Page 1 of 1

bingo skillball challenge

Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 12:47 am
by cool
went into my local casino a few weeks ago. jackpot was £112. Tonight it was £112. does anybody know if the upper limit to one of these games can be rigged to (a)never payout (b)never go up once a particular level is reached?

Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 11:14 am
by blackmogu
It wouldn't be menu-selectable, since rigging it to never pay out would land the company who supplied the game in hot legal water. If it were menu-selectable, then the authorities would be alerted at some point by a member of casino staff.

It's purely conjecture if it's written into the software, or is activated by an 'out-of-band' transmission, since we have no means to examine the software.

Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 1:47 pm
by borgcontact4
Is it a Casino model? The graphics say its £100 version and it also has note acceptor. I was in Golden Horseshoe last year and that one was up over £120. So it goes up till someone wins that jackpot house. You need the five blue balls and a house to win. The way the money goes into these machines suggests that is a game which pays out. No one would continue to play it if they didn't. I see figures from some operators and it is their best earning machine, not the terminal, but the stand alone game. Been around for at least four years. I would love to see figures from the casino version as when I have seen the machine in one they are always being played. Given the play time available from 12 noon till 5.00am.... they must be having a beano!!!!
Just a note, the machine business is terrible, everyone says this is the worst its ever been. Expect major factory closures and loads of disgruntled ex-employees. It may be very interesting if they start telling tales!!!

Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 7:33 pm
by dmac
xyz

Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 12:03 am
by Istenem
dartboard. cost to pub = £30.
SWP. cost to pub = £2000+.

the arithmetic is easy.

Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 12:13 am
by Istenem
i'm shit at darts but i would play that before an itbox or ind:e.
it is more fun.

Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 12:18 am
by mr lugsy
nearest to the bull for a quid?

Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 8:38 am
by QuizMaster
Istenem wrote:dartboard. cost to pub = £30.
SWP. cost to pub = £2000+.

the arithmetic is easy.
Scrabble game cost to saddo: £12.99
Money spunked on Word Up every year: £300

Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 3:27 pm
by borgcontact4
Just to explain the commercial details. A publican/tenant will own the darts board, part of fixtures and fitting and when he moves he either sells it to the incoming guy or takes it with him. The quizer is in 99.99% of cases is owned by an operating company. They the operator will pay 2K plus for the machine. They install it on a share basis, 50/50 or 60/40 whatever they can get. They collect and service it. they also pay for new game licences every year, can be £4.00 per week up to £14 per week and some game software companies on a per play basis.

Getting back to machines in pub and what the future holds, well the industry thinks that quiz is really at saturation point and have seen takes reduce to 50% of their income last year , before smoking ban.
Now awp's, more tricky as there will always be a place for a gambler but again the rents the operator gets is poor. Here the licencee, owner of the pub get all the money and rent a machine for say £35 per week. It is easy to see they like this arrangement as they know its a fixed cost and they get all the money, so a bus pus is quids in. So in a nutshell a pub will have pool table, fruitie, quiz and anything else that a punter will put money into.

Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 6:07 pm
by Properpro
borgcontact4 wrote:Getting back to machines in pub and what the future holds, well the industry thinks that quiz is really at saturation point and have seen takes reduce to 50% of their income last year , before smoking ban.
I'm sure you're quite right, but maybe you can provide an answer to one of my pet gripes.
There are lots of machines in pubs that are clearly unsuitable, and likewise lots of empty spaces in pubs that are ideal. Does the industry ever discuss this as a problem or do they just let wide-boy salesmen get on with obtaining their patently unearned bonuses?

Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 8:38 pm
by Istenem
QuizMaster wrote:
Scrabble game cost to saddo: £12.99
Money spunked on Word Up every year: £300
oh, QuizMaster, why do you dislike me so?
it is no secret that i play with the SWP games rather than work on them. most of the time i play Guess Who? which is my fave!!! it is funny to look at the pictures of people with a stupid moustache. LOL!!!!

Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 9:12 pm
by borgcontact4
Hi Prosperpro,
The industry is not communicative by any stretch of the imagination, however that is to be expected and not a criticism. However the industry totally lacks any professionalism and is driven by the two largest suppliers who have grown to 70% of the pub market supply. The management don't know what a pub is, to be truthful they work for an large company who supply machines to pubs but the senior mangement never go into one. They are so called bright managers and they are so bright they wouldn't lower themselves to go to a drinking house. In fact they are ashamed of the companies they work for. If you asked them what they did for a living they would answer, " Account Executive in the leisure industry" at best, most would say they anything but that they supply machines to pubs. The engineers and supervisors know what the pubs need....., do they ask them? No.
The only salvation is the small operator comes back and gives the punter what he wants, value for money with good percentages. Will they listen.......not to the likes of me.
I work in the industry and love it but one day they will drive me from it unless a miracle happens.
Anyway I am sure things must eventually get better, thats what they say.... Hope so for all our sakes.

Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 10:55 am
by Northern Monkey
The terminology always used to be SCAM

Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 12:25 pm
by fotherz
Istenem wrote:most of the time i play Guess Who? which is my fave!!! it is funny to look at the pictures of people with a stupid moustache. LOL!!!!
:lol: