Casinos Bet on Computer Chips

The blackjack tables at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino were packed with gamblers and casino voyeurs on a recent weekend. But in the Peacock Lounge -- the casino's high-limit blackjack room, with minimum bets of $100 a hand -- the casino enjoyed an added advantage to its already stacked odds. The reason involves a high-tech chip within a chip that is helping the Hard Rock learn more than ever about every move made by high rollers. Computer chips embedded in the plastic gambling chips communicate via radio frequency with sensors placed under the table. The technology gives the casino's operators a trove of knowledge, including a player's average bet and where each high-denomination chip is at all times. The new chips are based on radio frequency identification technology. Source: IndyStar