Interactive
CASINO MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS CERTUS TECHNOLOGIES
Being cloud based allows us to answer that call and provide them with tools that simply have not previously been available to casinos.
Te disruptive nature of our technology means we are not only targeting the land based casino business though, there are sizeable VLT and AWP markets out there who would love to use these marketing tools in their operations and can now do so without the cost structures associated with legacy systems.
Is regulation a barrier to implementing this kind of technology in the casino space?
I think it’s more of an enabler than it is a barrier. Having said that, there’s definitely a self- imposed psychological barrier involved in the equation and I’ll explain why…
When Certus first went into the French market, before I joined the company, we debated internally whether the gaming police would be open to a cloud solution. We simply were not sure and some of us predicted ‘no way.’ In truth, we underestimated the regulators; once they saw the technology they asked a lot of questions but ultimately understood that advances in technology bring better security and better quality of data.
Te same with independent gaming labs, it is almost like they’ve been waiting for someone to finally launch this type of product.
So far, nobody has an issue that it is Cloud- based, but many insist our servers are located in the state or at least the country where the license is held. Tat’s no problem for us and is one of the reasons we have stayed cloud agnostic. Cloud providers are also advancing new technology and Microsoft recently launched Azure stack which basically allows you to have a cloud on premise. Tis is a big positive for us and really removes the last remaining barriers.
AML AND DATA PRIVACY CLASH One of the biggest challenges our operators face
is how to comply with new regulations such as Europe’s new Anti-Money Laundering Directive or the new Data Privacy Act that’s coming in 2018. Te latter requires constant approval mechanism whenever you make the slightest change in how you handle data. Gone are the days of global permissions, the customer has the right to slice and dice what he approves.
Te other thing that‘s really interesting is how the Data Privacy Act and the Anti-Money Laundering Directive actually clash. You have to think they weren’t sitting in the same room
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when they wrote the rules here. AML4 tells you that you must know your customer almost as well as the bank does, while Data Privacy demands that you’re not allowed to know anything without their permission. If your customer opts out under the Data Privacy Act, how do you comply with AML4? Now there’s ways of handling this issue if you’re utilising Big Data, which you can’t simply do if you’re approaching this with a more manual process.
If you’re using a legacy system, you will either have to seriously restrict how people play or rely on a host of manual processes and/or paperwork and hope you don’t make any mistakes.
Our real time data and the fact we are cloud- based allows for easier processes to ensure compliance.
In terms of installation, because you’re cloud- based, how straight forward is implementation?
Currently we have the system installed throughout the Tranchant Casino Group estate in France, which is comprised of 16 different casinos. As with any casino install you set up machine masters, define how you run your operations, etc. Te difference is you only do this once and then have central control over all the locations. Te amount of time our technicians have to spend on site is minimal and could be reduced to a couple of days per site.
Te real time access to live data within remote operations also gives you tremendous control which doesn’t exist in legacy systems. But there’s operational benefits too! Our ticket in, ticket out system is truly multi-site. In legacy systems, if you visited a different location from the one where you cashed out the ticket, it was useless. Our TITO as with all our functionality is fully cloud based, so can be linked in any operations of the same group is what the group decides it wants.
Te other beauty with being Cloud-based is you have no actual servers on site - there’s no need for them - so your IT infrastructure and expense is greatly reduced.
Okay, so I’m convinced that going Cloud-based is the future, but am I going to rip out my current system for the advantages it brings?
Well you’ve got to go back and say, what’s the reason why changing a system is such a big decision, and the major reason is CapeX. It’s cost. Being Cloud-based eliminates the cost of on-site servers, we don’t believe in proprietary hardware either. We believe the proprietary
model came about because systems suppliers have, first and foremost, been machine manufacturers which were used to making money out of hardware.
Hardware manufacturers want to sell you a piece of proprietary kit for several thousand euros and eventually sell you a replacement kit, when these days a 70 euros Android tablet can perform exactly the same function and you can throw it away when it breaks and put in a new one.
If you want to install all the bells and whistles on a legacy system, you technically need about $2,500 per machine. You can find cheaper, but then you don’t have bonusing etc. With Certus, those upfront costs can be reduced by as much as 90%, so the major barrier has been removed.
On top of a huge cost saving, using readily available technologies also provides additional flexibility. If you use an android tablet as your in-machine display for example, then you will find it easier to develop new functionality to it. If your systems supplier can’t or won’t help you, you are no longer held at ransom due to being limited by his proprietary hardware!
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