GAMING MACHINE MIX TRENDS 2014-2016: NSW AND QLD CLUBS AND HOTELS
Article by Justine Channing, exclusively for The Drop.
Looking at some of the general trends, and comparing the data for July 2014 Vs July 2015 V July 2016, highlights that there are some changes occurring in the gaming market in both NSW and QLD.
Using only the Top 200 games in the rankings (Maxgaming data July) and removing any venue with 10 or less machines in the market and multiterminal games, there are some clear adjustments that are worth keeping in mind when you are looking at purchase options at the AGE Trade Show next week.
Every club and hotel will be different based on the number of machines that you have, but here is a list of the obvious changes over the last two years in what has been “successful” across the market.
Denomination Trends from 2014-2016
- NSW – There has been a large increase, particularly in the last year, in the number of multi-denomination multigames that are in the Top 200, mainly because there are so many more available now, but also because they give players increased choice and are favoured.
NB: Multigames that have only high denom games have been counted as $1 games. All others have been counted as “Multi”
- NSW – Along with an increase in multi-denomination games there has been a corresponding decrease in single 1c games in the Top 200.
- NSW – Among the mid denomination games there has been a decline in 5 cent games in the Top 200 but an increase in 10c games. These games are generally reducing as clubs and pubs opt for multi-denomination games.
- NSW – The numbers of $1 games that are successful hasn’t declined as much as most assume against the increase in multi-denomination games, with many clubs still seeing a need to have a dedicated high denomination area on the floor with a strong selection of $1 games.
- NSW & QLD – Many of the 5 cent games are Ainsworth games where they have consistently seen solid performance results from their Double Shot, Triple Shot and Quad Shot games in that denomination. These have remained while many of the less successful options from other manufacturers have been removed.
- QLD – In QLD also there has been a significant shift towards a player preference for multi-denomination games. There has been decline in games in the Top 200 rankings that are offered only as 5c and 2c.
- QLD – with bet limits in QLD restricting $1 game performance this has never been a large part of the QLD market, but still 7% of the top 200 games are $1 games and this has remained unchanged for several years.
Manufacturer Trends from 2014-2016
Remembering this is across all denominations and looking at only the Top 200 games:
- NSW & QLD – NB: the high numbers of successful games in this graph for Ainsworth is due to their Quad Shot and Triple Shot games released as 1c, 2c and 5c games. If these were taken as one game release their overall numbers would drop but their overall trend would be the same. They still have a number of very successful 2c and 5c games that can be added in as 5c game conversions to older machines, freeing up space to purchase new 1c and multi-denomination games.
- NSW – Aristocrat’s strong performance results across all clubs for their Lightning Cash and Lightning Link games has driven a significant improvement in the percentage of games they have in the Top 200.
- NSW – IGT, Ainsworth and Bally have dropped only a little due to the strength of Aristocrat’s Lightning Cash/Link games and all remain solid purchase options particularly if you are looking at trading out some of the older games on the floor and you already have large numbers of Aristocrats Lightning Link/Cash games.
- QLD – There has been an even more significant shift towards Aristocrat as the leading supplier with their Lightning Link/Cash games installed in large numbers over the last year. These games alone account for the increase from 27% of the games on the Top 200 list to 41%.
Game Type Trends from 2014-2016
We discussed some trends in the SAP Vs Link Vs Standalone games last week but in addition:
- NSW – The trend over the last few years has confirmed that there has been a decline in standalone games in the Top 200. Those that remain in the market are largely $1 games and ‘5 Dragons’.
- NSW – The SAPs make up the largest proportion of successful games in the Top 200 rank but this declined a little in the last year.
- NSW – There has been an increase in the numbers of link games in the Top 200 rankings with Aristocrats ‘Lightning Link’, IGT’s ‘Cash Climb’ and Bally’s ‘Lock It Link’ all adding to the successful choices.
- QLD – In QLD there has long been a move away from Standalone games to SAPs, but even these have been declining in favour of linked product over the last two years.
And one final point of interest:
- NSW – 20% of the games in the Top 200 rankings have been released in the last 12 months.
- QLD – 28.5% of the games in the Top 200 rankings have been released in the last 12 months.
