“Change is understandably difficult for all of us in this business when you’re up against decades of firmly entrenched explanations of how slot machines work,” said Lucas.

So why are casinos leaving money on the table? Though the prospect of increasing casino revenue should spark interest from operators, game makers, regulators, and legislators alike, switching long-standing operating and marketing tactics is a hard sell in the casino business. Even subtle changes in the frequency of big jackpots can make important contributions to the overall slot revenue.” Changing Entrenched Casino Practices “If individual players don’t see results from their play that allow them to detect differences in the house edge,” said Lucas, “there is an opportunity for gaming operators to keep a greater portion of the wagers. The bad news for casinos is that conventional thinking on how the house edge affects the slot player’s experience is likely costing them money. Although it is the first study to use this specific approach, it is the seventh study in a series of studies by UNLV researchers confirming this general conclusion.

The results showed a remarkably similar number of spins on the games, despite big differences in the house edge. Using an approach that simulated 100 years of weekly play, the researchers analyzed the outcomes produced by reel slot machines with hidden yet different house edges, under identical wagering rules.

Not so, according to a new study from UNLV professors Anthony Lucas and A.K Singh, who found that even when the house advantage was more than doubled, no statistical difference in the number of spins was observed for the individual gambler. The idea is that if you play a slot machine with a 5% house advantage, for example, you can expect to play for twice as long as a game with a 10% house advantage, right? So how do they prevent customers who are losing from walking away?Ī common strategy is to lower what’s called the “house edge,” which is the casino’s advantage when looking at the long-term difference between how much was wagered versus how much was paid out. With slot machines producing the bulk of profits in most of the world’s casinos, gaming managers make it their business to keep slot players happy.

Playing slot machine at casino