TablePro - Table Games Player Tracking System
Questions and Answers

Q: What product will you be featuring at the G2E show?

A: We’re launching a substantial revision of TablePro Table Games Management System in time for G2E.

Q: If it's a reworking of an existing product, what sort of upgrades does it include?

A: TablePro has been dramatically improved. We’ve completely rewritten the interface to the database to maximize scalability and minimize server-side system requirement. For the table games manager, this means that TablePro can grow with the casino without upgrading or adding hardware. Another major upgrade was made to the design of the user interface. It’s still a very simple drag-and-drop system, and now, at the request of pit personnel, it’s been revamped to include even more pit information and integrate smoothly with the activity and workflow of the pit. The most commonly used input fields have all been converted to a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, so casino employees can get up-to-speed quickly. Now pit personnel can track and record a large amount of information in a shorter period of time, including tracking player win/loss.

Q: What kind of new technology is at work here?

A: We’ve moved the application from VB.NET 1.1 to VB.NET 3.5 to take advantage of the improvements made to the .NET framework. The hardware technology has remained the same as the initial version of TablePro, which, in this case, is an advantage – customers won’t have the financial burden of upgrading equipment.

Q: Tell me a little bit about how your design team came up with this innovation?

A: TablePro was originally designed with the input of our Casino Gaming staff – with over fifteen years of experience in the industry we had a great understanding for exactly what the pit personnel needed, and for the information they needed to capture. We also knew that a busy casino needed to be able to learn this software quickly, because they can’t afford down time. We further customized the software with input from the casino personnel themselves. We asked them about their frustrations in the pit, and what features they’d like to have in order to run the table games more efficiently.

When we began this new interface innovation process, we used two primary sources for development information: 1) Casino personnel requests & suggestions and 2) Our study of pit activity in actual casino environments.

Casino personnel are really comfortable with the current windows-based design, so we wanted to leverage and improve upon that comfort level. We knew that everything we added and improved needed to be as easy, or easier, to use than before.

During TablePro installations, the developer attends the installation: He spends a lot of time on the floor talking with each staff member to get their feedback on the design changes. Many of the enhancements are a direct result of this one-on-one activity. Then he stays on the floor, observing how the casino personnel use the software. Based upon this real-world observation style, we can customize the software to make it as efficient as possible.

Q: What does it do for the casino/customer?

A:
The casino:

• Ability to monitor floor activity as it is occurring.
• No need for manual entry of player activity cards for table games.
• Audit trail for every single transaction in the pit.
• Requests for fills and credits are sent directly to the cage, adding or subtracting from the Table Pro Chip Management inventory.
• Supports Title31 management, with automatic prompts for the pit supervisor whenever necessary.
• Automatic, real-time player win/loss tracking
• Centralized administration through a friendly, safe interface
• W2G Jackpot automatic processing

(Further details on any of these features are available; please let us know if you’d like more information on any of these benefits.)

The customer:

They’re now awarded player points as soon as they are unseated from the table. Also, if the pit personnel know the player by name, the customer no longer needs to present his player’s club card to be awarded points – the casino staff can take care of it for him. Payouts are much faster because of the automatic processing and communication with the cage. Ultimately, this software enables the casino staff to more accurately reward customer play. With less work in the pit, the staff can spend more time on each customer.

Q: Will players enjoy this new development?  Or is it a relatively transparent development that most people won't even be aware of?

A: Actually, the players will enjoy these new developments – they just won’t realize it. Their customer service will be greatly improved, and they won’t have to do a thing to make it happen.

Q: How does your new product fit in with the current wave of new technology in table games? i.e. are you following an existing trend or are you on the leading edge of this development?

A: Though large casinos have moved to table management software, small and mid-sized casinos have been slower to do so because of the high cost. We’re on the leading edge of supplying cost-efficient table games management software for the small to mid-sized casinos. They need accurate, detailed information, but not at the magnitude of a huge casino. Our TablePro management software is the solution. We use advanced technology at a more manageable scale and cost.

Additionally, our user interface is unique in the marketplace. Its drag-and-drop, visually-oriented interface has the look of an online gaming website. It’s incredibly easy to use; but behind that simple interface is a powerful table games management software system. The information it tracks and stores is of tremendous advantage to the small and mid-sized casino. Before TablePro, it was difficult for them to implement a cost-effective table games management software system.Technologically, we’re looking into RFID chips to manage chip inventory at the table, depending upon customer demand. We strive to keep the cost of TablePro manageable, while still incorporating everything our customers demand for the best performance in the casino. We always improve our product based upon their needs.