SAMI’S SMACKDOWN By Sami Becker
SLOTS ONLY PAY AT MAX VOLUME... Yeah! Right! Turn The Sound Down, You’ll Win More!
R
ecently, I received a letter from a reader that was a little difficult to believe. To summarize, the reader explained he was playing at a casino on his favorite slot when another patron sat down at the game next to him. First, as an aside, perhaps you've noticed that many casinos are getting louder, and louder, and louder. Why? Because the slots are set to, what I believe are, obnoxiously loud volume levels. What many readers may not know is the slot machine manufacturers have an internal software control for the volume. This can be adjusted by the casino. Then, additionally, the user controlled volume adjustments can also affect the relative loudness of the game. I think you already know where this is going, right? Moving on, the reader claimed in his letter that the slot he was at was set really loud so he turned it down in order to better enjoy the game. The patron next to him, however, had maxed out the volume control on her slot. Apparently, her volume level ensured the reader could not hear anything on his game. So, in order to be able to hear his own game, he decided to match the loudness of her machine by jacking up the volume to max level on his machine as well! Until, of course, he couldn’t take it anymore. At which point the reader claimed to have politely asked the player next to him to turn down her game so both of them could better enjoy the slots at a more reasonable volume. The response was, “I’m not turning anything down because you can only win if the slot is at its maximum volume!” Our reader laughed because he thought she was just being sarcastic or making a joke. Unfortunately for our reader, she got mad and yelled back at him “IT’S TRUE!“ Well, what can I say? I’ve got nothing. Oh, wait! I got something! Slot machine regulations. “Game Fairness. The following requirements shall apply to the fairness of the game: a) Games that are designed to give a player the perception that they have control over the outcome of the game due to skill or dexterity, when they actually do not (i.e., the game outcome is random and the illusion of skill is for entertainment value only), shall fully disclose this fact within the game help screens; b) Games shall not include any hidden source code that can be leveraged by a player to circumvent the rules of play and/
34 Arizona Gaming Guide | February 2022 | azgamingguide.com
or the intended behaviors of game design; this requirement shall not preclude reasonably identifiable discovery features offered by a game which are intentional from a design perspective, but which may be undocumented or unknown to the player.” I think any reasonable individual will agree the volume control button is for “entertainment value” only. And, if not, the slot has to disclose the volume control does provide “control over the outcome of the game” in the help screen. Yeah, go ahead and try to find that kind of a statement in a slot’s help screen. Can you imagine? “Turn up the volume for maximum wins! No, really, believe us!” If the slot machine manufacturers are able to get that into the regulatory environment, then nobody should gamble on a slot. Ever! How would that be fair? What if the speakers were broken? Or, one casino set the game just a little louder or softer than another on the internal software control? Perhaps if the slots weren't set SO DARN LOUD that it gives people a headache, we’d actually win more and win more often because the casino would be a more enjoyable environment to play in! If you want loud, wait until AC/DC goes back on tour where they salute those about to rock at over 120dB! Remember, rock and roll ain’t noise pollution at their concerts. Have fun and drop me a note at Sami@AZGamingGuide.com if you have something to share or there’s a topic you’d like me to discuss! $
