PCIe slot size: PCI-Express expansion slots that are found on PC motherboards come in several sizes, ranging from x1 to x32. Be sure that the PCIe device you choose will fit one of the available slots on your computer. How is a PCIe SAS interface board installed? GSA has done an in-depth comparison of the services that Operators could provide their customers with the installation of open standard G2S based slot machines vs. Proprietary SAS based slot machines. Download the article here.
Current Situation Re: Gaming control and taxationMany countries have Gaming Boards that control the proliferation of casino, slot machine and betting operations. Furthermore, these Gaming boards are responsible for collecting annual licence fees and most significantly, ensuring that tax revenue based on the gross gain from slot machine operation is collected and directed to the national fiscus. In the event of a licence holder defaulting on his obligations, the Gaming Board system may remotely disable the venue’s slot machines.Many more Jurisdictions are seriously seeking ways to implement their own Gaming taxation schemeBenefits for Revenue DepartmentsProvides income essentially derived from excess disposable income that can reduce the taxation burden of taxpayersSocial BenefitsProvides funding to assist problem gamblers, may provide funding for charitable organizationsBenefits to OperatorsAllows for legitimate operation of casinos, slots machine and other gambling who are prepared to operate in a fair and ethical manner, while minimizing competition from illegal gambling.Simplifies internal auditing.MethodologyTo successfully collection of taxes, it is necessary that all types of gaming operations have systems in their venues that automatically collect the financial data upon which taxation will be levied.In the case of Slot machines, a system that collects bookkeeping data from a venues slot machines and calculates the financial gain of all machines is used. The resultant figures are automatically transmitted, normally on a daily schedule, to the Gaming Board servers. From the data received, taxes due are calculates and debited against the operators’ accounts.To collect the machine data, an electronic Slot machine Interface Board (SMIB) is installed in each machine, connecting to the slot machine’s data port and via Ethernet to the sites bookkeeping host computer. The SMIB is capable of receiving an instruction from the system to enable or disable the Slot machine (More on this further).Role of ZytecThe Zytec G-Rabbit (Read Grab it) system contains all of the necessary elements required for the venue. The Gaming Board data collection software and WAN will be configured according to Gaming Board requirements.Conventionally, the venue operators are responsible for the investment required to equip their sites, however local financing arrangements may be viable for local companies.For the operators, a worthwhile addition would be a smart-card based cashless system, using the same technology framework to be installed for a 25% premium. Not only will this provide many benefits, but enable “Legacy” machines to be operated. A Legacy machine is an older or non- SAS compliant machine that does not have a data port that can be used for extraction of bookkeeping data.
You can kiss my SAS ( IGT’s Slot Accounting System )
The SAS or also known as IGT’s Slot accounting system is the industry standard when it comes to slot accounting protocol for gaming machines such as video slots or stepper reel slots. It’s an industry standard because IGT is the 500 pound gorilla in the industry and pretty much forced everybody to adopted it. Their latest version is the SAS 6.02 protocol.
Sas Interface Connector
Sas Interface Card
Obtaining documentation on it is very difficult unless you are a member of Gaming Standard Association. Becoming a member will set you back about 10 grand per year which is a small chunk change if you are a big gaming company or half your networth if you are a hobbyist. As a small time hobbyist, what can you do? You can reverse engineer their protocol by going to ebay and get a cheap IGT’s S2000 machine and connect your serial port sniffer and that is what I did. If you need more info about my project, please e-mail me.
Sas Interface Wiki