MULTIPLAYERS Interblock:
mastering the mix The flexibility of multiplayer systems is
well illustrated by one of the most ambitious new platforms on the market – Organic Island from Slovenia’s Interblock, a sister company of Elektron?ek.
The concept behind Organic Island is
to combine multiple player stations, multiple dealing units and of course many different games in a single connected system, precisely configurable to the needs of each casino.
Each player station has a built-in bill
acceptor, ticket printer and touchscreen. Using these the player can interact with Roulette, dice and card games and even virtual horse racing.
The level of automation in simulating
game activity can be adjusted according to the individual casino’s market and player expectations for each game. Casinos have the option of a fully virtual game generator, automated electro- mechanical systems which run without an operator, or live electro-mechanical devices which do require human management.
Even with a live generator, however,
communication with the large screens that serve as player information displays and with the individual play stations is automatic.
Installations include the Cratos Premium
Casino in Cyprus, where a themed Organic room offers Blackjack, Keno, Roulette and horse racing in a custom environment with details including carpets and walls designed to blend with the Interblock system’s visual styling.
suggest that games on multiplayer systems can be two to three times as fast as their equivalents on conventional tables, with a commensurate increase in gaming revenue. Many systems also allow players to switch from one game to another without physically moving from table to table – dead time during which they are not adding to revenue – and it appears, according to research by multiplayer vendor Amaya, that the easy availability of alternative games from the same terminal means most players will try more than one.
Looking better While the essential nature of multiplayer systems
has remained much the same since they first appeared, vendors continue to develop them, benefiting particularly from advances in display technology, such as the progression of ever-bigger plasma and LCD screens (used to display information to all players, such as the dealer’s cards in Blackjack) and improvements in the capabilities of touchscreens (used for the individual player’s interface that allows them to place bets, instruct the system of their decisions, play side games, and so on).
DigiDeal, for example, is one supplier that has
steadily upgraded its multiplayers. Its DTS-X table now gives each of eight players their own 15-inch LCD touchscreen, bill validator and ticket printer, while a larger LCD screen in the centre of the table shows game action. Games include Texas Hold ‘Em, Blackjack and Baccarat, with more promised for the near future.
And a recent addition to DigiDeal’s product line
points up the capability of multiplayer systems to circumvent regulatory restrictions. Its Digital Random Outcome Interactive Display, or Droid, produces animations of game features such as cards, dice, Bingo balls or a Roulette wheel, meaning that even where the physical objects would be prohibited, games reliant on these devices can be offered.
The designers of multiplayer systems are taking
Those systems that are fully electronic do away with the risk of dealer error – as well as player cheating – although some products, such as Novomatic’s Novo TouchBet Live-Blackjack and Live- Baccarat, combine live dealing, shown on players’ screens, with computerised betting. Either way, staffing requirements are reduced, because even where there is a live dealer he or she can serve many tables simultaneously.
And, perhaps most advantageous of all, experience has shown that they speed up play. Some estimates
42 DECEMBER 2010
advantage of an increasingly wired world, too. For instance, Amaya sees its MGP system not only as a means of delivering games such as Roulette, Baccarat and Sic Bo to an electronic table, but also to a range of other player-facing devices, including individual terminals, bar tops and wireless units. Games can be entirely virtual, or those playing electronically can be linked to live tables – and with an adequate multi-site wide-area network, those tables don’t even have to be in the same casino.
TCSJohnHuxley takes a similar tack with its
AccuPlay product, which links a single live dealer to an unlimited number of remote terminals for Blackjack, Poker, and Baccarat. A tantalising hint of the potential future of multiplayer gaming comes in the firm’s suggestion that it could also be extended to
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