If past editions of the Global Gaming Expo, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this past Nov. 15–18, were a tsunami of new products and services, 2010’s G2E was more like the Mandalay Bay wave pool: still impressive but less overwhelming.
Having been run through the filter that is the Great Recession, G2E 2010 emerged from the spigot a purer, more gaming-centric product. Booths on the show floor featured a higher concentration of casino-specific goods and services, and fewer doo-dad vendors peddling customized golf putters and whatnot. Official attendance figures were unavailable at press time, but one anecdotal report had G2E enjoying a 14 percent rebound from the previous year—“well ahead” of ‘09 was how American Gaming Association President Frank Fahrenkopf Jr. put it.
With 520 vendors, the number of booths was down oh-so-slightly from 2009. However, not only was G2E’s relatively compact show floor easier than ever to roam, it was also marked by the most focused supplier-to-vendor discussions in memory. That was the refrain heard at booth after booth.
The reduction in square footage also meant that many booths formerly consigned to the equivalent of Outer Mongolia (including trade publications, one must note) now enjoyed much better exposure. If 2010 was G2E’s last-ever year at the Las Vegas Convention Center (it relocates to Sands Expo Center in 2011), it exited in user-friendly style.
Perhaps the only non-event of G2E was Caesars Entertainment Chairman, President and CEO Gary Loveman’s keynote speech, which strenuously attempted to stir up controversy by depicting the gaming industry as a house divided against itself. Not only did it generate little buzz and even less press coverage, it was completely overshadowed by the withdrawal of the company’s stock offering two days later, Wall Street having displayed no stomach for Caesars’ high debt-to-equity ratio.
Are We There Yet?
Fahrenkopf may have experienced a strong sense of déja vu, given that certain tropes of G2E 2010 were reprises of 2009. The gaming economy had not, in fact, bottomed out, as predicted in ‘09. For the year to date, it’s down 1 percent, although continued weakness in destination markets and a dire collapse in Illinois are offset by growth in many regional markets, especially booming Pennsylvania (+27 percent).
As Fahrenkopf was quick to note, “The gaming industry in the U.S. is not monolithic.” However, the brightest spot continues to be Asia, with Macau up 60 percent this year, buoyed by low interest and savings rates in China. The AGA president also praised the “amazing, amazing success story” in Singapore, which could eclipse Las Vegas in only its first year of casino gambling. Rising room rates on the Strip, however, are “extremely good news” on the home front.
J.P. Morgan analysts attending G2E concurred, at least to the extent of finding renewed strength at the top of the market. But “lower price point properties [in Las Vegas] are not seeing any improvement … the Las Vegas locals market is still challenged given high unemployment in the region, though large year-over-year declines are likely over.”
One much-desired avenue of relief is the online casino market. But barring a miracle in December’s lame-duck session of Congress, it looks very unlikely that U.S. operators will even be able to get into online poker next year or the year after that. Fahrenkopf and fellow political experts see the issue being forced at the state level, perhaps through the legalization of intrastate ‘Net betting. Even the unified opposition of California’s tribes is beginning to fracture, according to California Nations Indian Gaming Association Director of Governmental Affairs Jerome Encinas, in the face of the new revenue that could be captured.
Also, the slot-replacement cycle forecast for 2010 hasn’t materialized, leaving manufacturers to hope that 2011 will be the year in which casinos refresh their slot floors. Server-based gaming has been slow to gain traction, although the look of SBG-ready slot boxes continues to improve and vary, moving away from the “dumb terminal” look found on certain casino floors. IGT, however, gave prominent placement to its mobile-gambling application, hoping to ride the wave of the newest craze in sports betting technology.
“Knight” to the Rescue
The rising fortunes of Bally Technologies and WMS Industries, as well as the recent struggles of IGT, were reflected in their booths. (Actually, “booth” does an injustice to their pavilion-like spaces.) IGT’s was comparatively spare, although the exceptional number of attendees crowding around the company’s new “Dark Knight” game—with its eye-popping, 103-inch video display—bodes very well. WMS enjoyed heavy traffic throughout the show, and Bally’s palatial and lively booth testified to the company’s dramatic turnaround under its current management team.
One innovation of the recent past—the revival of penny slots—appears to be giving some operators second thoughts. Morongo Casino General Manager David Brents remarked gloomily that players’ time-on-device had fallen 35 percent since the move to lower denominations five years ago.
Gaming analyst Cory Morowitz advised casinos to get more mileage out of customers’ bankrolls by raising slot holds but lowering the volatility of the games so that they don’t churn through punters’ wallets as rapidly. At least some slot companies are getting the message: Aristocrat showcased “Reel Tall Tales” and “Rockin’ Olives,” each of which features greater frequency of bonus rounds.
Still, casinos continue to pursue economies of scale. “Technology is creeping into everything,” remarked Global Cash Access CEO Scott Betts. In 2005, he said, you wouldn’t have seen mechanized table games, and now slot-management systems are evolving into property-managements ones, part of a higher-tech metamorphosis in gaming that mirrors the greater connectivity seen in the world at large.
Guests, meanwhile, are demanding more control over their interaction with the casino, according to MICROS Systems’ Christine Librande. She says “ARIA is a great example” of that trend toward better in-room technology and site-specific promotions.
The Past is Prologue
In the same week that saw the G2E-keyed release of a new biography of Excalibur and Luxor mastermind Bill Bennett, architect Paul Steelman called for a return to the high-yield Vegas casinos of yore. On hand to receive this year’s Jay Sarno Award, Steelman was fresh off the reinvention of a Macau department store at Stanley Ho’s Oceanus casino for a tidy $189 million.
Charting the diffusion of revenue through present-day casino resorts, Steelman called for the industry to revisit the concept of modestly budgeted properties in which the casino floor is the primary revenue driver, not one of seven or eight equivalent profit centers. He described the Vegas design process as one propelled by fear, pointing to a tendency to duplicate whatever the last guy built and to throw everything but the kitchen sink—from brew pubs to nightclubs—into the resort mix.
Although G2E saw some industry speakers appealing for more value-driven offerings, the tendency in Vegas and even in some regional markets, is still to pursue high-end customers. “Everyone in gaming is trying to figure what the new normal is,” observed William Wilson, managing director at PrinceRidge Group. “On the operating side, people are also figuring out, how do I make my casino offering more appealing for customers?”
As though to emphasize that dilemma, G2E coincided with Forbes Travel Guide awarding five-star ratings to high-end rooms at Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, and to MGM Grand’s Skylofts. The show also provided the springboard for a new guide to Las Vegas’ pricier restaurants.
One of the new normalities—and bargain opportunities—is casinos in Chapter 11. Multiple G2E sessions were devoted to the upsides and difficulties of owning a bankrupt casino … particularly if you’re the lender left holding the bag. If investment banks aren’t packaging as many casino deals, it’s because the bankruptcy auction and the acquisition of bad debt are now the favored routes for expanding one’s gaming empire. Look at the bright side: It’s a buyer’s market.
Culling the Herd
Austerity wasn’t absent from the G2E show floor. There were fewer tchotchke bowls and attendees weren’t laden with multiple “gimme bags.” But if the main floor was simply streamlined and more business-like, the Food & Beverage and Entertainment pavilions looked downright stark. Not only were vendors fewer, many were only offering free samples to F&B executives this year. However, sustainability achieved a higher profile, exemplified by products like compost-friendly Bamboo Studio party ware and recyclable coffee cups made by Intazza with 50 percent less paper yet, thanks to changes in milling, thicker and better insulated than those you’d find at Starbucks.
More than ever, G2E was a place for serious business. “Last year, everybody was kind of walking around in a daze,” said Betts. “It’s a more robust conversation” this year.
“Our folks are working bees,” added National Indian Gaming Association Chairman Ernie Stevens Jr. “We have some nice social events. Our tribal councils and the people we represent, they demand that we bring home a product.”
When times were good, people showed up at G2E for trinkets, recalled SAS Institute’s Rory Fagan. Nowadays, G2E draws a better-qualified level of attendee and the conversations have become more serious. Betts echoed this, saying that show floor conversations were more application-specific than ever.
“That’s been the trend,” concurred Cole-Kepro Marketing Manager Rick Durica, who said the show is drawing “less lookie-lous and more decision-makers.”
If anything, the recession was a good thing, according to Codespace Gaming’s Steve Lefler. “It weeds out the weak players when the demand is weak,” he said. “The strong players survive and thrive when the economy starts to grow again.”
For Veridocs President Joe Oprosko, six years of G2E could be boiled down to a simple observation. “We have a bigger booth,” he said, laughing. As an attendee put it, one’s first year at G2E isn’t spent making deals so much as being seen. Return visits establish credibility and generate business.
Looking back at G2E’s evolution, MICROS executives cited a large international presence—as did SAS’ Fagan—and an ever-growing tribal one. “Every place you go,” Stevens said, emphasizing his industry’s $26 billion in revenues, “you can see Native American leaders, vendors, regulators. We are now becoming the professionals, the experts, and a lot of it has to do with our interaction at G2E. People come and learn from us.”
If G2E vendors were keenly aware of the recession, casino owners may still be in denial, at least outwardly. “What I think the operators are looking for is the return of higher-quality patrons, ones that are less price-sensitive and are coming for the experience regardless of how much it costs,” Spectrum Gaming Group Vice President Joe Weinert told the Wall Street Journal. Industry insiders polled for an AGA “Future Watch” survey offered a different story, with no more than 11 percent expecting a recovery before 2013 and 27 percent thinking full convalescence could take until 2017 or even 2021.
Until that day arrives, former IGT CEO Chuck Mathewson had a simple Rx for the industry. “We just need to continue to provide the entertainment options that people want,” he told conventioneers.
Whither G2E?
Relocation to Sands Expo (a move forced by a change of the show date, not any displeasure with the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, Fahrenkopf emphasized) may not be the only new horizon for 2011. Having succeeded at planting the G2E flag in Macau, the AGA may be on the verge of another transoceanic push.
Only once during G2E was the loquacious and dapper Fahrenkopf at a loss for words. Asked by GamingFloor.com Editor Ian Sutton if G2E Europe was in the offing, the AGA president momentarily paused. “There are discussions going on,” Fahrenkopf replied. “You are well informed.”
Take that however you want.
The G2E Hit List: The Best Bets from G2E 2010
By Abram Sauer
From fishing rods to hot dogs, if it was cool, innovative or unique and at G2E, you’ll likely find it here. This is a look at what was being buzzed about this year’s show. However, we cannot begin a summary of wandering the G2E floor without a comment, and a thanks, to the fine folks at Nathan’s Hot Dogs, who kept everyone plied with hot dogs from start to finish. The working man’s energy bar, we were kept fueled all day long by all-beef franks.
But we weren’t there for the hot dogs. We were there for the latest gaming gadgets, and while our wrap-up of individual vendors covers, in detail, much of the best-of-show, here is a short rundown of the other notable tech, tools and trinkets we saw that tweaked our eye. 
Before we even got to the show, we saw “that Aruze fishing game” on the local news. Paradise Fishing, consisting of three 60-inch hi-def LCDs, takes players into an undersea world of gaming. But the highlight of the game starts when one of the five bonus games is triggered and players grab the “Reel Feel Fishing Rod” joystick and attempt to catch one of the fish swimming on the top banner screen. When players get a bite, the Reel Feel rod shakes, producing a whole new connection to game play. Throughout the show, the seats at Paradise Fishing remained full, suggesting that Aruze has hooked a big one. We also heard chatter about a stand-out Cinderella game from them.
Aruze’s may have been the most talked about “illusion of control” themed game at G2E, but it wasn’t the only. Incredible Technologies showed us two simple, but astoundingly addictive games using Magic Touch. The first, a left to right reeler based on car traffic, allows players to drive the highway in the bonus round. Meanwhile, the in-development Pin Ups slot features a fun extra round challenging players to quickly hit the touchscreen to pop bath bubbles for bonus points.
Another game manufacturer, Aristocrat, took us to the super-duper-secret backroom and showed one of the coolest things we saw during our time at G2E. Unfortunately, we’re sworn to secrecy. But we promise, it’s awesome and worth the wait. But back on the show floor, CEM’s managing editor couldn’t stop talking about that “really cool caterpillar topper on the Alice game.”
It was the first G2E for The Banker’s Exchange, but from what it has to offer, it won’t be its last. The “Amazon.com of cage supply,” The Banker’s Exchange’s parts and supply network facilitates in-house maintenance and repair of bill systems such as ATMs. It even offers pre-boxed maintenance kits. The Banker’s Exchange promises overall savings of 30 to 40 percent.
At NIGA, we saw one 3-D display. At G2E, we saw no fewer than five. Clearly, the future of displays will be in three dimensions. The screens take a little getting used to, and moving to the right viewing angle, but once there, the freedom from 3-D glasses is something to look forward to.
Speaking of three-dimensional, two whimsical products caught our fancy. Ez-Mix’s board game-like casino floor planner made us feel like we were playing house. Meanwhile, kudos to Konami for its fantastic games guide, the pop-up-book stylings of which further fueled childhood nostalgia.
Nothing is more futuristic sci-fi than a retinal scanner. Automated Gaming Technologies’ Hbox® system uses retinal scanning for identity management. Seeing your eyeball on-screen next to your name is spooky-cool. 
Well, there might be one thing as futuristic as a retinal scanner—a virtual touch-screen poker table. At 3M’s booth, one could fidget with a giant glass screen filled with playing cards. Swipe your fingers and the card flipped over, flew across the table or blew up to three times its size. A practical replacement for poker room tables? No, but we’re giddy to see what other applications are found for the technology. Bally has already found one, employing 3M’s Multi-Touch for its iDeck.
Social networking strategies as part of a marketing mix is the future that is already here. We were impressed by IGT’s efforts in this regard. Started well before the event and following through the week, IGT’s social media team updated the web in real time, Tweeting about booth events and new products. IGT Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President Susan Macke told us, “We see social media as a new and effective way to meaningfully engage with industry partners and players. G2E presented IGT with the best opportunity to launch @IGTNews and youtube.com/IGT. The results were overwhelming! IGT’s new titles created a buzz that dominated two-thirds of all G2E tweets. The recently updated YouTube channel has already reached over 5,000 views. And this is only the beginning!”
Finally, did you rock out at the AGEM party? Have your picture taken by Polite in Public? Well, that gallery is all online here: www.politeinpublic.com/event/3179/AGEM. Seeing gaming execs donning boas and cool shades was priceless.
Did we miss something totally awesome that you saw? If so, shoot us an e-mail. We’d love to hear about it.
Slot Manufacturers
American Gaming Systems
American Gaming Systems (AGS) made its G2E debut this year. The company’s key message is that it has new ownership, new senior management and it’s a new player in the game.
Bob Miodunski, interim president and CEO of AGS, says the show was great for the company. AGS focused on Illinois at its booth. “We’ve got a lot of new products developed specifically for Illinois and we also have system product called 99 Bottles that we developed specifically for Illinois as well.”
The process in Illinois has been delayed, but Miodunski expects to install machines sometime in June, July or August. AGS has an office just outside of Chicago with staff that is ready to go as soon as the state gives AGS the go-ahead.
Miodunski says things are going great at the revamped AGS. He has added a new staff of senior vice presidents and executives and they’re ready to rock. He says, “We’re basically bringing trained professional people with industry experience to AGS and positioning the company to promote our products and to improve all the installed base we already have out there.” AGS does have an installed base of about 7,000 games in Oklahoma and is also in California, New Mexico, Arizona and New York.
Miodunski came out of retirement last summer to lead AGS. He explains why: “Getting back in the business from the ground floor with somewhat of a start-up company, even though we had a huge installed base, and being able to develop new products specifically for as many markets as we’re in or we’re going into is just something that I thought would be a great challenge. I also missed a lot of the people in this industry very much. Some of the guys that I’ve been able to bring back on the team are guys I’ve worked with in the past, so it’s kind of like we’ve got the band back together again and we’re ready to go on the road and start to play some music.” SKC
Ainsworth
Ainsworth debuted its new widescreen A560™ this year at G2E. Jason Meyer, product marketing manager, tells us: “We’re launching it for the first time and response has been unbelievably good, and our plans for next year are basically to get as many of these into the market as we can. So far it’s going really well. We’ve already made some early inroads into that plan, so everyone here is ready to make next year a big one for us.”
The A560 comes in four cabinet configurations: the 22-inch dual widescreen, Highboy, Lowboy with a 19-inch LCD and the triple screen Super A560.
Players Paradise was one of the star games at Ainsworth’s booth at the expo. It was played on a dual 22-inch LCD touchscreen A560 cabinet. The game is based on max bet jackpot play. It has stacked wilds and will bring players to a feature every 10 games. It provides players with four linked progressives, another four bonuses and a rapid free games feature. Other games in the GamePlus™ series include Lights, Camera, Action!™, Rapid Strike™, Rio Grande Rapids® and more. SKC
Aristocrat Technologies
Aristocrat may have had its busiest year yet at G2E in 2010. The booth was buzzing with people checking out more than 230 games including new games like Tarzan, Mad Scatter, Crazy Taxi – Fare 4 All™, Mission Impossible, Reel Tall Tales and more. Nick Khin, president and CEO of Aristocrat Technologies, comments, “It’s been crazy, to be honest with you.”
Khin explains what the buzz is all about: “This year I think our customers are going to be really wowed, because we’re showing them that obviously we’ve haven’t forgotten about what we’re great at. So we’ve got a lot of our traditional Aristocrat-style games here, but we have diversified our portfolio. We’ve got episodic-style games, we’ve got community-style games, we’re showing them some of our next generation mechanical reel product as well. We are generally excited.”
Ted Hase, vice president of innovation studio, showed us what the new Mission Impossible games has to offer. Besides its impressive look in the VERVE hd™ cabinet, the game also has technological improvements that are helping Aristocrat make a statement. Hase says, “It’s making a statement in the fact that we’re going to support the adaptive technologies and we are going to support community features in our gaming experience.” The game offers players full surround sound and an interesting button deck. As the reels spin, players collect multipliers that are used in the community feature. The community game features the protagonist dropping down from the ceiling, trying to clear layers of laser beams to get to the floor. Hase explains, “On this community feature, we’re accumulating community points and individual points.”
Mitchell Bowen, vice president of marketing, demonstrated a few new games for us including Mega Pay™ - More Chilli™, Multi Mega Pay, and Remix Don Quixote. The Remix game features a new type of bonus round in which the symbols shuffle. Bowen explains, “The idea here is when the player gets into free shuffles, symbols are going to shuffle across the screen and land in different spots rather than just continual free spin play.” Remix should hit the market by the beginning of 2011.
You may have seen Bigfoot roaming the halls of G2E this year. He was there to talk about the new game Reel Tall Tales. The game, based on American folklore, is Aristocrat’s first triple stand-alone progressive in the VIRIDIAN™ WS. Bigfoot is the host, and features include games like Paul Bunyon’s axe throw. The game also has a new 31.5-inch LCD top-box. Bigfoot has also been doing some media work related to the game’s launch. He says, “Well you know, after being in the industry for over 1,200 years, I decided I wanted to branch out and host my own show, which is what I’m doing. And you can go to hostedbybigfoot.com and check out my interviews with people like Paul Bunyon, Pecos Bill or Annie Oakley, and of the characters that you might find in Reel Tall Tales. They’re all there. And we just get to talking back and forth, and I’ll tell you, it’s a hootenanny.”
On a serious note, Khin says he is cautiously optimistic about what the next year holds for Aristocrat. “I think 2010 has been a difficult year for the entire industry, but we are positive and cautiously optimistic about 2011. A lot of our customers are talking about conditions improving.” SKC
Aruze Gaming
This year, Aruze displayed even more products than they did in 2009, making this the second year in a row with a record number of products at G2E. And they sure were on to something.
Part of the G-LINK® line of games, Paradise Fishing™, was a big hit on the corner of the booth. The game showed off Aruze’s Reel Feel™ Gaming Technology with a simulated fishing rod on the button panel. Players begin watching the expected video slot reels, but then a bonus event hits, fish swim across all six screens and everyone goes fishing.
Players grab the fishing rod and pull up on it to move their worm in hopes of catching the most or biggest fish, depending on which bonus is being played. “Pay very close attention to the eyes on the worm, because he’ll signal when you’re about to get caught,” advised Steve Walther, vice president of marketing.
The reel doesn’t just vibrate or shake; it truly does feel like something is grabbing on and pulling. The name “Reel Feel” seems to be a good fit.
For proof that this company had a stellar showcase, we found one operator to go on the record. “As far as games go, I think Aruze had a couple of the most impressive new games, and I believe their Paradise Fishing was a favorite for many,” David Chelette, slot manager at Santa Ysabel Casino, shares.
Players also gathered around Lucky Big Wheel, Aruze’s new multi-station unit. This simple, electronic gaming device, allows players to place their bets on a spot on the wheel. Walther adds, “The new twist to this, versus a normal game, is that we actually give the opportunity for the players to spin the wheel themselves; they pull the handle.” He says the Lucky Big Wheel also has better odds than with a normal big six wheel.
Looking ahead, Walther says during these challenging economic times, Aruze is all about looking at things from the player’s perspective. “We’ve elected to put a lot of time, effort and development into products that have that entertainment, engaging style, that tell a story, add more detailed video and get the player more involved and more engaged into the game. So when they do play the game, they feel more of a connection, and that money has gone a bit further than if you just play a standard slot machine.” SKC
ATRONIC/SPIELO
Howie Mandel drew quite the crowd to the ATRONIC/SPIELO booth on the first day of G2E, and his game drew a crowd throughout the show. For the latest game in the DEAL OR NO DEAL™ line, Mandel’s voice is finally featured. Ginette Belliveau, the game designer, says, “We’ve had a lot of fun with Howie, with the girls, with how all the bonuses are coming together and it really is a player-friendly game.”
DEAL OR NO DEAL™ Join’N Play® allows players to spin the reels on their own new VU SLANT™ cabinet while earning the opportunity and increasing multipliers to use in the community game that plays out on five 46-inch screens above. The different bonuses can be triggered. Join’N Play is powered by the G2S-based GAMEBOSS™ controller. A timer lets players know exactly when the community game is going to hit. Michael Brennan, product manager, says, “It is completely stress-free community gaming for eligibility. It’s something different and it’s something that they’re really going to look forward to and look for on the game floor.”
Brennan says the game really holds true to the game we all watch on television. “Players have to make decisions that will either qualify them for the bonus or give credits. So, as the timer ticks down, with anticipation we see players here that will be trying to up their multiplier.” Once the community bonus hits, each player gets to pick a briefcase. Then the other cases start being chosen, and the banker calls and makes an offer. Brennan explains, “Everyone gets the same offer, and it’s multiplied by everyone’s individual multiplier.” Each player then chooses on their own if they want to refuse the offer and try for more or take the deal and go back to the base game.
One thing’s for sure. On this game, we say “deal.” SKC
Bally Technologies
At G2E this year, Bally Technologies showed off its ALPHA 2™ platform and iDeck™ in various ways. One of the games showcasing both was the wide area progressive game Betty Boop’s Love Meter™ on the Pro Series™ Upright cabinet. Laura Olson-Reyes, director of corporate communication, says Bally is excited to have Betty Boop back. “We found that Betty Boop has so much appeal for 27 year olds all the way up to 77 year olds; she’s just a very popular brand and a very lasting one.” The game includes the How Hot Are You? feature, in which players place their hands on the iDeck so their love potential can be measured on a chart that stretches the length of the towering top-box.
The new ALPHA 2 uses HD video technology for 3-D graphics and animations, and up to a four-monitor play experience. It supports existing and new games and is network and server-based ready.
More iDeck interaction could be found on ¡Olé Jalapeños! The interaction with the button deck, which is one screen with no raised portions, is possible during base game play and bonus round play. The iDeck is fully downloadable and built to withstand the rugged demands of casino environments. Olson-Reyes adds: “The iDeck has so many possibilities; it’s multi touch. And back in our private area we have some multi touch skill-based type games.”
The iDeck solution is the industry’s first implementation of 3M’s multi-touch player interface. Its durability and capabilities are some the key factors in Bally’s decision to replace its traditional mechanical button deck with this interface. The iDeck provides simultaneous touch response for all 10 fingers with less than a 6 millisecond response time.
Bally also showcased its second Vegas Hits game, available in spring 2011, called Vegas Hits Road Trip™. The game has 16 bonus possibilities and uses images reminiscent of retro Vegas, including the iconic Welcome to Las Vegas sign. The game has two wheels on the top-box. Olson-Reyes says: “[This is] the only double wheel game in the industry that uses U-Spin™ technology. And that’s the play mechanic that Bally patented that allows players to actually spin a virtual bonus wheel right on the screen.”
Another follow-on game to the original Cash Spin is Hot Pick™. On this game, players can choose their own volatility. The player’s choice actually changes the wedges available on the wheel.
Bally also had its ALPHA Pro Digital Topper on display. It caught the eye of Santa Ysabel Casino’s slot manager, David Chelette. He says, “The product that I am most anxious to try out is a LCD slot topper from Bally that has a built-in connection for their customers to run media on.” The 15-inch video topper is driven by game play and features distinctive side lighting.
Olson-Reyes says, “Bally’s G2E exhibit this year was our best and busiest ever as we focused on spotlighting our innovation and customer partnership. The hottest products in our booth by far were our iDeck™ touchscreen button deck; new game titles like Betty Boop’s Love Meter™, Playboy Hot Zone™, Cash Wizard™, and Hot Pick™; and our live demonstrations of floor-wide bonusing events on iVIEW DM™ with the Elite Bonusing Suite™.” SKC
Cadillac Jack
Game manufacturer Cadillac Jack showcased several of its new games at G2E. Jared Torres, senior director of game development, took us through some of them.
One of the most exciting ones we saw was The Odyssey™, a 3x5 5-reel video game. “The cool thing about this game is we have five different bonuses and we have a top screen that allows the player to participate in the bonus,” Torres explained.
This game has unique and really fun features. Modeled after Homer’s poem, it takes players on a journey with the game’s characters. On the Genesis cabinet, the exotic settings and fierce battles with giant Cyclops and three-headed monsters are vividly displayed on dual high resolution, 22-inch wide-screen LCD panels. And, the Cool Breeze audio system adds even more experience to the game. “This theme is very popular right now in our industry,” Torres commented. “There’s a lot of Greco-Roman styles that are appealing to players. The Odyssey is something that allows us to provide a unique theme in that particular genre.”
Another game Cadillac Jack showed off was Mega Strike™, a wide area progressive and local area progressive combination game. Torres shared that it’s a free spin game where the player is allowed to pick their free spins in the bonus and what multiplier they’ll get.
The other one Torres told us about was Magic Hat™. Here, the player gets to play an extra bonus bet where additional free spins are offered—which brings us to the message the company wanted to get across at the show. “Traditionally we’ve been known on the product side as a free spin company,” Torres said. “We’re very strong in that space. We’d like people to know that we’re a multi-bonus company. We produce products that are multi-bonus, free spin and combinations thereof.” SKC
International Game Technology
G2E kicked off its trade show floor events this year with a cake cutting featuring Ken Jeong, the comedian and actor who played Mr. Chow in The Hangover. Jeong is featured in IGT’s The Hangover Slots which was showcased at G2E.
Tom Mikulich, senior vice president of Mega Jackpots at IGT, says, “Hangover ... is one of the funniest slot machines you’ll ever, ever play. It is absolutely hilarious.”
This year, crowds gathered around IGT’s The Dark Knight™ on The Center Stage Series. Not surprising, since a giant poster of Heath Ledger as the Joker peered out at the crowd during the show. In the game, players chose if they want to be Batman or Joker. They sit in a sound chair that’s connected to the game as they spin the reels and go through several base game bonuses, standard bonuses and the community bonus feature that plays out on the 103-inch top screen.
“There’s tons of video that’s not only in the game itself, but also on the main screen,” says Mikulich. “It really immerses you into the game; you feel like you’re almost in the movie.”
Features on the base game include Slight of Hand, in which players slide their hand across the touchscreen, causing cards to flip and show you your win.
The group feature, or community bonus, is a racing battle between Batman and Joker. The two race for coins on a path toward the soul of Gotham City. “And there’s gateways to get to the progressives,” Mikulich adds.
Ghostbusters Slots™ was another crowd favorite. Even without spinning the reels, players can interact with Slimer on the base screen, making him move around by touching his image. Dan Aykroyd does voiceovers on the game, which also has 3-D effects created by IGT’s MLD (Multi-Layer Display.)
“This really is a fun game, it kind of makes you want to go back and see the movie again. It’s a great, great game, a lot of content,” Mikulich says. “You get a little more of an immersive experience for the player other than just hitting the button.”
The idea of creating a game that will attract players is what Mikulich says the Mega Jackpots games do. “It’s really about remerchandising the casino for the operator, and something as big as this really draws customers to the various parts of the casino and it helps them out.”
Other games IGT showed off at G2E include: Dirty Dancing, Wheel of Fortune® Experience 2™, Amazing Race and Sex and the City™ Big Diamonds, the follow up from last year.
Mikulich says, “IGT’s games have great content, they’re very, very entertaining, they have fantastic math behind them, and deep content so the players don’t get bored of the games. And so the games have high earning potential.” SKC
Incredible Technologies
Incredible Technologies had an increased presence at G2E this year, with a line of innovative and traditional games as well as new Breeze® cabinets.
Elaine Hodgson, president and co-owner, says: “We were executing our ‘Operation Deep Catalog’ and we’ve done that. We have a lot of new games here to show, to show the industry that we’re here to stay.”
One of the new games in Incredible Technologies’ Magic Touch® Innovation Collection is Upper Hand Hold’Em, the company’s first title to include an element of skill-based gaming. Hodgson says the game will help operators struggling with the demand for video poker games. “Casinos sometimes don’t feel like they want to have the poker game in there. They know they have to because poker players are an important part, but it doesn’t make the same kind of money that a slot machine does. So this is trying to kind of give it to both the poker player and the casino operator.”
Each time a card is played, the player puts more of a bet into the game. Players are trying to beat 10 other poker hands and must get jacks or better to qualify. Upper Hand Hold’Em is going through testing now.
One of the new Traditional Collection games is called Bases Loaded™. Hodgson says, “We’re baseball lovers in Chicago, so we had to do a baseball game.” The game’s 7th Inning Stretch Bonus™ features organ music. Three strikes and you’re out. The base game symbols on the 5-reel game follow the same ideas as other Magic Touch games in that there is a hierarchy of value that makes sense. For example, this game has symbols for single-base runs, home runs and grand slams. Hodgson explains, “We kind of don’t do the King, Queen, Jack, 10; we’re trying to make our symbols makes sense in the context of what the theme is.”
The company also introduced new bar-top and slant-top cabinets at G2E. The slant-top is called Breeze Slant-75 HD. Hodgson says: “That’s the angle of the monitor it’s kind of right there in front of you, and it’s very comfortable, and you’ll see it has a green lit stripe so that people are going to be able to recognize our cabinets. The insides are really great, they’re very clean, we have gotten rid of a lot of the wires, so it’s very easy for the technicians to work on, and they’re very comfortable to sit in.” Plus, keeping women players in mind, Hodgson added a purse hook that holds a players purse near their knees.
Incredible Technologies is continuing to expand across the United States, but wants to do so logically to be able to meet customer service demands. Hodgson says, “We have kind of a Western front in California and then Illinois and Indiana and more into Wisconsin, our Midwestern front, and we’re also going into the South with Florida and Mississippi.” SKC
Konami Gaming
The game to see at Konami Gaming Inc.’s booth this year was Rock Around the Clock®. The four-level stand-alone progressive can be played on either the Advantage Revolution™ or the Advantage 5™ cabinets. The base games available are: Rhythm N’Riches™ and Shakes N’Spins™, Rock All Day™ and Party All Night™.
Ross O’Hanley, senior director of sales and marketing, showed us how the game plays. As players spin the reels, they make progress around the clock. O’Hanley explains: “The thing that really controls this game is the clock bonus. You’re trying to essentially spin, and every time you spin it lights up one of these yellow ticks. When you get five yellow ticks you advance the clock hand one minute.”
Players can also get lucky and win the Mystery Clock feature that moves the clock hands along faster, with help from a clock character on the top-box. When the time is right, a bonus game is triggered that may take you to other parts of the Advantage cabinet. For example, the machine changes for the jukebox bonus, truly making it look like an old jukebox.
O’Hanley says, “It resonates obviously ‘50s nostalgia with people who either grew up in the ‘50s or their parents did. They grew up with those cars, those drive-ins, roller skates, everything they associate with the ‘50s.”
Rock Around the Clock launched exclusively at all 10 Station Casinos properties the week after G2E. In December, the game will be available across North America.
Konami was also showing if its new slant-top cabinet this year, called Podium Slant™. O’Hanley says it features all the great features and functionalities of the original podium but with some tweaks including lighting on the side panels. He says, “What’s also unique to the cabinet is it’s only available on the KP3™ platform, which is our new operating system, so we can do things with graphics, we can do things with lights that we haven’t been able to do on the original podium.”
Overall, O’Hanley says Konami is excited about next year. “We’ve had a terrific year and we’re looking forward to a great year next year. We continue to have great support from our customers; our R&D department continues to turn out great games. We’re really proud of the year we had and we look forward to next year.” SKC
Multimedia Games
The attention grabber at Multimedia Games’ booth this year was once again TournEvent. Booth visitors signed up to play in slot tournaments throughout the week. The company even held a special tournament for me to take on Mick Roemer, senior vice president of sales. To see who got to celebrate with a victory dance at the end, watch the video available at www.aceme.org/video-library.
In TournEvent 3.0, players spin the reels as fast as they can, trying to earn the most points. An added point earner, this game came in the form of balloons that appear on the base screen. Pop the balloon by touching the screen and you earn even more points. Roemer says: “That gives the player something else other than just hitting the button. You’ve got the balloon that pops up and adds. It’s not actually skill, but it gives you the feeling that you’ve got a bit more control over it.” Also new in 3.0, video of the players shows up on the base screen and an automated announcer calls the shots.
Other new offerings at Multimedia’s booth this year included a new feature on the 5-reel mechanical game Koi Pond called Power Stacks. Roemer explains, “Anytime you get one of these special power stack symbols then it will index to middle of the reel and then re-spin.” This game strikes an interesting balance between gorgeous and calming, and exciting.
Another mechanical game with a twist is Maximum Lockdown. Three full reels are complimented by a reel on each side on which specials symbols are locked down during bonus play. Roemer says, “It’s perfect for a dollar and high denom.” The hybrid product is a bridge between 3-reel and 5-reel mechanical games.
Roemer says, overall, “We really believe in the 5-reel mechanical as well as the 3-reel.” The mechanical reel games also have a special screen that provide for more action for the player.
One game series that was getting a lot of buzz pre-show was the Side Action Games played in combination with Multimedia’s 9-reel format. Roemer explains: “The 9-reel format has done really well for us, I think it’s because customers can understand what they win, it’s kind of really easy and simple to know what’s going on.” All in one spin, players bet on the 32-line game as well as a stud poker or dice game on the side.
It’s multi-tasking brought to your slot machine. Roemer comments, “I think we’ve kind of conditioned players over the last few years that there needs to be a little bit more going on than just the normal 3-reel.” This idea of offering it the player more is something Multimedia will continue doing in all of its games. SKC
Novomatic
Our conversation with Max Lindenberg, marketing and business development representative for Novomatic, spiraled into a contemplation of the differences between European and American players. For instance, the licensed entertainment properties that drive so much of the high profile U.S. gaming publicity—Star Wars, The Godfather, Mission Impossible, Deal or no Deal—are nowhere to be found in Europe.
Lindenberg said Novomatic toyed with such tie-ins a while ago but saw little traction and mostly abandoned the field. Novomatic continues to push into European markets, with Italy emerging as one of the group’s greatest new opportunities. Romania is another market in which Novomatic expects continued success. The group is also developing some Internet gaming possibilities based on existing Novomatic content.
We examined the sophisticated Novostar slant-top cabinet and Lindenberg also showed us the “Unity 2” multi-player platform, offering numerous games under one console, including live versions of roulette, blackjack, baccarat and Sic Bo. The touchscreen terminals allow both players to select any game on any terminal while at the same time improving game optimization for operators. AS
Rocket Gaming Systems
Rocket Gaming Systems had an off-site show again this year, setting up this time at Tryst nightclub at Wynn. Walking down the stairs to the club, I found myself in a gorgeous, relaxing setting. Visitors were offered beverages and snacks and given a tour of the products.
Ron Harris, president and CEO, says: “We’re right now in the middle of a major expansion and we’re out direct marketing anyway, so we’ve actually used the show as much as anything as a way to say thank you for business. We’ve been in business for 15 years. We’ve had customers who have been on our network from day one. They look at us as extended family, they’re our extended family. So this is our way to say thank you very much and have a party on us.”
Jason Ashmann, vice president of sales, says: “You do miss a little bit of the traffic, but once you get them here you get focused attention. They’re not rushing off to the next meeting. They’re relaxing, having an appetizer, having a drink; you can sit down and meet them on a different level.”
Ashamnn did show me around the games on display this year. The most noticeable was Risk and Reward. The bonus feature on this game gives players three different offers that they can accept or reject. The game is Rocket’s first attempt at using a 27-inch top-box. Risk and Reward is coming out in the first quarter of 2011 and is currently testing in Washington.
“Everybody is asking when they can have it, so they’re wanting to know if it’s for purchase or if it’s lease. We still haven’t determined that yet. We’re trying to get as much feedback as we can from the show to build that model,” Ashmann says. “We’re starting to see that some of the clients we’re listening to want to just buy it and will pay top dollar for it.”
Also new this year is Blazing Wheels™. This game is Rocket’s first real attempt at a big top reward and a quick game pay, which is a prize of $700 that hits throughout the day. Ashmann says: “We hear a lot of customer feedback that that’s what’s doing well in the market. They don’t really chase those progressives as much as they used to. They want something that they can take home at the end of the day.” The bonus on the game features a wheel that spins, awarding you the prize shown. You can also get extra lucky and get the blazing wheel, which awards you the value of three portions of the wheel instead of just one.
Rocket entered G2E season coming off of its biggest monthly install number yet in October. The success is likely thanks to the 3-reel stepper Gold Series game and the new 5-reel steeper Winner’s Edge® series. Ashmann says, “We set some pretty aggressive goals for the end of the year and we’re going to blow them out of the water.”
In 2011, Ashmann says Rocket is focusing on content. “This past year has all been focused kind of on our Gold Series rollout and stabilizing our systems. Next year is going to be all about content. We kind of struggled a little bit getting some content out for our standard product. Next year that’s what we’re focusing on.”
Rocket will also continue to venture in Class III gaming. SKC
VGT
VGT is gearing up for the opening of the Illinois market, and it showed that at G2E this year. The company, known for its Class II games, displayed games it will be introducing to the Illinois market, marking its entrance into Class III gaming.
Jay Sevigny, president and COO, says: “This is our Class III platform; it’s a multi game. We’re going to have it into the Illinois market. We’ve got nine different games, from 15-line to 8-line slots, poker, three different versions, so this is a very great looking game.”
Sevigny believes the second quarter of 2011 is when the Illinois market will open up. The company has been doing its research in the state and Sevigny believes VGT has what the players will want. He says, “We think it’s probably one of the most exciting new markets in the United States.”
Sevigny says VGT’s move into Class II gaming won’t stop with Illinois. “Once we do that, then we think there are a number of other states lined up that we’ll be moving into, so it really kind of opens a new period of growth for us.”
VGT’s overall message at G2E this year was, “We create winners.” The company is turning its focus to new product development and product design in 2011. That includes continuing its work with Class II gaming. Sevigny says, “We’ve got a lot of great ideas of products that we are going to be producing, some new progressives linked and mystery jackpot games and a lot of the things that are popular in Class III markets, we’ll be bringing them to Class II.” SKC
WMS
This year, WMS unleashed imagination on the trade show floor. The company showed off its newest games including The Godfather™ and Pirate Battle.
The Godfather game has features that are very similar to what the movie was all about. “The game is unique—it has features that have never been released before,” Candace Lucas, executive director of marketing, says. “You actually have the opportunity to not only play the game, but also double your bet.” When you win the progressive bonus, you can either take your credits or go farther and try to win more.
In Pirate Battle, players are able to join a team and try to sink the other team’s pirate ship. This is a portal game that WMS introduced last year. Lucas explains: “(Portal games) allow the casino operator to have the base game and actually refresh those games with a new portal application on top of it, which is the bonus, and engage the player again and again. So this is the next round, the next generation of portal games that will be available.”
Expo attendees also waited in line to get into the “inner sanctum” at WMS to see the latest games the company is working on. We were able to go inside, and we can tell you there will be exciting new implementations of persistent-state gaming. We have already seen the beginning of this with Lord of the Rings, which offers players the ability to play on www.playerslife.com and progress on their journey, unlocking more bonuses.
Lucas says, “We will have dozens of games in the next year that will be coming out in players life so you will actually be able to go online and continue some of your journey in a more casual playing atmosphere and actually leverage what you’ve done online when you go back into the casino to actually continue your progress and earn things and learn things.”
The new features coming out include the ability to customize avatars and more. Lucas says, “There are areas where you can engage and pick and chose and actually win if you’ve selected the right things. That’s all I’m going to say. There’s a lot more going on and a lot more to come.” SKC
Systems & Technology
Agilysys
At the stylish Agilysys booth, we were greeted by Tina Stehle, senior vice president and general manager of the Agilysys Hospitality Solutions Group. Stehle reviewed with us the suite of solutions that Agilysys was exhibiting at this year’s G2E.
Products on display included Guest 360, Visual One and LMS property management solutions including LMS Plus, which is the newest version of LMS. Also on display were Eatec and Stratton Warren System inventory and procurement solutions, the Datamagine document management solution and InfoGenesis™ point of sale solutions. There was significant interest in Mobile ResNet, which allows people to make a reservation on a smartphone; and the newest Agilysys property management system, Guest 360. “Always popular, though, there’s been a lot of requests to see InfoGenesis, our point of sale system,” Stehle noted.” To learn all about InfoGenesis, we were provided with a demonstration by an Agilysys sales engineer.
We learned that Agilysys has several products that are available to the casino and gaming environment that offer some really great advantages at managing and creating a great guest experience, which is a major area of focus for Agilysys. One of those products is InfoGenesis.
In our demonstration, we learned that InfoGenesis has a simple layout, flexible platform, is user-friendly and customizable to fit in any kind of environment. We learned about its visibility to the back of the house, which is a really large advantage to the property. There’s the front-end piece, which is the guest experience, then the back-end piece where you can quantify everything you need to do.
It all adds up to an application that serves guests more effectively and makes you as efficient and profitable as possible. Some of InfoGenesis’ features include an audit log and electronic journal; financial and operational reporting; multi-language capability; packages and prix fixe menus; and much more.
Agilysys was very pleased with the turnout at G2E 2010. Booth traffic was tremendous and the company is anticipating continued success as they move into 2011. AH
Aristocrat Systems
Aristocrat continues to introduce new aspects of its Oasis 360™ system. The system is known for slot accounting, pit accounting and player tracking. Oasis 360 helps casinos drive entertainment, bonusing and marketing to the player while on a slot machine. Its features include online real-time tracking of events, a graphical user interface and more.
This year, Aristocrat showed off the next generation Oasis 360 sentinel unit, nCompass™, which offers full service window capabilities. The nCompass unit is the link between the gaming machine and Oasis 360. It facilitates the transfer and display of messages and gaming data to a media window right on the game screen. SpeedMedia campaigns, bonusing events, announcements and more are supported by nCompass.
The new business intelligence tool, nVision™, was also on display for attendees to learn more about it. The tool uses advanced reporting and visualization through dashboards to enhance the way operators evaluate casino floor performance, monitor player activity and analyze promotional events. With this, the operator can use business intelligence systems to create personalized, customized experiences for players.
Other modules available on Oasis 360 include: BlackBart™, Marketing Manager™, Ricochet Rewards™, Splashdown Countdown™ and Surveillance Monitor™.
Aristocrat is also working on its thin-client solution, TruServ. This server-based solution takes Aristocrat to the next level, but introducing game play that is truly happening on the server. SKC
Bally Systems
Bally’s systems solutions were on display this year, as the company showed off what its Command Center™ is capable of when used with Elite Bonusing Suite™ and iVIEW Display Manager™ (DM).
Command Center is the server-based download and configuration solution that manages the content used by Elite Bonusing Suite on iVIEW DM. It also manages the download of games and firmware updates. Bally calls Command Center “The heart of your networked floor.” It allows operators to remotely download game themes and cabinet data, and install and change game configurations for hundreds of devices all at one time.
Command Center also works with Bally Business Intelligence (BI) and Bally Slot Management Systems (SMS). SMS records floor data and sends it to BI. BI analyzes it, generates predictive models and recommends configuration changes to Command Center.
Elite Bonusing Suite delivers compelling, floor-wide player bonusing applications to the floor, without any interruption in game play. The bonuses, displayed on the player-user interface iVIEW DM, can take place across the floor. This could include a bonus wheel on any machine or a floor-wide horse race on all slot machines. Other bonus options include birthday promotions with Lucky Match Bonusing™ and the ability to create rules for targeted bonuses with Flex Rewards™.
iVIEW DM also enables casinos to present marketing messages and service offerings to a player right on their game screen.
Command Center is currently in operation at several major casinos. It uses GSA open standards, allowing it to connect to any device or system that has adopted the standards as well. SKC
Bis2
At G2E this year, Bis2 once again proved to be ahead of the pack in technology-based analytics, showcasing the newest version of their gameViz software solution for businesses—version five. “It’s completely web-based and faster to install,” CTO Andrew Cardno explained. “It really brings a lot of finish to the product, making it a very mature and solid offering today.”
And faster and more effective is exactly what those in the industry are looking for as they still experience the challenges of a down economy. Cardno explained that the market demand for analytics is being spurred by pressure to drive more revenue. Yet, many of the gaming products being analyzed are maybe 10 years old. Customers are being forced to work with what they have and get more out of older assets.
“With our visualization technology, with our super graphics, our customers have been able to do that,” Cardno said. “And what’s very pleasing for us is, that we can deliver it very quickly and make real returns for our customers.” And that’s exactly what the industry wants to hear. TH
Casino Data Imaging
The Casino Data Imaging booth was crowded during our visit, with curious attendees getting the tour of CDI’s iGuide system. The iGuide is CDI’s award-winning web-based wayfinder technology, allowing customers to search a casino floor by keyword, denomination, specific game and more. Sales and Marketing Manager Rae Ann Gomez took us through the group’s hot new mobile app iPhone product. Part of the iGuide family, the app is specifically designed for the casino industry and puts 24/7 branded, dynamic access to casino information in the palm of a customer’s hand.
Gomez explained, “The app infrastructure is completely customizable with casinos able to send out real-time information on everything from poker room seating to show schedules to celebrity sightings and specials.” The app also has a page for hosting menus. Better yet, the tour of the app’s “back end” showed as much thought in the app’s administration as its customer face. The app’s “what you see is what you get” console master makes updating app information, including pictures, easier than using Facebook. Gomez said, “This has been a hit because the admin interface is identical to what the end user will see on the screen. So there’s no need for extra technology training. Anyone can do it.”
But not everyone has a web-enabled smart phone. Because of this, CDI is offering a Casino Talk system that works via SMS messages. This system uses simple text messaging to manage real-time casino offers. It even is enabled with dynamic analytics for when costumers to text back, allowing properties to track marketing drives such as loss leader offerings. AS
Codespace Gaming
G2E 2010 provided Codespace Gaming with the opportunity to showcase its GLI-11-certified video-gaming platform, which promises full SAS connectivity to your slot platform. Geared to run off existing hardware of one’s choosing, the program “allows new manufacturers to utilize our platform, [and] put their games on the floor quickly,” says Codespace’s Steve Lefler. It auto-connects to slots’ game modules, meaning “an unlimited number of slots can attach to these progressive controllers. ” The product had been introduced at the 2007 G2E and, since it was tailored to technology already available, “We’ve gained a lot of market information because of that.” In addition to installations in Mexico and Macau, Codespace’s software has been taken up by a pair of American manufacturers. Pro V Sports employs it in a Class III video-slot football game. “[It’s] the first time it’s ever been done,” according to Lefler. Lightning Gaming is also using Codespace know-how to power its new Scrabble slot.
The company is also positioning itself to be on the leading edge of a cottage-industry movement in the slot sector. Because of the adaptability of its software to off-the-shelf hardware, Codespace enables small game developers to go directly to cabinet and platform providers, bypassing the giants of the slot industry, and capturing more of the revenue. “There’s going to be a big demand that’s going to create more content,” Lefler predicts, given the small number of slot manufacturers in the market. But smaller companies can get their products to market faster and enjoy the full share of profit. “We’re vertically enabling this particular part of the new industry,” he says. DM
Gaming Informatics
President Grant Stousland says that he’s lost weight—lost weight from his IRIS® Component Tracker that is. “We found that having people swallow this really big pill was a bit of a roadblock for our system,” he says. “While the demand was there, it was just very hard to institute so much change so fast.”
To slim down, Stousland and team took IRIS back into the shop and stripped off the program’s fat. The result? Stousland took the install time for the Iris program from nearly one year down to a mere three weeks. He said this new leaner IRIS program avoids the “install fatigue” of the original, while losing none of the functionality. It’s also less expensive and creates far less “culture shock.” The full component tracking syncs with testing labs and imports from slot accounting systems as well as offering all the history, standards and project management bells and whistles expected from IRIS. Gaming Informatics is seeing tremendous success with its new IRIS, with recent moves into numerous tribal casinos in California, Arizona, Missouri and Iowa as well as pending adoption in Pennsylvania. AS
Gaming Support and Digital Display Group
Gaming Support and Digital Display Group joined forces this year, both in business and in their shared booth. Though each company showcased their own products, the standout solution was the joint effort of Jackpot Junction XL.
The companies were first brought together in 2005, when a major, unnamed operator suggested they collaborate. Lance Hutchinson, vice president of Alpha Video (Digital Display Group’s parent company), explained: “We came together because we were trying to get into the gaming data side and our expertise was in digital signage. [Gaming Support was] trying to work more into the digital signage market and their expertise was in gaming data. So we said, look, we kind of have different strengths. Let’s partner together and make a system together. And that’s the system we call Jackpot Junction XL … built on the best technologies from both vendors.”
And the primary objective of this collaborative technology is to increase the perception of luck and winning for casino guests by making every win known across the casino floor. The more wins a player hears about, the more likely they are to believe winning is a common occurrence, thus creating a customer who is more likely to return.
Some of the components of the Jackpot Junction include digital signage, a Jackpot Navigator and Bonus Boxes. A Bonus Box houses a physical prize that a player can win after hitting the jackpot on the machine the box is attached to. Players can actually see what they’re playing for, whether it be cash or high-tech goodies like iPods.
“Bonus Box has been through a couple iterations,” said Gaming Support’s CEO and General Manager Don Baugh. “We’ve made several enhancements to it, it’s cleared quite a few regulatory hurdles, and now we’re ready to roll it out. We expect to start doing so early 2011. There’s a lot of value to the product in increasing slot revenue for the operators.”
Jackpot Junction works through the strong communication between its parts. “Everything we do has an Ethernet connection, so it’s a very easy implementation to put in a progressive or put interfaces in machines,” Baugh stated. “All our equipment talks to each other. Bonus Boxes will trigger jackpot celebrations; our navigator will trigger jackpot celebrations. It all interconnects nicely.”
And Digital Display Group’s superior signage options can get the word out easily, since the company’s system is meant to carry across all areas of a gaming operation—not just the slot floor. “Our strategy has been to look at all the areas that use digital signage and really solve all the problems so you can use one system, rather than three or four,” Hutchinson said.
The interconnectivity these two companies are working toward also allows the Jackpot Junction to communicate with many different slot vendors across the floor. All in all, it sounds like a great collaboration. TH
IGT Systems
IGT’s vice president of network systems, Javier Saenz, spent the week at G2E telling people that server-based gaming is here. IGT is offering new Service Window applications that provide players with customized, exciting gaming experiences. Applications like Taxable Accrual, Point Pursuit and sbX® Media Manager allow operators to stand out against their competition.
sbX Media Manager is the back-end system that drives Service Window in the game. Saenz says, “Service window is really about presenting directly to the player at the game, all the content they need.” With a touchscreen interface for users, players can access their inbox for messages from the casino. “The typical player is going to see a number of things with this, and we’re seeing this in the field today. It’s great for communicating property amenities. We can talk about our shows, we can talk about our restaurants, hotels, anything we have to offer the player,” Saenz says. Players can also see a map of the casino in the service window. sbX also drives content to the digital top-box on IGT’s newer games.
Operators use flash content to completely customize the service window. Saenz says, “This is totally branded for the casino; they essentially own this space.” The operator can also customize what a player sees based on the player’s spending level.
IGT’s systems also gives operators access to the IGT game library with more than 200 titles through its floor manager. This allows the operator to very quickly select a game from the library and put it on the floor. When we watched, this literally took a few seconds. Saenz says, “One of the things we’re seeing in the field is operators actually taking requests from customers for games they want to play.” Operators can also change denomination and hold percentage quickly and analyze game play with a number of different metrics such as coin-in.
Saenz says IGT is aware that not everyone can go out and buy the newest games and systems today. That is why IGT has introduced products that will allow for progression into server-based gaming using old machines. For example, a smaller, separate service window can be installed in a traditional stepper game to allow players to see the same branded content as new games will have. Operators can also purchase a device that goes into legacy video machines, allowing them to show Service Window on the play screen.
Saenz says almost 30 customers are now using IGT’s server-based gaming technology. SKC
Iverson Gaming Systems
This year’s G2E brought out products with a dual focus for Iverson Gaming Systems—one great product for the player, and one for the property. Millard Reeves, vice president of new product development, took CEM through a brand-new dashboard program designed to streamline the flow of floor data for casino personnel.
The data shown can be configured to the specific employee that will be using the dashboard, allowing them to respond quickly to a range of notifications, such as a full hopper, a jackpot or even a revenue dip below a preset point.
“It’s targeted to all different levels of personnel within the casino,” Reeves explained. “For instance, a cashier doesn’t need to know about a door open on a slot machine, but they do need to know when a jackpot is hit. At a management level, you may not be looking at individual events, but you may be looking at employee performance.”
The technology is presented on a touchscreen interface, and, as it’s just past the demo stage, should be ready for deployment in the next quarter.
Iverson’s second showcase product is the SMG, or Slot Master Graphics, a touchscreen graphics display in the slot machine that can be used for tracking and interacting with the player.
Software Engineer Parag Amin described SMG as having two main components. “One is, it tracks the slot machine as it’s being played—the game, its meters, its counts, how much you’re making, how much you’re losing. And the second component is the interactivity with the player—how many points the player is earning, when they are earning, what you are giving back to them in rewards, how you are communicating with the player.”
And the SMG has the capability of tracking all these actions because it is a “full-fledged personal computer” right in the slot machine. This technology is already on the market and has been receiving much positive feedback.
One of the biggest features directed at the player is access to account-based gaming. “[It] allows a player to establish an account with funds, and then be able to transfer those funds on and off of a slot machine using their player card,” Reeves said.
Players using a loyalty card also have the benefit of remembered preferences, including language, flight information, home country news information and TV stations. That’s right—TV. Since SMG is a fully functional computer, live television can be streamed to the slot machine, providing, of course, that the player maintains a certain rate of coin-in. This keeps the machine from being locked up by someone that may be more interested in football than gambling.
From the player to the pit boss, Iverson strives to keep a casino covered. TH
iView Systems
No babes. No flashy swag. Yet iView Systems’ booth, with its three simple flat-screens, proved that it’s what is inside that counts. Welcomely straight-talking President Martin Drew took us through iView’s integrated incident reporting software solutions and facial recognition technology for security and surveillance offices. It was nothing short of fascinating. One of iView’s monitoring programs provides what could be the answer to responsible gaming initiatives, both in implementation and efficacy.
Software tracking a single player’s gaming over time alerts administrators to when that play has reached potentially “unsafe” levels. At that time, the property can schedule an intervention with that player. Facial recognition technology assures that the potentially troubled player can be tracked even if he or she fails to use a gaming card. Furthermore, post-intervention tracking by the system gives feedback on the efficacy of the interventional measures themselves. This complete loop makes “responsible gaming” an attainable goal, instead of a hopeful mantra backed up by a sticker on a door.
Drew told us: “Casinos don’t really want to be making money off these troubled players anyway. So the better able properties are to help their customers, the better off all will be.” Drew also showed us a social graph analysis program that takes loads of incompressible data and “visualizes” it in graphic means that the human mind can more easily understand. “They’re calling it ‘dataveillence,’” Drew said. AS
Konami Systems
Konami Casino Management System (KCMS) was on display for G2E attendees this year. KCMS brings real insight into patrons while delivering 99.99 percent reliability. Constructed upon Fortune 100 architecture that is robust and reliable, KCMS stays online.
KCMS offers player tracking including time spent on games, spending trends and specific preferences. Of course, clearer insight into player profiles makes it easier for operators to perform highly targeted marketing efforts.
New at G2E, Konami Gaming Inc. unveiled its KCMS Mobile application for the Droid line of smartphones. The KCMS Mobile application allows patrons to check their player’s club points, change their PIN, check the KCMS LotABucks progressive levels, and redeem their points for player incentives such as buffet tickets. There is also an employee application that allows casino employees to check which patrons are on their casino floor as well as the ability to validate tickets for patrons on the slot floor, all through the use of their cell phone. The new KCMS Mobile application is just another way that KCMS makes slot employees job easier and creates a better experience for its patrons. SKC
M3 Technology Solutions
The M3t booth was so busy every time we visited that we had to wait until after G2E to speak with somebody there about how the show went. As expected, M3t had an excellent show. Chief Operating Officer Dylan Waddle said, “G2E 2010 provided a successful platform for M3 Technology Solutions to showcase its Version 2.0 with features such as a fully integrated cashier/vault, floor control center, cash access kiosks, etc.” Waddle added that M3t will continue to maintain a string focus on “providing our customers with the most cutting-edge casino management tools in the industry.” AS
MICROS
Continuing to build on its existing array of point-of-sale and property-management systems, MICROS came to G2E with its new magnum opus, Simphony. A complement to MICROS’ existing 9700 platform, “Simphony is our next-generation, built from the ground up to be multi-property and -enterprise oriented,” said MICROS’ Jonathan Seigle. It’s capable of running entire hotel or casino chains from a single host. This means less IT infrastructure at the individual property level, providing considerable economies of scale for far-flung operations like Oklahoma’s tribal casinos. It’s currently in use at River City in St. Louis and a Caesars Entertainment-owned retail outlet. The Spokane Tribe, in Washington State, is the newest client to sign on for Simphony.
“We’re seeing a lot of continued interest in Opera,” Seigle reports, referring to MICROS’ guest-service database. He attributes that to customers in property management who aren’t getting the manner of guest-intensive marketing they need.
Guests also want to be more in control of their experience, Seigle adds, something that is possible through the MyStayManager smart-phone application, which enables guests to make reservations, transactions, indicate their preferences (smoking or non-smoking, for instance), order room service, schedule wake-up calls, etc.
Hotels are going to focus even more on separating themselves from the pack, says Seigle’s colleague Christine Librande, which means incentivizing return visitation and obtaining “very granular detail” about guests’ activities in order to generate “enterprise-wide customer value,” as Seigle puts it. “Having a stand-alone casino is great, but they’re seeing the value of having guest rooms, keeping [customers] on property longer.”
Customers, for their part, are demanding greater control than ever over their interaction with the casino, looking for the packages they want, site-specific promotions and better in-room technology. In Seigle’s words: “Today’s consumer wants to be in control of their experience,” and mobile-device-ready tools like MyStayManager represent a significant step in that direction. DM
SAS
Whether catering to brick-and-mortar casinos or online ones, marketing analytics remains SAS Institute’s stock in trade, with emphasis on optimization of not only the casino floor itself but of the burgeoning world of social media. As the company’s literature explains, the fragmentation of the old casino business model into myriad profit centers “requires not only looking across all leisure activities to determine a patron’s true value, but also anticipating which activities are most important to each patron in order to ensure that staffing, logistics and marketing programs are tailored to a patron’s unique needs.”
Regarding SAS’ ability to penetrate the social-media thicket, Hospitality and Gaming Sales Manager Rory Fagan explains it as “giving insight into what people are saying about [your] brand.” That is followed by setting up lines of communication, charting what’s being said out there via “sentient analysis” and then understanding what it means, whether good or bad. “The hospitality industry is actually leading this versus gaming,” although the latter will make more progress in 2011, Fagan predicts. “We’ve moved away from, ‘Where do I put the slot machines’ to, ‘What should the hold be?’ ” But some casinos remain ahead of others due to the amount of scientific data they utilize. As the quality of the information derived from the casino floor—and ability to segment and visualize it—improves, “it’s not as much about heat mapping [anymore] as, ‘Help me make more money from the assets on the floor,’ ” Fagan said. DM
Veridocs
“Transact with confidence,” proclaims Veridocs, which—as its name suggests— traffics in document verification technology. In the post-9/11 world, more emphasis than ever is placed upon currency transaction reports (CTRs) and the identification of people dropping large sums of money on the casino floor. In keeping with this, Vegas-based Veridocs has been showcasing Bank Security Act-compliant features aimed at easing the casino boss’s regulatory burden when it comes to making all those CTR filings. The company’s Multiple Transaction application records currency movement as it occurs, aggregates it, collates it onscreen and begins the filing process on the customers who are passing those large bills. Transactions are color-coded onscreen. “Red is an action item,” said President and COO Joe Oprosko. “It means ‘I.D. this person.’ ” Casino surveillance then provides a customer photo that is matched with the individual making the transactions. Document scanners—and Veridocs offers a variety of them—authenticate drivers licenses and other official forms of I.D., which further aids in putting faces and names to heavy cash transactions.
However, the red-alert threshold is only tripped if the customer makes one $10,000 transaction (or several smaller ones that exceed 10 grand), and then only if the casino can’t match an I.D. or Social Security number to the customer.
“The term is ‘know your customer,’” Oprosko said. “The emphasis on tracking and I.D. verification has increased. There’s going to be more emphasis on validating an individual” in response to the rising tide of I.D. theft and automation, he adds. “Just like slots. Now you can’t function in a casino without a slot-management system.” Veridocs hopes its technology will prove every bit as indispensable. DM
WMS Systems
WMS showed off various current and upcoming capabilities under its WAGE-NET® umbrella at its tech center at G2E. These capabilities include remote configuration and download, portal applications, Freedom Port, GamEdge™ and account-based wagering.
Remote configuration and download is nothing new for WMS, but the applications it is now enabling are new. Portal applications, such as Jackpot Explosion®, part of the Ultra Hit Progressive® portal family, allow operators to put bonus games on top of base games across the casino. These have been in the field for a few months and eight casinos will be using them by the time you read this review.
Freedom Port is WMS’s player user interface that is currently running at ARIA and will be available globally by April 2011. This system is now included in any WMS game. Older games can be upgraded to allow Freedom Port to work. It is browser-based, meaning it can run various types of file formats. The interface is a window that can be connected to multiple servers and run multiple gaming or non-gaming applications simultaneously. Mark Pace, vice president of networked gaming engineering and operations, explains how this works: “Server A happens to reside in the director of food and beverage’s office. He or she gets to update menus, gets to update restaurant open and close times; they can do it independent of anybody else. Anytime they make an update, Freedom Port will take that update and display it in the panel.” Operators are able to customize the player window and can create more than one look.
Freedom Port is also interoperable with IGT, and Konami is heading in this direction. By using G2S standards, the companies can run each other’s service windows and game applications that go with them. For example, WMS can run its side-wager game application Diamond Hunt on an IGT machine. Pace says, “So now operators, if vendors like IGT and WMS work together and adhere to G2S standards, could have applications from multiple vendors running across multiple boxes.”
WMS also showed off its “customer relationship management system on steroids,” as Pace calls it. GamEdge, which is testing now on the Strip, keeps track of the expected things such as player data and offers, but also allows the operator to create rules that can be used in real time. For example, operators could create a rule to offer new player’s club players free play if they are losing money. “Any player that did that, that lost $100, send them a message through Freedom Port and that says, ‘I’m sorry you are having bad luck. Here’s $20 of non-cashable play on me.’” Pace explains, “Instead of leaving the property saying, ‘Wow, that was a lousy experience,’ the moment you lose the $100, that rule is going to be triggered, we’re going to display a message, and we’re going to give you an offer using push marketing as opposed to waiting until you got home, analyze the date and maybe a week later send you something.” SKC
Testing
Eclipse Compliance Testing
Eclipse Compliance Testing had some very significant and exciting news to share this year. With two appointments, several awards and an anniversary, the company is well positioned in its segment to continue its great service in the industry.
“Although not new to the industry, we are focusing on on-site services more, such as software verification, system audits and customized training programs,” commented Nick Farley, president. “We believe there are opportunities in the market to help augment some of the compliance staff of gaming commissions who have this responsibility and, in many cases, with limited staffing resources.”
That’s where the company’s new team members Tom LaVallee and Oscar Schuyler step in, helping the company focus on these areas. “Tom is highly experienced in on-site services, having been conducting this type of work for much of his 18 years in the gaming industry,” Farley explained. “Oscar was formerly chairman of the Oneida Gaming Commission in Wisconsin. His regulatory background and experience bring additional, significant contributions to the company. Both of these gentlemen are well regarded in the industry and have a strong network of business contacts across the U.S.”
This is also the year that Eclipse is celebrating its 10th year in business. On day two of the show, balloons were up to show this. Farley recalled how far the company has come over the years: “I can recall trying to get our first jurisdiction to recognize us as an independent testing lab. Today, we are recognized in over 200 jurisdictions across the U.S. and abroad. We have also earned our ISO17025 and 17020 laboratory accreditations from A2LA. Couple this with our third consecutive U.S. Local Business Association award for small businesses as well as recent news about our being selected as a Weatherhead 100 award recipient as one of the fastest growing companies in Northeast Ohio and a personal recognition in the form of a Warrior’s Award from the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association as a strong proponent and ally for Indian country, and adding quality team members such as Tom and Oscar, you can see that we are a reputable firm, here to stay.”
Janice Farley, Eclipse’s vice president, shared that they are also building up their interoperability lab, another area that they are looking to expand on and offer services to the manufacturers. “We have gone through our initial GSA assessment with A2LA and are looking to offer this area of service in the very near future,” she said. “And of course we continue to monitor the progress of Internet gaming closely.”
With so many good things happening at Eclipse, there is no doubt this company is set for success, and has much to be excited about for the future. AH
GLI
Gaming Laboratories International kept busy talking with regulators and manufacturers at G2E this year. The show is one of many times throughout the year that the GLI staff works hard to keep up with the latest technology in gaming. GLI is working with manufacturers on things like the introduction of skill into slot machine games and multi-player stations.
Paul Magno, vice president and co-founder of GLI, says: “It’s just a matter of, at an event like this, meeting with the manufacturers and seeing what they have on the table, meeting with them throughout the year to see what technology and what ideas they are coming up with. We can all work together to come up with test strips and present it to the regulators to get it out into the marketplace.”
Magno says we’ve only scratched the surface of the kinds of new technology we’ll see in the next few years. This is challenging for the lab and for regulators, but working with manufacturers, as GLI does, helps them meet demands.
GLI has made a significant move in the Internet gaming world since last year’s G2E. It purchased Technical Systems Testing (TST), which used to be a competitor. TST has done Internet gaming in the European market and other markets around the world. Magno says TST brings, “some experience to the Internet market that we hopefully will use sometime in the future in the United States and obviously wherever it is available and regulated right now.” SKC
Peripherals & Accessories
3M Touch Systems
For 3M at G2E, it was all about the touch. In particular, the Projected Capacitive Multi-Touch technology. Exhibited as a four-position table made up of four 32-inch displays linked together, it was one of the coolest products we saw. They had put cards up on the screen, and with just a few easy motions from your hand, you could make the cards shrink, blow up to several times their usual size, move them around, and even flip them around to see the other sides. I don’t think I ever saw that table not occupied by someone playing with the cool technology employed on it.
David Henry, marketing manager, explained more about the product. “We’re featuring multi-player, multi-user, multi-touch, so there’s really three layers we’re focused on. That can support around 240 simultaneous touch points. What it creates is an interactive experience, whether it’s cards, chips, slot machines.”
Henry said 3M still has traditional surface capacitive technology, which was found on many of the games on the show floor, and those are single-touch based. It’s still 3M’s core product. But the future lies in multi-touch, or PCTs.
The company recently announced that it has partnered with Bally Technologies on this technology, and you can now find it on Bally’s iDeck™ for the ALPHA 2™ Pro Series™ gaming cabinets. The iDeck is the first industry implementation of 3M’s multi-touch player interface. “It gives a multi-touch experience to the traditional slot experience that’s out there,” Henry said. “It also gives you some configuration in terms of being able to repurpose a game from theme to theme or demographic to demographic.”
The press release announcing this news stated: 3M PCT’s outstanding surface durability and multi-touch capabilities are some of the key factors in Bally Technologies’ decision to replace its traditional mechanical button deck with this new next-generation user interface. 3M’s multi-touch technology solution provides more than 10-plus finger simultaneous touch response with less than a 6 millisecond response time… 3M’s anti-stiction touch surface allows fingers to move smoothly across the screen, and is built to withstand most of the rugged demands of everyday casino environments.
Alas, 3M did have other products at the show. These included a high air flow filter that attaches to the external side of a slot machine and filters out dust, smoke or carbon fibers, as well as DI-NOC™, a finish that can be adhered to surfaces, including slot machines. Though there are over 600 patterns, I saw one machine being wrapped with wood grain.
“3M Touch Systems has always a big place in the gaming market, and now we’ve brought in other products that complement it,” Henry said. He also shared that in the coming year, 3M Touch Systems will be building on their Multi-Touch effort. Sounds good to us! AH
Cole-Kepro
With the rise of server-based gaming, the slot box is coming to be seen more as a vessel for game content than an integral part of the game itself. That gives cabinet makers like North Las Vegas-based Cole-Kepro International a chance to stand out from the crowd. Cole-Kepro came to G2E with an arsenal of new box designs, spearheaded by the slim (only 17.5 inches deep) 2248 cabinet and the slant-top 7700. The company has also added a laptop cabinet and the 2028 wall-mount unit to its product array. While the wall-mount unit would seem primarily aimed at the overseas market, Cole-Kepro executives say it’s advantageous for any place where space is constrained and where casinos need to keep their slot circuitry well above floor level, due to flooding or similar concerns.
The 2248 and 7700 cabinets differentiate themselves from their predecessors with more accent lights and larger-sized LCDs (22 to 26 inches), “which seems to be the going trend,” according to VP of Sales and Marketing Rick Durica. “After a while, people are tired of not doing anything. You have to offer customers a more ergonomic cabinet.” That includes a cushioned keyboard, larger button panels and displays that are in the player’s normal line of sight. Both of the new large-format cabinets can also hold either an Academy-ratio video display or the newer 16:9 aspect ratio. They can already be found on casino floors at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. The company can also customize its cabinetry for individual casinos, according to Director of Sales Keith Dewy, who adds that the company has “a good, solid development team” designing its boxes. DM
Crane Payment Solutions
Three was a magic number for Crane Payment Solutions at this year’s G2E. And the company’s OEM sales director, Bill Nichols, gave CEM a guided tour through those three new products that are giving the company the most cause for excitement.
The first innovation we took a look at was the new, larger cashbox for the bill acceptors. Nichols explained: “When the cashbox fills up, the machine or the bill redemption kiosk won’t take any more bills and is inoperable.” The new box offers a size up to 50 percent larger than the usual cashboxes on a casino floor. “So they can go through a busy weekend night without having to go through the extra hassle of an emergency drop on their floor.”
Another focus was the oneCheck™ system, building on the communication between a bill acceptor and a printer to run various diagnostic reports. And requesting a report is as simple as tapping the latch right in front of the bill acceptor. Reports given can include last bill/voucher validation, performance data and a cashbox audit. This printed barcode can then be scanned into the system’s database to better keep track of cashbox numbers.
Nichols was pleased to demonstrate Crane’s new support tools to help optimize floor peripheral performance. An e-learning CD covers everything new employees may need to know about bill acceptor setup and repair, making it a perfect partner for training. The Navigator diagnostic program can easily download statistical data from the acceptor, as well as update its software for instances like a new bill design. It can also identify any areas of the machine that might not be functioning properly.
“We’re really excited about the service tool package and the extra things that we’re putting into our systems and product offerings to add value to the casino floor,” Nichols said. “And we’re only able to do this by talking to our customers and listening to them. That’s how we take our approach to providing value to our gaming customers.” TH
Dexwet
Dexwet, an Austria-based R&D company, previously worked primarily in the office equipment market, but is now happy to announce its entry into gaming. Dexwet provides filter systems for laser printers, fax machines and now slot machines! Its products can deliver a substantial contribution toward cutting down unhealthy emissions.
The company did not host its own booth, but was showing off its filters at its partner’s booth, Novomatic. Horst Weizenauer, managing director for Dexwet USA and Erich Peteln, managing director, opened up one of Novomatic’s games to show me what was inside. The product, dubbed “the money-saving filter innovation,” absorbs dust and other unsavory materials that can collect in slot machines, providing much-needed protection. It cleans the air flow through the machine by employing coated filter rods. The filters boast benefits including a dramatic lowered cost of labor, reduced maintenance, reduced downtime and repair costs, quick and easy integration and replacement, and no jams.
Dexwet has an internationally proven product, with more than 350,000 filters installed in the office and pharmaceutical industries in just four years. AH
Elite Casino Products
Elite Casino Products was prepared for a big “blast-off” into the future, with a little help from NASA and Nitro, their newest cabinet line. Nitro debuted at G2E and immediately attracted a lot of interest for its slim profile and ergonomic setup, produced in part with data from NASA studies on arm reach and viewing angle for optimized comfort.
The new Nitro line also considered input from players in its planning stages. Managing Director Scott Irving explains: “We did structured interviews with very experienced slot players. We also did observations where we’d go into the casinos and watch slot players and see the types of things they did at the game—interacting with the games that are out there now, solving problems they maybe didn’t even know that they had, with player tracking card location and more.”
Besides player card positioning, the company’s research also led them to move the top screen and the bottom screen closer together, so the gaming experience seems more like it’s being played out on one big screen. Elite Casino Products also focused the speakers more at ear level, rather than a scattered positioning that could potentially be distracting.
Elite Casino Products has been focusing a lot on making strides in player comfort and preference, but the company is also taking long leaps in its business plan. It is based out of Illinois and has two facilities there, but expansion had been in the plans for a while. And now it’s really happening, as ECP has recently acquired the assets of CabinetWorks from Suzo Happ, giving ECP its long-awaited Las Vegas-area facility.
“It adds capacity to grow our business from our other locations,” Irving said. “It’s a lot more convenient location for our customers; we’ll be able to interact with them much more quickly and much more easily, and, of course, it saves on shipping costs.” The new Henderson, Nev., location should be up and running by the end of January 2011.
Irving said that wasn’t the only expansion we can expect from Elite Casino Products. The company has just started a partnership with Interbrand Gaming to exclusively distribute ECP cabinets internationally. The company is also planning to expand its sales team.
All in all, it looks like 2011 will be an exciting year for Elite Casino Products. TH
Elo TouchSystems
Elo TouchSystems had some great products at their G2E showcase, and some really exciting initiatives to look for in the coming year. Murtaza Amiji, director of business development for Elo TouchSystems, shared with us some of those things.
“We have some new products this year that we’re bringing to the market,” Amiji said. “We’re also looking at not just products that are designed into cabinets, but products that go on a casino floor. We’re expanding in that area as well.”
Amiji explained that they were showing some products that aren’t “new,” but in gaming they are. First is a touch computer series, the Elo B-Series. These computers are industrial-grade, and have three different configurations and easily swappable motherboards and components. “We have our touch monitor like that employed in casinos in Macau, so we see tremendous opportunity for this new line of product that is replacing the old one in casinos in Vegas as well as elsewhere in the U.S.,” Amiji explained. He said they are primarily used for table management, and in Macau, every table at some casinos will have one of these touch monitors attached to them. But, he said, they can also be used for managing slot machines. They’re deployed at a central location where an operator can configure them. They can also be used by the back-of-house to monitor equipment.
The other exciting product Elo had were large-screen touch monitors. These are available in 32, 42 and 46 inches and are primarily meant for interactive digital signage. “On the casino floors, we see them in a variety of applications, one of which is wayfinding,” Amiji said. “There are all sorts of interactive and personalized services that a product like that enables for casinos. We’ve seen tremendous excitement, not just here but in other markets as well.”
Amiji said that the company’s biggest announcement this year is its acquisition of a French company, Sensitive Object. As a leader in touch technologies, Elo has invented and has patents around several of those technologies now. “We are looking to expand our investment in that area, and that was a testament toward that,” Amiji noted. “SO brings a lot of IP to us and some very exciting new technologies that dramatically improve the way humans interact with computers. You will see that in future products.”
He also shared what Elo is looking at in the coming year, and just hearing about it made me excited. He said they will be really leveraging the technologies from the acquisition as well as some of the other new products they’re working on. “We’re investing in technologies that will be a game-changer for the way humans interact with systems,” he said. “You will see several new technologies coming out from us in the next year. We are also looking at how we can offer products that are more green, more eco-friendly, that have lower power and space footprints.” Also on the drawing boards is how they can create better aesthetics and ergonomics. And the last thing we heard about was how Elo can “offer lower TCO by partnering with the right companies to create a solutions that meets the end-customers’ needs,” Amiji shared. “We’re looking at some industry trends like cloud computing and server-based gaming and how we can offer products that fit into that. Combine all that and you can see the kind of investment we’re making in gaming—which is big.”
No doubt, this is one company to watch in 2011. AH
FutureLogic
G2E was an extremely busy time for FutureLogic this year—so busy, in fact, that between meetings and speaking with current and potential customers, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Nick Micalizzi was impossible to nail down. So after the craziness of the show died down—though it was definitely the good kind of craziness—Micalizzi shared with CEM some of his thoughts on how the week went.
“This year’s show was a strong indicator of the vitality of the gaming industry. In discussions with our OEM and casino customers, we saw a great deal of interest in promotional couponing with the live demo of our patent-pending PromoNet couponing solution. The real-time, hand-on demo showcased the ease of use, flexibility and cost-effectiveness of the PromoNet solution on gaming machines from Aristocrat Technologies Inc., IGT, WMS Gaming, ATRONIC and SPIELO, Bally Technologies, Konami Gaming Inc. and Novomatic.
The introduction of our new GEN3 Evolution TITO printer was also a bit hit with attendees. This is the first and only gaming printer with integrated and separate processing environments for TITO and promotional couponing. It’s designed to keep pace with current and future demands of promotional couponing, server-based gaming and the continually evolving TITO market. The GEN3 Evolution TITO printer offers features and benefits that are far superior to any other gaming printer available today. Both of these industry-changing products created tremendous interest and excitement with those attendees that visited the FutureLogic booth at G2E.” TH
Global Payments
On Wednesday, we found Global Payments President Jeffrey Sloan and Senior Vice President of Gaming and Check Services Dean DeCristoforo in good spirits at their booth. DeCristoforo said the group had seen “lots of traffic.” The booth was showcasing a spectrum of products including upgraded software, such as tying facial recognition features to its VIP preferred card, reducing fraud by giving cashiers on-file pictures to compare to in-person card users.
Global Payments was also highlighting its new “Choice 4” system. DeCristoforo explained that this service marked Global Payments’ venture into the business of backing lower end credit play, eliminating both a casino’s need to run background checks and its liability. Enrollment in the program, start to finish, requires less than a minute. Sloan also noted that Global Payments would be making big push in South America, including a 2011 expansion in Brazil. AS
JCM Global
JCM Global showed off its anticipated iVIZION™ bill validator this year at G2E. The product is going through regulatory approval right now and is expected to be out in the market in January. Paul Pechinko, manager of business development, says the process is going great.
JCM started developing iVIZION three years ago and has worked with people who use validators at casinos to understand what they need and put it in the new product. The iVIZION validator has the same footprint as existing equipment and is made to fit in different manufacturers’ machines. Pechinko says, “When it comes to the casino operator, they’re able to take any of these pieces and interchange them, so they don’t have to worry about, ‘Oh this product was in an Aristocrat machine or this was in IGT,’ it doesn’t matter; it’s the same product either way.”
Pechinko showed us how iVIZION can easily be broken down into three pieces. The first is the sensing module that provides for full image scanning on the front and back. “We have the highest resolution out there and it allows us to have higher acceptance and higher security.”
Second, on the inside is the transport module with CPU boards. Last, on the bottom, is the cash box, which has RFID technology and is more durable than before.
JCM says iVIZION is future proof. It has the new bezel, the Sentry 2.0™ and more. “We can communicate to a card reader, we can communicate to multiple devices out of just one port, and we also have the same port on the back, so as the game changes the bill validator itself doesn’t change, just the peripherals or attachments that come in it.” SKC
King Cabinet Solutions
Do you have a good name for King Cabinet’s new slant-top box? Because despite the just-unveiled unit’s popularity at the show, it is still without one. The squat cabinet sits low to the floor and, much wider than other units, features a scooped face that reminds us of a rolling wave. King Cabinet General Manager Mark Gilhuly said that this new (yet unnamed) cabinet was wildly popular at the show.
Gilhuly walked us around his booth, a spot with a beam in the middle that King Cabinet had ingeniously used to float a four-sided banner. King Cabinet saw excellent traffic during the show, including much from the large South America contingent. We also received a tour of the easy-as-pie UniVersa cabinet system. Demonstrating with just a few swift and simple hand motions, Gilhuly explained, “This plug-and-play system allows for quick maintenance and speedy, easy software upgrades. This speed means reduces downtime for units, and that’s key to running a successful floor.” AS
MEI
It was all smiles at the MEI booth when CEM stopped by for a visit. And part of the reason everyone was so happy was sitting on display behind a velvet rope—the one millionth CASHFLOW® SC unit. This recent milestone was certainly reason for celebration. MEI also had the unit outfitted in chrome, so it was definitely ready for the spotlight.
Senior Vice President of Americas Eric Fisher took some time to show us the MEI family of products, including, of course, the famed CASHFLOW SC and the newly introduced SC Advance. The SC Advance is still in the final stages of development—expected to be brought to market in early 2011—but was already receiving positive feedback at the show, due in part to the product line’s star reputation.
“At MEI, what we concentrate are the core competencies of the bill acceptor, which are speed, acceptance, reliability, jam rate and overall cost of ownership for the casinos,” Fisher said. “And we’re very excited about how CASHFLOW has performed in the past, and we continue to make more advancements as we move forward with our next generation.”
The new generation has been future proofed to be able to stand up to any new software or bill updates that may come along. The SC Advance has also added a seventh wavelength of verification—transmissive imaging—that looks right through the bill for the ultimate in security. And any casinos that are looking to upgrade won’t have to worry about a complicated install. The SC Advance has the same footprint as its predecessor.
MEI’s market share is continuing to grow, in the U.S. as well as in new markets in Europe, like Italy and Greece. Fisher said, “Every new casino in North America that’s opened up in the last two years has opened up with MEI.”
And that’s the kind of track record we like to see. TH
MicroGaming Technologies
Travis Carrico, vice president of marketing at MicroGaming Technologies, or MGT, showed us how they can turn a kiosk into an employee. No, not literally, but in function.
He explains that MGT is a stamp-on product to the player tracking system from any manufacturer. “We enhance the marketing modules to allow you to automate your promotions and turn a kiosk into an employee,” he says. “When the swipe happens, MGT instantly goes out to your player tracking system, looks the player up and populates information you want the player to see about their account, and also populates promotions that you have running in the casino.”
As casino guests play their promotions and win prizes, it will post to their player tracking account in real time. Prizes can include electronic drawing entries, electronic drawing entry multipliers, points, point multipliers, free slot play and vouchers.
Players can also see information about their account to find out what their points earned and what tier status they’re in. The kiosk can also do self-redemptions, Carrico tells us. The newest promotional feature to this is the sports challenge. With this, players can participate in parlay card-style football promotions. They just pick who they think will be the winners, what the score will be, and they then receive a receipt. When they come back to the casino, the software will inform them if they have won anything.
Carrico shares that MGT not only does kiosks, but also electronic drawings, eliminating the need for paper tickets and that old-fashioned barrel.
MGT’s promotional kiosk is already deployed in more than 70 casinos, and is available now. AH
Money Controls
Money Controls Group Application Manager David John is excited about the company’s new partnership with Crane Co. John said, “There is very little overlap in what we both do, and that will provide a stronger group by broadening the overall product offering platform. It will also be great for customer relations.” Speaking of products, Money Controls was using its G2E show to highlight a whole age of cutting-edge equipment in its booth.
Primary amongst the machines was Ardac Elite, a field-proven state-of-the-art imaging bill validator. Unlike traditional bill validators, the Ardac Elite captures a high-res image of the whole bill. Furthermore, Ardac Elite’s “last note” function features a USB port that, through a simple PDA plug in, can display the last note inserted, immediately resolving player disputes. The four-way barcode reader allows customers to insert coded tickets in any orientation they please. John pointed out that, even in a down economy, groups such as Money Controls that offer increased efficiency and money saving systems have been able to grow. He added, “Year over year growth for us has been outstanding, and we see every reason to believe it will continue to be.” AS
TransAct 
Just from looking at TransAct’s booth, you could tell that the company was excited about the launch of its newest product, Epicentral. The groundbreaking new software solution was on display right in the center of the booth whose circular, clean design it helped inspire.
But what makes it so special? Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Tracey Chernay explained that Epicentral “allows casino operators to create promotional coupons and marketing messages, and to deliver those messages in real time at the slot machine to the player.”
The process starts with the first of Epicentral’s four modules—coupon creation in the Coupon Layout Generator. Here, operators can create any coupons they want, and upload them to the Server Manager, where the coupons are stored. “We want the operators to be able to create as many coupons as they can think of, to be able to incent their players to play longer, to come back to their casinos, and also to utilize all the facilities within their casino properties to do cross marketing,” Chernay said.
A large base of uploaded coupons creates a great opportunity for the appropriate casino staff to use the coupons for player rewards. These rewards can be given either through the system to the player at the slot machine or with a mobile device like an iPad™. Hosts can use the mobile devices to interact directly with players at the slot machine, and award them with any coupons available in the Server Manager.
“The casino operators have really been extremely excited about this product, and they can see all of the ways they could use it,” Chernay said. “Now, instead of mailing, [the operators] can deliver a coupon directly to the player while they’re at the property. Similarly, the slot operators are really excited. Because if they’ve made the investment in the Epic 950 printer, which is the printing part of the solution, it’s a simple upgrade to the Epic 950 to be able to implement this in a casino.”
During the show, TransAct also announced that the company was awarding its Distributor Partner of the Year to Eurocoin. TH
Cash & Ticket Handling
Automated Gaming Technologies
There was a lot going on at Automated Gaming Technologies’ (AGT) booth at G2E. There were exciting and high-tech products, as well as executives full of announcements.
I met with John Prather, executive vice president, who gave me lots of information on the company. First of all, AGT focuses on “cash management and bringing technologies together that enable the ability of gaming, amusement and hospitality to handle those cash management needs and reduce the amount of cost factors targeting reduction of “cash on hand” from an automation standpoint.” He told me about several key relationships AGT has with manufacturers across the world, including Tidel, De La Rue and Talaris.
One exciting new announcement Prather shared at the show was that AGT will be providing a wireless cashless ATM system from its strategic partner, ACS (Automated Cash Systems), “where you can print a slot ticket from anywhere, to any slot system available to get your slot token or cash equivalent as a patron to play a game or do any activity at the casino. That’s going to be very cutting-edge.”
Another new announcement is AGT’s partnership with Hoyos Corp. Under the agreement, AGT will integrate Hoyos’ iris recognition technology into their cash management equipment. The iris-based identity solution will deliver unparalleled security for casinos. “We’re looking to advance ourselves in security as well,” Prather stated. “These sensitive areas we deal with—security and surveillance, count room, cage, slots, back-end—have security capabilities with iris scanning.”
I got to see this iris-scanning technology in place, and believe me, it’s cool. One second you’re looking into a mirror on a machine, and by the time you look up, your eyeball is on a screen above you. But that’s just registering with the system—imagine it in place on the job!
The big product push for AGT was the Revolution, an employee banking system for casinos. “[The Revolution] manages all the venues in a casino—your entertainment venues, front desk, gift shops; anything that needs a bank to do activity goes through the Revolution,” Prather explained. “We access the biometrics (i.e., palm scanners) to make sure it’s the correct employee and dispense the pre-defined bank.”
After dispensing the correct amount of money right into a cash drawer, the employee is free to go to work. At the end of the day, they once again log-in, and the system will process the deposited revenue and remaining bank funds for reconciliation of the employee and be set for redistribution to the next shift of employees. “What would usually take employees in the cage, or a whole area of the casino allocated to employees, we completely reduce or reallocate those requirements to the automation from a manual process,” Prather said. “It’s a very easy and fast process and it eliminates that employee-to-employee transaction.”
The system is so great because of its ease of use, accuracy, reconciliation and ability to track transactions back to one user.
Like I said, cool, right?! AH
Cummins Allison
This year’s G2E was the perfect stage to present the newest product from Cummins Allison, a 10-year exhibitor. In the past cash imaging technology was limited to machines with either a large footprint, slow speeds or both. Vice President of Product Management Curtis Hallowell is confident that Cummins Allison has come up with a solution to that problem in the form of the JetScan IFX.
This product, an update of previous JetScan models, was built in house from the ground up. It utilizes new sensor technology that can scan an entire bill at the impressive speed of 1,000 notes per minute, with a very small footprint. Then, the corresponding software captures an image of each bill’s serial number as they go through machines on the floor and more, allowing casinos to track their money in a very specific way. “When that money is accumulated at the end of the day, and they process their slot machines, count down the cashier drawers, they can start getting and identifying patterns of how currency moves through the system,” Hallowell explained.
There is even the ability to track actions by player tracking numbers, to specifically see how that player uses money at the property. This could produce a gold mine of data for casinos, and Cummins Allison is excited to be a part of it. TH
Global Cash Access
Coming off a rough year that saw it weather regulatory issues in Arizona and lose its contract with Caesars Entertainment, provider Global Cash Access bounced back at G2E with three new products. Casino Share Intelligence (the other ‘CSI’ in Vegas) “derives robust algorithms that deliver trended shared reports” over a year-long period, per official GCA literature. As CEO Scott Betts explains it, CSI is a web-based surrogate that predicts what each department’s share of a customer’s wallet and loyalty will be—data that can be “sliced and diced” by ZIP code, demographics, degree of affluence, etc. “It’s very powerful because there isn’t a Nielsen [rating] equivalent for this industry and nobody has a database quite like ours.” Look for a mid-2011 release.
GCA’s second new “product” is the entire line of kiosks, pouches and reporting/monitoring systems made by Western Money Systems, which was acquired by GCA earlier this year. This will enable closer integration of the hardware and software sides of GCA’s operation, as well as ticket redemption with cash-access reporting. With the help of components from companies like Nanoptix (printers) and JCM (validators), GCA is now able to function as a single-source vendor for one’s dispensation and redemption needs. In turn, this should mean a speedier rollout of QuickTicket, GCA’s brightest hope. If you can’t integrate an ATM into a slot machine, QuickTicket takes you one large step closer. Instead of simply getting cash when the customer enters his personal identification number, he can withdraw the money in the form of bar-coded gaming tickets (redeemable for cash as well as for casino play), thanks to dual internal computers that alternate banking and casino functions. This cuts down on cash-for-ticket transactions on the casino floor, enabling gaming operators to save money in that area by reducing the amount of cash handling—and personnel—required on the floor.
A related GCA concept is already in place at Wynn Las Vegas and Encore involving the “recycling” of cash. Not knowing how much money is in the ATMs and the slot hoppers means a lot of trips to the bank to either drop off or pick up cash, racking up transaction fees in doing so, Betts explains. “Right now, there’s maybe $100,000 in one of those devices. They’re also taking a lot of money at the booth.” Using GCA technology, casinos could track the cash cassettes as they are loaded into machines on the floor and as they are gradually depleted.
GCA isn’t just preaching cost efficiency these days; it’s practicing it, too. “Where we can, we’re going to rightsize the company,” Betts says. “The downturn in the segment eclipses even Harrah’s” defection from the GCA fold. But it doesn’t mean the company is going to scale back its quest for innovation. Promises its CEO, “We’re continuing to still fully fund our development.” DM
Glory (U.S.A.) Inc.
At the Glory booth, we sat down with President Hideo Onoe, Senior Vice President Richard Friese and Gaming Group General Manager Thomas Bartelt to talk about budgets, South American booms and optimism. Surrounded by Glory’s robust line of kiosks, counters and currency dispensers, Bartelt said that the group “can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.” He explained that Glory was excited to offer new integrated software for cash processing systems and slot accounting and administrative web services with universal interfaces specific for gaming to an even greater number of customers. The greater efficiencies offered by these services present Glory as a true solutions provider to the gaming industry.
Friese noted that all of the South America traffic at the show had shown great interest in the Glory booth. Bartelt noted that “casino budgets remain tight and everyone is scrapping for money.” But he added, “Our service reputation is second to none, and that’s what people know us for. Service, together with great products, keeps us at the top of our game.” AS
Slot-Tickets
The faces behind Slot Tickets were happy to be back at G2E this year, their loyal 10-year exhibitor sign displayed prominently in the booth. And who could miss the company’s trademark orangutan? Slot Tickets’ focus at the show was to make sure that their many current and future customers knew: “Don’t monkey around with anyone else.”
Tom Mitchell, managing director of operations, took some time out of his busy meet and greet schedule to tell CEM what makes his company so special. “I believe our initial innovation and improvements make it the world’s best ticket. We thrive on being zero defect, which yields the lowest cost performance of any product out there.”
The tickets also possess first-level security features like special inks and UV security. Though some of this technology is still mostly in the off-shore markets, the measures are a valuable way to get definitive authenticity on printed tickets, something Mitchell referred to as “go/no-go.”This is especially important for the company’s international customers. “If they have a slot machine and use a ticket, we’re there,” Mitchell stated.
As the original innovator of the ticket, Mitchell realizes the importance of always looking toward the future of the product. “We’re trying to find new ways to invigorate the market with the ticket as a promotional item, which everyone’s talking about,” he said. “We have some new and exciting ways to make that happen.”
Unfortunately, due to partner company agreements, Mitchell couldn’t tell us about some new products. But he focused on some of the show’s most positive aspects, saying that it is always a very important opportunity to connect with the attendees, whether they be current or future customers. TH
Talaris
For U.K.-based Talaris, the big push at G2E was its product MultiMech™. Chris Halewood, sales manager for the Americas, told us all about it. “It’s a small form factor banknote dispenser, dispensing two denominations,” he said. “People increasingly want to reduce the footprint of redemption and payout terminals, so this complements our existing range.”
He said Talaris’ existing range tends to have a larger capacity of banknotes, but MultiMech has a smaller capacity and smaller footprint. One of its key elements is that it’s compatible with the company’s other dispensers. It’s a unique product in terms of its size and its performance. But, according to Halewood, the key differentiator is the range of banknotes it will operate on. “Not just the dollar and not just the euro, but also the condition of the banknotes,” he noted. MultiMech will accept both “street-grade” banknotes and those fresh off the press.
Halewood also shared that, “One of our key objectives of coming to the show is to meet new manufacturers who are looking for this type of technology.” And as far as initiatives in the next year, the goal is “growth.” He said the company is looking to expand into new markets like Russia and India, two markets that are in the top for ATM growth. AH
Table Games
CMI Gaming
CMI Gaming’s booth was one of the first through the door, and Vice President Neal Katz said the booth was indeed benefitting from the placement. Katz took us through CMI’s poker room management solution, PokerTable IQ, a customizable program allowing poker room admins to manage all aspects and details of a room, including tournament play and waiting lists. The solution is also tied into the dealer interface, creating an all-informed loop for player status. Poker room supervisors benefit from the program’s ability to monitor table openings and player departures as well as dealer performance. As the system stores all information in a database, managers can analyze and optimize their room performance. Meanwhile, marketing teams can use the system data to reach out to different players based on session histories. Katz also pointed out that CMI’s G2E showcase included the group’s established and popular Workforce IQ management solution. AS
DEQ
DEQ brought a large variety of products to G2E this year, including wireless tables, wide area and progressive jackpots, new game titles and new technology. They also brought along a pretty bad beat—the Bad Beat Blackjack® Progressive, that is.
Their newest side bet, Bad Beat was developed with the help of well-known gaming consultant Max Rubin. Earle Hall, president and CEO of DEQ, explained the concept behind this new take on blackjack: “[We built] the product to try and address one of the inherent faults of blackjack, and that was the issue with insurance.” Many players don’t pay insurance, but experience that pang of regret when they lose to the dealer 21 to 20. “We decided to take something that’s bad and turn it into something that’s good,” Hall said. “And that’s why it’s called Bad Beat.”
Bad Beat officially debuted at G2E, but has been live in test phase at Barona Resort & Casino for a couple months, doing very well, according to Hall. DEQ looked at a lot of customer feedback in places like gaming chatrooms to assist in Bad Beat’s end stages of development. The title’s second deployment was to Northern California right after the show, with plans to expand to the rest of the U.S. soon.
Another star at DEQ’s booth was their EZ Baccarat™, which “has become the new standard in baccarat in the United States in only a year and a half,” Hall said. “EZ Baccarat, very simply put, takes the commission out of baccarat. And what it does is take out all the mistakes, speeds up the game and turns it into a really more powerful game for the player. On top of that, we’ve just released today another new product called EZ TRAK™, the Dragon 7™ edition. We’ve taken a traditional tracking system for baccarat, and we’ve turned it into a tracking system that actually helps the player try to predict when the Dragon 7 is going to come up.”
Looking at all DEQ had to offer at this year’s G2E, though some of it was “Bad,” it all seems pretty good to me. TH
DigiDeal
Though DigiDeal’s booth may have been tucked into a back wall at G2E, they certainly made up for that with an eye-catching presentation. Designed to look like a real party pit, there were games, a bar, beautiful dealers, upbeat music and even dancers—just like the real thing, but on a show floor under a canopied tent.
Dave Krise, senior vice president of product development, took us around the lively booth to show us the company’s table game offerings. DigiDeal’s Classic Blackjack game, the DTS-V—one of its most popular—is just like the traditional game of blackjack, but virtual. The cards and chips are both virtual, and it offers multiple side bets. This game can play up to 800 hands per hour, where with a felt table you’re looking at maybe 350 with a shuffler and good dealer.
“We have live hosts at our table,” Krise explains. “We were one of the first ones to introduce a hosted electronic table more than 10 years ago to the industry.” How it works is this: A player would just hand his or her existing ticket or cash to the dealer, who would put that in the bill validator, and it would be transferred into virtual chips and credits, and the bet desired just needs to be selected on the table. The dealer is there to direct the player, answer questions and help control the game, maintaining a social aspect for the player that wants that but still enjoys virtual table games.
“One of the key features to our tables is how it eliminates the intimidation that has been with table games in the past,” Krise said. “Some may say ‘I don’t do table games because I don’t know how to play, and I don’t want to be embarrassed when the dealer says they’re waiting for me. Our tables totally eliminate that. It even gives them basic strategy. It’s very simple and fast.”
We also got to see the DTS-X Classic Blackjack table. This game is like the virtual version, but there is no dealer. Instead, there’s a screen in the middle of the table and at all player stations that shows the dealer’s hand. “This one is for those markets where they can’t have any type of traditional table game and they want a stand-alone game in the casino,” Krise said. This one also features eight player stations rather than six, and has a bill validator and ticket printer at each.
Krise added: “All of our games that are available on our traditional electronic tables are also available on this platform. We have Texas Hold’em as well as Classic Blackjack, Classic Baccarat, we’re going to have a For the Money craps-type game, and eventually even a live roulette wheel in the center. This meets a whole new market.” AH
Gaming Partners International
The booth at Gaming Partners International was always busy, a sure sign they’ve got some great products worthy of all the chatter. Justin Woodard, vice president of global sales, told us about some of their most exciting products on display.
First, their soon-to-be-released dual-level RFID-enabled chip tray. Woodard explained that this chip tray is especially useful in Asian markets like Macau or Singapore. “Because baccarat is very popular there, you’ve got more chips in the game, more bet spots on the table, so it’s important your chip tray is able to accommodate more chips,” he said. “We do have customers in the U.S., though, that have asked for a product like this, so we think we’ll get traction in the U.S. once this chip tray is available.”
One of the interesting things about this product, Woodard said, is the sensors built into the lid. “Because the tray holds an awful lot of casino currency, it’s valuable for the operator to know when the tray is on and when it’s removed,” he noted. An LCD display on the table reveals how much is in the tray. And a second level to the tray maximizes space able to store chips and minimizes the number of credits and fills having to be made throughout the day. Additionally, an antennae on the table also authenticates chips before they even go into the tray to reduce on unwanted counterfeits being introduced into the game and the casino.
GPI had a similar product for roulette games that had all the same great features, but for a roulette bank.
On a blackjack table, we got to see bet recognition technology in place amidst many other game technologies, and no interference! This table had a chip tray, a JCM bill validator, a computer monitor, and an air-rail system. Even with all these electronic devices, RFID chips were read easily, leading to increased reliability and efficiency.
Then, GPI’s portable chip authenticator is sure to be the perfect solution for many mid-size or smaller operators. Especially if you don’t have the budget to deploy RFID on all your tables, this is the product for you. And it’s as easy as simply placing chips on the device, where it will read, total and authenticate them. Woodard told us that this product was actually developed for GPI’s customers in the Macau market, where many have anywhere from 300 to 500 tables per casino. “They’ve got so many tables that it would be very expensive to create RFID solutions across every table, so with this they can authenticate chips on a random basis,” he explained.
Woodard also added that: “We feel there is a strong deterrent effect with deploying technology like this. If you’re at a casino and you’re passing counterfeit chips, you might think twice if you know a casino could bring something like this out at the table at any given time. I think this will be very successful in Asia, but I also see a place for it in the U.S.” Just another example of how GPI is working hard for you. AH
Interblock
The Interblock booth was hard to miss at this year’s G2E, not only due to its graphic red and black design, but also its eye-catching table games products—not to mention large floor space. Tim Richards, vice president of product management, told us about the company’s focus on multi-gaming and unique, flexible options for its customers.
The Organic Island was the standout product this year, as a multi-game terminal that allows properties to customize their ideal table games pit. The Organic series of games includes all the favorites—roulette, blackjack, baccarat, Sic Bo and craps—with an electro-mechanical focus.
“We can be very flexible, in not only the layout and the design and the colors, and offer something that is very unique,” Richards stated. “We want to have the same sort of elegance and allure that table games have had in the past, but bring that to the machines.”
Interblock’s hybrid games can fill the need for properties that may not have some live table games available, using a combination of video screens and live elements like real dice in the craps game. Richards was excited to share that the company is focusing on expansion in the U.S. market, with all its current games either already approved, or on the track for GLI approval by the end of the year. TH
Shuffle Master
Shuffle Master showcased electronic gaming machines, its latest i-Table Roulette and five proprietary table games at G2E. Roger Snow, executive vice president at Shuffle Master, says the popularity of specialty table games has really accelerated in the past few years. “These games, called proprietary table games make up now 15 to 20 percent of the table games marketplace. Go back 10 years it’s half that; 10 years before it was less than half that. It’s a real up-and-coming part of the industry.”
Snow currently has 15 different games that he created being played all over the world. He’s hoping to add another to that list with the release of Rabbit Hunter.
Snow taught us how to play the game. Players and the dealer each start with a five-card poker hand. Players compete against the dealer in this game. After looking at the cards, players have the chance to buy their additional card and play with all six to beat the dealer. The game is at two casinos in California now and heading to Vegas.
Snow says learning new specialty games is kind of an evolutionary process for players. Players often start with some of the original specialty games and learn a little more for each new game. He explains, “Whether you’re selling the game to the casino, or the casino is selling the game to players, it’s nice to have a little nugget that explains quickly.” For example, he says, Rabbit Hunter is essentially Caribbean Stud poker, but you can buy one more card.
Snow admits that most of these games don’t make it. However, he says, “We have very high hopes and expectations for Rabbit Hunter. We think it’s going to be a mainstream game pretty soon, but it’s not easy. The betting public is very discriminating on what kinds of games it likes to gamble on, so we hope Rabbit Hunter will still be alive and kicking next year.” SKC
TCSJOHNHUXLEY
For the second consecutive year, table games and equipment company TCSJOHNHUXLEY hosted an outstanding off-site event during G2E. Held again at the Ghostbar at The Palms, Access All Areas was a gathering of VIPs, with TCSJOHNHUXLEY executives mingling with operators, beautiful models demonstrating exciting new games, and fun extras, such as a European candy store, signature cocktails, massages—and of course a fantastic view.
The company said they saw an unprecedented number of visitors, and every moment that CEM was there, we have no doubt it’s true. The experience began with the VIP valet girls who helped whisk G2E attendees back and forth from the convention center to The Palms in limousines.
Once there, it was all about the games. At the entrance, Double Action™ Roulette greeted visitors, with a scene of fireworks emblazoned on the front panel. This game delivers two winning numbers from just one spin, made possible by its two rings on the wheel. The table layout has two identical betting areas, each for one of the two sets of numbers. Double Action Roulette is available in single or double zero configuration, and maintains a strong house edge.
The game that really got our attention was the TouchTable MultiPLAY™, which unlike any other touch screen system currently available today, is able to identify individual players and specific bets with its Touch ID. The Craps version was on display incorporating the live Automatic Dice Recognition system. To play, each player touches the virtual dice on the touchscreen, and with the fling of a hand, the dice fly across the table. To make bets, they simply touch their player button and select their wager on the screen.
MultiPLAY is now available in two configurations, Quad HD Live and HD Auto. In the former, operators can choose between roulette, Sic Bo or craps—it’s as easy as the flip of a switch. Quad HD Live offers unrivalled display technology by utilizing a true life-like 56-inch HD screen, and it boasts a stunning 3840 x 2160-pixel resolution. HD Auto offers a lucrative live-hybrid roulette platform that requires no dealer or inspection. It features TITO, with individual bill acceptors and ticket printers per player position and a fully cashless option featuring smart key technology. All chip handling, calculation of winnings and payout functions are fully automated by the system.
Outside on the balcony, another new game was out for display, 3 Dice Football™, which combines the excitement and companionship of craps with the sport of football. 3 Dice Football is simple to introduce to any pit. It is played with three standard dice and incorporates a layout that fits on any standard craps table. The objective of the game is to score a touchdown, and the game begins on the offensive 20-yard line. There are three downs, and in each the dice roll has four outcomes—yards gained, penalty, trips TD or turnover. It’s a fun game and is a great alternative for the player that might be intimidated by other craps games.
The response to TCSJOHNHUXLEY’s event was overwhelming. Tracy Cohen, marketing manager, commented: “Our pre-show marketing campaign proved extremely effective with visitor registrations to our website significantly higher than last year. ... By the end of the first day, we had almost as many attendees as the 2009 event, with final visitors numbers doubled.”
Roger Hawkins, CEO for the America, added: “This year’s event has been an unmitigated success for us. Not only have we doubled the numbers—we have maintained high quality visitors who have enjoyed our hospitality and been able to spend time with our team, really seeing our product offering.”
As to whether the event would continue in 2011, Hawkins said, “We always listen to our customers and right now the response to continue is almost deafening!” AH
Furnishings
Classico Seating
CEM first found Classico Seating’s Chairman and CEO Hank Richardson chatting with a group of attendees seated behind a Serengeti-looking collection of new product designs. The four new chairs, dressed in faux zebra hide, popped out amongst the other products. Richardson explained that these “beasts” were Classico’s new Lazer series targeting high limit and sports book rooms. The fully-upholstered series would also be a good match for a lounge area and is customizable for pedestal or poster bases. Additionally, the Lazer series took on the sharp look of a hardwood finish. But as Richardson explained as he demonstrated the chair’s flexible back, “We want to maintain the durability while still giving out customers the option of the wood look.” Richardson said Classico continues to be a popular choice for those looking for more than “task seating.” “Our lifetime structural guarantee combined with our product comfort and price point continue to drive our reputation and popularity,” Richardson said. AS
Gary Platt Manufacturing
On the G2E show floor, there was a lot of Gary Platt around. We saw chairs with the signature logo embroidered on their backs at just about every booth there was. Gary Platt, the company, had a booth there, but with all the promotion at their customers’ booths, they probably didn’t really need one.
But Bob Yabroff, president, did tell CEM about what the company was showcasing this year. “This year we’re really bringing out some more designer chairs,” he explained. “We did a few last year and we had good reception from the industry. Plus, we think it will be going more into the high-limit areas. We’re excited, with about three or four new chairs coming out. The reaction was good last year, so we’ve gone a little farther in that area.”
Chairs aside, there was more big news coming from Gary Platt. The company’s namesake and current chairman, Gary Platt himself, has just announced his retirement. Yabroff explained: “This is sort of a special show for us. [Gary and I have] been together for about five years and he’s announced his retirement this year. I’m not sure I’m going to let him retire completely, but in the next 30 to 60 days he’s going to taper off a little bit. He’s been a pioneer in the industry. He just became a grandfather for the first time, so he’s got a grandchild named Lily. I know we should be talking about chairs, but this is a Gary day.”
A Gary day it was. Platt shared with us his plans going into retirement, with his top duty becoming chief babysitter. He says his granddaughter’s first word will probably be “grandpa,” but Yabroff thinks it should be “chairs.”
Platt said you can still expect to see him around—he plans on being at the next G2E, though as a visitor. With a total of 54 years in the furniture business, Platt will surely be missed. “It’ll be a tearful goodbye, but it’ll be fun,” he said.
Best of luck to you, Gary Platt, from all of us. AH
Gasser Chair
Under the big, eye-catching Gasser Chair sign on the show floor, Mark Gasser, president, showed CEM several of its newest and most exciting models on display.
First up was their new base for slot seating—the glider base—that slides much easier on the casino floors than a typical disc base. “One of the problems with most disc bases is that the minute a patron goes to push it in or pull it back from the slot, it tips and the edge digs in to the carpet,” Gasser explained. “What we’ve done here with a redesigned base is made it glide much more effortlessly on the casino floor. We’ve had a lot of good response on that so far.”
We also got to see the Park Avenue series of chairs that were designed in conjunction with one of Gasser’s customers’ design teams. It incorporates a plush, deep cushion seat and has an ergonomic form to fit the players’ bodies. It also has a flexible backrest, allowing players to lean back, and the design element of an opening in the back. “It gives it a sense of modern styling,” Gasser said. It has an all-aluminum base, meaning no corrosion, and it’s lightweight and available in several different sizes.
Gasser Chair also showcased a compact stool only 16 inches wide. “There’s still many casinos that just don’t have ample floor space to put 18- and 20-inch wide stools at slot machines,” Gasser said, “so this has a very well contoured seat and a return swivel so that it always returns back to the home position and the casino stays neat and organized.”
Last, but certainly not least, was the Bravo collection—a chair that I immediately fell in love with. These chairs have a very modern, contemporary styling and a V-shaped back and round seats. Gasser explained some of them include a very stylish backrest support and are very functional—easy to move and easy to maintain. And who doesn’t like being green? These feature aluminum bases that are powder-coated with an environmentally-friendly coating. AH
MLP Seating
Always a pleasant host, MLP Seating’s Steve Odden said that the day for our visit had been “a very good day” for traffic at his booth. In addition, Odden said that the last four months of 2010 were also proving to be “very good” for the group and that he was nothing but optimistic for next year. Odden said that MLP’s success had come “because we offer exceptionally high quality at a competitive price and, in the end, the best value for our customers’ dollar.” Odden showed us some new MLP products, including a Stand and Play seat with an attachable flat foot plate, which added little weight or footprint to the chair while at the same time giving the flat foot rest players prefer. Odden also showed us the updated version of the mesh-back chair we had taken note of at NIGA. Odden brought us up to date on some of MLP’s partners, noting that the group remained committed to working with Native-owned distributors in Indian country. AS
Security & Surveillance
Key Tracer
Key Tracer Systems, celebrating its eighth year at G2E, was excited to let CEM know about some of its aggressive goals for 2011, one being the doubling of its 2010 sales. And despite the grandiose nature of that goal, CEO Mike French was confident the company would make it, due to the quality of its product.
“We’re the only company that actually takes a standard key management box and incorporates RFID, to not only tell you who took the key and when they brought it back, but if they didn’t bring it back, we tell you real-time before it leaves the facility,” French explained.
Key Tracer’s RFID key fobs are virtually maintenance free, ensuring that the system won’t fail to recognize a returned key due to dirt or excess moisture. The company can also provide readers to be installed at employee entrances or any other door in the casino. The reader sends out a “Star Trek-like force field” that recognizes any nearby key and sends the information in real time via web-based software.
The key management systems have already been installed in about 30 casinos nationwide, including SugarHouse and Indiana Live, and in Canada. TH
Morse Watchmans
Morse Watchmans once again held a prime location on the show floor this year, just inside one of the main entrances. And that corner booth put the company in a great position to showcase some of its key management systems—this year’s focus directed toward a product that isn’t necessarily new, but still an innovative approach to keeping a secure key system.
The KeyWatcher© integrated key control cabinet has been a trusted security product in the gaming industry for many years, and continues to be a go-to system for many casino properties. So Morse Watchmans doesn’t necessarily need to introduce itself to customers as much as simply remind them about the many secure and technologically advanced features it offers. This year, Joe Granitto, director of technology solutions, showed the CEM team an interesting identification add on for the base KeyWatcher system—the Schlage Hand Punch.
For those not familiar with the hand punch from the many locations where it is already installed, this machine scans more than the usual biometric indicator of a fingerprint, which is a feature that is also offered with a KeyWatcher cabinet. The hand punch scans the user’s entire hand, adding one more much-appreciated layer of security.
“We’re trying to offer new technical solutions to our customers,” Granitto explained. “Other systems require a card, which can be passed on to other people. The hand reader offers a lot of security.” The KeyWatcher system also records every instance of key removal or return, storing the information for future security reports, allowing customers to know who has their keys at all times. And having a secure key management gets you one important step closer to a secure property. TH
Synectics
CEM first introduced its readers to Synectics at G2E 2009 when we met up with them to discuss “dataveillance,” a new product initiative the company was launching to enable custom analysis of third party video and transactional data gathered from across casino operations.
A global leader in networked security solutions, Synectics’ turn-key digital recording systems are in more than 50 casinos across North America and Canada. The company developed its dataveillance solution last year in response to the growing demand by surveillance operators for investigative data mining tools that would expose theft, fraud and cheat scams that often get buried in the data.
While demonstrations of Synergy video management software and the dataveillance tools were the focus for Synectics this year at G2E, they also previewed a new Web Server and Mobile Viewer with integration to the Android Mobile OS. The Web Server and Mobile Viewer enable any stream from Synectics’ digital platform to be securely viewed and controlled off-site from PCs and Android-powered phones.
We caught up with Mia Girard, Synectics’ U.S. marketing director, and she updated us on the status of launching dataveillance at a live site. “We’ve had a great deal of interest from properties wanting the dataveillance tools,” Girard said. “As soon as we can complete integration of our video management system to the leading player tracking and slot management systems, we’ll move quickly to launch our first beta site.”
Girard further explained that part of the punch dataveillance packs for casinos is with gaming-specific third party systems, where the opportunity exists to flush out computer fraud and data driven cheat scams. With Bally and Aristocrat both on board to enable the unique systems integration required by gaming control, Synectics anticipates launching a live dataveillance site in the first half of 2011. Watch for more on this topic from CEM. AH
Architecture, Construction & Design
Airistar
For the record, President Roy Kibbe and Sales and Marketing guru Sean Burke confirmed that the secondhand smoke protester outside the G2E entrance was not part of a viral marketing campaign by Airistar. In fact, the makers of top-of-the-line air purification systems and advanced indoor air filters had not even seen her.
Kibbe and Burke said that business was good and that Airistar was having a “healthy” year. In addition to many of its standard products showing at G2E, the team broke out a new prototype table infuser for our inspection. Smaller and leaner, the vent created an even more desirable footprint while giving up none of its functionality. Kibbe said, “That little bit of footprint that this unit gives up is a really big deal when it comes to table use. Every square inch is valuable.”
Airistar’s new prototype should be ready soon, freeing up those square inches that operators and players want, yet costing dealers none of the fresh air they expect and deserve. AS
Friedmutter Group
From her booth’s position at one of the most high-traffic lanes of the G2E show floor, Vice President of Business Development Ellie Hirschfeld brought CEM up to speed on the latest news at Friedmutter Group. She explained that phased openings remain popular and that one hot concept in design (that many companies are aiming for) is “approachable comfort.” Within the industry, Friedmutter is seeing increased competition for projects due to the still-hesitant economic climate. However, Hirschfeld said that Friedmutter’s competitive advantage remains in its commitment to being “100 percent casinos.” Still coming for Friedmutter this year are a few new properties: Upper Fruitland in New Mexico and Twin Arrows in Arizona—and one other project you may have heard about, The Cosmopolitan, opening this month. AS
Hnedak Bobo Group
At G2E, Hnedak Bobo Group (HBG) architects showcased and promoted their recently completed Northern Quest Resort & Casino. The new 250-room hotel and casino expansion in Washington uniquely positions the Kalispel Tribe to elevate their market position and strategically attract customers from a more diverse economic and geographic base.
They also unveiled a hotel product they’ve developed to target the middle-market customer—DreamCatcher™ Hotels. This product is distinctive in the marketplace because its all-in cost is 40 percent less than the industry average and it is completely turn-key.
Greg Hnedak, FAIA, partner, told us that every market is different, and for HBG that means their approach to planning, development and design must be flexible and responsive to what each specific market tells them. “Higher-end casino resort destinations still have a real, viable place in many markets, as do mid-scale product offerings,” he said. “Especially today, it is not one-size-fits-all. Even the most well-heeled properties today are seeking differentiation of product in an effort to attract the right customer at the appropriate level of capital expenditure.”
This is why DreamCatcher is so important. It targets a market segment that in recent years has not experienced the same level of focused attention from a design and operational standpoint as the higher end of the market. “The strategic partnerships we’ve developed for DreamCatcher Hotels, with many of the hospitality industry’s leading branded product lines such as Kohler, GE, Simmons and Panasonic, are elevating the quality level that guests experience,” Hnedak said. “The delivery method is also making it easier for owners to develop casino hotels in our ‘new normal’ economy. It’s an exciting time for our firm—and for the gaming industry.” AH
LEO A DALY
What caught my eye at architecture firm LEO A DALY’s booth at G2E was a stunning display of one of their projects, the Iconic Tower in Nanning, China scheduled for completion in 2013. It was truly breathtaking—but you can read more about that in an upcoming CEM article.
What the company was talking about at G2E was another recent project. Francis Dumont, vice president and director of design at LEO A DALY, told us about the interesting design concept of “daylighting” in gaming environments. One of the company’s upcoming projects, the CanCan Resort in Mississippi, which is planned to open in the summer of 2012, has large expanses of windows overlooking the Biloxi backbay and outdoor fountains of the nearby retail complex. He said that the previous philosophy of keeping daylight out of gaming-related spaces to make the player unaware of time is a thing of the past. “We believe that creating an enjoyable environment, flooded with natural daylight and views, actually enhances the gaming experience.”
One of LEO A DALY’s goals in 2011 is to make gaming projects more in tune with nature, and one of the upcoming trends Dumont sees is more gaming environments employing windows and views so that they more closely resemble hotels in their embracing their natural environment.
Dumont also shared that they are committed to sustainability in design. The company’s view is that sustainability and profitability are synonymous. AH
Thalden•Boyd•Emery Architects
Thalden•Boyd•Emery Architects is No. 1. Well, we’ve known they’ve been great for a while, but now it has been confirmed. The Professional Services Management Journal (PSMJ) recently revealed through a survey that nationwide among all architects, Thalden•Boyd•Emery is No. 1 for client responsiveness. It’s something the firm is very excited about, and the whole team even wore buttons throughout the show that said “Ask me why we’re No. 1.”
Linda Roe, vice president of business development, responded: “We were thrilled and we were surprised. It caused us to stop and think about what we are doing right. We want to do more of that because we really do care about our clients and want to pay attention to what we’re doing with them that’s working. We are being very intentional about our award for client responsiveness in how we can continue and improve in the next year.”
In the coming year, Thalden•Boyd•Emery has numerous projects coming up. Chief Boyd, AIA, partner, explained that there are projects in Oklahoma, Michigan and Oregon, and they are tribal properties. “We’re all about getting the tribes further ahead and better off, and they’re on the way,” he said. “We’re excited about that.”
Barry Thalden, AIA, FASLA, partner, said all their upcoming work is especially important as people recover from the poor economy and try to look up. And with this firm’s recent recognition, it’s no doubt that things are looking up for them. AH
YESCO
YESCO’s status as a leader in the signage field was reflected at this year’s G2E in the towering height of the company’s booth, its rotating red logo looking out over the rest of the Technology Pavillion. But booth design wasn’t the only area where the company chose to think “big.” One signage product YESCO showcased didn’t even fit in the exhibit hall.
Nick Priest, director of the Las Vegas office of YESCO Design, explained: “We have been developing a high-output LCD system, mostly screens, for outdoor applications, that can be integrated into bus shelters or the sides of buses. And because they’re high output, they’re daytime visible. We’ve got that set up across the street at the Las Vegas Marriott. It’s really incredible to see what we’ve been able to achieve, obviously Vegas having some of the brightest sunlight conditions known to man.”
As one of the largest suppliers of LED billboards for Clear Channel, YESCO is used to having a large presence outdoors. Priest predicts that 2011, or even the next six months, will bring more opportunities for the company to showcase a renewed focus on the design aspects of its exterior products, rather than simply the manufacturing capabilities it’s already known for. With the expansion of its design group, YESCO will be able to better address the trend in signage toward greater architectural integration.
“I think you’ll be seeing a lot more curves, a lot more beautiful structures with LED applied to them, rather than just rectangular slabs of media,” Priest stated. “That’s one thing we’re really focusing on—the sensitivity of LED in the public space and how it relates to public experience, but also the natural surroundings.”
Not ones to forget the technology behind the design, YESCO will continue to work toward innovation. The company is currently looking at “a dozen” possible options for future LED projects, including various resolutions and shapes.
“LED is one of those industries where you go to bed one night, then wake up and everything’s changed,” Priest explained. “But we’re working on some really groundbreaking products.” TH
Financial Services
Gaming Capital Group
Melissa Cox, VP of customer relations at Gaming Capital Group, shared with CEM that though we’re still in the midst of a financial crisis, the firm is still providing capital for companies across the industry. “We can provide the capital to restructure your debt, complete an expansion and finance new gaming equipment or to build your new project,” she said. “Our capabilities include equity, debt or hybrid structures designed to meet your needs now.”
In the coming year, their goals are to continue to grow their customer base and relationships in the Oklahoma market and to build business in other gaming markets.
On G2E’s 10th anniversary, she noted: “I think the show has grown in many ways. Most importantly to our business, game development has really grown. It’s important to keep gaming floors fresh, and the vendors have done a great job in developing new cabinets, titles, etc.” AH
The PrinceRidge Group
The PrinceRidge Group, a financial services firm, did not exhibit at G2E, but two of its managing directors were there, walking the floor, having meetings and talking with CEM. According to Valerie Red-Horse, one of the things they discussed the most was restructuring exchange offers, coupled with the fact that there is a substantial amount of debt maturing at casinos.
“It seems like many of the folks we met with were interested in hearing our perspective on how we get something done between the lenders and the client when the gaming facility is overleveraged or downgraded and there are challenges to completing a regular refinancing,” Red-Horse shared. “That was the big discussion, and we had a lot of good meetings about that.”
They also met with lenders in the gaming space for both tribal and non-tribal. She said that the real concern there is in future deals and how the economy, defaults and legal decisions will affect their ability to complete new financings. There is a concern if there will be an impact on their sector of the market because of some of the defaults. “I feel that the good news is that there’s concern, but it can all be addressed,” Red-Horse said. “We all have to understand it’s not the market it used to be—it’s not a couple of years ago. Going into new financings, whether it is brand new capital or refinancing or restructuring, if the usual lenders are involved, it’s going to take a lot of dialogue and a lot of thought.”
She also shared that there was talk of Internet gaming. “We all think the industry is headed there, but exactly how from both a legal and technological standpoint, there are some open questions,” Red-Horse said. “I don’t think anyone doubts that it will get there, but how does it gets there is the big question.”
William Wilson told us about a theme he noticed at the show. “One thing I saw is that everyone in gaming is trying to figure out what the new normal is,” he noted. “There’s been so much change in the past couple of years … In financing, it’s what debt packages are available and how to refinance. On the operating side, people are also figuring out how to make their casino offering more appealing for consumers. At least in a stated way, it’s become much more value-conscious. That’s one of the themes I really took away from the conference, that sense that we’re all searching for the new normal.”
The firm’s goals in the coming year are to continue to provide great service. Red-Horse added: “We don’t want to see a negative impact in our sector; we don’t want to see lenders pulling out. We want to be helpful in bringing our knowledge of what worked and what didn’t and how we might add some comfort on both sides of the equation, and just keep the industry moving forward.” AH
Business Services
Cintas
Many properties already familiar with Cintas have probably admired the company’s uniform solutions, aptly named Image. Something those properties may be surprised to discover, though, is that Cintas is not a one-trick pony—though the Image “trick” is a doozy.
“From the Image side, we’re really the only company that has a comprehensive direct sale component, including design, and a rental component. So we’re able to go with a complete image story for our customers and help them design an image that fits with what they’re trying to portray with their company,” said Todd McKeown, vice president of hospitality. This sales model has made them the go-to provider for such high-end hotel brands as Marriot, Hyatt and Hilton.
There is also a much larger component to the Cintas story, as the company provides products and services in the additional areas of tile and carpet cleaning, facility services, safety solutions and document management. At this year’s G2E, Cintas focused on getting the word out on how many portions of a property’s business that they can touch, making them an appealing partner for casinos. The company can provide, in addition to uniforms, everything from cleaning supplies and safe floor mats to fire solution management and employee first aid training. “We’re focused on specialized services to help companies build their brands, and also operate efficiently and effectively,” said James Overby Jr., director of marketing.
Soon the company will be even easier to work with in the Las Vegas market, as they will be adding a tile and carpet cleaning truck there at the end of December. TH
SCA Gaming
We were afraid we were going to get weighed when we stepped onto the footprint icons on SCA Gaming’s new “Million Dollar Mission,” but no; instead, the futuristic touchscreen kiosk scanned our palm and accessed our players club points. A striking, tall unit, the Million Dollar Mission provides a unique way to deliver more for loyal customers. Marketing Director Tanya Mathis also demonstrated SCA’s gigantic touch-screen spinner, whipping the giant reels into a blurry whir with her fingertips.
A leader of player retention strategies and casino promotions, SCA’s booth remained flush with interest throughout our visit. AS
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