November 10, 2022 12:47 Worst Quarter in Gaming History -- for Players:

In the main news section today.  Big shock, right?

I may be agreeing with Kevin soon, time to give up on Vegas.  My comps are getting worse even at the best places and I'm playing just as much as I used to.  Just not as much as the sheep flocking in there to play higher denominations and just pitching their money.  I may as well just play poker locally.  I can win at that.  

I had an OK trip too this last week which will only cost me dearly I bet in comps in 2023.  I usually go about 5x a year.  

You must have read the same article I saw in the business section today:  "U.S. Casinos closing in on best year ever. 

"Out of 33 states in which gambling was operational a year ago, 16 reported quarterly highs in overall gambling revenue, including five of the six largest markets: Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, New York, and Pennsylvania."  

and "Land based slots and table games generated a record $12.27 billion in the quarter, up 1.8% from the same period a year ago."

Hope they are doing something useful with my money!

Candy

Pretty much, people who care about the price/value of their fun are dinosaurs now. And I've read that Vegas's current clientele are younger than ever. So Vegas doesn't care about us--they want to milk the party-hearty millennials.

What I'd like to know is if other casinos in other gaming jurisdictions give you a better deal and value your play more than the Vegas gouge joints do. A lot of the casinos in the Midwest are out in the middle of nowhere, and you have absolutely no reason to visit Shit Falls or Skeleton Gulch other than to go to those casinos. Do they offer better incentives, and are the games at least halfway decent? VPFree2 reports on VP machines in those casinos, but unfortunately, a lot of their info is stale and inaccurate. And the question of what kind of comps and bounceback you get isn't available anywhere, as far as I know.

I'd like to go on a gambling vacay to one of those markets--Shreveport, Biloxi, Florida, Pennsylvania, etc. Maybe it wouldn't be the gougefest it is in Vegas.

Kevin, not sure the gambling is much better at the non-vegas casino’s. Recently went to Deadwood for a long weekend and only seen 1 person get a handpay. Stopped at many of the casino’s in town typical jackpots and bonus’s on bets of $2-3 per spin were ranging from $10 to $25 hits (for lack of a better name)!

i think most gamblers just want a reasonable gamble with a fair chance. Seems to be getting tougher and tougher!

I was there once, long ago, and I remember the VP being terrible--back when it was pretty good almost everywhere. About ten years later, I read an article about an AP couple who had figured out a way to soak a good promo on those otherwise terrible machines. I doubt that such plays are possible now, given the <97% returns.

There are so many gambling jurisdictions, and the talent is spread so thin nationwide, that there are probably little pockets of good plays all over. But the only way to find out about them now is to go there and scout--everybody's learned what happens when you mention such plays on an internet message board.

We used to go out to the local casino here in Indiana, but over the last 1-2 years they've probably removed half their VP machines. Many of the ones left are always out of order. Table games are $15 minimum (in Shelbyville, Indiana? Serously?) even weekday mornings. The last couple times I've gone in the place scouting vulterable slots, dealers are mostly standing on dead tables. 

The slot machines are busy, though.....

Is it even worth it to scout banking/bonus slots these days? It's like a giant flock of vultures fighting over one dead mouse.

Kevin, you are a killer!  I am LMAO over the vultures/mouse vision. 

Candy