Just back from the third day at the Gaming Expo. Below is a scan of some of the sample chips picked up. Other goodies at the show included Pamela Anderson, Drew Carey, and Clint Eastwood, all promoting their new slot machines.

Almost as many slots as in a large casino. Lots of new games, both in slots and table games. If you are old enough to remember the "Put-n-Take" tops, they have come out with a table game using them which is run sort of like roulette. Several new versions of Blackjack, a War table game that looks like fun, automated roulette carrousels that contain a center wheel that runs by itself (there goes another employee out the door) with about 8 touchscreen stations around. There was one large (easily 15 feet across and 8 feet high, round slot carrousel that probably had 10-15 touchscreens and a large center domed wheel that spins to give each station a winning multiplier.

In the chip scan, the second from the left in first row has a hollogram center. The slanted lines around the chip are used in a system that can automatically read the chip, determine which casino it belongs to, the value and the metal content. These will probably be high roller chips. This reading system is made by Osborne Mfg.

The red chip on left near the bottom with the crown and "1000" is a metal core chip, quite heavy, made by Matsui Gaming. They have some very nice looking chips.

The yellow chip on the right which shows a ring and a microchip in a clear center is made by Mikohn and is used in a system that tracks the chips as they are used on the table. The system can track players by name (slot card swipe), number of chips and value bet on each hand, wins, losses, average bets, etc.

But the really neat system was from Bally. They have a Blackjack table which not only reads the cards as they come out of the shoe, but scans the table top and records the value of the chips at each station, treads the dealers down card and then can display the results of each gave on a video screen as the discards are placed in a discard reader. The table can also track the number and value of the chips in the dealers tray. In essence, they can tell in an instant if you took a chip off the table. What technology. This sytem will also track other games as well.

Others who attended the show can probably fill in more info.