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New Slot Machine Brings Gamers Closer Together

31 December 2008

Playing the slots at adjacent machines is the closest that couples and friends can get to one another during a casino "night out". Other than that, it's pretty much a case of going your own way and setting a time and place to meet.

Bally Technologies wants to change all that. The Las Vegas-based gaming manufacturer unveiled a "slot machine built for two" during last month's Global Gaming Expo. The company is hoping the concept will catch on as an ingenious way for people to share the casino gaming experience.

The product is called DualVision, a multi-player platform that brings a new dimension to community slot play. It incorporates a single segmented video display, which is compatible for two people to sit down and play separately on the same machine.

The units also feature a common currency acceptor which affords players the unique opportunity to share the credits they have purchased as well as any winnings while playing at their own pace and in increments of their own choosing.

"The opportunity for couples to pool financial resources and play together on the same machine is something new and will enhance the social interaction that many people look for during a casino outing," said George Stamos, marketing communications manager for Bally Technologies.

Bally took its popular 32-inch CineVision video display and flipped it sideways to make room for the horizontal configuration of two separate screen displays. People will be playing versions of the same game and making their own wagers independently of one another with their own panel of buttons.

The concept is capable of creating some dynamics never before imaginable for slot play, especially when it comes to two players managing a single account. Couples frequently play independently of one another with common funds. DualVision factors in team play and the decisions that go along with it.

When one player gets into a bonus round, the companion player is automatically pulled into the bonus as well.

"It will make for some very interesting interaction among participants," Stamos noted.

The company will debut the product with a game called "Two for the Money". The carousels will be configured in a wedge shape resembling slices of a pie and comprising five tandem gaming positions.

Stamos said that the designers refer to it as a "penta-pod" and will represent a revolutionary presence on casino floors quite apart from traditional carousels.

The game will be available to casino operators with separate side-by-side seats at each position or the more intimate "love seat", or bench style, seating.

DualVision, according to Stamos, is still in the development stages even though the prototype was on display at the Expo as a prominent component of the 2009 product line from Bally Technologies.

John G. Brokopp

John G. Brokopp's gaming column appears in Chicago Sun Times (Chicago, Illinois), The Times (Northwest Indiana), The Quad City Times (Davenport, Iowa), The Courier News (Elgin, Illinois), The Gazette (Southwest Suburban Chicago) and Senior Wire (Denver, CO). He's also a regular contributor to The Colorado Gambler, Midwest Gaming & Travel, Casino Player and Strictly Slots. John possesses 28 years of experience as a professional handicapper, publicist, freelance writer, and casino gaming correspondent. He is also the author of two very popular books, The Insider’s Guide to Internet Gambling and Thrifty Gambling.

Books by John G. Brokopp:

> More Books By John G. Brokopp

John G. Brokopp
John G. Brokopp's gaming column appears in Chicago Sun Times (Chicago, Illinois), The Times (Northwest Indiana), The Quad City Times (Davenport, Iowa), The Courier News (Elgin, Illinois), The Gazette (Southwest Suburban Chicago) and Senior Wire (Denver, CO). He's also a regular contributor to The Colorado Gambler, Midwest Gaming & Travel, Casino Player and Strictly Slots. John possesses 28 years of experience as a professional handicapper, publicist, freelance writer, and casino gaming correspondent. He is also the author of two very popular books, The Insider’s Guide to Internet Gambling and Thrifty Gambling.

Books by John G. Brokopp:

> More Books By John G. Brokopp