If your an addicted one-armed bandit gambler, you have probably given a large chuck of money to the casino. Because of that loyalty and instead of blacklisting you, the casino charges a small fee to psychologically bore you away from the slots.

This done using the pervasive photo recognition and ID 'loyalty' swipe cards implemented on the slots. Using past casino played statistics, the machine payback will be psychologically designed for the identified playing addict. If the computed payment plan is stuck to over a long period, the player should slowly become bored and withdraw from the game. It's the simple task of manipulating neurotransmitters to reset binding site sensitivity via external win and loss stimulation.

The casino would get kudos for physically helping addicted gamblers. And of course, the casino always wins it's small take.
-- wjt, Aug 16 2015

//This would become porn in about 12 minutes.//

Marked-for-tagline.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Aug 16 2015


Uh, every slot machine already "charges a small fee", and that is insufficient to discourage gambling. You are talking about increasing the fee without increasing the chance of reward --and what will happen is that the customer will go to a different casino where the cost/reward ratio is perceived to be better. You can't beat the Law of Supply and Demand --someone will always offer the cost/reward ratio that leads to the most profit from attracting the most gamblers.
-- Vernon, Aug 16 2015


The player should win nothing at the machine, but, say, a guaranteed 90% of deposited money should be returned to him at the end of each month. No variation, no odds, no risk. You put in 25 cents, you get back 22 cents.
-- Voice, Aug 17 2015


Oooo! I think it was the twice that got me, Voice. What a great idea!

Bandit machines take your money, may pay you some but entire take flows into your account. You may not withdraw from this account until a year has elapsed. At that time you may withdraw: the amount has increased by a % interest. The facility charges a small % for administering the account. Monies in the accounts are available for loan according to typical rules; you must go next door for that, undergo credit check, etc. This is not a casino, but a bank.
-- bungston, Aug 17 2015


Now you're talking.

Of course, the casinos would target this business for competition.

So the competing institutions would have to outdo each other re better buffets, more popular bands, convenient locations, scantily clad shows, etc.
-- normzone, Aug 17 2015


I think the best option would be for the machines to monitor the faces of the people playing. When a player is clearly getting bored or frustrated, either:

(a) Their machine comes within a hair's breadth of making a huge payout or

(b) A neighbouring machine (operated by a shill from the casino) makes a huge payout or

(c) Someone brings the player a free Coke.

Obviously, this approach might fail to wean the player off the machines, but that's OK. Every pound lost by a dumb person is a pound earned by a smarter person.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Aug 17 2015


From your annos I don't think I have have explained my idea very well. [Voice] was the closest but the 22 cents is paid to you in a way that makes you bored. Little trickle wins or biggish pay-offs or any pattern in between depending on the player's psychology.

[vernon] If you get most of your money back (way more than house pay-offs) why would you go to another casino.

[MaxwellBuchanan] /earned/ ???

Instead of asking the casino to blacklist you, you can sign up for this experimental treatment.
-- wjt, Aug 19 2015



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