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A big mistake that a lot of people make when they first start playing slots
is neglecting to set a finite amount of money for each session of play. A session
of play could be a night, a day, an hour, or a week! However long you plan to
be playing slots you should always set a limit that you are willing to LOSE
and stick to it. Once you hit that limit DON'T GO OVER! Playing slots is a game
for Adults. If you don't have the self control and discipline to set a limit
and not spend over it then you don't deserve to play. That may sound harsh but
it's the truth. This is your livelihood your toying with, and if you're not
responsible with your money your livelihood could go down the drain. It happens
every day. So do yourself a favor and don't let it happen to you. Every time
you plan to visit a casino take the time to sit down and figure out how much
you can afford to lose. If you're going on a holiday then budget an amount for
the week. If you're just going for a night then budget an amount for the night.
There is no rule for how much is right, but the best way to think of it is,
how much you would spend on a normal night out, or a normal weekend outside
of the casino. If you would normally sped $100 out with friends outside of a
casino in a night, then set your casino limit for the night at $100. Once you
set this amount you can either do one of two things: you can sit down prior
to going to the casino and budget out how you're going to spend the money, in
other words on what games. The other way is to wait until you go to the casino
and just spend as you go. This method is a little more risky because it's easier
to lose track of how much you're spending. The best way to spend as you go is
to take out your entire bankroll for that evening as soon as you get to the
casino. Spend only that cash, then, when you run out you know for sure that
it's time to quit.
As an added money management tool some people like to actually keep a pen and
notepad with them throughout the night, and will actually record ho much money
they are spending on each game. When they win they write it down-when they lose
they write it down. Micromanaging your budget this way can be a very smart way
of deciding what slots games you want to play throughout your session. For instance
if you see that you are losing money a little faster then you normally would
on a certain progressive game, then you might consider switching to a flat top
game with fewer reels.
No mater how wealthy you are there is no excuse for playing slots without setting
a budget, even the richest Arab Sheiks have the good sense to set limits. If
you really like to play slots it's the only way to ensure you can continue to
play on into the future.
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Fruit Fiesta is a 3-reel, 3 line
progressive slot. Coin size is $0.25. Max bet is 3 coins equals to $0.75
which is needed to be eligible to win the progressive jackpot.
This slotmachine has a smaller coin size than other
progressive slots. The $0.25 makes it suitable for a large
public. Because the machine gets played a lot the jackpot can
still increase to a huge amount. The largest ever Fruit Fiesta
paid out at over a $150,000!.
Slot machine as we know them today are the result of the machine manufacturers applying new technology to one of the most popular forms of gambling.
I think we should all remember that exposure to any form of gambling should be limited to responsible adults of legal age.
Slots have been described as captivating by many gamblers who choose this type of gambling as their game of choice. Advertisers have been banned from using sublime seduction to induce the consumer. It is about time that slot machines be very carefully examined by experts to determine exactly what the gamblers find to be captivating about the slots.
Defining Slots-For-Tots.
The new Millennium has begun with a new controversy for legal gaming: whether some slot machines might be unduly attractive to children.
The issue became news in October, 1999, when the Nevada Gaming Commission (ANGC@) made public its growing unhappiness over gaming devices with cartoon themes. In December, the NGC circulated proposed regulations. On January 27, 2000 the NGC met and adopted amendments to NGC Regulation 14, prohibiting slot machines with themes derived from products marketed to children.
The mass media loves stories like this. Headlines of AChildren At Risk!@ always sell papers, especially tabloids. Television news shows want action and color: one slot machine is worth a thousand talking heads. Even radio could get in on this story, throwing out familiar names, like Betty Boop7 and South Park7.
Gambling is a sexy issue, so long as it does not get too complicated. It also gives rise to strong emotional reactions, especially from its opponents, the Aanti's.
The enormous success of Wheel of Fortune7 led manufacturers to look for other well-know brand-names. The issue over age-appropriate gaming devices was inevitable, since so many of our best-loved trademarks come from our childhood: Monopoly7, The Three Stooges7, Elvis Presley7. The whole point of branded slots is to tap in to our warm, fuzzy feelings of nostalgia. Such selling-by-association is certainly nothing new: movies like Star Wars7 may make more money from toys and other products than from the movie itself. But it is relatively new to legal gambling.
Regulators face a myriad of problems when an issue like kiddie-theme slots is raised in the press.
It would be natural to think the first question to be resolved is whether the problem really exists This is not as easy as it seems. Exactly how does one discover whether children are being unduly enticed into gambling by machines with themes?
What is the standard? Would it be enough to show that merely one child in the country put money into a particular slot machine? How do we prove that the child would not have made the bet, but for the lure of the brand name?
It is very difficult to show that something is true beyond any doubt, like the claim that certain games create underage gambling. But it is nearly impossible to prove the opposite, that something is not true. What evidence would you use to show a slot machine is not unduly attractive to children?
Since we are forced to deal with probabilities, should regulators be concerned if there is only a slim possibility the claim is true? For a politically explosive issue like this, regulators will, often unconsciously, follow the path with the least downside risk to themselves.
If regulators ban certain slots that should not have been banned, the loss to casinos, manufacturers and players is small and difficult to measure. But, if they allow a device they should have outlawed, there is the possibility of scandal B such as pictures of kids playing slots on national T.V. B that will raise questions about the regulators' own competence.
Although there may be a bias in favor of imposing new standards, in the name of protecting children, there is also a bias against making any new rule. The first question a good regulator, or lawyer representing an interested party, will ask is whether these regulators have the power to issue regulations such as these.
Major constitutional challenges make news. But the day-to-day world of making regulations involves questions of procedure and delegation.
What procedures should the regulators use to guarantee due process -- that all interested parties have a fair and equal opportunity to have their say -- not just now, but when new machines are invented in the future? The easiest format is to allow presentations of evidence and arguments at hearings open to the public.
The delegation doctrine is also fundamental to our democratic system. Regulators are appointed, not elected. The only power they have is the specific, limited power given them by the legislature or governor.
The NGC found a law passed by the Nevada Legislature to justify its action. Section 463.350 of the Nevada Gaming Control Act makes it a crime for a licensed operator to allow anyone under 21 to gamble. The NGC declared its new rules Awill further the enforcement of 463.350 by establishing standards for gaming device themes.
Is it necessary to have a prohibition on these games at all? Regulators of riverboat casinos, which can easily prevent any child from boarding, will probably find it unnecessary to issue new rules about gaming themes. In other cases self-regulation will work: You are not going to see any Pokemon slot machines.
How does a regulator define what games are prohibited? A rule that simply lists cartoon characters and other kiddie attractions, obviously will not work: there are too many and they are constantly changing.
The NGC had to take three pages to describe what themes it was making illegal. The regulators used a mix of general statements and specific examples. Banned are themes Abased on a product that is currently and primarily intended or marketed for use by persons under 21." These include TV programs, cartoons, books, board games, movies and video games less than 21 years old with AG@ and similar ratings.
Exceptions are allowed where Athe theme is attractive to adults because of its nostalgic appeal.@ The regulators also gave themselves the power to Arestrict the time, place and manner in which an approved gaming device may be displayed.@ And they grandfathered-in Aany themes that were used in connection with gaming devices@ already approved.
Being a regulator may seem like child=s play, but usually it is hard work.
[Professor Rose can be reached at his Web Site: www.GamblingAndTheLaw.com]
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