CASINO PLAYERS EZINE #82

#1

Gayle: In response to the (3) loyal readers about Vegas, all the casinos since they were sold to Harrah's, MGM Mirage & Boyd Gaming, slot machines are all tight at all their properties.
They have to pay all the high CEO'S salary & property acquisitions. I recently got back from Reno & Laughlin; Harrah's was very tight & stingy.
As for the reader buying gaming stocks, I would suggest he purchase Boyd Gaming (BYD), with the imploding of the Stardust & purchase of all Coast properties it has a great future.
Also IGT Technology (IGT) slot manufacturing, it has a monopoly of all casinos in the World (Macau, China, etc).
I bought Wynn Resorts a few years ago at $13.50 a share, its now around $71.
Slots are tight all over, Indian Casinos too. That’s why they call it GAMING & not WINNING!
Regards from another avid, loyal subscriber. Larry C.

Larry: thanks for the Gaming Tips. Gayle.

#2

Readers: in reply to the ongoing RNG debate, I post this information:
RNG - Random Number Generator: A computer program consisting of numbers created by the manufacturer related to a reel result that is then duplicated. Higher payouts are assigned fewer numbers, while lower payouts assigned more numbers. The RNG then sequences through a series of numbers determining a result when the player triggers the spin button or slot handle.
This program is also designed to determine the slot’s average payout %.
The slots payout % is reported as returns over a long period while the RNG picks numbers in a short period.
Therefore, no slot machine will payout its preset payoff percentage rate every time as the final outcome of every spin is randomly selected.

#3

Thanks once again, to readers who provide my ‘funny for the day’ like Rich:

Gayle: Mel won some money playing our 'funny slots' at the Seminole Casino. I go there often and have hit for a few grand every now and then. $3600 just last month. In Florida, we cannot have gaming where one plays against the house, only against one another. Our slots are 'Mystery Bingo' slots. We are actually playing bingo with the card at the top of the screen.
If you get a bingo, you win a prize, but frequently it is less than your bet. The reels' display is 'for amusement' only. I'm amused! My biggest pay was $4200 on a 25 cent 5 line machine betting 5 per line. I hope this clarifies his mystery. Love your mag. Rich.

Do you have a funny Casino Winner Story? Go ahead and post it at: yourcasinovoice.com to win a prize.

1

The Doobie Brothers - Mandalay Bay Beach.

1

Down Home Blues Festival - The Orleans.

1-2

David Spade - The Mirage.

1-3

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill - Mandalay Bay.

2

Mary J. Blige - MGM Grand.

2

Joe Cocker - Red Rock Station.

4

Annual Muscular Dystrophy Telethon with Jerry Lewis returns to Las Vegas - South Coast.

7-9

Cirque Du Soleil's "Delirium"- MGM Grand.

8-9

Dana Carvey - The Mirage.

15

Jon Secada - Las Vegas Hilton.

16

The Guess Who - Cannery.

16-17

Rich Little - Suncoast.

21-23

The Temptations and The Four Tops - Stradust.

21-25

Dennis Miller - MGM Grand.

22

Godsmack and Rob Zombie - Hard Rock.

23

Ronnie Milsap - Cannery.

23

Toby Keith - Mandalay Bay Events Center.

30

Seal- Lake Las Vegas.

30

Mariah Carey - MGM Grand.

Joyland Casino

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As reported by the Gaming Commissions.
Slot players know that payout %'s and top casino payout rankings can change monthly.
Note: Not all land-based casinos/regions are required to report payouts.

This link will provide current reporting for Slots Payouts.
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Downloadable slots are the subject of the Rant this month. We begin with a reader’s email followed by the original article and my Editor’s Rant from Issue #72 that sparked the reader’s response. Rick from Iowa also weighs in with an additional article posted at yourcasinovoice.com.

Gayle: I need to RANT. On the subject of the New Downloadable Slots, OMG, does any one really think that the Casinos won't be taking 100% advantage?
Scenario... I am a loyal player at X Casino, spend lots of money, win or lose...and am well know by the management...Would it be to the Casinos advantage to keep me in there Casino?
So I put in my players card and well what do you know I'm having a rather good day.
Now Mr. X comes along, no slot card or just a minimal player...Hmm who is going to have the better payout?
Does Mr. X have a fair chance, meaning, with the so-called RNG, he should have the chance that the "RNG" number just might come up, right? But now we have behind the scenes operators making the decisions on who will win who will not and when.
My guess is Player #1 will be the "Lucky-One". Maybe I am being a bit suspicious and I am a loyal player and do spend my share win or lose, but I am surely not their Whale or the Whale's wife lol...
Now they make the decision weather they let me have a good day or not so good.
Gayle, I am not liking this whole concept. We have all seen the percentages go down in the last few years, that is bad enough, and I play enough to have felt it in the pocket book.
I still win occasionally and I do enjoy the Casinos and they treat me very well as far as Comps galore, but I sure the heck don't want to play wondering who is making the judgments, flipping a switch to determine the outcome of my play!
The whole meaning of gambling is out the window. In my opinion that’s, "gambling" on whether you will be in the right place at the right time. Am I not correct or have I missed something?
Thanks for the link and for listening. J. Taylor

J. Taylor: You are right, this is not good news. Below is the article from Gaming Today and the Editor’s Rant from Issue #72.

Server slots hit Vegas IGT begins field trial at Treasure Island.
IGT unveiled its server-based gaming (downloadable slots) systems at last fall’s Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.
02/28/2006 - by Ron Fortune
The long-awaited rollout of downloadable slot systems appears just months away as IGT has undertaken a field trial of server-based slots at Treasure Island in Las Vegas.
Only 20 machines have been installed at TI, and customers can’t really tell the difference between them and conventional slots.
But the casino operators are able to change the theme, denomination and payout of the games from a remote location, and they are experimenting with ideas of how to best utilize this flexibility. The issue of changing payback percentages ‘on the fly’ has been a touchy one: consumer advocates question the ethics of being able to change a machine’s payout while being played by a customer. But under terms of the trial, the server-based slot machine must be idle for at least four minutes before the casino can change anything, including the theme and payback table. Moreover, the slot would have to be idle for another four minutes before the casino could flip it back on with a new theme.
Overall, IGT expects it could have as many as 500-600 downloadable slot machines operating by the end of the fiscal year.
Casino operators, while generally optimistic about the advent of downloadable slots or server-based gaming, said they were "skeptical" about system costs, actual customer benefits and how manufacturers’ systems would coordinate with other slots.
Downloadable slots, unlike traditional slot machines, use generic "terminals" that look like slot cabinets, but contain no game computers, EPROM chips or random number generators (RNG's).
Instead, slot games are downloaded into the terminals from a central server system. The technology allows the casino operator to choose from a library of hundreds of games, as well as a multitude of denominations and payback percentages. To read entire article, click here.

From the Editor:
Subscribers will remember the 4 part articles I published about the newer Slots for 2006 and beyond. You will also recall my wild enthusiasm for the innovative downloadable slots trend coming our way.
I wrote:
"One of the most exciting innovations, in my opinion, is downloadable technology.
This concept involves a central server that permits a casino to download various slot machine games from an equipment provider and reconfigure game content quickly.
The current download offerings of individual slot makers are reported in this series.
It does wear my patience, however, as it is not expected to arrive before 2007."

According to this article, 2007 is already here and I must admit my opinion has taken a downward dive to what may be a not-so-great trend.
Yikes, casino management can change payouts! I can't count the number of times that I have received the question, "Don't the casinos 'flip a switch' to change payouts?"
"Not without a lot of trouble, involving the slot mfg. and possibly gaming commission. They are also placing their gaming license in jeopardy if they don't comply with regulated procedures before the change" was a constant reply, but now they appear to have the approval because of new technology.
I question this '4 minute idle before change'. Who's going to enforce this?
The gaming commissions don't have the staff--oh wait, let me guess, we should rely on casino management to abide by this rule…hmmm.
The article continues that there could be up to 600 by the end of this year, so perhaps you are thinking that even though these slots look the same as ones with an RNG that there won't be a lot around, so I can still play the 'other' slots.
May I remind you that when TITO, Ticket In, Ticket Out appeared in 'a small number of casinos' we were told that if the players didn't like it--well the casinos would listen?
Fast forward to a 90% TITO world, my fellow slot players.
I encourage readers to read the entire article because there is mention of some benefits to players and this is an innovative trend in the slot world, however this slot player will reserve judgment on what is now 'mild' enthusiasm for this trend.

Lastly, Rick from Iowa has posted this article at yourcasinovoice.com.

Quick-Change Slots No Longer Just a Myth by John Grochowski.
An excerpt:
“In most jurisdictions with state-regulated gambling, the machine has to be opened in the presence of a gaming board agent, evidence tape broken, the old game chip taken out, a new chip put in, resealed in evidence tape, machine closed, paperwork done. Try doing that with a slot floor of 1,000 machines as on moderate-sized riverboats, or one of 3,000, even 5,000 machines in large mega resorts. That’s much too big a project --- and a highly visible one, at that --- for any day-to-night change. At least, it hasn’t been that easy until now. Last fall I looked over downloadable and server-based slot machines that were shown by nearly every major manufacturer at the annual Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. No one was certain how fast regulators would move in approving server-based games, but they were no doubt the wave of the future. With server-based systems, casino operators could change a game theme, change the denomination, change the payback percentage --- all in seconds.”

I thank Rick for the posting and invite other posters to add their comments/rants.

2) Another reason to visit our forums is this question.
Q. Has the rating for your favorite casino destination, re: service, comps and pricing changed?
To continue this Rant, go to
yourcasinovoice.com.

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