Category: News

News

Latest News from GPT – August

Post author By user
Post date August 31, 2023

Latest News from GPT

August 2023

Game Payment Technology (GPT) is a joint venture between Polar Moment and JCM Global, a world leader in transaction and payment technologies, to drive the amusement and gaming machine industry forward with cashless payment solutions.

Here are the latest updates about Game Payment, the market-leading cashless payment solution developed and operated by Polar Moment.

Play in July:

Although play on fruit machines reaches its lowest point at this time of year, Game Payment continues to grow. The amount deposited by players grew again in July and the number of machines played saw a very healthy increase. The growth in player numbers is remarkably consistent throughout the year – as the graph below illustrates.

Multi-Machine Use:

Game Payment is quickly becoming the preferred way of paying in the pub. For instance, before and after playing ten games of pool, a Wolverhampton player took a few spins on the nearby King of Games fruit machine. Some players in Andover have two favourite pubs and play pool using GPT in both. It’s all about convenience and fun with Game Payment!

Reflex Game Master 2:

Exciting news! Reflex have recently launched their Game Master 2 cabinets. Game Payment is now available using either hardware or software solutions on the following machines:

Game Master 2 – EVO Cat C Menu
Game Master – EVO Cat C Menu

Our software-based solution uses the GBG EFT protocol, allowing cashless play without needing to install any hardware. Alternatively, you can use a TP-SLU to connect to Game Payment.

For players, the main difference between these options is how they connect their app to a machine. The TP-SLU will allow the player to find the machine using Bluetooth (see screenshot to the right). Both solutions allow the player to scan the QR code presented on the machine. Otherwise, the player experience is the same.

Cash Vs Cashless:

Research shows that for small retail businesses, the cost of an average transaction for cash is 9.1% (1). These costs factor in cash management and reconciliation costs as well as back-office and banking charges. Card payments are at least 50% cheaper than cash, on average.

The bigger picture though, is that arcade operators are losing revenue from the cash-averse. A nationwide study on behalf of Samsung found that only 14% of people in the UK always carry cash – and just 8% of 18-to-29-year-olds (2). Even a handy ATM won’t necessarily appeal to these people.

References:

News

The Expert’s Playbook for Payments System Implementation: Best Practices and Insights

Post author By user
Post date August 21, 2023

The Expert's Playbook for Payments System Implementation: Best Practices and Insights

21st August 2023

Having spent 26 years working with payments projects across the retail sector, I’ve seen first-hand how challenging it can be to implement payments systems. There are many factors that can impact the success of a payments project. In this blog post, I’ll share my expert playbook for implementing a payments system, including best practices and key insights.

John Rozek

Polar Moment director

Understand clearly what you are trying to achieve:

Do not start by designing the solution. Start by establishing what you need to achieve as a business, and what the customer experience should be. Do not restrict this just to payments: this is only part of the story. Consider the whole user journey.

Define your project scope and requirements upfront:

Once you are clear on the desired customer experience, then you can define the project scope and requirements. Do not try and design the solution at this stage. There are many approaches for delivering payment solutions. Working with payments experts will help you understand the options available and the implications of each.

Choose a development partner with practical experience:

Payments is a complex world. Look for a development team with practical experience in working with a broad range of payment solutions. Weigh up the benefits of developing bespoke solutions against adapting existing software solutions. Work with the development team to decide which technologies are most appropriate considering your organisations standards. Also, consider cloud-based options.

Take a phased approach to development:

Payments system implementation is a complicated process that requires careful planning and execution. Taking a phased approach to development will help to minimise risk. Establish how your team will work with your chosen development partner. Decide how you are going to review the outputs throughout the development project. Set your testing strategy and agree your acceptance criteria. Know how you are going to implement the solution. Consider the benefits of piloting before rollout.

Prioritise resilience, transactions speed, ease of use, security and compliance:

Payment systems are the heart of your business. If your system is down you cannot trade, revenues are lost, and customers walk away. The user experience must be intuitive and transaction speeds need to be fast. Payment systems are a high-value target for cyber criminals. A data breach will have a massive financial impact and damage your company’s reputation. Consider how to design your system to minimise the costs of complying with PCI:DSS (payment card industry – data security standard), the standard used within the payment industry to protect cardholder data. Ensure these features are built into your solution’s design from the project outset.

Test rigorously:

Payments systems must be tested thoroughly to ensure that they work as intended and are free from bugs and other issues. Plan for comprehensive testing throughout the development process, including functional testing, performance testing, and security testing. Polar Moment’s customers welcome our advice on test environment set up and management using both virtual and physical servers. We recommend development, test, pre-production and live environments. We are expert in the leading payment test tools, including T3 from Iliad.

Plan for ongoing maintenance and support:

Once your payments system is live, it will need ongoing maintenance and support. Work with your development team to plan for ongoing maintenance and support, including software updates, bug fixes, and customer support.

Conclusion:

Implementing a payments system can be a complex and challenging process. With the right development team, you can ensure success. At Polar Moment, we have a team of developers with practical experience in working with some of the world’s leading payment vendors and processors. With ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 accreditations, we can take full end-to-end responsibility for your payments software delivery. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you implement your payments system.

News

Latest News From GPT

Post author By user
Post date July 31, 2023

Latest News from GPT

31st July 2023

Here are the latest updates about Game Payment, the market-leading cashless payment solution developed and operated by Polar Moment.

Play in June:

The very hot weather clearly affected play on fruit machines: the hottest days saw significantly less play than the more temperate ones. Despite this, the daily average spend in June was the same as in May, so the underlying trend is still firmly upwards. Interestingly, the average deposit per player rose by 13% last month as the most dedicated players were less distracted by the heat.

Growth in Cashless Payments:

The popularity of cashless payments is growing across the world. Mobile wallet payments accounted for 35% of transaction values in 2022 (up from 32% in 2021). GlobalData predicts this will carry on and that mobile wallet payments will be used more than cards by 2026.

100% Uptime:

Game Payment has been running continuously without an interruption in service since its launch. That’s now 40 months!

Player Analysis:

Data analysis is one of the many added-value features of Game Payment. Here’s some of the surprising facts it reveals.

Players aged 30-40 spend the most, though there are more players aged 18-30.

However, the 60-70 year olds are the biggest individual spenders, spending more than three times as much, on average, as 30-50 year olds and more than six times as much as 18-30s!

That’s not due to one or two high-rollers – there’s a large group of them.

Inspired Machines:

We are pleased to announce that the following Inspired machines can now be Game Payment-enabled:

Prismatic
iPub2
iPub3

News

The Roundup: Highlights from Q2 2023 at Polar Moment

Post author By user
Post date July 27, 2023

The Roundup: Highlights From Q2 2023 at Polar Moment

27th July 2023

As the second quarter of 2023 comes to a close, we are excited to share the progress we’ve made in delivering software development and consultancy projects to some of the world’s leading organisations. Let’s take a look at some of what we’ve been up to over the past few months.

New Customer: Axcel Group

We’re delighted to announce that we’re working with Axcel Group, a prominent player in the hospitality industry. With 12 hotel chains, most operating as franchises under major brands, Axcel Group sought our expertise to achieve the best pricing for their acquiring services. It’s been a rewarding journey so far, and we are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.

Game Payment Technology

Following JCM’s investment in the first quarter, we’ve been working on GPT’s technical roadmap and development plans. The focus is on exploring markets beyond the UK.

We’re thrilled to share that a 6th major UK pub chain has come on board to trial Game Payment in two regions.

For the latest news on Game Payment, be sure to check this latest news post.

Our Other Activities This Quarter Include:

As we head into Q3 we look forward to more payments projects . Are you looking for payment industry specialists? Contact us today to explore how Polar Moment can deliver exceptional payment experiences to your customers.

News

Latest News from GPT

Post author By Coleen Christie
Post date June 27, 2023

Latest News from GPT

27th June 2023

Here are the latest updates from Game Payment, the market-leading cashless payment solution developed and operated by Polar Moment.

Introducing Evgeny Shulyak:

GPT is thrilled to announce that Evgeny Shulyak, of JCM Global, will be working closely with the GPT team. In addition to his current role as a sales manager, Evgeny has taken on the position of head of business development for JCM Cashless Solutions. With extensive experience in the gaming industry and deep knowledge of payment technologies, Evgeny brings valuable insights and expertise to further propel the growth of Game Payment Technology.

Evgeny emphasises the importance of payment choice in today’s fast-paced world, stating, “By offering a secure cashless payment method, Game Payment enhances convenience and accessibility for players. We understand the significance of integrating cashless payment options alongside existing methods, providing a seamless and versatile experience for operators and players alike. Together, we will enhance the gaming experience for players and drive profitability for our customers, solidifying GPT’s position as the leading provider of secure and convenient cashless payment solutions. I look forward to forging strong partnerships and contributing to the continued success of GPT.”

Rapid Growth for GPT:

The value of monthly payments through the Game Payment app has more than doubled over the last eight months and is projected to have more than tripled over the course of a year. This growth is driven both by an increase in the amount played through each machine as well as more machines using Game Payment.

Positive Feedback on the TR-SLU Solution:

GPT’s TR-SLU solution, which allows players to use the Game Payment app for pool table transactions, has received outstanding feedback from operators. One notable feature of this solution is its ability to monitor the voltage of the batteries that release the balls. By providing real-time alerts when batteries are low, GPT ensures minimal downtime and maximises operational efficiency.

Operators have praised this functionality, emphasising how it eliminates unnecessary disruptions and enables proactive maintenance, as expressed by one satisfied operator: “That’s a great system, by the way. This will save unnecessary downtime.” Another operator stated: “It’s brilliant that this has happened, so I know to change the battery when I visit the customer on Sunday.”

Such positive responses demonstrate the tangible benefits GPT’s solutions bring to operators and players alike.

News

Our Commitment to Climate Action

Post author By user
Post date May 16, 2023

Our Commitment to Climate Action

May 2023

Polar Moment and the Latitude 91 group has a dedicated strategy that focuses on our environmental, social, and sustainability commitments. All this ensures we are being the best business we can be. This includes everything from reducing business travel to supporting local schools and charities. We are members of the SME Climate Hub, committed to halving our emissions before 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.

SME Climate Hub

The SME Climate Hub provides tools and resources to enable SMEs to make a climate commitment, take action and measure their progress. Over 4,100 SMEs across 104 different countries have made the commitment to reach net zero by 2050, with key sectors including retail, energy, manufacturing, agriculture, technology. Learn more at: www.smeclimatehub.org.

Paul Deed is the Latitude 91 group’s sustainability and climate lead. Our estimated emissions for the last financial year were 23.1 tonnes of CO2e. Paul commented “This is a fifth of the average emissions for an IT industry company with a similar turnover. We are therefore already in pretty good shape, but we aren’t stopping there! The important thing is that we have a recognised and repeatable process to measure and report on going forward”.

What we are doing as part of our commitment to climate action:

Travel

We have set up a scheme for staff to lease electric cars. Staff are encouraged to use public transport when travelling on business. We have reduced business travel by more than 75% in the last five years, using teleconferencing and similar tools instead. Staff work principally from home and have done so for more than five years now.

Office

The office is equipped with movement sensors and lights are automatically switched off unless there are people in the office. We have operated a recycling scheme for over 10 years with numerous bins for this purpose around the office. Printing is discouraged and has reduced by more than 80% over the last five years.

Servers

Over the recent years, we have almost eliminated the need to run our own servers. Although data centres do consume significant amounts of energy, running systems within the cloud is still significantly more efficient than using dedicated servers.

Community

We provide support to the community in a variety of ways. For instance, we provide office space for one of the local schools to hold interviews and management planning days. We have provided work placements for local schools on a regular basis and for university students, both on a short-term (usually summer holidays) and long-term (one-year industrial placement) basis. We have employed several apprentices over the last 10 years and currently have one training within our development team.

Charity

We support a variety of charities, principally by donating for each customer representative who responds to our annual survey. This year we donated to the Basingstoke food bank – a charity working towards stopping hunger in our local area.

In conclusion

We are dedicated to reducing our carbon footprint and have implemented various strategies to achieve our environmental, social, and sustainability commitments. As members of the SME Climate Hub, we have committed to halving our emissions before 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050. Overall, we strive to set an excellent example for other companies to follow and are committed to sustainability.

News

The Roundup: Top Takeaways From Q1 2023

Post author By user
Post date April 17, 2023

The Roundup: Top Takeaways From Quarter 1 2023

April 2023

In the first few months of 2023, the team at Polar Moment have been delivering software development and consultancy projects to some of the world’s leading organisations. Here’s a round-up of what we’ve been up to in the first quarter of 2023.

JCM Global Acquires Shareholding In Game Payment Technology

JCM Global have acquired bacta’s shareholding in Game Payment Technology – the cashless payments company. Latitude 91 (parent company of Polar Moment) will continue to co-own GPT and has not sold any of its shares. Polar Moment developed and continues to operate the Game Payment system, and provide technical and customer support. Read more here.

Our other highlights this quarter include:

It’s been a busy start to the year for Polar Moment, and many more exciting payments projects are on the horizon.

News

JCM Global Acquires Shareholding In Game Payment Technology

Post author By user
Post date March 1, 2023

JCM Global Acquires Shareholding In Game Payment Technology

April 2023

Game Payment Technology is pleased to announce that JCM Global have acquired bacta’s shareholding in the cashless payments company. Moreover, Latitude 91 will continue to co-own GPT and has not sold any of its shares.

Polar Moment developed and continues to operate the Game Payment system, and provide technical and customer support. You can find out more about Game Payment here.

Driving the amusement and gaming industry forward

The buy-in is a significant move by JCM Global to drive the amusement and gaming machine industry forward with cashless payment solutions. Notably, the integration of Game Payment with JCM’s Ticket2Go system was demonstrated at ICE in February.

Payam Zadeh, general manager EMEA & managing director UK, JCM Global: “There is no doubt that the need for cashless solutions is growing. Therefore, this investment in Game Payment Technology is strategically very important for JCM Global and an extension of the market-leading service our customers have come to expect from us.”

“These are exciting times for JCM Global. We anticipate that players in jurisdictions around the world will soon be able to pay and collect winnings via Ticket2Go using the GPT app. Therefore effectively replacing cash-handling with a simple, ticket-based solution. The combination of the two systems means that operators can offer cashless payment without needing to alter individual gaming machines. Furthermore, the solution incorporates social responsibility measures and opportunities for precisely targeted marketing initiatives,” added Zadeh.

Looking to the future

Subsequently, Robert Gibb, head of finance and operations at bacta, added: “It has been a pleasure working with the team at Latitude 91. We set out to deliver a reliable solution to address growing concerns about the decline of cash within the amusement and gaming machine industry. I believe we have taken great strides toward this goal. I am extremely positive about the future of Game Payment Technology. Now, with the backing of JCM, GPT will be able to expand its payment solutions for the benefit of operators and players around the world.”

Tim Stratton, chief executive of Latitude 91, commented “This is clearly an exciting development for GPT. The joint venture with bacta achieved such a lot but working with JCM literally opens up a world of new opportunities. I’m confident that you can look forward to a long series of exciting developments in the near future.”

News

John Whittingdale Impressed With Game Payment App Ahead of Gambling Review

Post author By user
Post date August 10, 2021

John Whittingdale Impressed With Game Payment App Ahead of Gambling Review

10th August 2021

John Whittingdale, Minister of State for Media and Data, witnessed Game Payment Technology’s cashless payment app in action during a recent visit to Clacton. The demonstration took place at Tom Peppers, a sports bar on Clacton seafront, using their Game Payment-enabled Reflex Games Master machine.

Bacta hosted the visit to provide the minister with an insight into the family entertainment and gaming options on offer in Clacton, ahead of the Gambling Review later this year. The review will assess current regulations and whether further measures are needed to protect children and vulnerable people.

Greg Wood, bacta president and a director of GPT, commented “It was a very positive visit, and we are grateful to the minister for giving us several hours of his time. We discussed our asks for the Gambling Review in detail. He was very interested in the Game Payment app.”

Game Payment enables play without physical cash and is designed to help players to manage their spending responsibly. The app allows players to:

Add funds up to their safe betting limit
Receive reminders of how much they have spent in a gaming session
View their transaction history for the last six months
Take a break from play for between one week and six months
Easily close their account
Contact support organisations

John White, chief executive of bacta, stated, “We were able to showcase the best of our industry and explain from personal experience just how difficult the Covid-19 has been for amusement machine businesses.”

Game Payment is easy to install in new and existing machines, both digital and analogue. Contact us at info@gamepayment.technology to discuss your machines and the best options to Game Payment-enable them.

News

Industry Insights From John Rozek – How does Game Payment provide the right solution to the right market?

Post author By user
Post date July 22, 2021

Industry Insights From John Rozek

22nd July 2021

As a founding director of both Game Payment Technology and Polar Moment, John has over 20 years of experience at the forefront of the payments industry. He is a recognised and respected professional across the retail payments industry, including delivering the world’s first integrated Chip and PIN solution in 2001. Over the last 2 years, John has led the evolution of the groundbreaking Game Payment solution, helping the amusement industry to meet the challenge of an increasingly cashless world.

In this final blog post from John, he explains how the Game Payment solution responds to different markets.

With differing legislation, equipment types and economic development in different countries, how does Game Payment provide the right solution to the right market?

Fitting the right solution to the right market is all about ensuring you can support all machines, ranging from the state-of-the-art to legacy machines. Some venues want to present the latest internet-connected machines with minimal integration and so software-based solutions are appropriate. Other venues want to exploit their existing machine stock, which provide great revenues from proven games. Many of these machines are analogue and/or are not internet connected.

Game Payment works with both analogue and digital games machines: we can provide a hardware solution for both types and software-based solutions for digital machines. All of the communication takes place via encrypted dialogue through the player’s phone. Machines that are not internet-enabled can still work with Game Payment.

Responding to differing legislation is achieved locally through the app or centrally via our cloud-based solutions. Social responsibility is principally delivered at player level within the app. Other gambling, money laundering, and fraud controls are managed centrally.

Through the app, players:

Can add funds up to their safe betting limit
Can instantly reduce their safe betting limit
May choose to receive reminders of how much they have spent in a gaming session
Can view their transaction history for the last six months
Can take a break from play for between one week and six months
Can easily close their account
Can access links to supportive organisations

We monitor all transactions and interactions in real time, using a blend of rules-based and artificial intelligence systems. These allow us to implement the right controls, based on our risk assessment for each country, region, and market sector. We are able to respond rapidly to changing legislation, keeping us ahead of evolving laws. New fraud rules can be implemented within a matter of hours and any identified threats can be neuturalised within minutes of identification.

As we come to the end of this series of blog posts, I hope readers have found my thoughts and advice useful. If you think Game Payment might be the right payment solution for you, or you’d just like some more information, contact us at info@gamepayment.technology and we’d be happy to discuss your machines and the best options to Game Payment-enable them.

Latest News from GPT

Play in July:

Multi-Machine Use:

Reflex Game Master 2:

Cash Vs Cashless:

The Expert's Playbook for Payments System Implementation: Best Practices and Insights

John Rozek

Understand clearly what you are trying to achieve:

Define your project scope and requirements upfront:

Choose a development partner with practical experience:

Take a phased approach to development:

Prioritise resilience, transactions speed, ease of use, security and compliance:

Test rigorously:

Plan for ongoing maintenance and support:

Conclusion:

Latest News from GPT

Play in June:

Growth in Cashless Payments:

100% Uptime:

Player Analysis:

Inspired Machines:

The Roundup: Highlights From Q2 2023 at Polar Moment

New Customer: Axcel Group

Game Payment Technology

Our Other Activities This Quarter Include:

Enabling Ticketless Bus Travel in Ireland:

Exploring Innovations in EV Charging:

Payments Centre of Excellence:

Latest News from GPT

Introducing Evgeny Shulyak:

Rapid Growth for GPT:

Positive Feedback on the TR-SLU Solution:

Our Commitment to Climate Action

SME Climate Hub

What we are doing as part of our commitment to climate action:

Travel

Office

Servers

Community

Charity

In conclusion

The Roundup: Top Takeaways From Quarter 1 2023

JCM Global Acquires Shareholding In Game Payment Technology

Our other highlights this quarter include:

JCM Global Acquires Shareholding In Game Payment Technology

Driving the amusement and gaming industry forward

Looking to the future

John Whittingdale Impressed With Game Payment App Ahead of Gambling Review

Industry Insights From John Rozek

With differing legislation, equipment types and economic development in different countries, how does Game Payment provide the right solution to the right market?

Pages