By: Todd Louthain

In the summer of 2011, Bay Tek Games introduced an exciting new product for the bar market called Beer Ball.  Our vision and our hope with Beer Ball was that this would be the piece that could help operators answer the constant requests from bar owners for “something different”.  Beer Ball is definitely something different for their locations and it brings with it a level of fun and excitement that the bar market hasn’t seen for quite some time.  With the fun and excitement that the game creates in the bar, the bar owners are also seeing a very positive increase in their bar sales as people play the game and ultimately that is why bars are in business in the first place.

Beer Ball is a game that can be played and enjoyed in just about any bar setting during open hours.  We refer to this open play as casual play.  The game is equipped with a thermal printer and we use this to give the game the feeling of still being a redemption game but without having the need to give away tickets.  There are three different prize levels that can be programmed and those typically are set up for a low level prize, a mid level prize and a high level prize.  Every state has different regulations for what can legally be given away so you’ll have to get creative within the guidelines and laws in your area.  In places were alcohol can be given away, a fantastic low level prize is simply a draft beer, a mid level prize could be a half dozen wings and the high level prize may be a t-shirt or $25 gift certificate for the location that the game is in.  Another great way to give away a high level prize is have a monthly drawing- each person that wins at level one or level two can write their name and email address on the receipt, each receipt goes into a fish bowl for a monthly drawing of a location gift certificate.  Not only does this add some more fun to it, but the location can also use these email addresses for their own marketing efforts.  Most places will post their monthly winner on their own Facebook page.  The scores that it takes to win the various prizes are determined by the operator and then programmed into the game.  When a player scores at or above the programmed amount, the game then prints out a receipt and the player redeems that receipt with the bartender.    How the operator and the location keep track of this is entirely up to them, but there is an auditing system in the game so that you’ll know exactly how many of each prize level were given away during that collection cycle.  You will want to monitor your payout fairly closely because this is truly a skill based game and players will get better the more that they play.  This is why we made the point values for each prize level very easy to change up or down to control your payout.

I don’t want to dwell too much on the casual play aspect of Beer Ball as the intent of this article is to explain the importance of taking Beer Ball to another level in your locations.  The game has software built into it that allows for very easy set up and operation of in house Beer Ball Leagues and Tournaments.  We have designed this game with the idea in mind that operators can place the game and explain to the location owner the added value for them of simply having a Beer Ball.  It will be that “something different” that they’ve likely been asking for.  We want operators to be able to have a full understanding of the overall concept that we’re working on though, and that takes more than just setting the game up in the bar and collecting it every couple of weeks.  This is where the wireless router mounted on the back of the game comes into the picture.  Beer Ball is not an on-line game, meaning that there is no actual internet connection.  The wireless router is simply broadcasting a local intranet signal so that we can communicate with the game wirelessly from any device that can pick up a wireless signal.  Any laptop, netbook, i-pad or smart phone can be your tool for communicating with the game and even running the Beer Ball leagues! 

We fully understand the reality that operators typically will not have the time or the resources to be out in their locations at night running leagues and that is why most pool and dart leagues are set up by the operator and then really run by the players.  The players will keep track of wins and losses and then turn their scores into the bar each night.  The operator then tracks the scores and the standings for the entire league.  Rarely do we find that operators are out in the bars for every league night, rather they are keeping track of the scores back at the office using the scores sheets that the players have filled out.  This is where Beer Ball leagues are different.  A better comparison for a Beer Ball league is to compare it to a bowling league.  Bowling leagues are always done in house and its up to the bowling center to get teams signed up for leagues, every week the bowling is done at the same location.   Unlike pool and dart leagues that are often traveling leagues.  Each location in the league will have one or two teams that represent them, the teams will play half of their games in their home location and half of their games in away locations.  We wanted to get away from the traveling leagues mostly because that is what players are asking for.  Players often times don’t want to travel because they are most comfortable in their home bar- maybe it’s because it walking distance from where they live or maybe it’s simply because that’s where their friends are gathered.  Whatever the reason, the location clearly benefits by hosting a Beer Ball league because they will establish a regular player base of between 20 and 30 people that come in every week to participate in the league. These players will not only be playing your game, but they’ll also be spending money across the bar while they are there.  It is because of this active participation that Beer Ball needs to be viewed as a promotional and marketing tool for your locations and not just another game that sits in the bar.  It will be up to the operator to explain the concept to the location and get them to buy into the fact that since Beer Ball can be a tremendous marketing tool that they should want to view this game differently than the others in their bar. 

Our advice for operators that want to take Beer Ball to this level is to simply place the game, set up the prize levels and not even talk about leagues when you first bring the game to them.  We have found that if you start off by telling them that that they need to run a league they’ll be turned off immediately.  On the other hand, if you place the game and they immediately see with their own eyes their customers playing the game, having fun and sticking around for more food and beverages they will be much more willing to put forth some extra effort when you approach them about a Beer Ball league.  Often times it is eventually the bar that completely takes over the league and we’ve even seen bars go from one night a week to several nights a week.  Bear in mind that good bar owners are always looking for a gimmick or a hook to get people to come to their location instead of the one down the street.   It won’t take long for a proactive bar owner to see that Beer Ball provides a unique level of fun that brings customers in and keeps them there. 

There are many ways to go about getting a Beer Ball league established and we of course encourage operators and locations to get creative in gathering players.  If you don’t want to get creative on your own, we have designed a simple to follow, step by step approach to getting your leagues up and running.  There are certain things that the operator is going to be responsible for and there are going to be certain things that the location will be responsible for.  The relationship between and operator and the location really is a partnership and getting a Beer Ball league set up and running will require some participation and effort by both partners involved.  The operator will of course benefit from this by keeping money coming into the cash box but it is really the location that benefits the most from this as they will be able to turn an otherwise slow night into a good night with a little bit of up front effort in establishing the league.

For more information on Beer Ball go to www.baytekgames.com or email sales@baytekgames.com or call your local distributor.