CASINO PLAYERS EZINE #90

#1

This is great news for slot players who want to know where their favorite slots are located.
If one of Harrah’s properties has the slot you want, it will be listed at harrahs.com.
To go directly: http://www.harrahs.com/casino-gambling/slots-finder/slot-finder-home.shtml.

The company recently launched what is probably the industry's first online slot machine locator.
The tool, called Slot Finder, allows customers to search by casino, slot machine name, denomination and type of machine, including mechanical, video reels and video poker.
These are the options you will find on the entry page:
STEP 1: Start Your Slot Search
Start your slot search with any of the four options below.
Search By Casino: Curious about slots at a specific casino?
Search By Denomination: From .01¢ to $500, what’s your lucky bet?
Search By Slot Name: Looking to play your favorite game?
Search By Slot Type: Need Video? Want to keep it reel?

Note: One drawback for some players is that only Harrah’s properties are listed, but this innovative idea could spread.

#2

Some observations from the Global Gaming Expo:
Note: I will be reviewing the newer slots from 8 manufacturers in early 2007.

a) New machines make slots a multiplayer game
Slot machine makers, keen to find a new selling point for a traditional game, are trying to increase the social aspect of slots by linking up machines so players can share payouts and the thrill of winning. The pace of U.S. slot machine sales has slowed in the past few years, after a period of strong growth when most casinos switched from older coin-based slots to machines that issue paper tickets.
The trend began last year with the latest edition of the popular Wheel of Fortune slot game from International Game Technology, which allows up to nine players to sit around a large spinning wheel and share in the winnings.
Read more...

b) Slot makers shy away from theme machines
Clint Eastwood, Pamela Anderson, Ann-Margaret and Drew Carey put in an appearance two years ago. Last year Morgan Fairchild, Gene Simmons of rock group Kiss and Don Cornelius of "Soul Train" fame showed up. This year's celebrities at the casino industry's largest trade show were two Playboy Playmates - turning heads not so much for their legacies as their looks. The declining star power at the annual Global Gaming Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center is a clear sign that the themed, pop culture-heavy slot machines of years past are giving way to a more thoughtful and reserved future where the gambling experience trumps eye candy…Machines with themes licensed from brands such as television shows, movies and celebrities sometimes drew more players than generic machines. But many of those themes weren't able to draw enough players to justify the higher cost of the machine, Bally Technologies Chief Executive Richard Haddrill said. "There wasn't a significant enough uplift in the games," he said. "In general, casinos are not prepared to pay more for these machines."
Read more...

#3

And now for a MS. update:
BILOXI - The Coast's decade-long record of expanding its market share with each new hotel casino resort should hold true for the future, according to Mississippi Gaming Commission Chairman Jerry St. Pé and casino executives.
Delays in the rebuilding of the Biloxi Bay and Bay of St. Louis bridges and the lack of affordable housing could hamper the industry's comeback, they said. Beverly Martin, executive director of the Mississippi Casino Operators Association, said 12,000 of the 16,000 casino workers employed before Katrina are going back to work and the Coast's gross gambling revenues are approaching $1 billion for the year.
She said the state's decision to allow casinos on shore allowed existing properties to reopen sooner, gave confidence to Wall Street investors, brought new casino developers into the market and made insurance available.

1-3

David Copperfield, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino

1

Supernova, Hard Rock Hotel Casino

5-7

Juice Newton, Suncoast Hotel and Casino

5-6

Jay Leno, Mirage Resort & Casino

6

Dennis Wise, Boulder Station Hotel and Casino

11-14

Tony Orlando, Orleans Hotel and Casino

11-14

Earth, Wind & Fire, Luxor Hotel and Casino

12-13

Jay Leno, Mirage Resort & Casino

12

Josh Blue, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino

12

Art Garfunkel, Las Vegas Hilton

13

Incubus, Hard Rock Hotel Casino

13

Johnny Gill, Boulder Station Hotel and Casino

19-20

Lindsey Buckingham, Luxor Hotel and Casino

19

Justin Timberlake, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino

19

Strunz & Farah, Boulder Station Hotel and Casino

20

Hal Ketchum, Cannery Hotel and Casino

20

BJ Thomas, Boulder Station Hotel and Casino

26

An Acoustic Duo Evening with Howard Jones, Boulder Station

26

Jodeci, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino

26-27

Go-Go's, Luxor Hotel and Casino

27

Kenny Rankin, Santa Fe Station Hotel and Casino

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.
easycasinogambling.com

And Now... A Word From the Players.
Imagine: Here was a chance for gamblers to sit down at a conference table with casino managers and slot machine manufacturers and unload a complaint or two. And so they did, 40 or so regular gamblers, giving their two cents' worth of advice.
They told executives at the Global Gaming Expo that they want better freebies, more engaging slot machines and fewer junk mailers.
The players were a respectful bunch but didn't pull any punches in sharing their pet peeves.
Vivian Barning of Las Vegas called casino managers to task for offering such low-end comps as free sodas and cheap trinkets. "When it costs you more in gasoline to get to the casino that what you get back (in freebies), I feel a little foolish," Barning said. "It leaves more of a negative impression than a positive one."
Casinos also are guilty of promoting "new" slot machines that have been on the floor for months.
"I'm looking for machines to change (themes) frequently," she said.
But if those promises are made but not upheld, the casino loses credibility, she said. "I will assume you're doing other things to pull the wool over players' eyes, and I won't trust you."
Her husband, Frank, complained about an Andre Agassi slot machine with the "same boring bonus round" appearing most of the time.
Another boring activity? Slot tournaments that they described as exhausting and mindless.
Other annoyances included piles of mailbox fliers for one-time offers rather than monthly "calendars," outdated Web sites and offers requiring gamblers to rush to the casino at a certain time to get bonus points on their gambling cards.
One gambler predicted that many players will be suspicious of new technology allowing bosses to effortlessly adjust payback percentages for certain players and machines.
Dick Doria, a gambler from Milwaukee who frequently flies to Las Vegas for video poker, said he would be willing to try the machines but wondered if casinos would use them to take advantage of players.
"It sounds like they're trying to get people to gamble as much as possible," Doria said. "That's not going to keep me coming back."
Other things such as service and bonus offers are more important, he said.
Read More...

Your Editor’s Word: While I agree with the above, I would add--lower room rates or better still comped rooms. More ‘instant jackpots’ versus 20 years. More than one bank of ‘guaranteed’ or ‘certified’ slots on the casino floor.
Additionally, within this bank of slots, all should be ‘as advertised’, not just one or two.
Every casino should have at least one bank of ‘full-pay’ Video Poker slots. Slots that have broken or ‘sticky’ buttons or otherwise ‘broken’ should be replaced.
If you send me a mailing and I reply to your survey, how about extra points or a gift of thank you—a small price to pay to run your business more to the satisfaction of your clients.

A big win every time I visit the casino—I know, I was on a roll and got carried away!
I guess I should save that one for when the others are fulfilled---2007 perhaps?

Got a rant or comments? Send us an email or post at yourcasinovoice.com.