“ We learned that there were different demographics and various ways to distribute a roulette or blackjack game . We just needed to come up with new ways to distribute the same games for different types of players , while trying new methods of distribution .”
— John Connelly , Global CEO , Interblock
customed to the look and feel of the product ,” Connelly says .
He adds that the Organic line was revolutionary because of the multiple configurations available to casinos — six-seat , eight-seat and 10-seat versions — and because of the speed of play , at one minute , 40 seconds per spin . “ We ’ ve come a long way , but back then a minute , 40 seconds was quite good ,” Connelly says .
Early Competition
By the time the Organic was introduced , Interblock had new competition in the ETG space , as U . S . slot and table-game suppliers began to explore the genre . Some of that competition came from Connelly ’ s former company , Bally Technologies ( now Light & Wonder ), and from another company that Bally eventually acquired , the former Shuffle Master .
At Bally , Connelly , along with then-head of game development Mike Mitchell , was behind the project that resulted in the launch of V32 Roulette , a single-player , RNG-based video roulette game presented on a then-unheard-of 32-inch portrait monitor . It became one of Bally ’ s biggest hits of the period .
Meanwhile , Shuffle Master — like Bally , now part of Light & Wonder — launched the Table Master series , with not only roulette , but card games like blackjack , baccarat an Three Card Poker presented in an RNG-based multi-game format . With slot-style play stations in front of a large monitor and a computer-generated video dealer running the game , the entire product comprised a footprint similar to a live table .
Table Master setups were popular in U . S . jurisdictions that permitted slots but not table games . Light & Wonder has retained the Table Master brand , and has evolved the technology offering . “ Our TableMaster Quartz offering is still the No 1 blackjack ETG product on the market ,” says Victor Blanco , chief technology officer for Light & Wonder . “ TableMaster Quartz can be configured as a single game offering with traditional blackjack featuring our market-leading side bets like Royal Match , Kings Bounty and Bet the Set , or as a multi-game offering with up to nine different games , including our hottest title , Roulette X .”
IGT also joined the ETG genre in 2000 , with a suite of automated and virtual table products called the M-P Series , out of which the auto-roulette was the most successful . Launched exclusively in the domestic Class III market , it was refined over the years with modular play stations , operator-configurable game speed , and optional large-format LCD results displays .
“ Over time , ( the M-P series ) moved in a different direction , to differentiate itself and try to address certain needs through an innovative product ,” comments Luigi Cacciapuoti , IGT ’ s vice president , specialty products and
ETG . “ IGT launched the M-P Series in the second half of 2000 with a different approach — not as a way to replace the table games , but to offer a different experience .
“ And from that product — by the way , still very popular — 15- plus years later we moved to the more modern ETG experience .”
The Modern ETG
By the time Connelly took the reins at Interblock in January 2015 , the ETG competition was heating up , and innovations soon poured forth from Interblock and others .
The competition yielded the ETG format that exists today . Interblock again led the way , launching radical products like the “ Hologram Gaming Lounge ,” and a variety of stadium setups , including the Pulse Arena , a combination of ETG stadiums and single-player units in an ultra-lounge design that is customized for each casino .
Newer products featured multiplegame setups and live dealers hosting games for collections of player terminals that could reach into the hundreds .
“ In 2015 , we were just beginning to understand what an electronic table game was ,” says Connelly . “ Who plays it ? Why do they play it ? What is the mar-
TableMaster Quartz by Light & Wonder
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