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4 Thursday, September 26, 2013 GET MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK WHEN BUYING WITH EAST COAST SLOTS By Chase Easterling The economy is down and money is tight. If you are like the rest of the country, then you are cutting costs wherever possible. Whether you are buying a car, shopping for groceries, or even choosing a new cell phone provider, you want to get the best deal you can, without sacrificing quality. If this is the case in everyday life, why should it be any different when it comes to purchasing new equipment for your casino? Casino equipment is expensive, especially slot machines, and while you do want to get the newest machines possible for your customers to enjoy, is it really worth spending $15,000, $20,000 or even $25,000 per machine? The goal is to give your players games they can enjoy, while not killing the profit margin with huge expenses. There is an alternative to spending tens of thousands of hard earned dollars for each new slot machine. Buy gently used and completely re-furbished equipment from a reputable company in the industry. It is easy to think of re-furbished equipment as being old and outdated, but this is not the case at all. You will be amazed at the equipment that can be found in the second-hand market with just a simple phone call or e-mail. It is not uncommon to find machines that are only one or two years old and cost a fraction of the original purchase price JCJ ARCHITECTURE SUCCEEDS IN THE NEW AGE OF REPOSITIONING AND RENOVATION By Bill Dow, Principal, JCJ Architecture The changing economy, growing competition and tax complexities, changing visitor expectations, and aging facilities have all contributed to the increasing number of properties that are undergoing renovations, expansions and repositioning. The maturing gaming market presents potential patrons with multiple options and tests an owner's ability to win and hold their existing patron's attention and loyalty while simultaneously appealing to a broader audience. With more than 25 years experience in the hospitality and gaming sector, JCJ Architecture has seen the benefits that thorough planning, programming and responsive design strategies can provide in a repositioning and renovation project – even when developed on tighter budgets. We have seen some strategies in the planning and design phase that have been extremely effective in maximizing project results. Branding Altering an existing brand is a com- plex process, but is a way to heighten the effectiveness of renovations. An example of an organization that has developed this process superbly is Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG). With revenue and numbers of unique visitors trending downward and average age of patrons increasing, OLG chose to launch their new master brand identity as a methodology to develop a strategic focus for the renovations and repositioning of their multiple facility operations and services. The JCJ Architecture team developed market, patron and operational driven design guidelines and criteria that would become the backbone of this comprehensive 'standardization' program. The standardization and branding methodologies included, among others, planning and material guidelines, specific layouts and applications, color palettes and signage standards, casino support area design and material guidelines and methodologies. The program rolled out with renovation work at one of the OLG managed properties near Toronto, and immediately created M3T VAULT: THE TOTAL SOLUTION The M3t Vault provides operators with easily accessible, real-time cash flow figures for all vaults, mini-banks, POS stations (cashiers, restaurants, gift shops etc.), ticket redemption kiosks and ATMs for casino resorts with numerous locations. The M3t Vault minimizes idle cash inventory, accelerating a resort's ability to access funds and allowing these funds to gain vital interest income. The M3t Vault slashes the time spent completing this process, allowing casinos to alter funds in POS terminals and constantly account for money moving around the property, with a documented audit trail when needed. Cashiers can quickly image a whole shift's worth of tickets, validate the amount of tickets, and determine whether or not they have been redeemed. Ticket images are permanently stored in the M3t database, removing the need to store and search for cumbersome amounts of paper tickets, which last only several months and cause numerous auditing issues. The M3t Vault's custom moneybundling features, along with quick count drawers, allow vaults to be efficiently opened and closed. The M3t Vault creates an entire batch of drawers for the cage, tables and player services while maintaining the integrity of vault accounting. Cash and coin that is part of the vault total but sitting ready for disbursement is Gaming News from the factory— machines your customers will not be able to tell apart from brand new! As an industry leader for over eight years, East Coast Slots has been providing quality refurbished machines to casinos throughout the world. With anywhere from 2,500-5,000 machines on hand at any given time, East Coast Slots is sure to have the games you are looking for. Give us a call or shoot us an e-mail to enquire about our current inventory. Let us show you how we can save you money, while outfitting your casino floor with the newest, latest and greatest machines in the industry. For more information, visit booth 2037, go online to www.ecslots.com, call 954974-3455, or email sales@ecslots.com operational efficiencies as well as cost savings in procurement and design. As these programs become mature, savings typically increase, particularly as procurements and inventory controls are standardized. Planned Flexibility A thorough planning and design process should identify opportunities for the building to respond to future regulatory, licensing and market conditions. JCJ Architecture's work during the initial phases of the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs facility in Pennsylvania demonstrates that strategic early design decisions can increase the building's future adaptability without unnecessarily increasing the cost of initial construction. The tactics employed by the project team at Pocono Downs included designated areas of future expansion that could be readily "plugged-in" without disrupting on-going operations and mechanical, electrical and low voltage systems infrastructure planning to accommodate a growing facility and new technologies. When Pennsylvania permitted the introduction of table games, JCJ's prior planning tactics allowed Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs to efficiently accommodate the installa- tracked down to the penny. Many resorts and casinos allow employees to place tips in the vault for safekeeping, but tips must be manually tracked, creating a time-consuming and frustrating process for both vault personnel and employees. The M3t Vault can manage all tips collected on the floor and through casino services, with features like tax deductions for the IRS and flexible dispersement settings to allow tips to be distributed based on departments. The M3t Vault uses historical data to identify trends and give a full picture of the needed cash position. On-demand reports detail which denominations need to be deposited and which need to be replenished in the vault; easily accessible AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION NOT AFFILIATED WITH G2E Lee M. Oser CEO and Editor-in-Chief Lyle Sapp Senior Associate Publisher Director of Sales Kim Forrester Jeff Rosano Associate Publishers Lorrie Baumann Editorial Director Hayden Neeley Senior Associate Editor Kristina Harris Jeanie Catron Associate Editor Hannah Hollins Assistant Editor Yasmine Brown Graphic Designer Ruth Haltiwanger Customer Service Manager Lynn Hilton Account Managers Enrico Cecchi European Sales Gaming News is published by Oser Communications Group ©2013. All rights reserved. Executive and editorial offices at: 1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715 520.721.1300/Fax: 520.721.6300 www.oser.com European offices located at Lungarno Benvenuto Cellini, 11, 50125 Florence, Italy. tion of table games without expending additional dollars to comply with some of the technical or infrastructural requirements. While difficult to quantify cost and schedule savings, JCJ's approach enabled the owner to minimize the impact to ongoing operations and increased the owner's speed to market. When undertaking reposition or renovation projects, there are numerous strategies to ensure success. JCJ Architecture has seen that thorough planning and a design process that responds to a broad range of strategic and tactical objectives will provide immediate and sometimes future payoff. For more information, visit booth 3437, go to www.jcj.com, call 860-247-9226 or email info@jcj.com. settings allow managers to configure and maintain the right mix of cash and coin. The M3t Vault shows management a real-time view of all money coming in and out of the vault – broken down by denomination, and including tickets and chips – as well as reports of all cash, by denomination, sitting idle in POS terminals, ATM's, etc. This real-time approach to cash management minimizes idle cash on property and paves the way for increased returns on invested capital and allows for more efficient management of personnel. For more information, call Dylan Waddle: dwaddle@m3ts.com or 405822-3814, visit www.m3ts.com or stop by booth #1317.