Even if multi-games are becoming the workhorses of the slot floor, there is still plenty of room for the feature games and jackpots, of which there was a bewil- deringly inventive display across all manufacturers at the show. Big licences are proving their worth, from board games to starry music, movie and TV themes, there is a huge amount of excellent content attractively pack- aged and, most importantly of all, entertaining and appealing. Companies are really showing how they can engage players with bonuses that bring out the most enjoyable aspects of the main theme, be it the music of Elvis or Michael, the glamour of Marilyn, the thrill of Jaws or the fascina- tion of the world of Tolkien. What links all of them is immersion in the game content, of course, but also through excellent sound systems and, for example, motion chairs, immersion in the whole experience. There is another subset of game styles that is now fast reaching maturity, those involving real skill. Games such as these have been around perhaps for a few years but now technology is making them more viable and more visible. There has long been a question about how to bring a new demo- graphic into the casino, to offer games that appeal to a younger - but not necessar-
ily the youngest (legal) - gen- eration. What the thirty- and forty-somethings have been brought up with is arcade and console games, where there is a distinct element of skill. How to achieve that in a gaming machine where random number generators rule has not been the easiest question to answer, but some of the answers on show at ICE were pretty con- vincing. Bally’s suite of games featuring the iDeck were particularly impres- sive, as was IGT’s Reel Edge games which allows players to stop the reels and control the bonus.
What skill games will also do is add to the trend of com- munity style gaming: imagine players pitting themselves against each other in a style of slot tour- nament that focuses on the bonus rather than the base game - IGT is already consid- ering a version of its Big Buck Hunter that does away with the base game altogether. But of course technology is no longer just the pre- serve of the slot machine manufacturers. It is also enhancing table operations in dramatic ways. The net- working and mobile appli- cations mentioned above are one thing, but there are also value-adding jackpots for all kinds of games as well as products for improving the function of these games most prone to (sometimes) expensive human error. Cammegh’s EyeCard system
is likely to spread to other applications.
That
company’s PowerPlay roulette bonusing system with the Mercury 360 Aurora wheel will be going head-to-head with the equally impressive Super- Nova from TCS John Huxley that has now been extended to include roulette. In the poker sphere, GPI’s Poker Progressive is also worth keeping an eye on. LEDs are proving a sur-
prisingly adaptable feature in table gaming, too: TCS John Huxley, Cammegh and Abbiati are all making use of it in roulette. Illuminating the layout from beneath does more than just signal no more bets and replace the dolly, it connects into the reporting systems helping to reduce or elimi- nate errors and cheating. But one of the most inter- esting products at the show was the prototype Alur table from Gaming Support, which takes LEDs on to the card table. When it is finally released, it will create what- ever layout casinos want at the touch of a button, stan- dard games, games with side bets plus other functions, including reserving player positions. There is perhaps no better example of using technology to enhance the player’s experience while provide the ultimate in flex- ibility for operators. ICE 2012 certainly deliv-
ered a totally gaming expe- rience.
March 2012 •ICEreport 19
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