ONYX
R&E · PHX
CASE STUDY · SKILL STOP

Skill Stop.
275 machines, borders, one team.

ClientConfidential, MX
Years2003 — 2005
DisciplinesHW · SW · Regulatory · Payments
Units275+
Grand opening · Día 1
Grand opening · Día 1
Mega 777 storefront
Mega 777 storefront
Floor — 32 cabinets
Floor — 32 cabinets
Mayan Gold · paytable
Mayan Gold · paytable
Manufacturing line
Manufacturing line
Cashless smart-card POS
Cashless smart-card POS
Diamonds · paytable
Diamonds · paytable
Grand opening · Día 1
Grand opening · Día 1
Mega 777 storefront
Mega 777 storefront
Floor — 32 cabinets
Floor — 32 cabinets
Mayan Gold · paytable
Mayan Gold · paytable
Manufacturing line
Manufacturing line
Cashless smart-card POS
Cashless smart-card POS
Diamonds · paytable
Diamonds · paytable
Archive · 2003–2005
THE BRIEF

Build, certify and ship
a fleet across a border.

The client needed a complete skill stop machine platform deployable across Mexico: hardware that could survive a venue floor, software flexible enough to host multiple game titles, a cashless payment system that satisfied venue operators, and a regulatory path that would let the games be operated legally as games of skill rather than chance.

No single vendor was going to deliver all of that. So we did.

WHAT WE BUILT

The full stack, in-house.

01

Hardware

Custom mainboard, peripherals, cabinet integration. Designed for 24/7 venue operation.

  • Mainboard design
  • Power & I/O
  • Bill validator integration
  • Cabinet harnessing
02

Software

Game engine, multiple licensed titles, attendant tools, audit logs.

  • Game framework
  • Attendant UI
  • Audit logging
  • OTA updates
03

Smart Card

Cashless payment system using secure smart cards — built on the CashKey architecture from our AGT work (US Patent 5,982,888). No cash ever sat on the floor.

  • Card issuing
  • On-cabinet reader firmware
  • Backend ledger
  • Reconciliation
04

Regulatory

Certification of the games as games of skill under Mexican gaming law.

  • Regulatory liaison
  • Skill-vs-chance proofs
  • Lab submission
  • Field certification
"

Most vendors wanted a piece of the project. Onyx took the whole thing — board through border — and we shipped on time.

— Operator, Mexico City venue group
OUTCOMES

By the numbers.

275+
Machines shipped
5 yr
Production run
0
Cash on the floor
Skill
Game-of-skill cert.