Division of Gaming Enforcement
John J. Farmer, Jr., Attorney General
John Peter Suarez, Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 14, 2000

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Katherine Lyons (609) 777-2403

Slot Laboratory Begins Recruitment Effort, Increases Efficiency

ATLANTIC CITY -- The State Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) is recruiting statisticians and engineers for the Engineering Section of its Technical Services Bureau Slot Laboratory as part of an effort to improve the efficiency of the lab, DGE Director John Peter Suarez said today.

The popularity of slot machines has meant increased volume and increasingly complex programs for the Engineering Section of the Technical Services Bureau (TSB). Slot machine manufacturers submit for TSB's review prototypes, or base games that can support any number of control programs; control programs, which are the personalities of a machine; or a package containing several control programs to accompany each prototype. In addition, all peripheral components, such as bill validators, coin acceptors, coin hoppers and progressive game components are evaluated in the lab, and other peripheral reviews including evaluation of electronic funds transfer systems, card shuffling devices, table game progressive systems are also conducted in the lab.

"By increasing the number of engineers and statisticians in the lab, we can continue to provide the highest quality analysis of electronic games, while being responsive to the needs of the industry," Director Suarez said.

Atlantic City casinos won $4.16 billion in 1999. With revenue derived from slot machines accounting for 71 percent, roughly $2.96 billion, of the total, slot machines are a significant focus of the casino industry. There are some 38,000 electronic gaming devices in Atlantic City casinos, each of which has been tested by the TSB lab and has met the standard for approval. Under current regulation, casinos are permitted to use up to 90 percent of their casino floor space for electronic games.

The TSB's mission is to assure the integrity of electronic gaming equipment, including all slot machine operations within the State of New Jersey. Before a piece of electronic gaming equipment can be used in Atlantic City casinos, TSB must perform a complete diagnostic and statistical analysis of the machine including calculating the payout percentage, volatility and accuracy of awards. Once the testing is complete, TSB submits a report to the Casino Control Commission (CCC) with a recommendation to grant or deny approval of the game. The CCC issues the final approval.

"The gaming public can remain confident that we require the utmost integrity and fairness of play in all games approved for Atlantic City casinos. We believe that these staffing enhancements will improve the turnaround time for new games submitted to the lab, so that patrons can enjoy them sooner, while maintaining that the games play fairly and pay fairly," Director Suarez said.

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