A lot of slots have signage above the machine that casinos can put various elements in, such as a logo. Sometimes, they go in other directions, leading to this question:
Why do casinos put tags on machines that say Hot Machine or something to that effect?
Michele W.
In this case it’s just a simple marketing step and has no helpful indication about the machine.
The ones that make us laugh the most are the ones that say “New Machine” and the machine is clearly 10 years old. It really underscores how infrequently casinos touch any aspects of slot machines.
Second place goes to machines that have a decal from an entirely different game, because the casino swapped out the game but didn’t do anything with the decal. It used to happen a lot more when this was the predominant element atop slots, but things have changed.
Newer slot machines replaced the spot where a graphic would go with another monitor. In that way it can project images from the game that’s active on the machine, progressives and other information that a decal wouldn’t be able to communicate.
As these are highest up on the machines, they’re elements that can be often seen across the casino floor, and as display technology became cheaper, it was a natural evolution for the slots to make. And so when a game is swapped out, the monitor automatically is projecting images related to the new game.
But there’s still plenty of those older machines floating around, so that means plenty of “Hot Machine” and “New Machine” graphics that have faded with time are all over the casino floor.
Those don’t tell you anything, but find one that has a payout percentage showing, and you might have a bit more helpful information. Otherwise, don’t pay it too much mind.
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