Inside Asian Gaming’s Supplier Awards 2013 marks the fifth annual installment of our kudos to the manufacturers whose creativity and commitment to innovation make possible the tremendous growth of Asia’s gaming industry. Our judges are all senior casino executives with extensive practical knowledge and a wealth of first-hand experience as to what their players like, and they are uniquely familiar with the great variety of games and supporting products that over the last year responded especially well to those preferences and delivered exceptional results for operators and manufacturers as a result. Revenue performance, though clearly the key judging criteria, was far from the only one. Our panel of experts was asked also to consider feedback from players and from their own staffs and were encouraged as well to assess the nominees in the various categories on the basis of their observations and considerable experience.
ELECTRONIC GAMES
Machine gaming, though it occupies a distant second place to table games in the revenue mix of Asia’s largest casino market, is growing in popularity and importance in Macau as the territory continues to evolve toward a true leisure destination. This has been reflected over the last decade in a slot sector that is trending toward levels of popularity on a par with the rest of East and Southeast Asia, growing from about 2,250 devices and US$80 million in annual revenue to more than 16,500 devices, and together with live multi-terminal games, surpassing $1.64 billion in revenue. Significantly, even as the number of devices has increased, win per slot has grown from less than $100 a day to more than $250, which means the machines themselves are delivering a more entertaining experience, prompting customers to play them longer, and generating more coin-in. It’s a tribute to the people who bring this experience to the marketplace, and that’s what the Supplier Awards are all about.
Best Standalone Slot
Nominees:
| Manufacturer | Title |
| Aristocrat | 5 Dragons |
| Aristocrat | 5 Dragons Legends |
| Aruze | The Gold |
| IGT | Cash Cove |
| SHFL | 88Fortunes |
| Weike | Qin Shi Huang |
Winner: Aristocrat – 5 Dragons Legends
This is the second year in a row our judges have chosen 5 Dragons Legends as “Best Standalone Slot” from among a strong field of contenders— proof again of the success of Aristocrat’s “brand extension” strategy of taking a solid performer and offering its fans, of which there are many in Macau, the chance to enjoy an enhanced version of it, and at the same machine. 5 Dragons introduced Aristocrat’s innovative Reel Power technology to what was a fledgling Macau slot market back in 2004, and it quickly caught on among Chinese players, who like the RTP boost provided by the ante bet and the ability in the bonus to select their volatility—more spins at lower multipliers or fewer spins at higher multipliers—with a 30-times multiplier that could pay more than 24,000 credits on a single spin. 5 Dragons Legends adds to the excitement with an even more sophisticated graphics package, new, higher win multipliers, and the option of six free games with up to a 40-times multiplier or a “Mystery Choice” in the form of a “Pink Dragon” that picks both free games and multiplier at random.
Honourable Mention: Weike – Qin Shi Huang
Singapore-based Weike Gaming Technology has established a solid reputation in casino and club markets across East and Southeast Asia as a developer of innovative games that blend world-class maths with colorful theming drawing on the rich lore of the region. Qin Shi Huang is a great example, a 50-line, 1,000-credit max-bet offering with an emphasis on free-games excitement that is still performing on Asian slot floors three years after its introduction.
Best Progressive Slot
Nominees:
| Manufacturer | Title |
| Aristocrat | FA FA FA |
| SHFL Entertainment | Duo Fu Duo Cai |
| IGT | Megabucks |
Winner: SHFL – Duo Fu Duo Cai
This four-level linked progressive has been taking Asian slot floors by storm since its introduction at G2E Asia 2012 in Macau, where it can be found at The Venetian and Sands, Galaxy Macau, City of Dreams, Wynn Macau and in several Mocha slot halls—and the list is growing. Translated as “much luck” or “good fortune”/”much treasure” or “money,” Duo Fu Duo Cai has been just that for SHFL Entertainment and its casino partners. With base games 88 Fortunes and 5 Treasures underneath, both solid performers in their own right, Duo Fu Duo Cai is packed with entertaining features that include stacked symbols, the ability to offer players 10 free games and a link jackpot win in the feature. But its unique “All Up” game style has proven to be the crowd-pleaser: this is a richly themed element where all lines are always in play even at the minimum one-credit bet. As players buy more “Gold” symbols they access a higher-paying scorecard and more opportunities to win a progressive prize.
Honorable Mention: Aristocrat – FA FA FA
FA FA FA, Aristocrat’s first Hyperlink developed specifically for the Asia-Pacific market, remains one of the most popular games in the region. Configured on top of proven performers such as 5 Dragons, 50 Dragons, Choy Sun Doa and Lucky 88, its unique features include a randomly triggered game-within-a-game and selectable “Shrine” symbols in the second screen that reveal either a “Grand, Major, Minor” or “Mini” jackpot character. Any three-symbol match is a win.
Best Slot Innovation
Nominees:
| Manufacturer | Title |
| Aruze | Rich Life |
| Aruze | The Gold |
| Bally | Michael Jackson King of Pop |
| IGT | Top Box Bonus |
| Leap Forward | SaffariNet |
| SHFL | Duo Fu Duo Cai |
Winner: Bally Technologies – Michael Jackson King of Pop
Bally Technologies is selling more games outside of North America than ever before— about 20% currently from only 6% less than a decade ago—and is investing heavily in the Asia-Pacific region to push those numbers higher. The Las Vegas-based slot giant is amassing a portfolio of licensed titles it sees as integral to this effort, headlined by iconic names calculated to deliver sure-fire global recognition, like Michael Jackson King of Pop, which arrived on Asia’s slot floors only within the last several months and is proving already to be one of the more compelling of the group. Fitted on Bally’s robust Pro Series V22/32 cabinet, it’s a dazzling, music-filled game experience packed with mystery wilds and free game bonus events that unfold to the hit sounds of the late, great superstar. Features include a player-activated U-Spin Platinum Record Bonus and video clips of Michael performing “Bad, Beat It, Billy Jean, Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal” and other hits via state-of-the-art audio provided by the Pro surround-sound chair.
Honorable Mention: Leap Forward Gaming – SaffariNet
If you haven’t heard about SaffariNet from Reno, Nev.-based Leap Forward Gaming, you will. Named for founder and CEO Ali Saffari of IGT fame, it’s a wireless multimedia “ecosystem” thatprovides connectivity independent of existing systems across all areas of the gaming floor: slots, tables, progressives, bonusing, peripherals, playertracking, even mobile. Its many innovations include Picture-in-Picture, a player display interface that lets operators deliver custom content directly onto an EGM, completely separate from the device’s proprietary images.
Best Multi-Terminal Product
Nominees:
| Manufacturer | Title |
| Alfastreet | SL-M3 |
| Aruze | Lucky Sic Bo |
| Interblock | G4 Organic Baccarat |
| Jumbo | Long Dragon Baccarat |
| LT Game | Live Table Multi-Game System |
| SHFL | Rapid Table Games |
Winner: LT Game – Live Table Multi-Game System
LT Game owns Macau’s lucrative live-dealer ETG market with a patent-protected and feature-rich platform that boasts more than 2,000 terminals in casinos all over the city. The games (baccarat overwhelmingly) are dealt in real time, of course, the croupiers physically present, usually on a raised platform, the action transmitted by camera to large overhead monitors and to the screens on the scores of terminals surrounding the platform. Wherever it’s installed, Live Table is a focal point of the floor, a natural attention-getter. But not content to rest on its success, LT is continually upgrading the customizable software and the design of the player interface to keep the experience fresh, comfortable and conducive to more extended play. So it’s a highly flexible platform as well, capable of supporting any number of terminal configurations both for ticket and cash play and available in two slant-top styles. Live Table also provides player-tracking and VIP client alert functionalities and supports an array of direct-marketing goodies in the form of Flash-enabled advertisements and notices of special drawings, jackpots and tournaments.
Honorable Mention: SHFL Entertainment – Rapid Table Games
On the strength of some 500 installed units in Singapore, SHFL’s Rapid Table Games system has established for itself an enviable track record. Available in roulette, baccarat and Sic Bo and sporting two attractive and space-saving cabinet designs, the platform supports TITO and card play, player-tracking and player-rating, accounting and auditing and has the added value of optional “satellite” deployment, which allows a terminal to be placed anywhere on the floor for remote play via a direct feed.
Best Multi-Terminal Innovation
Nominees:
| Manufacturer | Title |
| Alfastreet | TT-M3 |
| Aruze | Lucky Big Wheel |
| Aruze | Lucky Sic Bo |
| Interblock | G4 Organic Baccarat |
| Jumbo | Long Dragon Baccarat |
| LT Game | Live Table Multi-Game System |
Winner: Jumbo Technology – Long Dragon Baccarat
Asians feed their passion for baccarat by indulging a belief in their ability to spot and exploit trends in the cards based on past results. Jumbo Technology’s Long Dragon Baccarat markets directly to this obsession with a multi-terminal platform that can link a player to up to eight active tables, each one set in a richly animated virtual environment brought vividly to life on a 47-inch widescreen. It even features a configurable “squeeze-card” function. The comfortable, forward-thinking player interface is bill validator and TITO-ready and includes a 15-inch touchscreen and extra-large play buttons (with an automatic “re-bet”). It also offers an optional side bet and a mystery jackpot. Taiwan-based Jumbo believes it has a winner in Long Dragon Baccarat and is tweaking the GLI-certified, SAS 6.0X-compatible platform for jurisdictions across the region.
Honorable Mention: Aruze Gaming – Lucky Big Wheel
A member of Aruze’s innovative G-Station series, Lucky Big Wheel incorporates an array of features that add up to a really fresh take on the popular wheel-spinning numbers game, like vivid illumination and crisp sound effects and an eye-catching, super-sized wheel. The player interface is centered on an extra-spacious 22-inch-wide, high resolution LCD monitor and offers an automatic lever for spinning. Up to 50 stations can be linked to a single game for maximum yield and profitability.
ELECTRONIC GAMING PERIPHERALS
The people who design and deliver machine gaming’s critical supporting technologies are truly the industry’s unsung heroes, engineering peripherals such as printers and bill acceptors to be more reliable and more flexible and increasingly “smart”. These qualities are vital to maintaining and building casino profitability by reducing machine down time and the losses in revenue that result. They also make for a better player experience, which of course is the bottom line.
Likewise, casino signage has transformed itself from a straightforward advertising and directional tool to become an integral part of the marketing magic and worthy of recognition on its own.
For peripherals, the judging criteria naturally were determined by the growing sophistication of the technology itself. Operator floor feedback figured prominently in the results. It took into account software stability, the quality of the hardware components and the ease of servicing and upgrade. Interoperability and integration were also weighted heavily based on factors like plug-and-play capability and compatibility with back-of-house operations. Finally, consumer friendliness had to be taken into account, assessed on the basis of the overall robustness and intuitiveness of the technology and the consistent strength and integrity of that all-important interface with the end-user, the player.
Best Electronic Gaming Peripherial – Bill Acceptor
Nominees:
| Manufacturer | Title |
| JCM | iVIZION |
| MEI | CASHFLOW SC |
Winner: MEI – CASHFLOW SC
The CASHFLOW SC celebrated its 10th birthday last year and it’s still going strong. Combined with the RFID-powered data-gathering and transmission capabilities of EASITRAX Soft Count, which is operating on about 85,000 games around the world, the security, speed, acceptance rates and cost efficiencies of the SC remain unparalleled. Best of all, the platform is backwards-compatible with the new SC Advance, which MEI says delivers the industry’s best first-time acceptance rate for valid street-grade notes and is packed with valuable features that include faster bill-to-bill speed, comprehensive bar-code recognition, expanded memory to allow more currencies and denominations to be recognized and a USB 2.0 upgrade to speed up communications with the host machine and allow for the addition of even more functionalities.
Honourable Mention: JCM – iVIZION
The iVIZION is the standard-bearer of JCM’s “intelligent validation” technologies and a fixture on slot floors worldwide. The key to its success is Contact Image Sensor Technology, which delivers better than a 99% acceptance rate on valid banknotes and near-total counterfeit protection. Two high-speed processors, a sealed note path and patented, removable stacker mechanism keep the money moving. The RFID ICB cashbox ably handles the data capture and transmission.
Best Electronic Gaming Peripheral – Printer
Nominees:
| Manufacturer | Title |
| FutureLogic | GEN2 Universal |
| TranAct | Epic 950 |
Winner: FutureLogic – GEN2 Universal
Developed with feedback from OEMs and casinos, the GEN2 enjoys a reputation for reliability, interoperability and ease of integration that were the key considerations for its No. 1 ranking by this year’s judges. Its Intelligent Ticket Handling technology ensures that tickets are fully printed and automatically burst before being released from the slot machine, and its IntelligentBezel scans for obstructions and waits for a clear path before a ticket is ejected, significantly reducing paper jams. Its expanded memory is capable of storing hundreds of clip art objects and thousands of graphic templates. In-game firmware updates are easy to make via a USB port without the need to remove the printer from the machine, and the GEN2 is “hot swappable” so it can be removed when necessary without powering down the device.
Honorable Mention: TransAct – Epic 950
The Epic 950 has been successful for a lot of good reasons: its famed reliability and ease of integration and TransAct’s comprehensive sales and service support. Portability is another core strength of the 950. It can be swapped between gaming devices. And its dual port capability allows it to be linked to a network, enabling coupons to be printed according to property-wide and/ or player-specific criteria.
Best Electronic Signage
This year’s nominees were assessed on the basis of their attractiveness and of course the crowd-pulling appeal of the packaging. Also taken into consideration were interoperability and ease of deployment and use, as well as the underlying strength of the hardware and software.
Nominees:
| Manufacturer | Title |
| LTG | Digital signage |
| Leap Forward Gaming | Picture-in-Picture |
| idNerd Studio | Mystery jackpot animation |
| Simtech | Duo Fu Duo Cai |
| Paltronics | One Link 3E |
Winner: Paltronics – One Link 3E
Paltronics’ One Link Media Systems embraces video, animation, live streaming, text and other media to give casinos the ability to centrally manage and “narrowcast” a complete range of digital content on any display at any property or across multiple properties. One Link is a complete solution—covering overhead, bank-level and top-box displays, table game and poker room displays, in-machine player-tracking and interactive kiosks such as way-finders, hotel room channels, spa and fitness areas, conference centers, bars, elevators and back of house—and a modular and customizable one, enabling casinos to target gaming information, entertainment, messaging and promotions floor-wide or to specific patrons.
Honorable Mention: Simtech Gaming Products –Duo Fu Duo Cai
Overhead displays are critical to the marketing that makes a linked progressive a success, and judging by the enormous popularity of SHFL Entertainment’s Duo Fu Duo Cai, the creator of its colorfully compelling imagery, Queensland-based Simtech Gaming Products, has mastered the art. The company has been at its craft for 15 years, developing customized jackpot theme displays and animations for casinos and clubs across Asia. Nominees: Manufacturer Title Abbiati Security chips and plaques GPI Bourgogne & Grasset chips and plaques GPI RFID chips and plaques Matsui RFID Chip System
TABLE GAMING SUPPLIES
Many of the benefits of digital technology and networking that have so transformed slots and ETGs are also having an impact on table gaming. The benefits are manifesting themselves in game and currency security, the integrity of the auditing process, the speed, efficiency, quality and variety of the playing experience and the overall entertainment value.
Best Table Gaming Currency
Nominees:
| Manufacturer | Title |
| Abbiati | Security chips and plaques |
| GPI | Bourgogne & Grasset chips and plaques |
| GPI | RFID chips and plaques |
| Matsui | RFID Chip System |
Winner: Gaming Partners International – Bourgogne &
Grasset chips and plaques The renown in which the industry holds B&G’s chips and plaques is the reason Gaming Partners International is the dominant supplier of table game currency in the Macau and Singapore markets. The company further solidified this enviable position with the acquisition of OMC, a manufacturer of high-precision molds based near GPI’s French headquarters in Beaune, enabling GPI to offer even higher levels of currency quality, security and customizable beauty.
Honorable Mention: Abbiati Casino Equipment – chips and plaques
Abbiati Casino Equipment now has an office in Singapore to better serve a region where its 16 varieties of American-style chips and plaques in the European style are gaining an increasing following for the richness of their materials and craftsmanship and their enhanced security. The company is currently selling into Macau, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam and is developing an array of advanced RFID solutions to expand its opportunities in the region.
Best Table Gaming Essential
This category covers cards and dice, wheels, shakers and furniture.
Nominees:
| Manufacturer | Title |
| Angel Playing Cards | CASINO ANGEL pre-shuffled cards |
| TCSJOHNHUXLEY | Roulette wheels |
| United States Playing Card Company | BEE Playing Cards |
Winner: Angel Playing Cards – CASINO ANGEL pre-shuffled cards
In Asia, a large casino can use 10,000 card decks in a single day. Even a 0.1% inaccuracy rate in card printing or general manufacture would mean 10 faulty decks per day. That’s too many from management’s viewpoint and from a regulator’s perspective. The accuracy and quality of Angel’s pre-shuffled casino grade products make the company the leader in the segment in Asia. Singapore’s two integrated resorts both exclusively chose Angel, and the company continues to dominate the Macau market.
Honorable Mention: USPC –Bee Playing Cards
Macau’s casinos go through about 100 million decks of playing cards a year, and in pursuit of a greater share of that market, The United States Playing Card Company has boosted its presence in Macau and upgraded its baccarat solution with the release of the tech-laden Bee-Tek Intelligent Electronic Baccarat Shoe. USPC also prides itself on its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in the US, use of proprietary card stock and coatings, and the legacy of the Bee brand, dating back to 1892.
Best Table Utility Product
This category includes shoes, shufflers and chippers.
Nominees:
| Manufacturer | Title |
| Angel Playing Cards | ANGEL EYE shoe |
| SHFL Entertainment | MD3 shuffler |
| SHFL Entertainment | one2six
Multi Deck Shuffler |
| TCSJOHNHUXLEY | Chipper Champ 2 |
Winner: Angel Playing Cards – ANGEL EYE shoe
Angel enjoys a 90% share of the global market for electronic baccarat shoes, and ANGEL EYE is the reason. Recognized as the industry standard, it significantly reduces dealer error and minimizes the possibility of cheating by virtue of a unique proprietary “code” printed on each card. It is found on more than 80% of baccarat tables in Macau and Australia, and more than 5,000 of the systems have been sold and deployed in markets worldwide.
Honorable Mention: SHFL Entertainment – MD3
The MD3, successor to SHFL’s highly regarded MD2, can read and verify every card being shuffled, bringing an unprecedented level of security to multi-deck games like blackjack and baccarat. Its patented platform and gripper system counts and shuffles up to eight decks of cards quickly and quietly and alerts the dealer in the event of missing or added cards.
Best Table Gaming Technology
This category includes RFID applications and solutions, jackpot and management systems and bonusing and displays.
Nominees:
| Manufacturer | Title |
| DEQ | Real Link progressive |
| GPI | Portable Chip Reader |
| SHFL | Caribbean Stud Jackpot software |
| TCSJOHNHUXLEY | Omni Baccarat Display |
| Walker Digital | Perfect Pay |
Winner: DEQ – Real Link
Innovations like Real Link are the basis for the justifiable pride Quebec-based DEQ takes in thinking outside the box. A secure, wireless WAP management system, Real Link, as its name implies, connects multiple casino locations to the company’s single shared G3 table game progressive jackpot. Built for affordability and ease of use, it’s a highly scalable system that uses standard Internet protocols and requires no special hardware. Added features include a Remote Access System that provides advanced monitoring and reporting. Real Link also is capable of interfacing with automated surveillance systems.
Honorable Mention: Gaming Partners International –Portable Chip Reader
With the Portable Chip Reader, GPI extends the security of RFID technology by allowing staff to quickly and accurately read, authenticate and count chips from any location at any time—from the cage or chip bank to the table, pit podium and even to back-of-house counting areas. Its 3-D, high-speed sensory capability allows it to read up to 400 chips per second while simultaneously identifying if the chips are authentic and valid.
Best Table Gaming Innovation
Selections for this category were made at the discretion of the judges, who were invited to choose any product they felt had provided an outstanding contribution to the development of the table gaming industry in Asia over the past year.
Nominees:
| Manufacturer | Title |
| DEQ | Real Link progressive |
| Gaming Partners International | RFID Chip Tray |
| SHFL Entertainment | iTable |
| Sands China | Fast Action Baccarat |
Winner: Sands China – Fast Action Baccarat
Launched in December with four tables at The Venetian Macao, Sands China developed Fast Action Baccarat in-house as a fresh, fast-paced variation on Macau’s most popular casino game, and it has quickly caught on with Chinese players. FAB tables are a prodigious 21 feet long and 8.5 feet wide and feature 28 betting positions, each table allowing up to 60 players the chance to get in on the action. But the key to FAB’s success is its employment of a number of simple yet very effective timesaving devices that work in tandem to speed up play. Three dealers work the game, which runs the face-up, no-commission version of baccarat. Trap doors collect losing bets and drop them onto an enclosed conveyor belt that shunts them to a chip sorter for automatic stacking and sorting. The higher table volumes that result make it cost-effective to offer lower minimum bets than typically found on the traditional game, opening up the baccarat experience to a neglected and potentially lucrative customer segment.
Honorable Mention: Gaming Partners International –RFID Chip Tray
GPI’s single and dual chip trays increase table efficiency, productivity and security by eliminating the need for manual counts that can reduce the overall number of games per hour. They eliminate human accounting errors and combined with the company’s Chip Inventory System provide critical real-time information about chip tray balances.
