Yet, there is one place that would have never expected to find the illusive dragon. Bringing the fantasy into the digital age, players can now find it in the Casino Technology slots game Dancing Dragons. Dragons are mythical creatures of huge proportions that are considered masters of the elements, including fire, earth, wind and water.

The Center for Security Printing and Anti-Counterfeiting Technology (SPACT) was established in December 2014 by researchers from three universities (South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T), South Dakota State University (SDSU) and the University of South Dakota (USD)) to develop research solutions to thwart counterfeiting.

Twins with their line of lip gloss deliberate an offer; a husband and wife duo receive an icy response from the Dragons; and an eco-friendly clothing line parades through the Den. Episode 1, Season 4.
A music artist enters the Den with his kid-friendly music, a hard-working entrepreneur brings the Dragons to tears, and outdoor enthusiasts are on the hunt for a partner. Episode 6, Season 10.

Just how big is the counterfeiting problem? The International Chamber of Commerce forecasts the global value of counterfeit goods to rise from $650B in 2008 to a staggering $1.8T in 2015. The impact of the counterfeiting epidemic, however, reaches beyond mere economics. Recent data indicate that counterfeits account for roughly 1% of the medicine in the U.S. and 10%-30% in developing countries. For example, more than 80 people in the U.S. died because of the 2008 counterfeiting of heparin, and counterfeit auto parts resulted in over 25,000 deaths in India in 2009. The 9/11 terrorist attacks exposed how use of fraudulent passports can facilitate horrific events, and there now exist direct connections between illicit trade and terrorist activities. Perhaps nowhere is counterfeiting more prevalent than at the computer hardware/software nexus. In 2008 alone, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported 9,356 counterfeit microelectronics incidents discovered by military suppliers. Whether it is protection of personal safety or intellectual property, an interdisciplinary approach is required to address these challenges.

Within the SPACT Center you will find teams of researchers using an interdisciplinary, and multi-institutional approach to create the next generation of security-end products.

SPACT PEOPLE

SPACT research spans several disciplines in the physical sciences (Chemistry, Physics), informatics (Computer Science/Engineering), engineering (Materials Science/Engineering, Electrical Engineering) and social/behavioral sciences. Research is underway to develop technology to protect against counterfeiting of various products, including pharmaceutics, electronics and critical documents. The Center has an established record of research and student training accomplishments. Click here to view the SPACT researchers’ biosketches and backgrounds.

SPACT TOOLS

The SPACT facilities include state-of-the-art equipment and laboratories on each of the three campuses. Each campus has unique, complimentary facilities that serve as multi-user facilities to all SPACT Center researchers. Click here to view the SPACT facilities.

SPACT IDEAS

Throughout the Center webpages you will see examples of SPACT research that has resulted since our inception. Click here to view examples of SPACT research.

Barry Carter

Plucky Dragon's Den hopeful Steve Bellis has become something of a celebrity in UK poker circles. Not only did he go down in history as the only man to successfully get a better deal than he originally asked for in the hit BBC show, but he is also one of the men behind the pub poker revolution. He has obviously put the £65,000 investment from the Dragons to good use as he is now expanding the Nuts Poker League into the tourism market.

Bellis has teamed up with travel firm TR4 to organise 'Poker Holidays'. He is set to take a party of poker players to Lanzarote for a week of sun, sea and poker. Bellis said 'We went out there last year with 50 players and it was a great success. A lot of places have karaoke and bingo but there are lots of people who want to play poker. Then we had a meeting with TR4 Travel in Holywell and discussed the possibility of taking 120 people.'

Steve noticed the gap in the market when he did an internet search for poker holidays and found that most of them were in Las Vegas and catered towards more serious players. 'We wanted to offer something that was a bit closer to home, more relaxed and less expensive.'

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This is just another feather in the cap for the very successful Nuts Poker League. After success in the Dragons Den, they faced objections from the Shropshire Police concerned about illegal gambling. Bellis successfully argued that as no money was being exchanged in the 'play for points' poker league; no laws were being breached. As a result, the Police removed their objection.

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Since then the Nuts Poker League has thrived, even going as far to launching their own online poker room. If history is anything to go by, then these poker holidays will be a big success and one day Steve Bellis might become the Richard Branson of UK Poker.

Ed note: Hit the tables online at the brand new T6Poker poker room

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