According to Morale, Welfare and Recreation officials, several casinos on foreign U.S. Naval bases are currently switching to “coinless” slot machines in an attempt to enlarge MWR budgets. The new slots, already installed in major U.S. gambling centers such as Atlantic City and Las Vegas, track gambling activities via magnetic cards, which can be later cashed out by a live cashier or an automatic cashier machine.
Last week, Naval Air Facility Atsugi installed coinless slots for a trial period. Facility officials spent as much as $280,000 on 28 new slot machines that accept pennies, nickels and quarters. Since the new slots don't need refilling, they never shut down. Yokosuka Naval Base, that collects about $10 million in gaming revenue, is getting ready to open a newly renovated coinless slots venue this summer.
Steve Motchnik, Atsugi MWR director, was reported as saying that currently, the Atsugi slots generate approximately $1.5 million on an annual basis. The profits are used to cover on-base MWR projects. Also, Motchnik did not express any concern that the new slots may instigate gambling addiction. He is reportedly hopeful that people are not counting on slots winnings as a major contribution to their savings.
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