Long ago I drove through Reno fairly regularly. As it was about the halfway point of my route, I’d park at one of the big casinos, and get nickles for everything in my pockets of smaller denomination than a $5 bill. Usually that’d be about $3 or $4 in nickles. Then I’d sit and relax at the nickle slots enjoying the spinning wheels and flashing lights until I’d put all my nickles through the machine.
Now, the trick was to keep all my winnings in a separate container, and resist the urge to put that back into the machine, too. Owing to the programmed winning rate of the slot machines, I’d usually walk out with nearly as much as I’d had walking in; sometimes more. I won $20 once, which is a pretty spectacular deal when the machine spits it all out atcha one nickle at a time.
I’m sure I could increase my chances at the slots a small percent by actually playing them.
The slot machines here now use a “debit card” system. The only people who actually handle money are the cashiers in the cage.
The bells and whistles are still there, though.