This has been my project at IGT for over a year. The ability to redeem your voucher like folding money in another machine is absolutely key, and all the reports from Fiesta have been overwhelmingly positive.

There will always be people who like coin. IGT ticket machines also allow coin. If you want coin, you can get coin. Letting the player choose between voucher and coin is key. But the hot hames today are video slots with 9 lines, 5 credits per line, or more. Who wants to drop 45 or 90 nickels in a slot for every pull? With these games, people mostly put paper money in, play credits, then cash out coin. Without the coin in, the hopper runs empty frequently, and fills can take time. Who wants to be stuck at a machine for half an hour or more waiting for a fill to get the last $2.55 of a $40 cashout? Vouchers are convenient for the players, and cost effective for the casino.

25 years ago, when I was a pinball mechanic, microprocessor-based pinball machines were introduced. The old mechanics poo-poo'd the technology, saying, "who can fix these complex machines?" and "nobody will play them, they don't 'feel' like pinball." Go ahead and poo-poo vouchers. They will revolutionize gaming, and open up possibilities for ways the casino can make gaming more exciting you never dreamed of. I know. I'm designing the next generation voucher concepts right now.