Astra Games continued to show its commitment to the UK market in London, in January, with the introduction of a new Category C reel-based game Divas Reels. A traditional reel game, it is based on the popular Party Time theme and suites single sites or can be set up as a three or four-player game.
With the introduction of the new stakes and prizes expected to be introduced at some point later this year, the manufacturer is also offering customer free upgrade kits for those who purchase machines before April.
Speaking at the show, Astra’s Richard Barr told InterGame: "We have been talking to operators about whether a £1 stake and £75 prize is a good ratio and appealing to players and we’re not so sure.
"What we do feel is appealing though is to offer four games for the £1 stake - 25 pence is definitely a worthwhile investment for the player.
"The review of stakes and prizes is a positive step for the UK market and it is a shame it wasn’t brought in earlier," continued Barr. "It is going to create new opportunities which we will grab."
Astra also remains committed to expanding its market share at an international level and showcased several new titles for the Dutch market - Fruits on Fire, Sinderella Double Action - available in the Skyline and Panther twin TFT cabinets and with a double-action feature play with up to 100 win lines - and Games Palace.
Commenting on the current market conditions in the Netherlands, Phil Burke told InterGame: "It is definitely starting to pick up in the arcades - the street market is still performing slowly, but there is definitely a future there to invest in."
For the Spanish market Astra introduced Ninja, a dual video reel hybrid product presented in the NovoPub cabinet. It is available in three stake format with 20c, 40c and 60c choice of stake and awards of up to 240 euros.
Casa De Juego was also on show and features a dual top game presentation offering the player a choice of Royal Riches or Casa De La Fortuna.
Astra has also produced a range of products in conjunction with Seeben suitable for the Belgian market - Games Palace and Once Upon A Time.
Games Palace is housed in the industry leading FV-623 cabinet and is powered by Novomatic’s CoolFire ll technology. It is a dual video, multi-stake compendium, which offers players the opportunity to choose between two gaming experiences, Party Dice and Royal Riches.
Once Upon A Time is presented in Astra’s Skyline cabinet and is a dual-game compendium presenting the player with a choice of the Dice King and Winderella skill dice games.
