The 2008 Preview Event held in the UK, once again was a success. On hand were some of the most amazing people in the gambling industry from the UK and around the world. The exhibit representatives came from many countries with various forms of gambling and online gaming interests. One significant attraction to this year’s event is the fact that this year is the first year the new UK gaming laws are in place. This became motivating reason for the hot bed in technology, and gaming security and advancements all in one place.

Even though there were some traffic and rail delays, attendance was very high at this year’s event. The exhibition hall was filled to capacity, upstairs and down. However, the gaming enthusiasts were not limited in their technological discussions to the exhibition hall. Many people spent great amounts of time outside the exhibit as well, in the local restaurants and pubs. This spillover naturally helped the economy locally as the crowd was fluctuating or growing throughout the day. Just one more benefit the UK enjoys with this type of opportunity available to the gaming industry.

The biggest topic of discussion was the new B3 machines as well as the new conversion kits. These are casino based gaming systems that were designed to fit into the new gaming laws for the UK. Each permitted item will be legally placed to maximize revenue, of course, but also customer entertainment. Many of the people who attended have mentioned on a couple of social networking sites, that the machines themselves look impressive, however due to the fact no one has had site testing done as of yet, there is not a solid yes or no about the games themselves. They do sound promising to the average player. Between the new gaming machines and the conversation kits, it will be easy for casinos, racetracks and the like to update completely to the new standards applied by the 2007 Gaming Act.

In a comment released to the press, co-organizer Philip Howard, of Howard and Wikberg, mentioned his enthusiasm with the positive feedback he was receiving from the industry attendees and exhibitors. The hall was constantly a buzz with technological discussions, and gaming application ideas. As the New Year rolls around, so will the new games and software that apply to the UK Gaming Act that was instituted in September 2007. From this years gaming preview event, 2008 promises to be and enjoyable one.