DISMAL JANUARY FOR ATLANTIC CITY
2012-02-13
Revenues dip by 7.2 percent
The January numbers for Atlantic City casinos have been released by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, but will hardly be comforting for operators.
Casino revenue fell 7.2 percent in January, depriving the Atlantic City gaming industry of its first back-to-back monthly increase since late 2006, according to the Press of Atlantic City assessment.
Altogether, the 11 casino hotels posted $236.9 million in revenue from slot machines and table games compared to $255.4 million in January 2011. Slot machine revenue was virtually unchanged at $164.7 million, but table games revenue plunged 20.2 percent, to $72.2 million compared with a year ago.
The casinos hold percentage at table games was 14.8 percent, compared with 16.6 percent in January 2011.
Unusually mild weather has helped drive casino visits this winter, and hopes rose on increased revenues that were 4 percent up in December 2011, marking the first time in 40 months the casinos had shown an improvement.
State gaming regulators note that there was one fewer Saturday in January, which could have been a contributing factor in the decline; Saturdays are usually a major source of revenue for the casinos.
Only two of the 11 Atlantic City casinos showed increases in January 2012 revenues: The Golden Nugget Atlantic City, up 3.4 percent to $9.6 million; and Resorts Casino Hotel, up 3.2 percent to just over $10 million. The poorest performer was the ACH, where revenues plunged 20.6 percent to $7.8 million.
NEW M&R STUDY ON INTERNET CASINOS
2011-03-17
Irish research company takes a close look at the global online casino sector
The Dublin-based research company Research and Markets has released a new study of the online casino sector, examining the main issues surrounding this dynamic and growing element in the global gambling industry.
"The Global Business of Online Casino - Outlook, Forecasts and Analysis" notes that online casinos were among the first internet gaming sites to appear on the Web when they launched in the mid-1990s thanks to the pioneering efforts of software companies such as Microgaming and CryptoLogic.
Online poker followed in 1998 and by 2004 the online gambling market was estimated as having revenues of approximately $8 billion.
The study found that during the course of the past decade, the online casino market has grown out of all recognition, maintaining its position as the leading online gaming genre. The study quotes from the Casino City directory, noting that there were 774 online casinos listed when the report went to press, comprising 33 percent of the market for online games in terms of numbers of sites, compared with 34 percent two years previously.
Poker makes up 22 percent of the market (28 percent in 2008) followed by sportsbooks at 18 percent (unchanged from 2008) and bingo at 16 percent (14 percent in 2008).
R&M points out that the sector is becoming more socially acceptable, benefiting from a liberalised regulatory structure in some markets, and enjoying very substantial growth across many key demographics, including those that have been hard to reach through other types of gaming or betting such as women.
In recent years, online casino companies have embraced the capabilities of the internet, whether in terms of advanced technologies, techniques for attracting new players, developing highly liquid playing networks, or delivering ever more feature-rich games and enhanced player experience.
The M&R study examines the main issues surrounding the growing online casino industry including game and market overviews; areas of opportunity; factors affecting growth in the industry; marketing strategies of online casino companies, regulatory issues and demographics of players.
It provides case studies of the major online casino software companies and operators and analyses these to determine business models and revenue streams as well as who the industry winners and losers afre likely to be.
The report covers:
• Business Models and Platforms
• Customer Acquisition and Retention
• Regulation and Online Casinos
• Card-based Casino Games
• Dice-based Casino Games
• Wheel-based Casino Games
• Slots-based Casino Games
• Video-based Casino Games
• Virtual Reality-based Casino Games
• Case Studies
• Outlook and Forecasts
and looks at leading industry companies such as:
• Chartwell Technologies
• CryptoLogic
• Microgaming
• Playtech
• 888 Holdings
• Bodog
• PartyGaming
• William Hill
Live Casino
2011-01-05
America’s first live dealer casino is at Sportsbook.com. Play VegasLive today to get real cards dealt by real dealers. Play American Blackjack, American Roulette and Baccarat with our gorgeous dealers spinning the wheel and dealing your cards 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The best online casino is now at Sportsbook.com.
TAIN SIGNS UP FOR PLAYTECH ONLINE CASINO
2010-12-02
Swedish b2b provider extends its product line
The Stockholm-based Tain business-to-business online gambling provider extended its product offering this week following an agreement with software developer Playtech which will see that company's online casino offering included in the Tain portfolio.
Tain offers a wide range of software and infrastructure services to small and medium sized gaming operators and for the past five years has provided its licensees with access to Playtech’s iPoker network.
The new agreement significantly expands this arrangement through the provision of Playtech’s online casino product, encompassing a games library that includes slots, table and card games, video poker and a wide range of branded content. Tain’s licensees will also have access to a full range of management tools via Playtech’s unified administration system, the IMS.
A Playtech spokesman said that the deal opens up a wider range of operators to the Playtech offering, pointing out that by making its online casino product available through Tain’s cost-effective platform, smaller operators who might otherwise not have the opportunity to access this technology or content would now be able to do so.
Tain chief executive Christer Fahlstedt said: ‘This deal further strengthens our cooperation with Playtech, which is approaching its fifth anniversary. The ability to offer Playtech’s excellent content greatly strengthens our offering and is an important step in our commitment to supply small and medium sized operators with the very best products available.’
Mor Weizer, CEO at Playtech, noted: "We....look forward to welcoming their operators onto the casino platform, having had considerable experience with the iPoker product for a number of years. This is made possible through Playtech’s cross-platform infrastructure which gives operators the ability to integrate a number of different products from our portfolio."
ViG LAUNCHES OWN ONLINE CASINO
2010-10-28
Latest operation based in Costa Rica
Live Dealer technology provider, Visionary iGaming, which launched in 2008 under the leadership of former VueTech exec Martin Reiner (see previous InfoPowa report), has launched its own online casino.
Branded Fairway Casino.com the new site is themed on tournament golf and offers proprietary roulette, blackjack, baccarat and a diversity of RNG games backed by the usual full player services.
NEW TWILIGHT ZONE ONLINE SLOT
2010-09-20
Get your teeth into Bitten!
Following the trend toward creepy horror movies, but trailing Vegas Technology's earlier 'Vampire Vixen' offering, a new Wagerworks-developed online slot titled 'Bitten' is making its debut on a number of top online gambling sites this week.
Bitten is a 20 pay-line, vampire themed game with free spin 'Crypt' bonuses in which players can achieve rewards of up to 250 x their bet. The game's reels include graphics providing a dark and bloody backdrop that is enhanced by spooky sound effects.
CARIBBEAN LIVE DEALER CASINO OPERATIONAL SOON (Update)
2010-08-09
Casino and sports betting facilities to be offered from Sosua Bay Grand Casino
The Caribbean Casino and Gaming Corp. has been pumping out press releases on its live dealer casino venture powered by Kenilworth Systems for some time now, but a statement this week suggests that the action will be fully operational by August 21st with casino and sports betting offered.
The company expects to multiply revenues derived from the ESPN Deportes Fight Club Series significantly with sports wagers made on the event. In addition, the live video online gaming is expected to increase monthly revenues by as much as $250 000 during its implementation throughout the 52 countries in which it is licensed, the statement claims.
CCGC's chief executive, Steven Swank says in the statement: "After initial tests we realized we would have to increase the memory and bandwidth to maximize the customer experience and our revenues. The final equipment is delivered, the final tests are near completion and the ESPN Deportes Fight makes this a fantastic time to launch."
The company has additionally reported that due diligence is being performed on its additional brick and mortar locations located in Santiago and Santa Domingo.
Caribbean Casino and Gaming Corp is the owner and operator of the Sosua Bay Grand Casino in the Dominican Republic, from where its live dealer action will be videostreamed over the internet.
VIRTUAL GEE-GEES AT ATLANTIC CITY CASINO
2010-06-09
Triple Towers Virtual Horseracing launched on IGT technology
Virtual horse racing has come to Atlantic City, with Resorts Casino Hotel announcing the debut of Triple Towers Virtual Horse Racing this week.
A company spokesman said that the horse racing-themed, computer-based game provides slot players a simple yet exciting way to enjoy the horse race betting experience in a multiplayer atmosphere.
Created for IGT's M-P Series hardware, players place bets on 23-inch monitors at individual player stations around a 57-inch large-format LCD central display. Dynamic camera angles, 3-D technology, realistic sound effects and race commentary bring the experience of the racetrack to life.
The individual player stations feature touch-sensitive screens that allow players to make wagers and access onscreen help before, during and after each race, and the central display shows horse history and handicap information before each race.
Getting in on the virtual action, players place traditional bets like win, place or show as well as Exacta and Quinella wagers. Quick pick bets, based on the player's selected wager value and bet type are also possible. Bets are made in $1 denominations with a minimum of $3 and a maximum of $50 in total bets.
A jackpot bonus feature randomly selects a race result and awards players the displayed amount if the race finishes in that exact order. The jackpot amount varies based on the number of horses that finish in order and the player's total wager amount.