# Could UK style fruit machines be bought to US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 4, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-uk-style-fruit-machines-be-bought-to-us/673016 "2013-11-04T00:47:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-uk-style-fruit-machines-be-bought-to-us/673016/1 "2013-11-04T00:47:34Z")
American slot machines work on the basis that every spin is independent of the one before. The average payout is is what it is, and getting the jackpot on your first spin makes you no more ore less likely to get it next spin. UK fruit machines work on the basis that it has an average payout it works towards. It will remember how much it has given out, and within a buffer range, become hot or cold as needed to bring the overall percentage back. (This is over a large number of spins, but does crate noticeable hot or cold streaks.)\* If clearly marked as such, would these machines be allowed under US gambling regs, assuming there was a market for them? \*That’s how I understand they work, I haven’t actually played one for years Edited to add: one of the benefits of them is it gives nudges, and bonus features and other stuff where you get the feeling you are actually making decisions, and can lose it all, rather than just picking from indistinguishable objects to see what gets revealed. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-uk-style-fruit-machines-be-bought-to-us/673016/2 "2013-11-04T00:59:58Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > \*That’s how I understand they work, I haven’t actually played one for years It’s near enough to be close enough - UK fruit machines are all computerised and the reels are stepper-motor driven. Everything is controlled. Payouts are made from ejectors at the bottom of coin tubes which fill from the money inserted, then overflow into a bulk coin box in the base - after a big win, the payout tubes are nearly empty and the machine will not permit another jackpot until they fill again. Wins on a smaller scale are also managed so as to average out at a very precisely controlled percentage. The potential result of ‘double or nothing skill shots’ are determined internally before the player even presses the button. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-uk-style-fruit-machines-be-bought-to-us/673016/3 "2013-11-05T06:15:51Z")
First you would need to teach all us Yanks what a fruit machine is. For years I thought it was a machine that vended apples and such, because I had seen such machines at my middle school. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-uk-style-fruit-machines-be-bought-to-us/673016/4 "2013-11-05T06:24:20Z")
There’s a big clue in the OP’s first sentence. Gaming regulations are by state, as many states don’t permit much beyond the lottery. I looked through Nevada regs and didn’t find anything relevant with my skim. Machines can be set to the payout percentage (Wikipedia says NV is 75% minimum) but that’s not quite the same thing AFAIK, and I don’t know (don’t think) they keep track of past spins. The gaming commission guys are very serious, so it does _sound_ like something they’d dislike (if I understand the methods mentioned!) ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-uk-style-fruit-machines-be-bought-to-us/673016/5 "2013-11-05T06:40:23Z")
Oh, and the name comes from the old school ones, before they started all the computer “Aladdin’s Quest” or “Cleopatra’s Kingdom” slots. The old ones are still around and have cherries, lemons, and whatever the hell that purple thing is supposed to be (plum?) along with the “7”, BAR, etc. ---
**Author:** ![glaeken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@glaeken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glaeken)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-uk-style-fruit-machines-be-bought-to-us/673016/6 "2013-11-05T14:44:46Z")
I have always thought the 75% pay out thing actually encourages people to keep on playing well past when they should have stopped. People know the machine will go on pay out streak at some point so don’t want to give up and keep playing because they think eventually they will get their money back. The problem is a pay-out streak can take a long time to come up and it’s not uncommon to see people run out of money before they get to the point the machine starts paying out. It’s also common for people to surreptitiously watch other people playing fruit machines to see if they are on a losing streak and then jump onto the machine the moment the person quits as they know it’s due to start paying out soon. That leads to quite a bit of aggravation as you can imagine when a big looser suddenly sees someone else capitalising on their loss. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-uk-style-fruit-machines-be-bought-to-us/673016/7 "2013-11-05T18:47:22Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Payouts are made from ejectors at the bottom of coin tubes which fill from the money inserted, then overflow into a bulk coin box in the base - after a big win, the payout tubes are nearly empty and the machine will not permit another jackpot until they fill again. Wins on a smaller scale are also managed so as to average out at a very precisely controlled percentage. > The potential result of ‘double or nothing skill shots’ are determined internally before the player even presses the button. Do modern British slot machines _really_ still pay out in coins? Around here, I’ve never seen any slot machine that actually dispenses cash - they all spit out a printed voucher with a barcode on it that you can either stick in another machine to continue playing, or take to an ATM-like kiosk to cash out. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-uk-style-fruit-machines-be-bought-to-us/673016/8 "2013-11-05T19:12:46Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Do modern British slot machines _really_ still pay out in coins? Around here, I’ve never seen any slot machine that actually dispenses cash - they all spit out a printed voucher with a barcode on it that you can either stick in another machine to continue playing, or take to an ATM-like kiosk to cash out. I’ve seen voucher ones - particularly in casino’s. The Pub variety is still largely coin based. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-uk-style-fruit-machines-be-bought-to-us/673016/9 "2013-11-06T22:31:15Z")
In Nevada, the majority pay out vouchers. I have only seen one that gave coins (quite a shock when I got several handfuls of nickels!). That was ~7 years ago, I haven’t checked back. Pub (bar) machines usually pay out by asking the bartender to cash you out. But really, they’re a vessel to put in $10 and slowly play it while getting free drinks, if the place comps. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-uk-style-fruit-machines-be-bought-to-us/673016/10 "2013-11-07T00:01:43Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > I’ve seen voucher ones - particularly in casino’s. The Pub variety is still largely coin based. Yes, the pub ones pay out in coins. They used to pay out in tokens, actually, which you could use to play the machine or buy stuff at the bar, but _not_ exchange for cash. But the tokens weren’t anything clever like bar codes, they were just coin-like metal discs. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-uk-style-fruit-machines-be-bought-to-us/673016/11 "2013-11-07T07:14:00Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > Yes, the pub ones pay out in coins. They used to pay out in tokens, actually, which you could use to play the machine or buy stuff at the bar, but _not_ exchange for cash. But the tokens weren’t anything clever like bar codes, they were just coin-like metal discs. The tokens were a workaround for gambling laws limiting jackpots at the time (these have been relaxed now I think) ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-uk-style-fruit-machines-be-bought-to-us/673016/12 "2013-11-07T08:11:18Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Oh, and the name comes from the old school ones, before they started all the computer “Aladdin’s Quest” or “Cleopatra’s Kingdom” slots. The old ones are still around and have cherries, lemons, and whatever the hell that purple thing is supposed to be (plum?) along with the “7”, BAR, etc. Trivia: The original slot machines paid out in chewing gum, the flavours of said gum being cherry, plum and orange. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-uk-style-fruit-machines-be-bought-to-us/673016/13 "2013-11-07T09:07:04Z")
I have eaten saltyass umeboshi and still can’t conceive of plum gum (at least it rhymes!..?) ---
**Author:** ![all\_timestamps\_displayed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/958977/32.png) [@all\_timestamps\_displayed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/all_timestamps_displayed)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-uk-style-fruit-machines-be-bought-to-us/673016/14 "2013-11-07T09:16:26Z")
Fruit machines have long been associated in UK with mobsters, so I would say that yes, the chances of them coming to the US are pretty high. But I’m not sure whose hustle it will wind up being.