logo
Weather page
GET THE APP
ePaper
google_play
app_store
  • Login
  • E-Edition
  • News
  • Sports
  • Obituaries
  • Opinion
  • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • All Listings
    • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Photo Gallery
  • Contests
  • Lifestyle/Entertainment
  • Games
    • News
      • Local News
      • PA State News
      • Nation/World
    • Sports
      • Local
      • College Sports
      • State
      • National
    • Obituaries
    • Opinion
      • News
        • Local News
        • PA State News
        • Nation/World
      • Sports
        • Local
        • College Sports
        • State
        • National
      • Obituaries
      • Opinion
    logo
    • Classifieds
      • Place an Ad
      • All Listings
      • Jobs
    • E-Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Login
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • All Listings
        • Jobs
      • E-Edition
      • Subscribe
      • Login
    Home Lifestyles As gamblers shun stingier slots, casinos shake things up
    As gamblers shun stingier slots, casinos shake things up
    Entertainment, Lifestyles
    September 28, 2015

    As gamblers shun stingier slots, casinos shake things up

    LAS VEGAS (AP) — Move aside one-armed bandits. The casino floor is making room for game zones with oversized popping dice, digital spinning Big Six wheels and virtual roulette, with an eye on adding arcade-style video games in the not-so-distant future.

    As gamblers appear to be shunning stingier slot machines that don’t offer as many payouts, game-makers and casinos are keen on coming up with the next big thing to keep people playing.

    The changing casino floor will be on display this week at the industry’s premier trade show, the Global Gaming Expo on the Las Vegas Strip, and in properties across Sin City in the coming months.

    Here’s what the casino industry has been facing and their plans:

    ___

    TIGHT SLOTS, LOST GAMBLERS

    Slot machines have long been suspected of keeping a tighter grip on the money gamblers feed into them.

    The proliferation of penny slots, in particular, with minimum and maximum bets that far exceed a single copper coin and carry with them inherently worse odds at getting one’s money back, has meant a gambler’s wager doesn’t last as long as it used to.

    Casinos across the country, with few exceptions, have been keeping more of what’s wagered on slots, according to research commissioned by the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers.

    But their bottom lines haven’t gotten an obvious boost. Revenue earned from slots has been on the decline for years. That’s because gamblers may be walking away from what they see as a raw deal, among other reasons, said Marcus Prater, executive director of the industry group.

    In Nevada, where the average payback on slot machines is 93.6 percent of every dollar wagered, machines must offer no less than a 75 percent average payback to the player. Most vary based on the minimum bets.

    Changing the hold — the amount the casino keeps — isn’t as easy as pressing a button. Prater said it requires alerting regulators and switching out a chip in the machine.

    Tom Jingoli, with slot-machine maker Konami and the association’s president, said he hopes the survey’s results spark conversations during the conferences between companies like his and casino operators, none of whom would comment on the survey except for the Downtown Grand near Fremont Street in Las Vegas.

    CEO Jim Simms called the reasons for falling slot revenue, including slot-hold, “nebulous” and touted the Downtown Grand’s increasing rewards for loyal slot players.

    Casinos devote most of their gambling floor to slot and video card-game machines, though the number in Nevada has dropped by nearly 15 percent since 2005, to 152,263 slot machines as of last year, according to Gaming Control Board statistics.

    The number of slot machines dropped 19 percent on the Las Vegas Strip.

    ___

    SHIFT TO SKILL

    Whether it was the recession, worse odds of winning or disinterested would-be younger gamblers, the industry has realized they need to appeal to players wanting a challenge based on skill.

    This month, Nevada regulators approved rules allowing for a player’s skill to play a role in winning, whether in part or in whole, which could lead to casinos looking a lot more like an arcade.

    Casinos such as MGM Grand have already redesigned parts of their floors to accommodate elaborate electronic versions of dealer-less table games, including craps, roulette and stadium-style seating for baccarat.

    Justin Andrews, the casino’s vice president of slots, said they have crunched the numbers and players on those machines are 11 years younger on average than players on the rest of the casino floor.

    “Millennials are more attracted to the electronic table games than the traditional slots,” he said.

    Casinos aren’t abandoning their most reliable and loyal gamblers who still prefer traditional slots, which often come decorated with the brands of popular movies and television shows. At the Global Gaming Expo, manufacturer IGT plans to debut TMZ, “House of Cards” and “Breaking Bad” licensed slots.

    Slot revenue still accounts for 61 percent of the $11 billion Nevada casinos earned from gambling in 2014. But casinos and game-makers are hoping to broaden their reach with an eye on the future.

    ___

    ‘GAMBLIFIED’ GAMES

    The Downtown Grand is redesigning its casino floor with plans to add skill-based games akin to an arcade at its entrance sandwiched between two bars as early as January.

    Nearby screens would broadcast live sports as well as footage of e-sports in which spectators watch video-game players compete for cash. The hotel hopes to eventually host its own e-sports tournaments, the “icing on the cake” for their casino floor, said Seth Schorr, chairman of Fifth Street Gaming that operates the casino at the Downtown Grand.

    Schorr also sits on the board of GameCo, a young company developing video game gambling machines for casino floors that will reward players who show some skill when playing first-person shooting or racing games, for example, with math behind the scenes not unlike video blackjack or poker.

    “They’ve ‘gamblified’ them,” Schorr said.

    Blaine Graboyes, co-founder and CEO of GameCo, said younger players aren’t interested in a “passive chance-based” game.

    “This is really the opportunity for casinos to reinvigorate slots,” he said.

    Tags:

    arts and entertainment business consumer products and services games general news industries lifestyle recreation and leisure technology
    KIMBERLY PIERCEALL

    The Bradford Era

    Local & Social
    Latest news for you
    Derby winners
    Local News
    Derby winners
    June 16, 2025
    Bradford Community Pride Lions Club announced the winners of its fifth annual Kids Fishing Derby held Saturday at Marilla Reservoir.  Winners included...
    Read More...
    {"to-print":"To print", "bradfordera-website":"Website"}
    Runyan Scholarship winners announced
    Local News
    Runyan Scholarship winners announced
    June 16, 2025
    VFW Post 212 and Frances Sherman VFW Auxiliary announced its 2025 Reba Y. Maben & William “Mr. Bill” Runyan Scholarship winners are Evan D. Confer and...
    Read More...
    Suicide prevention training aimed at saving lives
    Local News
    Suicide prevention training aimed at saving lives
    Suicide prevention training aimed at saving lives
    Continuing education credits available 
    June 16, 2025
    EMPORIUM —A Penn State Extension in-person workshop will provide evidence-based training aimed at saving lives and reducing suicidal behaviors. The wo...
    Read More...
    Pennsylvania senators introduce bipartisan bill to move DOE office to Pittsburgh
    Business, Nation & World, PA State News
    Pennsylvania senators introduce bipartisan bill to move DOE office to Pittsburgh
    June 16, 2025
    WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania Sens. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., and John Fetterman, D-Pa., introduced S. 2044, which would move the Department of Energy’s Offi...
    Read More...
    Trump to attend McCormick’s inaugural Pennsylvania Energy, Innovation Summit
    Business, Local News, Nation & World, ...
    Trump to attend McCormick’s inaugural Pennsylvania Energy, Innovation Summit
    June 16, 2025
    WASHINGTON — President Donald J. Trump will attend Sen. Dave McCormick’s inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon Univer...
    Read More...
    Bill modernizing CPA licensure would address growing workforce shortage
    Crime, PA State News
    Bill modernizing CPA licensure would address growing workforce shortage
    June 16, 2025
    HARRISBURG – Sen. Scott Hutchinson,R-21, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and prime sponsor of Senate Bill 719, announced the successful passa...
    Read More...
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    This Week's Ads
    Current e-Edition
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Already a subscriber? Click the image to view the latest e-edition.
    Don't have a subscription? Click here to see our subscription options.
    Mobile App

    Download Now

    The Bradford Era mobile app brings you the latest local breaking news, updates, and more. Read the Bradford Era on your mobile device just as it appears in print.

    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Trending Recipes

    Help Our Community

    Please help local businesses by taking an online survey to help us navigate through these unprecedented times. None of the responses will be shared or used for any other purpose except to better serve our community. The survey is at: www.pulsepoll.com $1,000 is being awarded. Everyone completing the survey will be able to enter a contest to Win as our way of saying, "Thank You" for your time. Thank You!

    Get in touch with The Bradford Era
    Submit Content
    • Submit News
    • Letter to the Editor
    • Place Wedding Announcement
      • Submit News
      • Letter to the Editor
      • Place Wedding Announcement
    Advertise
    • Place Birth Announcement
    • Place Anniversary Announcement
    • Place Obituary Call (814) 368-3173
      • Place Birth Announcement
      • Place Anniversary Announcement
      • Place Obituary Call (814) 368-3173
    Subscribe
    • Start a Subscription
    • e-Edition
    • Contact Us
      • Start a Subscription
      • e-Edition
      • Contact Us
    CMG | Community Media Group
    Illinois
    • Hancock Journal-Pilot
    • Iroquois Times-Republic
    • Journal-Republican
    • The News-Gazette
      • Hancock Journal-Pilot
      • Iroquois Times-Republic
      • Journal-Republican
      • The News-Gazette
    Indiana
    • Fountain Co. Neighbor
    • Herald Journal
    • KV Post News
    • Newton Co. Enterprise
    • Rensselaer Republican
    • Review-Republican
      • Fountain Co. Neighbor
      • Herald Journal
      • KV Post News
      • Newton Co. Enterprise
      • Rensselaer Republican
      • Review-Republican
    Iowa
    • Atlantic News Telegraph
    • Audubon Advocate-Journal
    • Barr’s Post Card News
    • Burlington Hawk Eye
    • Collector’s Journal
    • Fayette County Union
    • Ft. Madison Daily Democrat
    • Independence Bulletin-Journal
    • Keokuk Daily Gate City
    • Oelwein Daily Register
    • Vinton Newspapers
    • Waverly Newspapers
      • Atlantic News Telegraph
      • Audubon Advocate-Journal
      • Barr’s Post Card News
      • Burlington Hawk Eye
      • Collector’s Journal
      • Fayette County Union
      • Ft. Madison Daily Democrat
      • Independence Bulletin-Journal
      • Keokuk Daily Gate City
      • Oelwein Daily Register
      • Vinton Newspapers
      • Waverly Newspapers
    Michigan
    • Iosco County News-Herald
    • Ludington Daily News
    • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
    • Oscoda Press
    • White Lake Beacon
      • Iosco County News-Herald
      • Ludington Daily News
      • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
      • Oscoda Press
      • White Lake Beacon
    New York
    • Finger Lakes Times
    • Olean Times Herald
    • Salamanca Press
      • Finger Lakes Times
      • Olean Times Herald
      • Salamanca Press
    Pennsylvania
    • Bradford Era
    • Clearfield Progress
    • Courier Express
    • Free Press Courier
    • Jeffersonian Democrat
    • Leader Vindicator
    • Potter Leader-Enterprise
    • The Wellsboro Gazette
      • Bradford Era
      • Clearfield Progress
      • Courier Express
      • Free Press Courier
      • Jeffersonian Democrat
      • Leader Vindicator
      • Potter Leader-Enterprise
      • The Wellsboro Gazette
    © Copyright The Bradford Era 43 Main St, Bradford, PA  | Terms of Use  | Privacy Policy
    Powered by TECNAVIA