If you pull out the statistics, you will know that slots generate more than 65% of the casino’s total revenue. This applies to all casinos, whether land-based or online. Since its creation, slots have been a money-maker for any gambling house. Nonetheless, the many ways slots are bringing in the moolah for each casino vary across different timelines. On that premise, slots have proven to be a very adaptive gaming constituent in the betting culture.
The Antiquity of Slots
The concept started about a century ago. Charles August Fey from San Francisco in 1894 came up with the idea and built the first slot machine. The machine was then named the Liberty Bell. At that time, he was a mechanic and studying the mechanical knowledge of nickel-in-the-slot machines, which later inspired his version of the slot machine. After the first model became a success, more machines were made, and it quickly became a vogue in the early 1900s.
As the popularity grew and slot machines became more common, the government attempted to control the spiralling rate of betting in the area. One of the actions taken were illegalizing slot machines. Because of that, people started going for the alternatives, calling the slots otherwise, and replaced nickels with other forms of rewards. The slot machines then would disperse candies, coupons, and sorts. In some places, the rewards would be cigars, which upon getting it, the people would sell it back to the store for money.
Fun fact, slots were once called one-armed bandits because the RTP (return to player) rate was only up to 50%. No one would touch a slot machine with an RTP rate this low nowadays.
The illegalization of slots continued up till 1931 when Nevada became the first state to decriminalize the game. But the rest of the world did not join in the fun until World War II. Up to that point, no one outside of the USA knew about slot machines. The triggering global expansion was propelled by tax revenue. The governing authorities are dying of exploring new means of generating income for their then devastated nation.
In 1975, where Las Vegas became an established desert betting haven, video slots came about. Following its invention, video slots did not exactly do well at first. That was because people were still hooked on the idea of pulling the lever and hearing the reels spin. The developers began to resort to another method – by implementing an electronic system to link slot machines in different spots.
This granted a small amount of each bet going to the same jackpot, hence, accumulating to an insane amount that no one could ever dream of. This is how progressive jackpot came about. The next milestone of this era would be the initiation of the second-screen bonus round. It was also around this time that slots exploded. Casinos began to put more emphasis on slots, and it generated about 70% of the casino’s overall revenue.
Ultimately, there is no denying that the Internet is the catalyst in shaping the image of betting today. Everything pretty much started to pick up in the mid-1990s when the first online casino came about, followed by online slots. Originally, online slots were very similar to their physical counterparts, using the same symbols and layout. It is the innovative computer engineering that gave freedom to the game developers to design their games.
Soon, it became more than just playing slots. People were expecting more out of this invention. People started to scrutinize slots from different aspects, such as the themes, the special features, the complementing music, the graphics, and more. The players presently have become rather choosey that, if the slot games are not to their liking, they would not even pay much attention to it.
The online slots are popular now, all thanks to easy accessibility. People can play online slots anywhere and anytime. No one is limited to the spaces of slot machines on the casino floor anymore. This, in turn, sparks up new means of gaining profits for the game developers. After all, more players playing the game means more money for the developers. Soon enough, slots became a marketing instrument for the casinos to attract traffic into their betting house through unconventional methods, such as YouTube. More will be discussed in the following section.
Slots and YouTube as a Present-day Alternative Marketing
When we talk about slot games, all we ever want is to hit the jackpot and win that insane amount of life-changing money. Tons of people play slots to try to win the jackpot, some did win, while the majority didn’t. Back in the days, people used to get around the player who is pulling the lever in hopes that they could hit the big win. The trend is still the same now as before, but instead, people are utilizing the recording technology to share their slots gameplay.
Getting in line with the current trend, people are more open to sharing their personal lives on social media. While more social platforms offer live streaming functions, YouTube remains the optimal platform when it comes to sharing and circulating individualized videos. In retrospect, YouTube is a really good tool in marketing a certain product to the mass crowd through video views and advertisements. That is how YouTube can stay afloat in a sea of marketing competitors and hungry media consumers.
It seems easy. You just put your money into the slot machine, press the button, record yourself doing it, upload the video, and then monitor the views of the uploaded video. You then get paid even if you lose money at the slots. There are cases where YouTubers make it through this method. Even if they lose money at the casino, they get compensated via the sponsorship advertisements placed on their videos on YouTube.
The money comes from advertisements. The more views a video gets, the higher the chance an advertiser will put an ad in the video to boost exposure. If the streamer live-streams it, Super Chats is another source. This feature lets the viewers send the streamer money through YouTube. Their messages will then be pinned on the chat and displayed in different colours to catch the attention of other viewers. However, before getting to that point of fame, a lot of effort needs to be invested.
Miran Maric and his wife, whose alias goes by the name Lady Luck, have been playing slots for four years. They have posted some videos which, in turn, received positive feedback. That drove them to create their YouTube channel, Lady Luck HQ, in 2018. They love and enjoy the experience they get from playing slots, especially the engagement with other slot players from other parts of the world. They like to share their experiences with this massive community that is often, unfortunately, deemed taboo due to the betting nature of the game.
The slots couple is not yet in the top rank of slots YouTubers. With around 10,000 followers, they do this as a mere hobby. Both of the couples have day jobs, with the wife in software and Maric in automotive marketing. It is estimated that Lady Luck puts in about five to ten hours a week into managing the channel. They scored a viral hit with a video of the wife winning $18,088 while playing at Wynn Las Vegas. The video has gotten more than 1.1 million views up to date.
There are so many slot channels in the market now, but what makes one channel more popular than the other? Being pretty and photogenic is one; who does not like looking at attractive people? However, being interesting and relatable is more important. Looking through the comments, most viewers like to play slots and watch people like themselves winning money.
The Lady Luck couple has regular casinos that they mostly play when they are in Las Vegas. They usually plan the games on the first night of their trip. They keep their dialogues unscripted and spontaneous as a way to connect to a bigger betting audience out there. The videos are edited in such a way that they show the viewers every bits and piece of their trips, which makes them feel as if they are tagging along virtually.
The rising fashion of YouTube slot channels has proven that conforming opinions and ideas about gambling are inaccurate. If anything, slots are a form of entertainment that helps bring joy and change lives.
The Secrets in Managing Your Bankroll
Now, scrap the slots glam you see on YouTube. The realistic fact is that when playing slots, it’s not always fun and games. There are days when you win like nobody’s business and days when you, well, lose like nobody’s business.
Whatever the mood and scenario are, it is always a smart move to put a safety net on. And one of the ways to do it is by managing your bankroll.
Learning how to manage your bankroll has been a piece of million-year-old advice that players of any sort of casino games will get. In most cases, it can be very easy for people outside the ring to say it; after all, execution is always harder than it seems. That is why this is still one of the puzzles slots players are learning how to solve. Fear not, your prayers have been answered! In this section of the article, we will discuss some of the tricks and secrets in managing your bankroll when it comes to playing the slots.
The first secret on the list is learning how to limit your losses. Before doing anything, you should always prepare the cash that you initially have decided to bet with. Never bring money that you cannot afford to lose. The consequences will be unbearable if you do just that.
After deciding on the money that you can spend, you need to then decide on the time that you wish to stay in the casino. Playing for an extended time lets you become susceptible to betting on more slot games, and of course, to the probability of losing more money. Surely, we don’t want that.
On top of that, credit and debit cards are big red flags. Bringing them with you when you are cruising in the casino can do your bank account grave harm. Leaving your credit cards at home or just not bringing it along is a good idea. This allows you to stick to your budget more effectively.
Besides that, you need to also know when to walk away, especially if you are running out of money. Being disciplined can go a long way and help yourself more when you are visiting the casino. There is one thing to keep in mind – you do not always have to play at the casino. And being in the casino does not always mean that you have to bet in a casino game. There is plenty of stuff that you can do at the casino, such as watching people play. You would be surprised by the things you can witness and learn from just watching other players play on the sideline.
Another good way of managing your expenses is by dividing your bankroll into smaller parts. You need to determine the right amount of money to bet on according to your overall budget. Betting all in one go is not a wise choice here. The golden rule in determining your bankroll is that it should amount to ten times the player’s average bet. Thus, breaking your budget into smaller portions based on the number of your betting sessions can help with your chances of winning. Other than that, you do not always have to stick to just one machine. You can try out different slot machines instead of investing all your money on one machine.
The second part of bankroll management is preserving your gains. Keeping your winnings apart from the budget that you initially bring in is another great idea. This gives the player a chance of walking home with some money even if they have lost all their money in their casino visits. Although this can be hard to execute, since the temptation to use the money you have won on another spin is irresistible, but trying is half the battle. Statistically speaking, a slot machine should pay out even at the slightest within several spins made. So, if you are not hitting any wins, not even the smallest ones, it’s a good sign to leave the machine and move on to another one.
Learning to contain your emotions is the third part of managing your bankroll. Playing slots can be a very entertaining and enjoyable experience. Emotions are the downfall of most slots players as they can be easily influenced when they are playing. The key here is managing your emotions and feelings.
The best way to maintaining good emotional control when playing slots is to keep your distance emotionally. You should adhere to the plans and schedule that you have planned before you enter the casino and cash out after every larger win. Keeping a distance here means not getting emotionally attached to playing slots. You have to always remember, slots are a game of pure chances. If you keep losing on one machine, do not try to keep hitting the buttons in the hopes that you will eventually win. Keeping your emotions in check allows you to see things in a bigger picture.
Slowing down helps too. The rate of play of a modern slot game is as fast as you can click on the button. Although it spikes your chances of winning, the flip side of the coin is that you use up your money faster instead. Therefore, by slowing down, your losses can be reduced significantly.
There are ways to slow down while playing slots. When a win is hit, learn to indulge in the moment instead of wanting to hop into a new game immediately after. You can also take some breaks in between your gameplay; rejuvenate yourself with some snacks or a fresh cup of coffee or tea (or me) before resuming the game. Find ways to occupy yourself to cut down on the number of spins you put in in an hour. The more you spin, the more money you are using up.
There is no telling of how far game developers will push the boundaries to come up with bigger and bolder online slots and to attract the ever-changing taste buds of the slot players. Just when people think that this niche slot has reached its prime, something even fresher appears and puts everyone in awe. As time goes by, the game developers will continue developing, and as slot consumers, we can only anticipate patiently and see what is next.