Titan 360 or Crystal Cyclone: What is that Behemoth at Pala?

Last Tuesday when my husband and I stopped at Pala Casino, one of the four Native American casinos along HWY 76 where we frequently play, we noticed that workers were hard at work installing a huge new multi-station game, a game that is so large it totally filled the space the casino uses for their automobile give aways.  What is this behemoth gaming device? The men installing it didn't seem to know what it was called or how long it will be in Pala, but there are only two possibilities.  Either Pala is a little late getting a chance to display Konami's Titan 360 which Pechanga premiered in So Cal about 2 years ago and nationally in 2013. Or perhaps Pala is ahead of the curve this time and is installing the second generation Titan machine unveiled to gamers who attended G2E 2016 in Las Vegas last September.called the Crystal Cyclone. 

AZ Gaming Guide had an article on the Titan 360 in the September issue of its magazine. The Titan 360, according to the writers, is a limited edition product by Konami, weighing nearly 3 tons and one of the biggest slots in the world.  Just 26 of these machines were ever made. The super-slot features a large multi-station progressive bonus game built upon multiple video slot game bases. Standing nearly 12 feet tall the games central bonusing unit leverages a mechanical wheel and large rolling mechanical ball to determine bonus award amounts.  Titan 360 uses popular 30 line Konami video titles such as Golden Pumpkin, Dragon Celebration, and others all familiar to slot players everywhere.

When the bonus is triggered, the entire central unit swivels around to place the wheel in front of the winner's machine. A physical ball launches from one side and swoops back and forth seeking a pocket to land in. If the pocket contains a dollar amount, the players win that prize.  The ball can land in 20, 30, 40, 200, or 500 credit pockets on the bonus ring, where the player wins the amount shown times their bet amount. However, if the ball lands in a green, yellow, or blue pocket the player wins a mini, maxi, or major jackpot respectively.  And if the ball lands in a red diamond pocket, there is an opportunity to to play on a new big money ring where prizes are multiplied by 10 and the jackpots are even bigger.  Players must bet all lines and the extra Titan 360 wager to be eligible for the bonus. The Titan 360 attracted a lot of attention everywhere is was displayed.

Perhaps, however, the new machine being installed by Pala is not the original Titan 360. Perhaps it is the new second generation machine called the Crystal Cyclone which was previewed at G2E this fall.

Calling once again on its amusement-game roots, Konami has adapted a concept popular in Japanese amusement arcades to create Crystal Cyclone, another arcade-style game that launches balls into a giant roulette-like wheel for payoffs.

The Titan 360 was a hit, but its size limited volume sales. Titan 360 attracted crowds, but due primarily to its size, it was a limited-release product with less than 30 units manufactured. But  casino customers are very interested in this high-entertainment, multi-station product niche, and so Konami has created the second generation game: the Crystal Cyclone.

Crystal Cyclone features personal video slot stations around a central bonus arena that players access during random feature events. The machine can release as many as 60 balls around a slotted circular track with colorful light and high-impact sound. “It has even more collaborative effect because the bonuses can be simultaneous for all players.  Anyone who attended this year’s show can speak to the energy and attention this game creates.

Videographers at G2E film the new games released there so the rest of us can share the experience before the games appear in the casinos.  I am providing a link to the film of the Crystal Cyclone from YouTube, and after I find out from Pala which game - the original Titan 360 or the Crystal Cyclone - they are installing, I'll be back to update this post. Stay tuned for more.

 https://youtu.be/8pd7MvkbV5U

Could This Really Be Happening In Our Land of Plenty?

When we go to our local casino to play, we hope to win a little, but we expect most times our luck will not be so good, and occasionally we'll lose a bit instead.  It doesn't upset us too much - our gaming comes from our recreation budget and we expect to have to pay a little for our fun. But what if we had to depend on income from the casino to live? That's what hundreds of people who ride the buses to the casino are doing every day, according to an article my son emailed me from ABCNews 7NY dated December 1.

CeFaan Kim, reported to NY readers that large groups of Asian American seniors are riding the casino buses not to gamble but to make enough to live. According to that reporter, these senior citizens pay $20 to ride the bus to Sands Casino in Bethlehem PA each day. When they arrive the casino gives each of them $45 in casino play which they then sell to other gamblers for $35 - $40 making a little money for themselves while starting the buyers off with a little extra cash to play.  The journalist says that on each of the buses more than half the travelers are selling their tickets, every day, just for a little extra cash to help make ends meet. Each day 300 - 400 seniors take the long 4 hour bus ride each way to the casino, sell their vouchers, and wait another 5 hours for the next bus ride back according to the news story.

Some are homeless, according to the article. All of them live below the poverty level. Many share small one bedroom apartments with other impoverished elders because none can afford a place of their own.  Is this happening in our community? I don't know. I hope not. I have never witnessed the exchange myself, but I have seen people sleeping at the machines rather than playing them. I have seen people with stacks of TITO's convert them to cash at the machines. I have had people ask me for a little money to buy something to eat.  $5 means nothing to most of us - we drop that in a machine, spin the wheels a few times, and if we make nothing we shrug our shoulders and move on. We might even drop a $20 or more without thinking a thing about it. Some don't get upset losing a hundred. It's just the cost of play and it's hard to imagine these bus riders enduring these long trips for such a small amount of cash. It's hard to imagine being homeless or living in poverty.

Studies on addiction show that the nation's poorest citizens are the most prone to gambling problems -- but these seniors are not gambling, they have no money to gamble. They are just trying to make ends meet. Not everyone who rides the casino bus does it to make money, but some evidently do. This Thanksgiving/Christmas season let's all think about those elderly poor and what we might be able to do to help.