There’s been big changes on the casino floor over the past few years. Casinos that used to have big banks of older slot machines have been replacing them over time with smaller pods of newer, flashier games. Some players lament this evolution, such as this one:
Why did they get rid of all school machines? They look more casino-like. The ones now are like video games.
Azul A.
It largely comes down to economics. Older games have a few things going against them. For one, they generally don’t get played as much. For another, they’re harder to maintain as manufacturers don’t support those machines anymore.
And finally, most newer slots have a wider array of bet levels and options, which can be much more flexible for casinos than a 3-reel, 1-line, 3-coin machine that’s hardcoded to 25 cent or $1 denomination, which was often the case of many of the old school machines.
A lot of the shift began to happen in the months after the pandemic. Casinos shut down half the machines or more to encourage social distancing. But in the process they noticed that their revenue didn’t drop by a similar amount.
Game performance, already an important factor, grew in importance. Keeping a floor up to date with the latest new games, and updating it regularly, took on more importance when casinos noticed that replacing 12 old machines with a pod of 3-6 new ones performed better.
Players liked having more space with the changes, and casinos made more money on less new machines than more old ones, so in general it was a bit of a win/win.
Now, that doesn’t mean casinos have fully abandoned the old school machines, but most have been optimizing the ratio. Some classics remain – many casinos still have the original Top Dollar and Pinball machines on their floors, for instance.
But the percentage of those vs. more modern machines is shifting, even in high limit spaces where those three reel machines traditionally took up a higher percentage of space.
And in some cases, the old machines have been outright removed because their age makes maintenance too difficult. Some casinos are more willing to invest in machines, but they need to remain popular.
Until the MGM’s purchase of the Cosmopolitan, they were very specific in keeping some classic games, like Wizard of Oz Ruby Slippers, on their floor and in operation, for instance. There are still casinos out there that will woo certain players with games that are hard to find.
But more often than not, casinos are leaning more towards a mix of more newer machines, and that is why you’re seeing a reduction in the old school slots. But if you prefer that classic reels format, don’t worry, as the major manufacturers are still offering new games in that format, including new variations of classic favorites, and that means your next generation of favorites is likely just around the corner.
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