Slot Machine Maker Unveils Cabinet That Only Ever Almost Pays
In trials, players stayed four times longer than on a machine that pays out. The company says the remaining obstacles are “mostly legal.”
LAS VEGAS. A slot machine manufacturer used an industry trade show on Tuesday to unveil a cabinet that produces a near miss on every spin, landing two jackpot symbols on the payline and the third just above it, and that has not, in three years of testing, paid out anything at all.
The machine, called Almost Royale, was built by Halvorsen Gaming Systems of Henderson, Nevada. It has one reel set and one sound effect, and the company’s documentation lists its return to player as “emotional.”
Our research told us the near miss was the most engaging moment on any machine. So we asked ourselves why we were wasting time on all the other moments.
In trials with 200 volunteers, players stayed on Almost Royale for an average of 47 minutes a session, against 12 minutes on a standard machine. Asked to describe the experience, 83 percent used the word “close.” Several asked staff whether the machine was due.
It was so close. It was so close every single time. That has to mean something.
Regulators in several jurisdictions have asked whether a machine that cannot pay is legally a slot machine. Halvorsen has proposed a compromise in which the third symbol lands on the payline once, during installation, while the regulators are watching.
