The first Saturday in May rapidly approaches, and everyone’s fancy turns to thoughts of the Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown season. Las Vegas sports books will be bustling with interest in the 149th “Run for the Roses” and which 3-year-old thoroughbred exhibits championship aspirations.
Watching horse racing on TV monitors doesn’t compare with being at the track, which makes Konami Gaming, Inc.’s Fortune Cup casino game the perfect way to get fired up for the ‘real thing’.
You’re at the track on the casino floor with Fortune Cup, a multi-station, horse racing machine that has 10 total betting stations around a mechanical horse track with real-time digital animations of the race delivered to each station’s touch screen betting interface and to Fortune Cup’s big-screen LCD.
Does this trigger a memory? For this columnist, it brings back visions of Sigma Derby, a mechanical horse racing game that first made the casino scene in 1985.
Thinking back, it was primitive by today’s technological standards. It was coin-operated with 10 betting stations and a quarter minimum bet (no bill acceptors!). The last time I recall seeing and playing it was at the Gold Coast in Las Vegas back in the ‘90s, but it has long since disappeared.
The game featured a race track with mechanical toy horses and jockeys. Each horse “bounced” around the oval in their individual slots, moving to the lead, dropping back, coming from behind, creating old-fashioned visual excitement that actually had players rooting and cheering.
In many ways, Sigma Derby was the first gaming device that created a social experience among players. With 90 seconds between races, players had an opportunity to pick their favorites and then wait for the start to see if the early leader will make it all the way, or that pony trailing far back will make a sudden surge to the finish line.
It was a novel alternative back in the days when reel-spinning slots filled the casino floors. But once the video slot revolution took hold and electronic gaming devices became technological marvels with audio and visual attractions never before seen, Sigma Derby went the way of family board games.
The mechanical nature of Sigma Derby, three decades of age with manufacture long since retired, and the scarcity of technicians who have the expertise to make repairs – let alone acquire replacement parts next to impossible to find – spelled the game’s demise.
There is, however, encouraging information for Las Vegas casino goers who wish to take a trip back in time and experience one of the only Sigma Derby games still in operation … More about that after we take a look and see how Konami’s Fortune Cup has filled the gap.
Fortune Cup brings to life a 9-feet wide mechanical race track with eight horses that have the ability to “run” freely and independently around the oval, unlike the slots to which Sigma Derby mechanical horses were restricted.
The horses actually alter course during the race, pass one another, moving from the rail position to the outside, with their jockeys maneuvering for position to win the race.
The horses are mirrored by real-time digital animation on connected LCD screens in a sports broadcast format. Players place their bets through touchscreen stations that include race statistics, odds, mystery progressive jackpots, and comprehensive bet options for win and place as well as a “quinella” (the first two horses to cross the wire regardless of order of finish).
The randomly triggered progressive jackpot component awards players a three-tiered structure of maxi, major, and mini jackpots.
“Today roughly a dozen casinos showcase Fortune Cup, a game which has a loyal following,” said Tashina Lazcano, director of marketing and communications for Konami Gaming, Inc. “In the United States, Fortune Cup is now exclusive to Las Vegas.
“We receive inquiries all the time from players planning their trip to Las Vegas who want information about the latest Fortune Cup locations.”
She went on to capture its appeal, saying that Fortune Cup is an incredibly unique and enjoyable attraction for casino locations that offer it to their guests, adding “it is truly a one-of-a-kind development, built for shared experience and timeless entertainment”.
“The differentiated gaming experience is precisely why several casinos continue to showcase the game, now seven years after it first captured the industry’s attention,” Lazcano said.
There is even an update to the original release. In 2019, Konami came out with Fortune Cup Derby Deluxe, which streamlined the betting interaction, making it easier for horse racing neophytes to track and understand the experience of handicapping horse races.
“Fortune Cup Derby Deluxe added side betting opportunities and two-times multipliers for more excitement, engagement, and winning opportunities,” Lazcano noted.
(Photo by Buddy Frank)
Last February, the D Casino & Hotel on Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas introduced Fortune Cup to its gaming floor. Here’s where the good news comes in for the cult fan following of the legacy Sigma Derby.
It just so happens the game is located on the second level of property in what is identified as the Vintage Vegas casino section next to…Sigma Derby!
That’s right, the D is home to the only vintage hand-crafted original mechanical horse racing game in Downtown Vegas.
Sigma Derby is a guest favorite at the property, an attraction that brings home a sense of nostalgia and a time when the game was a novel alternative to traditional reel-spinning slots.
So, when you’re watching the Kentucky Derby at home or in a sports book location in Las Vegas, just remember that a trip to the track on the casino floor is still possible with Fortune Cup. Not to mention a trip back in time with Sigma Derby.
