The Best New Table Games of 2008 Competition will take place at the inaugural Cutting Edge Table Games Conference on Sept. 14-16 in Las Vegas

A contest designed to put table game companies and game concept creators back in the limelight - the Best New Table Games of 2008 Competition -  will take center stage at the inaugural Raving’s Cutting Edge Table Games Conference, Sept. 14-16 at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino in Las Vegas.

The conference provides a venue to showcase recent new table game ideas, advancements and innovations, and it also provides a way for the innovators behind those games to be honored by the gaming industry’s table game professionals.

“Many new table game inventors are individuals, ‘the little guys’ with sometimes nothing more than an idea, a mathematical analysis, a short bankroll and incredible tenacity. This Best New Table Games Competition gives them equal footing and recognition with the large companies who have many table games in their portfolio,” said Dennis Conrad, president and chief strategist of Raving Consulting Company. “It shows a voting audience of senior table game executives that a hot new table game is as likely to come from an inventor’s garage as a company’s high tech development laboratory. And why not? Ultimately, table game players don’t care where a table game comes from, only that it hits their hot buttons for fun, playing time and a chance to win.”

The Best New Table Games of 2008 Competition is open to individuals or companies that have developed (or own the rights to) casino table games which have been created in the last three years and currently have less than 50 total units in casinos worldwide. They must be fairly considered to be a table game for a table game environment, not an electronic version of a table game. Poker games and poker game variations are acceptable. Booth space at the show and entry to this year’s contest almost immediately sold out.

Judging for the Best New Table Games of 2008 Competition will be conducted by attendees of Raving’s Cutting Edge Table Games Conference who have no affiliation with any of the individuals or companies whose new table games are entered in the competition. The main judging will occur  from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 14, during the opening night reception for the conference. Additional time for judging will be allotted during the conference for qualified attendees unable to attend the opening night reception.

Attendees who fully complete the judging process will then be entered to win a drawing for a trip for two (including airfare) to Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino, an industry leader in table games operation and innovation.

The top winner will be honored with a Gold award; Silver and Bronze awards will be given to the second- and third-place winners. Winners will be announced at the conference’s keynote luncheon address of the conference on Sept. 16.

Raving’s Cutting Edge Table Games Conference will also feature informative sessions to provide attendees with strategies and tips to fine tune table game operations. The full conference schedule may be downloaded at http://ravingconsulting.com/tablegames/tableGames.pdf.