Changes are afoot in the UK AWP market; where once single-game, reel-based machines were the dominant force, now there is growing competition from video-based, multigame machines, it has been claimed.
“The old way,” said Simon Barff, who heads up Blueprint Gaming’s machine division, “was to provide single-game, reel-based machines that moved from site to site depending on their popularity and age. This is a costly process and assumes tight machine management control.”
It is vital that machines like this are changed on a regular basis, he said, in order to maintain player interest. Leaving a machine on site for too long a period will result in a loss of income.
“We know how video-based, multigame AWPs have revolutionised the market in Germany – and that is how we foresee the UK market going. We are perfectly placed to play a key role here as our parent company is the Gauselmann Group.”
Gauselmann, through its Blueprint game development and Praesepe operations arms, as well as its stake in Sceptre Leisure, is well positioned in the UK AWP market. Blueprint has already provided several thousand video-based AWPs to British locations. These include games presented on Gauselmann’s Genie, Playmaker, Vision Slant-top and Vision Casino cabinets.
Said Barff: “These cabinets are built to superb standards in Germany and offer multigame menus. The possibility to reprogramme them on site is the key benefit. The cabinets are eye-catching and built to last. The fact that the games are continually updated means that the costly furniture removal process can be negated. That gives retailers and machine operators peace of mind and saves money.”
Changes in the German AWP market saw the player base almost double, with improvements in locations and greater choice boosting the appeal of machine gaming there. Gauselmann is hoping its experience in its home country can be transferred to the UK to support market growth. “This will be for the benefit of the entire UK market,” said Barff. “Our machine and game popularity coupled with our strong position in the UK as both supplier and operator and the knowledge from the German market will all be used to create a new and exciting gaming environment for players in the UK.”
