Philadelphia Inquirer | 04/15/2003 | Casinos gambling... -
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Published on: 4/15/2003
Last Visited: 4/15/2003
Brian Casey, marketing director for Reno-based IGT Gaming Systems, the world's largest manufacturer of gaming devices and software systems, said more than 75 percent of slot machines coming off its production line have tickets printed in them - a huge increase from two years ago.
Casey said operators that have gone completely coinless have reported higher earnings.
"Any time a machine is out of play, it is less revenue for the casino," he said."Now the machines are up longer and are being played more."
Going coinless in Atlantic City is expected to change the role of the slot attendant into a host.
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Casey at IGT Gaming Systems said coinless gaming is the next wave of innovation in casino technology.He said bill accepters of the late 1980s had the same impact of driving casinos to update their games.
With the launch of coinless slots in August 2000, "the biggest misconception among properties was that players wouldn't embrace ticket-in, ticket-out technology because they liked to hear the ka-ching of the coins," Casey said."That was one of the things that we had to overcome."
Casey said IGT did that by demonstrating how much more convenient tickets were versus coins, and also by producing ka-ching money sounds in each machine.
In December 2001, coinless slots were introduced at Bally's Atlantic City, owned by gaming giant Park Place Entertainment.Park Place also owns the Atlantic City Hilton, Caesars Atlantic City, and Claridge Casino Hotel.
Until the Borgata opens, the Park Place properties will be the only casinos in Atlantic City with coinless slots.
Currently, 42 percent of slot machines at Bally's are ticket-in, ticket-out; about 50 percent at the Hilton; 45 percent at Caesars; and 16 percent at the Claridge.