Interblock ’ s Smart Pit
every single wager . It ’ s electronic , which then indirectly allows casinos to use their marketing spend emphatically better . We are able to greatly reduce the ability of dealers and players to either have collusion or make mistakes .”
He adds that the Smart Pit addresses ongoing labor shortages in the pit . “ One of the biggest challenges the casino operators are facing today is staffing , primarily of craps and roulette . Our ability to utilize fewer dealers on craps — we can go from four to one — is tremendously beneficial to a lot of casinos that are unable to open all of their games concurrently .”
The Smart Pit is now live on the Las Vegas Strip . Connelly estimates that half of the major operators in North America , which have already signed contracts , will be installing Smart Pit systems before the end of summer .
Other new innovations at Interblock include the Universal Cabinet , a singleplayer setup offering a solitary environment to counter the community environment of the stadiums . Connelly says it ’ s the fastest-growing product in the company .
And finally , as of last year , Interblock has incorporated the ETG products of the former Aruze Gaming America , and in fact , hired all the engineers formerly employed by Aruze . This adds hits like the fully automated Shoot to Win Craps and the hybrid dealer-operated Roll to Win Craps to Interblock ’ s lineup .
Light & Wonder has launched its latest ETG stadium setups with Quartz Hybrid , an innovative software product that allows casinos to switch games between live-dealer and ETG mode . This addresses labor concerns with stadium se-
tups — though live dealers can ’ t be available for all games at all times , the Quartz Hybrid system ensures no play stations will sit idle .
Blanco notes that another benefit of the system is its multi-game setup . “ One of the most important advancements ( in ETGs ) has been connectivity ,” he says . “ Originally , all ETGs were standalone pods , where a player could only play the game in front of them . Now , thanks to innovations like Quartz Hybrid , all ETG terminals can be configured to offer players multiple game types from a single terminal .
“ Most casinos have a stadium or at least an ETG area that can drive retail play , saving the truly live play for higher minimums . Today ’ s ETGs connect to live tables in the pit ( offering an alternative to live dealer play ), have progressive jackpots and allow access to data to improve / augment the player experience . In the Northeast , dealer-assisted ETGs are dominant because of the table tax implications . For customers looking for it all , our Quartz Hybrid software offers all our games in both live-dealer mode and RNG mode , so they don ’ t have to sacrifice game variety when choosing whether to add dealers to their ETG stadiums .”
Blanco says Light & Wonder also is making investments in the artificial intelligence ( AI ) and augmented reality ( AR ) space across all its product groups . “ As we go deeper with AI technology into ETGs , we will be able to reduce the time of bringing new games to market , improve the realism of our virtual dealers , and gain greater insights into real-time player behaviors and trends .”
IGT , meanwhile , has rebranded its new ETG line as Game Ace , successor to the Dynasty line . “ We wanted a new brand name because we spent nearly the last three years completely redesigning our offer ,” says Cacciapuoti .
“ The key focus was to create the best possible experience for the players . Personally , I don ’ t believe in creating completely new experiences , because if you look at the past , in the last 30-40 years , there were no real new games , aside from games like Three Card Poker and Pai Gow Poker — very niche , but in the big scheme of things , the most popular table games have stayed the same . Table players , of both live and electronic games , have their game and stick to it . So you need to be respectful of traditional games because changing them too much doesn ’ t have much success with the players .”
IGT , says Cacciapuoti , has focused instead on improving how players interact with the game . “ We launched a new cabinet , the Mesa 4K , because of the
Light & Wonder Quartz Hybrid
“ One of the most important advancements
( in ETGs ) has been connectivity . Originally , all ETGs were standalone pods , where a player could only play the game in front of them . Now , thanks to innovations like Quartz Hybrid , all ETG terminals can be configured to offer players multiple game types from a single terminal .”
— Victor Blanco , Chief Technology Officer , Light & Wonder
18 Global Gaming Business JUNE 2024