RECESSION OBSESSION A 1,000-page report released by the Global Betting and Gaming Consultants, or GBGC, outlines how the land-based gaming community will likely suffer during the worldwide financial crisis, which will allow remote I-gaming to become the “hot spot.”
"People are leaving their cars in the garage, playing online bingo or watching a match on TV and placing a bet from the comfort of an armchair," said Warwick Bartlett, chief executive of GBGC, in a prepared statement. "The land-based businesses are going to find it hard to compete with the value on the Internet, and with as much as 30 percent of gambling revenue now leaving the U.K. and going offshore, the government should take note."
Entitled “Change is on the Cards,” the report says the world's gambling market is set to grow from $345 billion in 2007 to $433 billion by 2012, though these numbers won’t translate to all sectors.
"The slowdown in the U.S.A. will hit the pockets of Americans and Las Vegas will feel the effect of that along with high energy costs and a transportation system reliant on road and air,” Mr. Bartlett said. “The U.S. has not invested sufficiently in high-speed rail and destination resorts going forward will suffer as the cost of carbon-based fuels continues to be an issue of cost and supply.”
BRANDED & LAUNCHED Mobile gaming giant Probability has announced an exclusive deal with Paramount Pictures Corp. to run cash games based on several classic movies in the United Kingdom.
The second title, which launched last week, is “The Italian Job Racing,” a virtual racing game based on the 1960s movie “The Italian Job.” Probability said more than 50,000 races were conducted in 24 hours of its release.
The first title to materialize was "King Creole" slots, which according to the company’s Web site was “a big hit.” More Paramount titled games are expected to be released in the coming months.
DEAL MAKERS Intralot S.A. announced today it has sealed a multi-year deal with Dominican Republic SAJAMA, which holds a license to conduct online numerical and instant games issued by the National Lottery of the Dominican Republic, or Loteria Nacional de la Republica Dominicana.
Under the agreement, Intralot will be the Dominican Republic’s exclusive technology provider by offering facility management services and technical support. It includes the provision of 1,000 terminals and the Lotos O/S Central System and traditional lottery games such as Quiniela, Pale, Tripleta and Super Pale.
“The new contract in the Dominican Republic reinforces our dominant position in the Caribbean and Central America, just a few days after our important agreement in Guatemala,” said Constantinos Antonopoulos, Intralot’s chief executive. “The Dominican Republic is an important and challenging market that is full of potential, and we are confident that together with our new partners we will offer to its people an unprecedented gaming experience.”
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