Have casinos tightened their machines?

30 Mar 2009

By John Robison

Dear John,

Love your columns.

Is it me or does it seem that the casinos are tightening up their machines in this economy?

I am a medium roller and have had zero luck recently (past 7 or 8 months or so) in my weekly casino visits (which have now become bi-weekly and even monthly) and get an eerie feeling that the casinos have programmed their machines not to pay out as prodigiously as in years past due to the state of the present economy. My playing patterns have never changed and although I would take some losses before this recession, it was never as bad a streak as it's been currently. My regular $5-10 slot-mates at a particular Atlantic City casino seem to think so and have had the same (bad) luck as well.

Thanks for any insight you provide.

Slot Donator

Dear Donator,

Thanks for the kind words about my columns.

Lowering paybacks on machines to win more money seems like a self-defeating strategy for a casino. If it lowered the paybacks and players got the impression — or confirmation — that the paybacks were lowered, they might play less or elsewhere, thereby lowering the total action they give and the casino's win.

In addition, it takes millions of spins to reliably tell the difference between two machines with long-term paybacks that differ by only a couple of percentage points.

Random events are funny things. Sometimes they seem to be in sync. We've all seen banks of machines run hot and run cold. You and you friends are just having a run of bad luck.

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.

This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net.

Have casinos tightened their machines? is republished from CasinoCityTimes.com.

Language: English Location: Currency: > edit my preferences Home Online Slots Live Dealer Games Online Casinos Online Poker Online Bingo Games Lotteries Sports & Racebooks Fantasy Sports Forex Betting Exchanges Spread Betting Binary Options Exclusive Bonuses Weekly Newsletter Online Gaming News Payment Methods Gaming Software Gaming Site Owners Gaming Jurisdictions		Bonuses! New games! Gossip! And all the player news you can handle. Sign up NOW! View the current issue John Robison John Robison is an expert on slot machines and how to play them. John is a slot and video poker columnist and has written for many of gaming's leading publications. Hear John on "The Good Times Radio Gaming Show," broadcast from Memphis on KXIQ 1180AM Friday afternoons. You can listen to archives of the show online anytime. More about John Robison More articles by John Robison Books by John Robison: The Slot Expert's Guide to Playing Slots More books by John Robison
	Have casinos tightened their machines? 30 Mar 2009 By John Robison <a href='https://ad.casinocity.com/adclick.php?n=a21efcd1'><img src='https://ad.casinocity.com/adview.php?what=-site:vendors/width:250/RON&n=a21efcd1' border='0' alt='' /></a> Dear John, Love your columns. Is it me or does it seem that the casinos are tightening up their machines in this economy? I am a medium roller and have had zero luck recently (past 7 or 8 months or so) in my weekly casino visits (which have now become bi-weekly and even monthly) and get an eerie feeling that the casinos have programmed their machines not to pay out as prodigiously as in years past due to the state of the present economy. My playing patterns have never changed and although I would take some losses before this recession, it was never as bad a streak as it's been currently. My regular $5-10 slot-mates at a particular Atlantic City casino seem to think so and have had the same (bad) luck as well. Thanks for any insight you provide. Slot Donator Dear Donator, Thanks for the kind words about my columns. Lowering paybacks on machines to win more money seems like a self-defeating strategy for a casino. If it lowered the paybacks and players got the impression — or confirmation — that the paybacks were lowered, they might play less or elsewhere, thereby lowering the total action they give and the casino's win. In addition, it takes millions of spins to reliably tell the difference between two machines with long-term paybacks that differ by only a couple of percentage points. Random events are funny things. Sometimes they seem to be in sync. We've all seen banks of machines run hot and run cold. You and you friends are just having a run of bad luck. 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. This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net. Have casinos tightened their machines? is republished from CasinoCityTimes.com.