RFID chip sales boost equipment supplier

Friday, May 13, 2005 | 10:43 a.m.

Robust sales orders for radio frequency identification casino chips have boosted a French gaming equipment manufacturer with U.S. headquarters in Las Vegas.

Gaming Partners International Corp. reported first-quarter earnings of $502,000, 6 cents a share, on revenue of $12.3 million for the period ended March 31. That compares with a loss of $470,000, 6 cents a share, on revenue of $7.3 million for the same quarter a year earlier.

"We are particularly pleased by the increase in sales orders for RFID, after the first quarter, chips to prestigious casinos in the U.S.," said Gerard Charlier, president and chief executive of the company based in Beaune, France, in a statement issued with the announcement of earnings.

Charlier said GPI, parent of what formerly operated in Las Vegas as Paul-Son Gaming, benefited from sales of chips and other equipment in Europe and Asia as well as the United States.

He also said unit prices of chips and readers are now low enough to make it attractive for casinos to invest in RFID systems to improve security and track player wagering habits.