Inside Asian Gaming

March 2010 | INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 17 Supplier Awards T his year’s Inside Asian Gaming Supplier Awards have been expanded to cover table gaming supplies and slot peripherals as well as slots and electronic multiplayer machines. This is to reflect the continuing importance of the live table segment across multiple markets in the region, and the vital role that high quality ‘peripherals’ play in maintaining a good experience for slot players and in keeping slot machines and tables operative and profitable on casino floors. Our judges are all senior executives in the regional casino industry with detailed practical knowledge on what it takes to create successful products in the high-revenue, high-energy Asia-Pacific region. The judges are based in Macau and South Korea (representing East Asia), the Philippines (representing Southeast Asia), and Cambodia (representing Indochina). Singapore is not included this year because its table- gaming market only commenced operation in February. We’re also publishing the criteria on which the awards have been based. In most cases, winning products received more than one nomination and similar score weightings from multiple judges, thus creating a majority winner. In cases of deadlock, the weightings were rated against the original judging criteria and the best performer under those criteria was declared the winner. The judging criteria for electronic games were as follow: * Revenue performance measured by average daily hold over period of installation (65% of the final assessment). * Operator floor feedback based on software stability, quality of hardware build, ease of servicing (15% of the final assessment). * Cost flexibility for operators based on the options made available (such as outright purchase/revenue participation/ management contract). This was weighted 15% of the final assessment. * Crowd pulling appeal of the cabinet and overhead sign (5% of the final assessment). Best Standalone Electronic Game Standalone slots are often seen as the sports cars of the gaming floor—high-performance, high-octane revenue earners with the ‘look at me’ factor. It may be that as the industry moves toward an increasingly networked world and networked floor, the division between‘standalone’and‘community’or‘linked’games will become less and less important. Content and format will increasingly depend on the tastes and location of the player, rather than on the location of an individual gaming unit. That player may be able to carry his basic preferences around with him on a smart card, just as currently he can carry his preferences and skill level information for a computer video game around on a memory card. That way a server based casino gaming system will be able to ‘recognise’ the player wherever he is on the floor, while for regulatory and copyright purposes the random number generation technology resides with the system. The best performing standalone games in the current casino industry structure certainly have personality, but innovation of itself doesn’t always guarantee success with the players. This year’s nominees have solid pedigrees in multiple markets and proven appeal among the growing army of discerning Asian customers. ELECTRONIC GAMES