No, that wasn't some lame audiology joke. Vegas is one of those places that appeals to your senses. Sight, taste, and especially sound. Even if you've never been to Vegas, everyone has a mental idea of the sounds you will experience. Particularly the casino sounds.
I've been to Vegas a few times, but this most recent trip was my first since college and at the risk of sounding like an old person, things just weren't the same as they used to be - at least the same according to my ears. On the college trip, I distinctly remember a few things that were missing on this adventure. Some auditory distinctions to be exact.
A few years ago you went into the casino, sat at a slot machine, pulled the side handle and (hopefully) won a little coin. As soon as those lights started flashing, you immediately heard the distinct "dink dink dink dink" sound of the coins hitting the tray as they fell out of the machine. Then you grabbed one of those plastic buckets on top of the machine, gathered your spoils and jingled the bucket onto the next machine. It all went down a little something like this:
Really a glorious experience all around. Until some genius decided to change it.
Now a days, you sit at a slot machine, pull the side handle and when you get lucky, the lights still flash, but there is no sound of coins falling. Nope. The metal tray to catch the coins is still there, but nothing falls out. If you listen closely, you hear a different sound. A receipt printing. No kidding. A receipt. They did away with the coins and spit you out a receipt stating your exact winnings.
I almost felt like I was at the gas pump pressing "Yes I want a Receipt" on the key pad.
And even worse than the absence of coin, there are no more plastic buckets. I guess that makes sense. Walking around jingling your receipts in a bucket just doesn't seem to have the same effect.
If Vegas had a suggestion box, I would drop a note saying we should bring back the coins. And the buckets.
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