Initially planned for a one-month run, Loteria has proven successful enough to last at least another month at two Station Casinos in Las Vegas.
Loteria is a Mexican version of Bingo, in which cards with images are used instead of drawing numbers and marking them off on a chart. A caller says a riddle prior to announcing cards, and those who have the corresponding card place a dried bean on them.
The game makes fun of various stereotypes within Mexican culture, and is a popular family pastime in Mexico and among Mexican families in the United States.
For Stations Casinos, as much as 60 percent of the clientele at the Texas Station and Boulder Station casinos are Hispanic, and that made the trial effort worth pursuing.
But more than Hispanic and Spanish-speaking players are showing up for games. Many players of traditional bingo also are giving Loteria a try, and having fun in the process.
Contestants pay $20 for a pack of six loteria cards and can win prizes ranging from a $25 grocery store gift card up to $200 in slots play.
The game initially was planned to run through April, but Stations Casinos chose to extend it another month, and likely will again, so long as it’s in the cards.
