Review SHFL ENTERTAINMENT (Pictured left)
GEORG FEKETE, Product Director,
SHFL entertainment Asia demonstrates the functionality of
the new ChipStar at ICE Totally Gaming.
Having debuted at the Australasian Gaming Expo in
August 2012 and given its strong
reception at G2E 2012, The
Flintstones slot
machine from SHFL entertainment was prominently
displayed at ICE. This three-level,
low-denomination standalone progressive
features a suite of exciting base games and
attractive jackpot prizes along with the exciting ‘mini- reel’ feature trigger.
SHFL's slots lineup also featured: 88 Fortunes, 5
Treasures, Tiger Power, Chomp,
Cape Fortune, and
Oink. All of the titles offer unique
features like new mathematical models, new
jackpot triggers, and new themes.
SHFL introduced its first game for the social casino,
Mississippi Stud, at ICE. SHFL’s social
casino games are designed to enhance an
A STAR IS BORN SHFL entertainment unveiled its ChipStar shuffling machine for the first time at the ICE show. Having shown a number of different models over the years, the company’s aim has always been to reduce noise, lower maintenance and increase safety for those using chipper machines. “We have been striving to create a chipper that could keep the efficiency in high chip volumes, which would prevent dealers from hurting themselves while
using the chipper and, by reducing the number of wearing parts, lower the cost of maintenance too,” explained SHFL entertainment’s Georg Fekete. “Our initial idea was to replace the chipping machine chain with a hopper disc - a big one - that would convey the chips and compartmentalise them using a pre- separator that could handle 7-800 chips as per a normal round.”
Utilising the hopper wheel avoids jams operator’s free-to-
play ecosystem by promoting
synergies between the land-based and online
environments, such as encouraging
new user sign-ups and integrating casino rewards points.
that can be caused by a chain, while the pre-separator catches all the chips and gently separates and dispenses them into the main unit without creating empty spaces that could reduce efficiency. The volume of chips going into the hopper wheel is always under control as software manages the speed of the separator according to how many chips have previously left the chipper and passed into play. The pre-separator simply expects the same volume to return and adjusts its speed accordingly.
“Every chipping machine on the market claims it can process 500 chips per minute,” states Mr. Fekete. “However, this is a theoretical value only. In high chip volumes these machines cannot pick up the number of chips necessary to process that figure. They simply cannot use all the capacity they have due to inefficiency. The ChipStar, in comparison, comes closest to the 500 chips per minute figure, because ‘we do it better.’ At the same time, by doing away with the chain,
“EVERY CHIPPING MACHINE ON THE MARKET CLAIMS IT CAN PROCESS 500 CHIPS PER MINUTE.
HOWEVER, THIS IS A THEORETICAL VALUE ONLY.”
which runs underneath other machines, the dealer is not exposed to moving parts. There isn't a single dealer that doesn't know what that the chain feels like on their fingertips!”
However, while operators appreciate the efficiencies and dealers enjoy the safety improvements, an issue SHFL entertainment faced with using a hopper wheel instead of a chain was unrelated to function, but was all about form. “We found that dealers were reluctant to use a machine that was unfamiliar in form, and was curved rather than flat sided,” said Mr. Fekete. “The solution we’ve used in the ChipStar is a simple one, replacing the hopper disc with a rubber belt, in which we’ve sited modules connected to a tooth belt. It’s an incredibly low maintenance solution that maintains the footprint of a regular chipper, while raising the efficiency and safety. We are constantly developing and redeveloping every product that we create, always striving to be better and the ChipStar is evident of this process in action.”
March 2013 PAGE 57
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