Singapore Ensures Integrity Of Electronic Gaming At Casinos
Casino patrons can be assured of the integrity and quality of the electronic gaming machines used in Singapore’s two integrated resorts – Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa.
All electronic gaming machines such as slots, electronic table games and progressives, have been tested and verified by laboratories which are accredited by the Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC) or its Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) partners.
This ensures that the gaming machines operate in a fair, secure, reliable and auditable manner and meet the technical standards required by the Casino Regulatory of Singapore (CRA).
The SAC’s Accreditation Scheme for Gaming Laboratories provided the quality and conformity infrastructure for electronic gaming machine testing. The scheme was introduced last year to accredit laboratories for their technical competency in testing the hardware and software of electronic gaming machines.
The laboratories not only have to comply with ISO/IEC 17025, the international management system standard for accrediting testing laboratories, their personnel must also have the technical capability of conducting the tests to meet the technical specifications stipulated by the regulator.
Testing of hardware includes the cabinet security of the machines and cash input/output devices. Testing of software includes the communication protocol among the table machines that are linked to a server and the random number generator.
Mr Png Cheong Boon, Chief Executive of SPRING Singapore said, “As the national standards and conformance body, SPRING works with industry and other government agencies to ensure that products and services conform to standards for quality, safety and reliability. This Accreditation Scheme for Gaming Laboratories supports the infrastructure to ensure the quality and integrity of the gaming industry in Singapore. The laboratories test the gaming machines to ensure that they meet the technical standards. In turn, the SAC accredits these laboratories to ensure that they have a management system and the technical competency to do the testing.”
The SAC has directly accredited one of the six authorised laboratories providing the testing services for gaming machines in Singapore. The other five are recognised through the SAC’s MRA with its overseas counterparts.
“This accreditation scheme is a significant step in our efforts to develop Singapore as a testing and certification hub in the region. We hope to attract more laboratories to establish themselves here to serve the growing market in the Asia-Pacific. We are optimistic that as economic activities pick up, we will see a higher demand for testing and certification services,” Mr Png added.
One laboratory that has been attracted to Singapore is BMM Compliance Singapore Pte Ltd. It is the first gaming testing laboratory to be accredited by the SAC. “We decided to set up our gaming certification and testing laboratory in Singapore to join our other laboratories around the world because we want to leverage on Singapore’s geographical position to serve the gaming certification needs of Singapore and other parts of Asia, which is a major market for BMM. Singapore’s reputation for high quality also serves as a strong springboard for us to expand our business in the region,” says Mr Moosad Sreedharan, Senior Vice President, Technical Compliance Australia Asia – Pacific, BMM Compliance.
Mr David Kinsman, CEO of Weike Gaming Technology, a local manufacturer of casino gaming machines, electronic gaming tables, gaming machine monitoring and promotional network systems, is delighted with the efforts to develop the gaming machine testing infrastructure here. He said, “Asia is a big market for gaming machines, with estimated sales of US$50 million to US$75 million annually. There are about 60 casinos and 340 clubs in this region. In the past, the nearest location we can test our products is Australia. Being able to do the testing in Singapore will help us cut cost, save time and gain faster access to the international gaming machine market. The stringent requirements demanded by these accredited laboratories also ensure that our machines are of world-class standards.”
The Accreditation Scheme for Gaming Laboratories is one of the SAC’s achievements highlighted by Mr Renny Yeo, Chairman of the SAC, in his speech at the Accreditation and Conformance 2010 seminar today.
In line with this year’s theme on Global Acceptance – Opportunities in Emerging Markets, speakers from leading companies shared how accreditation and conformance helped them seize new opportunities and gain a foothold in emerging markets. The event attracted about 200 participants from various industries.
About Singapore Accreditation Council
The Singapore Accreditation Council, managed by SPRING Singapore, is the national authority for accreditation of conformity assessment bodies (CABs) in Singapore. The key roles of the SAC are in managing and promoting the various accreditation schemes under its umbrella.
These include giving recognition to competent and capable CABs, facilitating partnerships with regulators on accreditation issues and related activities, maintaining and improving the standard of conformity assessment activities in Singapore and establishing a network on international network for the acceptance of conformity assessment reports and certificates across national borders.
Topics: 2010, Bayfront Avenue, casino, economic development, economic growth, Economy, electronic gaming, employment, Governance, government, jobs, Land Transit Authority, Land Transport Authority, LTA, Mah Bow Tan, Marina Bay, Marina Bay Financial Centre, Marina Bay Invitations 2010, Marina Bay Sands, Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, moniter, monitor, MRA, Mutual Recognition Agreement, news, Resorts World Sentosa, SAC, Singapore, Singapore Accreditation Council, slot machines, society, tested, verified
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