Who Plays Slots?
The second you hear this, the first thing that automatically springs to mind is old ladies! Well, at least it does for me, but I have to admit that is based on a stereotypical image that has always been presented in society. I have spent some time in casinos and the people sitting at the machines, in my opinion, seem to represent all age groups. Naturally the casinos have conducted their own research on demographics in order to make more money, but they have also kept the results strictly in-house. Why would they share this information if it offers someone else an advantage? Especially since slots are a casino’s cash cow. Some polls indicate more than 70 percent of casinos’ customers prefer slot machines to any other form of gaming.
Over the last several years, more research has been done outside the business to determine just what groups of people and how old they have a special fondness for slot machines. In fact, in a study published last fall the researchers discovered that most people that love playing the slots are women, who own their homes, are between 55-60, possess some sort of secondary education and rake in more than $55,000 per year.
What Did The Study Find?
Slots players can be characterized four ways based on the reason why they play:
- Utilitarian- Normally older people who are looking for a way to kill time
- Excitement- Adrenaline seekers or people who are looking for some kind of big payout
- Multipurpose-These often are younger people with not a lot of disposable income that are looking to win cash
- Relaxation- These people are well-educated, have large bank accounts and play machines simply for the fun of it
Some Other Facts From the Study:
- Greater than 60 percent of the participants prefer payouts with smaller dollar amounts but a higher frequency
- More than 50 percent of those surveyed participated in video poker and less than 25 percent engaged in video blackjack
- Of the 70 percent who said Wheel of Fortune was their top choice, only a third of them enjoyed playing with progressive jackpots
- Surprisingly, less than 20 percent of the players in the study relished themed slot machines.
- For video poker, the game people like the most were Jacks or Better (a little more than 30 percent), then Deuces Wild (roughly 20 percent) and Double, Double Bonus (about 17 percent)