The gaming market encompasses a variety of activities and services centered around betting. This industry includes physical casinos, online casinos, lotteries, sports betting, poker, horse racing, and other forms of gaming. Among these, slot machines, known as one-armed bandits, are particularly popular in physical casinos due to their simple gameplay and diverse themes. This widespread appeal makes them one of the most common and well-loved games in the casino environment.
The Portwell Group has been deeply dedicated to gaming and lottery markets for over a decade, providing complete solutions for the gaming industry. With several years of market experience and familiarity with customers, Portwell’sPortwell’sam 2014 committed to the gaming market. As an AGEM member, Portwell not only provides Gaming Logic boxes that comply with the regulations but also integrates with industry chain partners such as payment peripherals and cabinets to form a strategic alliance to provide one-stop shopping services to meet the needs of our customers.
Hardware to firmware is designed to follow gaming regulations and certifications.
SAS HW engine, basic information of EGM to host by SAS Protocol.
Battery backup SRAM and triple Redundancy.
GXG comprehensive API libraries to speed up application development.
As a gaming solution provider, we learned that all gaming devices are fair, safe, and able to be properly audited and operated. To this end, we design the products and follow the rules that affect the game, as well as comply with game regulations, such as GLI.
In addition, we are also familiar with market trends and understand the jurisdictions and regulations in various countries, design and solve customer issues in response to customer needs.
With the development of gaming, the demand for gaming machines has increased and the performance requirements have grown higher and higher. We provide latest gaming solutions, using Intel and AMD processors with rich I/O interfaces and also provide customers with excellent standardized/customized products and services to meet customers’ various applications (Slot machines, Arcade games, Roulette, Amusement with price AWP, Player tracking systems, etc.).
We provide software packages to help customers accelerate development including drivers, application programming interface (API), demo program, and sample code.
In addition, we have the ability to build specific firmware based on different functional IC.
Our goal is to help customers focus on game development and gather all the peripheral functions provided by friendly software.
Complex vendor management (Consult, Design, Manufacture, Integrate, and logistics) is always a headache for customers. Ganlot’s versatility can cover most of the customer’s needs and the most important of all to minimize vendor lists with which customer need to deal with. Ganlot’s professional team can help customers on the project control, using the most efficient resource and cost to reach the target and the time-to-market.
The overall system of a slot machine consists of two main subsystems: one dedicated to handling the gaming software and the other managing player membership and gaming session data. These two independent systems communicate using the Slot Accounting System (SAS) protocol to transmit data. The entire slot machine system relies on specialized motherboards designed specifically for gaming. In the industrial computer product lineup, these motherboards are customized to meet the unique requirements of the gaming industry and are referred to as “gaming” motherboards.
When designing gaming motherboards for slot machines, two key requirements are considered:
Slot machine peripherals, such as physical buttons, LED lighting control, game data storage, and secure electronic coin meters, must integrate seamlessly. These are collectively referred to as gaming functions.
Portwell offers platforms tailored to client needs. For clients focusing on elaborate and immersive gaming experiences, Portwell provides high-performance systems. For those prioritizing cost-efficiency, Portwell offers solutions with balanced performance and affordability. Regardless of the platform’s computational capabilities, all gaming motherboards come equipped with Portwell-designed gaming functions to serve a wide range of gaming market clients.
Portwell has developed gaming functions through years of experience in the gaming market, which can be customized at the hardware interface level to suit specific client needs. At the software interface level, Portwell provides gaming software that allows clients to directly control gaming functions. This enables their engineers to focus on game development while Portwell handles system-related drivers, significantly reducing the time required for integrating games with slot machines.
Portwell’s gaming software includes a comprehensive package for gaming functions. It supports development on both Windows and Linux systems, with consistent Gaming APIs available for client use. Sample code and API documentation are also provided to help clients quickly adapt to Portwell’s software technology.
In slot machines, another critical component is the Player Tracking System (PTS), which manages player memberships while offering various services, such as food ordering and hotel booking. Players can continue gaming while enjoying conveniences like food delivery or booking a hotel room with a simple selection from the machine’s interface. This user-friendly interface allows players to effortlessly browse menus, place orders, or make reservations without interrupting their gaming session. These additional services significantly enhance the overall gaming experience by providing seamless access to amenities.
Although the PTS handles various functionalities, it does not require high-performance processors. Most PTS implementations utilize cost-effective ARM-based platforms. As these platforms typically run on Embedded Linux, Portwell provides a Board Support Package (BSP), which includes firmware and drivers. This allows clients to focus on developing player membership systems and service applications while leaving the integration to Portwell’s software engineers.
The SAS protocol facilitates data exchange between a slot machine’s gaming system and the Player Tracking System (PTS). This protocol allows the transmission of data such as game results, betting amounts, payouts, and player activities. As a critical protocol for casino operations, it ensures accurate and secure data transmission and recording.
SAS protocol communication relies on a 9-bit RS-232 serial interface. This 9-bit mode, unlike the more common 8-bit data format, is prevalent in industrial and embedded systems. Its use extends to various sectors, including the gaming industry, where reliable and efficient communication is crucial.
As slot machine games continue to evolve, system performance demands increase. This can lead to scenarios where game operations consume significant system resources, potentially causing delays in SAS protocol responses. To address this, Portwell has developed a hardware-based SAS solution using a Microcontroller Unit (MCU) to handle SAS protocol processing and real-time responses. By offloading SAS protocol tasks to the MCU, the main CPU is relieved of these duties, allowing it to focus entirely on gaming performance. This separation of tasks ensures that game operations run smoothly, maintaining a seamless and enjoyable gaming experience for players. Additionally, the hardware-based approach enhances the reliability and speed of data transmission, further optimizing the overall system performance.
In the development of slot machines, Portwell provides custom-designed gaming motherboards and player tracking systems. From integrating gaming functions to supporting SAS protocol requirements, Portwell offers comprehensive software and technical support to help clients reduce development time and deliver optimized gaming solutions. With a focus on innovation and reliability, Portwell ensures that its products meet the highest standards of performance and security. By partnering with Portwell, clients can confidently bring advanced and engaging gaming experiences to the market on time, ensuring a faster launch and improved business outcomes.
PTS—Player tracking system, can assist casino operators to communicate with players and analyze player habits, provide not only operators with player behavior patterns but also store, process, and show information to players lead to better user experience...[Read more]
Consumers’ enthusiasm for gaming has made governments around the world look forward to the market opportunities and rich taxation behind this gaming industry. For example, after the legalized operation of the AWP gaming machine, the Italian government has brought a different look to the licensed gaming industry. AWP is a standard under...[Read more]
In the entertainment industry such as gaming, there are many casinos around the world, various new games are constantly being unveiled to catch the players’ attention. Therefore, an attractive visual experience is needed provided that the hardware requires a relatively high graphic performance. Because gambling involves cash flow so the data...[Read more]
