Chart: E-pulltab gambling device profits compared
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Sales of electronic pulltab gambling devices haven't been measuring up to the state's expectations, but some are a lot closer than others.
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The games from Las Vegas-based Acres 4.0 have significantly outperformed other systems, according to data from the Minnesota Gambling Control Board.
With the largest share the market in terms of the number of devices (48 percent), Acres and its distributor, Express Games, have been responsible for more than 85 percent of the most recent month's revenue. That includes a $31,000 day at Mully's on Madison, on March 23rd.
Jon Weaver, founder of Minneapolis-based Express Games, credits attention to the real-time data provided by the games.
"We watch our data and we watch our sales numbers as they come in on games. We try to understand what people like. We go out, we interview players, we interview operators as it relates to the games, try to figure out what people like. Once again, it's a brand new market, we're six, seven months into it now, so we're still in that phase that we're understanding where the players want us to be with the games."
The smallest distributor on the market, M Peters Enterprises, has been running a distant second in terms of machine vs. machine performance. They were also hurt by one notable day: Easter Sunday the M Peters 84 machines took just $3 in bets, according to the Gambling Control Board, and paid out $25 in prizes for a record 833% payback for the day. (M Peters did not return a call about their games.)
Here's a look at the breakdown of most of the games operating in Minnesota in March. Figures reflect average daily totals, and are derived from data from the Minnesota Gambling Control Board. (A fourth distributor, Twin Cities Gaming Supplies, had only one site operating for four days, and was not included in this chart.)
| Month | Distributor | Sites | Devices | Gross | Gross per Site | Net per Site | Gross per Device | Net per Device |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | Express Games | 12 | 86 | $21,165 | $2,437 | $395 | $319 | $52 |
| October | Express Games | 55 | 256 | $34,412 | $1,084 | $165 | $201 | $31 |
| November | Express Games | 75 | 336 | $44,884 | $598 | $93 | $152 | $24 |
| December | Express Games | 87 | 384 | $47,295 | $576 | $86 | $130 | $19 |
| 3 Diamond | 6 | 45 | $952 | $264 | $8 | $38 | $1 | |
| January | Express Games | 98 | 428 | $50,889 | $551 | $84 | $125 | $19 |
| 3 Diamond | 39 | 246 | $4,356 | $204 | $27 | $30 | $4 | |
| M Peters | 3 | 16 | $857 | $502 | -$32 | $84 | -$5 | |
| February | Express Games | 103 | 437 | $60,165 | $592 | $84 | $139 | $20 |
| 3 Diamond | 53 | 324 | $7,616 | $162 | $27 | $26 | $4 | |
| M Peters | 11 | 62 | $1,337 | $207 | $36 | $35 | $6 | |
| March | Express Games | 110 | 465 | $66,505 | $622 | $98 | $145 | $23 |
| 3 Diamond | 68 | 408 | $8,506 | $143 | $21 | $24 | $4 | |
| M Peters | 17 | 84 | $2,566 | $183 | $22 | $36 | $4 |
