You might accept that inefficiency if you thought that the novelty of the game in question was drawing people to the casino, but in this case, is it really doing that? Is Sigma Derby drawing people to the casino or just amusing (at very little cost) people who are already there?ĭerek Stevens must think it draws people. It is probably the least inefficient game I have seen in a casino. In addition to 'tying up whatever people are playing who in the eyes of the casino would be playing something else, for more stakes and more frequent 'trials', Sigma Derby usually draws an a number of spectators, so the casinos are losing even more players who are just standing and watching. It is like 2 minutes between 'trail' and the bets are a quarter (.25). The big problem with Sigma Derby is that it is a very slow play, very low limit game. ('If I want to bet on actual horses, I'll go to the sports book!') It comes down to, does the game take in enough money to cover the repairs? I have a feeling the main reason they don't just replace them with versions where the track is a video screen is, the main reason anybody plays it is its 'kitsch' value.

There's a reason new pinball machines cost almost double what new arcade video games cost, and it has little if anything to do with licensing.

It appears as if the game's main problem is the nature of the game - you need five different mechanisms for the five horses, and if just one of them breaks down, the game becomes unplayable.Īlso, the mechanical nature of the game adds to its expense. Like a Model-T completely hiding a modern engine.īecause no matter how modern of an engine you put into the car, it's still a car, and it's still going to break down with repeated use. Why doesn't someone update the innards of this game, but keep it looking as if it's the old game? Even down to the shakey action of the horses moving, sounds, everything.

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