Q:
I've noticed that most of the casinos are doing away with coin slots and going with paper tickets. Where can we find the casinos that still allow you to drop in nickels or quarters and receive coins instead of the tickets? I miss the noise of the casino that the slots used to give, as well as collecting the various dollar coins.
A:
Although the TITO revolution (that's TITO as in "ticket in, ticket out" slot machines, not the late Yugoslavian dictator) was welcomed by many as an alternative to lugging around heavy buckets of dirty coins, you're certainly not alone in your quest: One of the most frequently submitted queries to the Question of the Day mailbox concerns where you can still play traditional coin-in machines.
Of course, it's the coin-out bit that people miss the most — that exciting clatter of metal cascdading onto metal that signals to you and everyone around you that you've hit the jackpot. The simulated versions you get with the new system just aren't the same. TITO is definitely more convenient, provided you remember to cash your winning ticket before you lose it or go home (where it might expire), but if you're yearning for the down-and-dirty bucket experience of yesteryear, here are some places where you can still find traditional coin-in slots, together with their denominations and where specifically we were told they're located on the casino floor:
- Bellagio — $5/$10-denomination machines, next to the guest elevators
- Binions — half the casino still has coin-in machines (they estimate upwards of 400 units, in various denominations throughout)
- California — 25¢ and up, throughout the casino
- Circus Circus — $1, by the race and sports book
- El Cortez — 25¢ and up, throughout the casino
- Eldorado — 25¢ and up, in the middle of the casino floor
- Ellis Island — 25¢ and up, throughout the casino
- Excalibur — 18-20 $1 machines, by the lounge
- Fremont — 5¢ and up, throughout the casino
- Gold Spike — 5¢ and up, throughout the casino
- Golden Gate — 5¢/25¢/$1, throughout the casino
- Golden Nugget — a $1 machine that accepts coins but pays out tickets
- Greek Isles — all machines are coin-in
- Jokers Wild — 5¢ and up throughout the casino
- Las Vegas Hilton — $1, by SpaceQuest Bar
- Luxor — one $1 Big Bertha machine in each corner of the casino
- Main Street Station — 25¢, in sections 1 & 2
- Mandalay Bay — $1/$2 Big Bertha machines, throughout the casino
- MGM Grand — 25¢ and up, by the Lion Habitat in Area A
- Nevada Palace — 25¢ and up, throughout the casino
- New Frontier — 5¢ and up, throughout the casino
- New York-New York — 22 25¢/$1 Big Bertha Machines, by the shop area
- Railroad Pass — 5¢/25¢/$1, by the cashier's cage and the bar
- Rampart — 1¢/5¢, throughout the casino
- Riviera — 25¢/$1, by the lounge
- Sahara — 25¢ and up, by the poker room and throughout the casino
- Sam's Town — 5¢/25¢/$1, scattered throughout the 1st floor and section 2 on the 2nd floor
- Slots-A-Fun — 5¢ and up (almost all the machines are coin-in)
- Speedway — 5¢ and up, in the middle of the casino
- Tropicana — 25¢ and up, throughout the casino
- Vegas Club — 5¢ and up, North Tower
- Venetian — 5¢/25¢/$1, throughout the casino
Update 16 November 2006
Thanks to readers who wrote in to inform us that the Silverton also has a couple of banks of coin-in video poker (5¢ and 25¢) and slot ($1 and $5) machines. We understand they're located near the center aisle leading to the buffet (close to the slot attendant station).
UPDATE 4/28/2008: Both Nevada Palace and the New Frontier have closed and been demolished.
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