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New ways to play
What can multiplayer games do for your casino business, and how are suppliers rising to the challenge of updating old favourites with new technology?
Multiplayer games meld the old with the new, usually providing the gameplay of traditional stalwarts such as Roulette and Blackjack through the latest screen-based, digitally-driven technology. So, while the essence of the play that they offer hasn’t changed much (although there is the occasional all-new game), the means of delivery to the consumer is constantly being updated.
In this feature, we take a look at the latest developments in multiplayer gaming from a selection of suppliers. Other vendors to consider, which we couldn’t include this time, include Alfastreet, Casino Technology, International Game Technology (IGT), Novomatic, Royce & Bach, and Zuum.
Amatic Industries
Amatic’s latest multiplayer product is the Roulette Grand Jeu 22 WS, designed and manufactured in Austria and taking the precision engineering of the Roulette Grand Jeu a step further.
The Roulette Grand Jeu 22 WS combines all the features of its predecessor with a host of new ones. It’s fitted with widescreen 22-inch monitors, the most evident innovation, and available in three versions – as a five-player, eight-player or ten-player unit, with an individual integrated computer on each player terminal. The ten-player version has two wheels; in essence, it brings together two five-player Roulettes including information monitors placed centrally between the two.
The Roulette Grand Jeu 22 WS conforms to the latest SAS standard, and player tracking is integrated into the system. All mainstream payment options are available, for example electronic card, TITO and cash.
Amatic’s electronic Roulette games can be operated with a live Roulette wheel, run by the croupier. The Live Multi Wheel, meanwhile, allows operators to offer players the chance to play on several Roulette wheels from the Amatic terminals for added entertainment value. A jackpot system can also be integrated.
Security features are based on the Amatic Media Control System (AMCS), which offers options such as random wheel speed, door and dome monitoring and a power backup system. Real-time messaging via email or mobile phone provides 24/7 machine monitoring.
Another new electronic Roulette option from Amatic Industries is the Grand Jeu Double. Players have double the chance to win on this multiplayer system incorporating two electronic Roulette wheels and four large monitors.
Apex Gaming
Quikker is a completely new, patented card game from Apex Gaming. Players bet on possible combinations of two cards – on the numbers, the sum of the numbers, the card colours and the suites. Players can thus stake money on a wide range of possible outcomes. The company reports that consumers understand the game quickly and suggests that it combines some of the best features of Blackjack and Roulette.
Quikker has full SAS compatibility and so is available for play with TITO payment. It’s available in six-, eight- and ten-player versions in a variety of colours, and is delivered as standard with Texas Hold ’Em as an alternative game on the same hardware.
DigiDeal
One of the first to introduce new technology to table games back in 1999, DigiDeal continues to present innovations for the multiplayer market, including its automated X-Table.
Powered by the company’s patented Digital Table System (DTS), the X-Table was originally designed to deliver all the key gaming functions within a rich interactive graphical environment. Highlights include a personal 15-inch LCD touchscreen for each player, bill validators and ticket printers, as well as full network compatibility with SAS-enabled accounting and player tracking systems.
New for the X-Table is the ability to be expanded not only with different games but also with extra player seats.
The game library now ranges from classic Baccarat, Texas Hold ’Em, Blackjack, Roulette and Poker to a line of proprietary new games such as Royal Roulette and Racing Card Derby. And to add even more adaptability and to fit a wider range of gaming operations, the company has introduced its new modular X-POD play-on-demand wagering terminals.
The X-POD terminals, it says, provide an easy and affordable way to expand to just the right number of players and seats for a property.
Each terminal offers plug-and-play operation with its own bill acceptor/ticket printer and connectivity to operational and tracking systems. The terminals can connect to the X-Table to increase the total number of positions, or they can be e to create a standalone game area, along with a large flat-screen display and custom stadium seating arrangement.
Interblock
Interblock’s G4 Organic Roulette provides players with every wager available on a live game, as well as fast-paced play and the benefit of immediate payouts.
The table is available in either a classic round design or a new football shape, for six, eight, ten or 12 players with optional individual Player Information Displays (PIDs).
The new football-shape design allows players on one side of the machine to see the action taking place on the other side of the table. In addition, each player screen houses a live video feed of the game in play.
This gives casino operators an option to optimise the floor layout and maximise their turnover.
Every player station comes equipped with proximity sensor, which prolongs the lifetime of the monitors, while the illumination of the machine helps accentuate the curved form of the player stations with their ergonomically-friendly armrests and footrests. The illuminated Interblock logo on the upper panel of the player station even serves as an RFID reader.
TCSJohnHuxley
TCSJohnHuxley’s multiplayer systems all feature hybrid electronic gaming platforms and live game content, allowing players to compete against a live Roulette wheel, dice shaker or card shoe while still enjoying the advantages of electronic betting. Added game security, increased speed and ease of play generate excitement for players and improved profit for operators.
The MultiPLAY system is a hybrid game that employs a single live dealer along with a full-sized electronic multiplayer betting surface that can serve up to 21 player positions simultaneously.
TCSJohnHuxley has continued to enhance MultiPLAY, which is now able to identify individual players and specific bets with its Touch ID feature. The firm claims this allows the MultiPLAY to offer functionality that no other touchscreen-based multiplayer system can, and worldwide patents are pending on the underlying technology.
MultiPLAY is available in two table configurations. MultiPLAY Quad HD offers an effective way of quickly delivering live Roulette, Sic Bo or Craps to a large number of customers. By giving operators the ability to adjust games at the flick of a switch, it is possible to maximise game play and revenue, quickly reacting to the time of day and player demand. And, when this option is placed on a double or triple table, different games can be played simultaneously, still using only one dealer.
This version uses a 56-inch screen, with resolution of 3840x2160 pixels (for comparison, a standard HD screen is 1920x1080 pixels), and is available with a range of table finishes and colours as well as the option to add bespoke gaming layouts and chip designs.
The other table configuration, MultiPLAY HD Auto, is a fully automated and cashless configuration which TCSJohnHuxley says can deliver an even greater return on investment. It uses the new automated TCSJohnHuxley Gemini wheel combined with bill acceptors and ticket printers, allowing the casino operator to offer a 24-hour-a-day live-hybrid Roulette platform that requires no dealer or inspection
MultiPLAY HD Auto, which is designed not only for traditional casinos and electronic casinos but also for slot clubs and electronic arcades, supports TITO payments. It is fitted with individual bill acceptors and ticket printers for each player position, and a fully cashless option featuring smart key technology is also available.
All chip-handling, calculation of winnings and payout functions are fully automated for security, cost reduction and more games per hour, and the MultiPLAY HD Auto can be combined with a Saturn or Gemini wheel or the TCSJohnHuxley Automatic Dice Recognition system to feed winning results to existing electronic terminals.
Earlier this year, TCSJohnHuxley also signed a distribution agreement with DigiDeal, enabling it to supply the full range of DigiDeal products in specific regions around the world. The addition of DigiDeal products to the TCSJohnHuxley portfolio allows it to introduce traditional table games like Blackjack to “slots only” gaming venues; many jurisdictions in the US and around the world do not allow table games using paper cards.
DigiDeal’s digital table game technology, however, mixes digital play with a live dealer/host with traditional chips to retain the live game feel. The DTS (Digital Table System) platform can be played with real chips, but can also employ money-handling capabilities like ticket-in, ticket-out and virtual chips, with the option to operate in auto-host mode or fully automated. Players are offered on-screen virtual chip selection and betting, real-time card peeking plus up-to-date credit and player bank information.
The hybrid L2V (live to virtual) e-table features TCSJohnHuxley’s Value Verification Unit (VVU card scanning shoe), and the DTS-V hybrid touchscreen live card table offers real card play at electronic speeds. Dealers can draw cards from the shoe at their own pace, and operators can allow players to buy in using any available casino method, including slot tickets, cash, and chips from other tables.
