Age of the
ETG
Interblock ’ s Universal cabinet technology
Electronic table games have grown from simple automated roulette machines into a genre that is steeped in innovation
By Frank Legato
All things considered , this is the golden age of the electronic table game .
According to Verified Market Research , the global ETG market , valued at $ 1.8 billion before Covid hit in 2020 , is projected to reach $ 3.3 billion by 2028 . Some of the largest slot manufacturers now have ETG product libraries , and new competitors are entering the market .
New players are discovering the ETG genre for a variety of reasons , from privacy to learn table games without the intimidation of the live pit to lower minimums , to ergonomically friendly cabinets and 4K monitors offering the ability to play four roulette rolls or baccarat hands at once .
That the ETG genre is constantly being reinvented belies the fact that the genre has only existed for 25 years , having been pioneered by the very company those big slot-makers and newcomers have been chasing , Interblock Gaming .
Innovation in the ETG space traces back to the creation of the genre in the late 1990s in Slovenia , when Interblock founder Joc Pečečnik invented what is regarded by many as the first ETG , an electro-mechanical roulette game , which placed player stations around a central automated physical roulette wheel . The wheel was surrounded by a polished wood cabinet , so that it looked almost like a piece of furniture .
John Connelly , Interblock ’ s global CEO , notes that Interblock ’ s first auto-roulette game was built in a back room at the house of Pečečnik ’ s high school friend . “ As the story goes , when they were done and attempted to move it out of the house , it wouldn ’ t fit — they had to disassemble it and then get it up to London for the ( ICE ) trade show . The rest is history .”
Automated roulette was a hit in Europe , where smaller casinos used the units to offer the popular table game without having to fit a live table into limited space , or pay the labor costs to run a live wheel . By the early 2000s , Slovenia was the epicenter of automated roulette , with several homegrown Slovenian manufacturers edging in to compete with Interblock .
By then , though , Interblock was already working on a reinvention of the auto-roulette market into what would eventually become today ’ s ETG genre . Interblock ’ s R & D during the 2000s resulted in the 2009 launch of the Organic Roulette line . The multi-game setups surrounded a domed wheel with comfortable , slot-like player stations that fit well into casinos . The RNG-based wheel spin greatly speeded up the game , and the technology behind it allowed for Interblock to produce a lot of the games quickly .
“ Back then , the mechanical roulette was very innovative , obviously , but the technology , and the method by which it was made , was not conducive to mass production ,” Connelly says . “ So , they had to redesign it . The Organic product line was much more conducive to the mass Class III casino market .”
It was also sturdy enough to withstand 24-hour casino action . “ It was built for longevity ,” says Connelly . “ We still have Organic products in the field around the world today , still producing , although we end-of-lifed the product around 2020 .”
The Organic line was beloved by players , and in some parts of the world , players are enjoying new versions of the product , built to look and play like the old Organic , but with modern technology . “ The new Diamond Platform looks like an Organic , due to the players becoming so ac-
14 Global Gaming Business JUNE 2024