Gamestec Showcases Innovation at International Gaming Expo 2010

Gamestec, the UK’s leading pay to play machine operator, has been showcasing a range of innovative new products at this year’s International Gaming Expo 2010 at Earls Court, London. 

Gamestec, alongside sister companies Bell-Fruit Group and Mazooma, exhibited a range of exclusive products at its hospitality suite the Chelsea Rooms, which offered a bird’s eye view of the show.  Products being showcased included machine management tool i-assist; TabBOXX, a pull-tab lottery machine supporting national UK charities such as the Roy Castle Lung Foundation; Socialite, an electronic in venue advertising system and a range of new gaming terminals for the pub and LBO markets. 

Peter Davies, Business Development Director at Gamestec, said: “The event provided a fantastic opportunity for us to meet our customers and discuss how our products and services can increase income from their business. We were also able to showcase the investments we have made in sourcing and developing a range of industry leading products.  Good machine management is essential for products to meet their full earning potential so we have been talking to our customers about improved service levels and innovative remote machine management tool i-assist which makes it easier for sites to effectively manage their estate, by efficient diagnosis of faults, fraud prevention and real-time performance monitoring.  We expect that 2010 will see the growth of the digital Category C sector. We are offering an exclusive viewing of a number of new Category C Digital machines, which are currently undergoing commercial trials including the Video Eclipse, Vision and Ice.”

 i-Assist is a new, user-friendly machine management tool, designed to help optimise machine income. The system has a 7” TFT touch screen, and features include hopper level monitors; machine checks that it is switched on during opening hours; fault detection; automatically raises service calls and helps prevent fraudulent activity. It allows customers to monitor machine performance and can be used by pub groups to compare performance between sites.  The system has undergone successful functional technical trials at 25 sites across the UK and will now undergo further technical testing to refine business processes and support services before its official launch.

 Additional product features revealed at the IGE included CCTV to help prevent machine break ins; a ticket redemption system, which cuts out the need to install additional back office systems; a remote messaging system to update customers to service changes and optional background music for the venue.

TabBOXX, a pull-tab lottery machine, was also showcased at the event. It is expected to replace cigarette machines at many venues following the ban on cigarette machines in pubs. Twenty per cent of the machine income will go to UK charities, the first charity to benefit will be the Roy Castle Lung Foundation.  Initial trials have shown weekly sales per venue to be in excess of £150 with no impact on income from other machines. TabBOXX is now set to roll out to major pub retailers across the country.

 Another show highlight was ‘Win Each Time’ free prize draw, a system available on the Gamesnet 5 SWP machine, which randomly generates a prize code which can be redeemed by players  on the ‘Win Each Time’ website. The prizes include LCD TVs, cinema or paintballing tickets, makeovers and training courses. The system increases repeat plays on machines and helps generate traffic to the ‘Win Each Time’ website which also offers financial health checks and price comparison services.

 Three new digital Category C machines Ice, Video Eclipse and Vision, which are currently undergoing commercial trails, were also on display. These twin screen machines all offer a mixture of branded games such as Deal or No Deal, Perfect Game and non-branded favourites such as Cops and Robbers.  These games are designed to be accessible to the traditional AWP player whilst offering the advantages of digital – for example the ability to change content to reflect different customer bases at different times of the day.  The Video Eclipse cabinet design is intended to mirror that of a traditional reel based AWP whilst Ice and Vision have a more futuristic feel.

 Also on show was ‘Socialite’, a HD digital advertising screen which helps generate additional income for pubs. The 40” screens run a series of rotating adverts for major brands and can be set to also include promotions for individual venues, such as meal deals or details of events such as karaoke nights.

 Other exhibits at the show included GT Music and Sound Station, two new digital juke boxes, the exclusive Deal or No Deal Double Deluxe reel based AWP and the Go 4 Terminal for LBOs.