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CAGE – In a casino, this is a locked area that stores the cash, chips, and paperwork essential to the operating of a casino, similar to the vault of a bank. In shoddier casino operations, this part of the casino might have been literally “caged” off by a chain-link enclosure; most establishments have a separate, small room with a locked door. The cage has a large window at which the cage attendant is positioned like a teller, making change for patrons and/or converting ticket vouchers into cash for winnings in the case of a casino running coin-less machines. You probably won’t have trouble locating the cage on the gaming floor; just look for a long line of impatient players queued up! Waiting in line to cash our your winnings isn’t so galling, but you can avoid the need to make repeated visits for change by hitting the bank and trading in your dollar bills for coins ahead of time. Most casinos have change machines on the floor, but they are not always in working order due to the massive amounts of traffic with which they must contend.

CALL ATTENDANT – The call attendant is a land casino’s first line of defense against player issues. Think that the machine you are playing has malfunctioned? Just call, and they will come running. The call attendant will also be the first person to inform if you have just won a huge jackpot… don’t worry, you can always burn up your cell line talking to your wife, mother, brother-in-law, and former college roommate later. If the game you are playing is a coin-less machine, or if your payout exceeds the physical capacity of the terminal, the call attendant will coordinate your hand/hard payout. It makes sense to be nice to these guys, by the way!

CANDLE – Have you ever noticed that part of a cash register’s light that flashes when the cashier requests a price check or needs change? The slot machine in front of you has one as well. The candle lights up when assistance is needed by a casino attendant. Sometimes the slot game is malfunctioning and triggers the candle internally; other times a player can use it to signal for an attendant if they require hand pay or need help.

CAROUSEL – Like the bank, a carousel is one of two basic formations of arranging slot machines on a gaming floor that is used by casinos when determining the arrangement of devices. A carousel of slots are set in a round or oblong pattern. This formation takes up more room than a bank, but both are often used on a massive casino floor to add some visual interest.

CASH LADDER – This is a bonus feature in a British-style slot machine, also called a fruit machine or fruity. Cash ladders are often displayed along the top or side of the slot game you are playing, and depict icons with either bonus cash amounts or a bet multiplier within them. When you activate the cash ladder (usually through the acquisition of scatter or bonus symbols), a light starts rapidly flickering through the tiers of the cash ladder. You click a button to “stop” the light, and whatever rung of the ladder it lands on is the bonus you receive. A lot of our favorite online slots are fruities with this feature; we think it adds an extra dimension of excitement to play.

CERTIFIED – If you are playing a slot machine in a reputable casino (and not the back room of the bodega on the corner), it will definitely be certified. Gambling and gambling devices are heavily regulated, both in the United States and elsewhere. This means that there are myriad rules for the installation and upkeep of slot games. Casinos get certified overall, but each individual terminal must be certified to ensure that local standards for payout percentage and fairness are being met. In the U.S., slot operators have to not only meet national standards, but state and municipal-level requirements as well. Casinos must pay for gaming regulators to come in and verify that all pertinent restrictions are being followed, and then each terminal is officially “certified.” It should go without saying that you never want to play with an uncertified slot machine. God only knows what payoff percentage it is set at, and/or what bugs and gimmicks the operator has in place to keep you losing money!

CHANGE PERSON – This is a very helpful chap or lassie who makes change. You may need to go visit them (either in the cage or at a dedicated booth on the casino floor) to avail yourself of their services, or, in very luxe casinos or where you are known as a VIP, they will come to you. Most casinos offer change machines on the floor, but these are prone to having long lines, being out of order due to excessive demand, or running out of coins.

CLASS – This is not where you go to learn how to play the slots (we believe that experience is the best teacher, in this instance!). “Class” is a type of slot machine in terms of the legal definitions of gambling devices that have been adopted by states and other territories for use in their laws governing betting. In the United States, laws pertaining to slots vary from state to state, but the division between Class II and Class III machines is fairly uniform from location to location.

Class III slots are the variety that is called “Vegas-Style” in the industry, whereas Class II are commonly known as video lottery terminals, or VLTs. The former type includes machines that run independently from a central computer, with a punter’s chance of winning the slot game remaining the same with every pull. Class II machines are like automated versions of scratch-off lotto tickets. These terminals are all linked in to a common, centralized computer system that determines the conclusion of each bet a player places, no matter where a machine is located. All players playing a Class II machine have an equal shot of winning from a pool of limited prizes at a given time – again, like the lottery. Either Class II or Class III machines may feature a skill-based element.

Class III slot machines (the Vegas-Style machines) are more heavily regulated, naturally. Oftentimes, in states where slot machines are strictly regulated, casinos must pay a fee and submit an application for each Class III machine they bring in, and are limited to only a certain amount of games. Therefore, any characteristic of a Class III machine makes the machine a Class III, and a game must retain all the characteristics of a Class II machine to fall under that designation.

Class II Game Characteristics:
-Slot game players are competing against one another for a common prize, and not against the house or casino.
-The game continues until there is a winner, although there is not necessarily a winner for each game.
-All punters play from the same set of numbers until there is a winner.
-For any given “set,” there are a certain amount of wins and losses. Once a given combination of numbers has occurred, it will not occur again until a new set rolls over. In other words, the outcome of each game is dependent on those of all preceding games.
-The player must take active participation in the game. This includes recognizing events as they occur throughout the course of the game, as well as recognizing and announcing their winnings – a la bingo. (Which is why these games are sometimes also called “bingo machines.”

Class III Game Characteristics:
-Slot game players are competing against the house.
-The outcome of each game is independent of those of preceding games, and any possible outcome can occur with any game (or spin).
-Wins are announced automatically by the machine.

CLASSIC SLOTS – A classic slot game is one featuring three reels and a single payline, in the fashion of all pokies of yore. Classic slots will be low on extra features and flashy bonuses other than wild symbols, although it is possible to incorporate a few special features and still retain the classic “feel.” These games are ideal for novice punters, or those who like the simplicity of slot play without having toa  keep track of multiple paylines and the myriad special symbols that come with bonus multiplier titles. These games may also mimic old-time games with their theming and choice of symbols. Expect many fruit-based games, as well as quintessential slot game images like BAR symbols, golden bells, and images of the number “7.”

COIN-IN – This window or display on a slot machine will keep track of how many coins you have fed into the terminal, or how much cash you have spent. Either way, this display is an important one of which to keep track, so that you can always be aware of how much of your bankroll you have invested into a given pokey.

COIN SIZE  - This is one of the most counter-intuitive terms in the world of slot machines, and one that we still get caught up on if we are not thinking about what we are doing. Modern-day slot games convert the amount of money you are betting into “coins” of varying sizes. Each title allows for different denominations. For example, you might hear us say in a slot review that Slot Game “X” has fifteen paylines, with coin values ranging from five cents to five dollars with max coins of thirty. The “coin values” in that example are the denomination of “coin” that you can play, and the “max coins” represents the highest coin size. A nickel in this case would be one “coin,” although you can opt to make each “coin” worth as much as five dollars. The coin size is how many “coins” you choose to play, which in this case caps out at thirty. How you distribute your wager between denomination and coin size is up to you. Keep in mind that you will have a better chance of winning if you are able to bet on more paylines, although you will not win as much as if you place a fat bet on a payline that happens to be a winner. Most slot games require you to play at least max coins to be eligible for the highest jackpot, however – in our example, that would require a minimum of one dollar and fifty cents per spin, and up to one hundred fifty bucks a blow for a shot at the highest dollar-value prize.

COINS PER SPIN – This is another term for choosing or expressing the coin size; how many coins you have bet on a given spin.

COIN SLOT – This is where you insert the coins in a land-based slot machine. 

COLD SLOT – This is one of many terms for a slot machine that isn’t paying out. You can call it “cold,” “tight,” or “conservative,” but the generally gist is always the same… this is a crappy game to be playing. Casinos are able to mix cold slots in alongside hot games, as long as the average payout percentage between all the machines meets the minimum requirements. Experienced players tend to fix a certain number in their heads before they start playing any given machine, and abandon that terminal if they have not won anything substantial by that number of spins. Never let yourself get caught up in the “chase” of a freezing slot, convinced that YOU will be the one to reap a huge payout if you are patient. All you will do is lose a bunch of money and grow progressively frustrated. Online slots can also be cold.

COMPS – Comps are the perks awarded to players by casinos for their loyal patronage and as gifts for spending so much money with the establishment. Comps may be as insignificant as a free ticket in a casino raffle, or can be niftier like free drinks or cash rebates. The biggest high-rollers and VIPs can shop around for the most generous casinos, where comps can include free night stays in their most lavish hotel accommodations, free massages at the spa, gratis buffet tickets, or front-row seats at shows.

A cool thing that many novice players don’t know is that comps are not reserved solely for those who can afford to part with one hundred dollars per spin! Any time you check out a new casinos, it pays to take a few minutes and sign up for their players’ club. This way, your spending is tracked and you could become eligible for little freebies given only to members. Online casinos also give comps, although their freebies are normally virtual – extra VIP points, cash rebates, and/or free entry in online slots tournaments. Players are not entitled to comps by any means, but those who spend a certain amount of money on slots and table games tend to feel that they are entitled to special treatment. Our advise is to never get snooty with the casino staff, no matter how much of a bigshot you think you are. Odds are that a visiting sultan or star quarterback for your local NFL team just walked out of the room.

COUNTDOWN – Weren’t we just talking about players’ clubs and why you should join them? Players who take part in loyalty clubs get to take advantage of the excitement of the countdown, which is a meter on the slot machine that tells one how close they are to earning another club point. Basically, land-based and online casinos are insanely competitive, owing to the current climate in which there are many, many casinos and not enough players to fill all their machines. Therefore, casinos compete constantly to offer the best deals and attractions, vis a vis players’ clubs. Members get a card that they insert into the game of their choice, and an electrnic chip embedded in the plastic records all the playing activity that takes place. Points and rewards are given out based on time and money spent playing, and make it easy for both the player and the casino to keep track.

CREDIT METER – Simple enough, we think: the credit meter is located somewhere on the slot machine screen, and tells you how many credits/coins you have left based on what you have deposited into the machine. It will also keep track of what you have spent and what you have earned.

CURRENCY DETECTOR – Like you, a slot machine can tell a nickel from a quarter. While you have a brain, however, a pokey has a currency detector or coin validator. Both these mechanisms serve the same purpose, which is to identify and validate the denomination of money that is inserted into the terminal for play. Likewise, the currency detector also validates your winnings to ensure that you receive the full amount of prize money owed to you. When the reels stop spinning, the random number generator has already sent a signal to the slot machine “telling” it how much money / how many coins you are owed, which is then processed by the coin validator. These mechanisms come with tamper-proof safeguards, much to the dismay of would-be stringers.

CUSTOMER SERVICE – Casino gambling is very much a player’s world. Casinos need players to make money, and it is definitely in their best interest to treat them well, as is the case with any business. The quality of customer service that you receive at any given casino can really make or break your impression of the establishment, and the same goes for online slots and casino gambling sites on the World Wide Web. If you are playing the online slot games, look for a casino that offers ‘round-the-clock, dedicated customer support. The more invested a casino company is in their patrons, the more likely you are to have fun playing there. It’s just a fact.

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