As analysts predict strong growth for electronic table games worldwide, IGT’s new gaming terminal and software are drawing rave reviews from operators and players.
“We have over a hundred units of the newly launched Mesa 4K now out in the field and the performance has been very good wherever they are,” said Luigi Cacciapuoti, IGT’s vice president of specialty products and ETG. “Most of the time, we’re replacing a competitor’s product and we’re seeing improvements (in win per seat) between 20 and 100 percent.”
The company’s ETGs currently rank No. 1 on the Eilers-Fantini “US & Canada ETG Performance Report 1Q24,” with a win-per-day rating of about $670.
IGT featured its Mesa 4K ETG terminal at last year’s Global Gaming Expo, and the first U.S. installation came early this year at Beltarra Casino Resort in Indiana.
“Our guests enjoy playing the games and have commented on the clarity of the 27-inch 4K screens and user-friendly touchscreen betting options,” said Joe Barrett, vice president of casino operations. From an operator perspective, he said, the ETGs provide a low minimum bet for players with a limited bankroll, while increasing yield at live tables without fear of losing customers.
Recent analyses by Market Research Intellect and Verified Market Research projected that ETGs’ market size will grow at a compounded annual rate of slightly more than 7 percent over the next four to seven years.
Cacciapuoti said the rising popularity comes from the options ETGs offer and live games can’t. “Up to four or five years ago, the goal for ETGs was to re-create the live table experience,” he explained. “Now our goal is to expand this experience, leveraging the different opportunities that the automated environment allows.”
For example, IGT’s Mesa 4K terminal enables a customer to play up to four high-definition games at a time, with any combination of blackjack, roulette, and baccarat bets. “This multi-table experience is a key element for the growth, because it allows a different experience for the players, and they seem to like it,” Cacciapuoti said.
He described three types of players attracted to ETGs:
- Those with a relatively small bankroll or newcomers intimidated by live table games.
- Those who prefer more privacy than live games allow, especially those who favor larger bets.
- Those who are comfortable betting on more than one hand or spin at a time, comparable to the many online poker players who handle multiple tables at once.
“The majority of the wagering at ETGs comes from experienced players,” Cacciapuoti added.
IGT’s suggested setup of two roulette wheels allows about 2.5 spins per minute, compared with about one per minute at a traditional table. The increased rate comes from the ETG’s automated error-free payouts, the saved time from not having to sweep chips off the layout, and opportunity to bet on more than one game at a time.
Cacciapuoti said roulette and baccarat bettors who play multiple tables base their wagers on the history of previous spins or hands, so the terminal’s 4K resolution is essential for displaying those results – the past 200 spins for roulette, the past 50 hands for baccarat. He talked with one bettor who disliked an earlier ETG version that showed the statistics on the overhead screen, requiring her to change her glasses to see it.
“We have all those small details when we redefined the product,” he said, adding that IGT’s GameAce ETG offerings go beyond the cabinet and terminal. “It’s the overall environment. You have the games, the server, the infrastructure, the table, the support.” Operators can also choose to have the GameAce terminals connected to a live-dealer game.
“Flexibility is king for us,” Cacciapuoti said. “The ETG market is evolving. We want to make sure that two or three years from now, we’re still able to satisfy operators’ emerging needs or deploy new products that we are developing.”
