E-Tourism Topic: Technology in the Casino Industry Overview: Introduction Electronic gaming devices Ticket in, ticket out Players’ clubs Surveillance

1. E-Tourism
Technology in the Casino Industry

2. OVERVIEW
• Introduction
• Electronic gaming devices
• Ticket in, ticket out
• Players’ clubs
• Surveillance

3. Introduction
• Although technology has had an impact on all
areas of casino operations, the greatest impact
has been on the slot floor.

4. Introduction
• When someone within the casino industry
speaks about the slot floor, they are referring to
the area of the casino which offers electronic
gaming devices.
– These devices are grouped in rows on the
same cabinet base called banks.

5. Introduction
• The cashier cage is the location on the casino
floor that acts as the hub for all activity related to
cash and cash equivalents.
– Cash is coin and currency distributed by the
U.S. government as legal tender.

6. Introduction
• The cashier cage is also responsible for the
drop.
• The term drop has more than one definition.
– The context of the discussion determines
which definition is in use.
• The most common definition refers to the
money which the casino collects from its
players.
• It is the money wagered and lost.

7. Electronic gaming devices
• The introduction by Bally of electromechanical
machines in the 1960s signaled a significant
change in slot machine technology.
– The mechanical switch which allowed handles to be
pulled became an electronic sensor.
– This sensor performed better because it could detect
counterfeit coins, otherwise known as slugs.

8. Electronic gaming devices
• Larger payouts were possible and more payouts
could be made without the assistance of slot
department employees.

9. Electronic gaming devices
• Slot machines were offered primarily as an
amenity by casinos.
– Table games generated the majority of revenue and
were considered more glamorous.
– Certainly, it took more skill to play “21” or craps than it
did to pull the handle of a slot machine.

10. Electronic gaming devices
• Initially men gravitated towards the table games.
– To keep male table games players gambling longer,
casinos installed slot machines so the wives and
girlfriends of these players would have something to
do.
• If they were occupied, they were less likely to drag their
husband or boyfriend away from the tables.

11. Ticket in, ticket out
• The most significant innovation, however, has
been Ticket In Ticket Out.
– Otherwise referred to as TITO, Ticket In Ticket
Out has revolutionized the slot department.
• The capability of the devices now allows for bill
validators to be installed so that customers can
insert bills instead of coins.

12. Ticket in, ticket out
FIGURE 11-2 Ticket In Ticket Out Technology Has Transformed Customer
Service, Casino Financial Control, and Slot Department Job Descriptions

13. Fills
• The table games supervisor accesses the
computer in the pit.
– He requests a fill by completing an on-screen form.
• The computer automatically notes the date, time,
pit, and requesting table games supervisor.
• The cashier cage receives the notification
instantaneously.
– The cashier goes about filling the request while he or
she waits for the security officer.
• The dispatch desk notifies the security officer to
report to the cashier cage to complete a fill.
– The officer is also told which pit is requesting the fill.

14. Players’ clubs
• With the advent of electromechanical machines
and then electronic gaming devices, the
computerized capability allowed for the
development of players’ clubs.
– A customer signs up for a casino’s players’
club either in the casino or online.
• The casino issues a plastic card similar to a
credit card with a magnetic strip on the back.
– The front displays the player’s name and
membership number.

15. Radio frequency identification
• RFID is a chip which emits a radio frequency.
– It can be coded to identify the denomination, casino,
and other information.
• By inserting an RFID chip into each chip of the
casino, the casino can monitor the movement of
each chip.
• Sensors at the table games will know when a
chip is in play and whether it won or lost by
reading its position.
– If it moves from the player’s area to the betting circle,
it is in play.

16. Customer relationship
management
• As we discussed in Chapter 9, customer
relationship management is familiarly referred
to as CRM.
– Just as in hotels and restaurants, CRM is a popular
topic for casinos today and arguably done to a higher
degree.

17. Customer relationship
management
• Casino companies invest a lot of resources into
identifying customers and cultivating a
relationship with them.
– The purpose is to establish loyalty with a customer so
his or her preferred casino experience is the hosting
casino.

18. Surveillance
• Surveillance is the department of the casino
which watches all the other departments to
ensure that procedures are followed.
– If everyone follows procedures correctly, the
integrity of controls is maintained.
• Adequate controls are needed to prevent
customers from stealing cash and cash
equivalents and employees from embezzling the
same.

19. Surveillance
FIGURE 11-4 A PTZ or Pan, Tilt, Zoom Camera Can View More of the Casino Floor
Than a Fixed Camera

20. Software in the enterprise
• The casino uses software like all businesses.
– Advances in back office reporting, utility
monitoring software, communications
capabilities, and so on, all add to the
efficiency of the modern casino.
• Given the size of modern casinos, particularly in
larger markets, computer-driven software is
essential to operating these properties.

21. Software in the enterprise
FIGURE 11-5 CityCenter in
Las Vegas Is the Latest
Example of a Casino
Development Whose Size
Requires an Extensive Use of
Technology to Manage and
Operate

22. E-Tourism
Technology in the Casino Industry