Attendees of Raving’s Cutting Edge Table Games Conference select Fortune Teller Blackjack for top prize
Battling declining revenues, casinos have been targeting their table game departments for financial relief. Some have drastically cut their pit area due to the erosion in profitability while others have allocated additional resources banking on renewed interest. What direction is exactly the right direction?
With conflicting strategies from one extreme to the next, Reno based Raving Consulting Company took the lead in addressing this issue last year by creating Raving’s Cutting Edge Table Games Conference and it returned again this year to Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on August 17-19. The conference was attended by commercial, tribal and racetrack-casino properties from over 15 different states as well as Canada; over sixty different companies were represented at the conference.
One aspect of this innovative conference was the opportunity for table game professionals and attendees to experience, analyze and vote for their favorite new games from the pioneering group of exhibitors in attendance, through Casino Journal’s Best New Table Games Competition. This was created specifically to recognize and honor new table games, which often can be overlooked in the sea of new casino technologies and slot machines that permeate the gaming industry each year.
The winners of Casino Journal’s Best New Table Games Competition for 2009:
Gold—Fortune Teller Blackjack by Unlimited Concepts, Inc.
Silver—Emperor’s Challenge Bonus by Galaxy Gaming
Bronze—Rock n Roll Dice
Taking home the Gold Award was Cary Lucier, President of Fortune Teller Blackjack by Unlimited Concepts, Inc. “The conference was invaluable to our company because it was aimed specifically at our target market consisting of casino table games decision makers. This conference eliminates posers and middlemen common to other trade shows that normally waste an exhibitor’s precious time, which could be better spent in meaningful discussions with quality contacts. All of the attendees at this conference were focused, dedicated and honest with their opinions when it came to reviewing the games. The Managers and Executives who voted have given our game their stamp of approval and I doubt we could’ve gotten the same thing anywhere else.”
Bob Pietrosanto, Sales Manager for Galaxy Gaming, the 2008 Bronze Winner and 2009 Silver Winner said, “The Raving Table Games Conference provides an excellent venue for companies like Galaxy Gaming to meet, network and spend quality time with table games decision makers. Once again we are honored to have one of our new games be recognized and win an award at the Raving event. What makes it special is the very people who voted our game one of the best are ultimately the ones who will decide to put it on their casino floor. We have already received several orders for Emperor’s Challenge Bonus and the Raving event certainly helped kick it into the next gear. Galaxy Gaming looks forward to participating in next year’s event, debuting another exciting new table game and keeping our winning streak alive.”
The Bronze Award went to first time conference exhibitor Rock ‘n Roll Dice. “The showing at the conference confirmed our belief that we have a great product,” said Jimmy Barber, Vice President of Marketing.
This annual, “must attend” table games event addresses innovative and hot button issues and assembles the cream of the crop of new table games in one place at one time—where table game executives would find the best learning and networking for themselves, among their real table games brothers and sisters.
Dennis Conrad, President and Chief Strategist of Raving Consulting Company stated, “Because of the continuing erosion of table game revenues, it’s important to have a venue to talk about important issues. The traditional table game model has gotten old and stale. This conference is a way to bring everyone together and share ideas that maybe haven’t been considered and find ways to start thinking outside of the box when it comes to table games. There is really no other venue or event where this can occur. This is the table games conference for table game operators and table game vendors.”
Conrad likened Raving’s Cutting Edge Table Games Conference to a “table games laboratory.”
“You get to evaluate a ton of new games all in one place without having to deal with the hassles of larger trade shows. You get to take part in honest, straight-forward discussions about topics that are critical to table game professionals and the organization. The learning and networking for attendees is strong and is always a big plus at Raving conferences.”
Raving would like to give special thanks to each of the exhibitors and sponsors that took part in this inaugural conference: Dejo Gaming Enterprises, Bunko Bucks, Gary Platt Manufacturing, Galaxy Gaming, Gaming Partners International (GPI), Imperial Casino Games, Jesse James Hold ‘Em, MGC, MVP Gaming, Unlimited Concepts, Inc., Rock ‘n Roll Dice, Raving Service, SCA Gaming, Score Gaming, Barona Resort & Casino and Casino Journal.
For more information on Casino Journal’s Best New Table Games of 2009 Competition or Raving’s Cutting Edge Table Games Conference, you can contact Christine Faria, Vice President of Operations for Raving Consulting Company at (775) 329-7864 or by e-mail: chris@ravingconsulting.com. You can also download the full conference schedule for Raving’s Cutting Edge Table Games Conference at:http://ravingconsulting.com/tablegames.html for more information.
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