Leap Forward Gaming and JCM Global Combine Forces to Develop Next-Generation Cashless Solutions

RENO, NV and LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwire - Jan 9, 2012) - Revolutionary technology innovator Leap Forward Gaming (LFG) today announced a partnership with JCM Global, the world's leading supplier of innovative automated transactions solutions for the banking, gaming and retail industries, to form a collaborative development effort to integrate LFG's cutting-edge PlayPal™ casino cashless payment solution as part of LFG's wireless SaffariNet® ecosystem. By way of JCM's relationship with leading mobile phone payment system developer TechFirm, LFG will collaborate with TechFirm to develop the solution.

The companies will pool their resources and experience to create a system whereby casino patrons will be able to use their mobile phones to conduct transactions at gaming machines and other devices that use bill validators to accept both currency and mobile e-money.

The technology will be used in a wide range of LFG applications, from slot machines to kiosks to ATMs. LFG's low-cost, patented wireless SaffariNet® ecosystem will utilize the technology in their highly-secure PlayPal™ casino cashless system designed for the global gaming industry, as well as for other applications.

Ali Saffari, Leap Forward Gaming CEO, said, "We are excited to collaborate with JCM and their partner TechFirm on this groundbreaking project. TechFirm is clearly a leader in the mobile payment field and consumer use of mobile phones as digital wallets is spreading rapidly worldwide. In conjunction with TechFirm and JCM, we have developed next-generation cashless solutions utilizing our patented SaffariNet® ecosystem that reinvents how cash will be handled in casinos. With close collaborative efforts with regulators, we are meticulously crafting PlayPal™ to be a highly-secure, user-friendly cashless solution that will satisfy regulatory agencies, operators and manufacturers alike."

Saffari continued, "We believe LFG's new casino cashless technology will help expand financial inclusion to the many global casino patrons who are mobile subscribers and will usher in a new era of cashless gaming solutions. The adoption of ticket-in, ticket-out (TITO) technology revolutionized the gaming industry. We anticipate that the combination of our PlayPal™ cashless technology, TechFirm's Mobile Wager Wallet™ technology, and JCM's award-winning cash handling products will transform the global gaming industry, much the way TITO did a decade ago."

JCM Global President Aki Isoi said, "This new joint venture builds on JCM's strategy of creating new patented solutions to deliver greater consumer choice, convenience and control while helping our clients grow their businesses. LFG's SaffariNet® system utilizing PlayPal™ and TechFirm's mobile payment solutions will enable players to make convenient and secure transactions with their mobile devices. This is an incredibly exciting field for JCM Global, TechFirm and LFG to be collaborating on, and we believe our casino customers will benefit from offering this new cashless technology to their players. Just as TITO changed the industry, we believe this technology will also be a game-changer."

TechFirm's Founder and CMO Yuichiro Tsutsui said, "We are pleased to be working with such an industry-leading firm as LFG and their new patented PlayPal™ technology. We have found their team to have the critical gaming industry and technology expertise required to take our patented products into the gaming arena. TechFirm's industry leading pay-by-phone technology combined with LFG's PlayPal™ solution and JCM's cash handling expertise and products will create a win-win-win scenario for the global gaming industry."

Paying by mobile phone is common in many countries, such as Japan and Europe, where commuters frequently pay for items, such as train tickets, using their mobile phones. TechFirm demonstrated its Mobile Wager Wallet™ in JCM's booth at the recent Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, where players could use a mobile phone to add credits to a gaming device. Several editors of leading gaming trade magazines called the technology the most exciting they saw on the entire show floor.

About Leap Forward Gaming
Leap Forward Gaming (LFG) specializes in the innovation, development, design, manufacture and operation of wireless communication gaming and non-gaming systems. LFG's SaffariNet® ecosystem provides a bridge to server-based gaming and other systems, providing for an open network with instant connectivity to legacy gaming machines, peripherals and player tracking systems, enabling enhanced multi-media player experiences, as well as accommodating complete mobile device connectivity and applications. LFG's multi-disciplined team of gaming industry professionals has more than 250 years combined gaming experience, with over 500 issued and pending worldwide patents, developing creative and groundbreaking technologies. For more information, please visit www.leapforwardgaming.com.

About TechFirm
TechFirm is a leading solution developer of mobile phone applications based on contactless IC technology. The mobile e-money and coupon system developed by TechFirm is used in a growing number of retail store and restaurant applications. TechFirm is a publicly traded company on JASDAQ. For more information please visit www.techfirm.co.jp/en.

About JCM Global
JCM Global is the world's leading supplier of innovative automated transactions solutions for the banking, gaming and retail industries. With unsurpassed service and support, JCM Global is trusted by operators, manufacturers and integrators on six continents. Its extensive line of award-winning products set global standards with ground-breaking products like the iVIZION®, Universal Bill Acceptor (UBA®) and Vega-RC™ bill validators, Intelligent Cash Box (ICB®) and PayCheck™ 4 thermal printer. For more information, visit JCM Global's 24-hour tradeshow at www.jcmglobal.com.