Ask the Slot Expert: Unbelievable slot drama

Last week I wrote about discovering that some slot channels on YouTube are not real. That is, instead of showing play with real money at risk in a casino, they show play on machines in someone's game room and no money is at risk. That high-value handpay you're envying may be as real as Harry the Lizard on Death in Paradise.

One of the guys exposing the funny-money channels is EZ Life Slot Jackpots. While searching for his videos on YouTube, I found Brian Christopher New Slot DRAMA *Unbelievable*. I had to watch the video to find out what drama was not just unbelievable, but *unbelievable*.

I've never met Brian Christopher. I wouldn't be surprised if one of his videos was the first slot-playing video I watched on YouTube. Brian is probably the first person called a "slot influencer." He also advocates for smoke-free casinos.

The video starts off with a pan of Brian Christoper's Pop'N Pays More slot machine. EZ admits that not only has he never played the machine, but also that he would never play the machine.

At about 2:30, EZ gets started on the *unbelievable* DRAMA. He reads a blog post Brian posted on 5/14/21 and says, "Brian Christopher is saying that he is never going to step foot in a smoking casino ever again."

The only problem is that Brian said nothing of the sort in the blog post, the blog post that EZ just read. There was a New York minute between EZ's reading the post and mischaracterizing it.

Today I make the pledge to prioritize visiting smoke-free casinos beginning 2022, and to frequent only smoke-free casinos commencing 2023. I am putting the health of myself and my employees first, and I hope that casinos choose to do the same for their employees and guests.

That's what Brian actually posted. He never said he was never going into a casino that allowed smoking again. "Frequent," as a verb, means to visit often, not visit exclusively. I take Brian's statement to mean that in 2022, all things being equal, he would go to a smoke-free casino over a smoke-allowed casino. In 2023, there would have to be an extraordinary reason to go to a smoke-allowed casino.

To be fair to EZ, after he mischaracterizes Brian's post, he does admit that Brian wrote "prioritize."

The real drama has to do with where Brian's branded slot machine is being placed. Many of the casinos that have the machines allow smoking. EZ even shows photos of ashtrays on the machines. Photos which, EZ says, were taken by "spies that were sent out to gather this intel." The machines aren't even in the non-smoking sections -- if they have them -- of those casinos.

EZ asks, Why would you put your slots in casinos that allow smoking?

Well, probably because Brian can't control which casinos the manufacturer, Gaming Arts (Knock knock. Who's there? Gaming Arts. Gaming Arts who? Exactly!), sells to and can't control where those casinos place the machines.

Brian has a branded section of the slot floor at the Plaza in downtown Las Vegas. It is smoke-free.

EZ also takes issue with some of Brian's posts about cruises on which is appearing. Some of the posts say "Paid Partnership" and others "Sponsored" under his name. There's nothing nefarious here. If he's making an appearance on a cruise, he is being compensated for his appearance and he is expected to promote it. The sponsor may even reimburse some of the expenses incurred in promoting the appearance.

I will agree with EZ on one point about the cruises, though. Brian posted (the screenshot does not show the date), "...we are committed to working with smokefree casinos, and that includes cruise ships. All @CarnivalCruise voyages we are sailing on offer #smokefree casinos!"

Well, I checked Locations Where You Can Smoke on the Carnival site. None of the casinos are smoke-free. Only a few have non-smoking sections. All allow smoking as long as you are seated and playing. (Actually, I wouldn't mind having the same rule in Las Vegas.) Smoking is limited elsewhere on the ships. (What is Carnival's Tobacco and Marijuana Smoking Policy?)

Earlier in the video (around 4:20), EZ takes issue with Brian's having a paid partnership with smokefreecasinos.org on a post about videos recorded in a smoke-free casino.

Tying it all up, the *unbelievable* DRAMA is that Brian Christopher is advocating for smoke-free casinos and getting paid for some posts promoting smoke-free casinos while also having his branded slot machines where smoking is allowed and appearing on cruises where the casinos are not smoke-free. At 5:34, EZ concludes that Brian's advocacy is just "a paid gig for him."

In the beginning of the video, EZ calls Brian "Sister Christopher" multiple times. The video ends with a clip of a young woman saying, "You are disgusting. You are a liar and a psychopath. And you need serious, serious help."

I don't know either of these guys or their backstory. My conclusion is that something happened to cause EZ to have a bug up his butt about Brian Christopher.

If you would like to see more non-smoking areas on slot floors in Las Vegas, please sign my petition on change.org.

I didn't know that the Nevada State Legislature meets for only a few months every other year and I had missed the deadline to propose new legislation when I started the petition. We'll be electing a new legislature this year, so let's keep gathering signatures.