Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | 86 T his spring, Abbiati Casino Equipment completed a delivery of chips and plaques for the opening of Solaire, Manila’s new US$1.2 billion integrated resort. It was one of Abbiati’s largest orders ever and one that clearly signifies how entrenched this family-run firm out of Turin, Italy, has become as a major supplier to Asia of quality table game equipment and technologies. But then Abbiati’s reputationwas already well-established in the Philippines, as it is in Macau, Singapore and Vietnam, where its distinctive currencies can also be found. Still, CEO Georgio Abbiati professed himself duly “pleased” with the high-profile placement, noting with justifiable pride that “More and more Asian casinos are putting their faith in our products.” Premium chips and plaques of the kind prized by leading names such as SJM, The Venetian and Solaire are leading the way for Abbiati’s expansion in table games markets across the region. These include jetons in the European style and a wide range of American- Craft and Commitment Abbiati Casino Equipment is expanding its presence in Asia with a portfolio of table game technologies designed for regional appeal style chips, both available in an array of colors, diameters, styles, finishes and unique security features. Plaques like the ones you’ll see in Solaire’s new VIP rooms are richly crafted in traditional mother of pearl and fitted with UV-sensitive links for extra security and serialization. The chips on the main floor are designed with the same attention to detail, manufactured under a computer-controlled CNC injection-molding process that ensures state-of-the-art consistency and durability, each one carefully ground on its face to just the right thickness for smooth handling and uniformity, and along its edges to guarantee that size and diameter never vary. Solaire’s Senior Vice President of Gaming Dennis Andreaci will tell you that Abbiati was selected both for its“leadership position in quality chip supplies” and for its ability to supply currencies with the best and latest design and security features. The top- flight service the company provided was important as well—“crucial,” in fact, as Mr Andreaci recalls, “in ensuring the chips were delivered in time for our opening.” This is thanks in large part to the office Abbiati opened in Singapore last year, which finds the company positioned better than it’s ever been to service and support a growing demand for its products across Asia, and the big show at The Venetian Macao this month finds it armed with innovations developed specifically for a region which in Mr Abbiati’s words has come to play “a very significant role in our company’s business”. The goal, he says, is amore collaborative relationshipwith the customer, for which a more regionally focused R&D strategy is seen as key. So one of the highlights of Abbiati’s stand at G2E Asia this year is an RFID-enabled baccarat table designed and manufactured exclusively for Walker Digital Table Systems’ Perfect Pay Table Network. The selling point of Perfect Pay, as the name implies, is the ability of radio- frequency identification to flawlessly track bets, game results and wins and losses. For Abbiati, sophisticated RFID has assumed increasing prominence as a strategic investment, the foundation of its Chip