The more than 20-year evolution of the ANGEL EYE series of electronic shoes continues with the unveiling of THE ANGEL EYE, which further minimizes the possibility of card misreading and speeds up shoe change.
THE ANGEL EYE shoe, the guardian saint of baccarat games, is coming out with a new, more secure, and user-friendly evolution, which will be called THE ANGEL EYE.
The Angel Group of Japan boasts a high global market share in casino playing cards and electronic shoes. The ANGEL EYE series is used throughout the world’s major casinos and is an indispensable part of the baccarat game. In the past, Angel has brought several ANGEL EYE series products to market and will now begin introducing the latest version, THE ANGEL EYE, in 2025.
THE ANGEL EYE is a more advanced version over the previous SUPER ANGEL EYE and is inspired by feedback from casino users around the world. One of its features is a newly devised system that minimizes the possibility of card misreading. The already low probability of card misreading with SUPER ANGEL EYE has been much improved. The code pattern of the card is more complex than that for SUPER ANGEL EYE. Angel also originally developed a new sensor to embed into the shoe, where the reading function is optimized for the complex codes, while a mechanism was developed to minimize double card pulls (two cards accidentally coming out of the shoe at the same time), which was one of the causes of misreads (patents pending).
Another important factor that casinos look for in a shoe is the time required for the dealer to conduct a shoe change. Time is money for casinos so they want to play as many games as possible without interrupting game play. If the time required to change shoes can be shortened, more games can be played, thus directly leading to more revenue.
Based on this request, Angel changed the configuration on the side of THE ANGEL EYE to a flap type, allowing the dealer to open the box of cards on the table and slide the cards directly into the shoe. The mouse roller also sets automatically when the lid is closed.
With SUPER ANGEL EYE, the dealer had to take the cards out of the box, lift them up and place them in the shoe, then manually set the mouse roller after the cards were placed. THE ANGEL EYE eliminates these processes. At the same time, security is increased because the human hand does not need to lift the cards.
THE ANGEL EYE has become more user-friendly. The shoe is longer and sharper and the angle at which the cards exit is lower, eliminating the bump at the card exit. The new design allows the dealer, who draws many cards each day, to draw cards more smoothly. This reduces their burden considerably. In addition, the LCD display on the side of the shoe has been enlarged so that it can also show the total points for Player and the total points for Banker.
Over the past 20 years, Angel has continued to improve the ANGEL EYE series. Angel developed the first ANGEL EYE in 2003. At the time, casinos were concerned about card switching, card theft and other forms of fraud, as well as dealers making mistakes in distributing cards. They asked Angel to develop a solution. Angel listened to its customers’ requests and succeeded in developing the first electronic card reader, ANGEL EYE 0, which was introduced for the first time to casinos in Macau. However, because ANGEL EYE 0 was a table-mounted machine, in 2004, just one year after delivery of the first ANGEL EYE 0, Angel developed ANGEL EYE I, which combined the reading device with the shoe. Since then, Angel has innovated at an overwhelming pace, making continuous improvements leading to ANGEL EYE II, ANGEL EYE III, SUPER ANGEL EYE and now THE ANGEL EYE. The revolutionary ANGEL EYE series has been highly acclaimed in the industry, with over 13,000 SUPER ANGEL EYEs sold, and is now the market standard.
THE ANGEL EYE will continue to update features to increase security and a system that immediately detects when the shoe has been opened will be added soon.
Shoes aside, Angel will not slow down on innovation in the manufacturing of playing cards, which remains the company’s bread and butter. Angel’s history of playing card manufacturing spans over half a century, but the improvements still continue on a daily basis.
The bar for quality of casino playing cards is set exceedingly high. All cards must be of uniform quality, lest a blemish or an imperfection reveal the rank or suit of the cards from the back. In order to achieve this consistency day in and day out, Angel meticulously tackles issues from the raw materials on up, working with paper suppliers, ink suppliers and others to develop proprietary materials and to devise a “No One Touch” automated production system, where no human hand touches conforming cards in production. Furthermore, cards are controlled down to each individual card and every card is inspected.
Electronic shoes are used by casinos to enhance playing card security, however the security and quality of the card itself are of the utmost importance. Angel takes to heart that the performance of the cards greatly affects the shoe accuracy and hence the security of the game. Therefore, Angel aims to achieve the same 100% counted, 100% inspected, “No One Touch” automated factory at its new dedicated, one-roof site in Macau, planned to open in 2026.
Angel is constantly listening to customer needs and improving its products to help casinos improve their operations. Striving for perfection in everything it does, this is Angel’s DNA.
