Passion, Emotions and High Technology

In the last few years, the gaming industry has embraced the trend toward increased social interaction between players and a more relaxed, spontaneous and cozy casino ambience. This has spurred the popularity of multiplayer systems – products, allowing for a group of players to play simultaneously, and which encourage not only increased betting but also player interaction and enjoyment of the whole casino experience.

Several months ago, the Bulgarian manufacturer Casino Technology introduced a new and unconventional product in this category – the automated roulette system, PlayMe. The unique design and technology solution implements betting terminals and automatic roulette wheel built into a real musical instrument - a grand piano.

The grand-piano-roulette was originally introduced in 2007 at the G2E world expo in Las Vegas, and was a major success, appealing to both visitors and media. The G3 magazine raved that this is “surely one of the most entertaining and innovative products introduced this year”, and Casino International magazine identified PlayMe as “One of the most astonishing “thematic” automated roulette systems”.

At the beginning of 2008, PlayMe impressed the jury of the prestigious international casino industry awards competition, Gaming Awards 2008. Among tens of nominations, the PlayMe finished among the 5 finalists, next to world leaders such as Aristocrat, Bally and Cammegh. The first PlayMe roulette was installed in the Palms Merkur Casino of Expo hotel in Sofia. The operators from the International Leisure Project intended to create a special piano-bar area in the casino in order to enrich the customer’s entertainment experience. The boutique product turned out to be well suited to their vision. The grandpiano- roulette quickly became the most desirable and attractive place in Palms Merkur Casino. It has brought an artistic touch to the casino and has made it popular even among people who are not casino regulars. We are curious to learn what has inspired the company to develop such unconventional and daring product. “What has spurred our non-traditional approach is our conviction that the key to grasping the players’ interest is the presence of the three elements in the modern casino: art, entertainment, and high technology”, says Derek Russen, Director of Development and Innovations at Casino Technology. He adds “Drawing on a vast experience in the engineering and design of gaming products, we are confident that in order to create a successful game nowadays you need something more than a flawless mathematical model and an attractive bonus system. We believe that by introducing more passion, entertainment, and interaction in the game we will be better able to attract the player’s interest and hold it for a longer period of time.”

Having witnessed the market success of their new concept, the company developed a whole series of PlayMe product variations. “The opportunities are endless,” continues Derek Russen. “In the beginning, we started with the classic configuration – a roulette wheel, built into the body of a grand piano, with integrated or additional stand-alone betting terminals situated close to the piano. But we embraced the challenge to fully exploit the modular principle and the multifunctional concept of the product. This is how we began to develop a series of new models implementing original solutions tailored to the needs of every gaming hall.”

One year after the launch of the first Passion, Emotions and High Technology PlayMe system, Casino Technology continues to surprise its clients with new daring solutions. The latest project, PlayMe Duelling Pianos, is a configuration of two grand pianos sharing one roulette wheel. The product is convenient for the operators as it can be suited to fit in places with different size and floor-plans. The biggest attraction, however, is that casino visitors may enjoy a live music performance of two pianists. The product’s daring form and concept are well suited for gaming halls, which wish to attract a different clientele and increase the number of visitors. Company engineers went even further in offering the new untraditional solution, PlayMe VideoSlot, which adds to the slot-mix in the gaming hall. Instead of using roulette components in just another modification, different videoslot machines are installed at the betting terminals. In this way, the players can listen to a live music performance while playing their favorite videoslot.

Does this sound too daring or unbelievable to you? If you are interested, you could see these innovations firsthand at BEGE, the First Balkan Gaming Expo in Sofia, at the Casino Technology stand.