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Question of the Day - 15 September 2025

Q:

I once heard that Nevada gaming rules said that the theme and illustrations on a slot machine could not be such that they appealed to children, like there couldn't be a Mickey Mouse slot machine. Was this ever true and if so, has that rule been rescinded? Because I see a lot of cartoon characters on slots? Have any proposed themes for slots ever been vetoed because they seemed attractive to minors?

A:

We can remember one case right off the top of our heads.

Sometime in the early 2000s, a Three Little Pigs slot game was submitted for regulatory approval. A majority of the commissioners took umbrage with the theme, due to its connection with the famous children’s story. The game was voted down.

That said, there's no formal rule (which would be difficult to codify) regarding "slots for tots," as they’ve been called. And even though Mickey Mouse has passed into the public domain, you can be sure the Disney corporation would raise holy heck if a Mickey-themed slot were ever proposed. The negative PR for the slot maker would be far costlier than the game was worth.

Nevada gambling regulators have taken no hard-and-fast position on slots for tots, nor has any formal rule been proposed (to our knowledge) in the past quarter of a century. Indeed, the Three Little Pigs affair was so stormy that Silver State regulators haven’t challenged a slot theme since, as best we can recall. Unfortunately, the doings of the Gaming Control Board and Gaming Commission have largely been relegated to hand-me-down oral history, so we can’t make a definitive pronouncement.

But your eyesight is keen and your observation is correct. Comic-strip characters have proliferated on slot machines in recent years. However, due to the subjective nature of what constitutes a children’s theme (and the congenital timidity of Nevada regulators), it remains very much in the eye of the beholders.

 

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Comments

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  • O2bnVegas Sep-15-2025
    They are out there
    There's some.  I can't exactly recall 'cause I don't play them much but have thought "Isn't that cute" etc.  One revolves around 'choo choo' trains.  Another, I'm recalling cute piggies building houses or something.
    
    But those probably pale comparison with the video games out there that are legal for the crumb-snatchers to play.  Kids aren't allowed in casinos anyway, so what's the worry?
    
    Candy

  • Edso Sep-15-2025
    Blondie
    In the early 2000's there was the Blondie slot, with the characters from the old comic strip.  I remember playing them downtown, at Binions, I believe. 

  • Vegas Fan Sep-15-2025
    Huff n puff machines
    I'm guessing that's why the 3 little pigs story has been changed to Huff n puff machines. Very addictive-what medicines aren't? The pigs construction company is called"the bacon brothers" -wonder if they paid anything to Kevin Bacon's band? 

  • Vegas Fan Sep-15-2025
    Medicines
    Should read machines, of course. 

  • Esloth Sep-15-2025
    Adult themes
    My question is why don't we have adult themed slots? It seems like Thunder from Down Under and Crazy Girls would be more  attractive then water dragons. I can only dream of the bonus rounds. 

  • churchiec Sep-15-2025
    AGE RESTRICTIONS 
    What does it matter if they appeal to them ? They are not allowed to play them 

  • Kevin Lewis Sep-15-2025
    What about...
    ...all those arcade games in casinos that award prizes and are essentially training games for kids to learn how to play slot machines?
    
    Not to worry, though. Our little nippers are probably inured to this sort of thing. "Why were you so late, Mommy"? 'I was trying to win back your college fund, sweetie."

  • O2bnVegas Sep-15-2025
    For Esloth
    There were "Playboy" machines for a while, depicting a well-endowed Playboy Bunny.  Gave me the creeps, and didn't seem to get a lot of play...LOL.  I think it didn't last long.

  • Esloth Sep-15-2025
    topless
    The playboy machine is still around in some shops but it was all PG symbols. I want slots that Arnold Snyder would promote. 

  • Esloth Sep-15-2025
    New Slot names
    "Huffin n Puffin, Buffbelow Ascension, Golden Pleasure (AKA Many Balls)? there must be more.
    But seriously why not R rated slots?