Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming MArch 2016 24 table. One of the main display’s pair of cameras views the table. The other, a fish-eye, looks up at the players. “From low down and close up its easy to see the faces of excluded players or known cheats, even if they’re wearing hats. You’ve also got a side view of chip stacks in 1080p detail,” says McClellan. On-the-spot playback can start automatically from the beginning of a chosen hand. The casino might allow immediate resolution of disputes over small wagers, or send footage of a specified hand directly to security. Either way, game downtime or the time taken to search through footage is reduced. Customer Relationship Management Dealers can order drinks or tobacco for players, or request specified hosts via their touchscreens. They can also make restaurant reservations and be notified when a dining table is vacant. A dealer may be alerted when a VIP sits down. When a player buys in for a certain amount, a host may automatically be called to come over and greet them. VisuaLimits has made its system compatible with player tracking and rating software provided by other gaming suppliers. If a table is closing, the system can find vacancies at other tables with similar limits and hold the empty seats until the migrating players arrive. Most impressively, a ticket-in ticket-out (TITO) function has been incorporated to allow players to move, cash-free, between slots and tables. Promoting such “cross-play” reduces demand on the casino cage, as well as time spent by players cashing out. Tech Talk Modern casinos contain hundreds of ceiling-mounted cameras, although their distance and angle often makes them inadequate for detecting cheats and judging disputes. VL- Focus offers a much fuller view. the layout. Like the tools in a Swiss-army knife, casinos can pick and choose the modules, or applications, they want packed into the system. Here’s a run-down of those tools: Information for gamers The VL-Focus system includes a sensor in the discard rack, so it knows when the dealer is dealing, when the game is in-between hands and when the dealer is shuffling. Its player-facing screens can display table limits along with information on when those limits will change or when the table will close; say in a certain number of minutes or at the end of a shoe. Crucially, the change in displayed status takes place automatically as scheduled. Other rule changes, such as no mid-shoe entry when the minimum exceeds a certain amount, or a drop in the minimum when the table has sat idle for 30 minutes, can be customized as well as timed automatically. The same goes for targeted advertisements, played only during downtime and selected in line with the table’s limits. In other words, McDonald’s and Coors beer at a $5 minimum bet table, and Leer Jets and Beluga caviar at a $5,000 minimum bet table. Security and dispute resolution Modern casinos contain hundreds of ceiling-mounted cameras, although their distance and angle often makes them inadequate for detecting cheats and judging disputes. VL-Focus offers a much fuller view. The two cameras in its pole display look directly down on the