Supplier News

Germany – Merkur Spielbank fits iDROP onto its tables

By Phil - 19 February 2015

The iDROP from APEX gaming has been fitted onto all of the live gaming tables at the casino Merkur Spielbank Leuna-Günthersdorf from the Gauselmann Group.

Merkur Spielbank Leuna-Günthersdorf is the first casino worldwide to have implemented the iDROP for ticketing and cash payment without the need for a cash desk.

Players purchase chips directly at the live gaming table at Merkur Spielbank Leuna-Günthersdorf. The dealer simple places the banknotes or tickets into the iDROP. The iDROP can accept up to 50 notes / tickets at a time in a bundle. It then individually and automatically validates them. When the player wishes to cash out, the dealer then exchanges the chips for a ticket.

Players accepted this revolution at Merkur Spielbank Leuna-Günthersdorf immediately. Allowing the dealer to exchange cash/tickets for chips and vice versa directly at the table means that players no longer have to go to the cash desk. For this reason the casino management consequently renounced upon the cash desk. Players can now move more freely between the slot machines and the live gaming tables. They appreciate that they can take their tickets directly from the slots to live gaming and vice versa.
A key benefit for casino management is that all the money at the live gaming tables is accounted for in real-time. The iDROP can be connected to any casino system via SAS connection and provides operators with immediate information of the drop.

Karl-Heinz Lager is the Head of IT and Security at Merkur Spielbanken Sachsen-Anhalt and spearheaded the introduction of the iDROP in this Gauselmann casino.

He said: “The number one focus at the Gauselmann Group has always been on service. The idea that players can go directly to the live tables from the slot machines and exchange their tickets for chips or swop cash for chips if they go directly to the tables represents a revolution in gaming. This gives players more freedom and anonymity as they no longer need to go to a cash desk. This also saves them time. That is why our casino does not have a cash desk. Our customers accepted this immediately and there is a positive buzz around the casino. The benefits for us as a casino operator are overwhelming as well. We have complete and direct feedback and control of the drop. Furthermore, we purchased about half the amount of chips a casino would normally need – as the chips all remain at the tables as none are required for a cash desk.”

Kubilay Özer, Global Sales Director at APEX gaming, said: “We are very proud that Spielbank Leuna-Günthsdorf has fitted our iDROP on all its live gaming tables. We worked very closely with Mr. Lager and his team to integrate our revolutionary solution. We are also happy to support Mr. Lager in reaching his goal to create the most modern and sophisticated casino in Germany. Our compliments go to their foresight on the benefits the iDROP would bring both them as an operator and the players themselves.”

Kubilay Özer is shown above left with and Johannes Weissengruber from APEX gaming and Karl-Heinz Lager from Merkur Spielbank Leuna-Günthersdorf.JPG