Coin-op / Pay-to-play Features

The fixed odds betting terminal is a UK phenomenon which has occupied a great deal of time in the House of Commons and a great deal of space in the popular press – mostly negative. Is it a justified negativity or merely a useful political football? Could the lessons coming from the FOBT be transferred to the very similar VLT, which is equally receiving criticism in many countries? The FOBT, which in the UK is a Category B2/B3 machine, is very similar to the VLT as it is operated in Italy – and indeed, has been subject to much criticism in that market too. A similar product will shortly be introduced in Greece and some other markets with comparative stakes and prize levels, but with the addition of super-jackpots, which are linked and offer prizes of up to €500,000. Will those European products run into similar media and political pressures? The problems currently being experienced in the UK may well have lessons the global market should heed... A case study of the FOBT reveals a product under duress.
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Simon Liddle reports from the Irish Gaming Show.
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Moving the attractions industry into new areas, Attraktion! is helping to shape the future of the leisure and entertainment sector.
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For today’s amusement players, the excitement is in trying to win a prize, Toccata Gaming’s Kevin Pitt tells Simon Liddle.
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In the second part of InterGame’s Coin-op and the Internet series, here we look at the role of social media and how the industry is getting to grips with the likes of Facebook and Twitter.
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Germany’s Interstate Treaty on Gambling that threatens to halve the country’s arcade industry is motivated by the states’ desire to protect their own interests, argues Euromat’s Uwe Christiansen.
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