Cheating casinos: As gamblers shun stingier slots, casinos shake things up

[mfcorey1]

LAS VEGAS — Move aside one-armed bandits. The casino floor is making room for game zones with oversized popping dice, digital spinning Big Six wheels and virtual roulette, with an eye on adding arcade-style video games in the not-so-distant future.
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As gamblers appear to be shunning stingier slot machines that don't offer as many payouts, game-makers and casinos are keen on coming up with the next big thing to keep people playing.

The changing casino floor will be on display this week at the industry's premier trade show, the Global Gaming Expo on the Las Vegas Strip, and in properties across Sin City in the coming months.

Here's what the casino industry has been facing and their plans:
Slot machines have long been suspected of keeping a tighter grip on the money gamblers feed into them.

The proliferation of penny slots, in particular, with minimum and maximum bets that far exceed a single copper coin and carry with them inherently worse odds at getting one's money back, has meant a gambler's wager doesn't last as long as it used to.

Casinos across the country, with few exceptions, have been keeping more of what's wagered on slots, according to research commissioned by the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers.

But their bottom lines haven't gotten an obvious boost. Revenue earned from slots has been on the decline for years. That's because gamblers may be walking away from what they see as a raw deal, among other reasons, said Marcus Prater, executive director of the industry group.

In Nevada, where the average payback on slot machines is 93.6 percent of every dollar wagered, machines must offer no less than a 75 percent average payback to the player. Most vary based on the minimum bets.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/as-gamblers-shun-stingier-slots-casinos-shake-things-up/ar-AAeTmiA?li=AAa0dzB

[DetlefK]

1. The only winning-move is not to play.

If it keeps you entertained, fine. But please stop pretending that you have a chance of walking away with a win.

The odds of getting killed by a stray fireworks-rocket on your way to buying a lottery-ticket are higher than the odds of winning the lottery.

[puzzledeagle]

2. Buy a slot machine of your own instead

Actually bought one recently that I found for cheap touchscreen on Craigslist. Really fun to play, especially considering how I've put in about $5000 so far(taking my money in and out over and over) and only won about half of it back. They really are rigged against you.

[exboyfil]

3. The only time I went to Vegas as an adult

I played on some of probably the last dime Poker machines. It was a lot less expensive than arcade video games. I only played because I was there against my will so to speak. My family decided on a reunion in Vegas during the stock car race. Our course the cousin-in-law (a big NASCAR fan) is no longer part of the family. I would have much preferred Orlando, SoCal, Wisconsin Dells, even Branson to Vegas. The best thing about it was the Star Trek Experience. I did enjoy walking down the Strip with my daughters who were in a stroller at the time looking at the various buildings.

[Historic NY]

4. Its like those scratch off lottery tickets...

Ny tightened up on them fewer winners more money for the state. While I never like mechanical slots they offer more than the computerized wizz bang versions. NY has slots casinos went once and never again, they know when you win and issue you a ticket for the winnings. It used to be fun