The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 Good Things Happen When We All Pull Together Introducing S2S

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 What is GSA? The Gaming Standards Association (GSA) is an international trade association that benefits gaming manufacturers, suppliers, operators, and regulators. GSA facilitates the identification, definition, development, promotion, and implementation of open standards to enable innovation, education, and communication for the benefit of the entire industry.

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 System to System (S2S) Protocol Game Control Progressive Slot Accounting Voucher Manager Player Tracking Coin/Bill Counters S2S Coin Acceptor Coin Hopper Note Acceptor Printer Touch Screen EGM Host Systems and other S2S devices Kiosks Point of Sale Class II Servers S2S G2SGDS

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 Current Challenges  Changing a system related device is a major architecture project  Does current vendor support the new POS system  How long will it take to get a new interface built?  What if I don’t like the new product, how do I go back to the old one?  Consider a kiosk replacement (ticketing, marketing)  Alternately, a new POS system (Casino System, accounting system, hotel system)

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 Current Challenges  How easy is it to get information moved into your in- house systems for analysis?  What if you could go to a gaming show, see a product, and have it in your casino the following week?  Wouldn’t it be nice to have the diagnostic info captured by each note acceptors available at your desk?

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 Benefits of S2S  Standardizes communication between servers  A new vendor only has to write one interface to get into the market, vs. 4 to 6 that they have to do now  Casinos benefit from new innovations  Vendors Benefit from reduced complexity  (More time for new features)  Supports “plug and play” for systems and peripheral devices  Try out a new product  If you don’t like it, return it!

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 Benefits of S2S  S2S is developed with GDS and G2S, so back end servers can interact with note acceptors  Innovation – Note Acceptor Vendors can now do something completely different Retrieve diagnostic information Distribute new software electronically  Standardization promotes portability, interoperability and reusability  Vendors can write one interface and use it everywhere  Reduces testing (and problems in the field)

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 Good Things Happen When We All Pull Together The Seminole Story GSA Moving at the Speed of Business

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 Seminole Tribe

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 S2S and Class II In a Class II environment, each manufacturer has their own server for central determination and other game functions The Problem: Four game manufacturers means  Four separate accounting reports,  Four player tracking feeds, and  Three voucher systems Vouchers are only redeemable on same manufacturer’s games What about the cashier booth? (four redemption terminals…)

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 Seminole Tribe - Vision

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 Seminole Tribe - Today Game Servers Accounting Player tracking Vouchers

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 S2S and Class II - the solution EGMs still talk proprietary protocol to their host servers to minimize scope of change Each host server now talks S2S to a central consolidation server, which provides  One accounting report  All vouchers are processed through a central database  All systems communicate using common protocols  Happier casino management! Since the switch to S2S, they’re ready for the future

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 Future Solution with G2S  EGMs talk to host server for game outcome (proprietary or G2S)  EGMs talk directly to central server for accounting and vouchers (G2S)  EGMs talk directly to player tracking system for player activity (G2S) S2S or G2S doesn’t matter as long as the pain is gone

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 G2S Solution

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 S2S Update  S2S Version 1.2 – recently released  Incorporates all changes requested by existing systems  Currently servers are using S2S 1.1.5, , with extensions; 1.2 brings everyone together  New ATM kiosk apps are implementing S2S as a single communication method  S2S 1.2 simulators and development tools are available  Four S2S 1.2 Central System Vendors by Q1 2007

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 Plug and Play Goal for Systems Quick recap:  Systems move from proprietary solutions to standard communications  Vendors spend less time maintaining protocols  Single Protocol – Much easier to test  Operator doesn’t have to wait for their version to get modified  Easy to try a new peripheral (kiosk, currency counter, POS system)

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 Additional Benefits of a Standard  With a single standard, third party tools become viable  Test Suites - Ensure the protocol has been properly implemented  Latency Testers - Automatically check response time every X minutes, send an if there’s a problem  Regression Testers - retest everything every time there’s a build  Available to Manufacturers, Test Labs, or Operators

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 When can I get S2S?  S2S release 1.2 has been completed  Simulators are available (and are being used by several development teams)  Certification planning and definition are in progress  Encourage your vendors to move to S2S to give everyone more flexibility in the future  Exciting times are ahead!

The Year of Implementation and Value Creation!Global Gaming Expo 2006 The Ending Note  For on-going questions or inquires on protocols, please contact  This presentation is available on GSA’s Website: [Now is the perfect time for questions or comments]