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GSA Build Relationship with Standards Organizations

LAS VEGAS – (PRESS RELEASE) -- While the Gaming Standards Association continues to introduce its standards into the marketplace, it is driving forward by establishing partnerships with other open industry standards organizations. GSA has become an associate partner with Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG) and has established a technical liaison relationship with the Universal Serial Bus Implementers Forum (USBIF).

GSA President Peter DeRaedt said, "GSA has previously established relationships with the AGMMA -- Australasian Gaming Machine Manufacturers Association, the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) and UNLV's International Gaming Institute. These new affiliations with well-established, widely recognized organizations further prove GSA's worldwide reach and stability."

Like GSA, HTNG is a nonprofit organization with global scope. It was formed in 2002 to facilitate the development of next-generation; customer- centric technologies to better meet the needs of the global hotel community. HTNG's goal is to define, develop, implement, and promote the next generation of hotel technology. Also like GSA, HTNG's mission is to provide leadership that will facilitate the creation of one (or more) industry solution set(s) for the lodging industry that, among other things, are modeled around the customer and comprise best-of-breed software components from existing vendors.

Douglas Rice, executive director of HTNG, said, "HTNG is focused on results, and we understand our members' goal is to get products to market quickly, not by reinventing solutions to problems, but by using solutions that already exist. This new relationship between GSA and HTNG will create a stronger communication channel between the management of GSA and the management of HTNG. This will help HTNG achieve its objectives faster by leveraging GSA's efforts, and will also provide important real-life feedback to GSA from one or more broad-based implementation efforts."

Additionally, the USBIF has granted GSA a "usage page," which has essentially turned GSA into a recognized USB standardization committee for USB gaming devices by the USBIF. A usage page is a number that USB HID devices use to identify the group they belong to, i.e. keyboard. USB has now defined a Gaming device page, 0x92, and has given GSA control over this page. Further, GSA's GDS standard defines how this page is used.

Bob Mackenzie, Engineering Director for Gaming for MEI, a division of Mars Incorporated, is a key member of GSA's GDS Committee. Mackenzie summed up the importance of the USBIF granting GSA a usage page. "This page sends a very loud and clear statement that the Gaming Standards Association has arrived and is recognized around the world by companies outside of the gaming industry such as Microsoft(TM). Further, it solidifies usage of GSA's standards. Now there is the potential that GSA's usage page could one day be included in Windows applications and in Microsoft's operating package. This is a very significant step forward for GSA."

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