LURE OF THE JACK-POT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 69, 6 January 1947, Page 5

LURE OF THE JACK-POT

American coin-operated slot machines are found in luxury and poverty from Canada’s Yukon to the South Pacific. The Prince of Nepal has one in every room,, including bathrooms. In Quetta, India, immediately after the earthquake, a bell type machine was dug from the debris, cleaned and set up for business so that native gamblers could have their tries at the jack pot. Machines must be adjusted to take varied currencies. For example, the anna coin of India has scalloped edges; money in other lands may be thick, thin, round, square with holes or without. A model sold in many lands uses the threepence of England, South Africa, the West Indies and Australia, but cannot be made to work with the threepence of New Zealand, which is almost identical in size and shape.

Loud tone volume is demanded of “juke boxes” coin operated phonographs—in Latin countries, ,

where it is not uncommon to see a placid game of checkers played at a table drawn as closely as possible to the loud speaker. Before the war, juke boxes for Spain had to be equipped with extra loud amplifiers which alone cost more than £75.

In Thailand, a number of bag punching devices have been raking in the money. When a coin is inserted in this type of machine, a regular punching bag is pulled down. The player 'then strikes the bag with his fist and the force of the blow is registered on a dial. The constant operation of these contraptions at. n'ght disturbed the repose of nearby inhabitants to such an extent that .a royal edict has been isrsued to prohibit their use.