CasinoFest3: GSA Certification GSA Certification: How does it benefit Operators? Russ Ristine – Radical Blue Gaming

CasinoFest3: GSA Certification

GSA Certification:

How does it benefit Operators?Russ Ristine – Radical Blue Gaming


What is GSA?

• GSA is an international trade association

• GSA’s members include gaming manufacturers, suppliers, operators, and regulators

• Since 1998, GSA has been promoting and facilitating the development of open standards that benefit the entire gaming industry


Benefits of GSA

• Create Standard Protocols (GDS, G2S, and S2S)

– Protocol experts from member companies

– All agree this is the way it must be

• Encourage adoption

– Create a stable protocol

– Training (UNLV – IGI)

– Celebrate implementations

– Provide publicity


GSA’s Platinum Members


Goal of a Standard Protocol

• Move all players from proprietary solutions to standard communications

• Vendors spend less time maintaining protocols

• Single Protocol – Much easier to test

• Operator doesn’t have to wait for their version to get modified

• Fearless Installs!


Agenda

Looking at Slot Machines (EGMs)

• What about Systems?

• GSA’s Certification Program

• Making Certification Effective


Current EGM World

• Every EGM has a version of SAS for every SMIB

• Every SMIB has a version of SAS for every EGM

• System to SMIB – homogenized, but proprietary

• All are typically developed in a vacuum

• New versions are developed to solve problems when teams finally connect in the field


Why is SAS Hard?

• 19,200K polled protocol with odd start bit

• Polling requires responses at inconvenient times

• Responses must meet strict timing requirements

• Multiple interpretations of the SAS protocol make interoperability testing a requirement

• SAS Certification testing started in 2005, 16 years after protocol came out!


SAS Certification

• GSA Creates a SAS working group

• Operators then ask for certification to reduce problems in the field

• Most existing applications failed certification

• Certification only tests EGMs…

• EGMs are now more conscious about doing their implementation correctly


SAS Problems Fade Away

Why is G2S better?

• G2S is made to be easily extended to accommodate new features and functions

• G2S is event driven – the EGM (or system) acknowledges immediately, and then replies as soon as it is able

• G2S uses proven Internet technology such as TCP/IP and Web Services, and is designed for reliability in a high traffic network


Reference Implementation

• RadBlue’s G2S Scope for EGM manufacturers

• RadBlue’s EGM Simulator for System developers

• Everyone is looking for faults in our products

• New versions go to everyone

• All of this is happening NOW

• Even though the path is mapped out, it’s hard to get everyone to follow it…


Agenda

• Looking at Slot Machines (EGMs)

What about Systems?




What about Systems?

• Every System vendor has their own suite of protocols for connecting to peripherals

• Every peripheral has a suite of protocols for connecting to different systems

• Everything eventually works together but it’s hard to make changes

– New vendor

– New feature


GSA’s S2S Protocol

• With GSA’s S2S protocol, there’s now one “standard” System to System protocol

• Provides a standardized way for communications to occur

• S2S can be easily extended to accommodate new features and functions

• S2S uses proven Internet technology such as TCP/IP and Web Services, and is designed for reliability in a high traffic network


However…

• Even with S2S we have differing implementations

• Seminoles are sort of doing S2S 1.1.5

• Choctaws – S2S 1.10 with non-std transport + extra classes

• Chickasaws – S2S 1.2 (Yeah!) but developing in a vacuum (uh-oh!)

• Why is this occurring?


Solutions

Eliminating non-standard implementations

• Doing it right must become the only way

• Standard reference implementations for S2S

• Certification program is needed

• Achieving certification must have value

• Operators MUST insist on certification


Agenda



GSA’s Certification Program



GSA Certification – Planned from the Start

• The GSA Certification program is designed to minimize interoperability problems

• With Certification testing, there is only one correct interpretation of the protocol

• Protocol schemas and web services rules can easily test messages

• Feedback loop from Operators ensures the Certification program remains viable (and relevant)


GSA Certification

• GSA compliance – testing by 3rd party lab to ensure that the protocol implementation is correct

• GSA Compliance testing is NOT Regulatory Approval

• Protocol certification streamlines the regulatory process – Reduces the quantity and variety of

tests that must be performed


GSA Certification

• All parties benefit through

– Improved speed to market for products– Products work together when they show

up on your floor– Plug and Play (easier installs, reduced

service calls)

• If both devices are certified, they should work together the first time they are connected (like your PC and printer)


Certification Program

• Goal = Correct and consistent implementation of GSA’s standards

• Formal process for the testing and certification of

– Gaming Products

– Testing Agencies

• Products passing certification will be published in the Certification Register on GSA’s web site


Reference Implementations

• Simulators and test tools are available to provide a reference version of the protocol

• Developers can use a simulator to ensure their EGM or system will talk to a correctly implemented system (or EGM)

• Test tools are also available so that new code can be exercised with thousands of transaction over days

• Developers can pre-test with certification tools


Testing Centers

• Interoperability Centers will be available for manufacturers (Interop event in Q4)

• Testing Authority will certify Test Agencies

• Test Suites are commercially available to anyone

• Like UL testing, GSA testing can be done by any certified Test Agency – Test Labs– Casinos– Manufacturers


Challenge Tests

• GSA will employ challenge tests to spot check testing agencies to ensure they are testing effectively

• If a certified product fails a challenge test, the testing agency is notified to review their process.

• If situation doesn’t improve, test agency can lose certification

• Goal – ensure process is of high quality


Agenda




Making Certification Work


Why Bother?

• Left to their own devices, most folks will take the easiest path to a solution

• Operators must strongly indicate they prefer less chaos on their floors

• Developers will realize that doing it right (vs. fast) is actually more efficient


What is GSA doing?

• Publishing protocols

• Cajoling

• Slowing the rate of change

• Focus on backwards compatibility

• Working with members to finalize the process

• Interoperability event (Sept / Oct)

• Interoperability Demonstration at G2E


What can operators do?

• Stay involved in what GSA is doing

• Become an intelligent consumer

• Ask vendors about GSA protocol progress

• Look for the Inter-op Demo at G2E

• Insist on certified products (major change is coming quickly – minimize your pain)


Certification – A Graphical Example

Teams that plan for Certification

Teams that do things the old way

Your Casino


Questions?

WWW.GAMINGSTANDARDS.COM

Documents

CasinoFest3: GSA Certification GSA Certification: How does it benefit Operators? Russ Ristine – Radical Blue Gaming