Casinos are awesome, especially once you accept the fact that the house always wins. And if you’re going to give away your money regardless, you might as well do it at one of these incredibly, wonderfully weird games.
Top picture: B.T. Indrelunas/Flickr
Hands up and gimme all your cash! A literal one-armed-bandit in Henry’s Western Gift Shop in Reno, Nevada, 1955.
Picture: Mark Dadswell/Getty Images
Government-operated “Rocky” machines at the metropolitan government office building in Tokyo. Robot butler not included.
Picture: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images
Even with a blurry image, SPAM slot machines shine bright.
Picture: Steve Schroeder/Flickr
Pimp your ride with a manga-themed slot machine! Taken at the 2008 Tokyo Auto Salon. Somewhere, Xzibit is smiling.
Picture: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images
A presidential election slot machine at Comedy Central’s Indecision 2008 Election Night. Everything’s coming up Palin!
Picture: Scott Gries/Getty Images
An online slot machine, featuring mug shots from Japan’s wanted list instead of bells and cherries.
Picture: Famista Inc/AP
Rat Roulette aka Gerbil Roulette. Forget the physics of a bouncing ball; winners are decided here by the biology of rodents.
Picture: Scott Beale/Flickr
May the luck be with you when playing these Star Wars machines in Las Vegas.
Picture: Daniel Lobo/Flickr
Tic-tac-toe chicken. Yes, in this game you have to beat a real animal — Ginger the chicken — in tic-tac-toe to win $US10,000. For real.
Picture: B.T. Indrelunas/Flickr.