PLAYERS TALK
Q: Dear friends at the Arizona Gaming Guide. I have the following questions: Can a casino advertise their slot hold? Can they say “Our slots have a smaller hold than the casino across the street?” And, I love video poker! I read somewhere that dollar denominations are “expected to pay more.” How would the machine be adjusted to accomplish this? We’ll play where we get a better return for our money!! As always, thanks for keeping us well-informed. Elfido Martinez—Tucson, AZ—via letter
Any casino can advertise their slot hold if they so choose. Here in Arizona, that may become a little complicated as the TribalGaming compact allows for confidentiality regarding financial aspects of regulatory oversight between the individual tribes and the state. This type of arrangement is very common. So, an individual casino may not be allowed, legally, to disclose, via advertising, their slot hold. And, many casino managers don’t subscribe to advertising “Loose Slots” to their patrons for a variety of reasons. Some don’t want the potential backlash from patrons (as in, “Today these slots sure weren't loose!”). Others think it is too vague and believe it is misleading their guests. Over the years, we’ve heard other reasons as well.
A: Elfido, we appreciate your questions very much! Clearly you have three questions, all equally important, and requiring different discussions in order to answer them. To begin with, as you can see from the picture above, casinos are always promoting their slots in different ways, especially over the years. Investing in a neon sign that says “Loose Slots” is a pretty direct and permanent way to market a casino to potential players.
06 Arizona Gaming Guide | June 2021 | azgamingguide.com
Advertising an actual slot hold can have other ramifications as well. Launching an advertising campaign with the message, “Our penny slot hold percentage is 15%, which meets the state maximum hold!” We’re not sure how well that goes over as a pitch, accurate and truthful as it may be. Better to stick with free play and a drawing for a car. That’s much easier and appeals to everyone. (Continued on page 8)
