Slots break down – they’re computers, and it happens. How it affects other slots in a bank is a bit more complex:
If a machine has an error and it’s in a bank of similar machines, does the opening and repairing of the machine affect the others around it (in the same bank)?
Mary B.
Most of the time, you won’t notice any issues if they’re working on a slot within the same bank as one you’re sitting at or playing. This is because slots are generally designed to operate independently regardless of whether any other systems fail around it. The outcomes are determined internally by a random number generator, for instance.
There are certainly times though when a failure can impact a bank. Sometimes slots are linked together with shared progressives, and we have seen the occasional example of the other machines locking up temporarily when a machine is opened up. This has been the exception moreso than the rule, but we know it’s possible.
Bigger failures like the systems that read and process TITOs can impact machines in limited ways. When this happens, you won’t be able to insert a ticket, but the machine will still except cash, and still be able to cash out a ticket in most cases. (In extreme situations the machine will request a handpay, but you can still get paid, albeit with a delay.)
Since the settings and configuration of a machine is done within a single machine, and the slot can operate pretty much independently even when other systems around it are falling apart, you shouldn’t expect much of an issue if a casino needs to repair a machine elsewhere within a bank.
It should only rarely impact your ability to play, and it definitely won’t impact your machine specifically as long as your machine isn’t locked up because it’s reliant on the other machine, say, for progressives.
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