Spielo’s “Deal or No Deal” makes Atlantic City debut

The machines also are slated for installation at Bally’s and Golden Nugget, according to Sean Marr, a corporate trainer with the Las Vegas-based manufacturer, Spielo, who was in town to run training sessions on how to play the game.

The concept for the slot machine is based on the “Deal or No Deal” game show hosted by Howie Mandel. In fact, Spielo had been developing the slot machine’s concept even before the “Deal or No Deal” show made its television debut in the United States, Marr said. Now that the show has become popular, the slot machine also appears to have become popular, he said. “It’s like getting ‘Wheel of Fortune’ before it became ‘Wheel of Fortune,’” Marr said, making references to a highly popular slot machine concept based on one of television’s most successful game shows.

The slot machine takes bets between 50 cents and us$ 2.50. A player starts the game by first collecting at least 18 briefcases in order to qualify for a “community bonus round.” “As long as you qualify, you’ll win something,” Marr said.

For every 18 cases earned, the community bonus will pay that multiplier. Like the television show, the player then gets to choose a briefcase from 18. The banker then makes the player an offer for which the player can then decide “deal or no deal.”

The slot machines were first introduced to the Michigan market and since then have been introduced to other venues, including Florida and California.

New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement recently approved the game for play while the machines are still under review by Nevada’s regulatory authority, Marr said.