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Casino slots are without a doubt gambling's most consistent
money-maker. No other gambling device has produced such
profits with little effort on the part of the gambler. Thirty
years ago the machines shoed a combined gross payout of
about $300 million, compared to about $430 million garnered
from table games. That means that craps, blackjack, roulette,
baccarat and the others totaled together paid little more
than one-armed bandits alone.
On the other side of the table, about 40% of casino's revenues
come from slots. Currently there are 5 US states that permit
legal one armed operations, with a total of over 40,000
machines spread throughout. The highest concentration is
still believed to be found at Harrah's luxury casino in
Reno, which houses over 1,500 casino slots under one roof.
The state of Maryland also allows the fruit boxes for certain
uses, along with Idaho, Montana, and Washington.
Many though only allow them in privately run clubs. The
sad side to the machines is also evident in its infamy.
Many a zombie has been created with the love of the pull,
notably a California woman who lost $250,000 over two years
in Reno.
Part of the domination effect stems from the fact that
casino slots propagate themselves outside of just the casino.
You can find them in hotel lobbies, grocery stores, clubs,
taverns, lodges, bowling alleys, bus-stop restaurants, airline
terminals, anywhere you might think it would be a good idea.
Any place where lots of people congregate and are looking
for something to do. Now if you're a modern brain, and thinking,
then you'll notice one place lots of people congregate and
are always looking for something to do is where you are
right now, the Internet! Of course, you're well aware of
online slots by this point, it's probably how you found
my page.
In the areas where gambling is at its heaviest, as in the
Las Vegas downtown core, slots account for more than 60%
of the gross casino revenue. In Reno, the figure jumps to
over 65%. One notable exception is the old Vegas strip,
where table games do outweigh the casino slots.
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