SHFL Entertainment will have strong representation from all categories—including utility, specialty games, e-Tables and slots—at G2E Asia, with the next generation TableMaster making its regional debut
Formerly known as Shuffle Master, SHFL Entertainment has a presence in the gaming industry that reaches far beyond the automatic shufflers that gave the company its original name. At G2E Asia, SHFL will be turning the spotlight on electronic table games, progressive games on felt tables, slot machines, and, of course shufflers.
“Asia has been an extremely important market for us, and certainly the fastest growing,” reveals Julia Boguslawski, Vice President Investor Relations and Corporate Communications. “We have an expanding footprint in all the key markets and have been establishing a presence in some of the newer emerging ones. This is a market with strong representation from nearly all of our product lines and substantial room to grow.”
There will be more than 25 products at the SHFL stand, and according to Ms Boguslawski, that includes strong representation for all product categories, including utility, specialty games, e-Tables and slots.
Among eTables, the next generation TableMaster, dubbed TableMaster FUSION, will make its debut at G2E Asia. TableMaster brings table games to an electronic format, with multiple players seated at a console with a virtual dealer. Games include SHFL specialty games with side bets, such as the blackjack game Royal Match 21 along with Dragon Bonus Baccarat and Fortune Pai- Gow Poker.
SHFL FUSION Hybrid
“Our newest e-Table innovation is a significant upgrade to our long-standing, successful TableMaster product,” says Ms Boguslawski. “We’re very excited to unveil a new interface which features a high-definition display, widescreen player terminals with touch-screen betting, enhanced illumination, multiple concurrent side bets, a modern and attractive design, and support for multiple game offerings. The lifelike virtual dealers are stunning—that has always been a hallmark of TableMaster— and the modular design offers flexibility and convenience. This is a significant launch for us and we can’t wait to gauge customer reaction at the show.”
The Rapid e-Table, now called SHFL FUSION Hybrid, also will be on display, and that’s been a big success for SHFL.
“There are over 400 seats of our Rapid e-Table in Singapore,” says Ms Boguslawski, “and the massive stadium-style seating is just an incredible thing to witness.”
SHFL’s top-performing title in Macau, the award-winning Asian-themed slot link Duo Fu Duo Cai, will be the centerpiece of the company’s slot display. The link delivers a unique “All Up” Chinese-themed game style where all lines are always in play, even at a minimum bet of one credit. As players buy more gold symbols, they access a higherpaying scorecard and more opportunities to win progressive jackpot prizes. One of Duo Fu Duo Cai’s most popular titles, 88 Fortunes, is a four-level link progressive that is loaded with features such as stacked symbols, the ability to offer players 10 free games, and a linked jackpot feature.
“It’s in nearly all the marquis properties in Macau, with installs in the Philippines and Singapore as well,” adds Ms Boguslawski of Duo Fu Duo Cai. “Our recent acquisition of a content studio in Qingdao, China, shows our long-term commitment to the Asian market as we strive to continue delivering compelling localized content with highquality graphical assets.”
In the utility category, SHFL has a wellestablished presence in Asia.
“We have card shufflers in markets like Singapore, Macau, Malaysia and the Philippines, with lots of ramp for growth as operators look for ways to enhance security measures on their floors,” observes Ms Boguslawski.
At G2E Asia 2013, the DeckMate2 poker room card shuffler will get an official introduction to the Asian marketplace.
“We unveiled this at G2E in Las Vegas and received very positive feedback from customers; we’re hoping for the same reaction at G2E Asia,” states Ms Boguslawski.
“With a shuffle time of 22 seconds, the DeckMate 2 is twice as fast as its predecessor, the DeckMate. In addition to optical card recognition, the DeckMate 2 features an innovative new shuffling method to reduce wear on playing cards and reduces maintenance needs. The real value proposition is the enhanced security that the DeckMate 2 brings to the table, which is particularly relevant for the Asian gaming market.”
In the progressive games category, SHFL will be showing progressive versions of established games including Crazy 4 Poker and Mississippi Stud. Newer titles, including Big Raise Stud Poker, will be running on SHFL’s next generation Nexus Command progressive hardware.
“Combining an intuitive dealer interface with electronic chip sensors embedded in the table, players are able to place an optional jackpot wager in order to potentially win fixed prizes or a continuously incrementing progressive jackpot,” says Ms Boguslawski. “This next-gen hardware works in conjunction with our new Game Manager 2 progressive management software, a network-based system that allows for multilevel jackpots and fully configurable multiple reserve pools.”
SHFL is excited about the prospects for continued growth in Asian markets.
“We think gaming in Asia is progressing rapidly due to economic growth and that these countries present some of the most exciting, fertile markets in the industry,” says Ms Boguslawski. “Established markets like Macau and Singapore have traditionally been the main focus, but lately emerging markets such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Korea have been on the radar and offer promising growth stories.”
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