From the humble beginnings of the first real slot machine, the Liberty Bell, in the late 1800s, through the first fully electromechanical machines produced by Bally in 1963, to the appearance of the first real video-digital slot machines at the Las Vegas Hilton in 1976, the progress of gambling has moved steadily onward. That’s not surprising since just about every other industry of note has abandoned mechanical operations in favor of digital ones. Less energy expended, less cost, less maintenance – time is money.
Yet, electronic gambling and especially online gambling requires a heavy dose of trust in the mind of the gambler and that’s hard to come by in many cases. Older gamblers tend to trust rickety reels, pull handles, and real people a lot more than they do random number generators and computers. That’s human nature. But in this case, human nature is wrong.
All the biggest gambling scams can be traced back to unscrupulous people using machines, electronic devices, computers, or other allies to cheat gambling establishments out of millions of dollars. Incidents of inappropriate behavior online can almost always be traced back to human cheaters. The machines are not at fault – the people are.
All things being equal, you probably should feel safer looking at an image of a pretty lady on a video screen dealing blackjack than you should facing your average human blackjack dealer who may be palming $100 chips or tipping off a comrade to when a deck is heavy with aces and face cards. And the machine generated image is never in a bad mood, never cranky about not getting a raise, and never itchy to get home and mow the lawn.
People may cheat; machines and algorithms do not cheat.
My local Racino boasts of a rejuvenated harness racing operation, 5300 slot machines of various denominations, and a dozen newly installed electronic roulette, baccarat, and craps layouts. The overhead is minimal for these new electronic devices – 2 or 3 employees can handle any untoward eventuality. The customers, wary and untrusting, are slowing making their way to these devices and trying their luck and before long most will come to the conclusion that losing your stake at these machines is just as easy as losing it at a table manned by real people. Take my word for it – the machines are legit; it’s merely the odds that grind you down.
Americans are waiting with bated breath for the government to clear the way for a return to online poker rooms and hopefully other online casino operations. Instinctively gamblers know that cheaters will be ferreted out if there are any. Trying your luck at home is just as enticing as driving to the casino.
Anyone over the age of 40 who has dispelled their innate fear of computers and their unwillingness to try new things will find that a session at these new contraptions is comfortable, fun, and fair. Above all else, machines easily reproduce the energy and aura of a live experience. Give them a try.
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