Casino's 'Guaranteed Play' Slots Sputtering

December 14, 2007

Earlier this year, Station Casinos in Las Vegas implemented a new, trial-basis idea in casino gaming machines called 'Guaranteed Play'. The object was to guarantee players a predetermined number of 'plays' or 'spins' for their money.

This would allow casino gaming enthusiasts to spend longer amounts of time at a slot machine or video poker game than they would normally spend. While Station Casinos originally thought this a brilliant concept, it would seem casino goers are not too keen on the idea.

In an interesting article published in the Las Vegas Sun this week, the innovative idea, which was meant to seduce players who would normally pass by slot machines, has instead given them wary apprehensions. 'Guaranteed Play' alleges the same odds of winning as pay-per-play machines, but offers more hands or spins. For players who visit the casinos hoping for a long, entertaining seat at the video poker and slot machines, it might seem like a perfect solution.

However, these same players have concluded that they do not enjoy the style in which credits are displayed. A normal quarter video poker machine, for example, would display 160 credits when two $20 bills are inserted. Instead, the player receives 200 'hands', but the credits are shown as 0. As a player wins or loses, the credits will increase, or drop into the negatives.

Players apparently do not like to see these kinds of numbers, preferring to view their winnings with the remaining credits, as it displays a much higher number. The most apprehension from players comes from the required play-through of all hands or spins when using these casino gaming machines.

Should a player insert $40 for 200 hands of video poker, and then win a large amount on his or her third hand, the player is not able to cash out the winnings.

They are instead forced to play through the remaining 197, which could result in a significant loss of those winnings. Jay Fennel, director of corporate slot operations at Station Casinos believes the 'Guaranteed Play' machines will catch on soon enough. "Players come here knowing they're going to spend that $20 that's in their wallet," Fennel told the Las Vegas Sun. "They want more time at the machine."

"This is just the tip of the iceberg," Fennel went on to say. "Gamblers are finicky, superstitious and very resistant to change. We are just trying to get people to try it.