Who on this forum was a slot mechanic when they had EM's in casinos?

[jhanley]

Just wondering.I worked on EM's in the 70's at the Maxim in Las Vegas.

[rdaniel]

Greetings jhanley and welcome to the forum. There are a few contributors to the forum who have worked in casinos during the EM era, I am not one of them. We greatly appreciate their expertise and assistance in offering solutions to operational problems experienced by those who collect and maintain Bally EM's.
 
With your knowledge of the Bally EM's, any advice on repairs or other assistance would be very valuable and appreciated by those of us who occasionally  experience EM problems.
 
I look forward to your future input.

[jhanley]

Thanks,Its been a long time.I mostly rebuilt reel mechs,hoppers and handle mechs in the shop.I didn't get much time trouble shooting machines on the floor as I  was 18 when I started and left Vegas when I was 21 when I could work on the floor .A couple months ago I found a 831 Bally EM where I live and fixed it up.That really brought back a lot of memories.Sometimes I think I could put a reel mech toegether in my sleep as I rebuilt probably 100's of them.It sure was  different living in Vegas then than how it is now.

[The Fatman]

I know that DonnerPartyofAte worked in that area back in the days. One of the best EM guys on the forum.
Dave F

[RiseLikeRa]

Welcome to the forum.  Please stay with us and check in on occasion.  Donner AKA Old Reno has guided many of us to successful repairs.  I LOVE these old machines and if not for the help from members of this site I would have to reconsider my hobby.  Additionally, I feel really good when my 2 cents helps another collector out.  Send us some pictures of your EM's.  We are childlike and we love pictures.  :-)


Ra

[jhanley]

Im kind of computer illiterate.I'll see if I can get my kids to help me with the pictures.

[OldReno]

Welcome to the forum.  It's a nice group here, and you are certainly a good addition.
Consider yourself lucky you didn't have to work the floor....Ha!
Started at the Mapes in early 70's, and watched the industry get away from coins and now into credits and payout tickets and credit cards.
I miss the old days, and when the machines paid out coins, we had good employment, and the casinos were busy 24/7
Now, with automation, not so many employed anymore.  Sad.

[JanGbg]

Welcome!
I was just a teenager when this EM Machines was in work in the moddle of the 70:s in Sweden. Now I have 4 different Bally EM at home.

[jhanley]

I miss the old days too.I sometimes had to get up early and help with the drop.I also worked in the coin room wrapping coins and racking ikes until they first came out with tokens.Sometimes people would actually play real silver dollars..We could buy those for a buck and sell it to the coin store for eight dollars.I'd  rack sometimes up to 60000 in ikes before the day was out.We moved machines around to different configurations to see if they could make more money.I was the guy that would have to go to Bally and buy parts  to rebuild and fix the machines.It was a pretty good job for a young kid .I didn't have to roast my ass off in the summer.

[OldReno]

Sounds like you're an old timer, too.
I remember mom giving me a handful of silver dollars to run to the store to get bread and smokes for her.  Wish I had saved my allowances then...Ha.
Anyway, now we have machines that need hardly any attendants, lots of people are without jobs (I could use a part time one...), more unemployed, folks forced to stay at one job usually, more poor folks and just a few rich fatcats who got even richer by getting rid of those jobs for automation.  Screwed up system.  Instead of everyone prospering, we have a huge disparity of wealth.
But then this site isn't about politics...
Welcome.

[jhanley]

I go back to Las Vegas every couple of years and every time I go I like it less.We were just there passing through to go to California and I couldn't wait to get out of there.To many freakin people.Its just ruined.I liked it better in the sixtys and 70's when I was growing up there.It just had a feeling about it you can't describe.It was a lot more classy.My dad was a casino boss and could get me into any show in town for free.I can't believe I didn't go see Elvis at the International but I wasn't really not into him.I can't believe how expensive everything is now in Vegas.Its so corporate now.I had to buy a little tube of sunscreen for my kids at the gift shop at the Excalibur.It was 17 freakin dollars.When i was young Fremont street was the best cruising street anywhere.I had a good time then.

[Jimise]

Hello DonnerPartyofate,
Does this belly glass look familure to you ?......... 

Started at the Mapes in early 70's.
I miss the old days, and when the machines paid out coins, we had good employment, and the casinos were busy 24/7

[OldReno]

Cool photos, thanks.  I helped open the Money Tree, it was a fun place, but there were about 4 more casinos opened at the same time, and I don't think there were enough customers for all of them.
The Money tree building is still there (pawn shop or whatever), but the Mapes is long gone when they blew it up during superbowl (2000 or 2001)  It broke the spirit of Reno, and we never recovered.  At least I didn't. Ha.

[Jimise]

I was parking cars at Fitzgerald's back in 1982. I believe the mapes was closed by then. my parents picked some mapes stuff at an auction, a few machines and 21 tables. Reno was a fun place to live back then. I remember seeing the video of the mapes blowing up !

[jhanley]

I was parking cars at Fitzgerald's back in 1982. I believe the mapes was closed by then. my parents picked some mapes stuff at an auction, a few machines and 21 tables. Reno was a fun place to live back then. I remember seeing the video of the mapes blowing up !

That's the job I wanted at the Maxim.Those guys cleaned up with the tips