Slot machines are the most profitable game available in any casino, so there’s an inherent incentive for gaming establishments to make them as alluring as possible. Casinos amp up the sex appeal in five ways:

Variety: Players love to move from game to game with hopes that they will be better at one over the other. It doesn’t matter that the rules of each slot machine are essentially the same. In 90 percent of all slot machines, players have to match up three consecutive matching icons for a small win and exponentially increased prizes for every match after that.

But the overwhelming majority of the slots players don’t recognize this. If the “Triple Bonus” slot machine “isn’t working,” a run of success on the “Magic Jackpots” machine can turn the player into a strategical genius.

Same-game theory: Players might decide to lock onto a particular game but fall into the belief that one machine might be luckier than another or another machine is due for a hot streak. This produces an atmosphere where the player jumps from machine to machine and is the reason casinos will often lump the same games next to one another.

Name recognition: If a slot can be linked to pop culture, the better chance it has at receiving traffic. There are slots themed off movies such as “Austin Powers” and “King Kong,” and TV shows such as “The Sopranos” and “Knight Rider” among others. It doesn’t take long for the casinos to try to take advantage of a hit, provided it can clear the licensing issues.
Denomination: A lot of slots players are intimidated by the dollar-values associated with them. A $1-$5 per pull game might be too intimidating. This is why casinos are flooded with cheapo slots that operate in values of 1 cent, 5 cents, 25 cents and 50 cents.

There’s a catch to these bargain-basement slots, though: They tempt players to wager on multiple lines and give the option for multiple bets. Before you know it, a single spin can start costing the player $5 on a quarter machine.

Moving parts: The most popular slot machines of all time are based on the game show “Wheel of Fortune.” The game continues to be the most popular game in casinos 10 years after its debut, mainly due to a feature where players can unlock a bonus spin on a mini-sized wheel for some potentially big cash. Bonus games can yield big business.

Chuck Blount | 210SA contributor