NOVEMBER
Contents
14
FEATURES 08 GLOBAL GAMING EXPO 2011 REVIEW Great new slot games coming soon!
GREAT GAMES 09 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE™ BY ARISTOCRAT Aristocrat invites players to accept a mission. 11 BETTY BOOP’S FORTUNE TELLER™ BY BALLY Betty Boop and Pudgy act as fortune telling guides. 12 GREASE™ BY BALLY Features 8 bonus events and exciting movie tunes. 14 BIG BUCK HUNTER™ BY IGT Players use an arcade-style gun to fire at the screen. 17 SUPER TEAM™ BY WMS Players can create their own characters. 19 MONOPOLY™ PARTY TRAIN™ BY WMS Players are taken on a train ride around the board.
19 14
FAST FACTS 20 GAMING PROFITS Helping Indian Nations recover economically. 22 CASINO BUZZ New IGT slots hit casino floors this month. 23 ARIZONA GAMING TRIVIA By the numbers. 24 GAMING NEWS Crackdown on illegal gambling continues.
REGULAR RESPINS 04 EDITOR’S NOTE What’s on our mind 06 PLAYERS TALK What’s on your mind 27 ENTERTAINMENT Editor’s Picks
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28 FUN & GAMES Sudoku & Riddles to keep your mind sharp 29 SAMI’S SMACKDOWN Rants, raves & reflections 30 CASINO SPONSOR DIRECTORY Slot machine images courtesy of WMS Gaming. © Copyright WMS Gaming. All Rights Reserved. www.wms.com Slot machine images courtesy of IGT. © Copyright IGT. All Rights Reserved. www.igt.com Slot machine images courtesy of Bally Technologies. © Copyright Bally Technologies. All Rights Reserved. www.ballytech.com
azgamingguide.com | November 2011 | Arizona Gaming Guide
03
EDITOR’S NOTE
Your Authority On Everything Gaming VOLUME 03 • ISSUE 04 PUBLISHER Chris Hoft chris@azgamingguide.com
Hot New Games Coming In 2012 The Global Gaming Expo (G2E) of 2011 was held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center last month and every member of the Arizona Gaming Guide team made the trip to Las Vegas to experience the new casino games! G2E is the largest tradeshow in the gaming industry and an exciting opportunity for casino game manufacturers to showcase their products. More than 440 leading gaming industry vendors, including more than 80 international exhibitors from 24 different countries, registered for over 250,000 square feet of exhibit hall space this year to display their merchandise and services to key casino decision makers! This year’s glimpse into the gambling world revealed an abundance of licensed and themed titles, community games, multiplay and multi-layered displays, and a plethora of innovative concepts and ideas like video arcade style slot games. My team and I have chosen our favorites and are convinced that most (if not all) the games in this issue will be available for us to play in the very near future. We really hope you enjoy reading about the games we decided to discuss and are as excited as we are to play them in 2012! Please visit us at: www.facebook.com/ArizonaGamingGuide, become part of our community and share your thoughts and experiences with others who also love the same casino games you do. Don’t forget that you can also find the current and back issues of the Arizona Gaming Guide on our website at www.azgamingguide.com. For your convenience, we have included the QR codes for both web addresses in our directory. Let me know what you think of our November issue and have fun! Cheers! Alexandra Lang
Alexandra Editor-in-Chief editor@azgamingguide.com 04 Arizona Gaming Guide | November 2011 | azgamingguide.com
MANAGING DIRECTOR Elizabeth Torma liz@azgamingguide.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alexandra Lang editor@azgamingguide.com ART DIRECTOR Melanie Mueller CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mark Novak Alex Stewart Samantha Becker Lana Hartmann Elizabeth Torma ADVERTISING SALES Nina Consiglio nina@azgamingguide.com Alex Stewart alex@azgamingguide.com MAILING INFORMATION Arizona Gaming Guide P.O. Box 20636 Mesa, Arizona 85277 INTERNET INFORMATION www.azgamingguide.com www.facebook.com/ArizonaGamingGuide
Copyright © 2011 The Arizona Gaming Guide. All rights reserved. The Arizona Gaming Guide (AGG) presents casino industry and gaming related facts as well as personal opinions and expects the reader to make his or her own decisions. All responses to reader emails and letters are to be considered as advice only. AGG accepts no responsibility and no liability for any actions of our readers based on the articles and advertisements presented within this publication. All pictures, images, logos, trademarks and trade names, etc. are the sole property of their respective owners. You must be 21 or older to gamble. Please play responsibly. Help is available at 1.800.NEXT.STEP or www.problemgambling.az.gov.
PLAYERS TALK
Q&A On Everything Gaming
Q: SLOT MAINTENANCE I think the casinos need to stop being cheap and take care of their slots better. They make all this money, but they can’t spend a little bit of it to make sure that the buttons are all working. It’s called maintenance! If the slot is old or parts are not working they need to fix it or get rid of it. Benny Moody – Phoenix, AZ A: Benny, I believe that casinos do their best to maintain all of their equipment. Unless a patron notifies an employee and makes them aware of an issue, the casino may not even be aware of a problem. Please consider that slot machines go through a great deal of wear-and-tear as they are on and being played 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! The resilience of slots based on the constant use (and sometimes abuse) they get from players is truly remarkable and a testament to the high quality in both design and testing. In our discussions with Slot Technicians and Slot Managers, we’ve come to find out that sometimes casinos hold on to “older” games because they are popular with their patrons. However, in many cases the parts on these games are obsolete because the slot manufacturers have upgraded the cabinets and the system. In these situations, the casinos have a difficult time replacing defective parts and they just have to make do with what they have. In other cases, if a slot is leased or out on participation (a profit sharing arrangement between the casino and the slot manufacturer) then the maintenance may be the responsibility of the manufacturer and not the casino. The appropriate people need to be contacted, parts need to be ordered, technicians need to be scheduled, and the maintenance needs to be performed—all this takes time! Q: LOOSER MACHINES DURING HOLIDAYS Does the casino make their machines pay people more during holiday weekends? I went to a casino during the 4th of July weekend and Labor Day weekend and everyone I was with had better luck than usual. Carol Crestfield – Glendale, AZ Carol, yes the casino can change the payback percentages for a
holiday weekend if they really wanted to but this is not very likely to happen. Representatives from the casino’s Tribal Gaming Office (TGO) and the Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) need to be present to verify and document any and all changes that happen to a slot’s settings. Furthermore, the ADG needs to be notified at least 30 days in advance for scheduling purposes. Both the TGO and the ADG are simply too busy and preoccupied with other matters to be visiting casinos all across Arizona verifying payback percentage changes! Anyway, if a casino was to increase or decrease the payback percentage of a game for a few hours or even a few days it wouldn’t have a tremendous implication for the casino or the player in the short run. Theoretical payback percentages of slot games affect the performance of a game over the long run. When a new slot is installed in a casino, that’s when the payback is determined and it’s not likely to be adjusted after that. Q: CASINO REGULATION Which casinos are more regulated—the Indian casinos or the commercial casinos? Phil Geller – Yuma, AZ Phil, both commercial and tribal casinos are heavily regulated and closely monitored by several state and national agencies. If you are to pin me down and demand that I choose which one is more regulated than the other I would have to say the tribal casinos. Indian gaming is subject to more stringent regulations and security controls than any other type of gaming in the United States. There are actually three distinct regulatory levels for all tribal gaming operations. First, tribal governments regulate gaming on their reservations with their own commissions. Second, tribes that have compacts with the state (like Arizona does) are regulated by state government agencies. Finally, the National Indian Gaming Commission and Federal Government agencies such as the U.S. Justice Department, the U.S. Treasury Department, and the Department of the Interior also play significant roles in the oversight of tribal gaming. Then, of course, there are agencies like the FBI, IRS, the U.S. Attorneys, U.S. Marshalls, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs all of whom have some level of regulatory involvement. How’s that for oversight?
ASK THE EXPERTS and get a $25 gas card if we decide to print your question! Do you have a question for our staff of casino gaming industry professionals and slot experts? Write us with your questions and comments in any area of gaming and we will make every attempt to publish a response in upcoming issues. Space is limited so we are unable to print every letter or e-mail we receive. Please include your name and mailing address with all correspondence. Mail to: Arizona Gaming Guide PO BOX 20636 Mesa, AZ 85277 or E-mail to: editor@azgamingguide.com.
06 Arizona Gaming Guide | November 2011 | azgamingguide.com
Q&A On Everything Gaming
PLAYERS TALK
Q: BINGO AND LIVE KENO I play Bingo and my husband likes to either play blackjack or keno (the live kind not the ones on the slots). Where do you recommend that we go play? Val M. – Scottsdale, AZ A: Fort McDowell Casino has the largest and one of the nicest bingo halls in all of Arizona. Their recently remodeled live keno section includes televisions, video poker, and video keno slots! They also have 15 blackjack tables for your husband to enjoy as well. Another great option is Mazatzal Hotel & Casino in Payson. They have all three casino games there as well! In fact, it’s very rare to be able to find both live keno and bingo available at the same casino. Since these casinos are close to the Scottsdale area where you live, you should try them both and see where you feel the most comfortable. Let us know how it goes! Q: ENSURING COMPLIANCE How often does the Department of Gaming come out to check the slot machines at the casinos and what do they do exactly while there? Jackie Reed – Chandler The Arizona Department of Gaming’s (ADG) Machine Compliance Technicians randomly inspect gaming devices at all of Arizona’s casinos on a regular basis. Their visits are unannounced and they are usually able to do spot checks at 8 to 10 casinos every month! The ADG technicians announce their visit to the Tribal Gaming Office first and then a Tribal Gaming Agent, a Casino Slot Technician, and a Casino Security Officer accompany the Machine Compliance Technicians around the casino during the inspection. A typical spot check usually consists of 50 different slot games! The ADG technicians open the slots, enter the setup menus and verify the percentages, the software, and make sure the seal tapes are still in place. Then, they perform communication tests with the accounting system and run bills and tickets through the acceptors. They also make sure to check that all the accounting meters (credits in, credits out, credits played, etc.) are working correctly. Q: MECHANICAL SLOTS My wife and I only like playing the old-fashioned slots with the mechanical reels. Which casino do you think has the best games? Frank Henderson – Chandler The hands down winner, in our opinion, is Desert Diamond Casinos in Tucson, Arizona! They have the largest selection of mechanical reel steppers we’ve seen in all of Arizona set to the best payback percentages. Good luck and have fun! $ azgamingguide.com | November 2011 | Arizona Gaming Guide
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GREAT GAMES
New Slots Coming in 2012
HOT NEW GAMES COMING IN 2012 F
or one week during the year, everyone remotely connected to the gaming industry travels to Las Vegas for an amazing experience known as ‚The Show.‛ The Global Gaming Expo, simply referred to as G2E, provides attendees a glimpse into the future of casino gaming. This year, G2E was held during the first week in October at the Sands Expo and Convention Center and featured more than 250,000 square feet of exhibit space. Every year the products that get center stage and are the most closely watched by casino executives and decision makers are the slot machines. Slot manufacturers from all over the world parade their latest and greatest inventions 08 Arizona Gaming Guide | November 2011 | azgamingguide.com
in front of interested buyers in the hopes their allocated budgets for new purchases will be used on their games. Continuing with our annual tradition, we’re excited to give our readers a sneak peek at what’s in store for all us slot players in the coming year. The Arizona Gaming Guide team has chosen our favorites and we’re convinced that most (if not all) the games in this issue will be available for us to play in the very near future. Look for more sneak peeks in upcoming issues as well. We really hope you enjoy reading about the games we decided to discuss and are as excited as we are to play them in 2012! Send us an e-mail to editor@azgamingguide.com with ‚New Games 2012‛ in the subject and tell us your favorites.
New Slots Coming 2012
GREAT GAMES
ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES Aristocrat invites players to accept a mission on their newest exciting video slot, Mission: Impossible™, which features a wide area progressive with a $250,000 top award and with three local area progressive jackpots and six pulsepounding bonus features. This video slot game has recently been released in the Southern California market and will be working its way into casinos all across Arizona soon! Mission: Impossible’s grand jackpot is linked to Aristocrat’s extremely popular Tarzan® Lord of the Jungle™ slot, meaning there is a greater potential for more frequent grand jackpot hits. This game is every bit as fun and entertaining as the film that inspired it. Aristocrat’s exciting line-up of themed titles at the G2E show also included the triumphant return of Zorro™! Players everywhere have loved Aristocrat’s Zorro game and now the hero is back in Zorro: The Legend Returns™. This is the first game in Aristocrat’s amazing new game category called the VIRIDIAN Hybrid™ with Active Reel Technology™. This new line of games has the potential to feature a 5-reel stepper base game, a full screen video, and a 3-reel stepper bonus—all in the same game! Zorro: The Legend Returns™ has three standalone progressive jackpots, a symbol triggered progressive jackpot feature, and four additional random bonus features! Tarzan® Lord of the Jungle™ is hands-down one of the most popular slots in North America which is why several casinos across Arizona have installed this great game including Bucky’s Casino in Prescott and Mazatzal Casino in Payson. Now, the journey continues with Tarzan®: The Adventures Return™, with incredible, allnew features but still the same high-hitting top progressive as the original! The ‚Ghost Who Walks‛ will soon be leaving his legendary Good Mark in Arizona’s casinos as well, because Aristocrat is bringing the myth of The Phantom® to life in a new video slot game that’s as fun and exciting as the comic strip itself. This slot has been on casino floors in Australia for a few months now and it’s making its U.S. debut soon! Watch for more and more Aristocrat titles to start creeping up in casinos all across Arizona! azgamingguide.com | November 2011 | Arizona Gaming Guide
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WINNING WAYS
Quick Gambling Tips
16 Arizona Gaming Guide | November 2011 | azgamingguide.com
BALLY TECHNOLOGIES Curious about your destiny? Wondering which way things will go? Give Betty Boop your hand and let her read your palm. Following your success line to your fate line, she sees … a future with her new game! Coming soon, Betty Boop’s Fortune Teller™ will win over even the staunchest of psychic skeptics with its mind-boggling number of dazzling features. It is the new companion game to Bally Technologies’ hit Betty Boop’s Love Meter™. Featured on the unique Pro Upright Hammerhead™ cabinet, it is based on the iconic cartoon character and her playful dog Pudgy. Betty and Pudgy act as fortune-telling guides in this game’s fully-rendered 3D environment. Betty reads players’ palms, celebrates their wins, and even offers them a little help along the way. Bally innovations such as the iDeck™, U-Spin™ Wheel, and U-Choose™ bonuses totally immerse players in the action, keeping the séance intriguing and fun. Betty Boop’s Fortune Teller™ offers an unprecedented 15 bonuses at any bet. After hitting three U-Spin symbols, players are awarded with a real-time 3D Fortune Wheel that they can touch, slide, and spin. The Fortune Wheel is full of surprises, such as the Palm reading where a player puts his hand on the iDeck so Betty can read his palm. Credit and multiplier values are awarded based on the reading of the player’s life line, heart line, success line, and fate line. The game also includes several free game and multiplier bonuses, from Signs of the Zodiac Free Games and Crystal Ball Free Games, to Pudgy’s Magical Multiplier Free Games, during which Betty randomly intervenes to help players who get only 1x or 2x. ‚I can change your future!‛ or ‚I can help you with that!‛ she declares, giving them a free second try. The U-Choose Bonus gives control to the players, letting them pick their preferred bonus. In the Spin ’Til You Win bonus, for instance, the player decides whether to ‚Take Win‛ or ‚Spin Again.‛ If a player chooses the latter, he keeps going until he wins. Two progressive jackpots – ‚Pudgy’s Predictions‛ (major) and ‚Boop-Oop-A-Doop‛ (minor) – are available to win at any bet level. A top progressive features Bally’s new life-changing Cash Connection™ wide area progressive, available at max bet. Dubbed Betty’s Fortunes Jackpot, it is awarded with a five-of-a-kind scatter pay symbol on the base game reel set. Is your good fortune right around the corner? Find out with Betty Boop and Pudgy soon. Betty Boop’s Fortune Teller from Bally Technologies is expected to hit Arizona casino floors in the summer of 2012. azgamingguide.com | November 2011 | Arizona Gaming Guide
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BALLY TECHNOLOGIES
The One That I Want Free Games T-Bird Mystery Wilds Dance Off Free Games Rydell High Pick ‘Em How Cool Are You? Pink Lady Pick ‘Em Too Pure To Be Pink Grease Yearbook From Broadway to big screen to slot machine, this classic has finally made its way to the fun of the casino floor. Catchy bonus games, a super-HD experience, and a multi-area progressive, together with featured movie clips and music will have players reliving the upbeat story of the 1950s-inspired movie.
12 Arizona Gaming Guide | November 2011 | azgamingguide.com
Fans of Grease will soon be singing along to their favorite tunes as they enjoy themselves on casino floors. Bally Technologies’ new Grease™ slot game reunites the characters from the iconic 1978 American film and incorporates the insanely catchy music that reminds audiences the world over of their friends (and enemies) from high school. Inspired by the story of two love-struck 1950s-era teens, this new, bonus-rich game is Bally’s first double-play game featuring two, 25-line games enabling players to play two games at once. Grease™ is also one of the first games on Bally’s Cash Connection™ wide-area progressive link. The game takes full advantage of Bally’s iDeck™ touch-screen button deck to deliver the world of Rydell High to players. Grease™ features eight bonus events, including TBird Mystery Wilds, a U-Spin™ Yearbook Bonus, two pick-em features, two styles of free games, and four any-bet progressives. Grease™ also offers four exciting bonus levels: Pink Lady, Rydell High Pick ‘Em, Too Pure to be Pink, and The One That I Want. Players can use the base game or iDeck on selected bonuses, with certain picks sending them to the next level and offering a chance at higher rewards. The Dance Off Free Games feature invites players to ‚dance‛ on the iDeck to win additional free games or credits. How Cool Are You? gives players the chance to select from one of four cars on the iDeck, moving the car up the ladder. The winning character indicates the player’s ‚coolness‛ factor and awards one of the four progressive jackpots or a credit value.
The Grease™ slot comes with Bally’s Pro Series™ custom professional sound chair so that players can experience the familiar songs from the blockbuster American musical while they are enjoying the game’s many bonus features! >
azgamingguide.com | November 2011 | Arizona Gaming Guide
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GREAT GAMES
New Slots Coming 2012
IGT With millions of fans, billions of records sold and a lasting legacy, IGT celebrates Elvis' 55th anniversary of his first number one record with the release of Elvis The King® Multi-Level Progressives. Featuring a classic jukebox design, this entertaining slot includes base games, bonuses and progressives that connect familiar Elvis Presley songs to winning. Five hip-shaking bonus options will keep players dancing in their seats: Heartbreak Hotel, Jailhouse Rock, Hound Dog and the Viva Las Vegas bonus. The biggest chart topper of them all is the Jukebox Hits bonus in which players select records for big outcomes in this rockin' game! Big Buck Hunter® Pro Slots debuts an entirely new interactive casino gaming experience on IGT's new Center Stage Duo™. This dynamic, cutting-edge game takes players into the great outdoors with state-of-the-art graphics and innovative mechanical gun hardware. Yes, you read that right! Target practice is taken to a whole new level with exciting shooting bonuses where players
use the game's arcade-style gun hardware to fire at the shared 55-inch Center Stage™ screen and score credits. For 15-years players worldwide have been spinning and winning on the all-time player-favorite and topperforming Wheel of Fortune®. This classic theme is now redefined with even more spinning action, more suspense and more entertainment. This year at G2E, Wheel of Fortune® Triple Extreme Spin™, Wheel of Fortune ® Wild Getaway™ and a new Wheel of Fortune ® Multi-Level Progressive expand the award-winning portfolio adding even more action and more jackpots to casino floors everywhere. Only months after rolling out top-of-the-chart entertainment with licensed movie titles like Dark Knight™ and Ghostbusters™, IGT debuted even more pop culture titles at G2E with Sex and The City™ Fabulous, Breakfast at Tiffany's™, The Joker's Heist™ and The Twilight Zone ® in 3D. Some say that IGT has lost their touch and may be slipping from the ranks and we say—sure doesn’t look that way to us! 14 Arizona Gaming Guide | November 2011 | azgamingguide.com
New Slots Coming 2012
GREAT GAMES
WMS GAMING, INC. WMS understands what players want and they deliver. At this year’s G2E, WMS fired on all cylinders to produce games with something for everyone! Battleship™, the classic Hasbro game, was brought to life by WMS in their exciting new community bonus game. Teams compete to sink ships in three unique overhead bonuses. Randomly triggered communal bonuses play out on three overhead screens, pitting two Navies against each other in one of three communal battles for additional bonus rewards. Although not a true community game, players’ decisions can affect other players in Clue™, another new slot based on the popular board game. In a bonus event played on big screens overhead, players choose which room to play in and take a guess at solving the murder mystery. Wrong guesses are eliminated which narrows down the possibilities for the next player who enters the bonus. The truly exciting aspect of this game is that the next player to enter the bonus has better odds at solving the mystery! Super Team™ is a unique, original slot theme in a new series of ‚Adaptive Gaming‛ slots featuring 15 heroes that travel through 3 different bonus features to unlock additional bonuses and hero customization opportunities. The hero editor functionality allows players to create their own characters and personalize their slot experience. Players will unlock each hero’s bonus through continued play in the Adaptive Gaming system. azgamingguide.com | November 2011 | Arizona Gaming Guide
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New Slots Coming 2012
GREAT GAMES
WMS GAMING, INC. WMS has launched Monopoly™ Party Train™, the latest in its Monopoly branded slot series. Monopoly™ Party Train™, is an exciting 5-reel, 27-line video slot packed with immersive bonus features, fun animations, and catchy sounds. Players are taken on a train ride around the Monopoly board for chances to enter numerous bonus features, win free spins, get wild reels, or collect credits! Free Spin Bonus Triggered by 3 or more BONUS symbols, players start their free spin bonus at GO, Just Visiting or Free Parking (for 3, 4 or 5 triggering BONUS symbols.) Players start with 2 dice rolls that take them around the board to determine the number of free spins they receive, and each bonus is enhanced in one of the following ways (depending on where players are on the board when the bonus triggers): Reading Railroad: Higher board values Pennsylvania Railroad: 2 WILD Reels available on every spin B&O Railroad: up to 20X multiplier available on every spin Short Line Railroad: a 3rd dice roll to start the bonus Move Feature At coin-in, players begin at GO. The Move Feature randomly occurs after any base game spin and takes players around the Monopoly board for credit awards, free spin enhancements, bonus triggers, mini bonuses, and more! Landing on Water Works, Electric Company, Chance, Community Chest, Go, Just Visiting, Go To Jail, Free Parking, Park Place or Boardwalk during the Move Feature triggers special mini-bonuses or features full of rewarding possibilities for players. $ azgamingguide.com | November 2011 | Arizona Gaming Guide
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FAST FACTS
Indian Gaming
Like State Governments use their taxes, Tribal Governments use their gaming profits for the purposes of providing for the general welfare of all of their people
G
AMING PROFITS
Helping Indian Nations Recover Both Economically And Socially
W
ith only 237 tribes conducting gaming operations out of 565 federally recognized tribes, most are still struggling to lift themselves out of a centuries-long cycle of poverty. Indian Nations are utilizing the gaming profits to build self-sufficiency and government infrastructure on Indian reservations. Just like the State Governments use their taxes, Tribal Governments use their gaming profits for the purposes of providing for the general welfare of all of their people. As detailed in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), gaming profits can only be used for law enforcement, education, economic development, tribal courts and infrastructure improvements. Tribes are also using these profits to fund social service programs, scholarships, health care clinics, new roads, new sewer and water systems, adequate housing, chemical dependency treatment programs and dialysis clinics, among other things.
Indian Nations are at the bottom of the economic and social ladder Gaming Provides Hope For Reducing Indian Poverty Indians, the people indigenous to this land and the first Americans, comprise only approximately 1% of the entire population of the United States; the smallest minority 20 Arizona Gaming Guide | November 2011 | azgamingguide.com
group. Those Indians living on reservations are still at the bottom of virtually every economic category. Unemployment rates often reach ten times the national average on reservations; many of which are located on remote lands with little or no tax base. In fact, 70% of all Indian reservations are rural. The life expectancy of the American Indian is 47 years, contrasted with the American average of 78! A recent United States Census revealed that 30.9% of the country’s Indians live in poverty. Their poverty rate is the highest of any ethnic group in America. The census defines poverty as an individual earning less than $6,300 a year, or a family of four earning less than $12,674. The poverty rate for the entire United States population was much lower, 13.1%. The unemployment rates for all Indians living on reservation is at an all time high. Some tribes have unemployment rates as high as 80%. An unemployment rate of more than 6% in a community in Mainstream America is considered a recession and a rate of 9% is a depression. Of the Indians who do have jobs, only 28% earn more than $7,000 a year according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Since the first immigrant set foot on their land, gaming has been the only economic development tool that has worked for the Indian Nations. Many thanks to the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) for their assistance with this article. To read more about NIGA, please visit www.indiangaming.org. $
FAST FACTS
Casino Buzz
New Slots Hit Casino Floors This Month! Dark Knight™ by IGT If you live in Tucson or have visited recently, chances are you’ve already played the exciting new community game by slot manufacturer IGT, Dark Knight™. Now, Batman and Joker will continue to battle it out on casino floors all across the Phoenix Valley! Fort McDowell Casino just installed this slot at the end of last month and Casino Arizona’s installation is scheduled for the middle of this month. Appropriately named, the game’s must-see Battle for Gotham community bonus plays out on the big screen and is a high speed car chase between Batman and Joker and players choose which character they want to be. Two very unique pick-style bonuses, Agents of Chaos and the Sonar bonus, incorporate familiar scenes from the film with multiple winning outcomes. And, in the Sleight of Hand bonus, swiping your hand across the screen flips over Joker’s cards to reveal many worthwhile surprises. During base game play, three random events can trigger fate's hand. For example, Joker intermittently drives on screen and launches a rocket to create an explosion of credits. Batman may chase after him and shoot the interface to increase credit awards. Look for the popular bat signal to make an appearance as well as Two Face's coin flip. $
Ghostbusters™ by IGT Ghost tracking, psycho-kinetic energy meters will be going crazy when the frighteningly fun Ghostbusters™ slots make their way into all the Arizona casinos! The game features the mischievous and lovable character Slimer teasing, mocking and awarding players with antics, multipliers and credits as he leads them through the game. A vivid 55-inch overhead LCD screen and chest-pumping MEGAfx Surround Chairs will send players' adrenaline racing during spectacular bonus rounds including:
Ballroom Busters Pick Bonus: Holdin! Smokin! Ready! Players are awarded five proton shots to blow up the ballroom to find ghosts.
Stay Puft Free Games Feature: Marshmallows fall from the sky, stick to symbols and turn them wild during this sweet feature.
Are You Psychic? Bonus: Guess the correct card to win credits and advance to the next round!
Paranormal Pick Bonus: Five levels of Paranormal Pick Bonuses allow players to select from phantasm clouds for a chance to win the progressive jackpot. This game is coming to Casino Arizona this month! ‚Who you gonna call‛ when you win big money on this slot? $ 22 Arizona Gaming Guide | November 2011 | azgamingguide.com
Arizona Gaming Trivia
FAST FACTS
FIFTY Million
The number of Class II gaming devices in Arizona. Currently, only Mazatzal, Fort McDowell, and Casino Del Sol have Class II slots on their floors!.
The number of poker tables in all the casinos in Arizona.
The minimum payback percentage for video slot games requiring skill, for example video poker. For games requiring no skill, the minimum payback percentage is 80% and 75% for video keno games. These are absolute minimums and are outlined in Arizona’s Tribal-State Gaming Compact.
The total number of slot machines (including both Class III and Class II games) in Arizona as of October 1, 2011!
203
83%
14,508 The number of blackjack tables in all the casinos in Arizona.
The current number of casinos in Arizona.
The maximum number of slot machines allowed in any one casino in the state of Arizona. And, there is a wager limit of $29 per play for most tribes.
299
22
1,301
39
The year the current Tribal-State Gaming Compact went into effect. It replaced Compacts that were in effect from 1993 to 2003. The current Compact lasts for 10 years and can be renewed for another decade and one additional term of three years.
2003
BY THE NUMBERS
0
The number of live Roulette and Craps games in Arizona. The current TribalState Gaming Compact does not allow for these games in Arizona! There are also no Off-Track betting locations at The total number of allowed seats in the bingo any of the casinos hall at Fort McDowell Casino which is cur- across the state of Arizona. rently the largest bingo hall in all of Arizona!
1,700
The maximum number of plays the highest single advertised award on each gaming device shall occur statistically. azgamingguide.com | November 2011 | Arizona Gaming Guide
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FAST FACTS
Gaming News
CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL GAMBLING CONTINUES
GAMING REVENUE UP
On October 13, 2011, Richard Victory pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of Arizona to Attempted Promotion of Gambling, a Class 6 felony. This was the latest development in a case that began in August of 2010, when agents from the Arizona Department of Gaming and the Department of Liquor Licenses and Control seized eight pay-for-play video machines operating in four liquorlicensed establishments in Phoenix and Tempe. Five additional machines were seized at a storage facility in Mesa. A warrant was served at each business believed to be operating in violation of their liquor license, and Mr. Victory was alleged to be providing these machines in exchange for a percentage of the profits. Officials estimated Victory to have collected thousands of dollars in undeclared income each month.
Quarterly contributions to the state of Arizona from gaming revenue have been continuing to increase since last year. ‚While a full economic recovery will take some time, the trend line is moving in a positive direction,‛ said Mark Brnovich, Director of the Arizona Department of Gaming.
‚Investigating illegal gambling activity and taking the appropriate action continues to be a priority for our office,‛ said Mark Brnovich, Director of the Arizona Department of Gaming. "This agency will continue to provide strict enforcement of liquor and gaming laws at liquor-licensed establishments throughout the state," added Director Alan Everett of the Department of Liquor. Richard Victory is now scheduled to appear for sentencing in the Superior Court of Arizona on November 15, 2011. Over the past year, the Arizona Department of Gaming has worked in cooperation with various licensing, law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies to seize more than 100 illegal gambling devices across the state. $
24 Arizona Gaming Guide | November 2011 | azgamingguide.com
Under the Arizona Tribal-State Gaming Compact that went into effect in 2003, tribes with casinos contribute one to eight percent of their Class III gross gaming revenue to the state, cities, towns, and counties. In Arizona, Class III gaming includes slots, jackpot poker, blackjack, and keno. There are currently 22 Class III casinos in the state. Tribes send contributions to the State’s Arizona Benefits Fund every three months. $
Editor’s Picks
ENTERTAINMENT
THE REFLECTION OF MICHAEL
MARIACHI DIVAS
Showroom Talking Stick Resort—Casino Arizona December 29th & 30th—Doors at 8PM Tickets start at $27—480.850.7734
Diamond Center Desert Diamond Casino—Sahuarita December 10th—Doors at 7PM Tickets start at $15—520.294.7777
Inspired by the biggest star to ever live, this incredible show promises to invigorate the crowd with the live vocals, a live band, singers, dancers, and the amazing Michael Firestone!
Directed and founded by trumpet player Cindy Shea in 1999, this unique, multi-cultural, all-female ensemble, is the true flavor of Los Angeles. They are also the official mariachis of Disney in Anaheim!
NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATION
TIM MCGRAW
Event Center Mazatzal Hotel & Casino—Payson December 31st—Doors at 5:30PM Tickets start at $65—800.777.PLAY
AVA Amphitheater Sol Casinos—Tucson November 12th—Show at 8PM Tickets start at $50—520.838.6700
Enjoy dinner, piano by Paul Penner, classic Las Vegas Rat Pack music by The Dean-O-Holics, a champagne toast, and a party to ring in 2012! The menu includes Prime Rib & Lobster Tail.
Tim McGraw has sold over 40 million units and dominated the charts with 32 #1 singles, including his latest, “Felt Good On My Lips,” a bonus track from his latest double CD, Number One Hits.
Venues, times, dates, and ticket information may be subject to change. Please verify all details and any age restrictions with each venue as the event approaches. Photo copyrights belong to the artist. All rights reserved.
azgamingguide.com | November 2011 | Arizona Gaming Guide
27
FUN & GAMES
SUDOKU
ODDS QUIZ
Each of the columns, rows, and nine 3x3 grids must contain all of the digits 1 - 9. None of the digits may appear more than once in each column, row, and 3x3 grid.
Gambling is mathematics, pure and simple. All games of chance involve probability, so if you like to gamble you should know some basics of probability.
(Solution on page 30)
(Solution on page 30)
7
8
9
9 6
3 1
5
8
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9 8
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2. What are the chances of drawing an Ace from a 52
7 5
9
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4
9
1
card deck? What are the chances of drawing the Ace of Spades?
3. Your favorite basketball team is down by one point. Time has run out in the fourth quarter and there’s a player at the foul line with two shots. You know this player has made 75% of the foul shots he has taken this season. What’s the probability your team will win?
4. You
5 2
ability of rolling a six? What is the probability of not rolling a six?
8
2 5
1. If you are rolling a six-sided die, what is the prob-
1
9 7
6 9
4
28 Arizona Gaming Guide | November 2011 | azgamingguide.com
and a friend are flipping a two-sided coin.
Your friend just flipped 4 tails in a row. Are the odds in favor of her flipping another tails? What is the probability of getting a heads on the 5th toss?
SAMI’S SMACKDOWN
The truth is … Your chances of getting two great bonuses back-to-back are unlikely. ADULT SEWING LESSONS!!!
This is the "YOU CAN MAKE IT" series of lessons! NEW THIS SUMMER, WE WILL BE OFFERING WEEKLY ADULT SEWING LESSONS!
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By Sami Becker
I love playing the slots but sometimes I get so frustrated. I wait forever for a bonus to happen and when it finally does it’s maddening if it doesn’t pay much! Sometimes I’ll have an amazing bonus and I’ll think maybe the machine is hot and I’m going to do well so I keep playing. By the time the next bonus comes around I’ve practically spent everything I won during my first bonus and what’s worse is the second bonus ends up not paying me much at all. It seems like I have so many more bad bonuses than I do good ones! Do you know what the odds are on that? Thanks for letting me rant. Bernice Sheridan—Queen Creek Bernice, I understand where you’re coming from and I commiserate with you! Since the average number of spins it takes to get into a bonus keeps increasing nowadays it takes more coin-in until it’s triggered. We all want (and need) the bonus outcome to be lucrative so, at the very least, we can keep playing. What determines how a bonus is going to payout is entirely based on the game’s math model and the random number generator (RNG). The mathematician sets up the probabilities of certain events occurring and the RNG randomly picks combinations based on these probabilities. Generally speaking, low bonus wins tend to be programmed with odds of 50%, the medium wins have odds of 40%, and the high wins have odds of 10%. Your chances of winning high amounts in two consecutive bonus games are only 1% (10% x 10%)! That’s just reality. Your chances are much higher of winning two low bonus amounts consecutively—25% (50% x 50%). The good news is that you are the most likely to get low and medium wins in successive bonus games. The probability of this happening is a whopping 81% (90% x 90%). A much better statistic, indeed! $
Do YOU have something to rant about? Write me at: sami@azgamingguide.com azgamingguide.com | November 2011 | Arizona Gaming Guide
29
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Tohono O'odham Nation Desert Diamond Casino 7350 S. Nogales Highway, Tucson 1 mile S of Valencia Rd on Nogales Highway 1-520-294-7777 desertdiamondcasino.com 1089 Class III Slots, Live Keno, 270 Seat Bingo Hall 17 Poker Tables, 19 Blackjack Tables Desert Diamond Casino 1100 W. Pima Mine Rd, Sahuarita S of Tucson at I-19 and Exit 80 (Pima Mine Rd) 1-866-332-9467 desertdiamondcasino.com 890 Class III Slots, 2 Poker Tables, 8 Blackjack Tables Desert Diamond Casino Highway 86, Why 1½ miles E of Why, AZ on Highway 86 1-866-332-9467 desertdiamondcasino.com 76 Class III Slots Tonto Apache Tribe Mazatzal Hotel & Casino Highway 87, Payson S of Payson on Beeline Highway(SR 87) 1-800-777-7529 777play.com 413 Class III Slots, 6 Class II Slots, Live Keno, 280 Seat Bingo Hall, 3 Poker Tables, 5 Blackjack Tables White Mountain Apache Tribe Hon-Dah Casino, Resort & Conference Center 777 Highway 260, Pinetop 3 miles outside Pinetop at Highways 260 & 73 1-800-929-8744 hon-dah.com 802 Class III Slots, 3 Poker Tables, 4 Blackjack Tables Yavapai-Apache Nation Cliff Castle Casino & Hotel 555 Middle Verde Rd, Camp Verde 1 mile E of I-17 on Middle Verde Rd 1-800-381-7568 cliffcastlecasino.net 656 Class III Slots, 8 Poker Tables, 10 Blackjack Tables Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe Bucky's Casino Highway 69 and Heather Heights, Prescott N at top of hill next to the Prescott Resort 1-800-756-8744 buckyscasino.com 301 Class III Slots, 7 Poker Tables, 10 Blackjack Tables Yavapai Casino 1500 E. Highway 69, Prescott Hwy. 69 at Heather Heights on S side of SR 69 1-800-756-8744 buckyscasino.com 235 Class III Slots Arizona Department of Gaming 1110 W. Washington Street, Suite 450 Phoenix, Arizona 85007 1-602-771-4263 azgaming.gov Office of Problem Gambling (1-800-NEXT STEP or 1-800-639-8783 ) 1110 W. Washington Street, Suite 450 Phoenix, Arizona 85007 1-602-542-8998 problemgambling.az.gov Source: Arizona Department of Gaming-Tribal Gaming Status-10/01/11
30 Arizona Gaming Guide | November 2011 | azgamingguide.com
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Solutions to “Odds Quiz” 1. Probability of rolling a 6 is 1/6. Not rolling a 6 is 5/6. 2. Probability of drawing one of 4 Aces is 4/52 = 1/13. Drawing the only Ace of Spades in the deck has a probability of 1/52. 3. Since the player must make both free throws, the events are dependent. As a result, we multiply the probability of making each shot together. So, we have a 3/4 x 3/4 = 9/16 = 56.25% chance of winning the game. 4. No, the odds of heads or tails never change. The probability of a heads on any flip of a coin is 1/2 or 50%.
Solution to the Sudoku
4
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9
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