Slot Machines Saved Them

With Arkansas adding slot machines to their horse racing lineup, it was just a matter of time before the tracks started making money hand over fist. That is exactly what happened for both Oaklawn and Southland tracks in the state once they added slot machines. They are now bringing in millions of dollars in revenue, and their purses are climbing higher and higher, solidifying their stance in the horse racing industry.

However, how will slot machines ultimately affect them? When you go to the tracks it is apparent that their fans have found a new love, and it isn’t horse racing. There is more and more people coming to the tracks, but they are heading for the slot machines instead of the tracks. Electronic gaming is changing the sport, that is for sure, but is it changing it for the better?

The state law says that they must be games of skill, but that definition gets looser and looser by the day. The law defines the games of skill as anything where the player has some influence over the outcome of the game, and it cannot be determined by chance alone. For many of their games that is the case. Instant Racing machines, video poker, Texas Hold’em, blackjack – these are all games that take some skill.

However, then there are the Lock-n-Roll games that are basically just Vegas slot machines. They are designed to appeal to slot machine fans, but need to have some sort of skill involved for them to be considered legal. The only difference between regular slot machines and these is that the player gets two spins instead of one. So they can lock in some symbols and then spin again to see if you have won. There really isn’t skill involved, but players do have some say in the outcome of the game, so they are legal – but barely.

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