The doors opened to the visitors and a tidal wave of people devoured the show, booth after booth reported immense interest in their products, also many were
out of literature within hours. No time to stop and stare, or have a coffee. But always time to meet old friends and acquaintances for a talk with a bit of general gossip. Parched voices and aching feet by the end of the show, but you know what? We'll be there next year.
IGTwas the booth that totally dominated the show, aptly hemed 'Spotlight 2003', the sheer number and range of products, with so many new games (150); Star Wars, Elizabeth Taylor, Animal House and Dilbert amongst them, very Retro 60s, but great fun. Almost too much impact, but really professional, with everyone talking about the themed show games. Karen Thompson said, "We have got machines out here that people just won't believe." A fine range of new product will be selected to take into Europe some including computer game technology developed on IGT's platforms. This booth was crowded out from start to finish of the show, no surprise!
Perconta showed their range of Cassomat money handling products including the new Cassomat VT, an automated kiosk for ticket redemption and EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer), plus other Cashless (TITO) Gaming Solutions for the Casino Industry. Cammegh & Casino Technology shared booth space showing not only the most advanced technology, but the superbly stylish wheels, including 'Slingshot' for the first time, that Cammegh are noted for. All generating enormous interest from worldwide buyers representing many casinos. Kimble exhibited a range
of machine products, but pride of place went to their new Speed PCB which attracted
a great deal of interest. Bally Gaming & Systems offered over 100
games on their booth highlighting the 'Playboy' themed games which offered again
just a hint of 'naughtiness'. Showing many hybrid games also indicated where
they anticipate their major sales outside the USA are likely to occur - Eastern
Europe.
Signs 4U demonstrated the integration of their Multi Media Controller
with Unidesa Gaming's Dynamyk link system. Bourgogne et Grasset showed
as a group booth incorporating the Bud Jones & Paulson brands and reported
a successful show overall. Particular interest was shown in their range of high
security chips, which are impossible to forge. WMS Gaming 'Earning their
way back' with a stylish and eye-catching booth and a mix of products for every
market segment all based on enhanced technologies. All the favourites were there
as well; 'Pac Man' & 'Monopoly' with a jackpot link
and 'Men in Black' were introduced. GLI (Gaming Laborities International), the
first and one of the best, showing what is involved in testing complicated high
tech equipment.
Unidesa Gaming's managing director Angel Gallego says "We call
it 'Playability', which is the magic factor that combines the two elements -
gaming and entertainment -that today's ever more sophisticated players demand.
"Their featured video games like 'Toothy', 'Mexico Lindo', and 'Dragon
Legend' clearly demonstrated this together with the reel games 'Carnaval' and
'End of Crisis'. The stand was mobbed from day one - was it the water or the
wine one wonders? Fournier sharing a booth with parent company US
Playing Cards (Bee Cards) were busy all through the show, the shared booth
arrangement works very well enabling the two companies to attend to customers
from all around the world. PST (Prestige Seating Technology) still offering
quality, keen prices and unbeatable delivery times. Now known as Europe's largest
manufacturer of steel frame seating, their chairs are now seen in many European
and Global casinos, hotels and other areas.
"Aristocrat is back in a big way in the US," says Gavin Isaacs,
president of Aristocrat Technologies Inc. "We have the product and the
people. 75% of products on the Aristocrat stand at G2E are already approved
and ready for sale in various jurisdictions. "The product range included
traditional video slot multi-lines, reel stepper products and video poker, a
big segment of the market. 140 gaming products were displayed, with 52 new game
titles, including Dollar Storm, a video product progressive jackpot designed
to appeal to people who like to play steppers. New for the US is the Millioniser
progressive jackpot for Nevada with the proposition 'Win a million dollars on
a penny slot'.
Gold Club featured their elegant new UFO 8-player and Star 5-player
versions of their American Roulette machine. An SX 6-player version will be
available too to meet market demand for mid- range systems, and a 10-player
model is in development. (Indo Pacific Gaming are distributors for Gold Club
in Australasia). Gaming Support showed their new Eureka family of in-machine
LED displays including 1x3 and 2x3 configurations. "There has been global
visitor interest in our systems. We produce the hardware platform for our Open
Source Gaming Management System and customers can choose whether to buy applications
software from another gaming company, develop their own, or sub-licence applications
from Gaming Support customers," explained Nick Hogan. At G2E Gaming Support
demonstrated their Management System as used by Holland Casinos who have built
a vast suite of applications.
Shuffle Master debuted the MD2 Shuffler, which automatically recognises
cards. New table games on their stand were High Five Poker, Crazy 4 Poker, Dragon
Bonus, Single 21, and Sidebet for Pai Gow Poker. Also new; Tablemaster, multiplayer
video blackjack, video horseracing Derby Deluxe and Royal Derby. R. Franco as
always showed a wide variety of products even some reel and hybrid games. Roberto
Cian was very upbeat about the future. Kino Franco is back heading up the US
division. Gary Platt included the new stylish Aerol chair and Massagers
including a prototype battery-powered model designed to be taken anywhere. State
of the art technology featured on seat back prototypes shown on the stand.
On the extensive Mikohn stand, the Gravity Pays Series was launched
in two versions, Americana-themed Liberty Ball and party-themed Kazoingo Ball
each with oversized mechanical top box with attractive light and sound displays.
Neil Crossan, Mikohn Europe explained: "We continue to enhance the product
portfolio at Mikohn through innovation and strengthened alliances, and the Gravity
Pays ™ concept is evidence of both. From the new look CasinoLink ®,
great new Table games, the Elite Series displays, innovative Slot games and
the EndX systems, we have had a fantastic response to all. It is rewarding to
hear the industry's feedback in response to the hard work and effort that has
gone into the new Mikohn. We have a platform from which to launch our new offerings
in Europe at both EELEX 2003 and ICE 2004 and we look forward to doing more
good business at these events." As the show came to a close, Tim Parker
of EndX said, "we have been very busy, particularly with the new cashless
offering shown in conjunction with Mikohn. There has been a surprising amount
of interest from the US and the UK." Other products included the Media
Lynx progressive plasma display that runs over TV, DVD and animation effects
for multi-media input, designed for any size plasma application, from tabletop
to large progressive jackpot displays.
ICP USA (Interblock) featured four machines, including the impressive
Megastar 8 and Megastar 5 for wall sites, plus SuperNova 11 and Dice 8, with
GLI approval as part of their ongoing us licensing process. G2E was a monumental
milestone for TCS John Huxley as their presence at the show cemented
the vision of bringing together the two companies. The stand was stunning and
encapsulated the new brand with a modern, clean and efficient design. For the
first time customers were able to see the TCSJOHNHUXLEY brand at work and meet
the show team of sales personnel and executives. New products were received
well by visitors from all over the globe - from South Africa to Eastern Europe
– including a healthy contingent from Native Indian Gaming and Nevada strip
properties. New products were: the cutting edge e-FX table display system incorporating
Paltronics One Link media technology and the Intelligent Cash Box from JCM.
In addition, the brand new TCSJOHNHUXLEY.COM was launched and customers enjoyed
navigating the new site on the stand. Austrian Gaming Industries, the wholly
owned subsidiary of the Novomatic Group displayed a range of equipment including
their ground breaking multi player games. Octavian's Robert Dykstra said:
"We are absolutely delighted with the amount of interest shown in a young
company like ourselves and our products. Not only our ACP system but also our
TTR (table top roulette)solution and our AWP games."
Ainsworth Game Technology introduced the Celebrity and Ambassador ranges,
which already have approval for South America and the Caribbean. Len Ainsworth
met many visitors to their impressive stand. Ken Orchard, Vice President Sales
USA commented, "We are very successful in the Caribbean and are receiving
a lot of interest from various South American countries. I think our results
will exceed our expectations after the interest shown at G2E. An indication
of just how well the products are performing is the high level of repeat orders
from customers."
MEI showcased MEI CashflowTM SC series bill acceptors that support true
ticket in/ticket out environments and provide casinos with a set of support
tools to adapt to currency changes. MEI CashflowTM SC Series is becoming, for
many, the industry standard bill acceptor across the U. S. MEI also announced
MEI CashflowTM STS, a new PC-based support tool suite (STS)to prepare customer's
currency changes. This enables customers to configure and control support needs
with simple software and handheld tools designed for MEI CashflowTM SC series
bill acceptors. Existing units can be updated in 30 seconds through a programming
module, downloading the software directly in the field without removing the
bill acceptor. At their busy stand, CARD demonstrated the Easy Chipper and Pre-Shuffler,
based on their successful One2Six. Sid Parikh respresents CARD LLC for sales
in the US where they are setting up supplies and addressing licensing issues.
Cyberview Technology exhibited their server-based, downloadable games
solution on their distinctive booth. With thousands of terminals already operating
in Europe, and 2 installations planned in California, their proven (non-internet)system
created a significant amount of interest with operators throughout the show.
Additionally, Cyberview unveiled 'Lara', a prototype to set the trend for a
new generation of multi-media gaming cabinets.
Atronic not only celebrated 10 years of success, but with their great
booth won the BEST BOOTH AWARD showcasing the popular eMotion range of high
tech machines like Babooshka, Xanadu and Sphinx along with the well known Cashline
games like Mystic mask, Ghost Hunter and Running Numbers. The 'Great Games,
Great People' idea was very evident on the booth. MIS Group shared the booth
and featured the Galaxis Casino Management System, the Smart Card cashless system
and their Star software modules.
Win Cards (Gaming International) are still tackling the 'intimidation
factor', but Ted and Pam assured us that they are gaining greater acceptance
and recognition of their work. Alphastreet was delighted with the response
to their 24-player keno and roulette system launched at the show. GLI
approval for the US is underway for their 8-player roulette. CEO Tone Bizjak
commented: "It has been a very good show for us with many international
visitors." Sales Distributor Yeshua Martinez Sigala added:"We have
done very well in sales at G2E and introduced our products to two South American
countries already outperforming previous makes in the market." Global
Cash Access reported a great deal of interest in particular for their patented
ACM (automated cashier machine) system with GCA's proprietary, single-source
cash access financial center. "We are developing and promoting Microcoin
specifically for the US market and G2E has generated a lot of interest in our
products, especially the Microcoin QL Coin Acceptor, " explained Robert
Bird, Marketing & Sales Manager. Starpoint showed reel mechanisms,
push buttons and game devices for casino slots and other amusement machines.
Reel mechanisms incorporated Starpoint's Reel Movement Sensing system designed
to protect slots against tampering and attempts to defraud. New game device
formats offer flexibility and enable designers to work in with Starpoint to
tailor component designs to achieve individual end results. The Suzo/Veka stand
featured the sleek design CatCoin Casino Cash Centre, offering self-service
redemption facilities for the casino industry. The CatCoin handles all media,
including ticket redemption, bill breaking and validating, cashless and credit
card sales, smart card access and provides jackpot verification. The modular
system with FTF 15" touchscreen can be supplied with customised design
and additional new media options can be accommodated.
Giesecke & Devrient exhibited a range of cash management systems
and products, especially cashless TITO processing. Cadillac Jack reported a
very good reaction to their products at the show, and in particular for their
new keno game, complementing their success at the concurrent AMOY show with
redemption and amusement games. Service Gaming Technology (ex Sega Europe)
were showing a presence on their own for the first time and both John &Carlton
Murphy felt it was a worthwhile exercise. Glenview Systems introduced
Auxiliary ticket Storage Indicator for ticket-in/ticket-out machines as well
as he Attendant automatic hopper fill solution and their Low-hopper Indicator.
Alan Derek explained, "G2E gives us the opportunity to demonstrate Glenview
solutions to increase slot machine uptime and reduce downtime." Baccarat
Plus commented that their new product was "the hit of the show". So
successful that the floor model of their multi-player Baccarat Plus Jackpot
was sold at the show, with orders taken for six more systems. The Baccarat Plus
'peak-no-peak' feature created a real stir. Also, the Mini Baccarat Table includes
the same electronic system, utilising the Shufflemaster electronic side bet.
It proved very popular with orders taken for Asia and the team was anticipating
further positive response at the Singapore show.
Matsui Gaming Machine's Steve Williams, European Sales Manager, reported,
"The Golden Nugget Casino has just re-chipped and the word is getting around
that Matsui chips are performing very well. Licensing is going through for Vegas
and we're looking forward to developing our products in that market." Cashcode
featured the new Bill-to-Bill full integrated, high-security, frontloading system,
utilises advanced bill recycling technology for cash and cashless transactions.
Global Payment Technologies had a tremendous show with many new products,
including the new Advantage universal currency validator, upgrade models and
table sorter. "We have seen a lot of customers and established new contacts.
For us this has been the best G2E." Densitron, with an installed base of
over 10,000 units in casinos from Japan to Australia and the USA, launched more
new products for the gaming industry. The new range of single board computers
include Mobility and Radeon, with graphics processors from ATI Technologies
for 3D graphics for the next generation of casino gaming machines.
AC Coin & Slot, exclusive distributor of IGT gaming devices in Atlantic
City and the Caribbean and one of the countries leading slot machine companies,
introduced nine new slot games. Games making their debut included the Slotto
format, Honeymooners Slotto, Popcorn Slotto, Bingo Nights Slotto and I-Spy Slotto.
Abloy Security presented their ASSA Gaming Security locking solutions, featuring
the newest addition Quick Change Removable Core Locking Systems, including maximum-security
Gaming Lock and restricted patent- protected heavy-duty key. Infanti demonstrated
their patented Versi-Chair system with interchangeable seat backs and cushions
to customise and re-upholster quickly and without the need for tools.
The focus this year for Boss Media was the Boss IVT (Interactive Video
Terminal) system, a concept which merges old traditional gaming machines with
modern technology imported from the online world. Heber Limited presented
its growing Pluto and Firefly ranges, exhibiting the Pluto 5 Enhanced Development
Kit and the Firefly X10 Development Kit, both designed to offer the perfect
introduction to testing the suitability of Pluto and Firefly platforms and shorten
development periods considerably. 'This year's show created a significant amount
of interest in Heber, Pluto and Firefly' said Derek Russan, Sales Manager. 'Attending
G2E provides us with an international platform on which to present our company
and products. It provides our potential customers with the global representation
that they have come to expect from Heber Limited.' Some notable European non-exhibitors
were Abbiati and Amatic who both made their presence felt at the
show.