Gambling Blog

When you compare the US and UK slot machine markets you will see a massive discrepancy in the number of machines, the turnover and the jackpots.  The UK is years behind the US and at the moment it looks as if that divide will be around for some time yet.  So why is the UK so slow in catching up with the US?

While there have been rumours of US style casinos in the UK for many years, a recent change of mind by the UK government seems to have put these ideas back many years.  Even though the slot machine industry is present in the UK, the market has been very stagnant for years, with the exception of allowing certain gambling establishments to increase the number of machines they were allowed to place on their premises.  So what is the problem?

The UK market seems to be one which suffers more than most from the pressure of anti-gambling groups which seem to be able to influence the government of the day at the highest level.  Whether it is the thought of possibly losing votes by increasing the opportunities to gamble, or a genuine fear that the UK gambler is very different from their US counter-part is unknown but change in the market place is running at a snails pace.

Even the recent relaxation of advertising rules in the gambling industry has done very little for the slot machine sector, which is still tainted by the seaside penny arcade stigma of years gone by.  However, in reality when you look at places such as the US the industry is enormous and jackpots can run into the millions of dollars.  Will the UK market ever be able to compete with the US? Will it be given a chance to breath?

Even though online gambling has assisted the UK gambling market, the slot machine industry is still very much behind the times with little chance of this changing in the short term.

While this is a slightly loaded question because of the fact that gambling can be fun, slots (also known as slot machines in some countries) are actually very big business.  Many people do not really appreciate that they are a true form of gambling, with major developments over the last 20 or 30 years. 

Places such as Las Vegas are renowned for them, although many of the UK’s seaside resorts will also hold a vast array of them.  Why are slots often seen as a “soft” form of gambling?

The main reason why slots are seen as a soft form of gambling is probably because for only a few pence of a dime, you can take you chance to drop the jackpot.  The fact that people are only spending small amounts of money at a time often deflects away from the size of the slots business, which is massive, especially in the United States.

There are many places in the US which use what are called progressive jackpots, which allow enormous payouts to build up over time, with reports of people dropping a few hundred thousand dollars, or that elusive one million dollar jackpot, fairly common throughout the year.

Perhaps the more reassuring fact about slots is the fact that they are programmed by law to pay back upwards of 90% of the money which is paid in.  While this is no good if you hit a bad streak and lose the lot, it does mean that many people can play for long periods, and be slightly down at the worst, or hopefully have more chances to hit the big one!

Slots are becoming more and more popular, and news of big jackpots has taken the industry to another level.  We all live in hope that we can drop that jackpot for a small stake, and while it will probably never happen, it is always nice to dream!