AGS, the growing Class II and Class III slot manufacturer that recently expanded its offerings by acquiring Cadillac Jack on the slot side and Casino War Blackjack on the table-game side, announced that it has acquired the intellectual property and technology to develop and manufacture a line of card shufflers for casino table games.
AGS is not revealing any details of the IP purchase or the company involved. However, the company says it will have its first single-deck poker shuffler ready for sale in 12 months or less, with future plans to develop shufflers for blackjack and other table games.
For AGS, the former American Gaming Systems, the plan to produce shufflers would pit the company against one of the behemoths of the industry, Scientific Games, whose Shuffle Master product line has dominated the utility sector of table-game supply for decades. However, John Hemberger, vice president of table products for AGS, insists there is room for more innovation in the sector, and says the acquisition is part of an overall plan to gain market share in the table-game supply market.
“The purchase of extensive card shuffler intellectual property is a game-changing addition to AGS’ product universe, and broadens the kind of solutions we provide for the pit,” Hemberger said. “It’s been an exhilarating and fast-paced year for the table products division at AGS, with notable acquisitions of unique table game content, organic development of titles, and building a full-service tables team. The news further solidifies that we’re very serious about expanding our library of solutions to become the preferred supplier for table products.”
Since acquiring Casino War Blackjack last year, the company has placed more than 700 table-game units in the U.S., joining around 13,000 AGS Class II and Class III slots in the field.
