Coinless Slot Machines

by Guide Bill Burton

As a youth when I pestered my mother about the same subject she would lookat me and tell me that I sounded like a broken record. If you told that toa kid today they would give you a funny look and ask what a record was. Ina few years the same may be said for Slot Machines.

The term slot machine will soon be as archaic as the record. The industryrefers to the new slot machines as an Electronic Gaming Device (EGD) or aVideo Gaming Device (VGD). All new machines are equipped with a bill receptorto accept paper money. The next wave of technology will feature a coinlesssystem that pays out in vouchers instead of coins

I just returned from the WorldGaming Expo and most of the newer machines I saw had the option to goto a voucher pay out instead of coins. The latest advance in machine technologyis the multi-denomination machine, which can take two or three differentdenominations of coin. It is not practical for a machine to have two or threehoppers to handle each different coin. The casinos are also starting to favorthe coinless technology for single denomination machines.

More casinos are starting to place these machines on the floor. The newin Las Vegas opened with about 90 percent of their machines using thevoucher system. I started to notice more of them around town during my lasttrip to Las Vegas. The casinos are in favor of the coinless system for severalreasons. Besides being able to offer the multi-denomination machines, thecasinos will also be able to cut labor cost.

If there were no coins involved, the casinos would be able to cut out thechange people. They would not need the army of employees who empty the machineseach night after most of us have crept to bed. There would be no need forthe hard count room where all the coins must be sorted and counted. Theyalso would be able to cut back on the number of slot attendants whose primaryfunction is taking care of hopper fills and coin jams.

How many times have you had to wait for a hopper fill when you were cashingout? This is aggravating to the player but is also costly to the casino becausethat machine is out of service while you are waiting for the fill. An idlemachine does not generate any revenue for the house.

I played a multi-denomination machine at that paid in vouchers. It was my first experience with themand I do have mixed emotions about the voucher system. My main complaintis the inconvenience when switching machines. If you want to switch machinesyou have to take your voucher over to the cashier and convert it back tomoney to put in the next machine. This issue is being addressed and you willsoon be able to place a voucher from one machine directly into another. Thecasinos also favor the coinless system because it gets you the player torisk more money.

When you hand feed coins into a machine you are playing slower. This meansyou are risking less money against the house edge. When you put a bill inyou just start playing credits which can be played at a very fast rate. Theother psychological factor is to get you to play off your money if you onlyhave a dollar or two left in credits. When you cash out coins you can slipthem in your pocket and walk away. If you are paid with a voucher you musttake it to the cage and convert it back to money. You will be more inclinedto play off the credits instead of cashing them out.

How do you feel about a coinless system for slot machines? Join thediscussion and vote in the poll.

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Until next time, remember:
Luck comes and goes...Knowledge stays forever.

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