In April, I took my first trip ever to Detroit as part of working on coverage for Flip The Switch. While on the trip, Brian Christopher took me out for the evening and we hopped around a bit to check out some of what Detroit has to offer. This included a quick peek at the various casinos (we were staying at MGM Grand Detroit).
One thing I noticed was all of the casinos still were keeping some classic machines on the floor as part of their game selection. This is something that has become more and more rare to see, especially after the pandemic.
When I returned in December, I earmarked a bit of time to get to give some of these older machines another shot, because in the intervening months, despite trips to other casinos, including in Las Vegas, I hadn’t really run into any of the games I had found there.
Understandably, as these machines get older, they’re harder to service – the parts just aren’t made for them anymore, and in the case of the early video slots in particular, there just comes a point where it doesn’t make sense to continue to maintain them.
One problem though is that not all of the manufacturers were consistently good at keeping some of their classic games alive. IGT has ensured that Cleopatra continues to be available on new cabinets. Aristocrat still makes the original Buffalo available. 88 Fortunes continues to pop up on newer machines as well.
But try to find a game like the old school Jackpot Party games from 10-20 years ago, and unless they’re still on that ancient machine the casino still has, and you’re simply not going to find it. Even when they do get on top of remaking a classic, like the original Gold Fish, they did so on a cabinet that was already on its way out the door, so it didn’t really make its way around too many casinos.
WMS was one of the most popular slot makers during the 2000s, and their games in particular aren’t really around. They haven’t made their way to online casinos, and many of their games haven’t been redone for modern cabinets.
Yet in Detroit, I got to take a swing at games I hadn’t seen in years – casinos on the strip and downtown aren’t immune to quicker replacement cycles. And while there was a generous assortment of the new machines, these casinos have, at least for now, continued to make an effort to have a small selection of those classic machines too.
And I was heartened to see at MGM Grand Detroit one row with a lot of these classic machines always had a few players on them – one argument made aside from the cost is that the older machines simply aren’t played as much, but clearly in some cases, in some locations, they still are.
The new games are coming out faster and faster, and they’re getting harder and harder. Older slots tend to offer a smoother ride – sure, you’re not likely to win anything massive, but it’ll also let your money stick around for a bit and still offer some exciting moments.
Increasingly these games are disappearing in favor of newer machinery. Don’t miss out on your chance to play these older games while they’re still around, if they’re still around, as it’s increasingly likely once they’re gone from casino floors, they’re gone.
Fortunately, some of these games are living on through social casino apps like those by SciPlay, but if you’re looking for your chance to find them on casino floors, be sure to take advantage of the opportunities where you can.
