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February 23, 2007

“They’re slot players,” said Don Damond, director of gaming operations at Prior Lake, Minn.-based Mystic Lake Casino Hotel. “One trend we’ve seen is that some casinos have eliminated bingo halls because they don’t make as much revenue per square foot as slot machines. What they ignore is that bingo players are slot players and that bingo brings them into the casino. I’ve seen a few that have closed and had to reopen when they saw what it did to their business.”

Bingo and the slots seem to go hand-in-hand, and nowhere is the relationship closer than in the Class II gaming devices manufactured by several BingoWorld 2007 exhibitors, including Cadillac Jack, International Game Technology, Multimedia Games and Rocket Gaming. (For more information on BingoWorld 2007, which will take place in Las Vegas March 6-8, visit www.bingoexpo.com.)

Class II slot-like devices look and play like slot machines, but have a bingo logo built in, and the bingo numbers that are displayed build patterns that correspond to what is then displayed on the video screen or spinning reels.

The results can be innovative and fun. Cadillac Jack has gone the big-money route with its Cadillac Cash wide area progressive, which has been introduced in Washington and is due for wider rollout this year. Mexico and other parts of Latin America are hot markets for bingo based games, and Cadillac Jack has a number of electronic video bingo games to excite the players, including their new Latin-style bingo games with secondary wagering events, allowing the player to buy extra bingo balls for a better chance of winning.

“The Class II gaming market continues to be strong, especially in emerging markets such as Mexico,” said Gina Lanphear, marketing director of Cadillac Jack, Inc. “Cadillac Jack's server-based games are entertaining, fast playing and extremely well liked by the players, and we continue to expand our portfolio for the Class II market.”

IGT uses a dual screen approach in its Reel Touch bingo series, with the bingo display in the top box while the spinning reels and other video displays are in the bottom screen. Recent additions have been the IGT Trimline and IGT Slant Top Video Reel Touch Bingo cabinets, both with dual flat screen LCDs with improved graphics.

Rocket Gaming has a wide variety of colorful fun games, with this year marking the debut of “Gold Diggin’ Dixie,” which was introduced last fall at Global Gaming Expo. In the bonus round, the old miner pushes the car through the mine, while his girlfriend digs for gold. For players who don’t want to watch the bonus event, and just want to collect their winnings and move on, there’s a fast finish option.

Multimedia Games has gone the character-themed route with a couple of its newer Class II video games, “Ernestine’s Ringy Dingy Deals,” featuring Lily Tomlin, and Jeff Foxworthy’s “Blue Collar Cash.” Both are on an extra-wide screen.

In the near future, the relationship between slots and bingo may get even closer. “We’re developing with a partner a unit that will allow players to play slots and bingo in the same cabinet,” said Tim Stuart, president and CEO of Video King.

—John Grochowski