Inside Asian Gaming

April 2014 | INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 29 Winner | Walker Digital – Perfect Pay RFID microchips, or “tags,” as they’re known, have been popular for years in chip inventory systems, but it took US-based Walker Digital, the brainchild of Priceline founder Jay Walker, to adopt the power of the technology to the baccarat table. Perfect Pay is the label for an expanding network of solutions pioneered by Mr Walker, the heart of which is an RFID tag in the game chip that works in conjunction with sensors hidden under the felt to track bets and handle outcomes, payouts and player ratings in real time and with 100% accuracy. To the player it looks and feels like a normal baccarat table, but the casino knows better. In a game where the house edge is so small and the volumes so big, the ability to reduce or eliminate dealer error, flawed ratings and overpaying on comps, not to mention fraud and counterfeiting, if it adds even a basis point of margin improvement, can mean hundreds of millions of dollars. Which is why Perfect Pay’s rollout in Asia continues to gather momentum since its 2009 debut at Malaysia’s Genting Highlands, where it proved its mettle in the first 18 months by handling more than 2 million individual bets—the equivalent of US$900 million in volume— without a significant hitch. Honorable Mention | TCSJohnHuxley – Omni Baccarat Display The popular Omni Baccarat Display is now available in a traditional Asian format in an easy-to-read table- or wall-mounted package that shows all the results—including naturals, pairs, bet sizes and the five main “roads” for keeping score—together with running tallies and an explanation of the symbols. There is also a “look- ahead” indicator to help players with their betting decisions. It’s all part of a feature-rich system that comes equipped with a library of skins for customizing graphics. Game information or promotional messages can be quickly inserted for scrolling along the bottom in any language (and two languages at once). It also includes a full suite of tools for generating reports on-screen or for copying to a USB drive. Optional server networking rounds out this extremely versatile product. Winner | MGM Macau/International Game Technology – Golden Chip MGM Macau/IGT Golden Chip Sands China Dragon Element Roulette Sands China Fast Action Baccarat SHFL Entertainment iTable Best Table Gaming Innovation | Nominees MGM Macau joined forces with slot giant IGT earlier this year to bring a unique mystery progressive bonus to baccarat—unique because Golden Chip, as it’s called, doesn’t require a side bet for entry into the big money action, any player can trigger it at any time, the jackpot is constantly live, and that makes for a uniquely immersive and exciting experience. Linked initially to 16 tables, management thoughtfully spiced things up for the launch with a prize pool of $8,888,888. Golden Chip is available currently only to seated, rated members of the property’s Golden Lion Club, but management says it’s attracting new players, and they’re so pleased with the performance they’re talking about expanding the concept to other games. Honorable Mention | Sands China – Dragon Element Roulette The introduction of Fast Action Baccarat at The Venetian Macao last spring showed the creative lengths Sands China is prepared to go to attack the city’s problem of too many players chasing too few tables. Dragon Element Roulette, unveiled not long after, is the second tool in the arsenal. Everything about Dragon Element is the same as the traditional game except the things that are different, and these are significant, as each is designed to channel deep into the psyche of the Chinese gambler. Borrowing a feature central to the appeal of baccarat, the numbers are arranged on the wheel in sequential order, 0-36, to allow players to exploit trends they believe they’ve identified. Then there is the nod to Sic Bo. The wheel is spun automatically beneath LCD-coated glass that turns opaque once the ball goes into motion so the winning number initially is hidden, heightening the anticipation. Players may also bet after the ball has landed, which plays into the belief in one’s ability to influence random outcomes. Then there is the symbolism, the most prominent, as the name implies, is the “dragon,” a portent of power, wealth and luck. Its imagery sprawls across the felt and commands the action in the form of a glass sculpture atop the turret. The five mythological elements of gold, wood, earth, water and fire are worked in as well. And a bit of feng shui is tossed in for good measure. The tables (five were deployed in the early going) are sectioned off with pillars intricately depicting the five elements and crowned with an arch draped by a swirling gold-colored dragon. SupplierAwards 2014 inside asian gaming Supplier Awards 2014