New Spin on Roulette Unveiled at Global Gaming Expo

Frank Mugnolo, president of Casino Gaming LLC, is at it again.

The self-professed master of creating new twists on established casino games unveiled his latest invention, Colors, at this year's Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.

Colors brings a new dimension to roulette, one of the oldest games of chance, and a staple in casinos around the world. It's a contract wager that either black or red will show on three consecutive spins of the wheel.

The word "contract" is the key to the novelty of this new wager, because once you place the bet you cannot pick it up until a decision is reached.

That's a good thing for players, because gambling mathematician Stanley Ko analyzed the option and calculated a house advantage of 4.34 percent, which is significantly lower than the 5.26 percent house advantage on all of the other popular wagers that are available on an American ("0" and "00") roulette wheel.

Roulette players can wager on three consecutive blacks or reds without the Colors option by making a bet and parlaying it (letting the winnings ride) twice. But each time they are being hit with a house edge that's 0.92 percent higher than Colors.

Ko calculated that the probability of getting three consecutive black numbers or three consecutive red number is 10.63 percent.

There are 38 slots on an American roulette wheel. In addition to the green "0" and "00", half of the numbers 1 through 36 are black and the other half are red.

From a house advantage perspective, Colors is the best bet for players to make on the roulette wheel.

Mugnolo speculates the option would be easy to configure with Roulette, the electronic version of the game that's played on touch-screen video monitors using a live dealer and real roulette wheel.

The investment for casinos is minimal. The existing roulette wheels are used; even the game is played the same. All that's required to accommodate the option is the addition of the Colors betting box on the felt layout.

Mugnolo, a native Chicagoan, has worked his magic in the past with blackjack and craps. The addition of Colors to his company's arsenal of games gave Casino Gaming LLC a strong presence at the Expo, which attracts gaming industry executives from around the world.

"Our philosophy has always been to come up with options that enhance existing games while making them attractive to both the casino owners and the players," said Mugnolo, whose company is headquartered in Broadview, Illinois.

Mugnolo's first creation was Casino Surrender, which has since been renamed Automatic Win. Since its debut several years ago, the option today can be found on over 500 blackjack tables at more than 20 casinos nationwide, including Hollywood Aurora, Harrah's Joliet, Majestic Star I & II in Gary and Ameristar in East Chicago, Indiana in the greater Chicago gaming market.

Using the Automatic Win option, players holding a two-card 20 against a dealer's up-card of 10 (no blackjack) can elect to not play out their hand in exchange for getting their original bet back and winning 50 percent of its value.

It's an option that's not for every blackjack player because of the 5.8 percent house edge, but expert players who track cards can use it to their advantage.

Last year, Mugnolo and his partners unveiled a craps option called 7-Point-7 at the Expo. Boyd Gaming executives were intrigued with the possibilities and earlier this year introduced it to the tables at the Orleans Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas.

Making a bet on 7-Point-7 means that players win 2 to 1 if a 7 is made on the come out roll; if the come out is a 2, 3, 11, or 12, the bet loses. If a point (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) is made on the come out and the very next roll is a 7, players are paid 3 to 1. If any other number is rolled, the bet loses.

The house advantage of 5.5 percent seems like a lot, but for players who favor such wagers, 7-Point-7 is comparable to a bet on the Field and packs the lowest edge among all the other so-called proposition bets you can make at the craps table.