Sigma Derby Has a New Home at Golden Gate Casino

^{The only Sigma Derby machine in casinos today was paraded down the Fremont Street Experience to its new home at Golden Gate casino. (Photo: Marc Meltzer / Casinos.com)}

LAS VEGAS – The most popular casino game you may have never heard of has a new home.

The only Sigma Derby game in operation just moved from The D to Golden Gate Casino. The coin-operated horse racing game from the 1980s will stand out among the modern electronic table games and slot machines at the downtown Las Vegas casino.

Today, six miniature horses led a parade featuring the Sigma Derby cabinet from its previous home at The D on Third Street to Golden Gate on the corner of Fremont and Main streets. The game will be accessible to new players at its new location across the street from Circa Resort and Casino.

Before the parade, Circa Hospitality owner Derek Stevens told onlookers that the Golden Gate is the perfect home for this classic game. It’s the oldest casino in Las Vegas, having celebrated its 120th anniversary this year.

Golden Gate Is a Perfect New Home

Even though it will look different from the other games, the 40-year-old Sigma Derby should fit perfectly into the atmosphere at Golden Gate. Mike Palm, Vice President of Operations for The D, Golden Gate and Circa, confirmed this when we caught up with him after the parade from The D to Golden Gate.

Sigma Derby was one of the first one of the first social, communal casino machine games, and the cult favorite has a devoted fanbase that can get a bit rowdy, thanks to the low limits and old-timey gameplay. Palm expects to see the same excitement for the game in its new location in the center of the old table games area at Golden Gate.

Last year, Golden Gate removed all live dealer table games and replaced them with new electronic table games. The vibe shift continued with the addition of nightly happy hours and freeplay giveaways as part of the "Night Starts Here" promotion.

The mix of loud low-rollers who love Sigma Derby should fit in perfectly at the casino now known for its nightly happy hour and free play promotion. As Sigma Derby was on the move to Golden Gate, the casino announced it was celebrating the move by expanding the promotion from 8 p.m. to midnight nightly.

Sigma Derby spent almost 15 years at The D before it was removed from the casino's second floor. It has been replaced by the more modern horse racing game Fortune Cup, just outside Bar Canada. The first race at its new home should take place on Friday, June 19.

While Fortune Cup offers smoother gameplay, more wagering options and updated visuals, its eight-year run has yet to inspire the same level of passion and loyalty that Sigma Derby players were known for. There is just something special about the Sigma Derby experience that creates a bond with players, which is exactly why Palm chose to move it rather than Fortune Cup. There are no plans for newer experimental games like Marble Run at Golden Gate, despite how much Stevens loves the concept.

What is Sigma Derby?

Sigma Derby is a mechanical horse racing game that first reached casinos in the mid-1980s. It had a moment and even spawned different versions, like camel racing at Luxor, before slowly fading away from casinos. 

If Sigma Derby were a popular game today, it wouldn't be a cult classic. That's part of its charm for players who still head downtown to play one of the oldest games in a Las Vegas casino.

The manufacturer, Sigma Game Inc., went out of business years ago, and there is only one Sigma Derby machine in casinos today. It's difficult to find parts, and the game goes down often because of its age. 

The mechanical horse racing game is housed in a cabinet with room for up to 10 players. Horses bounce around a race track guided by magnets, giving the feeling of horses trotting along. 

Unlike many older coin-operated slot machines, Sigma Derby does not have a ticket-in, ticket-out system and does not accept dollar bills. Players literally bet as little as a quarter per race. 

How To Play Sigma Derby

Sigma Derby looks, sounds and plays like a game from the 1980s. That’s part of the charm, and there’s nothing like it in casinos today. The game is easy to play, but new players can always use a quick tutorial since it is the only game of its kind.

Five plastic horses race around the Sigma Derby track nonstop every 90 seconds, with a 30-second break for players to make a wager. Players begin their session by depositing quarters into their betting station, and choose which two-horse combination will finish first and second. In horse racing parlance, this is known as a quinella.

There are 10 possible two-horse combinations to bet. Players can wager as few as one and as many as 20 quarters per combination. 

Payouts range from 2-1 to 500-1 per quarter. Most wins are paid immediately after the race by quarters dropping from the machine. A larger win might require payment by an attendant since there isn't an infinite number of quarters in the machines.

That's it. There aren't many decisions to make, and it's more interactive than playing a slot machine.

Game Value Is In Your Hands

The value of Sigma Derby isn’t as straightforward as most casino games. It’s an instance where gambling math doesn’t tell the whole story.

One of the reasons the game is popular is the low cost. It's one of the few Las Vegas casino games where a player can wager just 25 cents per game. The minimum bet for many "penny slots" today is closer to a dollar than a penny.

Sigma Derby holds about 80%, which means the house edge is about 20%. The casino wins about 80 cents of every dollar played. That is more than all table games and most slot machines. By the math alone, it's one of the worst bets in the casino. 

However, that doesn't mean there's no value in playing Sigma Derby. Stretching the dollar has become more important in Las Vegas as prices and minimum bets continue to rise. 

Players can do that at Sigma Derby. The races are slower than slots and most table games. Since the minimum bet is so low, money can last longer than in other games. While the math says one thing, it's impossible to put a value on sitting around a classic casino game with nine other players while enjoying copious adult beverages.

This is the vibe Stevens wants to offer guests at Golden Gate, and the addition of Sigma Derby will only help.