Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Shuffle Master Bets On RFID Poker Chips
Casinos have sought in vain to accurately track table game bets and rate a player's wagering tendencies - until now. Shuffle Master has acquired two RFID patents that will allow them to track every chip on the table. RFID tags will actually be manufactured into each chip; table scanners will be able to read denomination and position on the table (read more about RFID chips). The chips should be available sometime this year.
"RFID technology allows the casino to calculate a player's average bet size, their won-loss percentage and their quality of play," Shuffle Master CEO Mark Yoseloff said. "But RFID is just a small portion in the broader issue of data gathering in a table game environment."
(From Shuffle Master acquires patents)
Shuffle Master plans to use RFID-implanted chips with optical card readers embedded into the company's automated shuffling products; casinos will get better game security against chip counterfeiting and card counting. It will also improve the ability of casino managers to determine average wagers and win/loss percentage for any given individual player - not just the high-rollers, who have been tracked by hand for years.
Yoseloff isn't concerned about being perceived as Big Brother. "I think it's more intrusive to know what brand of toothpaste or what brand of intimate product a consumer is using than collecting wagering data," he said. "This technology gives the casino an accurate read on a customer so they can reward them properly."
Don't be too sure about poker players and surveillance. Science fiction readers may recall the bugged money from Bruce Sterling's 1998 novel Distraction. In the novel, American cash was known to be bugged; no one would play with it or accept it for ordinary use. You might also be interested in taking a look at the Polybot-based gambling robot; if you are interested in placing a wager for your grandchildren to collect, try the Long Bets Foundation web site. From Shuffle Master acquires RFID patents to track table play.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 1/6/2005)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 2 )
Related News Stories - (" Culture ")
Is It Time To Forbid Human Driving?
'Heavy penalties... were to be applied to any one found driving manually-controlled machines.' - Bernard Brown, 1934.
Indonesian Clans Battle
'The observation vehicle was of that peculiar variety used in conveying a large number of people across rough terrain.' - Jack Vance (1952)
Liuzhi Process Now In Use In China
'He was in a high-ceilinged windowless cell with walls of glittering white porcelain.' - George Orwell, 1984.
Animated Tumblebugs On Astounding Cover!
'Gaines and Harvey mounted tumblebugs, and kept abreast of the Cadet Captain...'
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Bone-Building Drug Evenity Approved
'Compounds devised by the biochemists for the rapid building of bone...'
Secret Kill Switch Found In Yutong Buses
'The car faltered as the external command came to brake...'
Inmotion Electric Unicycle In Combat
'It is about the size and shape of a kitchen stool, gyro-stabilized...'
Grok Scores Best In Psychological Tests
'Try to find out how he ticks...'
PaXini Supersensitive Robot Fingers
'My fingers are not that sensitive...'
Congress Considers Automatic Emergency Braking, One Hundred Years Too Late
'The greatest problem of all was the elimination of the human element of braking together with its inevitable time lag.'
The Desert Ship Sailed In Imagination
'Across the ancient sea floor a dozen tall, blue-sailed Martian sand ships floated, like blue smoke.'
The Zapata Air Scooter Would Be Great In A Science Fiction Story
'Betty's slapdash style.'
Thermostabilized Wet Meat Product (NASA Prototype)
There are no orbiting Michelin stars. Yet.
Could Crystal Batteries Generate Power For Centuries?
'Power could be compressed thus into an inch-square cube of what looked like blue-white ice'
India Ponders Always-On Smartphone Location Tracking
'It is necessary... for your own protection.'
Amazon Will Send You Heinlein's Knockdown Cabin
'It's so light that you can set it up in five minutes by yourself...'
Is It Time To Forbid Human Driving?
'Heavy penalties... were to be applied to any one found driving manually-controlled machines.'
Replace The Smartphone With A Connected Edge Node For AI Inference
'Buy a Little Dingbat... electropen, wrist watch, pocketphone, pocket radio, billfold ... all in one.'
Artificial Skin For Robots Is Coming Right Along
'... an elastic, tinted material that had all the feel and appearance of human flesh and epidermis.'
Robot Guard Dog On Duty
I might also be thinking of K-9 from Doctor Who.
