In the gambling world, slot machines in major casinos typically count for as much revenue as all other casino games combined, along with being much more profitable and less labor intensive than all other casino games, signifying that slot machines truly are the money machine that runs the casino end of the business. While there are a lot of reasons why slots are so popular, certainly amongst the reasons are the convenience of not having any sort of game theory to figure out, along with the non-embarrassment and non-intimidation factor because slots are an individual interaction, as well as the pace of the game playing is under the patron's control, amongst other reasons that vary from individual to individual.
Slot machines have become much more sophisticated over time, so that, for instance, some slot machines offer a user's choice of what game to play in the first place, as well as the fact that a replacement of a board or chip inside the machine can easily upgrade or modify the game in its play or configuration, in addition to the detail that physical coins have been replaced with scrip, or dollar bills, so that machines no longer need to be filled with coins, nor is it necessary to have personnel around that are required to make change for those playing such machines.
The thing about slot machines is that overall they take up a fair amount of space, as well as using a fair amount of energy, along with the fact that these machines, robust as they might be, are subject to both downtime as well as abuse. On the other hand, cell phones and tablets are essentially mini-computers, so that applications can easily be created that are able to replicate what a slot machine looks like onto a cell phone, so that if the programming is done with skill and acumen, a slot machine that the patron can interact with in their hands could be constructed, though there are some logistics involved.
The first big hurdle to overcome is that a handshake must be made between the patron and the actual casino so that, the casino is able to pre-verified, the age, the identity, the loyalty card, the specific IP address, the location, the recording of each spin correlated to that individual for review and confirmation, along with being able to process a form of monetary exchange, in which, all of this is secured and specific to the person engaging the app within a controlled space at the casino. The next hurdle to overcome is that on the surface it might appear to the player that their cell phone has turned into a slot machine, but the real inner workings of such a slot machine, would actually be held on a server or a cloud, and only the necessary graphics in order to sell the illusion that everything is being conducted in real time would be displayed on the cell phone, meaning the result of each "spin" would already be determined, moments before, via the processor which is connected to the casino's server or cloud.
Obviously, the biggest advantage to the casino is that having a lounge set aside for patrons to play slot machines on their cell phone or tablet, would not only take up less space, it would also privatize the game even more, as well as cutting down on real machine maintenance issues and real machine inventory, so too this would be another feather in the casino cap, and would allow patrons to do all the things that they love doing with their cell phones, including playing the slots.