The Clarion Ledger reported yesterday on the pilot program for the new ticket-in, ticket-out system authorized by the Mississippi Gaming Commission, and on the implications the system will have on the industry.
Patrons at some of Mississippi's 29 casinos already have the option of using a bar-coded ticket when they play slot machines. But some casinos are waiting for a ticket-in, ticket-out system approved by the five-employee Mississippi Gaming Lab, which typically has a backlog of work. A pilot program authorized by the Mississippi Gaming Commission is expected to speed up the process. The program allows gaming manufacturers to use the independent lab, BMM North America in Las Vegas, to evaluate ticket-in, ticket-out systems rather than waiting for approval from the Gaming Commission lab in Biloxi.
JoAnn Smith of Brandon said she's used a ticket-in, ticket-out system at Rainbow Hotel Casino in Vicksburg. "It saves time and it's convenient," she said. "You don't have to wait to get your money out of a machine. You just get the ticket."
Here's how a ticket-in, ticket-out system works: The slot machine issues a bar-coded ticket that a player treats like currency. A customer presents the ticket when he wants to cash out or he can carry the ticket with him when he switches machines and avoid waiting for the machine to issue tokens.
"Let's say a patron puts $100 in and wants to cash out $50," said Larry Gregory, executive director of the commission. "Coins start to drop, but what happens is there's always a shortage of coins, and you have to wait for a hopper fill.
"A casino employee has to come see the machine has a shortage of coins, get more coins and bring them back. A hopper fill can take from 20 minutes up to an hour on a busy night. The patron has to sit at that machine until it happens. That's fewer dollars going into the machine and that means fewer tax dollars for the state."
The ticket-in, ticket-out technology "will do for casinos what ATMs did for banking," said Bernie Burkholder, chief executive officer/president of Treasure Bay Casino in Biloxi. Ticket-in, ticket-out technology should help Mississippi casinos remain competitive with casinos in Louisiana and those at Pearl River Resort operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, said Ray Neilsen, general manager, Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg. "We've been working at a competitive disadvantage with our Shreveport, La., and Choctaw neighbors," he said.
Until the commission OK'd the use of the independent lab, the state Gaming Commission Lab in Biloxi was responsible for testing new machines before a casino could use them. Technology is constantly evolving and that has made it difficult for the lab to keep pace, Gregory said. Testing by the state Gaming Lab generally takes 90 to 107 days because of a backlog of work, said Len Blackwell of Gulfport, chairman of the commission.
"We hope to reduce that to a 90-day turnaround by allowing the use of an independent lab," he said. "The lab will give the report to use with its recommendation and we would review that." The state Gaming Lab charges $125 an hour for testing, Gregory said. He was unable to compare that to what an independent lab charges. It's up to the manufacturer to decide whether to submit a system to the state Gaming Lab or an independent lab for testing, but only the Gaming Commission can approve or deny use of a system. The pilot program will be evaluated at the end of 90 days, Gregory said.
The commission might authorize additional independent labs to do testing and perhaps require each to obtain a Mississippi gaming license, Blackwell said. The commission has also talked about having the chief executive officer of a company that operates a gaming lab sign off on its testing, he said.
The commission selected BMM North America to evaluate the technology because the Nevada Gaming Control Board uses it and it's a small company that would be easy to communicate with daily, Gregory said. "I wanted my arms wrapped around this," he said.
Pictured: Mississippi Gaming Commission/Special to The Clarion-Ledger Carl Reid (left) and Jason Baxter, gaming electronics specialists for the Mississippi Gaming Commission, perform tests at the Mississippi Gaming Lab in Biloxi. The lab tests games to ensure they perform the way manufacturers promise.
SOURCE: The Clarion Ledger.
