Why Was the Use of Silver Dollars in Slot Machines Discontinued?

Why did the use of silver dollars in slot machines stop?

According to vpFree2.com, Circus Circus, the California, and the Fremont have some coin-in machines, at least for video poker (including $1-token machines with 9/6 Jacks).

However, these special cases, among the few casinos left in Las Vegas that host coin-in slots or VP of any denominations. One might as well ask what became of slots that accept actual quarters, or nickels, or pennies, as the ticket-in/ticket-out wave of the early 21st century swept the floors clean of cash-in machines, replacing them with vouchers, as the cashless casino was born.

Frank Legato, managing editor of Global Gaming Business and one of the world's foremost experts on slot machines, says, “Silver dollars? Do they even exist anymore?"

He goes on to explain, "Bona fide silver dollars were replaced by dollar tokens near the end of the coin run, but like all other denominations, casinos quit using them when ticket-out ticket-in arrived. That got rid of all their coin-handling costs — hard counts, coin jams, slot attendants, and the rest. Some of the high-end rooms continued to provide dollar tokens to their biggest customers, but I don’t think they even do that anymore.”

Clyde Barrow, casino expert and political science professor at the University of Texas, has a blunter explanation. “Public health is one of the reasons that casinos stopped accepting any type of coin for slot machines. Coins move through so many hands and collect so many germs that they're considered at least a minor health risk.” Besides, “Coin handling, counting, etc. is a labor-intensive process and coins are also heavy, bulky, and cumbersome, so it's simply less expensive (and therefore more profitable) to go to a purely electronic and paper system.”

In the broader context, silver dollars were never popular outside of the casino and didn't circulate very widely. The Eisenhower dollar was minted for seven years only (1971-1978; the 1975-76 coin covered two years); it was replaced by the Susan B. Anthony dollar and fared even more poorly, minted in four years (1979-1981 and 1999).

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Neal Gale May-24-2018

QODreply

Main Street Station and California both have quarters and dollars ‘ coin in/ coin out video poker machines. 
The Plaza has 2 dollar slot machines that only spit out Eisenhower dollars!

[email protected] May-24-2018

hmp

I was looking for a direct answer to the silver dollar question. Very curious to know when they stopped handling real silver dollars in Vegas.

Marty May-24-2018

Greek Isle

The last one that I saw that did Eisenhower $'s was at the Greek Isle (formerly Debbie Reynolds Casino).  They had a mega bucks machine.

Jackie May-24-2018

Answer of sorts

Actual silver dollars were no longer minted after 1935.  The Ike dollars were only partial silver in limited offerings otherwise like the Susan B contained no silver at all.  Banks start turning in older coins once availability becomes scarce in favour of more readily available newer mintages which mean the casinos have less access to the actual silver dollars and since start using the Ike dollars.  So sometime in the 70's, varying dates due to stocks on hand, the casinos switched over to Ike's.  However, TITO not only solved casino problems but also customer problems in dealing with buckets of coins, theft of buckets through distractions, robbing of slot trays, and the shear weight of coin filled buckets.

Jeffrey Small May-24-2018

JRS

"Real" silver dollars, minted until 1935, are long gone since they are currently worth about $ 13 each in silver content.  The Eisenhower Dollars (minted from 1971-1978) were made of 75% copper and 25% nickel (except for collector versions which were silver coated).  There was something special about winning a bucket full of heavy dollar coins or tokens--seemed like a lot of money.  I don't get the same feeling when the machine makes a noise like coins hitting a bucket and a piece of paper is printed!

Dave in Seattle. May-24-2018

Coin slots?

I don't miss the real or dollar tokens at all!
I never liked it when my hands got so dirty and carrying buckets of coins across the casino to cash them it.
  Some casinos still have those hand wipes and I use them when I have been handling the casino chips.
   I'm way more "germophobic' than I used to be. It seems like I always catch a cold during my Las Vegas adventures.
  So many places that you touch may carry a virus or two.

May-24-2018

El Cortez has coiners

--- In the same old-Vegas vein as the Fremont and the California, the El Cortez has lots of old machines that will accept coin input, even though most of them now also accept bills (but these don't do ticket-out). I play 25-cent machines, and have inserted individual coins at times, and I'm sure the nickel machines accept coins similarly. I've never played the $1 machines, as they're out of my league, so I can't say for sure, but because they're similar old machines, I would think that they do accept coins.
--- I have to disagree with most folks, and say that I truly LOVE the experience of moving coins from the hopper to large cups (doubled up for support!) after hitting "CASH OUT", and then taking those coin-filled cups to the Cashier and watching the Total meter increase as the machine tallies the coins, because it makes the reality of money more tangible than just getting and cashing a piece of paper. I feel "bill-in / coin-out" at the El Cortez is the ideal compromise.

That Don Guy May-24-2018

Even if this refers to "silver" tokens

I can think of another reason why the casinos were glad to get rid of the "dollar coin" tokens; each one had a casino's name on it, and they weren't supposed to be used outside of that particular casino, but of course they were, and I assume the casinos had to "settle up" the differences in how many coins of each casino were cashed in at each one.

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