Page 6 - June 2007 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Bill Burton: About Gambling
Slot Ergonomics: Stay Loose & Relaxed While You Play
Irecently attended an o ce ergonomics seminar. I found it very enlightening, and saw how ergonomic principles could be very useful at the casino while playing slot or video poker machines.
Now move on to your ngers. Open and close your st extending your ngers straight out. Wiggle your ngers and shake them out.
Posture
Stay aware of your posture while you are sitting at a slot machine. Try to keep your back straight. Sit with your feet at on the oor and try to avoid slouching. Take a break occasionally and perform some simple stretches.
Neck and Shoulders
If you are playing an upright slot you will probably be looking up at the screen and if you are playing a table top machine you will be looking down at it. is can cause some tension on the back of your neck.
Try this exercise: Tuck your chin down onto your chest and then slowly tilt your head back. is opens the airway, so make sure to take a nice deep breath as you tilt your head back. Next, stretch your neck to the left side and then right. Do this in slow easy movements.
You can feel the muscles of your neck gently stretching as you do this. Follow with a few shoulder shrugs. Bring your shoulders high up to your ears and then release and drop them. Repeat this at least three times. en rotate your shoulders in a circular motion; rst forward then backward.
Stay Loose
All of these exercises are meant to keep you loose and help prevent muscle cramping caused by RSI. ey can be done while you are sitting at the slot machine. If you work in an o ce and nd yourself sitting at a desk all day long, you may nd these exercises useful there as well.
Until next time, remember: “Luck comes and goes...Knowledge Stays Forever.”
Bill Burton is the Casino Gambling Guide and columnist for the Internet portal About.com, located at http://casinogambling.about.com. He is the author of 1000 Best Casino Gambling Secrets and Get the Edge at Low Limit Texas Hold’em available online at www.billburton.com. He is also an instructor for Golden Touch Craps, http://www.thecrapsclub.com.
What is Ergonomics?
Ergonomics is de ned as the application of science relating to people and their work, including the anatomic, physiologic and mechanical principles that e ect human energy. Examples of ergonomics may include proper posture, appropriate seating position, safe lifting techniques, and special equipment to maximize physical output.
Ergonomics has become a high-pro le concern for many companies. e concern is not limited just to product design, but also how a worker carries out certain tasks that can include repetitive motion of the human body.
Any prolonged period of abnormal posture and repetitive movements can contribute to neck, limb and back pain. is is exactly what many slot players may encounter when they sit for hours playing slot machines.
New Slot Machine Designs
e past few years major slot machine manufacturers have been working to produce slot machines that are ergonomically designed to help keep players comfortable when they play.
Old time slot machines were designed for a standing player who would deposit a few coins in the machines and go on their way. Modern slots are designed for a seated player who will hopefully spend hours pushing the spin button. To get the player to do this it is up to the slot makers to create entertaining games, and to make sure players enjoy maximum comfort while playing. An uncomfortable player will not stay very long at a slot machine.
WMS Gaming was one of the rst slot makers to introduce an ergonomically-designed machine in 2003. Some of the features included an easy-to-use touch screen placed at the proper height for a seated player.
All major slot manufacturers are now jumping on the ergonomics bandwagon. e design of the cabinets that house the games are seeing a major upgrade. Some of the new features are adjustable chair heights along with padded arm rests. Some new slots have adjustable height features, and some even have a recessed base where players can rest their feet.
Preventing RSI
If you spend a lot of time playing slots, relying on a machine’s design is not the only answer to protect against repetitive stress injury (RSI). Slot players can perform some simple exercises right at a slot machine that will help prevent repetitive stress. Here are some exercises you could try.
Eye Strain
One of the biggest causes of fatigue for slot players comes from eye strain. ere is a simple exercise you can do while playing that will help alleviate this. Take your eyes o the screen and gaze into the far distance. Look from left to right while you play, instead of staring at the same spot on the screen. Take some deep slow breathes while doing this.
Wrist and Fingers
After the eyes, the parts of the body that are most a ected when playing slots are the wrist and ngers. Pushing the spin button over and over could cause some strain. Stop occasionally and ex your ngers and wrists. If you are playing on a table-top machine, make a st with your hands then place your elbows on the surface top of the machine and bend your hands up and down at the wrist, then rotate them from left to right. If you are playing a machine with nowhere to rest your elbows, you can tuck them into your side and bend your wrist up and down.
Page 6
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
June 2007
About Gambling With Bill Burton