponzi scheme. Tomor- row Congress should begin changing the laws to protect con- sumers from such schemes. We applaud the DOJ for this latest action, but every time a shady website is shut down, an even shadier one pops up. The type of illegal activity the DOJ is accusing Full Tilt Poker of will continue to happen in the absence of the same tough, stringent regulations and enforcement that successfully govern bricks-and-mortar casinos. The Code of Conduct we released today details the type of measures that will help ensure American consumers are pro- tected. The time to act is now, or millions of Americans playing online will continue to face a risky environment. Congress needs to establish federal guidelines so that states that choose to can reg- ulate and license online poker, and bring the jobs and revenues asso- ciated with this billion dollar indus- try to the US.”
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION
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