VR's initial comments from the Gaming Expo...
Everyone,
Green lasers are flashing around the LV Hilton's Space Quest casino
and it helps. Business was slow.
I'll start with the convention news before the casino walk report.
Convention notes:
There is a 3p version called "Ten Play" where 10 draw poker games are played at once, 50 coins.
Silicon Gaming:
A new 4X4 multiline game, 50 coins, called Vacation USA. Flash
camera means free spin, green apples for Washington (the apple
growers won't like this because they ship red or golden apples in
Washington). I don't think the pay schedule is generous enough.
SGIC continues to show a lot of imagination, professionalism, and
humor in their products, but their business model was and is the
problem.
Silicon took my written advice (unlike Anchor) and is showing the
bonuses that the player missed on the bonus screen. Silicon has acts
on several written suggestions but the important ones which were to
never open the new manufacturing plant because it would give them
overcapacity, and to only participation lease their Odysseys.
Disclosing the bonus screen whets the players appetite and give them more of a feeling of control, and shows the player the integrity of
the game in that there is something under the other "shells."
Their Big Win was so popular that I couldn't get a seat. Maybe
tomorrow.
Sphinx is a six-coin machine.
Silver Bell Express shows a lot of imagination.
Spintek:
I glanced at their kiosk, and I realized that if Vegas goes to
coinless slots that Spintek will not have a market for their slot bin
dispensing accounting system.
World Casino Tour: Instead of video reels spinning they have bubble
cover the reels as they change.
CDS: Their baseball game has been sped up. I couldn't find anyone
this trip to tell me when it's coming out. I thought their Reel
Racers with a bonus screen car race was very innovative.
WMS:
Get ready for more upside movement by WMS. Those in the industry
already know this that Casino Journal has featured Monopoly on their
cover for the issue during the convention. This is a deserved honor
in this slot issue.
More reasons for WMS to go up: I watched WMS COO Kevin Verner speak to about 10 gaming analysts right by the Monopoly machines and so their reports will hit probably in a week to a month (expect good recommendations if they believed Verner). Verner mentioned, and this may have been a ficticious number, that they are averaging $400/day per video Monopoly machine (a nickel machine), and so that means $80/day/machine for WMS (roughly). Verner said that although they have to use nickels for the Las Vegas (and Nevada) video Monopolys that they can go to quarters for Atlantic City and the rest of the country (more revenue per machine). If one took the optimistic outlook that there could eventually be 3000 Monopolys placed (four versions) then this could mean over $3/share in cash flow for WMS that is mostly profit. I was very surprised to find out that the basic manufacturing cost for a stripped down Monopoly game is only about $1500/machine (I was surprised that this information was shared with the public).
WMS on charts picks should look excellent tonight.
I found out that WMS does not have the rights to any other Hasbro
games, and I suggested that they tie them up (especially SORRY!), but it did sound like WMS has the inside track with Hasbro in the future. I've already suggested to Anchor that they try to get the SORRY! rights, but it seems to be too late for Anchor.
I suggested to WMS that they drop Dotmation for LCD screens, a trend started by IGT's Vision series.
As I'm typing this I have a "clown" parrot under my hands trying to
"help" me type, and I can't keep from laughing. Her name is Georgie.
I've just trained her to fly to me with a hand signal. She looks
just like Paulie in the movie. Maybe if I let her have the space bar
to herself she'll leave me alone. Give her credit for any bad ideas.
Tomorrow I'll find my friend the sound engineer and point out the
neat speakers on IGT's Elvis machines.
WMS already has additions to the RFBL series ready or almost ready to go. They have Jackpot Party, Top Banana, and Instant Winner, and they are all like Reel, Filthy, and Boom!. I wonder if they aren't
coming out with too many versions of the same platform but on the
other hand they should strike before Aristocrat is allowed into
Nevada.
Aristocrat: I've never really liked Aristocrat games (or VLC or
Let's Make a Deal) because I don't think they have a good finished
product despite their success down under.
Anchor: Boy to I hate to say this, and here's more unwanted
unsolicited advice, but Anchor's machines have gotten too far away
from being "intuitive." On Tic-Tac-Disco the secondary screen is a
tiny Dotmation-type screen where the animation takes place. This
tiny screen is a weakness on Play Pinball and I think it is here too.
I was dismayed that may machines I saw last year are not to be seen
today, and that's not a good sign.
I saw several PPs with different color schemes.
The new Anchor game I liked the most was Bank for the Buck which is just a three-reel slot with a modified DoN wheel on top. I've
noticed many new designs and modifications to the DoN wheels, and l liked all of them. Instead of straight DoN they'll have things like
2X, 5X, 1/2X, and busted on the wheel.
Their IGT/Anchor "Wild" machine has a joystick on it, but like many
slots Anchor was not keeping them operating (Silicon Gaming was doing an excellent job keeping all the machines in their booth operating). I'll send a note to Anchor about this because I don't think they realize it.
With the new wheel Anchor had "Casino Bowling," but again too much action was on the tiny screen.
An upright Crazy Joker had new and I think improved signage.
Anchor has a jv with CDS called Monkey Business which is a multiline
with DoN wheel.
Keno Bucks has been cleaned up and looks more casino ready. It has an LCD screen.
Bally Gaming:
I was not impressed with Let's Make a Deal even though it is a
dedicated machine on a Game Magic chassis. IGT's video WOF looks far better.
IGT:
IGT has the best convention bags with Elvis photos suitable for
framing or collecting, and the bag holders also have Elvis written on
them. I could probably sell them for $10 apiece in Memphis.
The Elvis game had poor LCD video (are they operating off a hard disk, CD, or DVD?). Anyway, they may have made me realize that I don't want an LCD screen with my new computer.
Casino comments with machine and use counts:
LV Hilton, 2.30p, slow.
There's a new carpet with a new pattern in the sports book, and the
entire casino will probably get the
new threads.
ptp 0/7
qf 2/8 L220 3/8
vm 3/12 (bad location) L220 3/12
mb 0/10
jp 0/6 L210 4/6
df 0/5 L210 3/5
m 3/12 L210 1/12
pp 3/6 (Anchor shareholders?)
CASINO WALK GLOSSARY:
Five levels of casino action compared to normal activity levels for
day and time: heavy, fast, moderate, slow, light. A player leaving or just arriving at a machine is counted because I don't want to discount
their play.
Abbreviations:
General:
n=nickel, 10c=dime, q=quarter, 50c=50 cents, d=dollar, 1.588=1.588M progressive jackpot, L=slot machines rechecked "L"ater, L10=slot machines rechecked 10 minutes later, LL30=the same machines rechecked again 30 minutes after the original check,
loc=location, st=slant-top.
Slot Machines:
3p=Triple Play Draw Poker,
b=Bally Aussie reels, bar=IGT/Barcrest Pinball, Top Dollar, and Hit
the Top, bs=Bonus Streak, bb=Sigma Bonus Bank,
c=cents, cds=CDS' new Aussie slots, clear=Clear Winner,
cm=Cool Millions, cj=Crazy Joker Poker (only at NYNY),
dice=Roll the Dice, e=Empire/Pearl Diver f=Wheel of Fortune, g=Wheel of Gold,
m=quarter Monopoly Boardwalk and Roll &Win, mb=Megabucks, mm=quarter Money Multiplier,
mj=Mah Jong, mt=dollar Money Time, multi=multi-game format,
od=Odyssey/Quest, pm=quarter Pinball Mania, pp=quarter Play Pinball,qt=Quest, qm=Quartermania,
rain=Rainforest Cafe, rfb=Reel 'em In, Filthy Rich, Boom!, and Life
of Luxury (LL only at SS), rr=Rock-n-Reels,
sb=Safe Buster, smb=Super Megabucks, ss=Silver Strike,
tttw=Treasure Tunnel and Treasure Wheel,
vf=video WOF, vp=generic video poker,wms=WMS reels, wp=Wheel Poker, wt=VLC Winning Touch, ww=Wheel Winners,
x=X-Factor.(If you can't find or figure an abbreviation then let me know.)
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