I've wondered in the past if a slot machine would be fun to have for home use.  I know it would get boring as there's no thrill.  Are there rules in Canada regarding what you can or can't have in home use?  If given the choice, the video kind with bonus games would be ideal as they're more interactive and the wife would have more fun with it.  Anyone looked into it and willing to share the info?

How can a slot machine ever be considered fun? I can understand someone getting addicted to one that actually pays out money, but fun it is not. There's no skill/challenge, so what's the point?

Quoted from jonny_eh

How can a slot machine ever be considered fun? I can understand someone getting addicted to one that actually pays out money, but fun it is not. There's no skill/challenge, so what's the point?

Aesthetics?

I am not a lawyer, this is not advice.     

Well I do sell them on occasion. I have a full size Square Top Bally Blazing 7's with working Progressive Jackpot Display that I am cleaning up and thinking of selling...

Other than bar top Cherry Masters, video slots are harder to get.  Your best bet being where you are located is to make a trip south to the US and bring one back.  Generally they only leave casinos when they are tired and old or technology changes, so the ones on the open market are usually at least 10 years old.  With the economy the way it is right now, there are deals to be had in the US for sure.

They are available from a few places in Canada, but rarer and the prices dearer. I believe that all old slots must go back to the US after their time is up, and therefore what we see are usually re-imports.

Popular right now are the mechanical reel slots that pay coins.  This is because newer slots are being made with coinless (ticket) options - the casinos see this as a lower cost outlay and people tend to play off their winnings more.  I personally find ticket machines a real snore, so the token/coin pay off is essential to me.  As are spinning reels (but that is perhaps a function of age and how little time I spend in a casino).

As to the legality.  I can't speak for Alberta. The keeping of slot and gaming devices by other than casinos in Canada for the purpose of gambling is a federal crime.  That being said it is NOT illegal to import them personally into Canada.  The law is considered somewhat archaic, likely an attempt to crack down on illegal gambling during times of depression when people turn to boozecans and basement clubs to drum up some income.  There are currently thousands of people in Canada with slot machines in their homes.  So although no one will officially condone it for you, a blind eye is generally turned to the home collector of slot machines and the sale of slot machines UNLESS there is a suspicion that they are actually being used for gambling (as big a no no as operating a grow-op).  You can doubly protect yourself by converting a machine to tokens or free play, and I would suspect that antique machines are even less suspect, but I would think it is practical to believe you are safe so long as your guests aren't carting off their "winnings".

The "interactivity" and "attraction" for slots is very personal and mostly based on getting a "win" (suddenly they become more interesting when you win).  I consider them a type of "zone out and zen" type of relaxing repetitive activity.  You can play them, clear your mind and essentially tune out the rest of your thoughts watching the pretty reels spin, until a win brings you back to earth and you get a little bit of a sense that the universe loves you again. (kidding).

One thing you will learn from owning a slot machine is just how lucky winners actually are.  Most slots pay out in the 80 - 95% of their take range, so you'd think you'd be winnning most of the time.  It used to be that way and older machines are like that.  Frequent smaller wins and longer play time.  But eventually after a half hour or so you wake up and realize that you have dimiinished your stake.  These days slot machine programming is set to hang on to their take longer and payout more "larger" wins.  A slot machine is essentially a random number generator, and in Ontario at least, every single spin theoretically has an equal chance of winning a jackpot (which isn't a very big chance).  So in theory you could walk up to a machine that has JUST paid out a jackpot, pull the arm, and win another jackpot.  It isn't that way in Japan and Great Britian though - they set their machines to pay out the odds over a set amount of time or take (so people get skilled at watching for machines that haven't paid off for a while and then jump on them knowing that their chance of winning is increased).

Hope this helps a little.

Quoted from jonny_eh

How can a slot machine ever be considered fun?

Man, you're going to be a barrel of fun once you turn 40 and things start breaking down and you really have something to complain about!     Sorry, couldn't resist!

This isn't for my own pleasure.  More for the wife.  I don't like slots at all but she enjoys them cuz she likes to play those bonus games.  I'll do some searching down south.  Not super high on my list but more of a curiousity for now.

Thanks.

wasn't someone on here selling a REAL VEGAS slot machine?

Quoted from websherpa

...

One thing you will learn from owning a slot machine is just how lucky winners actually are.  Most slots pay out in the 80 - 95% of their take range, so you'd think you'd be winnning most of the time.  It used to be that way and older machines are like that.  Frequent smaller wins and longer play time.  But eventually after a half hour or so you wake up and realize that you have dimiinished your stake.  These days slot machine programming is set to hang on to their take longer and payout more "larger" wins.  A slot machine is essentially a random number generator, and in Ontario at least, every single spin theoretically has an equal chance of winning a jackpot (which isn't a very big chance).  So in theory you could walk up to a machine that has JUST paid out a jackpot, pull the arm, and win another jackpot.  It isn't that way in Japan and Great Britian though - they set their machines to pay out the odds over a set amount of time or take (so people get skilled at watching for machines that haven't paid off for a while and then jump on them knowing that their chance of winning is increased).

Hope this helps a little.

Interesting

Quoted from websherpa

every single spin theoretically has an equal chance of winning a jackpot (which isn't a very big chance).  

I should qualify that a bit.  On each spin you have certain odds to win any particular combination prize.  This used to be done by putting more symbols on some reels than others, and by further weighting the reels so that "near jackpot misses" occur more frequently to make people think they "just missed winning".  These ddays they do it all via computer, but there is still some that say the "near miss" is alive and well.  We know for certain that it is employed in Japanese Pachislos.  IN UK Fruit Machines they do all sorts of things to mess up the player (like the ubiquotous Hi / Lo gamble).

The odds of winning a jackpot (or any other combination) are supposed to remain the same on any spin.  That is if the odds of spinning a jackpot are 1,000,000 to 1, then each time you spin you could win a jackpot, but the chance of winning two in a row would be very low (but in theory they can't stop you from doing it).

When all is said and done, over a great number of spins, the overall payout should be a certain percentage. But unlike in the US, in Ontario, the government (who has a monopoly on gambling) won't even tell us what the actual payout percentage is set to on their slots.  Apparently it's a government secret. http://www.ipc.on.ca/english/D.....Default.aspx?id=4468

Overall, the casinos are supposed to payout 85% or more of their take on all games.

According to another critic, the average slot machine costs around $8000, but earns maybe $115,000 in a year.

Yes, I was selling a Real one a few months ago.....   I sold it to Websherpa....  It's a really nice (and fun machine - Blazzing 777's with progressive).

Here's my take after owning two in the past.

I had a semi mechanical one from the 70-80's, and a recent one from 1998 (i.e. Blazzing 777's)

Basically, they are a lot of fun... My son use to love playing it to hear the sounds and hope that he won.... (still not sure how I felt about a 6 year old enjoying the slots?????   Perhaps a scar I can pay a therapist to help with in the future??

I enjoyed it because at that time it worked on cash.... so it was the most expensive piggy bank I ever owned... but, over 4+ months I saved about $500 just playing my extra quarters (well, ok I'd go out of my way to may change divisible by 25 cents...)

The bummer was when I had a few friends over..... Boy was I worried that THEY would hit the JACKPOT...... no one did, and at the end of the night I gave everyone their money back.....   I would have been pissed if someone won, and expected to take $700 in my quarters!!!

Finally, the reason I sold them was because I had heard a report on the radio, that a group of people in Aurora got busted playing in an illegal card game..... They searched their houses and found some Slot Machines in their games rooms..... They all got BUSTED for the Slots.....

So I thought "What if I had a fire or other emergency where cops came?????  I could very easily get busted too.....".... so I figured the risk was not worth the cost and sold them both....

Then I bough a TOMMY pinball machine with some of the earnings (Plus my new $500 piggy bank savings) and POWIE..... I'm in heaven.

Basically there is risk, but it's your call if the fun outweighs the risk.



Anyway, the proplem then lies with

Terence,

I would be interested in reading the story of that bust.

I thought the "bust" you originally referred to was a slot machine vendor who sold machines to some businesses (asian businesses?? ) that were actually using them for gambling.  They traced the sale back and busted the dealer at their home (who was selling them illegally from his home for the purposes of illegal gambling).  Seems that story was on the news about the time you reported the story to me but I can't seem to drum up the reference again.  

However I again believe the issue is the "use" of the machine, not necessarily its ownership.  You can own a pack of cards legally, but if you use them for gambling, then you can be busted.  Your mileage may vary, and discretion is always the better part of valour. Slot machines are not a prohibited item on Canada Custom's list, so they can be imported legally for personal entertainment use and many are.

For those interested here's the relevant section of the Criminal Code:

Quoted Text

Betting, pool-selling, book-making, etc.

202. (1) Every one commits an offence who

(a) uses or knowingly allows a place under his control to be used for the purpose of recording or registering bets or selling a pool;

(b) imports, makes, buys, sells, rents, leases, hires or keeps, exhibits, employs or knowingly allows to be kept, exhibited or employed in any place under his control any device or apparatus for the purpose of recording or registering bets or selling a pool, or any machine or device for gambling or betting;

So you can see that it is all a matter of interpretation. It's clear that you can not own or use slot machines for gambling.  It's not so clear whether you can use them as large piggy banks.  

There is a definite risk that if you unwittingly sold a working slot machine to someone who in turn used it for gambling (rather than for decoration), then you may be swept up in the dragnet.... so Terence, you're not off the hook yet...  

Point taken Websherpa..... But if you recall i specifically said that "the machine was for home recreation only and you can't use it to gamble"..... Heheheheheh  

Oh yeah, I video taped us just in case.... Hehehehehe

Just joking, I didn't record the sale.

I love the machine, just didn't want to rely on interpretation... with my luck, I would have interpreted wrong.....

thanks