Shuffle Master
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Formerly called
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Shuffle Master |
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| Public | |
| Traded as | NASDAQ: SHFL |
| Industry | Gaming |
| Fate | Acquired by Bally Technologies |
| Founded | Minneapolis (1983) |
| Founder | John Breeding |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Paradise, Nevada |
| Products | Deck Mate |
| Website | www |
SHFL entertainment, Inc. (previously named Shuffle Master) was a manufacturer of shuffling machines, table games, slot machines, and other casino products, based in Paradise, Nevada. Founded in 1983, it was acquired by Bally Technologies in 2013. The company designed Deck Mate, one of the primary card shuffling devices used in casinos.
The company's table game products included Let It Ride, Three Card Poker, Blackjack Switch, and Casino War.
Shuffle Master was formed by John Breeding, a former truck driver, in 1983. Inspired by a newspaper article about card counting in blackjack, he borrowed $30,000 to develop a mechanical shuffler that would allow every hand to be dealt from a fresh deck, nullifying the advantage of card counting, without losing valuable playing time. The device finally came to market in early 1992, and the company made its initial public offering later that year.
Casinos were increasingly using multiple decks for blackjack, limiting the sales potential of Breeding's single-deck shuffler. To fuel demand for the shufflers, he developed a new single-deck game, Let It Ride. By 1995, Let It Ride was generating more revenue for Shuffle Master than its namesake device.
In 1998, the company's headquarters moved from Minneapolis to the Las Vegas area. The firm expanded into the slot machine business in the late 1990s, developing games based on licensed properties like The Honeymooners, Press Your Luck and Let's Make a Deal and partnering with larger companies like IGT and Bally to manufacture and distribute them. The slots business failed to turn a profit, and Shuffle Master sold it to IGT in 2004 for $1.6 million.
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