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Three WMS Gaming workers charged with $1M thefts

April 21, 2012 9:07 am

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (WLS) – Three men may have thought they were gaming gamemaker WMS Gaming by allegedly stealing more than $1 million in circuit boards and other equipment for over a year.

Now they are getting their payback.

They were basically stealing circuit boards and selling them on the black market, Waukegan Police Cmdr. Gabriel Guzman said Friday.

Two Waukegan men and a Round Lake resident were arrested March 14 for their thefts from the company at 800 S. Northpoint Blvd., Waukegan, that manufactures slot machines, video lottery terminals and software to help casinos manage all the machines. All three have been ordered not to have any contact with the company.

They were identified as:

Hector Echevarria, 45, of the 1300 block of Walnut Street, Waukegan. He is charged with theft over $10,000 for allegedly stealing over $1 million in equipment. He is free on bond with a May 16 court date in Lake County Circuit Court.

Leonardo Santos, 44, of the 1900 block of Broadsmore Lane, Round Lake, was identified in court records as a production manager who allegedly tried to steal central processing units that are valued between $500 and $10,000 from the company. He was charged with theft over $10,000 and is free on bond with his next court date Tuesday, April 24.

Oliver Villarreal, 26, of the 500 block of May Street, Waukegan, was charged with theft over $10,000 for also trying to steal central processing units valued between $500 and $10,000. He is due in court May 21.Guzman said he did not know if the three were selling the circuit boards online or through another avenue. The circuit boards and other equipment have applications outside gaming machines.

The over 60-year-old company started out with pinball and video arcade machines. Founder Harry Williams went to Stanford University for a degree in engineering and he developed the tilt mechanism for pinball changing the game entirely.

The Sun-Times Media Wire Contributed To This Report

Content Copyright 2012 WLS Radio 890AM and WLSAM.com. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment, Inc. Quarterly Earnings Conference Call …

DOVER, Del., Apr 20, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) –
Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment, Inc.

/quotes/zigman/300899/quotes/nls/dde DDE
-0.0036%

invites you to
participate in a conference call subsequent to the release of Dover
Downs Gaming & Entertainment, Inc.’s earnings for the first quarter
ended March 31, 2012. The conference call will be held on Thursday,
April 26, 2012 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

To listen to the conference call, you should dial 212-287-1854 five to
ten minutes before the scheduled start time and request to be connected
to the Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment, Inc. conference call,
conference ID is GAMING, leader is Denis McGlynn. If you wish to listen
to a playback of the conference call, you may dial 402-220-9674
(passcode 3103) beginning one hour after the conference call. The
playback will be available until May 4, 2012.

Owned by Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment, Inc.

/quotes/zigman/300899/quotes/nls/dde DDE
-0.0036%

, Dover
Downs Hotel & Casino(R) is a premier gaming and
entertainment resort destination in the Mid-Atlantic region. Gaming
operations consist of approximately 2,500 slots and a full complement of
table games including poker. The AAA-rated Four Diamond hotel is
Delaware’s largest with 500 luxurious rooms/suites and amenities
including a full-service spa/salon, concert hall and 41,500 sq. ft. of
multi-use event space. Live, world-class harness racing is featured
November through April, and horse racing is simulcast year-round.
Professional football parlay betting is accepted during the season.
Additional property amenities include multiple restaurants from fine
dining to casual fare, bars/lounges and retail shops. For more
information, please visit
www.doverdowns.com .

SOURCE: Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment, Inc.

Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment, Inc.
Timothy R. Horne – Sr. Vice President-Finance
302-857-3292

Copyright Business Wire 2012

/quotes/zigman/300899/quotes/nls/dde

Add to portfolio

DDE

Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment Inc.

US

: U.S.: NYSE

$
2.79

-0.0001
-0.0036%

Volume: 11,872
May 4, 2012 3:55p

P/E Ratio11.36
Dividend Yield4.30%

Market Cap$90.67 million
Rev. per Employee$247,842

/quotes/zigman/300899/quotes/nls/dde

Add to portfolio

DDE

Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment Inc.

US

: U.S.: NYSE

$
2.79

-0.0001
-0.0036%

Volume: 11,872
May 4, 2012 3:55p

P/E Ratio11.36
Dividend Yield4.30%

Market Cap$90.67 million
Rev. per Employee$247,842

Financial Glossary

Words used in this article:

Alienware updates gaming laptop lineup for 2012, doesn’t refresh M11x

Despite Intel’s new Ivy Bridge mobile chips coming very soon, Alienware has stuck to its Sandy Bridge guns with its announcement of the 2012 refresh for its gaming laptops. While the usual suspects get the requisite upgrades, one notebook no longer seems to fit into the company’s plans.

Alienware rolled the dice with its M11x portable system, which attempted to bring gaming power to a 11-inch laptop. Gamers typically prefer a beefier notebook with a bigger screen and more powerful graphics cards, but the M11x earned good reviews despite its tiny form factor. Nonetheless, Alienware’s parent company Dell told The Verge that the laptop no longer fits into its lineup, as its customers prefer full-sized keyboards and built-in optical drives, neither of which the M11x possesses.

Those customers will be able to buy new M14x, M17x, and M18x machines with Nvidia GeForce 600 graphics, complete with PCI Express 3.0 support for additional bandwidth, a minimum of 6GB of 1600MHz dual-channel RAM, and, according to Engadget, Sandy Bridge Core i7 processors, not the improved — though still unavailable — Ivy Bridge ones. Audio will also improve thanks to integrated Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di High-Definition hardware, and there are numerous additional storage options.

For the moment, you can still purchase the M11x on the Alienware website, though given Dell’s comments, enough people weren’t interested in it in the first place to keep the company motivated to update its specs.

Playsino Raises $1.5 Million, Doubles Down on Social Casino Gaming

LOS ANGELES, CA, Apr 20, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
Playsino,
http://www.playsino.com , today announced it has closed on
$1.5 million of new funding. Playsino is focused on building the
largest social casino game publisher on social networks and mobile
platforms.

The company has closed on $1.5 million as part of what is expected to
be much larger financing to support the company’s ambitious goals.
Investors in the round included: IDM Venture Capital, a
Singapore-based venture capital firm investing in early to mid-stage
interactive digital media companies; Pacific Capital Group, a
Los-Angeles based private investment firm, which is led by Gary
Winnick, founder, Chairman and CEO; Siemer Ventures, a Santa Monica
venture capital firm; and several prolific angel investors, such as
Jordan Simons, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of GCP, a merchant
bank whose principals have closed over 200 investments and
transactions valued at over $15 billion; and Wicks Walker of W4
Ventures. Existing investors Tomorrow Ventures, Jim Armstrong and
Michael Huskins also participated.

“Playsino’s global potential is a key focus for our firm. Virtual
currency can play anywhere, and Playsino’s unmatched familiarity with
it best positions them to become the world’s largest social casino
game company,” said Denis Gamobramov, Managing Partner of IDM Venture
Capital.

The financing will accelerate the new Playsino product offerings led
by Brock Pierce, new CEO of Playsino and a Managing Director of the
Clearstone Global Gaming Fund. Pierce has founded eight companies,
acquired more than 30 others, and closed a dozen corporate finance
transactions, securing more than $200 million on behalf of his
companies.

“Brock is dynamic, the type of young entrepreneur we like to back and
the vision he shares of social gaming integrating elements of casino
games is undoubtedly going to become a substantial industry,” said
Andrew S. Kane, Managing Director and COO of Pacific Capital Group.

In 2001, Pierce, who is often referred to as the “Godfather of
Virtual Goods,” founded Internet Gaming Entertainment (IGE), which
pioneered the market for virtual goods in online games and was sold
in 2007. In 2003, Pierce founded Zam, which was sold in January 2012.
In 2004, Pierce has rolled up the exchange of virtual goods through
marketplaces using IMI Exchange, which today owns the world’s leading
marketplaces for the trading of virtual goods with systemwide annual
revenues exceeding $500 million. In 2010, he also led Xfire’s spin
out from Viacom.

“Social casino gaming combines the virality and addictiveness of a
game like Farmville with the monetization capabilities of mid- to
hard-core gaming,” said Pierce. “I believe this sector will have many
winners with some creating value in the billions. I aim to keep
Playsino at the forefront of the race by ramping internal
development, publishing relevant third party content as well as
acquiring the best independent players in the space.”

In addition to Pierce, Playsino is also bringing along key gaming
veterans needed for the ambitious effort to build the world’s largest
social casino games company.

Playsino enters a potentially drastic inflection point for social
gaming, with emerging social casino games as the catalyst for that
movement. Half of all the people on the Internet — 510 million –
play some sort of social game, a 71 percent increase since 2010.
Recent reports also estimate online gambling will be worth $30
billion globally in 2013, with the United States accounting for $4.5
billion of that figure.

“We believe the next evolution of social gaming will involve merging
it with what has been the longtime appeal of wagering,” said David
Siemer, Managing Director of Siemer Ventures. “Playsino’s gaming
platform is well-positioned to capitalize on this next phase.”

About Playsino:
Playsino, a social casino games company, brings the
exciting world of live-action gaming to mobile and social platforms
globally. The company is run by proven entrepreneurs and game
industry veterans. Playsino, formally Titan Gaming, is headquartered
in Santa Monica, CA.

SOURCE: Playsino

Copyright 2012 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.

Financial Glossary

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Gaming Computers: 5 Reasons Not to Upgrade

When you think gaming computers, the typical image that springs to mind (besides a giant question mark, if youre not a video games enthusiast) are pricey systems from the likes of HP and Alienware. But while desktops and laptops offering superior 3D computing performance were the norm yesterday, consider. Thanks to the emergence of new video game genres and trends, even older PCs can now provide a satisfying electronic entertainment experience.

From massively multiplayer online (MMO) virtual worlds that exist and evolve 24/7 online, and let thousands of players interact in real-time, to social games designed for play on Facebook, options are suddenly endless. Case in point: Literally thousands of games can be downloaded from, or played free within, your Web browser. Likewise, streaming cloud solutions such as OnLive and Gaikai (which process games on cutting-edge, remotely-located servers and beam them down on-demand over the Internet), now let everyday machines run new and premium game experiences.

The next time that your teenager tells you they need a gaming computer, consider pointing out the following trends – most of which your average, reasonably-priced system can run without major upgrades. While doing so may earn you a nasty look, you may wind up saving thousands in the end.

Free to Play Games – Literally tens of thousands of simple and free downloadable video games – some even starting to approach retail quality – can be had at websites like Shockwave, Kongregate, and NinjaKiwi.com. While most are lightweight, coffee-break style experiences, many are beginning to feature added depth and 3D complexity, and are designed around affordable, low-end hardware requirements. Collectively, all have turned the Internet into the ultimate arcade.

Social Games – With more than 850 million people actively using Facebook, a new breed of social games that piggyback on it and similar sites infrastructure has rapidly gained in popularity. Packed with free, user-friendly titles meant for play in short spurts and designed to run in your Web browser, popular networks now offer titles in nearly every imaginable genre. From FarmVille (simulation) to Bubble Witch Saga (arcade action) and Empires amp; Allies (strategy), these outing are designed for mass appeal – and hence to run on nearly any PC.

Indie Games – Most retail games are sprawling affairs made by large corporations. By contrast, indepdent (indie) games are often made by small groups or lone individuals. Many such as Braid and Minecraft eschew fancy graphics, eye-popping special effects and other CPU-hogging clutter for more practical benefits like novel themes, catchy storytelling and unique gameplay concepts. Frequently among the most innovative and boundary-pushing titles available, theyre also among the least punishing on system resources.

Digital Downloads and DLC – Courtesy of online retailers like Steam, GamersGate and GameStop PC Downloads, entire games and reams of downloadable content (DLC) add-ons (ie new missions, maps and characters) can be download right to your desktop. While some are simply copies of boxed retail cousins, many more like Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 are original, download-only options. Not only are many choices provided here value-priced and more affordable. They also typically offer highly-polished experiences (albeit in smaller chunks) in a format that – because of bite-sized price points and corresponding fan expectations – delivers hours of fun that even budget-priced gaming computers can enjoy.

Cloud Computing – Cloud computing – and cloud gaming – are growing in popularity as well. Using this practice, software developers dont store files and software on your home machine, but rather offload intensive computing and graphics processing functions remotely, then beam results back to your PC via high-speed broadband connection. Courtesy of providers like Gaikai and OnLive, cloud gaming technology allows even value-priced and older systems to provide high-end gaming performance. That way, you can play many of todays top titles without having to worry about hiccups, stutters or programs refusing to run because of hardware limitations.

Labor wants gaming bill in Md. special session

Posted at 04:51 PM ET, 04/20/2012

TheWashingtonPost

Labor wants gaming bill in Md. special session
By John Wagner

Maryland legislative leaders are divided over legislation that would allow table games at slots venues. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)A coalition of labor leaders wrote to Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) and legislative leaders Friday asking that gambling legislation be included in a special session called to finish work on the state budget.

The scope of a special-session agenda has proven the biggest hurdle to the General Assembly’s return to Annapolis.

Some lawmakers advocate limiting work to an agreed-upon revenue package that did not come to a vote on the final night of the 90-day session. Others want to include a bill that calls for a statewide referendum on allowing a Prince George’s County casino and Las Vegas-style table games at Maryland’s five other slots locations.

The labor leaders fall into the second camp.

“An expansion of gaming through a sixth casino location in Prince George’s County, and the addition of table games creates the structure for long-term revenue growth for Maryland,” says a letter signed by 11 labor leaders, including the director of Maryland’s chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

A second letter, making the same argument, was sent Friday by representatives of two additional unions, SEIU 32BJ and UNITE HERE Local 25. That letter makes the case that the expansion of gaming will help create jobs and says “our members needed your help now.”

If lawmakers do not return by July to pass a revenue package, more than $500 million in cuts to education and other planned spending will take effect.

House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) has warned that it will be difficult enough to get members to vote to raise taxes in a special session, much less take up other controversial legislation such as a gambling bill.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Prince George’s) argues that lawmakers need to pass a gaming bill in time to put the issue on the November ballot. Otherwise, it will be 2014 before the legislature can seek public approval for a gambling expansion.

Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) has been trying to broker a consensus among the legislative leaders. He has said he will call a special session as soon as one is achieved.

By John Wagner
 | 
04:51 PM ET, 04/20/2012

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How Apple Can Conquer The Gaming Industry Without Firing A Shot

The fact that Apple CEO Tim Cook didnt actually visit game developer Valve doesnt really change my predictions about Apples role in the gaming industry or rumors about a possible Apple video game console.

In the narrow case of Apple and Valve, I think we still will see more collaboration between the two now that Valve is releasing all its titles across platforms.

On the other hand, rumors of hardware collaboration strike me as a longshot at best, and dreamy-Utopian at worst. So do rumors about an Apple console.

I mentioned previously that not running on Windows creates a barrier to entry for Apple computers into the serious gaming market, a claim which many commenters scoffed at. Dual-booting isnt that much of a hoop to jump through! they reminded me. Sure, for people who want to dual-boot its a very simple process.

Still, I think theyre missing the larger point. It may not be a huge hoop for some people, but when you take into account the broader market it really is: how many gamers simply choose PC to avoid the added hassle and added expense of dual-booting?

Thats without even considering how gamers enjoy tinkering with their PCs, upgrading parts, etc. Things you cant do with an Apple product to nearly the same degree.

Real barriers to a flourishing gaming platform exist for Apple, and its unlikely Apple will choose to pursue either consoles or PC gaming in a very big way, though they will be happy enough to work with developers like Valve or Blizzard who release cross-platform titles.

The Revolution Will Be Mobile

Apple is a threat to consoles, but not in the way some people are talking about it. Apple isnt coming out with an Xbox killer at least not directly. Mobile games are already cutting into the traditional gaming market, and it will only get worse. Even as game hardware and software sales drop off a cliff, mobile gaming is only getting bigger.

So dont count on Apple making a concerted push into the console market.

Rather than deal with new console hardware, its far more likely that Apple will continue to pursue app gaming across its Mac, iPhone, iPad, and television products. Well see gaming apps take off in earnest when Apple finally breaks into the television market. Many casual gamers will have no need for a console if their TV sports a large catalog of gaming apps already.

Add to this the fact that graphics chip manufacturer nVidia is predicting that mobile graphics processors will be as powerful as the Xbox 360 chip by 2014, and you can see how gaming apps are going to be a very big deal in a couple of years.

Since mobile devices will see a perpetual upgrade cycle while consoles only get upgrades every few years (or longer) mobile gaming will have a distinct technological edge, at least in evolutionary terms, similar to the edge PC gaming has, but with a much broader consumer base.

Well see a much more mainstream gaming market opening up to mobile and Apple television gamers, while more serious titles remain on consoles and especially PC. It will be more difficult than ever to produce serious titles at a profit, however, and the trend will be toward the online universes that EA has talked about.

Games will be connected across multiple platforms a notion that can be both good, when its purely optional, and bad when its done by forcing players to play on multiple platforms just to complete a game. Think Mass Effect 3.

Mix in the growing free-to-play model and the future of gaming begins to emerge, as does Apples role in all of it as king of the hill in a very, very different industry than the one we have now.

I admit, its not a vision that particularly excites or delights me.

Im suspicious of free-to-play and Im uninspired by most mobile games. Angry Birds does nothing for me. Hopefully the market stays vibrant enough to continue pumping out serious titles and doesnt continue loping toward the lowest common denominator. Hopefully we see increasingly ambitious games on PC and on consoles.

And maybe gaming apps will see their own transformation for the better.

Follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Read my Forbes blog here.

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Friday Poll: Apple + Valve = What?

Friday Poll: Apple + Valve = What?

Speculation has been flying since Apple CEO Time Cook was reportedly spotted hanging out at Valve headquarters in Washington state. Was he just playing a few games of Portal? Or will a co-developed gaming gizmo result?

JCM Global Heads South for Southern Gaming Summit With Award-Winning Solutions

LAS VEGAS, NV, Apr 20, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
JCM Global, one of the world’s leading automated solutions
providers and “Best Street Supplier of the Year,” is inviting
operators across the southern U.S. to ride with the winner at the
Southern Gaming Summit. JCM Global will be in booth ̻.

JCM Global’s award-winning products, including the iVIZION(R) and
UBA(R) bill validators, the Intelligent Cash Box (ICB(R)) and
PayCheck 4(TM) printer have transformed the way operators across the
south do business, helping to make their operations better, smarter
and faster. Additionally, of all its competitive set, only JCM
provides top-level sales, engineering and service.

“Riverboats and land-based casinos alike have experienced first-hand
the difference in efficiency and speed that JCM Global products bring
to their operations. We are excited to see old friends and build new
relationships at this year’s Southern Gaming Summit,” said JCM Global
Vice President of Global Sales Mark Henderson.

JCM Global customers in the gulf coast region eagerly spoke of JCM’s
products.

Al Elder, Soft Count Manager for Island View Casino, is a long-term
JCM Global customer and spoke of the ICB system. “One of the reasons
we are so efficient is the ICB system allows us to just pull a box
and put it on a cart. No wanding, tickets or other nonsense required.
It makes the drop almost mistake-proof.”

Jay Underkofler, Sr. Director of Finance for The Isle at Pompano Park
is also a long-term JCM Global customer and said, “The ICB system
eliminates 75 percent of the manual errors from the drop and count
processes, and process efficiency equals money saved.”

See all of JCM Global’s solutions at Southern Gaming Summit or
anytime at
www.jcmglobal.com .

About JCM Global
JCM Global is the world’s leading supplier of
innovative automated transactions solutions for the banking, gaming
and retail industries. With unsurpassed service and support, JCM
Global is trusted by operators, manufacturers and integrators on six
continents. Its extensive line of award-winning products set global
standards with ground-breaking products like the iVIZION(R),
Universal Bill Acceptor (UBA(R)) and Vega-RC(TM) bill validators,
Intelligent Cash Box (ICB(R)) and PayCheck 4(TM) thermal printer. For
more information, visit JCM Global’s 24-hour tradeshow at

www.jcmglobal.com .

Contact:
Paul Speirs-Hernandez
Steinbeck Communications
P +1 (702) 413-4278
E Email Contact
T @steinbeckcomm

SOURCE: JCM Global

http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=29F38F4910435740

Copyright 2012 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.