As other posters mentioned, one reason that bonusing slots got
pulled from casinos is that they generated friction; there were
always a bunch of lowlifes hanging around waiting to leap on
positive machines that had been abandoned (after a discreet
interval, of course, say, one nanosecond). This caused fights that
you wouldn't believe. When the Bellagio opened, it had gobs and gobs
of bonusing slots. The base paybacks were dismal--probably the worst
offered by the manufacturer--but still profitable for the advantage
player. Within 48 hours of its opening, the Bellagio acquired a
PERMANENT cadre of "bonus lurkers" or to use our term, "dirtbags".
By "permanent", I mean 24/7. They hovered over machines that looked
like they might be abandoned, they stood there in the adjacent
aisles chain-smoking, waiting for something good to happen; they
worked in shifts and NEVER left their posts unless relieved by
another dirtbag. Oh, and here's where I get all the PC police to wet
their panties: every one of these dirtbags was Chinese/Vietnamese.
In fact, they looked and dressed enough alike that they all could
have come from the same extended family, or village at any rate.
They were the target of several barrings when they got into shoving
matches with patrons, etc. Once I saw one of them knock an old lady
down in his haste to get to a loaded Cherry Pie machine (EV=approx
$9). However, losing half a dozen of their number didn't slow them
down; the barred ones just went over to MGM, and later Paris, and
haunted the machines there. They were there for over a year, and I
wonder--did someone pick up the phone and call ALL the folks back
home in Phan Duk Lao, and then charter a plane for them to come out
here? Where did this bunch come from???
Anyway, until they came to recognize me, I had great fun playing a
machine until the bonus was about to hit, and then I'd make sure the
credit meter was down to zero. Then I'd make a big show of peeking
into my wallet, then searching my pockets, etc. finally standing up
with a rueful look on my face, the vulture assigned to my machine
would swoop in, and THEN-! I'd find one last quarter in the depths
of my pockets, and slo-o-o-wly, hopefully, sit back down, insert the
quarter, and press the button... If I was REALLY lucky, I'd hit the
bonus on this "last" quarter, and the vulture would turn purple,
steam would come out of his ears, and his head would start spinning
around, making popping noises like those Fourth of July pinwheels.
If not, I'd go through the whole charade one more time, and finally
give the vulture a pitying look as I fed another twenty into the
bill acceptor. What fun!
The bonusing slot vultures of Bellagio
rockofjello333 wrote:
Oh, and here's where I get all the PC police to wet their panties:
every one of these dirtbags was Chinese/Vietnamese.
That's one fact I skirted over but it's a fair observation. I can't
go as far as to say "every one" but I'll say damn near every one I
observe is Asian.
And while you can't fault ambitiousness, I'll stand by the "dirtbag"
label in this context. Their aggressive behavior was at the cost of
other players without fail and put them at the bottom of the chain of
"casino fleas".
Anyway, until they came to recognize me, I had great fun playing a
machine until the bonus was about to hit, and then I'd make sure the
credit meter was down to zero. Then I'd make a big show of peeking
into my wallet, then searching my pockets, etc. finally standing up
with a rueful look on my face, the vulture assigned to my machine
would swoop in, and THEN-! I'd find one last quarter in the depths
of my pockets, and slo-o-o-wly, hopefully, sit back down, insert the
quarter, and press the button... If I was REALLY lucky, I'd hit the
bonus on this "last" quarter, and the vulture would turn purple,
steam would come out of his ears, and his head would start spinning
around, making popping noises like those Fourth of July pinwheels.
If not, I'd go through the whole charade one more time, and finally
give the vulture a pitying look as I fed another twenty into the
bill acceptor. What fun!
I might come to admire you yet 
- H.