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US – Shark Trap gaming gearing up for 2018 shuffler launch

By - 25 August 2017

Shark Trap Gaming & Security Systems will release high-tech shuffling machines onto the market next year, offering a table-game platform that will increase productivity, reduce card costs, and offer ‘never-before-realised levels of game protection.’

Called the Shark Trap System, the platform features a network of super shufflers, a term the company beleives will soon become part of the industry’s lexicon in the same way that terms like ‘advantage players,’ ‘shuffler tracking,’ and ‘edge sorting’ became well known. Super shufflers have the capability to detect marked cards, asymmetries, normal wear and tear, and much more, all in real time. The technology works tirelessly and invisibly to detect everything from the tiniest of discrepancies to blatant scams with scientific precision, and all without human intervention or the need to disrupt the games.

Lou DeGregorio, President of Shark Trap, said: “We’ve recently finalized everything (design, manufacturing, etc.) needed to move forward on all fronts. The expectation is to be filling shuffler orders as soon as mid-2018 while continuing to advance our proprietary Shark Trap technology in ways that will unquestionably change the way the industry operates and protects table games.

“After three years of extensive research and development, and after only a few months of sharing the Shark Trap project with industry insiders, the response has been overwhelming, so I wanted to pass along my sincere gratitude to the rapidly growing list of casinos and cardrooms that have offered to field-test and place shufflers, and who have expressed a can’t-wait enthusiasm for the Shark Trap system. “

Five ST shufflers have been conceptualised. These are the Shark Trap Poker Shuffler, the Shark Trap Combination One- and Two-Deck Blackjack Shuffler , the Shark Trap Novelty-Games Shuffler , the Shark Trap Multi-Deck Shuffler and Shark Trap’s Round-to-Round Baccarat Shuffler
Shark Trap originally collaborated with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’s Department of Mechanical Engineering to design and build the early prototypes.

Mr. DeGregorio explained: “UNLV has done an exceptional job getting us to the point where our one- and two-deck shufflers are ready for manufacturing. Based on our research, both here and abroad, card marking scams and strategies that target design asymmetries continue to be a security risk, and it’s a much bigger problem than what has been reported. Cheaters have more access to sophisticated cheating equipment than ever before from online sources all over the world, and today’s advantage players are more dangerous than their predecessors, making these threats difficult to detect until long after the damage is done.”

“The initial response from casinos and cardrooms has been overwhelming, as operators are begging for an alternative to the current monopoly along with solutions that truly address the needs and wishes of the industry,” he added. “And now that we’re aligned with the country’s preeminent firms specializing in computer vision, software development, design, and manufacturing, together with our management team and consultants, the vision is about to become a reality.”

The super shufflers boast no-flash dealing modules, which stop unintentional flashing of dealers’ holecards, automatic rake-slides in poker, and no-batch shuffling formats. They allow operators to safely deal the most efficient games with no more preshuffling, washing/scrambling, turning half the decks (known as the ‘kill’), and other time-consuming, costly procedures.

Mr. DeGregorio added: “It’s difficult to fully grasp the magnitude of such technical capabilities, so as an example, consider the classic dauber. ST’s shufflers will detect daubers before they even have time to act on the information; assess whether the dauber is a pro or amateur; determine if more than one cheater is on the game; determine if the same daub had been played previously, or is being played on another table, or even in another casino.”

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