Gaming Guru

Will Casinos Loosen Machines to Entice People to Play?

Hi John,

I'll make this short and to the point. More then ever I have received numerous invites at unbelievable rates for hotel rooms in Vegas. One friend commented to me that due to the US economy people are not spending as much at the casinos.

My question is: Can and would the casinos loosen the slot machines to entice you to play and spend your money?

I'm going to Vegas in September and was wondering if the slots might be paying a little more.

Thanks,
Alixe

Dear Alixe,

The problem with raising the long-term paybacks on machines to get people to play is that players don't really experience long-term payback. It would take tracking the results after millions of spins for a player to be able to reliably tell the difference between a 95% payback machine and a 97% payback machine. The casino could go through the expense of replacing the payback chips in its machines and players would not consistently know they are getting a better deal. Some players will lose and they won't be convinced that the paybacks have been improved.

It's much easier for casinos to offer better room deals and extra comps and benefits for playing. In addition, it's a better deal that players know they are getting.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
John

Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert, at slotexpert@comcast.net. Because of the volume of mail I receive, I regret that I can't reply to every question.