Gaming:

Las Vegas lab that tests casino games plans to add 100 jobs over the next two years

Executives and invited guests cut a ribbon during the opening of the BMM Testlabs new world headquarters in Las Vegas, Thursday, March 7, 2013. From left are Wendy Anderson, vice president of group marketing; Mike Dreitzer, COO of BMM Americas; Sandra Storm with her husband, Martin Storm, BMM global president and CEO; Sonia Joya, representing Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, and Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak. BMM employs more than 200 people in 12 countries and operates 11 gaming labs, serving more than 400 gaming jurisdictions.

BMM Cuts Ribbon on World Headquarters

Geetha Srinivasan, left, senior test engineer, and Jerry Czuba, manager for the BMM Professional Service Delivery group, demonstrate a testing procedure during the opening of the BMM Testlabs new world headquarters in Las Vegas Thursday, March 7, 2013. BMM employs more than 200 people in 12 countries and operates 11 gaming labs, serving more than 400 gaming jurisdictions. Launch slideshow »

During the 2011 legislative session, lawmakers approved a bill allowing private gaming test labs to review casino games and devices on behalf of the state.

Not only did it help relieve a backlog for the state, but it provided an opportunity for new jobs in Nevada.

Thursday, the state reaped some of the benefits as BMM Testlabs conducted an open house at its new world headquarters in Las Vegas.

“It’s a proud day for us, personally and professionally,” BMM Global President and CEO Martin Storm said during the opening ceremony.

About 100 gaming professionals toured the company’s newly expanded 22,000-square-foot facility at 815 Pilot Road in a warehousing and manufacturing area south of McCarran International Airport.

“Within the next five years, we’ll have a whole lot more of this building and take over the block,” Storm said.

BMM, which employs more than 200 people in 12 countries and operates 11 gaming labs, expects to add another 100 employees in Las Vegas over the next two years.

The company had a 7,500-square-foot building on Eastern Avenue. Since 2000, when BMM first came to Las Vegas, the lab outgrew the facility. The company's new building has plenty of space for the new multiseat slot machine games that manufacturers are submitting for regulatory approval.

BMM offers game and system testing on all types of devices. It tests slot machines and table games as well as peripheral equipment such as bill validators and kiosks and IT security systems.

Travis Foley, vice president of operations for BMM’s Americas division and a former Gaming Control Board lab director, said the company has injected some of its corporate culture into the new facility. Operating under the mantra of “great performances every day,” the office is adorned with wall-sized images of some of Storm’s favorite rock band performers.

There are images of Pearl Jam, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Queen and Led Zeppelin. Signs identifying offices and facilities are shaped like guitar picks.

“It’s a great environment to be a part of, and I think everybody likes the atmosphere,” Foley said.

Among those attending the open house were Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak; a representative from Gov. Brian Sandoval’s office; former Gaming Control Board Chairmen Steve DuCharme and Dennis Neilander; and former Iowa Gov. Chet Culver, who helped guide that state's gaming policy.

Bo Bernhard, executive director of UNLV’s International Gaming Institute, also attended and announced that the BMM donated two scholarships to students studying gaming technology. The company also established a formal relationship with UNLV for an internship program for students to work at BMM’s Las Vegas lab.

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