48 replies to this topic

[moneymad martian]

Heard this on the radio while half asleep this morning, and actually thought I had dreamt it. Apparently not...

Gamblers 'to be able to bet and win twice as much on slot machines' - Telegraph

I love the comment about fruit machine production being down. If the manufacturers do not realise that demand has slumped and takings are down due to them producing total piles of unplayable $&%#y nastyness, and think that increasing the JP will arrest the demise of the AWP, then the future is very bleak indeed.

[curlywill]

that will make things worse. a £35jp ms can go up to £140 well if it became a £70jp the gameplay would be worse because the streak potential would be higher

[todd1970]

Good..cos theres no effin way im playing a machine thats £1 a spin..dont even play the 50p a spin ones as it is..the 30p ones occasionaly and even at that i look for the change stake ones..10p/20p/30p.

Ill be sticking to the 5/10p ones ye get on holiday in amusement arcades and since ye usually go on holiday once a year thats the only time ill be playing fruitys by the looks of it.

[moneymad martian]

Another link;

Jackpots and stakes doubled as gaming industry given boost by ministers - Times Online

[todd1970]

Anyone think it may actually decrease the amount of gamblers..at £1 a spin your gonna get through £50-60 in less than 5 mins.

Oh aye...sounds like fun and 'great entertaiment' and 'value for money'.

[moneymad martian]

Anyone think it may actually decrease the amount of gamblers..at £1 a spin your gonna get through £50-60 in less than 5 mins.

Oh aye...sounds like fun and 'great entertaiment' and 'value for money'.

I think you have an excellent point there. Revenues have dropped 21% since June 2007 (the £35JP/50p stake came in January 07 if memory serves), so all the last increase did was scare casual punters away. So to increase them again, I believe revenues will drop yet further. There may be a slight bounce when it's all new and novel, exactly the same when the £35JP was introduced, but when reality hits and a casual punter gets mullered for £200 - £300 from one of these things, they aint going to come rushing back for seconds are they?

Also, in the midst of a global financial crisis where expendable money is waning, how shall we help our masses? Lets make them chase a bandit which could easily in less than an hour gobble their weekly wage. Astonishing rationale.

A frightening move, and a ridiculous u-turn by this ridiculous government.

Edited by moneymad martian, 05 January 2009 - 05:21 PM.
Spelling

[shaun2097]

im sorry but if i can play a machine thats £1 a go with a jackpot of £70, or pay the same £1 a go for a £500 jackpot (as in b3) then its a bit on a no brainer which my £1 is going into. id rather risk £20 on a £500 machine than a £70 jackers. i know the gameplay will be diffrent but thats it, or better still dont play any machines!

the only place it will make any dif is in the pubs as the £500 option is not there along side it as it wouldbe in most arcades.

[curlywill]

Anyone think it may actually decrease the amount of gamblers..at £1 a spin your gonna get through £50-60 in less than 5 mins.

thats what i was trying to say earlier. most people dont like 50p/£35jp so £1/£70 will despised. i see this move as one of desperation.

[Dougsta]

Just ridiculous. Reducing the value for money while increasing the cost of playing a fruity will help to drive revenues - what absolute nonsense. Everyone must have witnessed the dead spells that an unhappy £35 can take (£20 into a £35 DOND and no feature anyone?), imagine what a £70 will do to you...

This is probably a death knell for the AWP industry. Can't say I care anyway, as they seem to have forgotten how to make a decent fruity these days.

[Guitar]

Just ridiculous. Reducing the value for money while increasing the cost of playing a fruity will help to drive revenues - what absolute nonsense. Everyone must have witnessed the dead spells that an unhappy £35 can take (£20 into a £35 DOND and no feature anyone?), imagine what a £70 will do to you...

This is probably a death knell for the AWP industry. Can't say I care anyway, as they seem to have forgotten how to make a decent fruity these days.

Well the last hope is maybe around the corner. If they did the same to 10p, £5 we'd be back to 20p, £10. Which was awesome.

Then there would just be the gameplay to sort and there we go.

[Zoltar]

The manufacturers mentality has been wrong for years. They seem to believe that higher jackpots are what players need and want. When in truth, players simply want entertainment and fun when playing.

Players accept that you can't win the jackpot on each spin of the reels. But it's how the machine behaves in letting you know this. Obviously, winning is the ultimate goal, but I bet theres a massive percentage of players who wouldn't be as 'gutted' if whilst they lost their money, they got a bit of entertainment out of it.

Look at 2p pushers. I don't think theres anyone who believes they can actually win on the things, but most pushers these days, are fun to play. The odd toy or keyring, and those video types like the Bust A Move ones. People play em because they are fun. 2p play ones I reckon are very profitable for the arcade owners. But using the manufacturers mentality, are the 5p or 10p pushers played by as many people? Here is clear proof that bigger prizes/stakes don't pull in the players.

Unfortunately, fruit machines haven't really moved from their original 'fun to play' or 'AWP' beginnings. They are now true gambling machines simply hiding behind the 'fun to play' 'AWP' tag. Manufacturers need to go one way or the other. Their machines are either AWP's, which provide a bit of fun for your punt, or they are hardened gambling machines, capable of ruining peoples lives just like cards, horses and roulette ect...

[voodoomau5]

Was exited till I read the bit about not changing the cat D fruit machines at all. #@#@#@#s.

[todd1970]

The manufacturers mentality has been wrong for years. They seem to believe that higher jackpots are what players need and want. When in truth, players simply want entertainment and fun when playing.

Players accept that you can't win the jackpot on each spin of the reels. But it's how the machine behaves in letting you know this. Obviously, winning is the ultimate goal, but I bet theres a massive percentage of players who wouldn't be as 'gutted' if whilst they lost their money, they got a bit of entertainment out of it.

Exactly m8..spot on again look at most AWP's these days..pile of shite, tenner for a board only to kill you off on the 3rd or 4th spin.

[voodoomau5]

Bomb the government, bomb the royal family and start this f*****g country again from scratch without retards in charge.

[wayne123]

I agree a £1 a spin is just too daft for words,

I remember when my aunty who used to work in an arcade and i asked why they couldn't have club machines in there (at the time the j/p was £4.80), she said that club machines were gambling machines and AWP were gaming machines, at the cost of the price of play the roles have reversed now - should they put the club machines in pubs now??

[TheMachine]

Exactly m8..spot on again look at most AWP's these days..pile of shite, tenner for a board only to kill you off on the 3rd or 4th spin.

1st spin sometimes LOL

I look forward to the yearly week in rhyl with the family were i get to play propa machines, machines that give out the fun factor ok your never going win much but you can have hours of fun without giving the credit card a pasting. even winning tokens use to be great has it give you more play time round the arcade.

[moneymad martian]

The manufacturers mentality has been wrong for years. They seem to believe that higher jackpots are what players need and want. When in truth, players simply want entertainment and fun when playing.

Players accept that you can't win the jackpot on each spin of the reels. But it's how the machine behaves in letting you know this. Obviously, winning is the ultimate goal, but I bet theres a massive percentage of players who wouldn't be as 'gutted' if whilst they lost their money, they got a bit of entertainment out of it.

Look at 2p pushers. I don't think theres anyone who believes they can actually win on the things, but most pushers these days, are fun to play. The odd toy or keyring, and those video types like the Bust A Move ones. People play em because they are fun. 2p play ones I reckon are very profitable for the arcade owners. But using the manufacturers mentality, are the 5p or 10p pushers played by as many people? Here is clear proof that bigger prizes/stakes don't pull in the players.

Unfortunately, fruit machines haven't really moved from their original 'fun to play' or 'AWP' beginnings. They are now true gambling machines simply hiding behind the 'fun to play' 'AWP' tag. Manufacturers need to go one way or the other. Their machines are either AWP's, which provide a bit of fun for your punt, or they are hardened gambling machines, capable of ruining peoples lives just like cards, horses and roulette ect...

Absolutely spot on. Exactly the points I was trying to make. Excellent post.

The fact is, the Gambling Commission are likening AWP's to gambling on the National lottery. If the National lottery rollsover, the Jackpot goes up, and more people play, and that is true. However, people play the lottery knowing the odds are zillions to one, whereas AWP's have a published payout percentage, which is substantially more than what the lottery pays out. However, it is the chances of winning life changing money that attracts people to the lottery, and the logic of people gambling on that is totally different to why people play AWP's. So there in reality is absolutely no correlation between the two gambling methods. The other thing that never changes on the lottery as opposed to AWP's is that the stake stays static. A very important point, logic again which appears to be lost on the leaders of our country.

It appears manufacturers are playing the final "Hit or Miss", or "Do or Die" card, in an attempt to make money before the bubble bursts. The end of the AWP is nigh, am afraid to say. I cannot believe they are not heeding the warning of the last increase in stakes and JP's - they know that caused revenues to drop 21% in 2 years. Using a simple extrapolation, that means that in two years from now revenues will drop 42% from June 2007, according to the industries own figures. I do not subscribe to the smoking ban causing all the recent decline, I daresay it has had an effect, but not to a fifth of lost revenue.

The government is using a "Do or Die" technique also. It is fair to assume they know they will not win the next election, so therefore with this move they can attract a further £20m in VAT for the next year to fund one or two schemes which will be high profile and have a feel good factor in the run up to the election, to try win a few more votes. If it doesn't work, then it is no longer Labours' problem, the next government has to sweep up the mess that this policy has created.

Madness.

[CrAzYbAr]

What makes me wonder is who would vote for the higher stake and prize. Ultimately it will cost more to try and 'take on' a machine as it is, which will even make the players not interested. If they look here, anywhere...They will see all manner of people saying how stupid the idea is....Bringing the machines BACK instead of pressing on wopuld have been a much wiser choice. The £10, £15 Jackpots were well thought upon, people played them and had some good fun....So why, if the government are listening to the players, isn't THAT the new jackpot? I would like to see some evidence that they have listened otherwise the whole idea is going to get worse and worse on their and the owners' parts.
There is no way I will ever touch a £1/£70 machine. Bar a skill machine. I do have fun on Skillball bingo:)