GCD lab the 'reel' deal
By Paul Tash
Montana Tavern Times
You could forgive Ben Kamerzel if he doesn't exude much cheer this holiday season.
As supervisor of the Gambling Control Division's technical services lab that is testing video line games seeking approval by their Jan. 1 launch date, he's under some pressure.
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| Ben Kamerzel, standing, reviews a line game with Ian Lyon recently in GCD’s game-testing lab in Helena. |
Thing is, he's amazingly cheery these days. And he's confident the lab will have most, if not all, line games submitted in November tested and approved by Jan. 1.
“We know and value the importance of line games rolling out on schedule,” he said.
Working with Kamerzel in the GCD lab are electronics engineers Bob Burke and Ian Lyon. Burke has been with the lab for about 16 years, while Lyon was hired earlier this year.
The lab is receiving high marks its efforts.
Tim Carson, of Grand Vision Gaming, praised Kamerzel and the lab for working so diligently with manufacturers to help get their games approved.
“He's been great,” Carson said. “The lab is doing a wonderful job.”
Mark Kennedy, chairman of the Gaming Advisory Council, told members at its November meeting that he's heard several compliments from industry representatives regarding the state lab and its work with line-game testing.
Kamerzel said it takes a partnership between the lab and manufacturers to make the testing and approval process work effectively and efficiently.
“We have to integrate with the manufacturers,” he said.
So what does the lab look for in testing the games? Pretty much everything.
Of course, the lab checks to ensure the game is legal. It tests to ensure the legality and capability of the extensive math behind the game. And it tests to ensure the software boots up properly and securely.
But the lab also tests much of the gaming machine itself. For example, do the win tickets print properly and are the player-help screens clear enough?
Kamerzel said GCD's two field technicians – Ken Kotar, based in Billings, and Pete Tripp, based in Missoula – are important part of the division's technical services team because they ensure “the games check out in the field the way they did in the lab.”