Analysis
Interestingly enough, this poll kept almost the exact same percentage split throughout its duration, with just a 1% shift towards the winner in the latter stages. So, pretty conclusive evidence that there's a consistent one-third/two-third split between those who miss the excitement of the coins hitting the tray and are nostalgic for the plastic quarter buckets, when your winnings really felt like something, and those who were sick of blackened fingers and carting those buckets around.
The current writer is somewhat ambivalent: While the whole dirty-hands thing was nasty, I now seem to have cart around a bunch of quarters in the bottom of my purse, which used to be easily recyclable at a VP bar somewhere on the way home. Plus, while I never inadvertently walked out of the casino with a plastic bucket in my hand, I have been known to forget to cash a paper ticket and it's a pain to have to return to a casino where we might have been checking out something specific for the newsletter but otherwise had no intention of going back to anytime soon. At least I have yet to put a winning video poker/sports ticket through the washing machine, unlike a colleague, who shall remain nameless : ) Here's what some of you had to say:
- "With the new high speed video slots and the TITO addition, PLUS the penny and nickel slots that cost more than the old dollar slots, we need to bring more money on our visits to AC or Vegas."
- "I really hate the TITO machines. I go out of my way to find coin machines, not that there are many left. I love plunking in my quarters one at a time from a roll and carrying around the bucket of coins. And I miss the coin cart girls. Please bring them back!!"
- "This last trip I had my first hopper fill in what seems like forever. Keep the tickets. We don't need the coins, the wait for the coins, or waiting for the counting machines to count them. We also do not need to change in our bucket of coins if we want to change the denominations we play. If people want noise the casinos can pipe it in."
- "I voted in the poll but wanted to express more of my feelings. As a relative antiqueof 66, I definitely am nostalgic for the sound and feel of the actual coins and the little packets of wipes to clean our fingers; but I also enjoy using the TITO tickets to manage my play. When I reach a certain level of gain I print out my ticket andstart a new session, so it's just a matter of adapting to technology. Thanks for the 'ear'."
- "I won't play machines (downtown) that use coins. I have enough trouble staying healthy while in Vegas and when I return home. Between the airplane air, lack of sleep, poor and irregular eating, extreme climate change,and liquor, it's enough of a challenge to not to come down with something without having to handle germ-y, filthy coins. Besides, your hand, fingers, and even under your nails get SO GRIMEY and black.
- "I saw your two options and hard time voting because I miss the sound of the coins dropping but I hated to carry around a bucket of coins or wait for a slot attendant when the machines ran out of money. So basically I hate coins when I am playing but love them when everybody else is."
Oh, and keep up the great work on feedback to the
current poll -- we are LOVING some of your suggestions. This is going to be a HUGE answer that we'll almost certainly need to serialize -- just too much good stuff to waste! Here's the
email link again if you voted for "Other" and want to tell us what it is. (Remember, sending an email doesn't register as a vote -- you need to vote AND email us.) Thank you!
