Recent History
Beginning in the late 80's and until quite recently many of the casino's switched to tokens. These tokens were minted in the same manner as regular coins, with the insignia of the casino imprinted on them. The tokens were recognized only in the casino as having any value and you could not use them from one casino to another. All of this coinage including the tokens represented a huge investment for the casinos in terms of funds sitting in slot machines, in the cash boxes of the money change girls and in the vaults of the casino. There was literally millions of dollars in investment that needed to be around just to keep the casino going.
Real Coins and Tokens Cost Money
Slot machine attendants represented another cost to the casinos. The slot machines frequently ran out of coins and had to be refilled. Gambling customers frequently turned in their winnings and all of the coins needed to be counted, bagged, and returned to the slot machines. The costs were staggering and the casinos were desperately looking for ways to manage and decrease these costs while retaining the pleasure that gamblers received from gambling at slot machines.
Evolution to Slot Machine Vouchers
With the introduction of digital computers and small printers, the casino slot industry was set for a revolution. First came the digital machines that enabled multiple games to be played on the same slot machine and then came the coin less machines in the early 21st century. These machines printed a slip of paper with the denomination, the value of the winnings and the serial number of the machine and a bar code that coded all of this information.
Customers are treated to a tinkling sound meant to represent the falling of money when the coded paper slip is being printed. Not the same, but them who cares when you just won a jackpot! Las Vegas slot machines are gradually moving to coin-less machines as are many other casinos around the country.