Supplier News

US – Gaming company introduces slot machine partition that cleans itself

By Phil - 14 May 2020

Smith Rosen Gaming Partitions, a tiny new start-up company comprised of out of work, quarantined, designers, engineers, and entertainers has become the first company in the world to successfully introduce to market a proven, proactive technology engineered specifically to mitigate the proliferation of virus and bacteria in a casino environment.

The group at Smith Rosen Gaming Partitions accomplished this during quarantine, in the midst of a statewide shutdown. Most Gaming Regulators in the U.S. are adhering to the CDC’s recommendation that stringent social distancing measures be implemented when the casinos reopen. Just three weeks ago casinos were left with the unenviable choice of either shutting off neighbouring slot machines, or erect plastic barriers between them.

Smith Rosen Gaming Partitions has begun manufacturing and distributing scratch resistant slot machine partitions that not only enforce social distancing, but actually clean themselves, through the application of concentrated UVC light on the surface of the partition.

“SAFEPLAY UV,” is the first of many patent pending UVC solutions Smith Rosen has developed for the specific purpose of keeping casino guests and employees as safe as possible.

Jamie Klingler, Vice-President of Product Development at Smith Rosen, is a retired figure Skater, who having been diagnosed with the chronic form of Coccidioidomycosis, also known as Valley Fever, understands first- hand the dangers of being immunocompromised in a casino, and is acutely aware of the dangers that she feels many people may not understand.

“The illusion of public safety is more perilous to the Gaming Industry than the casinos taking no action at all. Plastic dividers, although well intentioned, inadvertently create a catch basin for every single thing that flies out of people’s mouths. Plus, in addition to completely destroying the aesthetic of the casino, require a small army to maintain.”

According to the CDC, The virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly from person to person, mainly through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Spread is more likely when people are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).

The CDC suggests that novel coronavirus may remain viable for hours to days on surfaces made from a variety of materials. Cleaning of dirty surfaces followed by disinfection is a best practice measure for prevention of COVID-19 and other viral respiratory illnesses in community settings.

“Because gaming operators are not scientists, they are vulnerable to misinformation proffered by vendors that are looking to make a quick buck,” says Darryl Rosenblatt, Director of Marketing for Smith Rosen.

“Now that they are slowly starting to understand the science, they are making much more informed decisions.”

This newfound education of casino gaming operators is born of a developing alliance between Smith Rosen Gaming Partitions, The UNLV School of Life Sciences, and the National Gaming Institute.

Professor Brian Hedlund of The UNLV School of Life Sciences agrees that working with Rosenblatt to develop a testing protocol to evaluate the efficacy of products claiming to irradiate germs on the casino floor is an important part of insuring public safety.

Talks began when Rosenblatt approached the school for clinical testing of Smith Rosen’s UVC slot partitions.

Jeff Smith, CEO of Smith Rosen reminds his clients that UVC has been used safely to disinfect surfaces, air, and water, for over a hundred years. According to Mr. Smith, most of his clients had never heard of UVC, and strongly advises operators to do their homework before rushing into a proposed solution, regardless of how anxious they may be to open.

“Games that call someone to clean them, static plastic barriers, and dormant machines are not actively killing anything. Out of plain old fear, we designed something big and pretty, to kill stuff that’s small and ugly. We didn’t invent the wheel, we just figured out which direction to spin it.”