Table technology in demand
Table technology in demand
Innovative new table game tracking and management systems are generating industry interest and sales
By James J. Hodl
With the decorative paper pulled away and the colorful bows untied, the gaming industry got its first look at several new and innovative table game tracking and management technologies during last September's Global Gaming Expo. And the response was not only loud applause, but sales inquiries.
Yet, these whetted appetites will remain unfulfilled for a while. Many of these new systems will not be ready until later this year, pending the outcome of beta testing and approval by authorities in various gaming jurisdictions.
The most anticipated introduction at G2E was the Intelligent Table System, which combined the best technologies developed by three companies: International Gaming Technology (IGT), Progressive Gaming International (PGI) and Shuffle Master.
'Smart' tables
Under a worldwide product integration agreement signed the previous summer, IGT provides back-end table game management systems, including player tracking, patron loyalty and rewards, and bonusing applications. PGI provides RFID bet recognition, automated gaming chip tracking, and payoff recognition products. And Shuffle Master provides the automated card shufflers, card reading intelligent shoes, and card and chip sorters and verifiers.
These technologies interface to create a single comprehensive automated table game management solution that enables casinos to collect real time data on games and bets to enable better accounting practices and ratings of player "worth" to the casino.
"The response to the Intelligent Table System was tremendous. It confirmed our belief that casino table games managers are looking for better ways to manage their table games operations and are willing to consider new technologies that reduce costs and labor input," said Tim Richards, vice president of global marketing at Las Vegas-based PGI.
"We were still getting positive feedback about the system, and building a list of interested parties, in January." added Ed Rogich, vice president of marketing at Reno-based IGT.
But Rogich noted that the system must still be approved for use in assorted gaming jurisdictions before it can be widely sold. Live tests in Las Vegas are expected to begin in April, hopefully culminating in approval for use in Nevada by mid-summer.
Some upgrades in the Intelligent Table System are already being developed to meet special needs in the Asian market. These include adding more security features to the player tracking system, and improving tracking of the flow of chips to assure proper payouts under the unusual bonusing systems used in Asian venues, Richards said.
Other improvements will enable better tracking of where bets are being placed on baccarat tables and who's betting, with instant detection of counterfeit chips, and matching that bets won by the house on the table match the chips put back in the rack, he added.
The system also is being adapted for use with poker tables in some foreign markets, said Eric Lancaster, product manager for ITT systems at IGT.
Complete tracking ability
The MP21 Table Management System, also unveiled at G2E by the Las Vegas-based Bally TMS Group, employs optical and electronic sensors to capture real-time player and accounting data, and track and record every card dealt and wager made during any game. It includes Bally's VisionCore optical-imaging technology, which unlike RFID bet-verification technology, optically spotting minute differences on MONEYpiece Intelligent Chips to authenticate the chips and record their value toward a players loyalty rewards program.
Built-in software includes a comping system that rates the value of players to the casino based on how much they wager, how long they play, and at what skill level they have. Other software collects bonusing information and accounting-related data.
"Demonstrations of MP21 at G2E were well received and resulted in orders for 200 units to date," said Rich Soltys, senior vice president of Bally TMS. "Casino table game managers showed greatest interest in the system's marketing and security benefits."
Soltys expressed surprise that initial orders were coming not from the large casinos but from smaller properties with 30 or fewer tables.
One such small property is the Avi Resort & Casino in Laughlin, Nev.
"We are installing the MindPlay (MP21's earlier name) system on our 18 blackjack tables in stages," said Avi General Manager Les Clavir. "As of mid-January, only the bet recognition system was fully installed and operational, but we've already started seeing the promised time savings in recording player bets, which is a big improvement over older data-entry systems. The entire system should be operational at Avi in mid-March."
MP21 was originally developed for use on blackjack tables. A companion system for baccarat tables (MPBac) has since been added, and versions for pai gow, roulette and craps tables are under development.
Bally also is upgrading MP21 with an improved card reader. Implanted in the card shuffling shoe, this devise enables every game played to be recorded. According to Soltys, casinos will thus be better able to rate a player's skill level, thus enabling comp dollars to be reallocated to the truly best players.
Advanced offerings
Also generating interest at G2E was the Automatic Table Tracking System introduced by Tengam Gaming. The system consists of three modules. Tengam Game Tracking positions over each table a mini-camera that optically captures and stores every card dealt and every player decision in a manner that boosts game security, enables casinos to produce better player ratings for more accurate comp rewards, and rate the performance of dealers.
Tengam Intelligent Surveillance links game tracking data to recorded digital video, thus enabling quick recall of any incident at any table without having to watch the whole tape. Tengam Player Recognition automatically recognizes player identification cards and links them to betting spots for tracking play, thus freeing pit bosses of this task.
"Casino operators were most complimentary of our system's ability to be installed and work with existing tables, playing cards, card shoes and procedures," said Prem Guruajan, president of Tengam Gaming.
Since G2E, Tengam has introduced a faster version of its card recognition product, which can read playing cards in under one-tenth of a second.
Another intriguing debut at G2E was a hand-held device that literally took the table out of table games.
Las Vegas-based Shuffle Master and New York-based wireless systems developer Sona Mobile Inc. jointly demonstrated a not-yet-officially-named wireless gaming system that enabled table games to be played almost anywhere on a casino property.
According to Sona CEO Shawn Kerloff, players can be issued an iPod-size hand-held device at check-in time, and through a Wi-Fi connection used it to play table games while in restaurants, by the pool, or other public areas around the casino. The game table is depicted on the device's screen, and by pressing buttons, players can control play action and place bets (the devices are preloaded with cash for this purpose). Winnings are wirelessly credited to the device, with all play secured by military-quality encryption.
"The advantages of this mobile gaming device including increasing the number of hands played per hour (up to 300 per person per hour)," said Kerloff. "An unlimited number of players can play simultaneously, making it ideal for tournament play. And the devices provide the back-of-the-house with real-time game monitoring and accounting."
The demonstration device played Shuffle Master's Three Card Poker game, but according to Kirsten Clark, Shuffle Master's director of marketing, devices playing the company's other proprietary games and generic games like blackjack and roulette are being developed.
The system also can provide opportunity for a mobile sports book of sorts, allowing players to place bets on sporting events as the game plays on the device's screen.
With regulatory approval, Shuffle Master, which signed an exclusive agreement with Sona to distribute the wireless gaming system worldwide, could offer the system to casinos as early as next summer, Clark said.
SIDEBAR:
Finding a niche
DigiDeal discovers attractive market for virtual table games
Interest in virtual table game systems continued to grow among casinos, especially those in gaming jurisdictions that frown on conventional table games, continues to grow, reported David Krise, vice president of game design and development at Spokane, Wash.-based DigiDeal Corp.
"DigiDeal's DTS (Digital Table System) received a lot of attention during G2E because it uses virtual cards, provides the option of using digital gaming chips, and downloads in real time all game data to a central computer," said Krise. "The DTS system thus makes table games acceptable in slots-only markets by eliminating hand-held items like playing cards and betting chips.
"Yet despite playing games like blackjack in a virtual environment, DTS retains the live dealer, so players get the same interaction and camaraderie as the genuine games," he added.
From its demonstrations at G2E, DigiDeal received many sales inquiries. The DTS should reach the market later this year, once tests that were set to begin in February are completed, Krise said.
At G2E, DTS offered only one game, the blackjack-like Digital 21. Since then, DigiDeal has reached agreement with Lakeside Entertainment to convert its All-In Texas Hold 'Em game for play on the DTS. In the virtual environment, monitors all game play, including which players are betting the blind ante, hold card bonus, and final game outcome, and for how much.
On completion of the hand, the DTS automatically signals on players' screens who won which bets and for how much. This, Krise noted, frees the dealer from having to total up winning himself, thus enabling twice as many hands of All-In Texas Hold 'Em to be played per hour. This also keeps the game fast and exciting, attributes younger people desire, he added.
DigiDeal also is adapting for use on the DTS games played on its earlier DCS (Digital Card System), including Trips, Fishin' Buddies and Slot Jack.
-James J. Hodl
Innovative new table game tracking and management systems are generating industry interest and sales
By James J. Hodl
With the decorative paper pulled away and the colorful bows untied, the gaming industry got its first look at several new and innovative table game tracking and management technologies during last September's Global Gaming Expo. And the response was not only loud applause, but sales inquiries.
Yet, these whetted appetites will remain unfulfilled for a while. Many of these new systems will not be ready until later this year, pending the outcome of beta testing and approval by authorities in various gaming jurisdictions.
The most anticipated introduction at G2E was the Intelligent Table System, which combined the best technologies developed by three companies: International Gaming Technology (IGT), Progressive Gaming International (PGI) and Shuffle Master.
'Smart' tables
Under a worldwide product integration agreement signed the previous summer, IGT provides back-end table game management systems, including player tracking, patron loyalty and rewards, and bonusing applications. PGI provides RFID bet recognition, automated gaming chip tracking, and payoff recognition products. And Shuffle Master provides the automated card shufflers, card reading intelligent shoes, and card and chip sorters and verifiers.
These technologies interface to create a single comprehensive automated table game management solution that enables casinos to collect real time data on games and bets to enable better accounting practices and ratings of player "worth" to the casino.
"The response to the Intelligent Table System was tremendous. It confirmed our belief that casino table games managers are looking for better ways to manage their table games operations and are willing to consider new technologies that reduce costs and labor input," said Tim Richards, vice president of global marketing at Las Vegas-based PGI.
"We were still getting positive feedback about the system, and building a list of interested parties, in January." added Ed Rogich, vice president of marketing at Reno-based IGT.
But Rogich noted that the system must still be approved for use in assorted gaming jurisdictions before it can be widely sold. Live tests in Las Vegas are expected to begin in April, hopefully culminating in approval for use in Nevada by mid-summer.
Some upgrades in the Intelligent Table System are already being developed to meet special needs in the Asian market. These include adding more security features to the player tracking system, and improving tracking of the flow of chips to assure proper payouts under the unusual bonusing systems used in Asian venues, Richards said.
Other improvements will enable better tracking of where bets are being placed on baccarat tables and who's betting, with instant detection of counterfeit chips, and matching that bets won by the house on the table match the chips put back in the rack, he added.
The system also is being adapted for use with poker tables in some foreign markets, said Eric Lancaster, product manager for ITT systems at IGT.
Complete tracking ability
The MP21 Table Management System, also unveiled at G2E by the Las Vegas-based Bally TMS Group, employs optical and electronic sensors to capture real-time player and accounting data, and track and record every card dealt and wager made during any game. It includes Bally's VisionCore optical-imaging technology, which unlike RFID bet-verification technology, optically spotting minute differences on MONEYpiece Intelligent Chips to authenticate the chips and record their value toward a players loyalty rewards program.
Built-in software includes a comping system that rates the value of players to the casino based on how much they wager, how long they play, and at what skill level they have. Other software collects bonusing information and accounting-related data.
"Demonstrations of MP21 at G2E were well received and resulted in orders for 200 units to date," said Rich Soltys, senior vice president of Bally TMS. "Casino table game managers showed greatest interest in the system's marketing and security benefits."
Soltys expressed surprise that initial orders were coming not from the large casinos but from smaller properties with 30 or fewer tables.
One such small property is the Avi Resort & Casino in Laughlin, Nev.
"We are installing the MindPlay (MP21's earlier name) system on our 18 blackjack tables in stages," said Avi General Manager Les Clavir. "As of mid-January, only the bet recognition system was fully installed and operational, but we've already started seeing the promised time savings in recording player bets, which is a big improvement over older data-entry systems. The entire system should be operational at Avi in mid-March."
MP21 was originally developed for use on blackjack tables. A companion system for baccarat tables (MPBac) has since been added, and versions for pai gow, roulette and craps tables are under development.
Bally also is upgrading MP21 with an improved card reader. Implanted in the card shuffling shoe, this devise enables every game played to be recorded. According to Soltys, casinos will thus be better able to rate a player's skill level, thus enabling comp dollars to be reallocated to the truly best players.
Advanced offerings
Also generating interest at G2E was the Automatic Table Tracking System introduced by Tengam Gaming. The system consists of three modules. Tengam Game Tracking positions over each table a mini-camera that optically captures and stores every card dealt and every player decision in a manner that boosts game security, enables casinos to produce better player ratings for more accurate comp rewards, and rate the performance of dealers.
Tengam Intelligent Surveillance links game tracking data to recorded digital video, thus enabling quick recall of any incident at any table without having to watch the whole tape. Tengam Player Recognition automatically recognizes player identification cards and links them to betting spots for tracking play, thus freeing pit bosses of this task.
"Casino operators were most complimentary of our system's ability to be installed and work with existing tables, playing cards, card shoes and procedures," said Prem Guruajan, president of Tengam Gaming.
Since G2E, Tengam has introduced a faster version of its card recognition product, which can read playing cards in under one-tenth of a second.
Another intriguing debut at G2E was a hand-held device that literally took the table out of table games.
Las Vegas-based Shuffle Master and New York-based wireless systems developer Sona Mobile Inc. jointly demonstrated a not-yet-officially-named wireless gaming system that enabled table games to be played almost anywhere on a casino property.
According to Sona CEO Shawn Kerloff, players can be issued an iPod-size hand-held device at check-in time, and through a Wi-Fi connection used it to play table games while in restaurants, by the pool, or other public areas around the casino. The game table is depicted on the device's screen, and by pressing buttons, players can control play action and place bets (the devices are preloaded with cash for this purpose). Winnings are wirelessly credited to the device, with all play secured by military-quality encryption.
"The advantages of this mobile gaming device including increasing the number of hands played per hour (up to 300 per person per hour)," said Kerloff. "An unlimited number of players can play simultaneously, making it ideal for tournament play. And the devices provide the back-of-the-house with real-time game monitoring and accounting."
The demonstration device played Shuffle Master's Three Card Poker game, but according to Kirsten Clark, Shuffle Master's director of marketing, devices playing the company's other proprietary games and generic games like blackjack and roulette are being developed.
The system also can provide opportunity for a mobile sports book of sorts, allowing players to place bets on sporting events as the game plays on the device's screen.
With regulatory approval, Shuffle Master, which signed an exclusive agreement with Sona to distribute the wireless gaming system worldwide, could offer the system to casinos as early as next summer, Clark said.
SIDEBAR:
Finding a niche
DigiDeal discovers attractive market for virtual table games
Interest in virtual table game systems continued to grow among casinos, especially those in gaming jurisdictions that frown on conventional table games, continues to grow, reported David Krise, vice president of game design and development at Spokane, Wash.-based DigiDeal Corp.
"DigiDeal's DTS (Digital Table System) received a lot of attention during G2E because it uses virtual cards, provides the option of using digital gaming chips, and downloads in real time all game data to a central computer," said Krise. "The DTS system thus makes table games acceptable in slots-only markets by eliminating hand-held items like playing cards and betting chips.
"Yet despite playing games like blackjack in a virtual environment, DTS retains the live dealer, so players get the same interaction and camaraderie as the genuine games," he added.
From its demonstrations at G2E, DigiDeal received many sales inquiries. The DTS should reach the market later this year, once tests that were set to begin in February are completed, Krise said.
At G2E, DTS offered only one game, the blackjack-like Digital 21. Since then, DigiDeal has reached agreement with Lakeside Entertainment to convert its All-In Texas Hold 'Em game for play on the DTS. In the virtual environment, monitors all game play, including which players are betting the blind ante, hold card bonus, and final game outcome, and for how much.
On completion of the hand, the DTS automatically signals on players' screens who won which bets and for how much. This, Krise noted, frees the dealer from having to total up winning himself, thus enabling twice as many hands of All-In Texas Hold 'Em to be played per hour. This also keeps the game fast and exciting, attributes younger people desire, he added.
DigiDeal also is adapting for use on the DTS games played on its earlier DCS (Digital Card System), including Trips, Fishin' Buddies and Slot Jack.
-James J. Hodl
