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is easy to see why casinos like slot machines
so much. The slot machines take up very little
floor space, break time is only when they do breakdown
and that is rare for a machine. The breakdowns
are handled quickly by a slots techician, usually
just a simple computer board change is involved
and the faulty machine is back in business. There
is no way that casino management could have ever
predicted the popularity of the slot machine today.
All management has done is provide the gamblers
with what they want, and believe it or not, slot
machines are now one of the most popular of all
casino games.
In
this day and age, it would not be fair to refer
to slot machines as "one armed bandits".
We all know, most machines do have that big old
handle that earned it it's name but, if all you
want to do is push buttons, you don't need that
handle at all. Sit down, get comfortable, it is
up to you, if you want to feed the machine at
the beginning of each spin of the wheels or you
can simply insert the bill of your choice and
select "bet max".
The
interesting question is, we know casino management
could not have made these machines as popular
as they are. What is it about slot machines that
grab and hold the gamblers attention for such
a long period of time? This time period I am referring
to started in the mid 1900's and continues to
grow to this day.
Do
many people consider gambling to be entertainment?
Entertainment, for most of us, is something that
does not require alot of "brain work".
After a long day, we feel the brain deserves a
rest and our forms of entertainment usually include
this. The slot machine enters the picture and
for many, this must be what they were looking
for.
Slots
do offer the opportunity for a big payout. This
may be one of the factors that has lead to the
huge popularity of these machines. Some of the
jackpots on the progressive machines exceed 10
million dollars. I do play the lotteries when
the pots get big and a slot machine gives me a
way of playing for a huge pot just by taking one
more spin of the wheels. The size of the progressive
is one of the major factors that has assisted
the rising use of slot machines by gamblers.
The
ringing of the bells may have helped the continued
rise in popularity. Maybe it is the graphics on
the wheels and could be the lights. There is also
the possibility that the names of the machines
are what draw the gamblers to sit down and play.
I think it is fair to say, that it is not just
one factor that has led to what the slot machine
is today, it is a combination of all of the above
and more.
Sit
down, relax and don't gamble with more money than
you can afford to lose.
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