Inside Asian Gaming

October 2008 | INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 27 Compliance Real-life testing “Our approach to interoperability testing is to create a system environment that is very similar to that operating in a casino,” explains Ms Thomson. “This testing reduces the risk of incompatibility of products on the actual gaming floor, giving a greater level of comfort to operators and to manufactures of systems and products,” she points out. Consultation An important factor in the development of technical standards on interoperability is for suppliers, operators and regulators to have regular consultation, adds Ms Thomson. “In Australia, for example, operators get together and talk to regulators and test labs about these issues. It’s obviously for the good of the market.” When the industry works together, the benefits are threefold, explains Ms Thomson. “In relation to the interoperability issue, the machine manufacturer knows when they sell a machine to an operator that it’s been tested on the operator’s system and that it will work. If you’re a small manufacturer in Taiwan,for example,you will almost certainly nothaveaccesstoallthecasinomanagement systems so you need help in achieving that business-to-business compliance.” In cases where the machine and the management system are from different companies, cooperation on interoperability also gives reassurance to system manufacturers, according to Ms Thomson. “The operators think it’s great, because they can say to themselves:‘I know this works and customers will not be adversely affected’. The probability of something not working as anticipated has been reduced. You can’t test for every single combination, but working toward interoperability and common standards is of great benefit when it comes to developing the industry,” she points out. Mix and match “The operator may say, for example: ‘I really like the bonusing system and slot management system of Company C, but Company D’s table management system meets my operational requirements better.’ “Equipment suppliers generally all run their own protocols from the interface card in the machine to the system. They do talk to each other, but they’re not necessarily designed to interface with other supplies’ technology because the idea, as a system manufacturer, is that you ideally want to sell the whole kit,” says Ms Thomson. The Gaming Standards Association (GSA) has been working on catering for system-to- system interfaces, which should simplify the process, according to BMM. Clean slate Gaming operators in emerging markets such as Macau and (from next year) Singapore have a great opportunity to place interoperability at the centre of their technical agenda because, in most cases, they are building brand new systems. They have a chance to integrate it into the operational process rather than applying it retrospectively,as is the case in some mature gaming markets.