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Slot machines
So I'm in the Philippines and my family seems to love going to casinos and playing slot machines, and also dragging me along to watch them play and even tempt me to play.
I don't understand the appeal of slots.
You press a button. The RNG determines the outcome positions of three to five reels. You win or lose depending on if icons line up. Repeat until you run out of money or decide you've had enough.
That's pretty much the entire premise. There is no skill involved. Sure you can change your bet, but that doesn't do much to alter the reels. You're wagering money and praying to the gods of the random numbers.
Even card gambling games have more strategy involved than slots.
Comments
It's a skinner box. You continue to keep playing, with just enough rewards to make you keep going, until you have nothing left.
It's the same sort of principle as with MMOs and other highly tedious games.
Casinos don't tend to make money off smart people. Like browser MMOs, they make most of their money off people with unhealthy addictions.
You know what's worse than slot machines?
Computerized slot machines. Like, displaying slots on a screen.
First, because casinos -- now that they have computerized (non-mechanical) slot machines whose odds can be changed anytime, and casino credits cards (i.e. like venue-specific tokens but on a card with your name on it, I'm not talking about actual credit cards) that can track who's using a slot machine -- are able to milk the Skinner box effect for all it's worth. At least one casino operator has openly stated on TV that they have monitoring systems in place that give people just enough payout to get them to keep playing.
Second, because...at least with a mechanical slot machine you could have relatively consistent odds, but with a digital slot machine there's pretty much no way the house is not going to be cheating you. Seriously.
Mechanical slots were rigged long before they went digital. It's pretty trivial to insert some kind of selection hook and rig it to whatever software you please.
GMH: Actually...ALL of the slot machines I've seen at the two casinos I've been dragged to are video slots. Yeah, welcome to the bottom of the bottom of the barrel.
It's the thrill that the possibility of a big monetary gain creates, people are often not risk averse when it comes to non-large amounts of money, plus flashy lights and lots of colours. Frankly, I find absolutely nothing wrong with it unless it turns pathological.
My problem isn't the gambling itself. No amount of crazy flashy lights and promises of money will get me to play a glorified RNG. Bo-ring.
Second, because...at least with a mechanical slot machine you could have relatively consistent odds, but with a digital slot machine there's pretty much no way the house is not going to be cheating you. Seriously.
No kidding. In most video games I've ever played, the digital slot machines are so obviously rigged by virtue of the game's design, and the logic is the same as RL digital slot machines: to stack the deck against the player and force them to invest digital and RL currency respectively into a rigged gamble.