SIDE BETS – DRGT DRGT: Side-bets – driving the O
resurgence of table revenues Very little has changed in the way table games are played since their inception, estimated to be as far back as the 15th Century when Baccarat was first documented, followed closely by Blackjack and Roulette in the early 1600s.
n the other side of the coin is slots – despite the fact that the precursor to today’s modern slot machine was only
developed about 120 years ago, it has been through numerous design and game iterations, all for the better. Today’s modern slot machines are
now truly electronic gaming devices (EGM), and their success has been driven by technology. Table games, on the other hand, remain manual and largely void of the flexibility, variations and contemporary nature of their EGM counterparts. The status quo though does not have
to be maintained, and frankly of late it hasn’t been. So, how do table games compete? Our view is this, and the answer is
two-fold: Address the game itself, and tackle
EGMs head-on in terms of jackpots; standalone options, pit-wide, floor-wide and even wide-area
progressive jackpots Address the player, literally; not only engaging and communicating with table games players, but surprising and delighting them with the likes of tailored rewards, special offers, vouchers, and loyalty points, that are all relevant and convenient to redeem
Addressing the game
Just because live table games remain manual in respect of requiring physical dealers, playing cards and chips, there no reason why the integration of technology cannot drive their continued relevance. At DR Gaming Technology (DRGT)
we make use of dedicated communication software, dual-purpose digital chip sensors and multi-game
colour indicators to drive our BlackJack11’s and Poker21’s jackpot side-bet games. Simply put, these technology solutions allow table games players to place single chip jackpot bets on each and every hand of Blackjack or Poker they play. What that does is add that much sought-after layer of excitement, and that chance to ‘strike it rich’; there really is no bigger drawcard for any player than a BIG jackpot. Make the game simple and easy to learn, and then operate that jackpot across a wide area – which ours can do – and the offering gets even more compelling.
Addressing the player
Notwithstanding the added layer of excitement referred to in respect of the actual side-bet and jackpot offering
itself, players need more: they want to be recognised for
their custom they want to be rewarded for it too.
Player expectations are no different to those of a general consumer of any retail or entertainment service or product, and as such table games managers need to treat them, and talk to them, in exactly the same way. In order to do so, Tables operators have to arm themselves with the same functionality as their Slots counterparts, and that means investing in a Tables-specific management system that seamlessly and automatically tracks play, and then integrates directly in real-time to their player loyalty programme. In developing the DRGT Tables Management System, the insights of table games managers during our design and test phases was invaluable; they formed the foundation for what
has become a highly effective, extremely robust, easy-to-use and intuitive tool. While our Tables Management
System continues to garner significant global support, and our table side-bet games continue to perform extremely well across jurisdictions like the United Kingdom, Mexico, Belgium, and Cyprus; and remains arguably the best performing table side-bet game ever in Africa, we cannot rest on our laurels. The ongoing challenge for both
operator and service provider alike is to maintain momentum and keep abreast of what technology continues to allow us to do. As such, we need to continue to challenge the status quo, and provide operators with technology that affords them every possible opportunity to continuously surprise and delight their players.
AUGUST 2019 45
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