Grand Crystal 2 line by Incredible Technologies , the first ETG series designed exclusively for Class II markets ergonomics of the cabinet — positioned so players can see the wheel and follow the game . We focused on renewing the user interface . Now it ’ s super-responsive . It ’ s fast . The pace of the game is crafted in a way that is very easy .”
One other strong feature of the Mesa 4K is that its monitors clearly display the full statistics of all in-play tables . “ Having access to the statistics is very important , so we honed every aspect of the game through multiple rounds of market research ,” Cacciapuoti says . “ We made sure we implemented all feedback we got from players and casino operators .”
Cacciapuoti says IGT will be introducing what he says is a major advancement in the stadium ETG offering later this year .
New Players
While the big players in the ETG space have continued to innovate , the Covid-19 crisis created an opportunity for new suppliers to move into the genre . The first was Gaming Arts , which happened to have its unique multi-game Casino Wizard , a single-machine electronic table game with four individual table offerings , ready to ship when Covid hit .
Casino Wizard was precisely the right product at the right time , and flourished after casinos reopened following the crisis , as it took a while for players to comfortably return to live tables . In 2022 , the company launched Casino Wizard VIP on the new VertX Grand cabinet . The enhanced version features new side bets and extra games , adding Pai Gow Poker , Super Big 6 Wheel , Swap ’ Em Poker and Triple Card Poker to the original four selections , most featuring high-hold side bets , special bonuses and / or progressives .
Next , slot supplier Incredible Technologies entered the ETG space in 2022 with roulette and craps multi-player setups in the Grand Crystal series . This year , IT launched the Grand Crystal 2 line , the first ETG series designed exclusively for Class II markets .
Debuted at the recent Indian Gaming Tradeshow . Grand Crystal 2 offers two games — multi-player roulette , bringing all the Class III features of standard ETGs to the Class II market , and the innovative True Pick Fastball , which has a compelling way to pick roulette numbers .
Fastball uses a bingo-style ball blower in place of a physical roulette wheel , allowing all the normal roulette wagers with a superfast game speed .
Shawn Cassatt , director of product management at IT , comments the product is made for the Class II bingo world . “ This is as bingo as bingo gets ,” he says . “ We want to find if it ’ s adopted well in these Class II markets , because it speeds up the whole game cycle almost double . So we can literally get about two times as many game decisions per hour as ( live ) table games .”
Launched recently at Tulalip Resort Casino outside of Seattle , Cassatt says the company plans to expand it to tribal markets across North America .
As for the growth prospects of ETGs , North America offers the most greenspace . In U . S . casinos , ETGs currently make up around 1 percent of the floor , whereas in Europe , they can occupy up to 10 percent of the average floor .
( This excludes New York , where the two slot-only racinos include ETGs on 10 percent of the floor — which may change if they are awarded full downstate casino licenses in the coming years .) While few are predicting 10 percent , most expect the footprint of ETGs in North America to grow in the coming years .
“ Over the next five to 10 years , this area will only get bigger ,” says Blanco at Light & Wonder . “ We ’ ll see the adoption rates of ETGs grow as more players embrace the excitement , convenience and expanded connectivity of ETGs , and as operators realize the total benefits that ETGs have for their operation .
“ This includes offering multiple games , attracting new players with a fun , youthful experience at a price point that makes sense , and scaling their existing dealer labor across the casino — all of which should lead to major revenue growth in the years to come . We ’ re excited to see more games replicated on ETGs , as well as a more innovative data approach that enables us to continue to improve the player experience and casino operators to best capitalize on those experiences .”
“ I believe that ETGs will be a cornerstone of the gaming floors as ETGs are more and more established ,” says IGT ’ s Cacciapuoti . “ The benefit of labor optimization is very important . We have this fully hybrid configuration , where the operator can offer live dealers , automatic and virtual tables at the same time . We can even connect our Mesa 4K terminal to existing traditional tables , allowing live players to bet at the same time as ETG players .
“ Solutions like this will help ETGs become more and more popular . I believe that North America is going to see a further increase in the ETG installed base .”
Interblock ’ s Connelly says it ’ s the connectivity of ETG systems that will solidify them on casino floors . “ Ten years from today , I think we ’ re going to have a much more integrated gaming environment between online gaming and traditional casinos ,” he says , predicting an omnichannel future in which players will move seamlessly between online and live channels .
Connelly also predicts technology like that of Smart Pit will make physical gaming chips obsolete . “ My personal feeling is that 10 years from now , traditional table game pits will not exist as we know them today ,” he says . “ You ’ re going to wager without chips , you will have the ability to play online and on a casino floor simultaneously .”
Meanwhile , as more players and suppliers enter the ETG space , the genre will continue to evolve .
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