paves the way for downloadable games, client/server games, and intranet and Internet gaming environments. It helps create an agile floor that gives operators the ability to quickly adjust to changing business requirements and new opportunities while maintaining the games of today into the future. The G2S protocol also includes Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption for securing floor data and providing auditable configuration changes and remote software verification.
GDS is a USB-based protocol used to connect gaming peripheral devices such as printers, note acceptors, and card readers to gaming devices. The GDS protocol combines the powerful plug-and-play capabilities of USB 2.0 with the ability to download new firmware to peripheral devices – enabling operators to immediately reduce labor costs and accelerate updates and refreshes. S2S communications protocol helps untangle the jumbled web of casino back-of-house network interfaces, allowing a casino to get a complete picture of customer activity – at restaurants, entertainment venues, shopping areas, kiosks, hotel, and of course on the casino floor. This complete picture will enable operators to reward and market to players as individuals, giving players exactly what they want, based on the player’s own data.
GSA is lucky to have a very active membership and leadership who are passionate about what they do and about the potential GSA standards can bring to the industry. Today’s GSA leadership is a reflection of the diversity of its membership, and is comprised of some of the most active and well respected IT personnel in the gaming industry. Well-known industry IT expert Peter DeRaedt is GSA President, and Senior Vice President, Information Technology for Seminole Gaming Lyle Bell is GSA Chairman. Adrian Marcu, IGT’s VP of Architecture is GSA’s Vice Chair, and Vice President of Product Management at WMS Gaming Rob Siemasko is GSA Secretary. BCLC President Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Scott Norman is GSA Treasurer.
Other Board members include Tom Beauchamp CIO, Penn National Gaming; Greg DeWitt, who oversees Hotel and Casino Channel Development for AMX; Don Doucet, VP of Business Strategy, Products & Marketing at Spielo, a GTECH Company; Bob Mackenzie, MEI’s North American Engineering Director; Ron MacNeil, Managing Director of Technologies, Techlink Entertainment International Ltd.; Jim Morrow, VP of Global Games and Platforms for Aristocrat Technologies Inc.; Melissa Price, VP
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Gaming for Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc; Morrison Reyner, Global Solution Leader for NCR’s Gaming Solutions; Bruce Rowe, Sr. VP of Strategy and Business Development for Bally Technology; and Steve Sutherland Executive VP, Konami Gaming.
The value proposition for gaming standards is the bottom line: greater revenue and decreased costs. Standards-based equipment can increase revenues by allowing operators to offer more games and programs targeted to customer preferences and to retain customer loyalty. Adoption of gaming standards can also decrease costs by giving operators more effective and efficient tools to manage, analyze and evaluate the productivity and profitability of their casino operations. The positive impact on margins and net profits will keep shareholders smiling on the return on investment. Directing a successful slot operation today and into the future is a challenging task. Equipment and systems that are developed in line with the latest open standards and ongoing collaboration between casinos and manufacturers ensure that operators will be well-equipped to manage the evolution of marketplace demands.
Protocol standardization also offers manufacturers a way to help their customers reduce operations costs. Less complex systems need less management and require fewer training and support resources, which translates to lower total cost of ownership. For example, each operator can calculate the cost of upgrading gaming device note acceptors each time a new note is released by a country’s currency system. In the state of Nevada alone, changing a U.S. Treasury note would require more than 200,000 slot machines to be opened, the note acceptor accessed, and new software installed. The cost of lost revenue and the cost of the labor is directly proportionate to the size of the operation. With standards-based peripherals, those costs could be significantly reduced.
The benefits of protocol standardization are beginning to be realized as new floors and games are deployed. Manufacturers can help guide the development of standards that meet their business requirements by joining GSA. GSA’s membership is growing and includes manufacturers and operators around the world who are committed to fostering industry growth and opportunity through protocol standardization.
Now is the time for operators to make their voice heard in GSA’s Operators Advisory Committee, or O.A.C. For more information, or to join GSA, visit
www.gamingstandards.com
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