At their core, however, all of these machines are nothing more than good old-fashioned one-armed bandits.ĭrawn to the Expo is a veritable who's who of the gaming world. Invariably, they provide worse payouts than the garden variety and gimmick-free slots, which casinos purchase for $8,000 and own forever (fancier, bubble-topped machines are licensed and leased). Others tie into movies or TV shows or celebrities. the machines, after all, are meticulously designed: to win.įollow the Stars, and Flame of Olympus. Most of the time, of course, looking for an edge in a gaming machine is foolish at best and, Garish as hookers, some slot machines beckon with alluring names such as Go to the Green, The pickpockets are gambling machines: flashy, tarted-up devices guaranteed to separate suckers from their money. Officially this event is called the Global Gaming Expo, but it feels more like a pickpockets convention - albeit, one with beautiful women. Bikini-clad women toss T-shirts to attendees and silver-dipped beauties twist as if it were 1960. In the gargantuan room at the Las Vegas Convention Center is wall-to-wall slot machines, poker machines, gimmicky table games, video roulette and novel forms of blackjack.
