Sounds Of Las Vegas Slot Machines

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Sounds Of Las Vegas Slot Machines

paetuginpipulria 2021. 1. 22. 03:54

I spent part of last week on vacation from science in Las Vegas, where I thankfully avoided financial ruin due to some fortunate combination of genes, math awareness and a wife that has no interest in gambling. Sure, I dabbled a bit in games of chance, but as soon as I got a little bit ahead on the blackjack tables I ran for my life, knowing that the probability would even out hard in the long run. For those concerned about the financial well-being of Sin City, they still managed to turn a profit on us, thanks to the low-return temptations of fine dining and French circus acts set to Beatles megamixes. But most of our time was spent on the free entertainment of people-watching and stuff-watching, observing row after row of people almost hypnotically at work on loud, noisy slot machines amid fake New York, Paris and Venice scenery.

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It doesn’t take a PhD in neurobiology to conclude that slot machines are designed to lure people into a money-draining repetition, just as it doesn’t take expertise in the casino business to realize slots are absurdly profitable – there’s a reason why they outnumber table games 100-to-1. But I wanted to go back to the scientific literature to confirm a faint glimmer of information I retained from graduate school, specifically that slot machines are masterful manipulators of our brain’s natural reward system. Every feature – the incessant noise, the flashing lights, the position of the rolls and the sound of the coins hitting the dish – is designed to hijack the parts of our brain designed for the pursuit of food and sex and turn it into a river of quarters. Or so I remember.

Fortunately, there is a robust amount of research into why slot machines are so addictive, despite paying out only about 75% of what people put in. They are, some scientists have concluded, the most addictive of all the ways humans have designed to gamble, because pathological gambling appears faster in slots players and more money is spent on the machines than other forms of gambling. In Spain, where gambling is legal and slot machines can be found in most bars, more than 20.3 billion dollars was spent on slots in 2008 – 44% of the total money spent by Spaniards on gambling last year.

That data was published earlier this month by a psychologist from the Universidad de Valencia named Mariano Choliz in the Journal of Gambling Studies. Yes, such a publication exists! In the background of the paper, Choliz outlines the tricks that slot machines use to keep people feeding them:

Operating on a random payout schedule, but appearing to be a variable payout; i.e. fooling the player into thinking that the more money they play, the more likely they are to win.
“The illusion of control” in pressing buttons or pulling a lever to produce the outcome.
The “near-miss” factor (more on this below)
Increased arousal (where the sounds and flashing lights come in)
Able to be played with very little money; the allure of “penny” slots.
And perhaps most importantly, immediate gratification.

This last point is the subject of Choliz’s experiment, which puts a group of ten pathological gamblers in front of two different slot machines. One machine produces a result (win or lose) 2 seconds after the coin was virtually dropped (it was computer program), the other delayed the result until 10 seconds after the gambler hit play. In support of the immediate gratification theory, gamblers played almost twice as long on the 2-second machines than they did on the 10-second machines…even though the 10-second machines paid out more money on average!

Choliz concluded that the immediacy of the reward was part of what kept people at slot machines, making them so addictive. The quick turnaround between action and reward also allows people to get into a repetitious, uninterrupted behavior, which Choliz compares to the “Skinner boxes” of operant conditioning – the specialized cages where rats hit a lever for food or some other reward. It seems like a cruel comparison, but after my three days walking through the casinos, not an inaccurate one.

Another trick up the slot machine’s sleeve was profiled earlier this year by a group of scientists from the University of Cambridge. In the journal Neuron, Luke Clark and colleagues examined the “near-miss” effect, the observation that barely missing a big payout (i.e. two cherries on the payline while the third cherry is just off) is a powerful stimulator of gambling behavior.

The Cambridge researchers put their subjects in an fMRI machine to take images of their brains while they played a two-roll slot machine game. When the players hit a match and won money, the reward systems of the brain predictably got excited – the activation of areas classically associated to respond to food or sex I mentioned earlier. When players got a “near-miss,” they reported it as a negative experience, but also reported an increased desire to play! That feeling matched up with activation of two brain areas commonly associated with drug addiction: the ventral striatum and the insula (smokers who suffer insular damage suddenly lose the desire to smoke).

Clark and co. conclude that near-misses produce an “illusion of control” in gamblers, exploiting the credo of “practice makes perfect.” If you were learning a normal task such as hitting a baseball, a “near-miss” foul ball would suggest that you’re getting closer – it’s better than a complete whiff, after all. But for a slot machine, where pulling the lever has no impact on the rolls other than to start them moving and start the internal computer calculating, a “near-miss” is as meaningless as any miss.

Nevertheless, it’s this type of “cognitive distortion,” as Clark and colleagues name it, that makes slot machines such effective manipulators of our brains. Those massive, gaudy casino-hotels that I wore out a pair of shoes strolling through last week weren’t just built on a crafty use of probability, they were built on a exploitation of brain functions we are only just beginning to understand.

Las Vegas is home to over 197,000 slot machines. That’s roughly one for every three residents. With so many slot machines to choose from, it should be no surprise that you can find some interesting ones hiding around town.

This is especially true in downtown Las Vegas, known to many as “Old Vegas.” Fremont Street specializes in keeping the old-time feel alive. This is where you will find all sorts of buildings, stores, merchandise, and yes, even slot machines from the early days of Las Vegas history.

Below you will find a list of some of the interesting, fun, vintage, or downright weird slot machines you can find in downtown Las Vegas.

Coin-Operated Slot Machines

Coin-operated slots are one of the most sought-after unique slot machines found in Las Vegas. They bring a bit of nostalgia back to the game. These are getting harder to find. Many casinos have a hard time finding parts for repair, which has caused most to get rid of coin-operated slots altogether.

The evolution of our U.S. currency has had a dramatic impact. The D Hotel and Casino has phased out all of its coin operated slot machines. For a place specializing in vintage slots (they have an entire floor devoted to these), why would they do this?

Turns out, the machine’s bill reader cannot recognize our newer versions of U.S. currency in $5 and $20 bills. These bill readers cannot be swapped, and old currency is hard to keep in supply. All of this works out to be too much of a headache for the casino.

With that said, there are still a few places in downtown Las Vegas that offer the chance to play coin-operated slot machines. They are:

California Hotel and Casino
El Cortez Hotel and Casino
Fremont Hotel and Casino
Main Street Station Hotel and Casino
Plaza Hotel and Casino

Sigma Derby

Sigma Derby is a retro horse racing game. It made its debut in 1985 and was quite popular at the time. In today’s casinos, it’s nearly impossible to find. Just like coin-operated slot machines, parts for Sigma Derby games are hard to find when the game is in need of repairs.

In addition to having a difficult time keeping the Sigma Derby machines operational, the casinos make a very small profit on them. They are coin operated and run on just a few quarters. The machines also take over a minute to complete one round.

Because of this, almost every Las Vegas casino has done away with Sigma Derby machines. In fact, there is only one such machine in all of downtown Las Vegas. This machine is at The D Hotel and Casino. Or, if you’re willing to venture to the Las Vegas Strip, there is one other Sigma Derby machine located at the MGM Grand.

Silver Strike

Silver Strike slot machines have an incredible fan base. They appeal to both slot machine players and to collectors. This is because, rather than winning cash, you win silver coins. Well, partially silver coins.

The coins used to be .999 silver. Now they are usually a mix of silver and copper. The variance is due to the fact that each casino is responsible for producing their own silver strike coins. This brings in the collector’s aspect, as there are many different coins to try to win.

The machine has a $3.00 max spin, which you must bet to have a chance at the silver coin bonus. If you get a silver strike logo on the third reel, you win a silver strike coin. Most of these coins are worth roughly $10; however, you have a chance at randomly receiving one worth up to $300.

There are varying values within each casino, plus several different casinos offering their own coin variations. The cost associated with producing the silver strike coins has deterred many casinos from carrying the machines. In downtown Las Vegas, there are two casinos who still have the game on their floor:

The Four Queens Hotel and Casino has four machines
El Cortez Hotel and Casino has one machine

Jumbo Slot Machine

The Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino is home to one of the largest functioning slot machines in all of Las Vegas. This slot machine is over eight feet tall! It is a 4-reel machine that works in dollar denominations. You will find this slot machine in the lobby by their front entrance. Such a massive machine can draw a lot of attention. It’s not unusual to see a crowd surrounding the machine, watching the player.

It does have an arm mechanism on it; however, this is no longer how the slot machine reels are spun. This is done with a spin button. One old-time aspect that still remains is that the payout from the machine is given in quarters. It’s a fun experience everyone should try once.

Vintage Slot Machines

If you’re looking to see some gambling history, Las Vegas is the place to do it. Even more specifically, looking through downtown Las Vegas, where the city got its start. Fremont Street is where the big casinos of Las Vegas originated. It is where it all began in the evolution of what Las Vegas is today.

This rich history is displayed throughout downtown Las Vegas. One of the crowd favorites in nostalgic merchandise is slot machines. There are two displays featuring retired, vintage slots. These are no longer functional but are still amazing to see. They are located at:

The Golden Gate Hotel and Casino
Main Street Hotel and Casino

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If you’re looking for a large selection of vintage slot machines you can still play, your go-to destination should be The D Hotel and Casino. Their entire second floor is devoted exclusively to vintage slot machines. While they have all been converted to TITO (Ticket In/Ticket Out) machines, they still maintain the vintage gameplay options.

SlotZilla Zip Line

If you’re looking for unique slot machines that you can wager money on, the SlotZilla slot machine on Fremont Street is not for you. That’s because it’s not actually a slot machine, but a giant model of a slot machine. In fact, it’s the most giant one in the world. The SlotZilla slot machine holds the world record for the largest slot machine, standing at 128 feet tall.

It is truly a sight to see. It doesn’t stop there, though. The SlotZilla machine is actually a zip line. The zip line originates at the top of the 12-story-tall slot machine replica. From there, riders will fly down Fremont Street, just below the lighted canopy. There are two versions you can try: the zip line and the zoom line.

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Conclusion