Table Gaming – a Move into the Future

A speech prepared for the Casinos and Gaming Conference, on the Development of Table Gaming Technology to prevent continuing deterioration of facility market share.
By Andrew MacDonald
Casino Manager, Conrad Jupiters, 1997

What is happening to Casino Table Games?| Will this be allowed to continue till the eventual extinction of table games? Is a Casino still a Casino if is doesn’t offer table games? | Well you don’t have to be too bright obviously to use such an arbitrary system to your advantage. The more you bring the more you get and you don’t have to play any differently. | For high rollers on table games the same is true, although we certainly don’t advertise it as “Cash Back” for this group. | With a broad based accurate table rating system offering real benefits to customers the same could occur with table game players. | That may also be extended to ensure all systems within the facility may be interfaced to enhance service delivery to our customers. The future might be something like this… | A list of the issues which might be looked at include the following | Service delivery is obviously critical in today’s market place but knowing what to deliver and implementing change quickly to meet new needs is even more important. |

In the development phase is Conrad Jupiters Intranet Executive Information System. This will dynamically provide Managers access to critical business information relative to their needs. For example, census data on the number of players playing each type of table at each denomination could be provided to the Casino Manager’s desktop. Using pre-established formats that information derived from the Pits own central data entry points could be downloaded into Excel for analysis and graphical output. This data could then be manipulated to form the variable volume based roster for Staff scheduling purposes and uploaded into the computerised rostering system. Thus, dynamically and efficiently changing the number or type of tables open to more effectively meet customer needs. The same type of process may also be used to analyse the financial performance of various games or link that with Staff productivity etc.

Knowledge is power, but with Executives being overloaded with information every day it is critical to ensure that Managers are provided information, with which they can manage the business, in a form that is readily decipherable to them and which identifies clearly changes in key performance indicators.

So, our Executive Information System will provide us the tools we need to more effectively manage the business.

To more efficiently manage, technology also comes to our aid. Years ago, Casino supervision was based on the premise of people watching people watching people. This labour intensive system was required to ensure the integrity of the games and protect the owners financial interests. With thousands of unaccounted transactions occurring on tables the possibility of fraud was quite open. With no systems like SafeJack and limited C.C.T.V. systems there was a heavy reliance on people and most Casinos relied on one Supervisor per Roulette table and one Supervisor for every two Blackjack tables to watch the Dealer and the players. With improved Surveillance C.C.T.V. systems came a reduction in these levels of supervision. Now we have one Supervisor to two Roulettes tables and one Supervisor to four Blackjack tables. Yet technology is still advancing and we have one camera for every table connected to a VCR recording all action on the game. Crown Casino in Melbourne have even got extra cameras on the tables which digitally record images from the tables which can be played back in the Pit by the Supervisor. This has enabled Crown to negotiate with their regulatory authority a supervision ratio of 1 to 8. Crown Management, while not implementing this ratio in all, believe they will save approximately $8million per annum as a consequence of taking advantage of their reduced supervisory levels.

So as you can see, technology is impacting Casino Table Game operations in all areas.

From new games which improve revenues, to system interfaces which enhance customer service to reducing costs and meeting the needs of our market more quickly, technology is moving Table Gaming into the future.