Published on February 21, 2024Updated on November 25, 2024
In the hushed world of casinos, a high-stakes game is being played behind the scenes. Its rules? Choosing, preparing and maintaining the slot machines, video poker machines and other electronic roulette games that delight players every day. To stay at the cutting edge, the Casino Café de Paris can count on a team of experts and enthusiasts who accompany visitors, find new game models and ensure that the machines are in good working order. Guided tour and explanations with Éric Costantini, Technical Director of the Casinos de Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, and Alexis Bettacchioli, Department Manager of the Atelier Unique Jeux workshop.
A unique gaming experience
Every day in Monaco, at 10am, a world comes alive and the experience begins. The Casino Café de Paris Monte-Carlo lights up with the 480 slot machines installed in its various lounges. Alexis Bettacchioli, the man in charge of the Atelier Unique Jeux workshop, takes us on a tour of the collection of Asian dragons, digital reels and other colourful buttons that adorn these modern-day descendants of the one-armed bandits of yesteryear. For him, each machine corresponds to a player experience and technical know-how. And also to a position: "The entrance to the casino is emblematic, with a view of the gaming tables to remind us that there are more than just machines in the establishment. And you can play on a machine specifically calibrated for this venue, with small stakes. "Further on, impressive themed backdrops illuminate a lounge with armchairs specially designed for long games. On the terraces, outside, numerous machines offer fans of the outdoors, and smokers, the chance to play while enjoying the Monegasque climate.
New areas to discover
The establishment was delighted to inaugurate a VIP lounge and smoking terrace at the end of 2023. A privileged space, offering 22 slot machines, where you can play in a setting combining comfort, design and top-of-the-range service.
Personalising the gaming experience, guiding visitors... Indoors and out on the terrace, alongside the machines, a dozen electro-mechanics trained by Atelier Unique Jeux ensure that the games run smoothly. It's from them that novices come to learn more about how the games work and how to get them started. At the Casino Café de Paris Monte-Carlo, different types of machines coexist: in addition to the classic 'draw' game where different symbols are lined up, the digital screens give access to virtual roulette, video poker or automatic blackjack. Each one is carefully selected by the Resort according to multiple criteria. The design, of course, is a real source of "attraction for customers", explains Éric Costantini, Technical Director of the Casinos de Monte-Carlo. But also the "game-play" tested by the Société des Bains de Mer teams to select only the machines "at the cutting edge of technology offering the best gaming experience", explains Éric Costantini. "I couldn't see myself ordering a machine online without trying it out or talking to the manufacturers' sales representatives," concludes the acquisitions specialist and keen observer of the latest trends in casino games.
Machines at the cutting edge of trends
A brief detour to London. Every year in February, gambling manufacturers meet their customers, mainly from European casinos, at ICE, THE industry trade fair. Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, and in particular Éric Costantini, came to see the latest developments in the sector and the latest machines that could enhance the gaming experience at the Casino Café de Paris Monte-Carlo. "ICE is spread over two exhibition halls, it's absolutely gigantic, and yet it's a show that remains on a human scale because it encourages exchanges and conviviality. Alongside G2E, organised in Las Vegas, this London show (which will move to Barcelona in 2025) is the place to be for all the latest innovations."
And the world of slot machines is following in the footsteps of entertainment: at ICE 2024, a machine based on the codes of the Korean Squid Game series caught Éric Costantini's eye, as did the many models based around the dragon, the emblem of the year 2024 in Chinese astrology… Bright, graphic themes that can be seen from afar, thanks to a new trend in the casino world: verticalization: "We are seeing the arrival of increasingly tall machines, with displays showing very high quality animations," explains the Technical Director of the Casinos de Monte-Carlo. "They will fit in perfectly with the vast spaces of the Casino de Monte-Carlo", enthuses one of the architects of the unique atmosphere that pervades the various lounges of the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer Resort.
Another trend observed at ICE, and already at work in many of the automated machines installed at the Casino Café de Paris Monte-Carlo, is the introduction of side bets, bonuses and other additional bets that can be added to the initial stake, which continues to shake up the market. Betting on a hundred or so hands in video poker, relying on your bonus to keep the reels spinning in a slot machine, trying different approaches between the side bet and the classic bet in electronic roulette... These game-play innovations add to the gaming experience, which Éric Costantini promises will be "ever more intense, ever more piquant".
And if we ask this expert: "What will the casino of the future look like?" he replies that "ICE is introducing new, even more immersive models, with high-tech speakers, giant screens and incredibly well-equipped seats reminiscent of the business classes of airliners." All these premium amenities will soon be part of the daily routine for the Société des Bains de Mer's teams of electronics engineers, who for decades have been responsible for all the maintenance work on the Resort's gaming machines.
Jackpot Carnival !
This year also sees the arrival of the new Jackpot Carnival models, which are proving to be at the cutting edge of trends. Jackpot Carnival machines offer a captivating gaming experience. Featuring cutting-edge technology, they offer immersive graphics, a variety of bonus features and the chance to play several games. A modern and exciting gaming adventure for all slot machine fans!
A highly technical world... for the pleasure of playing
It's historic. To ensure that players are treated to an ultimate experience, Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer chose, from the outset, to bring all the know-how relating to the management of its machines in-house - as it does for the gaming tables and surfaces, which are designed and repaired on site.
In the corridors of the Casino Café de Paris Monte-Carlo, a path leads to the workshops where each new model is put through its paces before reaching the gaming lounges. Installing the casino's own loyalty identification card system, connecting it to the Resort's computer network, checking that it is working properly... Initialising each machine is an art in itself, as the Casino buys this type of equipment from eleven different brands.
Once installed in the gaming lounges, each machine begins a life cycle that may be punctuated by an incident or temporary breakdown. To ensure that no machine is unavailable to gamers, and in particular regulars who want to enjoy their 'favourite' game, the 20 electronics or electromechanical engineers in the department - including, since a few months ago, Kelly Pepino, who brings something of a feminine touch to the profession - perform rapid diagnoses on the parts that could malfunction, to repair them and get them up and running as quickly as possible. Trained over a period of twelve to eighteen months with an expert mentor, these highly qualified technicians use video magnifiers and thermal scanners to explore faulty electronic components or overheated button mechanisms, replacing them at a moment's notice.
"Our approach is eco-responsible", says Alexis Bettacchioli, eyeing the imposing spare parts storehouse next to the repair workshops. "We strive to have as little obsolescence as possible on our equipment, and to repair everything that can be repaired. “ In fact, by recycling the components of machines that are no longer in use, keeping a large stock of mechanical and electronic parts on site, and producing machine parts in-house using an old-fashioned mechanics workbench and state-of-the-art 3D printers, the department offers the Resort's casinos a service that is unique in the world, under the banner of efficiency, flexibility and economy.
A job that owes a great deal to the culture of excellence that drives the workshop, which has evolved along with the different technologies, from the gearing of the one-armed bandits of yesteryear to the programming and maintenance of electronic hardware and software solutions specific to the world of gaming in the third millennium.
The result is that very few slot machines are switched off for more than a day in the lounges of the Casino Café de Paris Monte-Carlo. Whether they gamble just a few coins or €1,250 (the maximum bet), long-time players or passers-through benefit from a range of slot machines that is unique in the world, carefully maintained by teams committed to providing players with an experience based on excellence and pleasure.
To be close to the ultimate gaming experience of the Casino Café de Paris Monte-Carlo, stay at one of the establishments proposed by Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer.
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