Inside Asian Gaming

April 2014 | INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 27 Winner | FutureLogic – GEN2 Universal For the second consecutive year our judges made the GEN2 their top pick among printer technologies. The GEN2’s reputation for reliability, interoperability and ease of integration is almost legendary. Intelligent Ticket Handling, as it’s called, is what lies at the robust heart of it, ensuring tickets are fully printed and automatically burst before being released from the machine. Right behind it is IntelligentBezel, which significantly cuts down on jams by scanning for obstructions and waiting for a clear path before a ticket is ejected. The enhanced memory package can store hundreds of clip art objects and thousands of graphic templates. In-game firmware updates are easy to complete via a USB port so there’s no need to extract the printer from its host, and when it is removed the GEN2 is “hot swappable” so the unit doesn’t have to be powered down. Honorable Mention | TransAct – Epic 950 The Epic 950 likewise enjoys enormous trust among operators for its reliability. TransAct’s comprehensive sales and service support also earned it points with our judges. The 950’s portability is another strength. It can be switched out among different games, and its dual port capability allows it to be linked to a network, enabling coupons to be printed according to player-specific criteria and/or to support a property-wide marketing initiative. Winner | Paltronics – OneLink 3E Crowd-pulling appeal was of course the first consideration for our judges in assessing game signage. The underlying technologies were weighed accordingly, with performance naturally ranked as Job 1. Overall attractiveness figured prominently as well. The 2013 field was narrower than in years past, which goes back to the fact that the region didn’t see the release of all that many new games, and it made the voting close. OneLink is total system incorporating video, animation, live streaming, text and other media designed to provide operators with the ability to centrally manage a complete range of digital content on any display at any property, even across multiple properties. It encompasses overhead, bank-level and top-box displays, table game and poker room displays, in-machine player-tracking and most of the critical points of contact with the customer—including interactive way-finders, hotel room channels, spa and fitness areas, conference centers, bars, elevators and back- of-house. OneLink’s popularity is inseparable from the fact that it is so modular and customizable, providing management the power to deliver gaming and entertainment information, messaging and promotions either floor-wide or directly to the customer. Honorable Mention | Simtech Gaming Products Simtech has amassed a wealth of expertise over the 15 years it has been crafting customized jackpot theme displays and animations for casinos and clubs across the Asia-Pacific region. It’s why SHFL Entertainment turned to this Queensland- based innovator for the colorfully compelling imagery that has been integral to the successful marketing of Duo Fu Duo Cai, one of the most popular linked progressives in the industry. TABLE GAMING Paltronics OneLink 3E Simtech Duo Fu Duo Cai Best Electronic Signage | Nominees The largest table games market in the world has a problem—Macau hasn’t enough supply to cope with a demand boom that is pushing bet sizes to unheard of heights. It requires that casinos think about yield maximization in entirely new ways and game and currency security, the integrity of the reporting and auditing process, dealer efficiency, player rating and credit and not least of all the entertainment value of the experience they exist to provide, which takes in the speed and efficiency of play and its quality and variety. It’s made them more open to innovation and to new technologies, and they’ve displayed a refreshing willingness to experiment with reinterpretations of traditional games and game formats. The impact of all this is being felt to enormous benefit in markets across the region. Best Table Gaming Currency | Nominees Winner | Gaming Partners International – Bourgogne & Grasset plaques and jetons SupplierAwards 2014 From offices in Macau, Las Vegas and the Burgundy region of France, Gaming Partners International is uniquely positioned to offer a global clientele the finest currencies for the pit. The plaques and jetons manufactured by Bourgogne & Grasset have been the industry standard in Europe for decades, and they enjoy the same renown in the two largest table game markets in the world, Macau and Singapore, where our judges gave them top marks for durability, security and beauty. The sophisticated manufacturing processes B&G has honed over the years provide operators with a wealth of options in terms of colors, materials, Abbiati Casino Equipment Chips and plaques Gaming Partners International Bourgogne & Grasset plaques and jetons Matsui Gaming Machine Co. Chips and plaques