Why are slot machines the most
popular games in casinos
today? Lots of reasons.
They’re easy to play, with no
complicated strategies to
learn. You don’t have to worry
about a dealer who’s in a bad
mood or a player who might
hassle you over strategy
mistakes. Most important is
the chance at a big jackpot.
Three quarters or a couple of
dollars give you a chance at
enough money to change your
life.
Why are VIDEO slot machines
the fastest-growing segment of
the casino market, grabbing
bigger and bigger shares of
slot play every day? The easy
reasons are that video slots
have a higher hit frequency,
there are more winning spins
than on reel-spinners, and
they give the player more time
on device, a longer run for
the money. And they’re built
for entertainment, with
animated bonus rounds designed
for fun.
Is there more to it than that?
That’s something Midwest
Gaming & Travel wanted to put
to players. In a casual survey
conducted in casinos in
Illinois, Indiana and
Wisconsin, we asked folks who
were playing video slots why
they liked to take their
chances on a video screen
rather than on spinning reels,
and if there were any games
they found particularly
appealing.
Betty H., Illinois. — Why
video slots: “You just seem to
win more often on video. I
don’t have a lot of money, I
usually only bring $50 or $60
when I play, and I like to buy
my lunch out of that.
Sometimes I get a comp, and my
friend sometimes gets 2-for-1
coupons, and we just split the
cost. That makes lunch cheap.
Still, I’m often playing with
only about $40 or so. When I
was playing three-reel slots,
that usually wouldn’t keep me
going for the day. I would get
down to my last $10 and I’d
switch to quarter video poker,
one coin at a time, to stretch
my time until my friend was
ready to leave.
“Now with video slots, I don’t
have to do all that. You get
something back more often than
you do on the three-reel
games. You don’t go through
those streaks where you don’t
hit anything for a whole $20
bill. And it can be pretty
cheap. I like the 9-line
nickel games. I bet a nickel
on each line. You can make
your money go pretty far that
way. Sometimes I’ll drop to
pennies. Even with 20 lines,
I’m only betting 20 cents at a
time. And once in a while I’ll
hit a good bonus, and I’ll
have a good time for the day,
and even win a little money. I
don’t play anything but the
video slots anymore.”
Favorite game: “Reel’Em In.
You know, the one they call
‘classic’ now. I seem to get
to go fishing pretty often.
You choose the fisherman, and
he brings in the fish for your
bonus. If you get a big fish,
you get a pretty big bonus,
and that keeps you going for a
while. I used to like the one
with two screens, you know,
one on top, one on the bottom
(Reel’Em In Cast for Cash).
The fishermen and the boats
would be on top, and you’d see
the fish swimming on the
bottom. I caught the Elvis
fish once on that one. That
was great!”
Tom D., Wisconsin — Why video
slots: “They’re just fun. A
lot of the video slots are
games I’d like to play on my
computer, even without
gambling on them. I think I
only played three-reel slots
once or twice. Honestly, they
bored me. My wife likes them.
She says you can win bigger
jackpots on the reel games,
and she’s been pretty lucky.
She hit a $10,000 jackpot
once, and hit a progressive
for a little over $2,000
another time. Me, I just play
for fun, and for me, watching
reels spin around isn’t fun. I
get a lot more enjoyment out
of playing the bonus rounds on
the video slots.”
Favorite game: “Well, my
all-time favorite was
Battleship, but you don’t
really see that around
anymore. I loved trying out
strategies on that, trying to
pinpoint where the ships are.
Out of the newer games, the
one I really love is Lucky
Lemmings. There are so many
different ways the bonuses can
go on that, you never know
what you’re getting. Those
lemmings dive off the cliff
and bounce all around. They’ll
dive into caves or go diving
in the water or go off into
outer space. It’s like
watching a cartoon, only
they’re paying you to watch.
My wife says I should be past
the cartoon-watching age, but
I love it.”
Cindy G., Indiana. — Why video
slots: “I didn’t used to like
the video slots, because it
didn’t seem like you could win
anything on them. You’d be
playing and playing, waiting
to go to the bonus round, and
when you got there, you’d win
85 nickels. Oh, boy. Now
they’re making more games
where it feels like you can
get bigger wins. The important
thing I noticed is to look for
the kind of bonus they have.
If it’s the kind where you get
a second screen and just pick
something, those bonuses
aren’t going to be very big.
The ones that give you free
spins, those are the ones
where you really can win
something. Especially the ones
where your free spins can win
more free spins.
“I remember the first time I
played a game with free spins.
It was a mistake. My boyfriend
and I were trying different
games, and I heard the Beach
Boys singing. I always liked
them, so I sat down to play a
game called Catch A Wave. I
don’t even remember what I
got, but suddenly the song
started playing and the reels
went crazy, spinning and
spinning. I won over a
thousand nickels, and I didn’t
even know what I had done.”
Favorite game: “I don’t have
just one. Fifty Lions is one I
really like. I like Mr.
Cashman too, and I like the
Reel Power games. They all
make me feel like I have a
chance to win something pretty
good, without having to bet
real big.
“One I just started playing
that I like a lot is called
Zeus. I don’t know if you’ve
seen it, but it’s a Greek
gods-type theme, and the open
hand of Zeus can give you
bonus spins. The first time I
ever played it, I got the hand
of Zeus on all five reels, and
got a hundred free spins. A
hundred spins! Later on, I got
10 free spins, and got 10 more
during the free ones. A bonus
like that will make me like a
game in a hurry.”
Debbie F., Indiana. — Why
video slots: “I just like all
the crazy themes. All the
movies, and the old television
shows, and some new television
shows, too. Wheel of Fortune,
of course, but Alien and Men
In Black and Twilight Zone and
the Beverly Hillbillies and
Star Wars. I guess you can
have those themes on the
three-reel games, too, but
it’s not the same. Being able
to see scenes from the movies
when you play Star Wars, that
makes it fun.”
Favorite game: “That changes
all the time. Right now it’s
Deal or No Deal. I like the TV
show, and the bonus on the
slot machine plays just like
it. I try to make better
decisions than the people I
see on TV. Most of them just
don’t know when to quit!
Crazy.
“I like the board games on the
slots, too. I’ve always liked
the Monopoly games. The best
ones are when they let you
roll the dice to go around the
game board, like they did on
the first ones. They got away
from that with some of the
later ones, and I didn’t think
they were as much fun. That’s
why I like the new one
(Monopoly Big Event) where
everybody wins together. You
go to the big bonus together,
and you go to the game board,
and you’re all hoping to land
on the big properties. That’s
exciting. In fact, I think
I’ve changed my mind already.
That might be my favorite game
now. Although I really like
Deal or No Deal.”
Jerry C., Wisconsin. — Why
video slots: “You know what’s
important to me? You get a
chance to play and win while
you’re not betting. It’s all
in the bonus rounds. The
longer you can make those
bonus rounds last, the more
money you can win, and the
longer you can go without
making another bet. It’s
really a best of both worlds
kind of thing. I really like
it when there’s different
levels to the bonuses. Then
you can really make it last.
There’s an older game that I
love called Cash Crop. It’s a
simple bonus, where you’re
just picking things. There’s
no real skill or strategy, but
you can make it last and last
if you’re lucky. The farmer in
the animation plants his crop
and it grows, and if you pick
the right plants without
finding the hungry gopher, you
get another crop. After that
you can get another crop and
another. You can go five
minutes without making a bet.”
Favorite game: “Any of them
where I can get different
levels of bonus. The other day
I was playing the Men in Black
game, the Galactic Payback
one. I got the bonus round
where you have to find the
disguised alien, and when he
took off his disguise, instead
of just giving me credits, it
took me to another bonus
round. It was a whole
different round, where you’re
picking globes to move a
spaceship up or down, not on
the screen, but up top. That
was really cool, and it kept
me going for a good long run.
“But you know, even though the
bonuses with different levels
are my favorites, I like some
of the old ones with a single
level, if at least it gives
you a chance to play for a
while and keep it interesting.
Fortune Cookie is one of
those, where you choose all
those Chinese dishes off a
menu, then collect a bonus on
each. It can’t take you to
another level, but it gives
you a lot of choices to make,
so I feel like I’m getting
some value and fun.”
Marcia R., Illinois. — Why
video slots: “You know what’s
really cool? The new ones
where you can play together
and win together. That’s
something I always thought was
missing from the slots. I
really started going to
casinos because of my husband.
He loved to play craps, and we
could have a day out together.
I tried playing the three-reel
slots, and some of the first
video slots, but I got bored
just playing all alone. The
guys at the craps table seemed
like they were having so much
fun playing together. My
husband tried to teach me
craps, but I never really got
the hang of it. The others
would be cheering when they
did something good, and I’d
just be standing there looking
confused.
“I tried other games, too. I
played a little blackjack, but
it seemed like there was
always someone who would yell
at me if he didn’t like the
way I played. I played
Caribbean Stud, and it was
nice sitting with other
people, and it was nice having
a jackpot to shoot for, but I
guess I was really just meant
to play slots. Finally, in the
last year, the games started
coming out that are just right
for me: Monopoly Big Event,
Wheel of Fortune Super Spin.
The games where you can play
your own game, but still win
together with the other
players. I hear there are more
games like that coming. I
can’t wait.”
Favorite game: “It’s Monopoly
Big Event, no question. That,
to me, is the game that gives
me the experience that’s most
like the one my husband has at
craps. Everybody’s cheering
for the same thing, just like
the craps players are cheering
together. When you finally go
to the big bonus, everybody’s
grinning at each other and
you’ll see fist pumps and high
fives. Somebody winning alone
at a slot machine might win as
much money, but won’t have
anywhere near as much fun as
when you’re sharing it with a
whole bunch of people, all
hoping for the same thing.
“I like Wheel of Fortune Super
Spin, too, but it’s a
different kind of thing. You
have that big wheel in the
middle with nine people
sitting around it. It’s the
same wheel for everybody, but
you’re always winning
together. You have to get the
bonus on your own machine to
go to the wheel spin. If there
are different players waiting
for the bonus at the same
time, they can be on the same
spin, but even then, they win
different bonuses. Every
player has their own arrow for
the wheel, so I’m hoping the
wheel stops with the big
amount on my arrow, and you’re
happy with whatever amount you
get on your wheel.
“Still, with all those people
around one wheel, it’s
spinning a lot, so at least
you get to watch that and
cheer for the others. They
have big seats around that
game, too. When my husband
takes break from slots, he can
squeeze in with me. That’s a
nice social experience!”
Mike B., Indiana. — Why video
slots: “Just for a change of
pace, really. Most of the time
when I’m playing in a casino,
I’m either playing video poker
or blackjack. I like the games
where my decisions count. I
practice both on the computer,
and I know my strategies. I do
pretty well, but every now and
then my brain needs a break.
I’ll take a walk and clear my
brain, and play a little on
the video slots. Maybe I’ll
put $10 in a penny game, or
$20 in a nickel game. I never
spend much, I leave the bigger
money for blackjack and video
poker. But the video slots are
fun, and they’re an
entertaining, relaxing little
break while I’m getting ready
to switch my mind back on.”
Favorite game: “I don’t know,
really, I kind of pick them
out randomly since I don’t
really know much about them.
If it looks like the bonus
would be fun, I give it a try.
I guess there’s one I play
more than others. It’s called
Jackpot Party. If I don’t do
so well picking out the boxes
for bonuses, at least I can
sway to the Village People
while I’m playing it.”
Conclusion: Higher hit
frequency. Extended playing
time. The fun factor. Time
spent on bonus rounds without
making extra bets. As a social
event. Or just to take a
break. For any number of
reasons, the video slots keep
reeling ‘em in.
— John Grochowski is the
author of The Casino Answer
Book, The Slot Machine Answer
Book, The Video Poker Answer
Book and the Craps Answer
Book, available through Bonus
Books, Inc. at (800) 225-3775.
