Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | March 2010 as the printer of choice on all the slot machines at Melco Crown Entertainment’s City of Dreams resort on Macau’s Cotai Strip® when it opened in June 2009. Honourable Mention: FutureLogic – GEN2 The GEN2 printer is the second-generation ticket-in, ticket- out (TITO) printer by FutureLogic. Its proprietary Intelligent Ticket Handling technology ensures that cash out tickets are fully printed before being ejected from the slot machine. To improve the printer’s reliability further, the IntelligentBezel feature detects for obstruction near the bezel and reduces paper jams, by waiting for a clear path before a ticket is ejected. A separate port is provided for convenient firmware upgrades without the need to remove the printer from the slot machine. Best Electronic Game Signage On a busy casino floor full of noise and flashing lights, getting your sign to stand out is a real challenge. Over time, casino game signage has transformed itself from straightforward advertising and direction finding to become an integral part of the games themselves. Today, that signage takes many forms, including top boxes with animations, giant reels and jackpot accumulator information. Crucially, thanks to the development of convergent technical standards in the industry and the advent of digital technology, that sign equipment is increasingly flexible in terms of how it can be deployed on the floor, and how it can interact with the rest of the casino’s marketing effort. Information on current jackpot levels on a particular game or bank of games can, for example, be uploaded from games to signs, and can also be downloaded from games to back of house systems for distribution in marketing campaigns around the property. The judging criteria for best electronic game signage were: * Crowd pulling appeal based on packaging and attractiveness (weighted at 50% of the final assessment). * Daily operation judged by software stability, quality of hardware build, ease of servicing (25% of the final assessment). * System integration based on ease of operation and ability to integrate into operator’s back office and marketing systems (weighted at 25% of the final assessment). Winner: Orion Art “Orion offers flexibility and good access for services. Their equipment is easy to integrate on the floor and is easily adapted for many applications,”was the verdict on the winner. Orion Art’s original signage is used on the main 20 Casino Oceanus Supplier Awards play, linkage to operator’s back of house functions (weighted at 20% of the final assessment). Best Electronic Gaming Peripheral — Bill Acceptor Winner: JCM – UBA-14-SS “Fast, accurate and reliable,” was the verdict of one judge—an analysis supported by the majority. That’s certainly the claim of manufacturer JCM, which claims its product has the highest acceptance rate and best security features in its class. Honourable Mention: MEI – CASHFLOWVersion 2 The CASHFLOW series was introduced to the market in 2002. Since then, it has become a leader in the United States’ casino industry, claiming a ship share of more than 90% in games sold for US casino openings and expansions. The company says CASHFLOW has also been specified for all slot machines selected for the two Singapore casino properties. Best Electronic Gaming Peripheral - Printer Winner: TransAct – Epic 950 TransAct’s Epic 950 printer has gained a groundswell of support in Asia since the product was installed on the floor at Wynn Macau in September 2006. High reliability and ease of integration, and the ability to easily swap the printer between one device and another, have been cited as reasons for the success of the Epic 950. Strong sales and service support from the local TransAct team are also seen as a big plus. TransAct’s Epic 950 printer was specified Nominees: Manufacturer Title Astrosys Global Bill Acceptor HR1 International JCM Universal Bill Acceptor-14-SS MEI CASHFLOW Version 2 Money Controls Ardac Elite Nominees: Manufacturer Title FutureLogic GEN2 TransAct Epic 950 Westrex International 777 TITO Thermal Printer The Epic 950 An Orion Art display at Hard Rock Casino, Macau Nominees: Manufacturer Title Aristocrat Fa Fa Fa Orion Art Customised signage Shuffle Master Pink Panther The UBA-14-SS