Pong, the game that turned pinball masters into video game fans in the '70s, is on the brink of coming back, this time, as a casino game, turning the video game generation on to slot machines.

The developer of the new Pong slot machine game, Bally Technologies, is seeking approval for it. David Schultz, director of video games for Bally says about the Pong slot machine game: "from the time when we first presented the idea at trade shows a couple of years ago, there's been a great deal of interest,"

Last week, the state Gaming Control Board debated the slot machine games feature referring to the fact that a player's video skill would help determine the payout. The Board said slot machine games must have a component of randomness in their base game but noted that Pong's skill element comes into play only in the bonus round - something not affected by regulations.

So, the members of the Gaming Control Board sent Pong to the Nevada Gaming Commission with the recommendation for approval. The Nevada Gaming Commission has to sign off on the concept before it could be played in a casino but we don't believe the game will have to wait too long before entering the casinos.