It is easy to see why casinos like slot machines so much. The slot machines take up very little floor space, break time is only when they do breakdown and that is rare for a machine. The breakdowns are handled quickly by a slots techician, usually just a simple computer board change is involved and the faulty machine is back in business. There is no way that casino management could have ever predicted the popularity of the slot machine today. All management has done is provide the gamblers with what they want, and believe it or not, slot machines are now one of the most popular of all casino games. In this day and age, it would not be fair to refer to slot machines as "one armed bandits". We all know, most machines do have that big old handle that earned it it's name but, if all you want to do is push buttons, you don't need that handle at all. Sit down, get comfortable, it is up to you, if you want to feed the machine at the beginning of each spin of the wheels or you can simply insert the bill of your choice and select "bet max". The interesting question is, we know casino management could not have made these machines as popular as they are. What is it about slot machines that grab and hold the gamblers attention for such a long period of time? This time period I am referring to started in the mid 1900's and continues to grow to this day. Do many people consider gambling to be entertainment? Entertainment, for most of us, is something that does not require alot of "brain work". After a long day, we feel the brain deserves a rest and our forms of entertainment usually include this. The slot machine enters the picture and for many, this must be what they were looking for. Slots do offer the opportunity for a big payout. This may be one of the factors that has lead to the huge popularity of these machines. Some of the jackpots on the progressive machines exceed 10 million dollars. I do play the lotteries when the pots get big and a slot machine gives me a way of playing for a huge pot just by taking one more spin of the wheels. The size of the progressive is one of the major factors that has assisted the rising use of slot machines by gamblers. The ringing of the bells may have helped the continued rise in popularity. Maybe it is the graphics on the wheels and could be the lights. There is also the possibility that the names of the machines are what draw the gamblers to sit down and play. I think it is fair to say, that it is not just one factor that has led to what the slot machine is today, it is a combination of all of the above and more. Sit down, relax and don't gamble with more money than you can afford to lose. .