My latest talk with Craig Shacklett of URComped.com is up. In it we talk about the real impact of the Vegas Golden Knights on Las Vegas, Derek Stevens’ role in Downtown Las Vegas (and his support of the Knights) and the latest obstacles for aspiring slot YouTubers:
Talking about Hockey, Derek Stevens, & Slot YouTubers Read More »
authorMy second piece for Forbes.com is a look at what the math of slot machines means for the casino and the player: Slot machines remain the most important money-making part of casinos in the United States. In many states, casinos make between 65 and 80 percent of their gambling income from slots. In Las Vegas,
How Casinos Use Math To Make Money When You Play The Slots | Forbes Read More »
forbes, writingIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take a look at the CEO transition at Scientific Games: In a move with big repercussions for the gaming industry, manufacturing giant Scientific Games recently announced that its chief executive officer, Gavin Issacs, is being replaced by former Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Kevin Sheehan. This is a major transition
CEO Shuffle at Scientific Games – Vegas Seven Read More »
Two Way Hard ThreeIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I consider what I found on the G2E expo floor: It was clear that the big question asked last year at the expo—how to appeal to a new generation of gamblers—has not been fully answered, but we got several tantalizing glimpses of the future. Old-School Is New Again at
Old-School Is New Again at the Global Gaming Expo – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenMaryland’s first slots parlor has just opened. From the Philly Inquirer: Tim Wilmott, chief operating officer and president of Wyomissing, Pa.-based Penn National Gaming Inc., joined Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley in a ribbon-cutting for the $97.5 million casino, whose doors first opened to the public Monday after trial test days last weekend.O'Malley praised Penn National
Slots in MD offer more competition Read More »
news about gamblingI’ve been trying to answer the question, “Why are slot hold percentages generally increasing” and have come to the conclusion that player preference for high-hold, low-denom games is a major factor. Finishing up a paper on the question, I thought I’d share some raw data: Between 2000 and 2003, the Gaming Control Board didn’t list
Penny slots most profitable in 09 Read More »
news about gamblingThere’s a big piece in today’s USA Today about penny slots: The penny slot machine, once a joke among serious gamblers, is the hottest form of betting during this recession. Even casinos that cater to wealthy gamblers are replacing $1 machines with video slots that accept bets one cent at a time. “You can play
USA Today on penny slots Read More »
news about gamblingA story in the Las Vegas Sun on Friday gives me a jumping-off point for a somewhat-extended discussion of slot hold: Longtime gamblers have been saying it for months: If you want people to play in your casino during the recession, reduce the hold on your slot machines. A panel of marketing experts validated that
Lower your slot hold, get more players? Read More »
news about gamblingIf you don’t get your slot jones on in the airport and can’t wait to get to a casino, you will soon be in luck: the county commission has approved a proposal for slots at the unified car rental center, even though the bid seems a bit high. From the LVRJ: Anxious to get revenue
I think this story from KLAS really demonstrates what a global business gambling has become: Federal prosecutors have charged two men with conspiring to sell counterfeit video slot machines bearing the name of the Reno-based International Game Technology. The two men include a 43-year-old Cuban national accused of selling the slots in Latvia. Rodolfo Rodriguez
Global slot scheme Read More »
news about gambling…but I see a silver lining. In fact, you could argue that things are getting a whole lot better. It’s just a matter of perspective. Specifically, we’re talking about July’s Nevada gaming revenues being down. From the LV Sun: For the seventh straight month, casino winnings on the Strip slumped, falling 14.6 percent in July
Things are getting worse… Read More »
news about gamblingThere’s always an arms race of sorts going on between slot cheats and casino security. The cheats figure out a way to rip off the machine, the security folks learn how to detect and prevent it, so the cheats come up with a new scam. Ad infinitum. Now, surprise surprise, comes news that ticket-in/ticket-out machines–which
New slot scam, and a whacky estimate of casino theft Read More »
news about gamblingPennsylvania hasn’t had slots for long but already people are beginning to suspect that the state is dependent on the revenues the one-armed bandits bring in. From the Inquirer: Pennsylvania’s new casino industry established itself as a commanding presence in the great budget showdown, leading some to wonder: Is the state already hooked on slots?
PA hooked on slots? Read More »
gambling & cultureChannel 8 KLAS-TV has an exclusive look inside slot machines: Las Vegas has more than 207,500 slot machines. Anyone living here or visiting has seen the outside of them, but few people actually see the inside… until now. Reporter Edward Lawrence gives us an exclusive inside look at how slot machines are built and what
Inside slot machines Read More »
news about gamblingThe host of this clip, Arthur Thomas, emailed it to me, saying that his grandkids had persuaded him to upload it to YouTube so that he could “be a cool dude.” I think he succeeded: YouTube – 1978 BEARDEBEAR Music Cool Slot Machines Secret Video The music starts out very Mitchell-esque, then quiets down a
70s slots with music to match Read More »
gambling & cultureInstant racing’s been around since 2000, but it’s become a hot topic recently. With some states holding the line against slot machines, could these terminals allow tracks to become backdoor racinos? From the
Instant racing or slots in disguise? Read More »
news about gamblingThere are lots of things the media can get away with, but some things it can’t. You can’t impugn a strip steak if you’ve eaten a steak sandwich, for one. And you can’t claim that subliminal messages in slot machines affect player behavior. At least that what Konami hopes. Here’s the press release: An item
Sublibellous advertising Read More »
gambling & cultureEarlier this week, the CBC broke a disturbing story: three Konami video slots are briefly flashing winning combinations as players spin the virtual reels. Programming bug or subliminal ploy? You be the judge. From CBC: Ontario’s provincial gambling operator has pulled 87 video slot machines out of service or physically removed them from its casinos
Sgt. Fritter’s Lonely Jackpot Banned? Read More »
news about gamblingI first heard about this story when I got a call from a Philly-area journalist looking for background. Since then, it’s really exploded. Apparently, a reader board atop a quarter Wheel of Fortune machine told a slots player that he’d won $102,000. Then, according to the patron, a casino rep told him it was all
There was a good piece on the coming of slot casinos to Philadelphia in USA Today: Visitors come here to see just one bell — the Liberty Bell. Soon they’ll be looking for a row of them — on a slot machine. Pennsylvania’s 2-year-old state gaming board is to award licenses Wednesday for two slot
Spinning reels in Philly Read More »
news about gambling