NIGA 2016: Spotlight on New Game Technology

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1 NIGA PREVIEW NIGA 2016: Spotlight on New Game Technology Each year innovative new games and technologies are unveiled at the NIGA tradeshow, and this year is no exception. Here are some exciting new releases to look for at this year s show... AGS (702) playags.com NIGA Booth #833 Although AGS is exhibiting a variety of slot machine cabinets, the company is anticipating that its new ICON cabinet will be the main centerpiece of its NIGA showcase. Featuring two flush-mounted 23 hi-def LCDs and an integrated digital sound system, the ICON cabinet delivers a truly immersive player experience. Stunning visual effects enhance AGS suite of customized premium game content and play mechanics, which includes the hit Golden Wins. An Asian-themed PowerXStream game for serious gamblers, Golden Wins has been building momentum due to its high-volatility game dynamics, multi-link progressive jackpots, and free spins bonuses. AGS Gold Dragon Red Dragon and Fu Panda games share similar play mechanics as Golden Wins and will also be prominently displayed on the ICON cabinet at the show. In less than two years since its inception, AGS s table games division has already amassed over 800 table products in the field, which is a testament to the strength and diversity of its growing product catalogue. In addition to showcasing popular blackjack side bet Buster Blackjack and the unique new poker derivative 5 Card Pursuit, AGS innovative Bonus Spin technology will be the main focal point of the company s table demonstration at NIGA. Bonus Spin allows AGS to provide a bonusing/progressive system for table games in the form of a virtual wheel, which is an unprecedented approach to offering players the opportunity to win top jackpots or prizes when achieving a premium hand. Customers will also have the opportunity to see the company s social casino products in action, including the popular Lucky Play Casino and Vegas Fever apps, which The numerous strategic acquisitions AGS made in 2015 across all three of our product categories slots, tables and social casino bolstered and broadened our product portfolio, elevating our status to one of the most diverse suppliers in the space. This year s NIGA show presents a perfect opportunity to highlight our significant transformation since we exhibited at the show last year and, more importantly, to demonstrate our improved value proposition and continued commitment to the tribal gaming community. Julia Boguslawski, Chief Marketing Officer AGS offer a number of AGS most successful land-based slot titles in play-for-fun format. Most recently, the play-forfun version of AGS slot success story Big Red (Colossal Diamonds) was released on Lucky Play Casino. Customers can find both the brick-and-mortar slot machine and the social game in action at the company s booth. Ainsworth Game Technology (702) ainsworthgames.com NIGA Booth #1435 Ainsworth entered the Class II market with the acquisition of Nova Technologies last year. Now the company is off to a fast start in this market segment at NIGA, where they will show more than a dozen Class II titles, including games developed by Ainsworth and Nova. The Class II games are available on both the proven A560 Dual Screen and Atlas 100 cabinets. Highlighting Class II offerings on display will be the first three Ainsworth Class II titles Twice the Money, Mustang Fortune and Cash Cave. Titles developed by Nova to be on display will include China Gold, Dragon s Heat, Wheel of Time, and a pair of companion games, Immortal Nights Day of Reckoning and Immortal Nights Judgement Day. 76 Indian Gaming March 2016

2 The NIGA tradeshow provides a tremendous opportunity to begin a new era at Ainsworth with the introduction of our Class II product, which has been in high demand since we announced the Nova Technologies deal last year. Whether Class II or Class III, our overall mission is to continue to earn the trust of tribal gaming leaders and casino professionals and provide high performing games to help their casinos continue to experience the tremendous success of prior years. Mike Dreitzer, President, North America Ainsworth Game Technology Highlighting Ainsworth s Class III offerings for NIGA will be the debut of the new Gold Award brand on the A560 SL. The A560 SL was exclusively designed for a highly entertaining game range that has delighted players across North America. The A560 SL features a striking 32-inch high definition display, 19-inch LCD topper option for jackpot promotion, unique attract lighting stylized to each game, a premium sound experience and breathtaking animations. Gold Award games take proven Dual Screen titles with strong track records of performance and bring them to the A560SL cabinet, resulting in even greater levels of excitement. Such classic titles include Roaming Reels, Mustang Money and Dragon Lines, among other Ainsworth classics. These three-byfive array games offer more ways to win when the game expands to March 2016 Indian Gaming 77

3 NIGA PREVIEW nine-by-five during bonuses. Each title includes a special feature designed to take full advantage of the 32-inch highdefinition screen. Follow up titles to the highly successful and popular Sweet Zone brand games Rumble Rumble and Flying Horse will also be on display. These include the new offerings: Grand Lions and Jumbo Wilds. Another popular brand to be featured at NIGA is Double Sweet Zone. In this category, three entertaining Order of the Dragon titles Fortune, Quest and Victory offer players the option to play the original Sweet Zone for 50 credits or the Double Sweet Zone for 50 credits plus a 50 credit ante-bet. The ante-bet provides an expanded five-fourthree-four-five game array and double red Sweet Zones on reels two and four. Aristocrat / VGT (702) aristocrat-us.com (615) vgt.net NIGA Booth #1347 As a follow up to Aristocrat s 2015 NIGA product release, Mobile Concierge now offers a new feature-rich enhancement, Rapid Reserve, which expands the level of service and convenience to casino patrons. Rapid Reserve enables patrons to add their name to a casino restaurant wait list using the Mobile Concierge app. Now players can enjoy their favorite meal special/buffet without standing in long lines or long wait times to be seated. Using Mobile Concierge, players can reserve their place in line and receive push notifications letting them know their table is ready. This is a customized feature that can be offered to all mobile users or tailored to specific groups. Next is Floor Touch, one of the newest products to the Oasis 360 solution. Floor Touch is Aristocrat s mobile slot display notification solution, and with Floor Touch, slot technicians and their management are alerted in real-time when slot alerts or messages need attention. The system sends a notification directly to the technician or attendant s mobile We are very much looking forward to NIGA 2016, where Aristocrat is delivering on our promise to our customers to continue to help them make the big play. We understand that for tribal operators, their business is more than just business it s personal, it s family and we have the proven portfolio of hardware, games, and system solutions for Class II and Class III to help our tribal customers succeed. device and informs them when a slot experiences an error, tilt message, jackpot alert or even routine maintenance. In addition, the floor attendants have access to the player information, their tier status and any particular service history/photos that would enable them to provide faster and more efficient service. Floor Touch improves customer service, while reducing down time throughout the slot floor. For the Class II games side of the operation, VGT has a host of new entertainment-style games centered on a threereel stepper wealth theme that includes a new button configuration. Two new features locking and nudging reels are incorporated along with one of VGT s classic characters, Newton the Nudger. VGT will also feature new five-reel stepper brand extensions with proven player favorites along with the Red Spin Gambler Series with five-high denom, low-line count video titles on the XSPIN platform. Aruze Gaming America (702) aruzegaming.com NIGA Booth #1535 Brooks Pierce, Managing Director Aristocrat Americas There has been a lot of hard work put in by everyone at Aruze and we are thrilled beyond words to show off what we ve accomplished. Kelcey Allison, CEO Aruze Gaming America Aruze Gaming America s focus has always been about breaking boundaries, thinking outside the box, and creating games equipped with an immersive experience that is memorable for the player. At NIGA 2016, Aruze will debut their most innovative 78 Indian Gaming March 2016

4 games to date. Players will witness a whole new realm of gaming with games such as Caribbean Rose, Ultimate Eruption and continuing the Gold Wheel Series. Cube-X Vertical 80 is one of Aruze s most ground-breaking series. The cabinet sits on dual 42-inch monitors, bringing the most realistic visual experience and offering players never-beforeseen LED lights and animation. With Carribean Rose, players will set sail on the treacherous open seas to pursue riches with alluring animations and graphics. The 3-dimensional topper is an elaborate skull ornament. Together with the virtual element, the physical part of the skull will be one that the player will never forget. Ultimate Eruption is going to set the gaming industry ablaze. This towering volcano is ready to erupt with excitement. Ultimate Eruption is packed with a powerful punch, overflowing with 2 bonuses, free games and 3 mystery reel features. Aruze continues with more titles on their new Cube-X Ultimate, the luxurious series with the iconic mechanical wheel. The Gold Wheel Series continues with Super Vault and Diamond Desire. The grand, 8-foot cabinet will have players in awe. Eclipse Gaming (770) eclipsegamingsystems.com NIGA Booth # is an exciting year of transformation for Eclipse Gaming. The Indian gaming community will discover the new Eclipse at NIGA as they launch a completely redesigned image which reflects the energy and momentum of their company. The focus over the past three months has been to build a solid foundation for long term growth. During the show, attendees will have the opportunity to meet their accomplished management team, which includes some new, as well as familiar faces in the gaming industry. Eclipse Gaming plans to release a library of exciting games in 2016, with an emphasis on engaging and dynamic game content utilizing a variety of bonus levels, features, and math models, all designed to create an entertaining and I am excited to introduce our tribal gaming partners to the new Eclipse at NIGA this year. Our fresh new look and invigorated spirit has allowed us to bring even more innovation, service and expertise to the industry. Customer focus continues to be our driving force, and we pledge to continue developing new, high performing product lines that drive growth for our customers in tribal gaming. Boris Amegadjie, CEO Eclipse Gaming engaging experience for players and even stronger performance and profitability for customers. Eclipse Gaming will showcase their newest game innovations with a diverse and varied product portfolio at NIGA. The exciting lineup includes new themes with new math and reel configurations including The Jazzy Night and Witch Hunter, which both feature a reel configuration, as well as the new Totem Spirits. Also included in the booth are Valor & Fortune and Professor Kranium based upon Eclipse s successful Wicked Mad Hot, and Elementary My Dear which utilizes the popular and proven Volcano math model. A longtime player with a solid customer base in the Washington Class II market, Eclipse Gaming will also feature their exciting series of games for the Washington Central Determination market. Many Class II Washington favorites such as Big & Bad, Volcano Shakedown, Big Money, Luna Fantasy and Fire will debut for the Class III market at NIGA. Highlighting the diversity of their product line, Eclipse is showcasing many of its proven performers as multi-games, allowing the casino the opportunity to offer its players a selection of popular Eclipse titles on a single cabinet. During NIGA, the company will be showcasing all of their games on the enhanced Starlight cabinet which features an updated button deck for improved player comfort. March 2016 Indian Gaming 79

5 NIGA PREVIEW Everi (844) everi.com NIGA Booth #847 NIGA is the premier tradeshow for the tribal casino industry and provides an excellent opportunity to showcase the best of what Everi has to offer. We pride ourselves in offering a complete suite of solutions that power the casino floor and look forward to continuing our long-standing partnership with tribal casinos across the country and helping them achieve optimal results with our products. David Lucchese, Exec. VP of Games Everi Everi will be showcasing a wide range of products at NIGA Formed in late 2014 when Global Cash Access and Multimedia Games joined forces to become the casino industry s single source provider of tribal and commercial slot machines, cash access solutions, and compliance products, Everi has been a valuable partner to tribal casino properties for decades. One of the most exciting gaming technology innovations Everi will be featuring at NIGA this year is Everi Bet, the game changing bet configuration system that gives casino operators the power to optimize the gaming floor for maximum returns. With Everi Bet, casino operators can easily configure minimum bet, max bet, number of bet levels, and progression of bet multipliers. Everi Bet preserves a game s hit rate by keeping the original number of lines. This allows the game to maintain its intended volatility, giving casino operators the power to customize the game without compromising the overall gaming experience for players. At NIGA, Everi will be demonstrating Everi Bet on Bonus Attack, Everi s new 5-Reel, 40-Line game that is the first exclusive gaming title on the Core HDX cabinet to include Everi Bet. The Core HDX is Everi s newest gaming cabinet that will garner attention on the gaming floor with its dual widescreen 23 monitors with 1080p capabilities. The sophisticated cabinet also includes integrated touchscreens and a premium three-way sound system that creates the ultimate gaming experience for players. IGT (702) igt.com NIGA Booth #1147 At NIGA 2016, IGT will expand its core innovation offerings with the North American premiere of the Crystal- Slant cabinet. The new hardware solution incorporates successful design elements from IGT s CrystalDual and CrystalCore gaming machines. The CrystalSlant cabinet features the multi-game solution, Winner s Choice 2 on a 27-inch top box cabinet, and other exciting game themes on a 32-inch top box version. IGT will also demonstrate the Spin Ferno tournament solution, the first automated tournament technology system for a spinning reel cabinet that is fueled by IGT's Tournament Manager 5.0 systems solution. IGT will highlight its rich content library of video poker themes. Building on the momentum of the company s leading Game King titles, Game King 8.3 provides an enhanced suite of features. IGT s Super Draw 6 Card Poker is an innovative game that gives players the chance to win a six-of-a-kind poker hand. IGT s exclusive Class II games w i l l f e a t u r e Air Heart and Quest for the Golden Statue game themes that support the company s exclusive custom button configuration feature. In addition, 80 Indian Gaming March 2016

6 IGT has a long-standing relationship with Indian Country and tribal gaming. We also have a very long-term relationship with the national Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention. The trade show presents the ideal opportunity to showcase IGT s industry-leading products and gaming solutions to our valued tribal partners. Crude Cash and Riverboat Richest will join the bingo game themes on display. From IGT s unique systems solution offerings, the company will showcase ireserve, an easy card-based reservation system that enables casino attendants to hold players slot machines with a swipe of a card, and unlock it to resume playing. Other standout products will include IGT s enhanced casino management solution; Advantage 9.4, Floor Manager and Service Window, the Mobile Host 3.0 software, and the Mobile Responder 2.0 application. IGT will demonstrate a wealth of premium licensed game themes that highlight some of pop culture s hottest brands. The company s innovative True 3D game portfolio will capture trade show attendees interest with games that deliver a unique glasses-free 3D gaming experience. To further engage with visitors, IGT will showcase the skill-based theme, Texas Tea Pinball on the CrystalCore cabinet. Enriching the company s Megabucks jackpots legacy, IGT will celebrate the game s 30-year anniversary with a dedicated section at their booth. Konami Gaming (702) gaming.konami.com NIGA Booth #1134 Knute Knudson, VP Tribal Relations & Business Development IGT Guests at NIGA 2016 will see more new top-performing Concerto slot games from Konami than at any other show to date. Tribal leaders and casino executives at NIGA will have first-hand access to brand new Concerto games, the world s first Frogger themed video slots, and new Synkros systems technology. Konami is rapidly establishing a proven roster of original new game themes for its Concerto video upright cabinet and further illustrating the power and potential of its exclusive KP3+ platform games with more creative base games and standalone progressives. Each Concerto KP3+ game has custom-designed digital elements that visually interact, from the dual 27 high-definition touchscreen monitors to the 19.5 video topper, and down through the proprietary new DynamicDash button panel. The visual interest and creative richness provided by the original Concerto KP3+ themes have generated performance successes which we re thrilled to be able to share with casino organizations across Indian Country. Guests at this year s NIGA show will have the unique opportunity to play and experience the creativity and ingenuity in every detail of our newest themes in terms of art design, bonus mechanics, animation effects, and core mathematics. Matt Reback, VP of Marketing Konami Gaming Among the new base game themes to be shown are a standard 5-reel game called Freya s Magic, an Xtra Reward theme titled Lamp of Destiny with a pick em style super free games bonus, and an entirely new Ultra Reels 972 Ways series debut theme called Burning Wolf. In addition, two new standalone progressives are set for exclusive release on the Concerto cabinet this spring: Wheel of the Imperial Eggs and Jackpot Ball. Other highlights of this year s NIGA show are the world s first Frogger themed video slots, bringing a new slot-style aspect to the iconic arcade classic. Featured on Konami s tall-top Podium Monument cabinet, two debut Frogger slot themes will be shown, complete with the classic road and river crossing course in retro-pixelated glory. Frogger has remained one of the world s most singularly recognizable video games for more than 30 years, and now players will have the March 2016 Indian Gaming 81

7 NIGA PREVIEW chance to experience their favorite Frogger features with a real-money casino spin. Frogger will be introduced to guests at this year s NIGA show just as the game approaches market release in spring. Konami s Synkros casino management system brings a number of important new updates and tools to NIGA Guests will have the opportunity to test and explore a variety of Synkros technology through Konami s comprehensive systems demo environment, including SynKiosk, multigame True Time Tournaments, various casino mobile applications, and more. Novomatic Americas (224) novomaticamericas.com NIGA Booth #647 Established in 2012, Novomatic Americas brings the proven-performing gaming experiences of its parent company, industry giant Novomatic Group, to the North American and Caribbean markets. By leveraging the design, market research, and experience of Austrian-based Novomatic Group, Novomatic Americas focuses on developing products that are tailor-made for North American jurisdictions. Novomatic Americas specializes in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution, and sales of electronic gaming machines and advanced technology products. As this relatively young subsidiary expands their content library, they are simultaneously focusing on expanding their team; more than doubling their employee base this year. Leading the NIGA product lineup will be the Dominator Curve a dramatic evolution of the proven-performing Dominator cabinet. Launching with five exclusive themes, the Dominator Curve features all of the ergonomic and design elements of its predecessor plus the advantage of a curved 40, high-definition, vertical touch-screen. The Dominator Curve display at NIGA will feature a wide range of standalone base themes with unique art packages and varying standalone progressive options. New software will be another prime focus for the company at NIGA. The Octavian software suite features ten themes with a unique approach to game design centered around one This past year, we have more than doubled our team, acquired a 50,000 sq. ft. headquarters, and opened the doors to a Chicago land-based, game design studio. This has been a year of exponential growth, and we are ready to showcase it at what may be our third, but will definitely be our most impressive, NIGA tradeshow. distinctive character in each game; a diverse line of games that perfectly complements the current software offerings. Jackpot Edition, a 3-level standalone progressive option designed to enhance Novomatic base themes will also be present on the booth. This progressive option is an addition that is compatible with all Novo line base themes and is designed to boost performance. At NIGA 2016, Novomatic Americas not only plans to show all Indian gaming attendees a new breadth of product, but that the company is here and ready to perform. Scientific Games (702) scientificgames.com NIGA Booth #1133 TwinStar, the latest cabinet from Scientific Games, will be featured at NIGA. This single s l o t m a c h i n e i s capable of playing both WMS and Bally content, a revolutionary first in slot gaming. A variety of new and exciting games will also be on display. Hot Blooded, from WMS, offers countless opportunities to win and showcases Rick Meitzler, President & CEO Novomatic Americas 82 Indian Gaming March 2016

8 We always look forward to the opportunity to showcase our innovation at the NIGA Indian Gaming tradeshow. NIGA is a once-a-year opportunity to connect with our friends and partners in more than 180 tribal nations through social opportunities and hands-on demonstrations of our newest games, systems, and interactive solutions designed to drive player excitement, efficiencies, and revenue. Gavin Isaacs, President & CEO Scientific Games the popular free spins bonus that awards up to 25 free spins. Release your inner beast with Call of the Moon, an intriguing WMS title that features up to 25 free spins and a multiplying wild feature awarding multipliers of up to 8x. Call of the Moon is a wild game, transforming players with each winning spin. Quick Hit Jungle from Bally showcases 10 free games that can be retriggered, along with a multiplier of up to 10x, and a 5-level progressive jackpot for even greater winnings. Quick Hit Volcano from Bally features up to 15 free games that can be retriggered, and an incredible 5 level progressive jackpot, Quick Hit. Also on display will be the first-ever slot machine featuring Cirque du Soleil an eye-catching, bonus-rich slot game that combines Scientific Games Pro Wave cabinet with the acrobatic adrenaline rush of Kooza. Featuring a four-level jackpot along with engaging bonus events, a wheel bonus feature, two free games features, a mystery stack feature, progressive jackpots and an instant win, the Cirque du Soleil gaming experience featuring Kooza delivers an unparalleled entertainment experience. March 2016 Indian Gaming 83