Question: A small but very vocal group of my readers took me to the proverbial woodshed for my Q&A feature last week about ticket-in, ticket-out (TITO) slot machines. They all pretty much said the same thing ("Rick, you're a moron") but Sophia seemed particularly upset. I'll encapsulate her very long e-mail thusly: "You're a jerk for suggesting that small stakes gamblers aren't important. TITO machines are terrible. The tickets get stuck all the time, and the tickets have expiration dates so they are a rip-off because I and others have left the casino without cashing them in. Oh, and you're a moron."

I'm paraphrasing, but you get the point.

Answer: Sophia, first let me apologize if my response to Danny's question about TITO machines came off as insulting to people who don't spend a lot of money in casinos. I never used the word "measly," as you suggested, and I certainly never suggested that small-stakes gamblers aren't important, but I understand how it could have been interpreted that way.

As far as the tickets getting stuck -- yes, that happens. All I can speak from is my own personal experience, and I would estimate that of the thousands of tickets I've printed from machines, they have gotten stuck a handful of times. Compare that to the thousands of coin jackpots I have cashed out and how many times I had to wait for the hopper to be refilled or fixed when the coins got stuck. It's a much higher number, trust me.

Regarding ticket expirations: Yes, some tickets do have expiration dates on them (which range from 30 days on up) but some don't have any expiration date at all. Some even include instructions on how to mail them in for redemption.

According to most reports, the amount casinos take in from unredeemed tickets is very small -- less than $1,000 a month per casino, which may be a lot to you and me but it's pocket change to these businesses. At many casinos it is less than the amount of unredeemed chips each month, since people often keep those as souvenirs or collectibles.

Regardless of how much money they get from unredeemed tickets, blaming the casino for people not cashing in their winnings is a little like blaming the grocery store if you left your dozen eggs in the shopping cart after paying for them. Sure, you could try to go back a year later and demand your eggs, but I can pretty much guarantee you what the response would be.

The bottom line is this: Most gamblers prefer the TITO machines, or at the very least accept them. Not all, but most. There are always going to be people that prefer a more traditional experience, but since the majority of players seem to have accepted the TITO machines and the casinos prefer them for the cost savings, coin-based machines are on their way out, just like eight-track tapes and typewriters. You can still use an eight-track and a typewriter if you prefer but they are harder and harder to find.

And this is just the first step. As technology and laws move forward, the experience of gambling in a casino will change dramatically. Most experts envision a future where you'll use an ATM-style card (tied to your players' club account) that you can load up with dough, insert into the slot machine, and have it automatically deduct and add money to your account as you win or lose.

You could then use that card at tables to buy chips, restaurants to buy meals and shops to buy clothes. When you are done with your casino visit you can cash out the winnings or transfer them automatically to your bank account without ever actually seeing a bill or coin. These kinds of systems are already in development and are just waiting for gambling laws to catch up with them.

So, Sophia, please accept my apologies if my tone came across as insulting. But this is a battle you're not going to win. If you insist upon only gambling at machines that accept and dispense coins, you'll have a very hard time finding a place to gamble in the future.

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