If fledgling gaming machine group Stargames can crack US approval for its high-speed electronic roulette table, its entrepreneurial managing director John Rouse will gain a key foothold in Las Vegas, not just for himself but for Kerry Packer too.
Rouse’s listed outfit has developed its Rapid Roulette casino table in a 50:50 partnership with Packer’s Crown Casino- and the two are touting it as a killer product.
The table is operated by a dealer but punters place their bets on a screen. The technology increases the number of players per dealer – and has even been upgraded to include bill acceptors and card readers.
Stargames expects licensing in Nevada for Rapid Roulette within a week or two after a successful trial at the glitzy New York Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas strip.
“The results in Las Vegas have been enormous,” Rouse says. He says one Rapid Roulette table pulls in $US210,000 ($372,000) in 25 days, equivalent to the cost of the entire table.
Melbourne’s Crown Casino already has more than 100 operating and units have been sold to casinos in the UK, South Africa and Canada.
Strong sales are tipped to follow Nevada approval, with Stargames now providing a little known international launch pad for the Packer’s expansion of its gaming operations.
Yet Rouse, who’s driving the Stargames US push, has never met UFA Packer. But he shares a passion for gambling that has driven his corporate career for decades.
The Stargames lobby at its Milperra factory in Sydney is adorned with a board quoting the day’s share price, saying “Tomorrow’s share price depends on you.” Yesterday, it was at $1.10, up 60 per cent this year. The sign’s quirkiness hints at a less-than-conventional corporate career.
Rouse …
