Secure zone
by Jack Bulavsky
Secure zone
Protecting the integrity of the games a top priority of AGEM members
AGEM Report by Jack Bulavsky
In an effort to provide a more secure gaming experience for casinos and their patrons, member companies of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) continually take proactive steps to ensure their machines are immune from dishonest play and cheaters.
"Security is pretty tight today," said Jim Morrow, vice president of Advanced Development for Alliance Gaming Corp. "Newer games are using cryptographic methods to authenticate code and this will lead to even tighter security. I believe the advancement of security features and their refinement is more about increasing patron trust in the slot machine."
Josh Marz, product manager for Shuffle Master Inc., said development of security measures for his company's products is an evolutionary process that will not only benefit casinos, but players as well.
"Table games are designed with a built-in house advantage," said Marz. "It is in the house's best interest to make sure the games are dealt fairly to maximize profitability. And it's in the player's best interest to play on games dealt fairly to maximize their playing time and experience. Game protection, through the use of a shuffler, is a self-fulfilling prophecy for both parties."
Marz said casinos benefit from advances in security, as they are able to offer higher payoffs for premium hands, especially from such games as Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, and Caribbean Stud Poker using Shuffle Master's ACE shuffler.
"Because of their popularity among players," said Marz, "these games yield higher profits than traditional games. People who want to cheat at table games naturally gravitate to high payoff games because the risk-reward factor is more favorable to them. The features of the ACE help prevent cheating these games. Security measures include countdown of the deck with no ability to add or remove cards, eliminating manual manipulation of the deck, and ensuring a random distribution of the cards."
Marz cautioned, however, that it isn't a matter of measuring how prevalent dishonest play is; it's about removing opportunity for compromised play in hand shuffling by replacing those games with shufflers, and about designing machines to be tamper proof.
Morrow said games manufactured by Alliance and its subsidiary, Bally Gaming, such as "Blazing 7s," "Saturday Night Live" and a series of games featuring the Betty Boop character, include security measures that prevent players from accessing the interior of the machines, as well as thwarting attempts to cheat the machines.
"On top of all this," he explained, "the engineers and managers associated with games and code, are required to obtain a gaming card or full licensure for multiple jurisdictions. In the last few years there has been increasing cooperation among gaming regulators in North America. Thus, a problem found in one area is quickly reported to other areas as well."
These measures benefit players as they believe the game is honest, while casino operators see a better payback percentage in the form of base game and bonusing due to operational efficiencies.
At the same time, gaming equipment manufacturers also stand to benefit from improved security on their products.
"I think that success through innovation breeds more innovation," said Marz. "Certainly we plan to be at the center of making table games more secure with shufflers, but we may hear about ideas from outside our company. Incorporating and integrating new technological measures is an ongoing process, as new technology and better ideas are generated and incorporated into gaming equipment. There will always be something new as security has always been one of the cornerstones of our development process. It isn't really a question of 'why now' but 'what now.' The technology available today is much better than the technology that was available just a few years ago."
Reception plans
AGEM is hosting a reception at the Caribbean Gaming Summit and you're invited.
"Our members thought it would be a good idea to hold one unified reception rather many separate ones," said Walt Stowe, AGEM President. "This enables attendees to attend one grand event, rather than going from hotel to hotel trying to appear at many smaller ones. And the more people there are at a party, the more fun it's going to be."
The reception is being held Tuesday, June 14 from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Caribe Hilton, the host conference site. If you're attending the show, stop by an AGEM member booth and ask how you can get your admission badge.
About AGEM
AGEM was formed four years ago to promote and represent the interests and concerns of gaming manufacturers and to provide a united voice on matters of importance to the industry. It works to promote excellence in the manufacturing of gaming devices and equipment, and provides a business environment where the industry can prosper.
Current members include: AC Coin & Slot, Aristocrat Technologies, Atronic, Bally Gaming and Systems, Cadillac Jack, GTEC, IGT, IDX, Gary Platt Manufacturing, KSK, Gaming Partners International, 3M Touch Systems, JCM American Corporation, MEI, Konami Gaming, Shuffle Master Gaming, Summit Gaming, TCS America, TransAct Technologies, WMS Gaming, and Wells-Gardner Electronics Corporation.
Jack Bulavsky is executive director of the Las Vegas-based Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM). If you're interested in learning more about AGEM, contact Jack at (702) 434-4597 or visit www.agem.org.
Protecting the integrity of the games a top priority of AGEM members
AGEM Report by Jack Bulavsky
In an effort to provide a more secure gaming experience for casinos and their patrons, member companies of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) continually take proactive steps to ensure their machines are immune from dishonest play and cheaters.
"Security is pretty tight today," said Jim Morrow, vice president of Advanced Development for Alliance Gaming Corp. "Newer games are using cryptographic methods to authenticate code and this will lead to even tighter security. I believe the advancement of security features and their refinement is more about increasing patron trust in the slot machine."
Josh Marz, product manager for Shuffle Master Inc., said development of security measures for his company's products is an evolutionary process that will not only benefit casinos, but players as well.
"Table games are designed with a built-in house advantage," said Marz. "It is in the house's best interest to make sure the games are dealt fairly to maximize profitability. And it's in the player's best interest to play on games dealt fairly to maximize their playing time and experience. Game protection, through the use of a shuffler, is a self-fulfilling prophecy for both parties."
Marz said casinos benefit from advances in security, as they are able to offer higher payoffs for premium hands, especially from such games as Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, and Caribbean Stud Poker using Shuffle Master's ACE shuffler.
"Because of their popularity among players," said Marz, "these games yield higher profits than traditional games. People who want to cheat at table games naturally gravitate to high payoff games because the risk-reward factor is more favorable to them. The features of the ACE help prevent cheating these games. Security measures include countdown of the deck with no ability to add or remove cards, eliminating manual manipulation of the deck, and ensuring a random distribution of the cards."
Marz cautioned, however, that it isn't a matter of measuring how prevalent dishonest play is; it's about removing opportunity for compromised play in hand shuffling by replacing those games with shufflers, and about designing machines to be tamper proof.
Morrow said games manufactured by Alliance and its subsidiary, Bally Gaming, such as "Blazing 7s," "Saturday Night Live" and a series of games featuring the Betty Boop character, include security measures that prevent players from accessing the interior of the machines, as well as thwarting attempts to cheat the machines.
"On top of all this," he explained, "the engineers and managers associated with games and code, are required to obtain a gaming card or full licensure for multiple jurisdictions. In the last few years there has been increasing cooperation among gaming regulators in North America. Thus, a problem found in one area is quickly reported to other areas as well."
These measures benefit players as they believe the game is honest, while casino operators see a better payback percentage in the form of base game and bonusing due to operational efficiencies.
At the same time, gaming equipment manufacturers also stand to benefit from improved security on their products.
"I think that success through innovation breeds more innovation," said Marz. "Certainly we plan to be at the center of making table games more secure with shufflers, but we may hear about ideas from outside our company. Incorporating and integrating new technological measures is an ongoing process, as new technology and better ideas are generated and incorporated into gaming equipment. There will always be something new as security has always been one of the cornerstones of our development process. It isn't really a question of 'why now' but 'what now.' The technology available today is much better than the technology that was available just a few years ago."
Reception plans
AGEM is hosting a reception at the Caribbean Gaming Summit and you're invited.
"Our members thought it would be a good idea to hold one unified reception rather many separate ones," said Walt Stowe, AGEM President. "This enables attendees to attend one grand event, rather than going from hotel to hotel trying to appear at many smaller ones. And the more people there are at a party, the more fun it's going to be."
The reception is being held Tuesday, June 14 from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Caribe Hilton, the host conference site. If you're attending the show, stop by an AGEM member booth and ask how you can get your admission badge.
About AGEM
AGEM was formed four years ago to promote and represent the interests and concerns of gaming manufacturers and to provide a united voice on matters of importance to the industry. It works to promote excellence in the manufacturing of gaming devices and equipment, and provides a business environment where the industry can prosper.
Current members include: AC Coin & Slot, Aristocrat Technologies, Atronic, Bally Gaming and Systems, Cadillac Jack, GTEC, IGT, IDX, Gary Platt Manufacturing, KSK, Gaming Partners International, 3M Touch Systems, JCM American Corporation, MEI, Konami Gaming, Shuffle Master Gaming, Summit Gaming, TCS America, TransAct Technologies, WMS Gaming, and Wells-Gardner Electronics Corporation.
Jack Bulavsky is executive director of the Las Vegas-based Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM). If you're interested in learning more about AGEM, contact Jack at (702) 434-4597 or visit www.agem.org.
