Casinos Score Big With 1¢ Slots

(NEWSER) - Casinos are making big bank off the tiniest—and oft-most derided—denomination, USA Today reports. Gambling outfits have added penny slots at an amazing rate—in the last 2 years, Nevada has removed 12,000 more costly machines to make room for 7,000 penny slots—and the move has paid off. In Missouri, for example, penny bets make up 42% of the total and a whopping 63% of casino profits. More»

Slot machine was faulty, Colorado casino insists

(NEWSER) - A customer at a Colorado casino was offered a free breakfast and $23 in lieu of the $42.9 million jackpot she won at a penny slot machine. Gaming authorities and officials at Fortune Valley Casino say the machine malfunctioned and that its top payout is only $251,000, but winner Louise Chavez says she's owed the full amount named on the machine. More»

Planned mini-Vegases stall in financial crisis

(NEWSER) - Gambling has played a major role in Russian life since 1989, with high-rolling casinos—more than 30 in Moscow alone—echoing the cowboy capitalism of the post-Soviet years. But July 1, Russia is shutting down all gaming and slot machine halls, confining gambling to four Vegas-style zones across the country. Trouble is, as the Independent reports, the financial crisis has dried up investment, so none of the four is anywhere near completion. More»

Casinos make play for the young and active

(NEWSER) - After years of catering to the little old lady crowd, slot machine manufacturers are reaching out to the video game generation with a line of skill-based games, the New York Times reports. “We need to appeal to new buckets of players, or we’ll die,” said one slot exec. New machines will sport joysticks, multiplayer modes, and advanced graphics. More»

Mardi Gras promotion at Gulfstream Casino aims to put big butts in the seats

(NEWSER) - It's Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, and the Gulfstream Park and Racing Casino in Florida is celebrating—what else?—fat people. In a promotion that's sure to make Michelle Obama cringe, the casino is offering players 10 cents in free slot machine credits for every pound they weigh. The casino will even have Krispy Kreme donuts on hand in case patrons want to bulk up a bit before their weigh-in, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. More»