The rise of electronic blackjack.
Blackjack is undeniably one of the staple games of casino gambling and, like roulette, the premise is simple and the play is exciting. The game itself has changed very little over the years and, due to its straightforward rules and betting format, it has found universal appeal and also provides a more accessible introduction to table games than poker. One thing that is changing, however, is the type of tables customers are now playing on as casinos become far more technologically advanced.
Shuffle Master offers both fully electronic and hybrid electronic blackjack tables. The US-based company’s Table Master, a five-station fully electronic platform, features a video dealer and offers standard blackjack. It’s hybrid table, the i-Table, combines live cards and a dealer with electronic betting.
"Both Table Master and the i-Table are relevant to traditional casino operators because of their security enhancing and labour-saving properties," Shuffle Master’s Kristen Clark told InterGaming. "Table Master extends its appeal to other markets, including VLTs and racinos, where live table games are not permitted, providing operators in these markets with the ability to offer their players table game-style action."
TCS John Huxley’s AccuPlay also combines touchscreen technology with live cards, offering players real card action at electronic speed. Standard house cards are used in a normal card shoe but are drawn across a reader and are shown on screens in front of the players. The touchscreens then display credit and give players options for playing the game, such as buy-ins and taking additional cards.
"The great thing about this product is that it maintains the trust that players have in real cards but removes the time-consuming element of chip handling for both the dealer and the players," said Tracy Cohen, marketing manager at TCS John Huxley. "With its mix of real card action and electronic speed, AccuPlay will certainly appeal to both old school and new generation players."
There are significant benefits for operators choosing to offer their players hybrid blackjack tables such as AccuPlay, both in terms of operational costs and security. And as the recession continues to bite into operators’ budgets, the need to streamline businesses and make meaningful efficiency gains is becoming increasingly important.
"Apart from the major reduction in game time achieved by simultaneous decision-making and automatic payment, the game requires fewer cards per round and thus fewer shuffles per session," Cohen explained. "Card counting too becomes a more arduous task with fewer cards spread over a longer period and a reduction in the need for a shuffling machine."
Clark agrees, stating: "Fully electronic blackjack provides operators with a completely secure table game environment. Because all game activity is conducted electronically, it is impossible for cheating, card counting and other types of behaviour to occur."
Urska Ribich, of Slovenian multiplayer manufacturer Elektroncek, believes that electronic blackjack games give operators a greater level of control and help to achieve greater efficiency. The company’s G4 Organic Card BlackJack, which was launched at the London show in 2008, is a completely automated multiplayer game that shuffles and deals real cards.
The software used ensures a totally random distribution of eight decks, arranging the cards and dealing them at the same time. This, Ribich said, means that the game does not have to stop in order to complete a shuffle.
"The machine is secure from tampering and gives the casino owner overall control while lowering workforce costs," she told InterGaming. "The game is capable of delivering 30 per cent more hands than on a live blackjack table, depending of course on how long the player needs to decide."
TCS John Huxley’s AccuPlay, meanwhile, can support an unlimited number of satellite tables and remote terminals from a single dealer, without reducing game speed or the need to change the rules of the game.
"The benefits are obvious, with AccuPlay delivering total game security," Cohen asserted. "All dealt cards, player and dealer decisions, game rule/procedures and payouts are controlled by the system. By taking control of game resolution, AccuPlay eliminates all dealer errors and allows gaming staff to focus more on customer experience rather than supervision."
The latest development for AccuPlay includes an additional RNG element, which is available for all games across the platform. This allows operators to easily switch between a live game driven by a dealer and a random game which requires no dealer intervention.
"The major benefit of this to operators," Cohen continued, "is that it allows tables to be operational up to 24 hours a day, even if staff resources are not available."
Austrian manufacturer Novomatic’s electronic blackjack was first presented at ICE 2008 as one of the first generation of games on the Novo Unity II multiplayer platform. The game is played on individual touchscreen player terminals such as Novo-Bar or the Novo-Vision Slant Top II and is available as a NovoTouchBet Live BlackJack version with a live dealer, or as a completely virtual Novo Flying BlackJack version.
Novo TouchBet Live BlackJack is the result of a collaboration between Novomatic and TCS John Huxley. It combines the company’s innovative electronic card shoe and reader that recognises card values and transmits the information to the individual player terminal displays, whereas in the Novo Flying BlackJack version the game server draws the cards on a virtual random basis.
"In both game versions the display on the individual terminal offers players detailed information about their peers’ play behaviour in the so-called Score Board," explained Novomatic’s Max Lindenberg. "It provides a minute account of the players’ cards in the game and the current game events. All players start with the same two initial cards and an identical dealer card and compete against the same dealer card."
The two companies have also worked together to develop a specially-designed table that incorporates bar-top terminals. These were first launched at the London show in January and have now been installed at a number of UK casinos, including Aspinalls Newcastle and Grosvenor Casino Gunwarf, Portsmouth.
"Novomatic electronic blackjack revolutionises the traditional game of blackjack," Lindenberg said. "The dramatically increased game speed and maximum gaming comfort achieved through individual player stations that deliver stunning 3D graphics and additional information for guests, bring this game to a new level of gaming excitement."
But with all this technology, are we moving away from the original game too quickly? Unsurprisingly, the answer from those manufacturing electronic versions of the game is no. But they have a point. Electronic blackjack is not in direct competition with live tables - there will always be a home for live games just as there will always be those players who prefer to interact with a dealer.
Hybrid tables are effectively bridging the gap between live tables and electronic machines, offering players a live action experience and operators all the benefits of electronic betting. While some traditional players may prefer to stick to what they know, younger players are expected to become accustomed to such technology.
"We feel the i-Table is an excellent example of what the future holds for blackjack," said Shuffle Master’s Clark. "Its electronic betting interface combined with live cards and a live dealer allows operators to heighten the security, profitability and functionality of their blackjack tables while maintaining the true ‘live game’ experience.
"Additionally, it gives players access to a wider range of betting options than are currently available."
Fully-electronic machines, meanwhile, are providing an ideal solution for casinos that have previously been unable to run live table games on a 24-hour basis and smaller casinos that are now sensitive to labour costs.
They are also proving appealing to different customer demographics.
Gregor Jeza, president of the board at Hit Casino Mond, said Elektroncek’s machine has been a successful addition to his gaming floor.
"The good thing we have realised is that this machine has caught the attention of new and younger players and also enabled our traditional players to play their game during hours when live tables are closed," he said.
Uros J Derzek, regional sales manager at Slovenian multiplayer manufacturer Gold Club, agrees that electronic blackjack is attracting a younger set of customers.
"Electronic blackjack tables attract players who prefer faster and more private games," he said. "The majority of customers are younger people. They are more adapted to new technology such as touchscreen monitors and cashless systems."
Gold Club launched its fully-electronic blackjack table at the London show in 2008. Boasting five player stations, the table features 17ins touchscreens and either a 40ins or 46ins HD LCD screen displaying a 3D animated croupier. The machine can be adapted to include additional games such as baccarat and punto banco.
"Electronic blackjack has several advantages over live table games," he said. "Most importantly it has lower operating costs. It has much higher security and fewer ‘inside job’ frauds in the electronic version of the game.
"Electric blackjack tables are expected to become common installations in casinos around the world and even operators in mature markets are getting in on the act. In order to meet the changing demands of this new generation of players, casinos need to explore equally new solutions.
"Big casinos sometimes test the electronic version because it is a new ‘hot item’ and smaller ones are trying to reduce the cost of staff," Derzek said. "At the moment, the future looks bright for electronic blackjack games in many markets around the world."
