Access

Arcades and casinos by Free & Play (D)

eGate casino check-in: Easy handling and more gaming enjoyment

Many arcade and casino operators have been hoping for the liberalisation of the German gambling market. Now the wait is over. The State Parliament of Lower Saxony adopted a state-wide gambling policy for the first time in March. In this context, a new mandatory check of a file of blocked players has been introduced to protect people with addiction problems in particular, but also young people, even more effectively from themselves. With Wanzl’s eGate Casino Check-in, controlled access is handled quickly, easily and reliably. State-of-the-art technology and biometric sensors enable the stored visitor data to be retrieved from the OASIS blocked player system in seconds. This means that nothing stands in the way of quick and regulated guest check-in and the resulting enjoyment of the game.

The fully automatic access system for arcades and casinos has already proven successful in the state of Hesse, where Free & Play Automaten GmbH has four locations. “We use eGates in all of our arcades and casinos," explains Thomas Ickenroth, Technical Manager and Managing Director of Free & Play Automaten GmbH. “In the fight against gambling addiction, Hesse was the first federal state to introduce a file of blocked players for casinos and arcades in May 2014. Back then, we had several providers of access systems to choose from. The name Wanzl stands for high-quality products and in the end it was simply a question of quality,” says Thomas Ickenroth, explaining his choice.

The basic requirement for controlled access was a fully automatic solution. “From the very beginning, it was clear to us that we had to offer our guests and employees a fully automatic version. Only one member of service staff works in our locations at a time. If they have to fix malfunctions or are busy refilling our machines, the guest would be standing in front of a locked door and forced to wait for service staff to check them in,” says Thomas Ickenroth, explaining the reason behind his decision. Entry approval via a biometric scanner contributes significantly to the ease of use of the eGate. In this case, individual access authorisation is by fingerprint. The BLOCKEO system from DVS Gröger, which is linked to the eGate, retrieves the visitor’s centrally stored data from OASIS in a matter of seconds. If the guest is approved, the ESG swing arm opens automatically and closes again after the timeout period has elapsed. Unauthorised visitors are denied access. Up to 15 people can therefore be authenticated using individual approval every minute. “The eGate makes our employees’ work much easier. But the players themselves are also very pleased with the ease of use. Around 70 percent of our guests have opted for biometric access control, which means that they can quickly and easily enjoy full access to our locations,” says Ickenroth, delighted with the positive response to the fully automatic access systems. Alternatively, a ring function is available on the eGates. Entry is then manually released on the control panel by a member of the service team. New customers are initially registered at the service desk.

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Thanks to modern sensor technology, the eGate is also particularly secure against misuse. The integrated sensors monitor passage when the arms are open and when they are closed. Attempts to manipulate and unauthorised access are detected immediately. If someone tries to climb over or duck underneath the ESG swing arm, an acoustic signal and a visual alarm on the ESG swivel arm will be triggered. This ensures that only one person can pass through the access control point at one time. No explicit check-out takes place upon exit. When a person approaches the eGate, the sensors automatically open the gate. It closes once the person has passed through or the hold-open time has elapsed. In an emergency, the ESG swing arm can be opened permanently. “It was important to us that the swivel arms opened smoothly without swinging back. Particularly in panic situations, this model turns out to be the better choice over turnstiles,” explains Ickenroth.
The eGate is also an attractive eye-catching feature. The swivel arm made of ESG glass has an understated effect. Thanks to its subtle design with aluminium columns in anthracite and stainless steel housing, the Wanzl model could be perfectly integrated into Free & Play Automaten GmbH’s arcades and casinos. The gaming operator intends to rely on Wanzl access systems in future too. “The nationwide approach of checking a file of blocked players can only be guaranteed with fully automatic access control at the entrance. We are also upgrading our Bavarian arcades and casinos accordingly. In addition, plans are also in place to modify the eGates for infection control in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim is to connect disinfectant dispensers to the existing model so that guests only gain access to our arcades and casinos after successfully disinfecting their hands,” says Ickenroth, explaining  plans for the future. 

The stability of the eGate system is very high and cooperation with Wanzl is always professional so we are looking forward to these upcoming projects.
Thomas Ickenroth, technischer Leiter und Geschäftsführer der Free & Play Automaten GmbH