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STATE OF PLAY – Frank Fahrenkopf interviews Martin Storm on the industry state of play

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Frank Fahrenkopf, former Founder & President of American Gaming Association, and current Non-Executive Director, BMM Testlabs interviews Martin Storm, BMM’s CEO on the industry state of play.

Fahrenkopf:
BMM’s 2019 business performance has been strong after an impressive 2018. What do you attribute continued growth to?

Storm:
Frank, BMM continues to outperform. We maintain our emphasis on test and certification, everywhere around the world for gambling products. We remain focused on organic growth – Revenue up 29% and EBITDA up 46% in 2018, and 2019 looks very good too. For the longest serving gaming lab that’s operated successfully for nearly 40 years, we repeatedly outperform our segment CAGR of 5-6%.

We continue to rate first among global labs for quality of testing, time-to-market and customer service. We rate first because of our people, our talented leadership, management and staff. It’s truly a privilege to work with them all, as their professionalism, commitment and care make growth happen for BMM. What a differentiating factor they are.

Fahrenkopf:
The gaming testlab market around the world is dominated by BMM and GLI, who certify more than 80% of all gaming products. Even with GLI’s acquisition of NMi in Europe, it seems that BMM is growing appreciably in the online test segment. How did that happen?

Storm:
In the early years I did not want to invest in the online test segment due to our focus on U.S. licensing and U.S. legislative restrictions, even though we wrote the first comprehensive set of gaming standards for Online Gaming in 2001. We had a look at TST some 10 years ago as a possible acquisition but the culture and numbers didn’t work for us. Then GLI’s acquisition of NMi in 2017 made available some very talented staff who chose BMM as their new home. We committed to them and their results have been remarkable.

Our European online business is growing at some 40% CAGR and can continue to do so into foreseeable future. Large online customers wanting to go everywhere can only choose BMM or GLI in online, so we are both competing actively for that business, and we win our fair share.

Fahrenkopf:
Speaking of GLI, while BMM has been very strong in international land-based testing markets for many years, it still remains the challenger brand in the U.S. Now that the jurisdictional gap between the companies has closed materially in the U.S., what should we expect next?

Storm:
Any major supplier in the U.S. that wants its slot machines and gaming systems certified, understandably wants a certification process that covers all the jurisdictions in a market to maximize product sales opportunities, without having to spend additional funds to test a second time for a handful of jurisdictions not initially covered. Because only GLI has complete jurisdictional coverage, it has essentially guaranteed itself of the vast majority of business within North America. While BMM is working on the last handful of tribal jurisdictions (from more than 300), GLI continues to offer free tools and services for jurisdictional exclusivity, effectively depriving major suppliers of competition among gaming labs, costing those same suppliers millions of dollars per annum. The time for real competition amongst labs in the U.S. is now, and its nearly here.

Fahrenkopf:
Has this exclusivity enjoyed by GLI served the U.S. gaming industry?

Storm:
It has certainly served GLI very well. James Maida, CEO and Owner, and Kevin Mullally, VP of Government Affairs, have worked very closely together in many jurisdictions over many years now developing regulatory relationships that have maintained those exclusive positions. When combined with their government lobbyists and tribal representatives, James and Kevin have been a very formidable and intimidating team.

But to answer the question directly, no, I don’t believe GLI’s continuing, effective monopoly for Class III games certification has served the gaming industry well. Having only one lab that can test for all jurisdictions in the U.S. has been inordinately expensive for gaming suppliers and operators, as a material inefficiency in the gaming industry. Industry experts have told us that testing costs have been too high for too long. With competition limited, testing performance has been slow – it seems to have taken GLI more than 10 years to make process and quality improvements in pursuit of BMM’s performance. And we know that testing quality is lower in markets serviced by only one gaming lab, as evidenced by the high number of product revocations. In my opinion, and others, GLI exclusivity in just a few gaming markets is the premium paid for by the gaming suppliers and their operator customers, and also regulators through administration and management overheads.

Fahrenkopf:
What happened in Illinois – that was huge news?

Storm:
The wonderful news is that BMM is now licensed in Illinois through the new Illinois Gaming Board. This major U.S. commercial gaming jurisdiction will now allow multiple qualified labs to service gaming suppliers and compete for business with the state itself, and the many suppliers who have reached out to me are thrilled. Thanks to all those that supported us all these years.

Fahrenkopf:
So what’s next for BMM?

Storm:
Frank, we are keeping it simple. We continue our focus on land-based gaming testing and certification, and have advanced our position in aligned segments that we can command over time – online and sports betting, machine inspections and cyber security. That combined with market access completion with tribes, enhanced operational coverage, staff development, and productivity evolution will see BMM grow its leadership amongst gaming labs in the U.S. and worldwide.

Fahrenkopf:
Martin, thanks for the update.

Storm:
My pleasure Frank.


Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: STATE OF PLAY – Frank Fahrenkopf interviews Martin Storm on the industry state of play

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

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PG Soft sponsors Manila’s Waterbomb 2025

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PG Soft, a world-class digital mobile games company, is thrilled to sponsor the highly anticipated Waterbomb World Tour 2025 in Manila, taking place on February 22-23, 2025, at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park Luneta.

Known as the “best summer experience,” Waterbomb promises an unforgettable blend of dazzling K-POP performances, vibrant HIP-HOP acts, and explosive sets by Korean DJs, delivering a sensory spectacle like no other.

 As part of the sponsorship agreement, PG Soft will gain significant brand exposure, with its logo featured on the Waterbomb Official Poster and Official Homepage ahead of the event. On-site, the brand will be prominently promoted across the venue, including a special Main Artist visit to the VVIP Booth and the hosting of VVIP Tables to elevate attendee experiences.

PG Soft’s spokesperson commented: “PG Soft is excited to be part of this iconic event, blending the worlds of cutting-edge gaming and electrifying live entertainment.”

The post PG Soft sponsors Manila’s Waterbomb 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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NOVOVISION™ casino management solution celebrates fantastic ICE in Barcelona

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The year started excellent for the NOVOMATIC systems unit: After successful recent installations with renowned customers in Portugal and the UK, the NOVOVISION™ casino management system celebrated its “best ICE ever” at the new show venue in Barcelona. Perfectly integrated in the comprehensive NOVOMATIC product portfolio, but also as a standalone solution, NOVOVISION™ has become a CMS force to be reckoned with.

Visitor interest was accordingly high at the NOVOVISION™ sector of the NOVOMATIC stand as international operators took a deep dive into the manifold functionalities that combine casino management, efficiency optimization and player satisfaction in one powerful and yet highly scalable CMS solution. The system was presented at ICE in two distinct set-ups, showcasing the different functionalities and choices for club operations and for casino venues. A biometrically supported NOVOVISION™ access installation with elegant flap gates served as a divider between the two demo-venues.

Especially the casino side focused on a high-traffic architecture with options for TITO, Cashless or biometrically supported wallet solutions, highlighting detailed player tracking and attractive loyalty functionalities across a player journey that is highly individualized, appreciative and fully compliant with Responsible Gaming protocols.

A highlight in both demo set-ups was the triple version of a highly accessible new self-service station demonstrating its uses as a loyalty kiosk, as a promotional service point and as a Self-Registration Terminal (SRT), that turns customer registration into an intuitive, fast and secure self-service. The new NOVOVISION™ SRT uses 32” Full HD screen with PCAP touch that serves as an intuitive customer interface with customized language selection and clear menu navigation. It can be equipped with a customized registration set-up according to the individual operator preferences and prevailing regulatory requirements, fully satisfying detailed player tracking or anonymous play environments with a variety of optional components such as OCR document scanner, ID card reader, camera, QR code printer and more.

Another popular product premiere was the NOVOVISION™ panorama picture-in-picture feature that transfers the PTM player interface to the bottom game screen to enhance the usability, along with any other streaming content inserts. But also, the sophisticated NOVOVISION™ tournament solution as well as the latest functionalities for in-depth BI, jackpot management and powerful loyalty features drew large crowds.

Jens Einhaus, Head of Sales and Marketing NBS, says: “I am not exaggerating, when I say that this was the best ICE ever for us. Many factors have added to that. Apart from the excellent new location in Barcelona, the superb venue and well-planned show layout according to industry sectors as well as the new stand, it is definitely our product that is now attracting a lot of attention. And the reason is quite simple: it is an excellent solution for today’s and tomorrow’s CMS requirements. While many legacy casino management systems are approaching end-of-life and lack support for modern loyalty and jackpot programs, NOVOVISION™ has been developed from the ground up, by operators for operators. As a visionary state-of-the-art CMS platform, it is the sustainable and future-proof choice for operators who now need to assess whether their current CMS can comply with the increasingly complex gambling regulations. And, NOVOVISION™ has been designed as a solution.”

The post NOVOVISION™ casino management solution celebrates fantastic ICE in Barcelona appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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QCI Heatmap: A Modern Evolution of Classic Data Visualization with Cutting-Edge Technology

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Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) is revolutionizing data exploration and visualization with the launch of QCI Heatmap, an advanced contour heatmapping tool that transforms the way casinos interact with slot performance data.

This release represents a unique modernization of classic data visualization techniques, reimagined using state-of-the-art graphics processing, machine learning, and QCI’s proprietary intellectual property.

A Modern Take on a Proven Approach

Heatmapping has long been a valuable tool for understanding gaming floor performance, but traditional implementations were often limited by static visualizations, sluggish responsiveness, and an inability to scale dynamically. With QCI Heatmap, we have re-engineered these foundational techniques using modern high-performance rendering technology, GPU acceleration, and AI-driven insights, enabling real-time, interactive exploration at a level never seen before.

According to Andrew Cardno, QCI’s CTO and a two-time Smithsonian Laureate for Heroism in Information Technology: “The fundamental principles of heatmapping have remained relevant for decades, but previous implementations lacked the speed, depth, and interactive flexibility needed for modern, data-driven decision-making. With today’s powerful graphics processing engines, we can now dynamically render images at over 60 frames per second, making QCI Heatmap the most responsive and flexible data exploration tool I’ve ever built. This new approach seamlessly integrates with the QCI Enterprise Platform, offering unparalleled real-time insights.”

Patented IP Meets High-Speed Data Exploration

QCI Heatmap is built on a unique combination of proprietary intellectual property (IP) and modern visualization technology, setting it apart from legacy heatmapping tools by:

  • Leveraging GPU Acceleration: for real-time heatmap rendering, eliminating lag and increasing user engagement.
  • Integrating Machine Learning Algorithms: to enhance pattern detection and predictive slot performance analysis.
  • Enhancing Customization & Flexibility: allowing casino operators to interactively explore multiple data layers and adjust visual perspectives instantly.

Replacing QCI Slots View & Expanding Capabilities

With the introduction of QCI Heatmap, QCI is retiring the legacy QCI Slots View module and elevating data visualization to the next level. This tool provides:

  • Full Gaming Floor Visibility: Real-time interactive overlays of slot performance, customer behavior, and revenue patterns.
  • Seamless Multi-Platform Use: Optimized for both desktop and iPad, ensuring a fluid experience across devices.
  • Advanced Metric-Driven Exploration: Deep integration with the QCI Enterprise Platform, unlocking multi-dimensional analysis for decision-makers.

To ensure customers can fully leverage this next-generation tool, QCI College will offer specialized training courses on QCI Heatmaps, covering both desktop and iPad applications.

Industry Leaders Praise QCI Heatmap’s Unprecedented Performance

The impact of QCI Heatmap is already being felt across the industry. Tony Toohey, CEO of Gaming Dynamics, shared his experience: “The ability to see and interact with an entire gaming floor through a dynamic heatmapping tool is game-changing. Our Australian deployments have seen an overwhelmingly positive reception, and working alongside the QCI development team has ensured this tool delivers maximum impact upon release.”

Pioneering the Future of Casino Data Visualization

QCI Heatmap is more than just an update—it’s a paradigm shift in how casinos leverage visualization technology. By combining time-tested heatmapping concepts with modern rendering engines, AI, and proprietary QCI innovations, Quick Custom Intelligence has redefined what’s possible in gaming data exploration.

The future of casino intelligence is visual, interactive, and powered by QCI Heatmap.

 

The post QCI Heatmap: A Modern Evolution of Classic Data Visualization with Cutting-Edge Technology appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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