Euroslot Sep08 pg27 28 8/21/08 9:44 AM Page 27
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EUROPEAN NEWS - ITALY
Mauro Chinea says: 'Beware of magnetic cards'
T
he President of the CRIGA Association of In conclusion, electronic payments applied to
NewSlot machines owner-operators, Mauro NewSlot machines would create an absurd and
Chinea, has said in a press release that CRIGA will conflicting situation in which machines installed in
oppose any possibility of introducing electronic commercial premises would operate with systems
payments for AWP machines in Italy because: of payments and winnings similar to those
• No other country in Europe uses electronic pertaining to distance betting from home via the
payments for slot machines: the large markets internet.
in Spain, UK and Germany with, like Italy, over 1
million machines, use traditional systems with SHOULD ALL I DESCRIBED
coins. There must be a good reason for this ABOVE TAKE PLACE ….
practice; Apart from the collapse of the sector, where slot
• Indeed all market research confirms that players machines with electronic payments would be
prefer coins: without coins tinkling when you exclusively used by gamblers used to spending
win, slot machines surely lose a good part of and losing large sums of money.
their attraction; Apart from the issues of order and security
• NewSlot players are also and above all created in an absurd situation in which the
occasional players: electronic payments, with the Government would encourage compulsive and
attendant opening of dedicated accounts, the “irresponsible” gambling and the spread of
traceability of funds movements and the loss of gambling addictions.
anonymity, would become a barrier for these Apart from the enormous reductions in revenue
players, who are in fact the majority; for the Treasury.
• Feeding NewSlot machines with electronic Don’t you think that even our role as operators
payments is highly dangerous for players, as it would be at risk?
opens a bottomless pit for compulsive and corner shops without electronic payments, in Don’t you think that our professional mission,
addicted players: it is the opposite of “responsible complete anonymity and without their activities now that it has at last achieved a clear position in
gaming” and is tantamount to the Government being stored electronically; the new AAMS organisation, could even become
launching “irresponsible gaming”. We are not in • Coin operated slot machines are in favour with superfluous or useless?
Las Vegas where gaming is possible with credit the majority of players who naturally do not bet Don’t you think that the major dealers
cards, in addition to traditional systems: after all large amounts of money. belonging to the major groups could operate the
Las Vegas is the kingdom of perdition, it is not • Usually the coins you have in your pocket are NewSlot machines directly because they would
the bar next to your home! enough to satisfy the odd flutter! not need us any longer?
• In Australia, where in some regions the Video • If we were to forcibly replace coins with cards, I am speaking clearly but without anger on
Lottery Terminals (VLT) can also be fed with the occasional player would desert the shops behalf of 700 operators members of the CRIGA
cards, the Gambling Ministry has reversed this and only hardened gamblers would enter Association, as its President: do not listen, despite
practice and has started an experiment that betting: they are used to betting, spending and any justification brought forward, to the cries of
disallows players from gambling again with a losing considerable amounts of money; in this alarm by certain individuals regarding non-existing
card within a specified period of time through way slot machines would lose their typical problems or in any case problems that are far less
the allocation of unique personal codes; charm as a means of entertainment and the significant than the damage that would be
• It has been announced that in Spain, in order to vast majority of the public would gravitate created for our entire sector should new different
fight against thefts, feasibility studies are being towards other games. Our market would then be solutions be implemented.
carried out on the use of electronic payments: at risk of a severe contraction with a looming I begin to think mischievously that a small
however regulatory authorities, machine crisis and closures, without mentioning the group of so called “technical experts”, (who from
manufacturers and operators have not come to Government who would suffer a large drop in its time to time assume for themselves the task not
any conclusion on the matter, indeed also revenue, nowadays of fundamental importance to “propose” but to “decide” on behalf of
because of the reasons indicated above. for the Treasury; thousands of operators by issuing legal/technical
• Not even the idea of a card as a ”barrier” against proposals, luckily never taken into consideration
WE MUST REMEMBER THAT: robberies in commercial businesses can be by the relevant authorities who well understand
• Financial Institutions are obliged to accept argued on a rational basis. The “cash holding” the position) perhaps have been “pushed” by
payments with coins; naturally it is best to have would only move physically from inside the some “interested” party.
the coins counted in separate packages; gaming machines to the “cash desk” of the Therefore I urge all Italian operators to react
• Credit cards, prepaid or topped up, are today in shopkeeper, who would receive banknotes in and oppose any proposal for the introduction of
Italy devices used in association with gaming exchange for top-up cards. The risk associated electronic payments in slot machines, this in order
accounts, only mandatory for long distance with robberies would then be even higher, to safeguard the future of our businesses and the
gaming (betting and poker on-line); in any case because the shopkeeper, in possession of large growth of our market in which we have invested
betting on-line does not exceed 25 % of the amounts of paper money, would be an easy so much commitment and hard work in order to
total, because players prefer to bet in betting or target for a robbery. create it and develop it over the last 4 years.
SEPTEMBER 2008
27
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