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Saining Vessel Update: Market Primed For 5-Year Joy Ride The cliche "no news is good news" ias suffered a severe credibility cri- sis in regards to gaming vessel con- struction, because the news from recent trade shows and conferences, as well as from the mouths of build- ers and suppliers, has been strong and steady. There are currently eight vessels under construction, at Atlantic Marine, Patti Shipyard, Garbe Iron Works, Service Marine and Leevac, as well as seemingly endless nego- tiations behind closed doors between owners and builders, hammering out contract details for more boats. "In the next five years this will be a major part of our business," said Tom Hensley of Service Marine. "If all the states come on line (legal- ize this form of gaming) that are expected to, there is not enough shipbuilding capability to handle all of the new business." What has spurred Mr. Hensley and other builders and suppliers of gaming vessels are the positive in- dications flowing from every source. For example, the word from the Passenger Vessel Owner's (for- merly National Association of Pas- senger Vessel Owners, NAPVO) annual conference and exhibition, held in January in Seattle, is very encouraging. The association has even established a gaming council, which Mr. Hensley chairs. Accord- ing to Larry Evans, director of domestic marine affairs, The Trans- portation Institute (Camp Springs, Md.), who spoke at the Seattle con- ference, "this is the leading growth sector in the travel gaming and ship- building industry." The 140-mem- ber Transportation Institute pub- lishes the "Guide to Riverboat & Shipboard Gaming Legislation," a thick, information-packed manual which details current gaming vessel's revenue, as well as updates interested parties on current and proposed federal and state legisla- tion. Also included is information on specific states, pointing out tax and fee structures, restrictions and other provisions which both owner/ operators and builders must be aware. "This part of the industry will grow for the next five to six years, it will reach a peak and then cut back," said Mr. Evans. "But, over the long term, this will become a significant indus- try." He bases this opinion on the number of states expected to join the five already on-line for these gaming vessels (see chart **note: chart shown was updated again after printing of MR/EN). Other conferences and trade show exhibitions, including the second annual Riverboat Gaming Congress & Expo held in November of 1992 in New Orleans, and the recent Inter- national Gaming Business Exposi- tion '93, held February 9-10,1993 in Las Vegas, lend credence to the opin- ion that the gaming vessel segment is quickly picking up steam. Another strong indicator is the fervor with which gaming suppliers are adapting games and operations to the gaming vessel segment. For example, because of the severe weight restrictions mandated on boats, manufacturers such as Uni- versal Distributing and Bally Gam- ing have had to redesign slot ma- chines to make them weigh less. Also, the manufacturers have acted as consultants with owner and yard. "We go in and provide assistance for casino layout (CAD drawings), help- ing them place games to optimize order and weight distribution," said Eve Bailey, advertising promo- tions, Universal Distributing of Ne- vada, Inc. (Las Vegas). "The riverboat game cabinet must be lightweight in stature and design." Not only do the manufacturers help with design of the gaming floor, but offer consultation on the types of game design which will work best for a particular area or vessel. "There is a whole psychology of how and why people play games," said Ms. Bailey. The type of game, including the design of the cabinet, the hardware and software incorpo- rated, and winning odds, are regu- lated differently by each state. The (Continued on page 60) RIVERBOAT AND SHIPBOARD GAMING Legend: Vessel gaming legal in Vessel or casino gaming legalization in 92-93 Shipboard gaming on casino ships operating regularly from state Shipboard gaming on cruise ships making port calls in state HAWAII . r - - - HEBTOMOO Note: Many states fall under multiple categories; only the highest category that a state falls under is indicated. See individual states for details. Please note that charitable gaming and "card room" activies are excluded. Circle 262 on Reader Service Card March, 1993 Circle 313 on Reader Service Card wi:sti:i?n AVAinm: mmis 1870 HARBOUR ROAD, NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. 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