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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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Light Speed
is a 3-reel 1-line system-wide Progressive slot machine with
a wild symbol. The pay table is displayed on the machine. The
progressive jackpot total is displayed just above the reels,
and re-starts at $700 every time the progressive jackpot is won.
This machine may only be played in denominations of $.25, and
only a 3-coin bet (max bet) allows the player to participate
in the progressive. The “Robot” symbol is also
“wild,” matching any non-“Light Speed” symbol.
You must make a maximum bet (3-coins) in order to qualify for
the bonus part of the game – the Light Speed meter, which
is represented by the lights going up both sides of the machine.
When you hit a “Light Speed” icon in the payline, then
the Light Speed meter is increased. A winning spin then pays
the payout on the payline multiplied by the level reached on
the Light Speed meter. The maximum multiplier for the Light Speed
meter is seven, and once a winning spin has occurred, the Light
Speed meter is set back to one. Win the progressive jackpot when
you hit three laser guns at the top (7x) level of the Light Speed
meter.
Japanese legend tells of a band of masterless samurai who roamed the countryside as bodyguards and mercenaries for over six centuries. These mysterious warriors, shamed by their masterless existence became lost in winds of myth and legend over the years. But now the Ronin, and their secret treasures, have returned. Ride out to find the lost Ronin and their hidden treasures and find your own riches along the way. Each Ronin you discover pays handsomely, either as a scattered winning icon, a wild icon, or as a key to free spins or even free games. Koku, the coin, appears only on reel 3 and substitutes for all symbols except Ronin. The prize is doubled if Koku substitutes in a winning combination. Ronin is a wild/scatter symbol and substitutes for all symbols except Koku.
Ramdom Jackpot
At any time any player playing any denomination may win the jackpot.
Bonus Feature
one of the following bonus games is randomly triggered when the Koku is hit on reel 3 with 2 or more scattered Ronins.
3 to 10 free spin games - reel 3 is held with Koku on all positions while the other reels spin. The number of free spins is also awarded ramdonly.
5 free spin games - Wins are multiplied 1X on the first ree-spin, 2X on the second, and so on. Any retrigger wins 5 extra free spins (only once and multiplier continues to accrue.
25 free spin games - All wins are tripled, and any retrigger awards 25 extra free spins.
Slot machines are actual free-standing "machines" easily identified by their spinning reels and pull handles. The concept is simple, drop in some coins, pull the handle and hope the reel
symbols line up. Different symbols win different amounts, and there's usually a jackpot available to be won.
Slot machines are a total game of chance. There are no rules to learn, and the outcome is totally random. The ease of play, the potential huge payoffs, the noise and the excitement level
around the slot area all contribute to a high entertainment value for some.
Slot machines come in a variety of forms with diverse symbols on the wheels and numerous payout systems. Slot machines can have from three to five reels/wheels and one to five payoff lines.
In all of them the basic idea is the same, to line up particular symbols on the payout line. The less likely a combination is to occur, the greater the payoff.
The most basic slot machines require you to bet one coin (a fixed amount such as a dollar), they have only three reels, only one payout line, and pay a multiple of the bet coins value
(e.g. Three cherries on the payout line will result in a payout 300 times the bet coins value). The player inserts the coin and pulls a handle (or presses a button on the front panel) and waits for
the wheels to stop on the payout line to see if, and how much they have won (the payout symbols and payoff values are posted on the front of the machine). The more complex machines accept
more than one coin (up to five), can have up to five wheels, and many also have up to five payout lines (three across and two diagonal).
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