TOUCH-LESS GAMING
vet the company themselves, and vet me, and that meant more fees, and then to get into each casino there can be additional fees involved. Looking at Arizona initially, these requirements became cost prohibitive as a startup wanting to proof out our concept even though our focus was on providing a technology solution to COVID concerns. This hurdle led me to one of my key consultants who had
relationships in Mexico, and he connected me with Logrand, Mexico’s well-known gaming operator. They agreed to partner with us to do our very fi rst install and help us test out our product in a live environment, and given that regulation there is different to the US it made the partnership all the more attractive. Our partnership with Logrand enabled us to launch our
teenagers, and I asked if I could install the game machine there, and she agreed with the caveat that Matt and I had to be able to access the machine at any time. So we started meeting there – it was June by this time – we started reverse engineering the buttons, and Matt’s brilliance really shone through. He was anxious to see if we could see this through, and his contacts were priceless as we moved forward and developed a full prototype. We developed a two-part mould and found an Arizona company to produce our current PCB design; they put it all together and suddenly we had a working prototype. We tested and perfected the buttons in my sister’s basement, and I started looking for industry experts who could assist me with getting the concept into the industry for operator feedback and testing. Once we had proved that the technology worked on a device, the next step was working with operators to test and trial our touchless solution, as a way to move toward generating revenue, and to hire the right people to move into parts and suppliers and distributors, and eventually working with manufacturers to license the technology. Importantly, we also had to look at how we develop a
patent application that can both be upheld and would not only apply to gaming but for other industries and uses as well. That is the fi rst area I wanted to venture into but we also want to look at historical gaming machines, elevator buttons, vending machines…
CI: Is the operation all Arizona-based? CL: That was my dream as an Arizona native. I thought that the tribal operators in my home state – and there are a lot of tribes in Arizona – would enjoy partnering with me to use these buttons. So many of them had to close due to COVID, and I thought helping them re-open in a safe manner would be a great partnership that would help them move their analog slot and video poker machines into the future, similar to the way TITO was developed and rolled out. We all learned to love TITO despite people pushing against it in its early days. During this time, I was talking to different tribes and
operators, and quickly became aware of all the regulations that gaming operators comply with in the US. Each state and tribe has its own regulatory board which has its own fees and often its own testing: I had no idea of this requirement when I began developing my concept! I then started talking to the individual tribes and they needed to
42 SEPTEMBER 2021
technology in multiple casinos on high-traffi c machines, so we are live there and receiving all of the feedback that comes with that. We were so lucky to fi nd and work with them: Logrand has been enormously helpful and positive to work with. We started with Dubai Palace Casino in Cancun, a very popular tourist spot. As a tourist destination, they have greater worries where COVID is concerned, and we were installed in multiple high-use machines and have been in there for months now. The buttons have been in play 24/7 and the reports we are receiving indicate that players are using them as both touch and touch-less mechanisms. They’ve seen no decrease in play and are very, very pleased with their performance. They’ve even published YouTube videos with customer testimonials. Logrand next installed in Monterrey in Paradise
Casino, again in their high play machines. Our technology was recently installed in their crown jewel property, Jubilee Casino, the largest casino in Mexico and the home of the Mexico World Series of Poker. For each installation, Matt and I travelled to Mexico to do the installations, work with their engineers, and see the buttons working across a wide range of machines. These trials have opened a lot of doors for us and we’ve been encouraged by the feedback we’ve received.
CI: Using these buttons in elevators could be absolutely huge on its own… CL: Yes. People are more aware than ever now of what they touch and what that contact can mean; we will all move into a day and age where we want to touch as little as possible to keep our families and communities healthy. Replacing elevator buttons with our touchless
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
