Slot Machine Changes on HAL Ships......

[sail7seas]

Seeing as I haven't posted my review of Eurodam yet, which will be highly favorable as we had a great time, I hesitate to start with negative posting but this really bothered us, so here goes.......

 

We are not big gamblers but do enjoy playing slots a little while on cruises. We like to roam in, play a little, go have an after dinner drink etc We all form habits and patterns after we cruise enough. :)

 

We went tinto Eurodam's casino only to find the new system which requires you program your room keycard into the machine, pick a pin number and play cashless.

 

I never expect to get very rich or very poor in a casino. I play for fun and entertainment. The fun of a slot machine is to hear the coins and the bells and whistles if you happen to win a bit.

 

There is no jingle of coins and it has turned into simply a system of losing money and leaving. Where's the fun?

 

I'm not the most techno able but I'm not stupid either and I had to have help getting my money transferred onto my card when I wanted to change machines and then figure out how to use that money in the next machine.

 

I don't want to have to bother with programming computers if all I want to do is play a quarter slot machine!

 

In 14 days, we went to the Casino twice and then it was a nuisance I had to return to the cashier's window the last night to have them give me the cash that remained on my card.

 

I thanked the cashier and the floor casino people for saving us money. We certainly would have played more and lost more if we could have had fun doing it.

 

This new system stinks! IMO

 

(AND, who wants them having computer tracking of every bit you spend in the casino, how long you are there, which machines you play, how often you come....... None of their business to have that sort of record.)

 

We were absolutely not the only ones who dislike this system and refused to play.

 

(I was told it is coming or is already on all HAL ships. We're done with slots if that is the case..... not that they'll get poor by us not playing but multiply it by how many of us who may agree.)

[bellebaby]

The new cashless system was in place on the Westerdam last May. We are not gamblers, but like to play the quarter slots for entertainment.

 

I agree with you. We did not like the new system. It's not a big loss for us or HAL, we don't play very often.

 

BTW, the cashless system was installed at the casino we visited in New Mexico over the holidays.... must be the latest thing.

 

 

B

[jtl513]

My DW didn't like it either. (I don't play slots or anything else in the casino.) I had to help her through the procedures at first.

 

I'm sure that there will a lot of resistance from all of US :D who often don't like changes to what we're used to! Eventually we'll all get used to it, and the casino profits will be higher because of eliminating the costs of producing and handling the coins or tokens.

 

I'll bet there are less maintenance costs for the machines too, without the mechanical pay-outs. :cool:

[sail7seas]

Speaking just for myself........ No, I will not play with this new system. There is no 'fun' left to it. I don't play to get rich. I don't gamble enough to get rich but still if you multiply the sum we USED to play each cruise by how many cruises we take each year..... it accounts for some set amount of dollars.

 

We are not the only ones who simply did not have fun playing anymore so we're done with HAL slots. It isn't resistance to change.......... it's that the change took away the fun. I gave it a try and it failed to please.

 

 

Of course, one of my favorite parts was when one of the casino people said to me, "You'll just have to get used to it".

No..... I don't have to get used to it. I don't have to play.

 

 

[navybankerteacher]

I share your feelings. We were on Zuiderdam's January 18 Panama Canal sailing - and were disappointed to find the new system in place. We small time players like the emotional payoff which comes with hearing the "coins" (tokens are bad enough, but at least they clanged and clunked as they fell into the hopper). We are annoyed by the nusiance of having to punch in numbers every time you wanted to switch to a different machine (you know - the one right next to the one which quietly swallowed your bets, which is now sure to pay off because the funny looking guy has just given up on it).

 

Yes - it is too much like work to be worth doing -even though it might slightly reduce the chances of contagion by not having to touch tokens usedby someone else. There now is very little reason to play those sucker machines.

[Krazy Kruizers]

When we got on the Westerdam in April 2008 -- the new system was already in place.

Once I started to check out and read the instruction cards -- and saw that no one was getting any money back -- no jingle, jingle of the coins -- I knew that I wouldn't spend a nickel in the casino. I like to play the nickel machines -- but do no like the new computer junk that is there.

Naturally I checked the Eurodam and figured that the new system would be on her -- and I was right. Thus didn't spend a nickel on that ship.

It was the same way on the Noordam. Boy am I saving my nickels!! :D

[leoandhugh]

The same cashless system for slots is being used on the Princess ships also. And, yes, they can and do keep track of your play - which machines, how long, how much won or lost. This is the future folks; some of our casinos here in SanDiego county are changing over to this no more bells or whistles.:(

[mamaofami]

I don't spend much time in the casino at all, but on the three day inaugural of the Eurodam out of New York, I tried out the new system. Seems the person checking us on to the ship had put in DH's birthday incorrectly on his key card. I was using his card and it took a long time to get someone to help. Finally, they figured out what the problem was. Now, it's possible that I made the mistake when filling out our pre boarding info, but the bottom line was that by the time the situation was corrected, I no longer cared to play.

[hammybee]

Welcome Home, Sail,

 

I do not gamble and therefore did not realize that a part of the fun was the noise of the coins.

 

I found this article, now 12 years old, about the introduction of cashless slot machines. Sounds like it's all about the costs and risks of operating with cash.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/07/business/business-technology-printouts-cashless-slot-machines-are-tested-in-nevada.html

 

I have read that the majority of slot machines is Las Vegas have or will convert to a cashless state. Perhaps someone more familiar than I , with LV, knows, for sure.

[lilrainy]

I have used the slot machines that don't give out cash, pretty common these days in vegas and altantic city, I have never used a machine that you can't put cash into, do these machines not accept cash or they just don't refund you in cash?

loraine

[jtl513]

I have used the slot machines that don't give out cash, pretty common these days in vegas and altantic city, I have never used a machine that you can't put cash into, do these machines not accept cash or they just don't refund you in cash?

loraine

Yes, you can put cash in to start or to increase your balance. If they didn't allow that my DW would never have even tried one!! :)

[cp556]

I agree that the fun's decreased when you don't hear the coins tumbling out of the machine when you win! The other side of the coin is that my manicures stay unchipped longer since I'm not handling the change...

 

I guess the one thing I dislike most about the new card slot system is that I have to remember to put the machine's balance back onto the card before changing machines.

 

On our last Westerdam cruise, I saw the slot attendants carefully watching the machines to make sure people did that before they left a machine. (Once, I returned to the casino and a host asked me if I'd been playing a certain machine earlier. I said yes, and he said I'd left $14 on it ... he had noticed and stored the $$ in the machine somehow, and then retrieved it for me. I was grateful and it helped me remember to keep my eyes open...)

[sail7seas]

I guess the one thing I dislike most about the new card slot system is that I have to remember to put the machine's balance back onto the card before changing machines.

 

 

That's part of my point. Playing slots should be mindless. Who wants to 'have to remember' to load their money onto the card?

 

I also do not like them tracking every detail of a guest's play.

 

I understand other casinos have converted to this system.

Great.

I never cared enough about gambling to have to get used to it.

I'll just skip it. ;)

Saving lots of quarters.

[rocks]

I don't mind giving up the jingle of dirty token/quarters as it is MUCH cleaner. With the virus that happen on a ship & the extra hard work to get rid of it, I certainly don't mind the new system! The machines still make noises when you win; just don't have to deal with the dirty tokens/money. You can put dollar bills in them; don't have to charge you on-board acct.

I just have to remember to take my card out before going back to my cabin-2X's I headed back to the cabin when I realized I forgot my key in the machine! :o

rocks

[RedmondCruiser]

I for one like the new system. Casinos are eliminating coin because it is more labor intensive and it saves quite a bit on money. Once you understand the new system it is very easy to use. You don't have to cash out each time you go to the casino, the money stays on your card and if you have any money left on your card the day before disembarking they call you to tell you to cash in before you leave.

[cp556]

I just have to remember to take my card out before going back to my cabin-2X's I headed back to the cabin when I realized I forgot my key in the machine! :o

rocks

 

The casino cashier had a supply of lanyards with the squiggly plastic cord ... they punched a corner of the key card and attached the lanyard. It worked very well for me ... I clipped one end to the strap of my purse, so if I went to leave a machine without removing the card, the lanyard tugged at me.

 

Might not work so well for men without purses, though ... lol ...

[Two@Sea]

I enjoy playing the slot machines. I adapted to the ones in Vegas that don't pay out in coins anymore (money is kinda dirty, folks!) but at least they print out a slip with your winnings, which you can then insert into the next machine (navybankerteacher, you made me chuckle!) or take to a cashier.

 

I agree with Sail... I do NOT want my playing habits tracked, by ANYONE!

 

We're on the Westerdam tomorrow, and I don't think I will mention this to DH until we're out to sea. I don't want him to be cranky before we leave!

[meterman2]

This system was in place on the Zuiderdam last November. Actually, coinless slots are the norm in most major casinos in the U.S. , although in other casinos, they "print out" tickets with your balance (then you redeem them at a kiosk or cashiers cage). You can put cash in the machine but the machine will not dispense cash.

 

I kinda miss the "clanging" too, although I don't miss waiting long periods for the "coin hopper" to be refilled. Also, I don't miss the dirtiness of handling the coins. We didn't play as much on the Zuiderdam. The main reason was the abundance of so-called "penny machines" which have lousy payouts (compared to what you put in) and the lousy pay structure on video poker.

 

It is what it is. I don't expect to find "loose" slots on a cruise, but it appears to me that they have "tighten" it up moreso than in the past.

 

Your best bet in any casino is to play blackjack or craps. After that, other card games, then roulette. Slots are after roulette.

 

Blackjack and craps (if played correctly) can be played with the "house" assuming only a 2% advantage. Slots at LV strip casinos will assume an 10% advantage (quarters) and a 8% advantage (dollars). Cruise casinos are much tighter.

 

I recommend (if you want to gamble some) reading up on a table game and give it a try. I believe they offer lessons on board too. :cool:

[MadManOfBethesda]

I found this article, now 12 years old, about the introduction of cashless slot machines. Sounds like it's all about the costs and risks of operating with cash.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/07/business/business-technology-printouts-cashless-slot-machines-are-tested-in-nevada.html

 

I have read that the majority of slot machines is Las Vegas have or will convert to a cashless state. Perhaps someone more familiar than I , with LV, knows, for sure.

 

Actually, that article was 22 years old, not 12!

 

I've been going to L.V. once or twice a year for the last 30 years and can't remember the last time that I played a slot machine that was coin in/coin out.

 

Ironically, unlike the OP's complaint, on my last cruise on the Ryndam in January, the slot machines did pay off using coins (tokens, actually). I hated the old-school process of having to get a bucket and carry the tokens to the cashier cage in order to get paid. I much prefer the new cashless process.

[jhannah]

Yep, 'Vegas has been coinless for many years. It's very hard to find a machine any more that takes coins. Coins were eliminated, as noted, due to the high labor involved in gathering/stocking coins in thousands of machines. They did program many of the machines to play a coins-droping sound effect ... but I must say it's not the same.

 

Money is dirty, that's for sure. Serious players in 'Vegas wore gloves to keep their hands clean. Just looking at their gloves showed how filthy coins are. Even the handi-wipes casinos supplied failed to remove all the residue from the fingers of someone who had played any length of time.

 

If HAL would install the "receipt" machines, that would be nice. No having to remember to put the amount back on your card. Just press the cash out button and get the slip that can be put in another machine or taken to the cage for cash.

[Two@Sea]

jhannah ~ as per usual, I agree with you!

[mafig]

I Love the new system!

Who wants a bucket full of coins.:confused:

 

[jtl513]

Who wants a bucket full of coins.

I'd be happy to accept any you don't want! :D

[serendipity1499]

My DW didn't like it either. (I don't play slots or anything else in the casino.) I had to help her through the procedures at first.

 

I'm sure that there will a lot of resistance from all of US :D who often don't like changes to what we're used to! Eventually we'll all get used to it, and the casino profits will be higher because of eliminating the costs of producing and handling the coins or tokens.

 

I'll bet there are less maintenance costs for the machines too, without the mechanical pay-outs.

 

The new system is dreadful as far as I'm concerned! :( Don't believe I'll ever get used to it..So guess I'm now an old reactionary... I'm completely with Sail Seven Seas on this, & also agree it's not any ones business how much or how little I put into the slots!:mad:

 

Like many others on this board I play only a small amount each night, but enjoyed playing for a half hour or so after the late show (10:15 to 11:00)..Only play the Nickle or Quarter slots exclusively..When I put a ten dollar bill into a machine, have always cashed out immediately in order to keep feeding the Coins into it...Always enjoyed hearing the coins dropping into the well below!;)

 

I too like the bells & whistles & that's probably the only reason I play the slots, as hardly ever win..(only once $90 & shared with my Friend when we each put in $5.00) DH will very very rarely gamble & then will only put a couple of dollars into the Nickle slots..

 

It seems to me, that I read someplace that one casino (don't remember which one or where) decided to go back to the coin operated slots, because they lost a lot of the small money gamblers..:confused::confused:

 

JMO...Betty

[luvcruisn']

We have a casino in Richmond, about 20 min. away from where I live in Vancouver. It has had the cash in/ticket receipt out system ever since it opened. This is the system I got used to, although I don't gamble very much. If you become a member, you get a key card with a rope attached to it; it does keep track of which machines you used to give you points for playing. I like the system as I am used to it. It does make it simpler though, to get the ticket receipt out of the machine when you're done. I can see where it might be difficult if the money goes back onto your room card instead.