Quote:
Originally Posted by ultracapper
I was at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno about a month ago and they had one of those machines going. About 8 or 10 guys sat around playing. First time I'd ever seen it. It may have been a different game than it sounds like you're all talking about. It didn't seem like the re-running of an old race. It was a computer generated horse race. All the players were betting on the same event. A race went off every 2 or 3 minutes it seemed, with win, place, and exacta seeming to be the only betting options.
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Yeah, the computer generated races are a different game. Maryland has it too, but it's completely associated with the lottery, and has no ties to the racing industry. As far as I know the results are totally based on RNG, which makes it a game of chance.
The "historical racing" or "instant racing" machines are different. They're dressed up to look just like a slot machine. If you sit down in front of one, you can't tell the difference.
But behind the scenes, and before you hit the "spin/play" button, a race has already been pre-selected from a database of like 10k-20k historical races from a variety of tracks.
Hidden down in the menu, you can actually see handicapping information on that race - obviously no identifying information like the track, date, runner/jockey names, etc. Just the number of runners, and basic information like how often each one has ended up in the money, speed ratings, etc.
If a player wanted to, they could use that information to actually pick 3 runners (as if making a WPS bet), and then play. The reels spin, a little window pops up showing the end of that race and the order of finish, and the machine pays out accordingly.
Of course no one bothers with that, and everyone just hits "play" over and over again, like a regular slot machine. Which is no different than making a quick-pick bet at a racetrack terminal. But the fact that the player has the option to handicap is how they can successfully argue that the machines are games of skill instead of games of chance.
