TabletKiosk® Showcases New Mobile Touch Screen Solutions at the Global Gaming Expo In Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, NV -- November 17, 2009 — TabletKiosk®, a leading provider of mobile touch screen computing solutions, continues to extend its presence in the casino industry by showcasing its newest handheld Tablet PCs and Ultra-Mobile PCs in booth #643 at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E). These mobile touch screen tablets offer improved value and productivity to casino professionals due to their mobile form factor and ability to run a full PC operating system.

The eo™ a7330D, powered by the Intel® Atom™ Z530P ULV processor features a "fit-in-your-hand" mobile design with a 7.1-inch dual mode digitizer and touch screen, dual hot swappable batteries and a revolutionary new modular expansion system that uses interchangeable modules to enhance the device’s functionality for specific tasks including swiping player cards and mobile POS. In order to highlight the eo platform as a mobile point-of-sale terminal, representatives from TabletKiosk will demonstrate the new eo a7330D running Focus POS, a leading restaurant management software application.

The Sahara NetSlate™ a230T, powered by the Intel® Atom™ N270 processor, features a 12.1-inch resistive touch screen and is designed to run client/server, or cloud -based, applications. This new entry-level Tablet PC is an affordable option for businesses looking for a touch screen tablet solution, without the enhanced feature-set or processing power of the existing Sahara Slate PC® i400 series of Tablet PCs. At G2E, representatives from TabletKiosk will demonstrate the Sahara NetSlate running several restaurant entertainment applications from TapCode, a leading provider of self-service and digital entertainment restaurant solutions.

In addition to highlighting the ease of incorporating a mobile solution in a casino or resort setting, TabletKiosk will also showcase the Sahara Slate PC i400 series of Tablet PCs running Microsoft’s newest operating system, Windows 7 with enhanced touch and inking functionality to promote on-the-go communication. Demos of several of the industry’s most innovative applications will be running on the Sahara Slate PC.

The first demonstration features a Sahara Slate PC i440T acting as a mobile terminal for Cantor Gaming’s “In-Running” betting application, which enables casino guests to wager on live sporting events before and throughout the event. This solution is currently in use at the M Resort in Henderson, NV, for a variety of sporting events, including NBA Basketball and Major League Baseball.

To encourage improved staff/guest interaction, TabletKiosk will also demonstrate the web-based GoConcierge guest service application on a Sahara Slate PC i440D with handwriting input for entering information on the fly. The GoConcierge application is currently in use at the Bellagio and will also be used in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at City Center, opening in November.

“As an industry innovator, TabletKiosk is in a unique position to showcase how the Tablet PC platform can improve worker productivity for casino and resort staff,” said Martin Smekal, president of TabletKiosk. “Because our company focuses solely on solutions featuring slate-style, touch enabled tablets, we understand both the benefits and challenges that integrating this form factor presents and we work closely with our partners to identify potential issues before they occur."

About TabletKiosk®

TabletKiosk is a registered trademark and wholly owned subsidiary of Sand Dune Ventures, Inc. a privately held technology incubator. The company produces slate-style Tablet PCs, Ultra-Mobile PCs and a mobile clinical assistant (MCA) marketed through an authorized reseller channel and directly through the company website. For more information, visit http://www.tabletkiosk.com/.

# # # #

Cantor Gaming implements Mobile Gaming at the M Resort in Las Vegas with Sahara Slate PCs

Sometime ago, I posted an article that described the new mobile gaming offerings that the new M Resort in Las Vegas would be implementing in its new casino with.

Well now that the casino is up and running, the mobile gaming sportsbook at the M Resort, run by Cantor Gaming is garnering a lot of attention.

The article below was printed in the Las Vegas Review and describes how the “tablet-like” devices are being utilized in the sports book area of the M Resort.  Of course, I know that the devices being used are actually Sahara Slate PCs i440Ds which were modified to fulfill the strict standards set by the Nevada Gaming Commission… 

New system lets bettors wager on games in progress

(reprinted from the Las Vegas Business Press, April 01, 2009)

Wagering on the NCAA men's basketball tournament took a different twist this  month at the M Resort. Gamblers could not only place money on the outcomes and point totals, but on certain games bets were accepted while the action took place. The bets were possible through M Resort's "in-running" wagering, in which betting lines were changed as game play dictated.

Cantor Gaming, a technology company trying to bring hand-held wagering devices into Nevada casinos, is managing M Resort's sports book. The company, a subsidiary of the worldwide financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald, introduced the "in-running" betting system to the sports book.

Customers can place money on account at the sports book and will get a device that resembles a tablet personal computer. The device only works in the M Resort sports book.

On the tablet, betting lines are changed and updated while a game takes place, allowing gamblers to wager on the action. Customers can cash out when the game ends.

"I think this really provides an exciting opportunity to sports bettors and M Resort's customers," said longtime gaming executive Phil Flaherty, who is a consultant to Cantor Gaming. "It was interesting to see how quickly it was accepted by the customers."

M Resort is serving as the showroom for the gambling technology. Cantor Gaming wants to bring the devices into other Nevada sports books. Flaherty said the NCAA basketball tournament was the perfect event for introducing the system. Not all the games during the first two rounds and Sweet 16 were available for the technology. However, all the Final Four matchups Saturday and Monday will be part of "in-running" wagering.

The system will be in full swing, Flaherty said, during the National Basketball Association playoffs and the Major League Baseball season. He expects the technology to receive its biggest challenge during the college and professional football season.

"It's designed to enhance the experience, but it's also designed to enhance the handle (amount wagered)," Flaherty said.

M Resort first tested the system on a National Invitational Tournament college basketball contest between Baylor and Georgetown. Baylor started out as a three-point favorite and had a 10-point lead at halftime. Baylor had to rally, however, to win the game by two points.

Flaherty said wagering on the game increased significantly over what the handle would have been if just the outcome and total had been on the board. The back-and-forth lead changes during the game's second half factored into the wagering.
Early statistics from the system show customers placed anywhere from $200 to $2,000 on accounts for "in-running wagering." Customers have placed between eight and 50 wagers per game. The typical bet is in the $20 to $40 range, but some players have gambled as much as $250 each time the line changed.
"It's been quite fascinating to watch," Flaherty said. "We've also seen a number of women using the system."

For M Resort Chief Executive Officer Anthony Marnell III, new ideas that bring customers into the month-old property might turn them into long-term customers. The sports wagering idea adds to his goal of making M Resort one of the leading casinos for technology.

"Everything is done in real time and you can see the points, spread and money line fluctuate as the game goes on," Marnell said. "We're giving M's sports bettors the most innovative way to bet in the country and the most exciting way to do it."

Gambling on the Go

Gambling on the Go by Christina Volpe
Reprinted from Hospitality Technology Magazine, October 9, 2008

Gambling on the go
Imagine being able to gamble practically anywhere you want in a casino: by the pool, in the lobby or even while you wait for your table in a restaurant. Nevada has become the first state in the nation to approve of the use of handheld mobile gaming devices in casinos, and several casino operators are lining up to test out this innovative technology.

These wireless handheld devices, which look like Nintendo's Game Boy, feature a variety of games that patrons can choose from to play such as bingo, poker, blackjack, baccarat, roulette or horse betting. In order to use these mobile devices, guests simply need to sign them out with the proper identification and load them with the desired amount of money.

By limiting where players can use these wireless devices (they only work in public areas, such as by the pool or in the lobby), manufacturers and operators hope to curb incidents of theft and underage use. Should guests roam away from the sanctioned areas of play, these devices will turn off and can only be reactivated once the player returns to the casino's public area.

The M Resort, Spa and Casino (www.themresort.com) is just one of two Las Vegas resorts which is in the process of testing mobile hand-held gaming, which management expects to go live in spring 2009. Through an exclusive agreement with Cantor Gaming (www.cantorgaming.com), the M Resort has plans to use the hand-held mobile devices for operating their racing and sports books, in addition to offering guests the opportunity to play unique casino game offerings.

The M Resort is currently in the process of choosing which games they are going to use on the mobile devices.
"There is definitely a demand for mobile gaming as an operator," says Joe Magliarditi, executive vice president and chief operating officer for the M Resort, Spa and Casino. "We are going to be able to offer casino customers more time to game at the pool, or during conventions, or when going to dinner with friends. We, like everyone else, are trying to give customers more options. Our hotel will be very value oriented and customers can do something here that they cannot do at other properties. And that is very important."

The Venetian Resort, Hotel, Casino (www.venetian.com) was the first property in Las Vegas to field test devices from Cantor Gaming. After receiving approval from the Gaming Control Board, testing began in April 2008 and is expected to conclude this fall. The field trials are currently contained in the high limit slots salon of The Venetian only, with hopes to roll out mobile gaming throughout The Venetian and The Palazzo once the tests have concluded.
Cantor Gaming is the exclusive mobile gaming provider for both the M Resort and The Venetian. The company is the first licensed manufacturer, distributor and operator of a mobile gaming system in the Nevada Gaming Commission and was one of the early proponents pushing for the legalization of mobile gaming in Nevada.

"It is just like everything else, says Magliarditi, "We are going to have to closely monitor it with security, management and surveillance."