Casino gambling machine
Row of digital-based slot machines inside a casino in Las
Vegas
A slot machine, fruit machine (British English), poker😗 machine or pokies
(Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game
of chance for😗 its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively as one-armed
bandits, alluding to the large mechanical levers affixed to the😗 sides of early
mechanical machines, and to the games' ability to empty players' pockets and wallets as
thieves would.[1]
A slot😗 machine's standard layout features a screen displaying three
or more reels that "spin" when the game is activated. Some modern😗 slot machines still
include a lever as a skeuomorphic design trait to trigger play. However, the mechanical
operations of early😗 machines have been superseded by random number generators, and most
are now operated using buttons and touchscreens.
Slot machines include one😗 or more
currency detectors that validate the form of payment, whether coin, banknote, voucher,
or token. The machine pays out😗 according to the pattern of symbols displayed when the
reels stop "spinning". Slot machines are the most popular gambling method😗 in casinos
and constitute about 70% of the average U.S. casino's income.[2]
Digital technology has
resulted in variations in the original😗 slot machine concept. As the player is
essentially playing a video game, manufacturers can offer more interactive elements,
such as😗 advanced bonus rounds and more varied video graphics.
Etymology
The "slot
machine" term derives from the slots on the machine for inserting😗 and retrieving
coins.[3] "Fruit machine" comes from the traditional fruit
on the spinning reels
such as lemons and cherries.[4]
History
1899😗 "Liberty Bell" machine, manufactured by
Charles Fey
Plaque marking the location of Charles Fey's San Francisco workshop, where
he invented the😗 three-reel slot machine. The location is a California Historical
Landmark.
Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn, New York, developed a gambling machine😗 in 1891
that was a precursor to the modern slot machine. It contained five drums holding a
total of 50😗 card faces and was based on poker. The machine proved extremely popular,
and soon many bars in the city had😗 one or more of them. Players would insert a nickel
and pull a lever, which would spin the drums and😗 the cards that they held, the player
hoping for a good poker hand. There was no direct payout mechanism, so😗 a pair of kings
might get the player a free beer, whereas a royal flush could pay out cigars or😗 drinks;
the prizes were wholly dependent upon what the establishment would offer. To improve
the odds for the house, two😗 cards were typically removed from the deck, the ten of
spades and the jack of hearts, doubling the odds against😗 winning a royal flush. The
drums could also be rearranged to further reduce a player's chance of winning.
Because
of the😗 vast number of possible wins in the original poker-based game, it proved
practically impossible to make a machine capable of😗 awarding an automatic payout for
all possible winning combinations. At some time between 1887 and 1895,[5] Charles Fey
of San😗 Francisco, California devised a much simpler automatic mechanism[6] with three
spinning reels containing a total of five symbols: horseshoes, diamonds,😗 spades, hearts
and a Liberty Bell; the bell gave the machine its name. By replacing ten cards with
five symbols😗 and using three reels instead of five drums, the complexity of reading a
win was considerably reduced, allowing Fey to😗 design an effective automatic payout
mechanism. Three bells in a row produced the biggest payoff, ten nickels (50¢). Liberty
Bell😗 was a huge success and spawned a thriving mechanical gaming device industry. After
a few years, the devices were banned😗 in California, but Fey still could not keep up
with the demand for them elsewhere. The Liberty Bell machine was😗 so popular that it was
copied by many slot machine manufacturers. The first of these, also called the "Liberty
Bell",😗 was produced by the manufacturer Herbert Mills in 1907. By 1908, "bell" machines
had been installed in cigar stores, brothels😗 and barber shops.[7] Early machines,
including an 1899 Liberty Bell, are now part of the Nevada State Museum's Fey
Collection.[8]
The😗 first Liberty Bell machines produced by Mills used the same symbols
on the reels as did Charles Fey's original. Soon😗 afterward, another version was
produced with patriotic symbols, such as flags and wreaths, on the wheels. Later, a
similar machine😗 called the Operator's Bell was produced that included the option of
adding a gum-vending attachment. As the gum offered was😗 fruit-flavored, fruit symbols
were placed on the reels: lemons, cherries, oranges and plums. A bell was retained, and
a picture😗 of a stick of Bell-Fruit Gum, the origin of the bar symbol, was also present.
This set of symbols proved😗 highly popular and was used by other companies that began to
make their own slot machines: Caille, Watling, Jennings and😗 Pace.[9]
A commonly used
technique to avoid gambling laws in several states was to award food prizes. For this
reason, several😗 gumball and other vending machines were regarded with mistrust by the
courts. The two Iowa cases of State v. Ellis[10]😗 and State v. Striggles[11] are both
used in criminal law classes to illustrate the concept of reliance upon authority as😗 it
relates to the axiomatic ignorantia juris non excusat ("ignorance of the law is no
excuse").[12] In these cases, a😗 mint vending machine was declared to be a gambling
device because the machine would, by internally manufactured chance, occasionally give
😗 the next user several tokens exchangeable for more candy. Despite the display of the
result of the next use on😗 the machine, the courts ruled that "[t]he machine appealed to
the player's propensity to gamble, and that is [a] vice."[13]
In😗 1963, Bally developed
the first fully electromechanical slot machine called Money Honey (although earlier
machines such as Bally's High Hand😗 draw-poker machine had exhibited the basics of
electromechanical construction as early as 1940). Its electromechanical workings made
Money Honey the😗 first slot machine with a bottomless hopper and automatic payout of up
to 500 coins without the help of an😗 attendant.[14] The popularity of this machine led
to the increasing predominance of electronic games, with the side lever soon becoming
😗 vestigial.
The first video slot machine was developed in 1976 in Kearny Mesa,
California by the Las Vegas–based Fortune Coin Co.😗 This machine used a modified 19-inch
(48 cm) Sony Trinitron color receiver for the display and logic boards for all
😗 slot-machine functions. The prototype was mounted in a full-size, show-ready
slot-machine cabinet. The first production units went on trial at😗 the Las Vegas Hilton
Hotel. After some modifications to defeat cheating attempts, the video slot machine was
approved by the😗 Nevada State Gaming Commission and eventually found popularity on the
Las Vegas Strip and in downtown casinos. Fortune Coin Co.😗 and its video slot-machine
technology were purchased by IGT (International Gaming Technology) in 1978.[citation
needed]
The first American video slot machine😗 to offer a "second screen" bonus round
was Reel ’Em In, developed by WMS Industries in 1996.[15] This type of😗 machine had
appeared in Australia from at least 1994 with the Three Bags Full game.[16] With this
type of machine,😗 the display changes to provide a different game in which an additional
payout may be awarded.
Operation
A person playing a video😗 slot machine in Las
Vegas
Depending on the machine, the player can insert cash or, in "ticket-in,
ticket-out" machines, a paper😗 ticket with a barcode, into a designated slot on the
machine. The machine is then activated by means of a😗 lever or button (either physical
or on a touchscreen), which activates reels that spin and stop to rearrange the
symbols.😗 If a player matches a winning combination of symbols, the player earns credits
based on the paytable. Symbols vary depending😗 on the theme of the machine. Classic
symbols include objects such as fruits, bells, and stylized lucky sevens. Most slot
😗 games have a theme, such as a specific style, location, or character. Symbols and other
bonus features of the game😗 are typically aligned with the theme. Some themes are
licensed from popular media franchises, including films, television series (including
game😗 shows such as Wheel of Fortune, which has been one of the most popular lines of
slot machines),[17] entertainers, and😗 musicians.
Multi-line slot machines have become
more popular since the 1990s. These machines have more than one payline, meaning that
visible😗 symbols that are not aligned on the main horizontal may be considered as
winning combinations. Traditional three-reel slot machines commonly😗 have one, three, or
five paylines while video slot machines may have 9, 15, 25, or as many as 1024
😗 different paylines. Most accept variable numbers of credits to play, with 1 to 15
credits per line being typical. The😗 higher the amount bet, the higher the payout will
be if the player wins.
One of the main differences between video😗 slot machines and reel
machines is in the way payouts are calculated. With reel machines, the only way to win
😗 the maximum jackpot is to play the maximum number of coins (usually three, sometimes
four or even five coins per😗 spin). With video machines, the fixed payout values are
multiplied by the number of coins per line that is being😗 bet. In other words: on a reel
machine, the odds are more favorable if the gambler plays with the maximum😗 number of
coins available.[18] However, depending on the structure of the game and its bonus
features, some video slots may😗 still include features that improve chances at payouts
by making increased wagers.
A "multi-way" game with several winning lines
"Multi-way"
games eschew😗 fixed paylines in favor of allowing symbols to pay anywhere, as long as
there is at least one in at😗 least three consecutive reels from left to right. Multi-way
games may be configured to allow players to bet by-reel: for😗 example, on a game with a
3x5 pattern (often referred to as a 243-way game), playing one reel allows all😗 three
symbols in the first reel to potentially pay, but only the center row pays on the
remaining reels (often😗 designated by darkening the unused portions of the reels). Other
multi-way games use a 4x5 or 5x5 pattern, where there😗 are up to five symbols in each
reel, allowing for up to 1,024 and 3,125 ways to win respectively. The😗 Australian
manufacturer Aristocrat Leisure brands games featuring this system as "Reel Power",
"Xtra Reel Power" and "Super Reel Power" respectively.😗 A variation involves patterns
where symbols are adjacent to one another. Most of these games have a hexagonal reel
formation,😗 and much like multi-way games, any patterns not played are darkened out of
use.
Denominations can range from 1 cent ("penny😗 slots") all the way up toR$100.00 or
more per credit. The latter are typically known as "high limit" machines, and😗 machines
configured to allow for such wagers are often located in dedicated areas (which may
have a separate team of😗 attendants to cater to the needs of those who play there). The
machine automatically calculates the number of credits the😗 player receives in exchange
for the cash inserted. Newer machines often allow players to choose from a selection of
denominations😗 on a splash screen or menu.
Terminology
A bonus is a special feature of
the particular game theme, which is activated when😗 certain symbols appear in a winning
combination. Bonuses and the number of bonus features vary depending upon the game.
Some😗 bonus rounds are a special session of free spins (the number of which is often
based on the winning combination😗 that triggers the bonus), often with a different or
modified set of winning combinations as the main game and/or other😗 multipliers or
increased frequencies of symbols, or a "hold and re-spin" mechanic in which specific
symbols (usually marked with values😗 of credits or other prizes) are collected and
locked in place over a finite number of spins. In other bonus😗 rounds, the player is
presented with several items on a screen from which to choose. As the player chooses
items,😗 a number of credits is revealed and awarded. Some bonuses use a mechanical
device, such as a spinning wheel, that😗 works in conjunction with the bonus to display
the amount won.
A candle is a light on top of the slot😗 machine. It flashes to alert the
operator that change is needed, hand pay is requested or a potential problem with😗 the
machine. It can be lit by the player by pressing the "service" or "help"
button.
Carousel refers to a grouping😗 of slot machines, usually in a circle or oval
formation.
A coin hopper is a container where the coins that are😗 immediately available
for payouts are held. The hopper is a mechanical device that rotates coins into the
coin tray when😗 a player collects credits/coins (by pressing a "Cash Out" button). When
a certain preset coin capacity is reached, a coin😗 diverter automatically redirects, or
"drops", excess coins into a "drop bucket" or "drop box". (Unused coin hoppers can
still be😗 found even on games that exclusively employ Ticket-In, Ticket-Out technology,
as a vestige.)
The credit meter is a display of the😗 amount of money or number of
credits on the machine. On mechanical slot machines, this is usually a seven-segment
display,😗 but video slot machines typically use stylized text that suits the game's
theme and user interface.
The drop bucket or drop😗 box is a container located in a slot
machine's base where excess coins are diverted from the hopper. Typically, a😗 drop
bucket is used for low-denomination slot machines and a drop box is used for
high-denomination slot machines. A drop😗 box contains a hinged lid with one or more
locks whereas a drop bucket does not contain a lid. The😗 contents of drop buckets and
drop boxes are collected and counted by the casino on a scheduled basis.
EGM is short
😗 for "Electronic Gaming Machine".
Free spins are a common form of bonus, where a series
of spins are automatically played at😗 no charge at the player's current wager. Free
spins are usually triggered via a scatter of at least three designated😗 symbols (with
the number of spins dependent on the number of symbols that land). Some games allow the
free spins😗 bonus to "retrigger", which adds additional spins on top of those already
awarded. There is no theoretical limit to the😗 number of free spins obtainable. Some
games may have other features that can also trigger over the course of free😗 spins.
A
hand pay refers to a payout made by an attendant or at an exchange point ("cage"),
rather than by😗 the slot machine itself. A hand pay occurs when the amount of the payout
exceeds the maximum amount that was😗 preset by the slot machine's operator. Usually, the
maximum amount is set at the level where the operator must begin😗 to deduct taxes. A
hand pay could also be necessary as a result of a short pay.
Hopper fill slip is😗 a
document used to record the replenishment of the coin in the coin hopper after it
becomes depleted as a😗 result of making payouts to players. The slip indicates the
amount of coin placed into the hoppers, as well as😗 the signatures of the employees
involved in the transaction, the slot machine number and the location and the
date.
MEAL book😗 (Machine entry authorization log) is a log of the employee's entries
into the machine.
Low-level or slant-top slot machines include a😗 stool so the player
may sit down. Stand-up or upright slot machines are played while standing.
Optimal play
is a payback😗 percentage based on a gambler using the optimal strategy in a skill-based
slot machine game.
Payline is a line that crosses😗 through one symbol on each reel,
along which a winning combination is evaluated. Classic spinning reel machines usually
have up😗 to nine paylines, while video slot machines may have as many as one hundred.
Paylines could be of various shapes😗 (horizontal, vertical, oblique, triangular, zigzag,
etc.)
Persistent state refers to passive features on some slot machines, some of which
able to😗 trigger bonus payouts or other special features if certain conditions are met
over time by players on that machine.[19]
Roll-up is😗 the process of dramatizing a win
by playing sounds while the meters count up to the amount that has been😗 won.
Short pay
refers to a partial payout made by a slot machine, which is less than the amount due to
😗 the player. This occurs if the coin hopper has been depleted as a result of making
earlier payouts to players.😗 The remaining amount due to the player is either paid as a
hand pay or an attendant will come and😗 refill the machine.
A scatter is a pay
combination based on occurrences of a designated symbol landing anywhere on the reels,
😗 rather than falling in sequence on the same payline. A scatter pay usually requires a
minimum of three symbols to😗 land, and the machine may offer increased prizes or
jackpots depending on the number that land. Scatters are frequently used😗 to trigger
bonus games, such as free spins (with the number of spins multiplying based on the
number of scatter😗 symbols that land). The scatter symbol usually cannot be matched
using wilds, and some games may require the scatter symbols😗 to appear on consecutive
reels in order to pay. On some multiway games, scatter symbols still pay in unused
areas.
Taste😗 is a reference to the small amount often paid out to keep a player seated
and continuously betting. Only rarely😗 will machines fail to pay even the minimum out
over the course of several pulls.
Display screen of a slot machine😗 in tilt mode
Tilt is
a term derived from electromechanical slot machines' "tilt switches", which would make
or break a circuit😗 when they were tilted or otherwise tampered with that triggered an
alarm. While modern machines no longer have tilt switches,😗 any kind of technical fault
(door switch in the wrong state, reel motor failure, out of paper, etc.) is still
😗 called a "tilt".
A theoretical hold worksheet is a document provided by the
manufacturer for every slot machine that indicates the😗 theoretical percentage the
machine should hold based on the amount paid in. The worksheet also indicates the reel
strip settings,😗 number of coins that may be played, the payout schedule, the number of
reels and other information descriptive of the😗 particular type of slot
machine.
Volatility or variance refers to the measure of risk associated with playing a
slot machine. A😗 low-volatility slot machine has regular but smaller wins, while a
high-variance slot machine has fewer but bigger wins.
Weight count is😗 an American term
referring to the total value of coins or tokens removed from a slot machine's drop
bucket or😗 drop box for counting by the casino's hard count team through the use of a
weigh scale.
Wild symbols substitute for😗 most other symbols in the game (similarly to a
joker card), usually excluding scatter and jackpot symbols (or offering a😗 lower prize
on non-natural combinations that include wilds). How jokers behave are dependent on the
specific game and whether the😗 player is in a bonus or free games mode. Sometimes wild
symbols may only appear on certain reels, or have😗 a chance to "stack" across the entire
reel.
Pay table
Each machine has a table that lists the number of credits the😗 player
will receive if the symbols listed on the pay table line up on the pay line of the
machine.😗 Some symbols are wild and can represent many, or all, of the other symbols to
complete a winning line. Especially😗 on older machines, the pay table is listed on the
face of the machine, usually above and below the area😗 containing the wheels. On video
slot machines, they are usually contained within a help menu, along with information on
other😗 features.
Technology
Reels
Historically, all slot machines used revolving
mechanical reels to display and determine results. Although the original slot machine
used five😗 reels, simpler, and therefore more reliable, three reel machines quickly
became the standard.
A problem with three reel machines is that😗 the number of
combinations is only cubic – the original slot machine with three physical reels and 10
symbols on😗 each reel had only 103 = 1,000 possible combinations. This limited the
manufacturer's ability to offer large jackpots since even😗 the rarest event had a
likelihood of 0.1%. The maximum theoretical payout, assuming 100% return to player
would be 1000😗 times the bet, but that would leave no room for other pays, making the
machine very high risk, and also😗 quite boring.
Although the number of symbols
eventually increased to about 22, allowing 10,648 combinations,[20] this still limited
jackpot sizes as😗 well as the number of possible outcomes.
In the 1980s, however, slot
machine manufacturers incorporated electronics into their products and programmed😗 them
to weight particular symbols. Thus the odds of losing symbols appearing on the payline
became disproportionate to their actual😗 frequency on the physical reel. A symbol would
only appear once on the reel displayed to the player, but could,😗 in fact, occupy
several stops on the multiple reel.
In 1984, Inge Telnaes received a patent for a
device titled, "Electronic😗 Gaming Device Utilizing a Random Number Generator for
Selecting the Reel Stop Positions" (US Patent 4448419),[21] which states: "It is
😗 important to make a machine that is perceived to present greater chances of payoff than
it actually has within the😗 legal limitations that games of chance must operate."[22]
The patent was later bought by International Game Technology and has since😗 expired.
A
virtual reel that has 256 virtual stops per reel would allow up to 2563 = 16,777,216
final positions. The😗 manufacturer could choose to offer aR$1 million jackpot on aR$1
bet, confident that it will only happen, over the long😗 term, once every 16.8 million
plays.
Computerization
With microprocessors now ubiquitous, the computers inside modern
slot machines allow manufacturers to assign a😗 different probability to every symbol on
every reel. To the player, it might appear that a winning symbol was "so😗 close",
whereas in fact the probability is much lower.
In the 1980s in the U.K., machines
embodying microprocessors became common. These😗 used a number of features to ensure the
payout was controlled within the limits of the gambling legislation. As a😗 coin was
inserted into the machine, it could go either directly into the cashbox for the benefit
of the owner😗 or into a channel that formed the payout reservoir, with the
microprocessor monitoring the number of coins in this channel.😗 The drums themselves
were driven by stepper motors, controlled by the processor and with proximity sensors
monitoring the position of😗 the drums. A "look-up table" within the software allows the
processor to know what symbols were being displayed on the😗 drums to the gambler. This
allowed the system to control the level of payout by stopping the drums at positions😗 it
had determined. If the payout channel had filled up, the payout became more generous;
if nearly empty, the payout😗 became less so (thus giving good control of the
odds).
Video slot machines
Video slot machines do not use mechanical reels, but😗 use
graphical reels on a computerized display. As there are no mechanical constraints on
the design of video slot machines,😗 games often use at least five reels, and may also
use non-standard layouts. This greatly expands the number of possibilities:😗 a machine
can have 50 or more symbols on a reel, giving odds as high as 300 million to 1😗 against
– enough for even the largest jackpot. As there are so many combinations possible with
five reels, manufacturers do😗 not need to weight the payout symbols (although some may
still do so). Instead, higher paying symbols will typically appear😗 only once or twice
on each reel, while more common symbols earning a more frequent payout will appear many
times.😗 Video slot machines usually make more extensive use of multimedia, and can
feature more elaborate minigames as bonuses. Modern cabinets😗 typically use flat-panel
displays, but cabinets using larger curved screens (which can provide a more immersive
experience for the player)😗 are not uncommon.[23]
Video slot machines typically
encourage the player to play multiple "lines": rather than simply taking the middle of
😗 the three symbols displayed on each reel, a line could go from top left to the bottom
right or any😗 other pattern specified by the manufacturer. As each symbol is equally
likely, there is no difficulty for the manufacturer in😗 allowing the player to take as
many of the possible lines on offer as desired – the long-term return to😗 the player
will be the same. The difference for the player is that the more lines they play, the
more😗 likely they are to get paid on a given spin (because they are betting more).
To
avoid seeming as if the😗 player's money is simply ebbing away (whereas a payout of 100
credits on a single-line machine would be 100 bets😗 and the player would feel they had
made a substantial win, on a 20-line machine, it would only be five😗 bets and not seem
as significant), manufacturers commonly offer bonus games, which can return many times
their bet. The player😗 is encouraged to keep playing to reach the bonus: even if they
are losing, the bonus game could allow them😗 to win back their losses.
Payout
percentage
Slot machines are typically programmed to pay out as winnings 0% to 99% of
the😗 money that is wagered by players. This is known as the "theoretical payout
percentage" or RTP, "return to player". The😗 minimum theoretical payout percentage
varies among jurisdictions and is typically established by law or regulation. For
example, the minimum payout😗 in Nevada is 75%, in New Jersey 83%, and in Mississippi
80%. The winning patterns on slot machines – the😗 amounts they pay and the frequencies
of those payouts – are carefully selected to yield a certain fraction of the😗 money paid
to the "house" (the operator of the slot machine) while returning the rest to the
players during play.😗 Suppose that a certain slot machine costsR$1 per spin and has a
return to player (RTP) of 95%. It can😗 be calculated that, over a sufficiently long
period such as 1,000,000 spins, the machine will return an average ofR$950,000 to😗 its
players, who have insertedR$1,000,000 during that time. In this (simplified) example,
the slot machine is said to pay out😗 95%. The operator keeps the remainingR$50,000.
Within some EGM development organizations this concept is referred to simply as "par".
"Par"😗 also manifests itself to gamblers as promotional techniques: "Our 'Loose Slots'
have a 93% payback! Play now!"[citation needed]
A slot machine's😗 theoretical payout
percentage is set at the factory when the software is written. Changing the payout
percentage after a slot😗 machine has been placed on the gaming floor requires a physical
swap of the software or firmware, which is usually😗 stored on an EPROM but may be loaded
onto non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) or even stored on CD-ROM or😗 DVD,
depending on the capabilities of the machine and the applicable regulations. Based on
current technology, this is a time-consuming😗 process and as such is done
infrequently.[citation needed] In certain jurisdictions, such as New Jersey, the EPROM
has a tamper-evident😗 seal and can only be changed in the presence of Gaming Control
Board officials. Other jurisdictions, including Nevada, randomly audit😗 slot machines to
ensure that they contain only approved software.
Historically, many casinos, both
online and offline, have been unwilling to😗 publish individual game RTP figures, making
it impossible for the player to know whether they are playing a "loose" or😗 a "tight"
game. Since the turn of the century, some information regarding these figures has
started to come into the😗 public domain either through various casinos releasing
them—primarily this applies to online casinos—or through studies by independent
gambling authorities.[citation needed]
The😗 return to player is not the only statistic
that is of interest. The probabilities of every payout on the pay😗 table is also
critical. For example, consider a hypothetical slot machine with a dozen different
values on the pay table.😗 However, the probabilities of getting all the payouts are zero
except the largest one. If the payout is 4,000 times😗 the input amount, and it happens
every 4,000 times on average, the return to player is exactly 100%, but the😗 game would
be dull to play. Also, most people would not win anything, and having entries on the
paytable that😗 have a return of zero would be deceptive. As these individual
probabilities are closely guarded secrets, it is possible that😗 the advertised machines
with high return to player simply increase the probabilities of these jackpots. The
casino could legally place😗 machines of a similar style payout and advertise that some
machines have 100% return to player. The added advantage is😗 that these large jackpots
increase the excitement of the other players.
The table of probabilities for a specific
machine is called😗 the Probability and Accounting Report or PAR sheet, also PARS
commonly understood as Paytable and Reel Strips. Mathematician Michael Shackleford
😗 revealed the PARS for one commercial slot machine, an original International Gaming
Technology Red White and Blue machine. This game,😗 in its original form, is obsolete, so
these specific probabilities do not apply. He only published the odds after a😗 fan of
his sent him some information provided on a slot machine that was posted on a machine
in the😗 Netherlands. The psychology of the machine design is quickly revealed. There are
13 possible payouts ranging from 1:1 to 2,400:1.😗 The 1:1 payout comes every 8 plays.
The 5:1 payout comes every 33 plays, whereas the 2:1 payout comes every😗 600 plays. Most
players assume the likelihood increases proportionate to the payout. The one mid-size
payout that is designed to😗 give the player a thrill is the 80:1 payout. It is
programmed to occur an average of once every 219😗 plays. The 80:1 payout is high enough
to create excitement, but not high enough that it makes it likely that😗 the player will
take their winnings and abandon the game. More than likely the player began the game
with at😗 least 80 times his bet (for instance there are 80 quarters inR$20). In contrast
the 150:1 payout occurs only on😗 average of once every 6,241 plays. The highest payout
of 2,400:1 occurs only on average of once every 643 =😗 262,144 plays since the machine
has 64 virtual stops. The player who continues to feed the machine is likely to😗 have
several mid-size payouts, but unlikely to have a large payout. He quits after he is
bored or has exhausted😗 his bankroll.[citation needed]
Despite their confidentiality,
occasionally a PAR sheet is posted on a website. They have limited value to the😗 player,
because usually a machine will have 8 to 12 different possible programs with varying
payouts. In addition, slight variations😗 of each machine (e.g., with double jackpots or
five times play) are always being developed. The casino operator can choose😗 which EPROM
chip to install in any particular machine to select the payout desired. The result is
that there is😗 not really such a thing as a high payback type of machine, since every
machine potentially has multiple settings. From😗 October 2001 to February 2002,
columnist Michael Shackleford obtained PAR sheets for five different nickel machines;
four IGT games Austin😗 Powers, Fortune Cookie, Leopard Spots and Wheel of Fortune and
one game manufactured by WMS; Reel 'em In. Without revealing😗 the proprietary
information, he developed a program that would allow him to determine with usually less
than a dozen plays😗 on each machine which EPROM chip was installed. Then he did a survey
of over 400 machines in 70 different😗 casinos in Las Vegas. He averaged the data, and
assigned an average payback percentage to the machines in each casino.😗 The resultant
list was widely publicized for marketing purposes (especially by the Palms casino which
had the top ranking).[citation needed]
One😗 reason that the slot machine is so
profitable to a casino is that the player must play the high house😗 edge and high payout
wagers along with the low house edge and low payout wagers. In a more traditional
wagering😗 game like craps, the player knows that certain wagers have almost a 50/50
chance of winning or losing, but they😗 only pay a limited multiple of the original bet
(usually no higher than three times). Other bets have a higher😗 house edge, but the
player is rewarded with a bigger win (up to thirty times in craps). The player can
😗 choose what kind of wager he wants to make. A slot machine does not afford such an
opportunity. Theoretically, the😗 operator could make these probabilities available, or
allow the player to choose which one so that the player is free😗 to make a choice.
However, no operator has ever enacted this strategy. Different machines have different
maximum payouts, but without😗 knowing the odds of getting the jackpot, there is no
rational way to differentiate.
In many markets where central monitoring and😗 control
systems are used to link machines for auditing and security purposes, usually in wide
area networks of multiple venues😗 and thousands of machines, player return must usually
be changed from a central computer rather than at each machine. A😗 range of percentages
is set in the game software and selected remotely.
In 2006, the Nevada Gaming
Commission began working with😗 Las Vegas casinos on technology that would allow the
casino's management to change the game, the odds, and the payouts😗 remotely. The change
cannot be done instantaneously, but only after the selected machine has been idle for
at least four😗 minutes. After the change is made, the machine must be locked to new
players for four minutes and display an😗 on-screen message informing potential players
that a change is being made.[24]
Linked machines
Some varieties of slot machines can be
linked together😗 in a setup sometimes known as a "community" game. The most basic form
of this setup involves progressive jackpots that😗 are shared between the bank of
machines, but may include multiplayer bonuses and other features.[25]
In some cases
multiple machines are😗 linked across multiple casinos. In these cases, the machines may
be owned by the manufacturer, who is responsible for paying😗 the jackpot. The casinos
lease the machines rather than owning them outright. Casinos in New Jersey, Nevada,
Louisiana, Arkansas, and😗 South Dakota now offer multi-state progressive jackpots, which
now offer bigger jackpot pools.[26][27]
Fraud
Mechanical slot machines and their coin
acceptors were😗 sometimes susceptible to cheating devices and other scams. One
historical example involved spinning a coin with a short length of😗 plastic wire. The
weight and size of the coin would be accepted by the machine and credits would be
granted.😗 However, the spin created by the plastic wire would cause the coin to exit
through the reject chute into the😗 payout tray. This particular scam has become obsolete
due to improvements in newer slot machines. Another obsolete method of defeating😗 slot
machines was to use a light source to confuse the optical sensor used to count coins
during payout.[28]
Modern slot😗 machines are controlled by EPROM computer chips and, in
large casinos, coin acceptors have become obsolete in favor of bill😗 acceptors. These
machines and their bill acceptors are designed with advanced anti-cheating and
anti-counterfeiting measures and are difficult to defraud.😗 Early computerized slot
machines were sometimes defrauded through the use of cheating devices, such as the
"slider", "monkey paw", "lightwand"😗 and "the tongue". Many of these old cheating
devices were made by the late Tommy Glenn Carmichael, a slot machine😗 fraudster who
reportedly stole overR$5 million.[29] In the modern day, computerized slot machines are
fully deterministic and thus outcomes can😗 be sometimes successfully
predicted.[30]
Skill stops
Skill stop buttons predated the Bally electromechanical slot
machines of the 1960s and 1970s. They appeared😗 on mechanical slot machines manufactured
by Mills Novelty Co. as early as the mid 1920s. These machines had modified reel-stop
😗 arms, which allowed them to be released from the timing bar, earlier than in a normal
play, simply by pressing😗 the buttons on the front of the machine, located between each
reel.
"Skill stop" buttons were added to some slot machines😗 by Zacharias Anthony in the
early 1970s. These enabled the player to stop each reel, allowing a degree of "skill"
😗 so as to satisfy the New Jersey gaming laws of the day which required that players were
able to control😗 the game in some way. The original conversion was applied to
approximately 50 late-model Bally slot machines. Because the typical😗 machine stopped
the reels automatically in less than 10 seconds, weights were added to the mechanical
timers to prolong the😗 automatic stopping of the reels. By the time the New Jersey
Alcoholic Beverages Commission (ABC) had approved the conversion for😗 use in New Jersey
arcades, the word was out and every other distributor began adding skill stops. The
machines were😗 a huge hit on the Jersey Shore and the remaining unconverted Bally
machines were destroyed as they had become instantly😗 obsolete.[citation
needed]
Legislation
United States
In the United States, the public and private
availability of slot machines is highly regulated by state governments.😗 Many states
have established gaming control boards to regulate the possession and use of slot
machines and other form of😗 gaming.
Nevada is the only state that has no significant
restrictions against slot machines both for public and private use. In😗 New Jersey, slot
machines are only allowed in hotel casinos operated in Atlantic City. Several states
(Indiana, Louisiana and Missouri)😗 allow slot machines (as well as any casino-style
gambling) only on licensed riverboats or permanently anchored barges. Since Hurricane
Katrina,😗 Mississippi has removed the requirement that casinos on the Gulf Coast operate
on barges and now allows them on land😗 along the shoreline. Delaware allows slot
machines at three horse tracks; they are regulated by the state lottery commission. In
😗 Wisconsin, bars and taverns are allowed to have up to five machines. These machines
usually allow a player to either😗 take a payout, or gamble it on a double-or-nothing
"side game".
The territory of Puerto Rico places significant restrictions on slot
😗 machine ownership, but the law is widely flouted and slot machines are common in bars
and coffeeshops.[31]
In regards to tribal😗 casinos located on Native American
reservations, slot machines played against the house and operating independently from a
centralized computer system😗 are classified as "Class III" gaming by the Indian Gaming
Regulatory Act (IGRA), and sometimes promoted as "Vegas-style" slot machines.[32]😗 In
order to offer Class III gaming, tribes must enter into a compact (agreement) with the
state that is approved😗 by the Department of the Interior, which may contain
restrictions on the types and quantity of such games. As a😗 workaround, some casinos may
operate slot machines as "Class II" games—a category that includes games where players
play exclusively against😗 at least one other opponent and not the house, such as bingo
or any related games (such as pull-tabs). In😗 these cases, the reels are an
entertainment display with a pre-determined outcome based on a centralized game played
against other😗 players. Under the IGRA, Class II games are regulated by individual
tribes and the National Indian Gaming Commission, and do😗 not require any additional
approval if the state already permits tribal gaming.[33][34]
Some historical race
wagering terminals operate in a similar😗 manner, with the machines using slots as an
entertainment display for outcomes paid using the parimutuel betting system, based on
😗 results of randomly-selected, previously-held horse races (with the player able to view
selected details about the race and adjust their😗 picks before playing the credit, or
otherwise use an auto-bet system).[35]
Private ownership
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas,
Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode😗 Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West
Virginia place no restrictions on private ownership of slot machines. Conversely, in
Connecticut, Hawaii,😗 Nebraska, South Carolina, and Tennessee, private ownership of any
slot machine is completely prohibited. The remaining states allow slot machines😗 of a
certain age (typically 25–30 years) or slot machines manufactured before a specific
date.
Canada
The Government of Canada has minimal😗 involvement in gambling beyond the
Canadian Criminal Code. In essence, the term "lottery scheme" used in the code means
slot😗 machines, bingo and table games normally associated with a casino. These fall
under the jurisdiction of the province or territory😗 without reference to the federal
government; in practice, all Canadian provinces operate gaming boards that oversee
lotteries, casinos and video😗 lottery terminals under their jurisdiction.
OLG piloted a
classification system for slot machines at the Grand River Raceway developed by
University😗 of Waterloo professor Kevin Harrigan, as part of its PlaySmart initiative
for responsible gambling. Inspired by nutrition labels on foods,😗 they displayed metrics
such as volatility and frequency of payouts.[36] OLG has also deployed electronic
gaming machines with pre-determined outcomes😗 based on a bingo or pull-tab game,
initially branded as "TapTix", which visually resemble slot machines.[37]
In Ontario, 4
April 2024😗 saw the re-introduction of the online gambling market. This became possible
when the Canadian Criminal Code was amended to allow😗 single-event wagering August 2024.
The province is expected to generate aboutR$800 million in gross revenue per
year.[38]
Australia
In Australia "Poker Machines"😗 or "pokies"[39] are officially termed
"gaming machines". In Australia, gaming machines are a matter for state governments, so
laws vary😗 between states. Gaming machines are found in casinos (approximately one in
each major city), pubs and clubs in some states😗 (usually sports, social, or RSL clubs).
The first Australian state to legalize this style of gambling was New South Wales,😗 when
in 1956 they were made legal in all registered clubs in the state. There are
suggestions that the proliferation😗 of poker machines has led to increased levels of
problem gambling; however, the precise nature of this link is still😗 open to
research.[40]
In 1999 the Australian Productivity Commission reported that nearly half
Australia's gaming machines were in New South Wales.😗 At the time, 21% of all the
gambling machines in the world were operating in Australia and, on a per😗 capita basis,
Australia had roughly five times as many gaming machines as the United States.
Australia ranks 8th in total😗 number of gaming machines after Japan, U.S.A., Italy,
U.K., Spain and Germany. This primarily is because gaming machines have been😗 legal in
the state of New South Wales since 1956; over time, the number of machines has grown to
97,103😗 (at December 2010, including the Australian Capital Territory). By way of
comparison, the U.S. State of Nevada, which legalised gaming😗 including slots several
decades before N.S.W., had 190,135 slots operating.[41]
Revenue from gaming machines in
pubs and clubs accounts for more😗 than half of theR$4 billion in gambling revenue
collected by state governments in fiscal year 2002–03.[42]
In Queensland, gaming
machines in😗 pubs and clubs must provide a return rate of 85%, while machines located in
casinos must provide a return rate😗 of 90%.[citation needed] Most other states have
similar provisions. In Victoria, gaming machines must provide a minimum return rate of
😗 87% (including jackpot contribution), including machines in Crown Casino. As of
December 1, 2007, Victoria banned gaming machines that acceptedR$100😗 notes; all gaming
machines made since 2003 comply with this rule. This new law also banned machines with
an automatic😗 play option. One exception exists in Crown Casino for any player with a
VIP loyalty card: they can still insertR$100😗 notes and use an autoplay feature (whereby
the machine will automatically play until credit is exhausted or the player
intervenes).😗 All gaming machines in Victoria have an information screen accessible to
the user by pressing the "i key" button, showing😗 the game rules, paytable, return to
player percentage, and the top and bottom five combinations with their odds. These
combinations😗 are stated to be played on a minimum bet (usually 1 credit per line, with
1 line or reel played,😗 although some newer machines do not have an option to play 1
line; some machines may only allow maximum lines😗 to be played), excluding feature
wins.
Western Australia has the most restrictive regulations on electronic gaming
machines in general, with the😗 Crown Perth casino resort being the only venue allowed to
operate them,[43] and banning slot machines with spinning reels entirely.😗 This policy
had an extensive political history, reaffirmed by the 1974 Royal Commission into
Gambling:[44]
Poker machine playing is a mindless,😗 repetitive and insidious form of
gambling which has many undesirable features. It requires no thought, no skill or
social contact.😗 The odds are never about winning. Watching people playing the machines
over long periods of time, the impressionistic evidence at😗 least is that they are
addictive to many people. Historically poker machines have been banned from Western
Australia and we😗 consider that, in the public interest, they should stay banned.
While
Western Australian gaming machines are similar to the other states',😗 they do not have
spinning reels. Therefore, different animations are used in place of the spinning reels
in order to😗 display each game result.
Nick Xenophon was elected on an independent No
Pokies ticket in the South Australian Legislative Council at😗 the 1997 South Australian
state election on 2.9 percent, re-elected at the 2006 election on 20.5 percent, and
elected to😗 the Australian Senate at the 2007 federal election on 14.8 percent.
Independent candidate Andrew Wilkie, an anti-pokies campaigner, was elected😗 to the
Australian House of Representatives seat of Denison at the 2010 federal election.
Wilkie was one of four crossbenchers😗 who supported the Gillard Labor government
following the hung parliament result. Wilkie immediately began forging ties with
Xenophon as soon😗 as it was apparent that he was elected. In exchange for Wilkie's
support, the Labor government are attempting to implement😗 precommitment technology for
high-bet/high-intensity poker machines, against opposition from the Tony Abbott
Coalition and Clubs Australia.
During the COVID-19 pandemic of😗 2024, every
establishment in the country that facilitated poker machines was shut down, in an
attempt to curb the spread😗 of the virus, bringing Australia's usage of poker machines
effectively to zero.[45]
Russia
In Russia, "slot clubs" appeared quite late, only in
😗 1992. Before 1992, slot machines were only in casinos and small shops, but later slot
clubs began appearing all over😗 the country. The most popular and numerous were "Vulcan
777" and "Taj Mahal". Since 2009, when gambling establishments were banned,😗 almost all
slot clubs disappeared and are found only in a specially authorized gambling
zones.
United Kingdom
Row of old fruit machines😗 in Teignmouth Pier, Devon
One armed
bandits at Wookey Hole Caves
Slot machines are covered by the Gambling Act 2005, which
superseded😗 the Gaming Act 1968.[46]
Slot machines in the U.K. are categorised by
definitions produced by the Gambling Commission as part of😗 the Gambling Act of
2005.
Machine category Maximum stake (from January 2014) Maximum prize (from January
2014) A Unlimited Unlimited B1😗 £5 £10,000 or if the game has a progressive jackpot that
can be £20,000 B2 £100 (in multiples of £10)😗 £500 B3 £2 £500 B3A £1 £500 B4 £2 £400 C
£1 £100 or £200 If jackpot is repeated D😗 (various) 10p to £8 £8 cash or £50
non-cash
Casinos built under the provisions of the 1968 Act are allowed to😗 house either
up to twenty machines of categories B–D or any number of C–D machines. As defined by
the 2005😗 Act, large casinos can have a maximum of one hundred and fifty machines in any
combination of categories B–D (subject😗 to a machine-to-table ratio of 5:1); small
casinos can have a maximum of eighty machines in any combination of categories😗 B–D
(subject to a machine-to-table ratio of 2:1).
Category A
Category A games were defined
in preparation for the planned "Super Casinos".😗 Despite a lengthy bidding process with
Manchester being chosen as the single planned location, the development was cancelled
soon after😗 Gordon Brown became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. As a result, there
are no lawful Category A games in😗 the U.K.
Category B
Category B games are divided into
subcategories. The differences between B1, B3 and B4 games are mainly the😗 stake and
prizes as defined in the above table. Category B2 games – Fixed odds betting terminals
(FOBTs) – have😗 quite different stake and prize rules: FOBTs are mainly found in
licensed betting shops, or bookmakers, usually in the form😗 of electronic roulette.
The
games are based on a random number generator; thus each game's probability of getting
the jackpot is😗 independent of any other game: probabilities are all equal. If a
pseudorandom number generator is used instead of a truly😗 random one, probabilities are
not independent since each number is determined at least in part by the one generated
before😗 it.
Category C
Category C games are often referred to as fruit machines,
one-armed bandits and AWP (amusement with prize). Fruit machines😗 are commonly found in
pubs, clubs, and arcades. Machines commonly have three but can be found with four or
five😗 reels, each with 16–24 symbols printed around them. The reels are spun each play,
from which the appearance of particular😗 combinations of symbols result in payment of
their associated winnings by the machine (or alternatively initiation of a subgame).
These😗 games often have many extra features, trails and subgames with opportunities to
win money; usually more than can be won😗 from just the payouts on the reel
combinations.
Fruit machines in the U.K. almost universally have the following
features, generally selected😗 at random using a pseudorandom number generator:
A player
(known in the industry as a punter ) may be given the😗 opportunity to hold one or more
reels before spinning, meaning they will not be spun but instead retain their displayed
😗 symbols yet otherwise count normally for that play. This can sometimes increase the
chance of winning, especially if two or😗 more reels are held.
) may be given the
opportunity to one or more reels before spinning, meaning they will not😗 be spun but
instead retain their displayed symbols yet otherwise count normally for that play. This
can sometimes increase the😗 chance of winning, especially if two or more reels are held.
A player may also be given a number of😗 nudges following a spin (or, in some machines,
as a result in a subgame). A nudge is a step rotation😗 of a reel chosen by the player
(the machine may not allow all reels to be nudged for a particular😗 play).
following a
spin (or, in some machines, as a result in a subgame). A nudge is a step rotation of😗 a
reel chosen by the player (the machine may not allow all reels to be nudged for a
particular play).😗 Cheats can also be made available on the internet or through emailed
newsletters to subscribers. These cheats give the player😗 the impression of an
advantage, whereas in reality the payout percentage remains exactly the same. The most
widely used cheat😗 is known as hold after a nudge and increases the chance that the
player will win following an unsuccessful nudge.😗 Machines from the early 1990s did not
advertise the concept of hold after a nudge when this feature was first😗 introduced, it
became so well known amongst players and widespread amongst new machine releases that
it is now well-advertised on😗 the machine during play. This is characterized by messages
on the display such as DON'T HOLD ANY or LET 'EM😗 SPIN and is a designed feature of the
machine, not a cheat at all. Holding the same pair three times😗 on three consecutive
spins also gives a guaranteed win on most machines that offer holds.
It is known for
machines to😗 pay out multiple jackpots, one after the other (this is known as a
"repeat") but each jackpot requires a new😗 game to be played so as not to violate the
law about the maximum payout on a single play. Typically😗 this involves the player only
pressing the Start button at the "repeat" prompt, for which a single credit is taken,
😗 regardless of whether this causes the reels to spin or not. Machines are also known to
intentionally set aside money,😗 which is later awarded in a series of wins, known as a
"streak". The minimum payout percentage is 70%, with😗 pubs often setting the payout at
around 78%.
Japan
Japanese slot machines, known as pachisuro (パチスロ) or pachislot from
the words "pachinko"😗 and "slot machine", are a descendant of the traditional Japanese
pachinko game. Slot machines are a fairly new phenomenon and😗 they can be found mostly
in pachinko parlors and the adult sections of amusement arcades, known as game
centers.
The machines😗 are regulated with integrated circuits, and have six different
levels changing the odds of a 777. The levels provide a😗 rough outcome of between 90%
and 160% (200% for skilled players). Japanese slot machines are "beatable". Parlor
operators naturally set😗 most machines to simply collect money, but intentionally place
a few paying machines on the floor so that there will😗 be at least someone
winning,[citation needed] encouraging players on the losing machines to keep gambling,
using the psychology of the😗 gambler's fallacy.
Despite the many varieties of pachislot
machines, there are certain rules and regulations put forward by the Security
Electronics😗 and Communication Technology Association (保安電子通信技術協会), an affiliate of the
National Police Agency. For example, there must be three reels. All😗 reels must be
accompanied by buttons which allow players to manually stop them, reels may not spin
faster than 80😗 RPM, and reels must stop within 0.19 seconds of a button press. In
practice, this means that machines cannot let😗 reels slip more than 4 symbols. Other
rules include a 15 coin payout cap, a 50 credit cap on machines,😗 a 3 coin maximum bet,
and other such regulations.[citation needed]
Although a 15 coin payout may seem quite
low, regulations allow😗 "Big Bonus" (c. 400–711 coins) and "Regular Bonus" modes (c. 110
coins) where these 15 coin payouts occur nearly continuously😗 until the bonus mode is
finished. While the machine is in bonus mode, the player is entertained with special
winning😗 scenes on the LCD display, and energizing music is heard, payout after
payout.
Three other unique features of Pachisuro machines are😗 "stock", "renchan", and
tenjō (天井). On many machines, when enough money to afford a bonus is taken in, the
bonus😗 is not immediately awarded. Typically the game merely stops making the reels slip
off the bonus symbols for a few😗 games. If the player fails to hit the bonus during
these "standby games", it is added to the "stock" for😗 later collection. Many current
games, after finishing a bonus round, set the probability to release additional stock
(gained from earlier😗 players failing to get a bonus last time the machine stopped
making the reels slip for a bit) very high😗 for the first few games. As a result, a
lucky player may get to play several bonus rounds in a😗 row (a "renchan"), making
payouts of 5,000 or even 10,000 coins possible. The lure of "stock" waiting in the
machine,😗 and the possibility of "renchan" tease the gambler to keep feeding the
machine. To tease them further, there is a😗 tenjō (ceiling), a maximum limit on the
number of games between "stock" release. For example, if the tenjō is 1,500,😗 and the
number of games played since the last bonus is 1,490, the player is guaranteed to
release a bonus😗 within just 10 games.
Because of the "stock", "renchan", and tenjō
systems, it is possible to make money by simply playing😗 machines on which someone has
just lost a huge amount of money. This is called being a "hyena". They are😗 easy to
recognize, roaming the aisles for a "kamo" ("sucker" in English) to leave his
machine.
In short, the regulations allowing😗 "stock", "renchan", and tenjō transformed
the pachisuro from a low-stakes form of entertainment just a few years back to hardcore
😗 gambling. Many people may be gambling more than they can afford, and the big payouts
also lure unsavory "hyena" types😗 into the gambling halls.
To address these social
issues, a new regulation (Version 5.0) was adopted in 2006 which caps the😗 maximum
amount of "stock" a machine can hold to around 2,000–3,000 coins' worth of bonus games.
Moreover, all pachisuro machines😗 must be re-evaluated for regulation compliance every
three years. Version 4.0 came out in 2004, so that means all those😗 machines with the up
to 10,000 coin payouts will be removed from service by 2007.[citation needed]
Jackpot
disputes
Electronic slot machines can😗 malfunction. When the displayed amount is smaller
than the one it is supposed to be, the error usually goes unnoticed.😗 When it happens
the other way, disputes are likely.[47] Below are some notable arguments caused by the
owners of the😗 machines saying that the displayed amounts were far larger than the ones
patrons should get.
United States
Two such cases occurred in😗 casinos in Colorado in
2010, where software errors led to indicated jackpots ofR$11 million[48] andR$42
million.[49] Analysis of machine records😗 by the state Gaming Commission revealed
faults, with the true jackpot being substantially smaller.[50] State gaming laws did
not require😗 a casino to honour payouts in that case.
Vietnam
On October 25, 2009, while
a Vietnamese American man, Ly Sam, was playing😗 a slot machine in the Palazzo Club at
the Sheraton Saigon Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, it displayed😗 that he had hit a
jackpot of US$55,542,296.73.[51] The casino refused to pay, saying it was a machine
error, Ly😗 sued the casino.[52] On January 7, 2013, the District 1 People's Court in Ho
Chi Minh City decided that the😗 casino had to pay the amount Ly claimed in full, not
trusting the error report from an inspection company hired😗 by the casino.[53] Both
sides appealed thereafter, and Ly asked for interest while the casino refused to pay
him.[54] In😗 January, 2014, the news reported that the case had been settled out of
court, and Ly had received an undisclosed😗 sum.[55]
Problem gambling and slot
machines
Mills Novelty Co. Horse Head Bonus antique slot machine
Natasha Dow Schüll,
associate professor in New York😗 University's Department of Media, Culture and
Communication, uses the term "machine zone" to describe the state of immersion that
users😗 of slot machines experience when gambling, where they lose a sense of time,
space, bodily awareness, and monetary value.[56]
Mike Dixon,😗 PhD, professor of
psychology at the University of Waterloo,[57] studies the relationship between slot
players and machines. In one of😗 Dixon's studies, players were observed experiencing
heightened arousal from the sensory stimulus coming from the machines. They "sought to
show😗 that these 'losses disguised as wins' (LDWs) would be as arousing as wins, and
more arousing than regular losses."[58]
Psychologists Robert😗 Breen and Marc
Zimmerman[59][60] found that players of video slot machines reach a debilitating level
of involvement with gambling three😗 times as rapidly as those who play traditional
casino games, even if they have engaged in other forms of gambling😗 without
problems.
Eye-tracking research in local bookkeepers' offices in the UK suggested that,
in slots games, the reels dominated players' visual😗 attention, and that problem
gamblers looked more frequently at amount-won messages than did those without gambling
problems.[61]
The 2011 60 Minutes😗 report "Slot Machines: The Big Gamble"[62] focused on
the link between slot machines and gambling addiction.
See
also
References
Bibliography
