Inside Asian Gaming

February 2011 | INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 15 Alfastreet converted it to semi-automated with a live dealer spinning the ball, that really made a big change and drew a lot of players.” RWS had opened with 66 Alfastreet R1SLsemi-automatedterminals,which registered robust performance despite being located in the non-smoking section of the casino, which generally contains considerably fewer players than the smoking section. The excellent results from the R1SL terminals prompted RWS to order an additional 115 Alfastreet terminals—this time, of the updated SLM3 cabinet—that went live in the smoking section in November. The new terminals occupy a slightly smaller footprint than their predecessors, which is important in a market where the casino area at each IR is capped at 5% of the property’s total floor space. According to Mr Goh: “The casinos want to make full use of the space. That’s why they need product which has a smaller footprint, so they can put more machines into that space to earn more revenue.” The new terminals are also a bit lower. “They are more like a real table,” comments Mr Goh. Patrick Hogan, Alfastreet’s Asia Sales Manager, adds: “Alfastreet does a great deal of market research and product development to make the player more comfortable. So with the heights of the terminals, they want the player to ‘feel’ the game. They want it to feel more table-like, more‘in the game.’ “Before, players on a manual roulette table had to fight the crowd to get in there and put their bets in place. Meanwhile, the marketplace at RWS in Singapore is a bit more upmarket and more modern. So they don’t mind moving to the automated or semi-automated equipment. If you look at all of the card tables out here [in Singapore]— the blackjack and all of that—you’ll find there’s a specific height, because that’s what the players desire.” Blossoming trust Of course, as the Singapore casino market evolves, players will start trusting fully automated products, and that trust appears to be developing quickly. Alfastreet recently installed 48 roulette terminals in Las Vegas Sands Corp’s Marina Bay Sands (MBS) around a fully automated wheel, and Mr Hogan claims the company has observed significant occupancy at that installation. Meanwhile, the semi-automated setup can also be reconfigured around a fully automated wheel. “Conversion simply involves upgrading of terminal software and converting the wheel into an automated one,” says Mr Hogan. “Alfastreet tries to make products that are maximally flexible for the casino. So if it doesn’t work in this configuration, we have a solution for you in our hand, ready to go.” Greater versatility coming soon Mr Goh reveals“we’re going to roll in new product, which will use the same terminal, the same cabinet, but is a multi-game. The terminals can connect to roulette, sic-bo and baccarat. Three live dealer or automated tables can be placed in the middle of the terminals, or at the front in a theatre type setup—it will comply with the casino set up requirement.” Furthermore, there is no need to purchase new terminals to enable the multi-game facility. “It’s just a matter of upgrading the software,”reveals Mr Goh. The new multi-game offering is currently awaiting approval from Singapore’s fastidious Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA). “The CRA are very clear about what their rules are, and expect manufacturers to meet their rules,” says Mr Hogan. “They want to make sure that everything that comes in is fair to the player. That’s good for the industry, because that will progress into players knowing, ‘hey, this is a fair casino. It’s a fair [gaming] industry in Singapore; we have an opportunity to win. We also have an opportunity to lose, but it’s fair.’The CRA will ensure the machines perform as claimed.” Southeast Asia push Albert Radman, Alfastreet’s Senior Sales and Marketing Director, is overseeing the company’s aggressive push into the region. Mr Radman believes Alfastreet’s multi-game player terminals, scheduled for launch in the second quarter of this year, will place the company firmly ahead of the competition. “The first stepwas product development. “As the Singapore casino market evolves, players will start trusting fully automated products, and that trust appears to be developing quickly.” Albert Radman