Where Do Old Slot Machines Go? Anyone who plays slots have their favorites. Consequently, players find disappointment when they aren’t included in the property’s floor inventory. Miguel, our NETG Rhode Island correspondent, could probably tell you where every “Hot Hot Penny” 5-reel slot is, or was, in New England, Atlantic City and Las Vegas casinos. I am always on the prowl for Aristocrat’s “Betting Zoo” Cashman machine.
Some slots have been on the casino floors for years, such as Bally’s “Hot Hot Jackpot.”
Should It Stay or Should it Go?
Where Do Old Slot Machines Go? Better yet, why do some stay on the floor longer than others?
One reason is very basic. If it continues to make money, it stays – if not, bye-bye one-arm bandit. Casinos and gambling machine manufacturers have figured out that the #1 predictor of a game’s profitability is the average amount of time a gambler spends on that device. When designing new games, the slot machine manufacturers (IGT, Bally, WMS, and others) focus on features that will increase this number.
Another reason is if it is leased. A slot machine with a movie, television or celebrity theme is leased for a specific amount of time and returned to the manufacturer when the lease is over. It disappears from the floor because the rental is up, whether it’s still making money or not. The lease idea goes back to the first Megabucks wide-area-progressive machines, in which the casinos and slot manufacturers shared in the profits earned from the networked machines, as well as the liability of paying out the big jackpots. That evolved to encompass slots with lower jackpots, but expensive themes.
Parts is Parts
Finally, old machines are retired or used for parts for similar units. Malfunctions that lead them to the slot graveyard includes a blurry or dis-colored monitor, buttons don’t work after being replaced over and over, or the sound is distorted or non-existent. Mark Pilarski of Vegas Master says, “Sadly, many of the beautiful, much-loved slot machines of yesterday are no longer with us.
Playing the Slots at the Taj Mahal, Atlantic City – early 90’s
Casinos want to squeeze as much out of a slot machine as they can, so many old slot machines which have been removed from the casino floor are sent off to the workshop to be dismantled and used for parts, or otherwise sold as scrap.”
Lonely Warehouse
But not all slot machines end their lives on the scrap heap. Some are simply locked away in storage. I can see it now. As the vault opens, the sound of whimpering old slots can be heard saying “pick me, pick me.” Unfortunately, some machines are still hoping to see the light of day in the casino one last time.
Double Diamond Slots.
Some older machines are sold. Collectors buy them, or other casinos, especially on cruise ships or in North America, namely Caribbean Islands. Some people buy them from collectors for home use. Only a few states, such as Arizona, allow for personal ownership. And many of the newer machines with TITO technology (no coins) are not favorable for home usage. Those with TITO have one problem for personal play – you need a gambling license to buy the paper for the tickets!
Summary
John Robinson, from Casino City Times, sums it up as follows:
“What a casino does when it’s finished with a slot machine depends on how it was acquired. When a slot was placed in the casino by the manufacturer on a participation basis (the casino and the manufacturer split the money won from the machine), the casino just asks the manufacturer to remove the machine. But, if the casino leased the machine, it asks the leasing company to take back the machine at the end of the lease. If a casino bought the machine, it sells it to a slot distributor or wholesaler.”
So, that’s where slot machines go after they have served their monetary purpose to the casino. There is no slot Heaven, no Hall of Fame.The reality is sadly “you’re done Mr. Bandit, your time is up.”
How much do you know about how a slot machine works? Take this quiz to find out:
Slot Machine Quiz – True or False
Binbin
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