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Copyright © Report on Business
HEADLINE: E-table shuffles poker
dealer toward the door
Body:
Poker is a necessary
annoyance for casino executives.
Televised tournaments and pop culture references have made poker
a player favourite, but the games, in which players bet against
one another, don't make much money for the house.
A startup company from North Carolina is trying to change that
with electronic poker
tables called PokerPros that don't require live dealers. These
tables, which debuted in 2005 but aren't yet offered in Nevada,
have big implications for the casino industry.
Because electronic tables play faster than traditional games,
they can increase what the casino takes from the pot over time,
yielding a profit that more resembles that of other, more lucrative
table games. They save labour costs by replacing dealers with
a computer that deals electronic cards to players on a flat screen
much like Internet poker games. And these games don't require
shuffling machines and aren't subject to human error.
That prospect might be a few years away on the Strip but it's
catching on elsewhere, PokerTek Inc. chief executive officer Christopher
Halligan said.
"That people like to touch cards and interact with a dealer
seems like a common sense assertion," said Mr. Halligan.
"But it's false."
Unlike in, say, blackjack, poker
players rarely interact with dealers, and many players, from the
young ones familiar with online games to old-timers, prefer the
speed and efficiency of electronic games to the paper and felt
version, he said.
Seven U.S. casinos, Carnival Cruise Lines cruise ships and even
some Macau casinos have opted for the electronic tables, which
are now undergoing testing with the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
Mr. Halligan says casinos could charge a higher fee for the option
of a live dealer similar to banks that have charged customers
for using tellers instead of ATMs. PTEK (Nasdaq) rose 44 cents
(U.S.) to $7.25.
Fair
Poker Bonus
Related: See
U.S. Poker Rooms
Article
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