I just read an article on News.com, CNET news that explains the potential future these devices have in casinos. Apparently, ShuffleMaster is not the only company that is making a push in this area of technology. Progressive Gaming is also a player. It is wiring up the Hard Rock in LV. The article states that the changeover is to take place next month. Also, the Wynn casino will have this technology on all it's tables when it opens. The Wynn even plans to take note if chips checked out by someone on credit are played or cashed in by someone else. It would indicate that a player is using their credit line with the casino to make loans to others which is a practice they do not want. The article cites an additional cost of 8K per table and that doesn't include the extra computers and networking equipment needed to run the system. Another downside, is that the best readers now take 7 seconds to read 100 chips. That is perceived to be too slow for fast action table games. ( I am thinking craps and roulette for sure) According to the execs quoted, (casino and RFID companies)the reasons for using this techonlogy are to deter counterfeitingg, (despite an admission that counterfeiting is rare and not a significant problem),catch people who add to their stack after a gaming decision is reached, OR COUNT CARDS.. They also wish to more accurately rate players according to their actual play. They estimate that their comping system gives away 20% - 30% more than they should. This technology will also allow the casino to evaluate how well a player plays and notes that "the casinos generally reserve the most enticing rewards for their most "valuable" players - those that bet and LOSE the most. If it wasn't for bad news, it seems there would be no gaming news at all. :flame:
