Walker Digital Table Systems Founder and CEO Stephen Moore delves into the significance of smart table technology and why it is changing the face of today’s casino floors.
Every day brings exciting tech news about the latest applications for Artificial Intelligence, quantum computing, Machine Learning, cloud computing, augmented reality, and other cutting-edge developments.
The casino industry is advancing to new heights in this changing world of intelligent data aggregation and deployment. Regulators are focusing on the future of data, and on the latest opportunity for the data revolution: table games. Regulators in the largest markets in the world continue to take a forward-looking approach to integrating new technology to achieve responsible operations, financial transparency, customer identification and analysis, and vigilant oversight of all transactions.
Table games have remained manually operated for more than a century, requiring dealers to physically spread, stack and count chips without using a computer. Traditional dealer’s tools consist of a tray with chips and, for higher-value transactions, a second human. Just one mistake by a dealer can create an upset player with a momentum-killing dispute.
This situation persisted decade after decade, even as the global retail industry steadily evolved from the first cash registers (invented in 1879) to today’s sophisticated point-of-sale (POS) systems. Consumers now encounter retail POS tech everywhere. POS scans barcodes, reads price tags, processes credit cards and mobile payments, automatically updates inventory, and facilitates self-checkout – all of which increases economic and operational efficiencies, boosts customer confidence, and reduces or prevents loss from theft, cheating and simple human error.
Happily, the casino industry is now embracing sophisticated POS technology for table games. Powered by Radio Frequency Identification, known as RFID, and supported by AI Computer Vision (CV), we are entering the era of the intelligent table game. My company and others are developing products that do for table games what the cash register did for retail: bring accuracy, security and automation into the minimum internal controls, tracking each bet and calculating each payout, eliminating disputes and manual errors.
Today’s advanced casinos are embedding RFID everywhere a casino chip or player can transact: the float, betting positions, cage windows, player cards and mobile phones. This creates an integrated digital network throughout the casino. Casinos use that network to seamlessly monitor real-time transactions, ensure fair play and enhance security. Players enjoy a smooth, fast, transparent experience, and dealers can focus on the player rather than counting chips.
The arrival of this 21st century RFID network parallels the dawn of the electric grid. When electric power was first launched in the 1880s, its only application was the light bulb. Illuminating the dark was life-changing enough for people to invest in building the grid, in much the same way that operational efficiency, accuracy and integrity are sufficient benefits to prompt casinos to invest in RFID and CV.
With chip attribution, accurate forecasting and predictive analytics, casinos can anticipate player needs and labor demand, optimize game offerings and personalize the experience. Intelligent tables offer a better player experience, significant cost savings and increased revenue.
The original light bulb was historic, but the electric grid’s real success is powering countless innovations which further transform the world: refrigerators, air conditioners, microwaves, televisions, computers and endless others. Now that casinos have the RFID intelligent table network, what innovations will they be able to power? Game content, promotions, predictive automation? Casinos can now plug in computer vision and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance player engagement and game content; generative AI is not far off.
Well-designed intelligent tables are more than smart; they are clever, astute and insightful. The possibilities are endless, and we’re just starting to scratch the surface. Most importantly, casinos can “plug in” innovations for years to come.
Here’s to a new era where technology and tradition go hand in hand, bringing the best of both worlds to the casino floor. Deal me in, and don’t touch my chips!
