• About Us
  • The Team
  • Advertise with Us

The latest news on the gaming industry in Asia

() () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () ()
  • Home
  • Macau
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • Japan
  • Rest of Asia
  • World
  • Features
  • Industry Talk
  • Trends & Tech
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • RSS Feed
    • LinkedIn

Macau top court rejects appeal on EGM tech patent 

Feb 11, 2021 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck  


Macau top court rejects appeal on EGM tech patent 

Macau’s Court of Final Appeal has rejected an appeal concerning a patent application for some electronic gaming machine (EGM) technology. The patent request had first been filed in 2014 by a unit of casino equipment maker and games provider Scientific Games Corp, but the appeal was filed by a separate entity.

The judgment – made public recently – stated that the patent request did not fulfil all the required criteria.

The original request was submitted in May 2014 by SHFL Entertainment (Australasia) Pty Ltd, a company later renamed SG Gaming ANZ Pty Ltd, according to a notice published in August 2017, in Macau’s Official Gazette.

Scientific Games inherited the intellectual property of SHFL Entertainment Asia when Scientific Games took over Bally Technologies Inc in a US$5.1-billion deal in November 2014. A year earlier, Bally Technologies had bought SHFL Entertainment Asia’s parent, SHFL Entertainment Inc.

The patent request concerned technology for an EGM with a dealer station and a number of terminals for multiple players. The request had been turned down in 2018 by the city’s Economic and Technological Development Bureau, on the basis that the invention lacked “an inventive step.”

An appeal against the bureau’s decision was filed to the Court of Final Appeal (pictured) by a separate company. The company’s name was not disclosed in the latest judgment. That firm is unrelated to Scientific Games, according to information collated by GGRAsia.

A first appeal had been dismissed by Macau’s Court of First Instance in April 2019, and subsequently by the city’s Court of Second Instance, in October that same year.

In its judgment, the Court of Final Appeal stated – among other arguments – that the computer network for reciprocal data communication between terminals, video cameras, screen-visualisation technology and conversion technology data that were mentioned in the case, “existed long before the patent application was filed” in 2014.

The new system “had just combined, in a way that didn’t exist yet, several data technologies that already existed, into a new thing; thus, the invention did not include an inventive step,” said the judgment.

The patent application filed in 2014 by SG Gaming had also been challenged by executives connected to electronic table game manufacturer LT Game Ltd, including Jay Chun, chairman of LT Game’s parent, Hong Kong-listed Paradise Entertainment Ltd.

(Updated on March 18, to correct the fact that the company appealing to the courts is not related to Scientific Games Corp)


  • tweet
Related articles
  • Macau visitor tally up 255pct in March, but 1Q down
    Macau visitor tally up 255pct in March,...

    Apr 22, 2021  

  • Sands China premium mass at 50pct pre-Covid levels: COO
    Sands China premium mass at 50pct...

    Apr 22, 2021  

More news
  • Japan still draw for casinos, doubts on returns: panel
    Japan still draw for casinos, doubts on...

    Apr 22, 2021  

  • Galaxy Ent launches voluntary exit scheme for pit bosses
    Galaxy Ent launches voluntary exit...

    Apr 22, 2021  


Latest News

Japan still draw for casinos, doubts on returns: panel

Japan still draw for casinos, doubts on returns: panel

Apr 22, 2021  

Japan was likely to remain a major opportunity for investment by international casino firms, though the eventual level of return on capital investment was subject to many variables. So heard a...
Read More
Macau visitor tally up 255pct in March, but 1Q down

Macau visitor tally up 255pct in March, but 1Q down

Apr 22, 2021  

Galaxy Ent launches voluntary exit scheme for pit bosses

Galaxy Ent launches voluntary exit scheme for pit bosses

Apr 22, 2021  

IGT board to slim when director leaves in May

IGT board to slim when director leaves in May

Apr 22, 2021  

Sign up to our FREE Newsletter

UB8V5.qr.16(Click here for more)

Pick of the Day

”The [VIP and premium-mass] segments are following very different trajectories, and we would expect that to continue for the time being”

Grant Chum

Chief operating officer of Macau casino operator Sands China



Most Popular

  • GEN Malaysia likely 2021 loss amid pandemic: MaybankGEN Malaysia likely 2021 loss amid pandemic: Maybank April 21, 2021
  • Macau gaming demand recovering comfortably: analystsMacau gaming demand recovering comfortably: analysts April 20, 2021
  • Talks on NagaWorld lay-offs amid pandemic: sourceTalks on NagaWorld lay-offs amid pandemic: source April 19, 2021
  • Macau govt, analysts tip May Day bounty at casino resortsMacau govt, analysts tip May Day bounty at casino resorts April 20, 2021
  • NUSTAR complex in Cebu slated to open 2022: UHRINUSTAR complex in Cebu slated to open 2022: UHRI April 16, 2021
Copyright 2014-2021 TEAM Publishing and Consultancy Ltd / All rights reserved
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Useful Links
  • Contact Us