New Bingo Terminals Look, Play Like Slots

Two of the state’s largest Indian casinos, barred from putting more slot machines at their casinos, are installing electronic bingo terminals that closely resemble the one-armed bandits.

The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians -- blocked under their deals with the state from offering more than 2,000 slot machines each -- have begun to install the bingo devices in their Riverside County gaming parlors, a newspaper reported Saturday. No limits are imposed on bingo.

The machines electronically connect players to high-speed versions of bingo, but they look and play like slot machines, with spinning displays of cherries and other icons.

The machines have not become widespread, largely because they generate only about one-quarter to one-third as much revenue as a conventional slot machine.

But “we know of at least two tribes that have them on the floor, and we hear of others that are interested,” said Harlan Goodson, who directs the state Division of Gambling Control.

The Pechanga Band has about 220 of the machines and the Morongos about 100, the San Diego Union-Tribune said, citing slot managers from other casinos monitoring the competition.

A Morongo tribal publicist confirmed that the Banning-area casino has had 100 machines in operation for about six months. “It was a business decision by the tribe,” spokeswoman Waltona Manion said.

Mark Macarro, Pechanga tribal chairman, disputed the estimate of about 220 machines, saying the tribe had installed fewer than that, but he did not know the exact number.

The number of machines was irrelevant, Macarro said, because they are not covered by the gaming compact that tribes reached with Gov. Gray Davis.

“There isn’t a thing the governor or the state can say about these things. They are legal devices,” Macarro told Associated Press on Saturday.

Sixty-one California tribes are preparing to renegotiate the compacts with the state that allow them to offer slots and other gambling.

Some tribes want the ceiling on slot machines raised, and Davis wants the tribes to contribute $1.5 billion from gaming revenue to help close a massive state budget shortfall.