Slot machines go high tech

There are a lot of buttons in Las Vegas. Lose lose lose win lose win lose lose win lose lose free drink win lose. Slot machines provide mountains of revenue for casinos from people pushing buttons. But gambling (or as the industry prefers to call it, gaming) is about to become even crazier.

A recent article in the Las Vegas Sun describes the new widescreen connected slot machine. These uber-tech slot machines let…

… multiple gamblers can participate in one another’s bonus round or compete against one another for prizes… and can watch as their high scores are tallied on display boards.

Gamble against each other! They call it “community gaming.”

Also, because these slot machines are 20″ to 26″ widescreens, they can add more reels, up to seven side by side. Afraid that might take a long time to cherry bell blank seven bell blank blank?

By pushing the “spin” button in quick succession, players can stop the spin of all seven reels before they come to a complete stop on their own, speeding up the game but not changing the result of the game.

Oh, maybe you can gain some control of the spinning!

(By state law, the outcome of each spin is determined by a computer chip that triggers a random result at the initial push of a button.)

Rats.

But more interestingly, these new slot machines are just a transition to the massive overhaul of the entire industry.

Many casino operators are holding out on big purchases while manufacturers work on a longer-term project: computer systems that will control entire casino floors from a central server. It will be years before casinos introduce so-called downloadable games on a large scale because they are waiting to see how these more expensive systems will perform. These futuristic games will be more customized than any before them because they will allow operators to change game titles, bonus features, denominations and jackpots at the push of a button.

Ah. Not only will the gamer get a better button, but the backstage maestro will get a much more better button. Change the whole scene on the floor at will. Hey, it’s 7:30pm! All the slot machines switch to a Blue Man Group game where you can win tickets for tonight’s show! Now, for the next ten minutes, all cherries pay triple!

Slot machines have definitely come a long way since they were introduced in 1895.

The crazy things humans do when technology advances.