| Multimedia, on the other hand, knows exactly where its market is and what product it sells. Multimedia was not exactly a household name in the gaming industry a year or two ago, but with Alliance and IGT both declaring intent to enter the Class II market, Multimedia, the market leader, is getting more notice and more sales. This sale represents a major step for California tribes. These games are not regulated by tribal-state compacts and, therefore, will not be subject to any tribal-state revenue sharing that Governor Arnold may be able to negotiate. Multimedia Games, Inc. announced today that it has installed the first 267 Point-of-Sale Terminals for a new Tribal Instant Lottery Game at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California. …Multimedia has converted 267 of its Class II player stations already installed at Pechanga to new units for the TILG system, which are located in the main gaming room of the casino. Approximately 130 remaining Multimedia Class II player stations will remain installed in overflow locations at Pechanga to meet periods of high customer demand. Business Wire, Yahoo Business, 12-22-03 Multimedia Games, Inc. announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to install its interactive electronic standard-sequence bingo game player stations at VictoryLand Dog Track in Shorter, Alabama, marking the Company's entry into the charity bingo market. Multimedia Games ("Multimedia") expects to install approximately 300 bingo player stations at VictoryLand prior to the end of 2003. Multimedia will participate, on a recurring basis, in the net gaming win of the installed charity bingo units. - Business Wire, Yahoo Business, 12-17-03 As 2004 begins, the economy is on the upswing, but domestic expansion is not. Problem gambling has become a recognized industry issue by industry leaders, finally. Expansion is moving off shore; Internet gambling is still creeping on shore. IGT leads the way in the world of slots, but is following Multimedia into Indian country; Alliance and others are also in the line. If the end of the year's news is to be taken as a sign of things to come, 2004 should be a better year. There are still states discussing expansion, but tax increases are also still being discussed. With a $50 million advertising budget in its hip pocket to take its campaign to the media, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is gearing up for a high-stakes gambit to grow the gaming industry exponentially in the state. Earlier this week, the Agua Caliente proposed a ballot initiative that would double gaming revenue payments to the state in exchange for more gaming rights. Lou Hirsh/Jake Henshaw, Palm Springs Desert Sun, 1-24-04 In most of the 70 years in the modern era of legal gaming, politics was only a minor backdrop to the real story, the daily operations. Thirty-five years or so ago, corporate gaming started to move the story from the casino floor to Wall Street. For many of the last 15 years, the story has been more in the legislature than on Wall Street or on the casino floor. 2004 is a continuation of the story of 2002 and 2003; states' legislatures looking for money through gaming expansion, including state-owned or Indian gaming. 2004 is not only a continuation of the expansion story, but it is also a continuation of the 15 year-long Indian gaming story. In every state with Indian tribes or where out of state tribes have a historical claim to land in the state, there are two simultaneous stories; one is the move to expand Indian gaming, with some portion going to the state, and an opposite movement trying to stop or at least control the growth of Indian gaming. This year will not give us a final answer to either Indian gaming or the legislative expansion story, but the stories will certainly be advanced in 2004. |
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