Casinos need to provide their customers with more games of skill and fewer slot machines.
There. I said it and I'm glad.
Casino management is full of promotional ideas to lure in players to keep those slot machines humming and making a profit for the House. They spend millions of dollars to bring in the public by offering them free play, free buffets, free hotel rooms and other perks.
Their public relations departments work overtime coming up with new promotional gimmicks. My brother is a slots player and his mailbox is jammed with offers of free play which, I sadly report, he often yields to.
The problem, of course, is that he and millions of other players like him go to the casino, spend that 'free' money, lose it, and then reach into their wallets for cash or ATM cards which was the goal of the casino social engineers in the first place.
Let's get a couple of facts straight here. No mechanical machine with a computer chip that pre-determines the outcome of a pull or spin is set up with the player in mind.
Slot machines are geared to make money for casinos, not the players. While there will certainly be some winners, the vast majority of the players will use up those perks and then reach for money that should be spent on other things like rent, house and car payments, groceries and family welfare.
I already know what the casino managers will say in response to these words. People should 'gamble responsibly.' If they need help because of a gambling problem, they should use the services of Gamblers Anonymous or some other organization set up to help problem gamblers.
This is merely playing lip services to a serious national problem that is growing more serious all the time. While my brother is just one individual, he emailed me about a woman in her 70s who lives less than two miles from The Meadows Casino near Washington, PA.
They were playing slot machines next to each other in the busy casino. She was a loser of more than $500 and was practically in tears as she kept hitting the spin button hoping to recoup some of her losses.
'We were both tired of losing, but there was nothing we could do about it,' my brother said. 'The machine determines the outcome, not the skill of the player. Finally she hit a $300 jackpot. She screamed. I told her to take the money and go home, which she did. She was a $200 loser, but at least she got some of her money back.'
I have been trying to persuade my brother to learn to play poker, a skill game. He is afraid to risk his money against other players at the poker tables. I guess the fear that he will continue to lose his cash at the one-armed bandits doesn't mean anything to him.
Most people are gamblers at heart and the casinos are taking advantage of this fact. I wish the management would take this into consideration when they are promoting those cash giveaways that are really robberies in disguise. There are no guarantees in skill games like poker or blackjack, but at least you have a chance.
dirkemans
8 years ago
Of course I meant 11x! If you get that hit on your first spin you break the starting score, so that gives you +1 Extra Free Spin, and then the total is 11x instead of 12x, but that still adds up to an impressive amount!
Ik bedoelde natuurlijk 11x! Als je die hit op je eerste spin krijgt verbreek je de beginscore, dus dat geeft je +1 Extra Free Spin, en dan is het totaal 11x i.p.v. 12x, maar dat geeft nog steeds een indrukwekkend bedrag!
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dirkemans
8 years ago
The Bonus Bet is not really advantageous, you pay double, but the winnings remain the same, you only have a few percent more chance of the Bonus and a few small advantages in some Bonuses. The payout for a full screen is not too bad (or against): I think for a full screen with Princesses you only get 800x bet, and I think...
The Bonus Bet is not really advantageous, you pay double, but the winnings remain the same, you only have a few percent more chance of the Bonus and a few small advantages in some Bonuses. The payout for a full screen is not too bad (or against): I think for a full screen with Princesses you only get 800x bet, and I think that was done on purpose by the gentlemen (and/or ladies) of NetEnt: you you can theoretically get a full screen on your first spin in one of the many bonus rounds, the "Sure Win Free Spins", meaning you get those 800x 12 Spins in a row! Then the maximum hit will be 9600x your bet.. and that's not for the cat... And I'm not even sure if it's 800x or even more :) I personally think it's one of the nicest releases from Netent, from In recent years.
Show moreDe Bonus Bet is niet echt voordelig, je betaalt dubbel, maar de winsten blijven hetzelfde, je hebt alleen een paar procent meer kans op de Bonus en een paar kleine voordelen in sommige Bonussen. De pay-out voor een vol scherm valt best mee (of tegen): voor een vol scherm met Prinsessen krijg je volgens mij maar 800x bet,...
De Bonus Bet is niet echt voordelig, je betaalt dubbel, maar de winsten blijven hetzelfde, je hebt alleen een paar procent meer kans op de Bonus en een paar kleine voordelen in sommige Bonussen. De pay-out voor een vol scherm valt best mee (of tegen): voor een vol scherm met Prinsessen krijg je volgens mij maar 800x bet, en dat is denk ik expres gedaan door de heren ( en/of dames) van NetEnt: je kunt namelijk theoretisch in een van de vele bonus rondes, de "Sure Win Free Spins" namelijk, een vol scherm krijgen op je eerste spin, wat betekent dat je die 800x 12 Spins achter elkaar krijgt! Dan wordt de maximum hit dus 9600x je inzet.. en dat is niet voor de poes... En ik weet niet eens zeker of het 800x of zelfs meer is:) Ik vind het persoonlijk wel een van de leukste releases van Netent, van de afgelopen jaren.
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jade
8 years ago
You have a strong opinion about the slots and it is fueled by your brothers relationship with them. But, I think it's more than that. You've been in these casinos most of your adult life Geno and I'm sure everything you've seen has taken it's toll on you. It's good to have this outlet to speak your mind and get it off your...
You have a strong opinion about the slots and it is fueled by your brothers relationship with them. But, I think it's more than that. You've been in these casinos most of your adult life Geno and I'm sure everything you've seen has taken it's toll on you. It's good to have this outlet to speak your mind and get it off your chest. It must be difficult to criticize the business that has been your bread and butter and also where you enjoy your leisure, your hobby. I agree with you, without a doubt, but tread carefully. You don't want to cut off your nose to spite your face.....
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bertinevis
8 years ago
So far I have had no success on this video slot. I have to say that I always had that special feature on deactivated, maybe that makes a world of difference. I do believe that if you get those stacked koi's full you have a big win
Ik heb vooralsnog geen succes gehad op deze videoslot. Ik moet zeggen dat ik die special feature altijd op deactived had staan, misschien dat dat nog een wereld van verschil maakt. Ik geloof wel dat als je die stacked koi's vol krijgt dat je big win hebt
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Vanenhox
8 years ago
Wow that is a very powerful anti slots statement. I think casino's should donate money to organization's like GA and others that help problem gamblers; because as the author points out they do know what they are doing when they so forcefully promote the slot machines. Yes the individual has responsibility, but one can't...
Wow that is a very powerful anti slots statement. I think casino's should donate money to organization's like GA and others that help problem gamblers; because as the author points out they do know what they are doing when they so forcefully promote the slot machines. Yes the individual has responsibility, but one can't totally ignore the other side of the coin. That many individuals are often weak and easily manipulated and taken advantage of.
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