What is this part of a roulette table for?

Question

On this image, what is the round metal thing just to the left and above the word purplelounge?

It's driving us nuts in the office. I think it's a rake holder.

http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2007/07/02/537240/RouletteTable.JPG

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

That is not where dealers put their tips. It is a paddle for the money drop. There is a box under the table to gather the buyins from players.

Answer 2

that is the slot where the dealer drops any tips that the players give him or her, there is a cage that it falls into and the dealer takes a share of that at the end of the shift it is usually shared with all the dealers in that particular pit.

hope that answers that :)

Answer 3

I'm not sure, but I can eliminate the rake holder idea.  It's not large enough to hold a roulette table rake.  Maybe that's where they keep the electro-magnet that selects 0 or 00...(jk).