JCM Global was recently certified to operate in Colorado and New Mexico.
“It gives us the ability to go directly to our customers and support them without having to go through third parties,” says JCM SVP Sales, Marketing and Operations Dave Kubajak.
Sounds simple enough. But the complex world of certifications – JCM is currently licensed to operate in more than 170 jurisdictions – has become an ongoing process for the company. It not only has a department that deals with nothing but getting certified, but it also employs Gaming Laboratories International to help with the sometimes gnarly web of regulations, testing, and certifications.
From bill validation to cashless gaming, JCM has seen a recent mushrooming of its interests in the entire gaming space. Thus, a personal touch that includes a thorough vetting by the jurisdictions JCM wants to serve is required.
“You basically become this open book,” Kubajak says. “The regulators sit down with you, and they look at your business and they say OK, financially you’re a sound company, you’re a secure company, you are a completely legitimate company who follows all the rules of normal business and pays your taxes and does everything you should do.”
That level of scrutiny also extends to JCM’s management team. It also provides regulatory bodies with a complete and thorough picture of the team, one that Kubajak understands is necessary.
“If I was a customer, it would be a nice feeling to me because I know I’m dealing with somebody that isn’t hiding any secrets,” he says, “and isn’t trying to work around the system or use a third party to circumvent some requirement.”
GLI helps pave the way with testing of new products at its laboratories. That relationship is especially helpful when JCM brings a new product into a jurisdiction.
“We’ve got this technology, we’ve got all these licenses, so how do we work through this process together to get our new technology approved,” Kubajak says. “The regulators have no problem sitting down with us because of the licensing that we have and saying, ‘OK, you guys are going to introduce something new, we haven’t seen something like this before, so let’s work through the process.’
“We’ll explain the process to them, they’ll ask questions and try to figure out what challenges might be there based on current regulatory requirements, then they’ll come back and let us know either this fits in the current regulatory framework or they’re going to have to make new regulations specific to our technology. Then we work through that with them and eventually get to a point where they’re now able to introduce the new regulations and say, OK, your new technology can come to market.”
Each jurisdiction has its quirks and requirements; some are easier to navigate than others. Commercial gaming in Maryland is overseen by the state’s lottery and gaming control agency. Approval by that body means a JCM product is ready to go in all of the state’s casinos.
But California is a bit more complex. Each tribal gaming agency must be dealt with individually.
“You go through a licensing process with every single tribe,” Kubajak says, “where they are diligent, they’re thorough, and they’ll make you cross your T’s and dot all your I’s.”
JCM Global will be available to answer any questions about its products at Booth #4039 at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.
