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Makers of a new pulltab and linked bingo machine have been making the rounds in St. Paul this week, talking about the potential to start delivering on the promises of electronic charitable gaming that is slated to fund the state's share of the Vikings stadium.

They're pitching a machine developed by Electronic Game Solutions, out of St. Louis, Mo., and sold by International Gamco, an incumbent paper pulltab supplier. They're hoping to get approval for their games next month from the Minnesota Gambling Control Board.

International Gamco vice president Scott Henneman said they've got a half dozen distributors lined up in Minnesota, and the delay getting their pulltabs into Minnesota was developing hand-held device, as required by statute. They've got a console-based, stand alone machine they've sold outside the U.S., and he pegs the daily handle right about where the Minnesota estimates were last year:

Henneman said the machines will work, in part because he thinks there's some pent-up demand among Gamco's existing paper pulltab distributors. His is one of those makers that's been asking customers to wait on electronics. "We've asked them to be patient," Henneman said.

EGS is making the actual devices. The company is an electronic bingo outfit, in 16 jurisdictions in the U.S. and on cruise lines like Disney and Holland America, according to CEO John Smolic. But there's a key difference between Minnesota's games and the rest, he says: they're not linked widely over the internet, like Minnesota's are meant to be. And that's going to make for some big prizes in Minnesota. Pulltab prizes are capped here at $1,499. Linked bingo can have prizes more than 50 times that much, Smolic says:

Oh, and one other thing. The working titles for the games are "Golden Touch" for the pull tabs and  "Booty Chaser," for the bingo. It's a pirate theme.

Smolic and Henneman hope to have their games in as many as 1,250 sites eventually. "We have six distributors that are already established throughout the state, that already have market share. Our goal is to do 50 installations per week," Smolic said.

the market projected by the Gambling Control Board last year

 -- and so far, the board says no one has even finished filing all the paperwork to get bingo going.

Tim Nelson

Author

Makers of a new pulltab and linked bingo machine have been making the rounds in St. Paul this week, talking about the potential to start delivering on the promises of electronic charitable gaming that is slated to fund the state’s share of the Vikings stadium. They’re pitching a machine developed by Electronic Game Solutions, out…

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