Tally-ho, friends!; NY State casinos cry uncle

As Sigma Derby games at MGM Grand and The D continue to eke out a perilous existence, getting by on spare parts cannibalized from other machines, they have a new rival. Konami Gaming has taken note of the enduring popularity of Sigma Derby and come up with its own variant, Fortune Cup. Konami is also cracking the skill-based-slot market with Frogger: Get Hoppin’, to be found at the Green Monster (look for it in the Level Up lounge). That’s just the tip of the Konami iceberg. Konami veep Thomas Jingoli pays tribute to Sigma Derby, saying, “on any given night, there’s not a seat open. So it certainly brings another dynamic to the casino floor, and our casino customers look at it as potential incremental revenue for their slot floor.” Development of Fortune Cup took five years and included such upgrades as a digital video screen providing real-time game updates. “Advanced engineering allows the horses to move flexibly across the track—passing one another, crisscrossing formations, and switching directions with variant speeds,” Jingoli adds. Throw in a progressive jackpot feature and Sigma Derby will finally have a true rival for players’ hearts.

* Faced with inarguably disappointing numbers from New York State‘s new upstate casinos, their champions are pushing a revisionist argument that amounts to ‘Wait ’til next year.’ Said financial analyst Frank Fantini, who argues that the newcomers are growing the market, not cannibalizing it, “It may take 18, 24, even 36 months for them to ramp up to what you’d call their run rate. It will take that long for new customers to visit, sign up for player cards, and get into the database so the casinos can market to them. The numbers a year from now might be closer to the forecast.” They might, but none of the expansion proponents said it would take three years to reach peak business. They said it could be done in one. Besides, Fantini thinks the Washington–Baltimore corridor could absorb another casino (tell that one to Maryland Live), which suggests he doesn’t have his head screwed on straight.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), meanwhile, remains in deep denial. “The variance with the projections doesn’t bother me that much. They’ve all been wildly successful in creating jobs and building beautiful complexes. Now they have actual data; they’ll adjust.” That’s cold comfort to in-progress Resorts World Catskills, which heads toward opening knowing almost for certain that revenue will be less that what it was pinning its hopes upon. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, Tioga Downs owner Jeff Gural says, “basically upstate New York is saturated,” throwing the blame on rival Del Lago. “It’s right in the middle of so many other casinos. It made it hard for them to succeed and hard for me too, because we’re competing for the same customers.” In the meantime he must brace himself for the impact of the Oneida Nation‘s oncoming, $40 million Point Place Casino (500 slots, 20 tables).

Casino owners are already mewing for lower tax rates (Vernon Downs got one), prompting gambling proponent Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D) to respond, “You give a better tax rate, that money doesn’t go to education; it goes to a millionaire, Give me a break.”

* Sports betting is now in the hands of the Supreme Court, so it probably doesn’t matter much what the commissioner of Major League Soccer thinks about it, but we want to thank commish Don Garber for coming out in favor of ‘having a flutter’ on MLS games. “Gambling on games, betting on games, is part of the DNA of football around the world. Go to a game in Chelsea or in Stamford Bridge, somebody’s coming to your seat or in your box with a tout sheet, and you can place a bet,” said Garber, showing a welcome grasp of historical context. His support is all the more valuable now that the NHL‘s Gary Bettman, having just put a team in Las Vegas, has pronounced himself to be an “agnostic” on sports betting, one who hopes SCOTUS upholds the Bradley Act. By contrast, Garber says “I am a big proponent that it’s going to happen, we might as well be in front of it. I think there are great values to our tax revenues to be able to do that, I don’t think we can stop it, so maybe we’d even lead the charge.”

* A thank-you to International Game Technology for incorporating USB ports into its Wheel of Fortune Megatower. The upgrade will enable players to recharge their cellphones while not missing a spin of the reels.

* Another thank-you to Rampart Casino, which is comping military vets’ meals on Veterans Day. Just don’t leave your service ID at home, troopers.

* If you happen to be dining in Macao that day, here are some options you might wish to consider. Sadly, Tasting Table doesn’t mention casino affiliations, if any, so you’ve got to hope your helpful hotel concierge can direct you to Café Litoral or The 8, depending on whether your tastes are Occidental or Oriental.

* If World Series games were played in the daytime, where they belong, this 318-minute, 10-inning slugfest could be enjoyed by working people, who can hardly be expected to still be watching baseball at half-past one on the East Coast.