Best Asian Manufacturer
| Nominees | |
| Manufacturer | Country |
| Aruze | Japan |
| Astro Corp | Taiwan |
| Cybercash Technology | China |
| Jumbo Technology | Taiwan |
| Pact Game | Hong Kong |
| Paradise Entertainment | Hong Kong |
| Weike Gaming Technology | Singapore |
Winner: Weike Gaming Technology
This small and nimble Singapore-based manufacturer looks set to give the giants of the industry a run for their money.
Weike has come far in 12 months under the command of CEO David Kinsman. Serious poker players have praised the company’s Pal X electronic poker table as one of the best on the market.
Weike, which has its head office in Singapore and its manufacturing base in neighbouring Malaysia, particularly impressed the industry with its product line up at G2E Asia 2008. Now it looks forward to translating that into significant sales success in 2009. The company is tipped to sign at least one deal with a Macau casino operator early in the New Year.
The exceptional quality of its game graphics enables Weike to use a standard off-the-shelf Pentium motherboard for its systems, keeping its finished product costs highly competitive without, it says, compromising system security.
Weike passed an important milestone recently when it achieved GLI-11 (Gaming Laboratories International) Certification for its Infinity platform and gaming machine range, as well as for four individual games on the platform: Yokoso Japan; Oriental Fantasy; Cat Safari and Circus.
The company also won GLI approval for its multi-player table equipment. The testing and certification was undertaken by Australia’s BMM Compliance, one of the world’s foremost testing and certification laboratories for gaming equipment. Further games are expected to be approved during 2009.
Honourable Mention: Jumbo Technology
The Taiwan-based manufacturer has built a strong reputation for well-engineered products in many different formats that are highly popular with players.
Jumbo has developed the good habit of excelling at key game categories popular in Asia, whether it’s baccarat, sic bo, roulette or bingo. It has also produced some outstanding and innovative configurations that offer high tech alternatives to live human dealers—a resource that can be expensive in a market such as Macau or even banned in some Indochina slot club markets.
Jumbo’s 3D Virtual Dealer, Jessie, the ‘star’ of the Baccarat Queen series unveiled at G2E Asia 2008, includes state of the art graphics. Jessie’s realistic facial expressions were simulated using a real model and motion capture technology, then transferred to 3D animation.
The company tips its Genetic Sic Bo product as another potential hit in Macau. Unlike competing products from European manufacturers, Genetic Sic Bo uses normal sized dice. Also true to the traditional version of the game, the dice are covered when they are being rolled.
Jumbo’s Robot Baccarat uses a robotic arm to turn cards, getting around the restriction on dealers being employed in gaming venues in Vietnam, for example, and allowing it to be placed in some amusement arcades in Taiwan, where casinos are being considered but have not yet been legalised.
