Page 6 - January 2011 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Bill Burton: About Gambling
HEappy New Year!
ach year seems to go by faster than the year before. It feels like only a few months ago that we were ushering in a new year, but here we are ringing in 2011. I like New Year’s because it is a fresh start, bringing new hope for the year ahead. Each year at this time, I sit down and re ect on the
past year and make plans for the year to come. I’ve long given up on making resolutions that fall by the wayside within a few weeks, but I do like to set goals that I can strive to achieve in the coming year.
My rst goal is to maintain my optimistic view that this year will be better than last year. It is true that we have just been through a couple of di cult years, and although things are improving for many of us, we are not back to the same lifestyle we enjoyed before the economic crash in 2007. But we have survived. Life changes, and every year brings di erent challenges and rewards. By adopting a positive attitude we can make each year special regardless of what we encounter along the way.
players. Slot machines may change, and new table games will come and go, but the enjoyment that we get from visiting casinos and playing the games is the reason we keep going back. e following are some constants that you can do no matter what changes, to make sure you get the most out of your casino visits.
Play sensibly, and set limits and that will help you get the most entertainment out of the money that you set aside for gambling. Know ahead of time how much you will spend gambling, and stick to that limit. You can have a much better time if you just spend a few minutes planning your next casino visit. Plan how long you will play, and how much money you want to risk. More importantly, plan other activities while you are at the casino. See a show, visit the spa, or have a nice dinner.
e fun of visiting a casino is to take advantage of all it has to o er.
Join the casino’s players club, and use your players club card every time you play. Not only will you build up comps, but you will also be eligible to receive valuable promotions and discount o ers from casinos.
Keep a logbook of all your gambling activities. If you win a big jackpot during the year, you will then know to deduct your losses at tax time. A logbook also lets you know exactly how much money you are gambling and keeps you accountable to yourself.
Of course, the most important thing that never changes is the amount of fun and excitement we can have during our casino visits. I’m looking forward to a great year and I wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
Until next time, remember: “Luck comes and goes.. Knowledge Stays Forever.”
Bill Burton 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. Burton is also an instructor for Golden Touch Craps: www.thecrapsclub.com.
is is a very special year for the Southern California Gaming Guide as we celebrate our tenth anniversary. In that time there have been many changes to casinos and the gaming industry as a whole. I have had the honor of writing this column since 2002, and have written about a lot of the changes I have seen over the years. I recently looked over some of my old columns and was surprised to see that many of the innovations and signi cant changes to casinos and gambling that we take for granted have really come about within the last ten years.
Casino Changes
Besides the sheer growth and expansion of casino gambling, not only in California but all across the country, the biggest change that has taken place is the technology used in slot machines. e most widely accepted change in the casino industry was the ticket-in/ticket-out system that replaced the need for coins in slot machines. Casinos and players both embraced the transition to coinless machines almost immediately.
is technology has made it possible for slot makers to o er new games that would not have been possible or practical if players had to use real coins in slot machines. is led to one of the biggest changes in the denomination of slot machines on casino oors. Back in 2002, the popularity of nickel slot machines soared.
A few years later, penny slots were introduced and have became one of the biggest revenue producers for casinos. Video slots have replaced many of the reel-type
machines. Multiple bonus rounds, surround-sound and 3-d type graphics have made the games more entertaining and attractive to all players, particularly those who grew
up playing video games.
Ten years ago, poker games had limited popularity in
most casinos, but in 2003 when poker made its way onto national television, it became a worldwide sensation. People who had never played a hand of poker ocked to casino poker rooms to play Texas Hold’em.
Ten years ago, most casinos maintained their own players clubs even if they owned more than one property. Harrah’s started their national player’s club linking all the casinos they owned together. Players clubs are a big plus for players, and helped casinos build loyalty in di erent gambling jurisdictions.
ese are just a few of the big changes that have taken place. But as I looked over the changes of the last decade, an old adage came to my mind: “ e more things change, the more they remain the same.”
Casino Constants
As much as some things may change in the casino, many aspects of casino gambling remain the same for
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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
JANUARY 2011