GGRAsia – Novomatic adds slot safety lock tech amid pandemic

Novomatic adds slot safety lock tech amid pandemic

Aug 25, 2020 Newsdesk Latest News, Top of the deck, World

Austrian gaming equipment maker Novomatic AG says its established “myACP” casino management system, launched in 2001, has been given another update, this time to ensure casino slot players stay a safe distance apart as markets build up business again during the Covid-19 crisis.

The firm said in a Monday press release it had added to the system what it called a “Disinfection Lock” function, and a “Neighbour Machine Lock” function.

The first, makes the system deactivate automatically an electronic gaming machine after detecting that player activity has stopped on that unit. It then alerts casino staff the machine needs to be cleaned prior to reuse. Once the unit is disinfected, it can be unlocked by a casino employee via the system.

The Neighbour Machine Lock enables staff to lock automatically machines either side of a player’s machine once that guest’s session starts. Those next-door machines can be reactivated once that play session ends.

“This feature significantly supports operators to automate and optimise their floor traffic management, adhering to social distancing and safeguarding requirements,” said Novomatic, “while at the same time maintaining the maximum number of electronic gaming machines in operation”.

Attila Kun, Novomatic’s head of casino management information systems, was quoted in the release as saying the new functions for the myACP system prevented casino operators from having to guess which machines players might want to use.

Mr Kun described the system’s new functions as an “efficient tool to optimise floor traffic, increase guest safety and enhance the floor performance by offering what guests actually choose to play”.

While rules for safe distance between players might vary from one jurisdiction to another, protocols have been mentioned in a number of markets that involve a slot player needing to have at least one machine-width of space on either side, before encountering another slot customer.