Work Out While You Wager
People who work out are always looking for something to entertain them while they're exercising. TV is great. Music is fine. But how about something really different? CBS News This Morning Consumer Correspondent Herb Weisbaum may have found the ultimate distraction.
It isn't very often you get to say "slot machine" and "exercise" in the same sentence. Sure, playing a one-armed bandit can give your wallet a workout. Your heart rate might even go up a bit if you hit the jackpot. But exercise it is not.
If you want to work out while you wager, you'll need to head out to the Sunset Station Casino in Henderson, Nevada, a short drive from Las Vegas. Here, you can sweat and bet at the same time on the new Money Mill treadmill or the Pedal 'N Play exercise bike.
Dan Marrandino, president of Sunset Station, is the guy who gave the go-ahead for these fitness gaming machines. He's glad he did: "Our customers are telling us they kind of like it, it's fun." He adds, "I did think it was kind of goofy, but sometimes the goofier ideas are some of the more fun."
The Pedal 'N Play is a regular stationary bike that has been modified for gaming. The control buttons are built into the handle bars. You can use your right hand to place bets. The button on the left spins the wheel. In case you're wondering, the bike is set up so you can't gamble unless you're exercising, and you can't exercise unless you're gambling.
We asked a few casino guests to try the cycle for us. They all gave it a "thumbs up." Greg Pompa is a casino customer: "You can lose pounds and money at the same time or, depending on how good you are, you can lose pounds and make money."
We found Phyllis Pedote on the Money Mill. Phyllis is a regular at the Sunset Station. She likes to gamble, and she needs to exercise: doctor's orders. For her, she says, "It's a marriage made in heaven. I'm surprised they haven't come up with something like this sooner around here in Las Vegas."
Who did come up with this idea? Meet Kathy Harris, president of Fitness Gaming in Fairfax, Virginia. Harris explains: "Even if you lose at gambling, you win. You always walk away a winner."
Harris came up with the concept two years ago, during a trip to Atlantic City. "I always worked out and I always gambled," she says. "All I did was merge my two passions. I put together what I love to do."
Right now, Sunset Station is the only casino that has the exercise slot machines. But Fitness Gaming is working on more machines for other casinos in the U.S. and overseas.
It's a clever concept. But is it a novelty or the next step forward in wagering?
As far as Marrandino is concerned, "If the customers like it and enjoy it, and they have, I think it might have some legs and it might take off."
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