The industry was shocked to learn of the passing of Project Coin co-founder and former Bacta Vice-President Ramon De Beneducci who died on Thursday 20 March after a very short and sudden illness. Ramon was aged just 65.
Ramon De Beneducci was one half of the Project phenomenon which alongside business partner and co-founder Tony Boulton fundamentally changed the British manufacturing sector with the creation of games housed in casino style cabinets and which succeeded in appealing to players across every sector.
Project’s first UK game was Jokers Wild a simple three reels slot with three nudges and hold. The 10p stake £4 jackpot game which Project launched in the mid 1980s made a huge impact with the industry newcomers selling over 4,000 of their debut model.
Reflecting on Project’s arrival on the domestic scene, Tony Boulton said: “At the time the industry comprised a quartet of major manufacturers and a new entrant that took some of that market share is always going to be seen as ‘disruptive’.
“Despite this, everyone was extremely kind and we got a great deal of help from some well-known industry people. What we discovered very early on is this is an unbelievable industry for forging genuine friendships that never fade.”
Outlining Ramon’s contribution to the business, Tony confirmed: “Ramon was the clever end of the partnership – he was our technical director. He taught himself to write code to program the games and was responsible for the day to day running of the software team.
“Ramon never got carried away with success and always stayed true to his values. We had a saying ‘the minimum order is 1’ and that really meant that whether you bought 1 or 100 machines you were extremely important to Project. And If we had a problem, he would work through the night to find a solution for all those customers that supported us.”
“Although Ramon was very grounded he was also extremely proud of creating a brand which stood shoulder to shoulder with its customers and which produced great games not least Seven Heaven which had a transformative impact on the industry.”
“Ramon was 65, his illness was sudden, so no one knew of his condition. Over an incredibly short time I have received so many kind and wonderful messages from people who in some cases we have known for 40 years including team members who worked for us over the decades.
“Ramon was extremely hard working, dedicated, honest and simply a wonderful person who was considerate to everyone. I believe he will be remembered for his kindness, his immense talent and for owning a business that really supported its customers.”
