Instead, the main computer generates a number combination exactly like a lottery scratch-off ticket and “scratches” the results off while bells, bars, cherries, and whistles spin in front of the gambler. The VLTs are networked into the New York State Lottery mainframe in Schenectady, and they don’t run off a random number generator, per se.

They don’t sport a handle, and you can’t actually put money in them or get money out of them a somewhat less sexy voucher gets printed out, and you go see a cashier to get your winnings. Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs), like the ones at Empire City, physically work pretty much the same way. Some games still feature the mechanized handle, but the machines are now completely computerized and employ random number generators to determine who wins and how much. Those one-armed bandits are the biggest revenue producers in the casino industry, having supplanted table games years ago.

Q: I like playing the slot machines at Empire City Casino, though I am told that, officially, they are not slot machines but “Video Lottery Terminals.” How do they differ, and is it important to the betting aspect of gambling? -Maxine Doherty, YonkersĪ: We all know what a slot machine is.

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