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Gaming Partners International

Posted on April 10, 2014 by -

Gaming Partners International manufactures and supplies a wide range of table game products and equipment to licensed casinos worldwide. Under the brand names of Paulson, Bourgogne et Grasset and Bud Jones, GPI provides high-quality casino currency such as chips, plaques and jetons, as well as gaming furniture, layouts, cards and accessories. GPI also is a leading provider of RFID currency and products and table game solutions.

GPI has one of the most extensive suites of gaming currency and currency security features available in the industry. From American-style Paulson, Bud Jones and B&G chip lines, to B&G European-style plaques and jetons, GPI provides customers with an extensive array of options that help them meet their property’s specific requirements.
   
GPI invests resources into continually developing and innovating new products that offer new solutions to customers’ needs and changing requirements.
   
One of GPI’s newest products, the Paulson Denomination mold, features the chip’s denomination stamped into the outer ring of the mold, making the chip much more difficult to counterfeit. Another new currency product is the B&G J3 jeton, a revolutionary currency product that combines features from American-style chips and European-style plaques and jetons.
   
The J3 is available in numerous edge spot designs and patterns with a multitude of security features. Two of the newest security features are 4C-UV and EM Detection. 4C-UV incorporates a four-color image or pattern onto a chip’s decal and can be easily authenticated at the table with a standard UV light. EM Detection deters internal theft by sounding an alarm whenever unauthorized attempts are made to remove currency from the property.   
 
GPI also manufactures a full range of gaming furniture including gaming tables and pit podiums. Two newer furniture offerings are two quick-change table top options that make switching layouts on tables a quicker, simpler process, thus reducing game downtime lost to more traditional methods of changing table layouts.  
   
For more information on any GPI products or on the full suite of table game products and accessories, contact a local GPI sales representative or visit www.gpigaming.com.

Gaming Laboratories International

Posted on April 10, 2014 by -

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2014, Gaming Laboratories International, the world’s leading gaming testing laboratory and technical consultancy, has partnered with tribes across North America for the past 25 years to provide testing, certification and consulting services to their gaming operations.
   
GLI has been a longtime supporter and advocate of tribal gaming, and is a proud associate member of NIGA. GLI is the recognized leader in Class II and Class III testing, ISS audits, IT and internet security assessments and on-site casino floor verification and inspection.
   
GLI tests, inspects and certifies an incredible range of gaming devices and systems, for virtually every jurisdiction in the world. GLI has more than 800 employees worldwide, with specialized teams formed to provide personalized service. Beyond the casino floor, GLI is the leader in legal iGaming testing and certification. Since iGaming’s inception nearly 20 years ago, GLI has been leading the way, testing and certifying products for legal iGaming jurisdictions and for new legal iGaming markets around the world.
   
GLI also consults on technical standards in jurisdictions across the globe in both emerging and existing markets. GLI is the only global organization of its kind to hold U.S. and international accreditations for compliance with ISO/IEC 17025, 17020 and Guide 65 standards for technical competence in the gaming industry.
   
Also, GLI has global capabilities in professional services, field services and lottery consulting and testing. GLI offers an extensive portfolio of professional services, including project management, governance risk and compliance, technical services, and training through the company’s GLI University program.
   
GLI’s Professional Services division offers four main channels of world-class services:

• Project management, including project health checks and recovery;

• Governance risk and compliance services, such as World Lottery Association audits, ISO audits, network risk assessments and internal audit and enterprise risk management services;

• GLI University training modules, including ISO standards, WLA standards and responsible gaming; and,

• Technical services, such as functional product testing, source code audits and load and performance testing.
   
GLI’s field services help operators protect themselves in today’s highly connected and interconnected gaming world.
   
GLI has been serving lotteries since 1989, and serves more than 65 lotteries globally.
   
GLI is very proud of the relationships it has developed with tribal leaders and regulators across North America, and honored with the trust that they place in GLI every day.

For more information, visit www.gaminglabs.com.

Cuningham Group Architecture

Posted on April 10, 2014 by -

Cuningham Group Architecture, Inc. exists to create beautiful places for a balanced world. Cuningham Group’s “Beautiful Places, Balanced World” approach to the business and practice of architecture is one it has nurtured for more than four decades.
   
Founded in 1968, the multi-disciplinary design firm provides architecture, interior design, urban design and planning services for a diverse mix of client and project types, with significant focus over the last 20-plus years on gaming and entertainment. Bolstered by a staff of 275 and offices in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Biloxi, Denver, San Diego, Phoenix, Seoul and Beijing, Cuningham Group has expanded services and markets to meet a growing demand from some of entertainment’s largest and most respected clients.
   
The firm’s portfolio—which covers the spectrum from small and delicate spaces to complex and expansive—includes casinos, hotels, theaters, convention centers, restaurants, retail venues, master plans and support facilities for gaming and resort destinations throughout the U.S. and around the world.
    
Cuningham Group’s top priority is design excellence through a client-centered, collaborative approach. Its “Every Building Tells a Story” philosophy toward gaming design emphasizes one-of-a-kind solutions—creating experiences and a sense of place by telling stories through a modern interpretation of metaphors that reflect the vision of the client and the character of each property and site. The process benefits clients by providing unique environments that differentiate them from competition.
    
Providing design services to premier properties and leaders in the leisure and entertainment industries had led Cuningham Group to be consistently ranked among top firms, and the company’s design work has been honored with more than 140 industry and market awards. Notably, the firm was ranked among the Top 10 Hotel Design firms in Building Design & Construction magazine’s Giants 300 Report for 2013.
   
Recent projects include the $205 million Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City, Louisiana, which was the recipient of the 2013 Casino Design Award for “Best Architectural Design Over $100 Million.” Opening in 2014 is the new 21-story, 381-room hotel tower for Potawatomi Bingo Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And the firm is currently designing the new Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel in North Carolina. The project follows on the heels of the highly successful and award-winning $650 million expansion and renovation of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.
   
For more information, visit www.cuningham.com.

Bally Technologies

Posted on April 10, 2014 by -

As Bally enters 2014 as a larger and stronger company, its partnership with tribal gaming operators continues. After combining with SHFL entertainment in late 2013, Bally now offers an even broader product portfolio to help Native American casinos connect with their players and attract new ones. Following are the latest solutions Bally offers for tribal gaming operators.

TITANIC, Copperfield and ZZ Top Video Slots
“Titanic” delivers a fully interactive and cinematic experience centered on the iconic star-crossed lovers from James Cameron’s Titanic, one of the highest-grossing films in history. Featuring scenes and music from the blockbuster phenomenon, Titanic integrates many of Bally’s proven play mechanics, two base-game mystery features and three progressive jackpots including one large top award. The main attraction U-Spin bonus wheel, resembling a ship’s helm, awards credits as well as one guaranteed free-games feature.
   
The world’s greatest illusionist delivers an extraordinary experience in “The Magic of David Copperfield.” Magical bonuses are unleashed through the “Death Saw,” which awards credits, the progressive jackpot, Flying Free Games or Levitation Free Games showing video of illusions from Copperfield’s legendary performances.
   
Bally continues to bring more hit songs to casino floors in “ZZ Top Live from Texas.” The famous American blues-rock trio delivers a host of bonuses, play mechanics and progressives, along with some of the band’s greatest hits.

New Product Offers Flexibility to Players
Bally’s “Take ‘n Play” is a remarkable new product that enables players to take their game “on the go” for the first time ever, by playing a physical slot machine on the convenience of a tablet. Take ‘n Play is the industry’s first technology that allows the same slot machine game to be played in more than one location by streaming the game content directly from the slot machine to a tablet.  

Bally Systems
Bally’s iVIEW Display Manager picture-in-picture technology and Elite Bonusing Suite have powered five world-record-setting events using Virtual Racing, Virtual Racing NASCAR and DM Tournaments. Now, DM Tournaments includes a pioneering new feature called Bonus Tournaments, the latest addition to Bally’s EBS portfolio. Bonus Tournaments enables casinos to run floor-wide tournaments in which both the base game and the tournament game can be played at the same time, ensuring that there is no interruption in player-wagering activity.
    
For more information, contact Laura Olson-Reyes, senior director of corporate marketing and communications, at 702-532-7742, lolson-reyes@ballytech.com or visit www.ballytech.com.

Aruze Gaming America, Inc.

Posted on April 10, 2014 by -

Aruze Gaming America, Inc. is one of the fastest-growing suppliers in the gaming industry, and one of the top providers of unique video and stepper slots, communal gaming products and multi-terminal stations.
   
Aruze not only has grown enormously in the United States, but also continues to expand its European distribution network. In an effort to provide superior customer service, Aruze has opened offices and facilities throughout North America, Australia, South Africa, Macau, Japan and the Philippines.
   
At NIGA 2014 in San Diego, Aruze will display its growing library of successful stepper and video titles, focusing on new titles that build on the company’s record of success and support its “Performance Matters” theme.
   
Once again, the Ultra Stack game series will lead the G-Series video products with themes designed to add to the hottest video game series in the industry. New Ultra Stack titles will include Ultra Stack Gorilla, Ultra Stack Lucky Fish and Ultra Stack Rising Dragon. Other new G-Series games to be showcased will be Sunset Lion and Jungle Tiger, both 50-line games offering free games and stacked wild symbols.
   
Aruze also will introduce the latest stepper titles to be added to its Innovator library of games. All Innovator models feature Radiant Reels, a revolutionary spin on stepper technology, designed with large reels, dynamically illuminated multi-colored LED lights and variable spin speeds that combine to build player anticipation for winning combinations.
   
The Innovator Deluxe platform, with eye-catching top boxes, includes Ultimate Diamond, Platinum Jackpot and Mystical Egypt. The Innovator series of five-reel games offers its hottest-performing titles, including Howling Wolf and The Great Inca, and welcomes several new themes such as Laser Seven, Cyber Seven and Cherry Chance Jewel Seven.  
   
For more information, visit www.aruzegaming.com.

Ainsworth Game Technology

Posted on April 10, 2014 by -

Ainsworth Game Technology is a leading-edge designer of innovative gaming machines and game software. Ainsworth offers a wide range of gaming products, including entertaining stand-alone progressives and linked games through its sales offices and distributors in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States.
   
Ainsworth Game Technology Limited was founded in 1995 by Len Ainsworth, who made a commitment to become the leading manufacturer and supplier of gaming machines, software and related equipment. Today, Ainsworth is a premier manufacturer of global gaming products, with more than 200 years of combined gaming experience. Ainsworth Game Technology is committed to a culture of quality, innovation and excellence.

Hardware
Ainsworth provides enhanced technology options featuring the A560 family of cabinets, peripherals and supporting hardware that meet and exceed the continued technology demand of the industry, and also provides hardware to support its market-leading premium game designs.
   
In 2014, Ainsworth will showcase its latest cabinets: the A560SBT and A560SL. The A560SBT is sure to impress with its wide-screen impact and small-footprint versatility, while the A560SL offers a striking 32-inch display and 19-inch LCD top screen complete with dynamic attract lighting. Both of these new cabinet offerings have been engineered to provide a spectacular presentation on any gaming floor.

QX32 Jackpot Controller
Ainsworth provides the ultimate in jackpot solutions with an endless range of options through the QX32, an intelligent controller that sets itself apart from the competition. Not only does it manage multiple jackpot banks, the QX32 also has the ability to simultaneously manage both symbol and mystery jackpot pools. In addition, this intelligent controller is very cost-effective and utilizes development-efficient hardware that removes dependence on third-party developers, and supports Ainsworth’s aggressive global-link progressive strategy.

Leading Global Game Portfolio
Ainsworth provides a wide range of game titles that are developed using a base of new and proven product brands, incorporating stand-alone and link progressives, and including premium products supported with market-leading game options and features.
   
For more information, visit www.ainsworth.com.au or call 702-778-9000.

ACRES 4.0

Posted on April 10, 2014 by -

Are you pleased with your casino’s future prospects?
   
If not, try this simple exercise: Go into your casino and take out your phone. You’ve just surrounded yourself with the past, while the future rests in your hand.
   
That future uses relationship marketing, a business method inviting consumers to use a product or service at no cost, forever. Casinos use transactional marketing: Consumers visit your casino, somehow select a game from the ocean of empty machines on your floor, and wager their own money in the hopes of winning.
   
You identify those few that spend significant sums and work to create loyalty relationships with them. The rest are purged from your database. A lot of potential customers are lost, and therefore fewer than 10 percent of all adults gamble in any casino more than twice a year.
   
To earn more customers, especially younger ones, you must turn to relationship marketing, and that’s where Acres 4.0 can help. You see, relationship marketing is more than just inviting people to participate in a free opportunity. It is about great customer service, targeted communication and enjoyable experiences. And relationship marketing works well with your existing customers, too.
   
Consider Kai, Acres 4.0’s new customer service solution. Through easy-to-use mobile devices, Kai connects your casino employees to players with needs. You’ll see immediate labor savings, but Kai’s real power is happier customers because happy customers stay longer in a relationship, return more frequently and even bring friends that you can establish new relationships with.
   
Combine Kai with Acres 4.0’s powerful text-based games, which let you reach existing and potential players directly and immediately with personalized messages and controlled costs, and you’ve started to shape that future on and off your casino floor.
   
We’ve been pioneering casino technologies for more than 40 years—from the invention of player tracking to progressive jackpots to loyalty bonusing, virtually every casino on earth uses our concepts. So if you aren’t pleased with your future prospects, give us a call and let’s build the future together.
   
For more information, visit www.acresbonusing.com.

Social Games in Indian Country

Posted on April 10, 2014 by -

The big buzz in the gaming industry these days is the addition of “social games” to a casino’s marketing arsenal. You know, the “Candy Crush” or free-play kinds of games that you can play on Facebook at no cost (or for a minimal purchase of “chips”). Wins in these games can be parlayed into free buffets, discounted hotel rooms or entertainment tickets, while giving the casinos free publicity and the ability to reach their customers online at any time.
   
For tribal gaming, however, “social games” have a much different meaning. Social games are defined by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act as Class I gaming—traditional games that have been played for generations among tribes. Class I games are not subject to any regulatory oversight, either from a tribal gaming commission, the state or the federal government, as opposed to Class II and Class III gaming, both which fall under some form of governmental regulatory review.
   
But what exactly are Class I games? In his excellent study of traditional Indian gaming in Southern California, San Diego State American Indian Studies Professor Richard L. Carrico says the extent of these games in the history of Native America is not clear.
   
“Games of skill, physicality, chance and daring permeated traditional American Indian culture and society,” writes Carrico. “Even in those few societies where leisure time may have been rare, gaming and gambling were important and integral elements of culture. Games often were associated with rituals, rites and seasonal change. Although not always clearly understood or accurately documented in the early historic records and anthropological research, for instance, some games labeled as being based on chance are often games of skill. The vast variety of games and gaming were noted and recorded.”
    
Among the Eastern Indians, there are clear and direct links to the game of lacrosse, which is now played by major universities across the country (there is even a professional lacrosse league in the U.S.). The rules for lacrosse were apparently made up on the spot with competing tribes agreeing on the size of the field (there was often no “out of bounds”), the spacing between the goals (sometimes as much as several miles), and the timing of the contest (often lasting a day or two).
    
Back in Southern California, a less physical game, but one that required mental strength, was peon, a guessing game where one side would hold game pieces in their hands and the other side was required to guess. The game included songs and chants, as well as, according to Carrico, “intense wagering.”
    
So the introduction of legal gambling in Indian Country was not something foreign; it springs from the very birth of time, according to Carrico.
    
“Many tribes believe that betting or gambling was either brought to them by the First People, or given to the First People at an early time by a spirit or great power; gaming motifs recur in several important stories and myths.”

Be Prepared

Posted on April 9, 2014 by -

In this, the 11th annual issue of Tribal Government Gaming, we cover the full scope of issues related to casino gaming in Indian Country. From the updated designs and renovations of the existing casinos, to the new Class II slot machines, to the possibility of iGaming, in this issue we tried to envision a tribal gaming industry of the future.

There is no doubt that gaming is reaching a saturation point in the United States. States hungry for tax revenues, tribes anxious to provide more economic development in their communities, and companies ready to ramp up their existing casinos to the next level are all driving this increase in gaming across the country. Existing tribal and commercial casinos are facing more competition, and even the new casinos are immediately put under the competitive microscope. The number of gamblers doesn’t seem to be growing, but their choices certainly are. So, existing casinos have to develop new reasons for people to come. Those reasons include more entertainment, hotels, meetings and conventions, spas, tourism and more. If done in an efficient manner with the wants and needs of customers and potential customers in mind, renovations and additions can make a big difference.

When you’re in a highly competitive environment, cost-cutting becomes an important element. There are several ways to do this, but one of the most gratifying is reducing the money paid to the state government via “fees” or outright taxes. As we all know, Class II machines are generally not considered taxable items because the state has no oversight over Class II gaming. So tribal casinos wanting to save on revenue-sharing payments to the state can add Class II games as a way to lessen that burden. The good thing is that it’s no longer your father’s Class II games. They are as robust and full of features as most Class III games.

Of course, the debate over iGaming cuts both ways. While iGaming can become another revenue stream for tribes, it can also threaten the very economic development with gaming upon which tribes have come to depend. While few tribes really want to consider internet gambling, it’s one of those issues that won’t go away. There are millions of dollars already being wagered online, and if you don’t think your casino is already being affected by iGaming, you aren’t paying attention. A rational, sensible and effective way to approach iGaming must be an essential element of any tribe’s strategy for the future.

The role of iGaming falls under the heading “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” That’s been true of several of the larger tribes across the country when it comes to commercial casinos. But is it an effective strategy for smaller, more remote tribes? Is the “off rez” issue a challenge or an opportunity? Only tribal leaders can determine that. But would it make sense to buy struggling, stand-alone properties as some small gaming management companies are doing? Tribal casino executives have the expertise to operate in remote rural environments and congested urban areas. Wouldn’t it make sense to use that expertise for the benefit of the tribal gaming enterprise?

The most effective way of attracting new customers is via marketing. But in most cases marketing campaigns are “been there/done that” kinds of affairs. Tribes need to think outside the box to bring new excitement to their facilities and consider campaigns and activities that haven’t been tried before. Yes, that can often be risky, but risk-taking can also be rewarding. Remember, the casino business has always been a “me-too” business, with marketers constantly copying successful campaigns. It’s always best to be the leader.

As we can see, the future of tribal gaming is clearly tied to expanding the market. While there are still a few tribal casinos yet to open—albeit in major regions like Massachusetts and California—the boom growth years for Indian gaming are over. So organic growth is the only way to expand. We hope that this year’s edition of Tribal Government Gaming helps you to crystalize the strategies you need to move your tribal gaming enterprise to the next level.

Training for Review

Posted on April 9, 2014 by -

It is no secret that the technological advancements that make gaming more entertaining for the players, more lucrative for the industry and safer all around are largely driven by the tribal gaming industry.
   
With increasingly interactive features and complex software, some of the games found on the floor today were unimaginable only 10 years ago. But as those technological advances proliferate, so, too, do new challenges faced by those responsible for the security and regulation of gaming operations and systems.
   
The National Indian Gaming Commission wants to help the industry meet those challenges and provide tribal regulators and gaming operators the tools necessary to prevent a challenge from becoming a compliance issue. In keeping with the commission’s ongoing commitment to the ACE initiative (Assistance, Compliance, and Enforcement), the NIGC’s training and technical assistance program makes every effort to keep pace with advancements in gaming technology.
   
To address the ever-evolving technology used in casinos, the NIGC offers information technology-focused training and technical assistance through its “Regulating Gaming Technology” (RGT) course. The NIGC has conducted a thorough needs assessment to develop a course, presented by expert trainers, that is focused on providing an understanding of various gaming technologies on the casino floor and offering strategies to effectively regulate that technology.
   
The RGT course provides a foundation of knowledge and skills that regulatory and operational staff can apply jointly to ensure that both the tribe’s and the NIGC’s regulatory requirements are being met as gaming technology is introduced into facilities. Less experienced regulators who may be unfamiliar with modern gaming systems will be brought up to speed on all the fundamental aspects of regulating gaming technology. More experienced regulators will also benefit from the standardized tools offered to enhance regulators’ knowledge of system and compliance requirements.
   
The RGT training offers instruction in areas such as the history of casino games, compliance standards and gaming forensics. The course is kept up-to-date, and covers current and trending threats to IT security systems. It offers best practices from an industry-wide perspective, which can be adapted and replicated by any facility, will increase efficiency and cost effectiveness, and address compliance concerns across all sizes and varieties of gaming facilities.
   
So far in the 2013-14 training year, more than 250 tribal regulatory and operations staff have taken advantage of four different RGT training opportunities offered by the NIGC. We will continue to offer the course in the upcoming months throughout the country.
   
I encourage you to visit nigc.gov for the current schedule of RGT and other NIGC training courses. We continue to maintain our focus on providing current, top-quality training that will help tribes improve their regulatory programs and increase opportunities for economic development through gaming. As always, there is no fee for attendance at NIGC training courses.
   
As technology marches on, we at the NIGC are as excited as anyone in the gaming industry to see the progress and innovation it will bring to tribal gaming. We recognize that staying technologically current is key to staying competitive in the market, and staying competitive in the market is key to maintaining all of the benefits gaming has brought to Indian Country.
   
But we also recognize that these advances require training for those who implement and regulate that technology. The NIGC remains committed to delivering the tools necessary to ensure that tribal gaming remains the lucrative, safe and well-regulated industry that it has become.