Inside Asian Gaming

November 2014 inside asian gaming 41 Tech Talk knowledge and technical skills to address the counterfeiting problem and got to work on producing a new generation of plaques that would offer casinos total security. They perfected an ingenious process by which the impression of the chip was protected by a thin plastic film which made it impossible to imitate them. The partners sent some samples to the general manager of Casino de Monte-Carlo, whose reply came in the form of a chip order, and Bourgogne et Grasset was born as a gaming supplier. B&G is the flagship brand of Nasdaq-listed Gaming Partners International, created in 2002 with the merger of three of the world’s leading casino currency suppliers. (The other two were US-based Paul-Son Gaming Supplies and The Bud Jones Company.) While the company maintains facilities in rustic Beaune, it is headquartered in the gaming capital of Las Vegas with an additional office in Macau, where feedback is assiduously gathered to drive the unrelenting product development necessary to stay one step ahead of the counterfeiters. In addition to casino currency, GPI’s portfolio includes playing cards and dice, casino furniture, table game layouts and accessories, as well as a powerful and evolving range of RFID solutions. GPI has also expanded its playing card and table layout production capabilities through its acquisition of Gemaco Inc. earlier this year. In Asia, B&G chips and plaques reign supreme. Consistently picked “Best Table Gaming Currency” by judges for Inside Asian Gaming ’s annual Supplier Awards, they get top marks for durability, security and beauty. They’re also being constantly upgraded, and at last month’s Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, GPI unveiled the new B&G V-Series line of injection-molded chips. “It’s a completely new chip line,” explains Maricela Maciel, director of global marketing. “So it’s a completely different chip material formula from the material used in any of our other injection-molded chips. And into the V-Series material we’ve incorporated ChipShield, an anti-fungal that inhibits the growth of mold and mildew on the chips so they stay cleaner a lot longer. It’s available on our other chips as well, on our B&G injection-molded JAVs and our Paulson chips. You’ve seen in casinos in Macau, how dirty the chips can get. This helps the chips last longer on the floor without them having to be taken off to be either cleaned or replaced. The new V-Series material is also a lot more durable. There’s always some potential for breakage with the chips, but this material formula is a lot more durable and sturdy so it resists breakage. Furthermore, the V-Series molds are designed to offer more versatile designs and can be produced with either an A- or B-sized decal.” The large-denomination B&G plaques that dominate Asian VIP play continue to get enhancements, including the new culture- appropriate Dragon’s Eye and Ribbon designs. These new designs can be enhanced with several new material patterns and colors, including four new “Chameleon” materials added to the lunettes on plaques that shift color when rotated. “[The Chameleon material] adds a very striking visual effect to the plaques,” says Ms Maciel. And even though they’re not intended as a security feature, they also provide casinos the ability to easily identify the plaques by sight as their own. “It’s just giving our customers more options, more designs,” she adds. “As you know, casinos in Asia always want the next, the best. Which is why we give them designs to try to stay ahead of the game.” But, as she notes, it’s never solely about aesthetics. “As you know, in all casinos, but especially in Asia, counterfeiting and security is a huge issue. You can run an Internet search where tomake casino chips, or search UVs (ultraviolet pigments), and would-be counterfeiters are trying to make their own knock-off chips. So on top of RFID, which we sell to our customers, we also need to come up with new security features that the dealers can easily see—that are very quick and easy for them to visually see—in addition to features that are a bit trickier and require tools to see.” Because standard UV technology is getting easier to obtain, GPI developed 3-in-1 UV, a security taggant that remains invisible under standardUVwavelengths but provides easy validationwitha specialized tool without having to remove the chips from stacks or racks. It’s a groundbreaking solution that offers three levels of authentication in all, including forensic verification using scanning electron microscopy. Then there’s SecuriFilm, which came about partly in response to the ubiquity of hologram technology. It consists of a semi-transparent decal security film that produces a hologram-like effect that enables quick authentication at the table and includes an additional covert feature enabling a higher level of back-of-house validation. Ms Maciel says, “We have two standard patterns for SecuriFilm that customers can select from, or, as we used to do with holograms, they can have their own custom image or pattern designed for them, stepping up the security yet another notch.” Indeed, the sheer variety of chip designs impedes counterfeiters. “We have 496 potential combinations between edge-spot patterns and decals A and B,” she explains, as she holds up two chips for consideration. “If you take a look at this chip, it’s a very simple edge- spot pattern, but if you look at this one next to it, it’s very similar, but the way they design it, they use that same edge spot, but they put in an extra piece, and it becomes like a puzzle kit. So it’s very versatile.” Another recently added line of security comes in the form of LaserTrack, a security pigment that can now be added to J3 edge- spot inserts, offering another convenient way to authenticate chips without having to remove them from stacks or racks. Additionally, LaserTrack can now be added to the gold lace on plaques and jetons, adding another layer of currency protection. On display at GPI’s G2E exhibit last month were a host of other high-quality casino currency options, RFID technologies, playing cards, dice and layouts. Though GPI already produces layouts itself, the Gemaco acquisition extends layout sales into Asia for the company. “In all casinos, but especially in Asia, counterfeiting and security is always of concern. In addition to RFID, we research and develop new security features that the dealers can easily see to validate currency in addition to features that are not immediately visible and require special tools to see.” Maricela Maciel | director of global marketing, GPI