The Future of Video Poker

[FloridaPhil]

We had Internet Cafes all over Florida a few years ago. They didn't have class III machines. They were lotteries. They were very popular. The State shut them down.

[djc32]

IMO,If there is any hope for the future of good VP opportunity for players, it certainly wont be in any brick and mortar casino, (outside of NV and maybe a few other areas in in the U.S.) it would have to be online ,with a website like this or something similar that is geared towards VP.
We all have seen the explosion of penny and nickel slots take over all of our local brick and mortar casinos ,and they are not about to give up those 10% + holds and reinstall good pay tables and incentives for VP .

But the problem is, as long as Sheldon Adelson, the owner of Sands casino and the mastermind and financial backer of black Friday for online poker is still around, it probably wont happen.

[olds442jetaway]

I wrote about the no frills ones too several years ago with some interesting ideas. I dont think they will do it. What they are doing is sucking the young people into the casino with fancy bars and clubs and 12 dollar drinks. The young set seem to gravitate toward these and could care less about gambling. I see more drunk young people at the casinos on weekends than i ever have. Of course they are chain smoking too. What a shame.

[notes1]

online casinos may very well be the place to get the best paytables. they have the advantage of greatly reduced expenses. but, just like some folks prefer to shop at a store, go to a live sporting event, a live concert, etc, some enjoy the atmosphere of live gaming. seems like there should be room for a gaming option that is someplace between the internet and the the huge complexes that exist now. and, as far as a no frills 'bar' for better odds, this sounds like a good idea, but only for those who have that venue available to them.

in most states, gaming is not allowed for the entertainment benefit of of it's residents, but simply as another tax revenue source.

[Tedlark]

Illinois is a complete failure with their concept of "mini-casinos", bars and restaurants licensed to have up to 5 electronic gaming machines in their establishments. So far, Illinois has failed to earn anywhere near the tax revenue that was originally thought they would bring in and the only people making money off them are the bar and restaurant owners along with those who own and rent the machines to the bar and restaurant owners.

Illinois shorted themselves when it came to levying a high enough cut for the state and now they are looking stupid. This type of gaming has also cut into the tax revenues generated by the in state brick and mortar casinos, much to the dismay of those casino owners and the state itself. The tax rate for the brick and mortar casinos is at a higher rate than that of those machines in bars and restaurants.

Now Illinois is stuck because anti-gambling groups are now saying that Illinois actually has more casinos than Nevada and therefore there should be no expansion of casino gaming in the state because of this.

Illinois did not do a good job of long term planning when they first enacted casino gambling legislation back in the early 1990's and now they are suffering for this poor planning.

COME ON 7!!!!!

[FAA]

States always seem to feature rose colored budgets. Assumptions of prosperity abound.

[Vman96]

States always seem to feature rose colored budgets. Assumptions of prosperity abound.

I can't remember the last time a state underpredicted gambling revenue from legalizing it in their state. I had to be under 21 (2001) probably. The predictions have been terribly off in the last decade.

[FloridaPhil]

Gambling hasn't been the tax gold mine the politicians predicted. Lots of reasons. Over saturation being the main problem. There are just so many gamblers to go around. Seniors love casino gambling. Unfortunately for the States and the casinos, they are generally very frugal players. They consider the casino more of a social club than a place to make money.

Mega casinos are a testimony to stupidity. Look at the Mohegan Sun. It's one of the most beautiful casinos in America. It's also built around a shopping mall. Who goes to the mall anymore? The Internet is the new mall.

Young people are used to playing games for free on their phone. They have college debt, credit card debit and their money is limited. I watch them play VP and they throw a couple of bucks in the machine and move on. Every now and then you see a trust account kid or a trophy wife playing dollar Double Double Bonus. Soon or later that ends when they either run out of money or Daddy cuts them off.

The baby boomer generation was the most prosperous generation in history. We drove the economy. We bought cars, big homes, spent money in fancy restaurants and created the Yuppie. As a generation, we are sitting on our money afraid to spend it because we don't know what is going to happen in the future. This is having a huge effect on the economy.

This website is the future of video poker. It may or may not be played for money in the future. Playing for prizes or awards of some kind is the way this is going. I would like to see more competition among members, then we would find out who the real experts are.

[olds442jetaway]

As a as a boomer, we worked our asses off when young. Holding down multiple jobs and many times running part time businesses at the same time. Our spouses worked as well. Now it is the fear of medical care and custodial care costs, insurances, and taxes that makes us pinch pennies. I don’t have to, but i usually keep my cars until the wheels fall off and then some. Other than the casino dining out is mostly breakfast specials at local diners. Spend 0 on booze and bars. Of course nothing on cigarettes. I’m retired and have been for 15 years so who needs expensive suits and hundred dollar dress shirts with a tiny famous cloth label in it. The Mrs. doesn’t have to, but she is an expert couponer and still does it after all these years. Like Phil said, it is the fear of the unknown that keeps us for the most part from ignoring that old phrase....you can’t take it with you.

[FloridaPhil]

I wonder how many people would still play video poker if money was not involved? There would be no professionals, just people who enjoyed VP as a game. Would this change anything?

All my casino friends are retired. I see the same people every week. We eat lunch, talk, laugh and generally have a good time. There is competition between us. When one of us hits a royal, we are all happy. This is what would be missing if video poker was only on the Internet. The casino is the place where we meet.

Playing video poker on this website allows you to make comments on the chat board as you play. Some of my long time VP friends are gone now. Like in the casino, there are a few players that win more often. They are not always the most skilled. No one calls other players names because of the way they like to play. No one brags about being super skilled or super intelligent. No one pays another player's bills. No one talks about their bankroll, because no one cares.

Removing money from video poker does not change the game all that much. It's still fun to hit two 4,000 credit hands in one day. I was top point leader on this website earlier this week with only 3,600 credits. I never left my house, my wife made lunch and I never worried about walking out with empty pockets. I missed the camaraderie of the casino. I don't miss the money.