Playtech Game Terminals Debut in Tanzania

Baraka Gaming Group and Playtech have partnered to create Baraka Casino, a suite of 60 games that can be played both on the Internet and through a new land-based kiosk network in the Republic of Tanzania in eastern Africa.

Baraka, which is fully licensed and registered in Antigua, has so far installed kiosk terminals only in its Tanzanian land-based casinos, but the company plans to enter hotels, resorts and Internet cafes soon.

Playtech offers the terminals in a wide range of styles and interface peripherals and gives Baraka the ability to adjust many variables at different levels of the system. For example, individual terminal settings such as game speed and sound effects can be manipulated, and at the network level the operator can set limits on bets, deposits and idle time.

Baraka's online casino at www.barakacasino.com is virtually identical to the kiosk version, using the same Playtech software and backend system and offering the same games and basic interface.

The terminals accept several payment methods, including pre-paid cards and scratch cards, but don't accept credit cards, so players can't use their online account to play on the terminals.

Alain Rybaka, one of the owners of Baraka Gaming Group, explained why the company chose Playtech as the third-party vendor.

"Finding companies to provide software for the game terminals wasn't difficult," he said, "but identifying one system that could unite all the terminals and the agents who run them and allow us, the owners, to manage the entire operation from a single interface wasn't so easy."

Playtech's marketing director Dana A. Ziv said kiosk system " sets new standards in terms of sophistication, customization and transparency."

Playtech develops unified gaming platforms. The company primarily targets existing online operators who want to upgrade their system and land-based operators who want to make an online debut. Playtech's online casino, live videostream casino, bingo, poker, and games of skill applications are fully intercompatible and can be freely incorporated as stand-alone activities.

Playtech has also recently licensed online casino software to both Sports Interaction (Sports Interaction Casino) and BetWWTS.com (BetCasino.com). Both casinos are available as both a downloadable and Flash suite, and boast a three dimensional lobby, real-time game and transaction histories, VIP ratings, a cash-convertible comp points scheme and participation in WinAJackpot.com, which is Playtech's progressive jackpot network.