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The Star, Sydney

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88-522: The Star Sydney (formerly Star City Casino and prior to that, Sydney Harbour Casino ) in Pyrmont , Sydney , is the second largest casino in Australia after Melbourne 's Crown Casino . Overlooking Darling Harbour , The Star, owned by Star Entertainment Group features two gaming floors, one bar , 3 restaurants , 351 hotel rooms and 130 serviced and privately owned apartments. It also includes

176-405: A ccess l og or M achine e ntry a uthorization l og, depending on the jurisdiction or venue) is a log of the employee's entries into the machine. Low-level or slant-top slot machines include a stool so the player may sit down. Stand-up or upright slot machines are played while standing. Optimal play is a payback percentage based on a gambler using the optimal strategy in

264-415: A video game , manufacturers can offer more interactive elements, such as advanced bonus rounds and more varied video graphics. The "slot machine" term derives from the slots on the machine for inserting and retrieving coins. "Fruit machine" comes from the traditional fruit images on the spinning reels such as lemons and cherries. Slot machines are also known pejoratively as "one-armed bandits", alluding to

352-525: A "second screen" bonus round was Reel ’Em In, developed by WMS Industries in 1996. This type of machine had appeared in Australia from at least 1994 with the Three Bags Full game. With this type of machine, the display changes to provide a different game in which an additional payout may be awarded. Depending on the machine, the player can insert cash or, in " ticket-in, ticket-out " machines,

440-447: A "tilt". A theoretical hold worksheet is a document provided by the manufacturer for every slot machine that indicates the theoretical percentage the machine should hold based on the amount paid in. The worksheet also indicates the reel strip settings, number of coins that may be played, the payout schedule, the number of reels and other information descriptive of the particular type of slot machine. Volatility or variance refers to

528-567: A block of apartments at 22 Point Street). Pirrama Park (previous known as Pyrmont Point Park) is located in the northern tip of the peninsula, overlooking Balmain East , and extends southwest along the coast to Elizabeth Macarthur Bay and the beginning of Harris Street, along Pirrama Road. The land was previously a base for the Water Police; the City of Sydney acquired it in 2005 and developed

616-415: A comedic investigation where they attempted to enter The Star casino while displaying as many COVID-19 symptoms as possible to see whether they would be allowed inside during the pandemic. In one attempt, Aleksa tried entering the casino while dressed in hospital surgical garbs, dragging an IV drip stand on wheels, with a high forehead temperature. Despite telling the casino staff that he had come straight from

704-534: A consortium of Leighton Properties and Showboat was announced by the NSW Casino Control Authority as the successful applicant for New South Wales' first casino licence. A temporary casino was opened by Acting Prime Minister Kim Beazley on 13 September 1995 on the site of former wharves 12/13. The permanent casino, designed by Sydney architect, Philip Cox , in joint partnership with American architect, Hillier, opened on 27 November 1997,

792-403: A finite number of spins. In other bonus rounds, the player is presented with several items on a screen from which to choose. As the player chooses items, a number of credits is revealed and awarded. Some bonuses use a mechanical device, such as a spinning wheel, that works in conjunction with the bonus to display the amount won. A candle is a light on top of the slot machine. It flashes to alert

880-520: A help menu, along with information on other features. Historically, all slot machines used revolving mechanical reels to display and determine results. Although the original slot machine used five reels, simpler, and therefore more reliable, three reel machines quickly became the standard. A problem with three reel machines is that the number of combinations is only cubic – the original slot machine with three physical reels and 10 symbols on each reel had only 10 = 1,000 possible combinations. This limited

968-408: A hexagonal reel formation, and much like multi-way games, any patterns not played are darkened out of use. Denominations can range from 1 cent ("penny slots") all the way up to $ 100.00 or more per credit. The latter are typically known as "high limit" machines, and machines configured to allow for such wagers are often located in dedicated areas (which may have a separate team of attendants to cater to

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1056-421: A much simpler automatic mechanism with three spinning reels containing a total of five symbols: horseshoes , diamonds , spades, hearts and a Liberty Bell ; the bell gave the machine its name. By replacing ten cards with five symbols and using three reels instead of five drums, the complexity of reading a win was considerably reduced, allowing Fey to design an effective automatic payout mechanism. Three bells in

1144-435: A nearby hospital, he was allowed to enter the casino where he spent his time using the gaming machines while wearing a white shirt saying "I have covid" in bold black letters. "When I rocked up with my hospital gown and drip, the first thing they asked me was whether I had a Star Casino gold membership card." Alex Apollonov followed Aleksa into the casino with a forehead temperature of 48 degrees (achieved using heat packs), which

1232-463: A new game Double-Chance was trialed but was discontinued soon after; Players, referring to the game's high house advantage, dubbed the game 'No-Chance'. At the end of 2006, Star City introduced a new game, three card baccarat, following minor reorganization of its main gaming floor in preparation for the smoking ban in July 2007 and planned extensions to its gaming floors. This game was also removed from

1320-736: A number of large losses in 2002. Recent rebuilding works have added extra gaming areas for the main gaming floor with the addition of the Oasis Lounge and the 36 Degrees Bar although these new areas have not increased the number of tables or machines available in total. The main gaming floor is divided into three major parts — Table Games, Electronic Gaming, and Poker . The number of poker tables has been steadily increased and now stands at 40 tables. The Sovereign Room has been upgraded and now includes four additional private gaming rooms and extra dining and lounge amenities. These extensions have an estimated cost of $ 7,000,000. Another recent upgrade

1408-496: A paper ticket with a barcode , into a designated slot on the machine. The machine is then activated by means of a lever or button (either physical or on a touchscreen), which activates reels that spin and stop to rearrange the symbols. If a player matches a winning combination of symbols, the player earns credits based on the paytable. Symbols vary depending on the theme of the machine. Classic symbols include objects such as fruits, bells, and stylized lucky sevens . Most slot games have

1496-566: A population of around 30,000. The first Pyrmont Bridge opened in 1858. A larger bridge with a swinging span opened in 1902, but was closed to traffic in the 1980s. It was subsequently turned into a pedestrian precinct. In 1973, a public meeting held between residents of Pyrmont and Ultimo asked the Builders Labourers Federation imposed a green ban on the North Western Expressway to save much of

1584-418: A result of a short pay. Hopper fill slip is a document used to record the replenishment of the coin in the coin hopper after it becomes depleted as a result of making payouts to players. The slip indicates the amount of coin placed into the hoppers, as well as the signatures of the employees involved in the transaction, the slot machine number and the location and the date. MEAL book ( M achine e ntry

1672-475: A row produced the biggest payoff, ten nickels (50¢). Liberty Bell was a huge success and spawned a thriving mechanical gaming device industry. After a few years, the devices were banned in California, but Fey still could not keep up with the demand for them elsewhere. The Liberty Bell machine was so popular that it was copied by many slot machine manufacturers. The first of these, also called the "Liberty Bell",

1760-491: A separate line branched off from the main line on Harris Street, turning left into Miller Street, turning right into Bank Street, crossing the former Glebe Island Bridge. It then travelled along Commercial Road turning right onto Victoria Road, then right onto Darling Street, terminating at the Darling Street wharf. The tram lines closed in 1958. The Sydney Monorail ran between the city and nearby Darling Harbour across

1848-490: A series of spins are automatically played at no charge at the player's current wager. Free spins are usually triggered via a scatter of at least three designated symbols (with the number of spins dependent on the number of symbols that land). Some games allow the free spins bonus to "retrigger", which adds additional spins on top of those already awarded. There is no theoretical limit to the number of free spins obtainable. Some games may have other features that can also trigger over

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1936-587: A skill-based slot machine game. Payline is a line that crosses through one symbol on each reel, along which a winning combination is evaluated. Classic spinning reel machines usually have up to nine paylines, while video slot machines may have as many as one hundred. Paylines could be of various shapes (horizontal, vertical, oblique, triangular, zigzag, etc.) Persistent state refers to passive features on some slot machines, some of which able to trigger bonus payouts or other special features if certain conditions are met over time by players on that machine. Roll-up

2024-442: A table that lists the number of credits the player will receive if the symbols listed on the pay table line up on the pay line of the machine. Some symbols are wild and can represent many, or all, of the other symbols to complete a winning line. Especially on older machines, the pay table is listed on the face of the machine, usually above and below the area containing the wheels. On video slot machines, they are usually contained within

2112-451: A theme, such as a specific style , location, or character. Symbols and other bonus features of the game are typically aligned with the theme. Some themes are licensed from popular media franchises , including films, television series (including game shows such as Wheel of Fortune , which has been one of the most popular lines of slot machines overall), entertainers, and musicians. Multi-line slot machines have become more popular since

2200-546: Is Pirrama, Dharug Language. Pyrmont contained a mineral spring of cold water bubbling out of a rock and was thus named for a similar natural spring in Bad Pyrmont , close to Hanover , Germany . Thomas Jones was granted 55 acres (22 ha) of land on the peninsula in 1795. Land was sold to Obadiah Ikin in 1796 for 10 pounds, which he then sold to Captain John Macarthur in 1799 for a gallon of rum. Pyrmont

2288-532: Is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. A slot machine's standard layout features a screen displaying three or more reels that "spin" when the game is activated. Some modern slot machines still include a lever as a skeuomorphic design trait to trigger play. However, the mechanical operations of early machines have been superseded by random number generators , and most are now operated using buttons and touchscreens . Slot machines include one or more currency detectors that validate

2376-400: Is a display of the amount of money or number of credits on the machine. On mechanical slot machines, this is usually a seven-segment display , but video slot machines typically use stylized text that suits the game's theme and user interface. The drop bucket or drop box is a container located in a slot machine's base where excess coins are diverted from the hopper. Typically, a drop bucket

2464-429: Is a mechanical device that rotates coins into the coin tray when a player collects credits/coins (by pressing a "Cash Out" button). When a certain preset coin capacity is reached, a coin diverter automatically redirects, or "drops", excess coins into a "drop bucket" or "drop box". (Unused coin hoppers can still be found even on games that exclusively employ Ticket-In, Ticket-Out technology, as a vestige.) The credit meter

2552-616: Is an inner-city suburb of Sydney , in the state of New South Wales , Australia 2 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney . It is also part of the Darling Harbour region. Aboriginal culture Before European settlement the Eora tribe of Indigenous Australians inhabited the area. Their Aboriginal name for this area

2640-405: Is at least one in at least three consecutive reels from left to right. Multi-way games may be configured to allow players to bet by-reel: for example, on a game with a 3x5 pattern (often referred to as a 243-way game), playing one reel allows all three symbols in the first reel to potentially pay, but only the center row pays on the remaining reels (often designated by darkening the unused portions of

2728-695: Is designed by the Government Architect, Walter Liberty Vernon , in 1907. It is an example of the Federation Free Style, predominantly made of brick with sandstone trimmings, and with Art Nouveau elements. It is now on the (now defunct) Register of the National Estate . The public school in John Street was designed by W.E.Kemp and built in 1891; a brick building, it features a bell tower, belfry and slate roof, and

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2816-592: Is gone from the area now, replaced by low and high-rise residential developments. The sugar refinery closed down and some of the buildings, including The Cooperage and Tablet House, were restored as residential and office space. Both are listed on the local government heritage register. Following the redevelopment the suburb became more multicultural, with only 35% of residents born in Australia, followed by 8% born in China. Pyrmont Fire Station in Pyrmont Street

2904-458: Is limited to a maximum 1500. As in most casinos, the gaming floors of the venue are constantly monitored by a security camera system. Cameras mounted on the roof and in the table signs are used to ensure that all actions are logged. The footage can be used to settle player disputes, identify cheating, and be used in the Australian court system for prosecution . $ 500 chips were removed from

2992-800: Is linked to the city by the Pyrmont Bridge , a swing bridge for pedestrians and cyclists. The Western Distributor passes through the suburb and provides a connection to the city and then to the North Shore via the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Distributor includes the Anzac Bridge , a large cable-stayed bridge spanning Johnstons Bay between Pyrmont and Rozelle , which replaced the Glebe Island Bridge. The Inner West Light Rail includes five light rail stops in

3080-792: Is on the defunct Register of the National Estate. As of 2015, the building is used by a childcare and the Pyrmont Community Center. Union Square is a major heritage precinct. It includes the Post Office in Harris Street, The Harlequin Inn pub, two bank buildings in Union Street, the homes from 4-20 Union Street, all buildings from 99 to 125 Harris Street, the terrace from 135 to 141 Harris Street and terraces from 1-21 Paternoster Row. All of these buildings are listed on

3168-674: Is the addition of a new "ultra exclusive" area directly above the Sovereign Room called the Chairmans Lounge. This is accessed by invitation only, and there are currently fewer than 500 Diamond Card Members that are entitled to use the Chairmans Lounge. Star City has recently opened the sports bar as well. The Star provides many traditional casino games, including Mini Baccarat , Blackjack , Caribbean Stud , Craps , Pai Gow , Poker, Pontoon , Roulette , Rapid (semi-electronic) Roulette, Sic Bo and Three card poker Two-Up

3256-432: Is the process of dramatizing a win by playing sounds while the meters count up to the amount that has been won. Short pay refers to a partial payout made by a slot machine, which is less than the amount due to the player. This occurs if the coin hopper has been depleted as a result of making earlier payouts to players. The remaining amount due to the player is either paid as a hand pay or an attendant will come and refill

3344-411: Is used for low-denomination slot machines and a drop box is used for high-denomination slot machines. A drop box contains a hinged lid with one or more locks whereas a drop bucket does not contain a lid. The contents of drop buckets and drop boxes are collected and counted by the casino on a scheduled basis. EGM is short for "Electronic Gaming Machine". Free spins are a common form of bonus, where

3432-491: The 1870s, a small Methodist chapel was built in Harris Street on land owned by Charles Saunders. In the 1920s, it was converted to the Maybanke Free Kindergarten, named after Maybanke Anderson , a feminist and educationist. It was still used for that purpose as of 2018. Pyrmont became a working class industrial and port community. A major sugar refinery was operated by CSR Limited . In 1900 the area had

3520-439: The 1990s. These machines have more than one payline, meaning that visible symbols that are not aligned on the main horizontal may be considered as winning combinations. Traditional three-reel slot machines commonly have one, three, or five paylines while video slot machines may have 9, 15, 25, or as many as 1024 different paylines. Most accept variable numbers of credits to play, with 1 to 15 credits per line being typical. The higher

3608-568: The 2,000 seat Sydney Lyric theatre and 3,000-seat Event Centre , the latter designed by Montreal-based theatre design firm Scéno Plus . Its gaming operations are overseen and controlled by the New South Wales Casino Control Authority and is licensed to be the only legal casino in New South Wales . In late 2007, it was granted a 12-year extension of its exclusivity and licence. In December 1994,

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3696-642: The 2016 census, there were 12,813 people in Pyrmont. In 2021, 40.7% of people were born in Australia. The other most common countries of birth were China 6.2%, England 4.2%, India 4.0%, Thailand 2.5% and New Zealand 2.2%. 52.6% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 6.9%, Cantonese 4.3%, Spanish 3.3%, Thai 2.6% and Indonesian 1.6%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 43.6% and Catholic 18.6%. 93.7% of dwellings were flats, units or apartments and 5.7% are semi-detached terraced houses or townhouses. Pyrmont

3784-660: The Better Cities Program. In 1992 the City West Development Corporation had been created with the mission to renew the precinct. In 1999 this responsibility has been transferred to the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority . This led to a larger community of 13,000 by 2004 and also an increase of trade with businesses moving back into the area, totalling 22,000 employees. Almost all industrial function

3872-545: The Marquee, opened on 31 March 2012. In 2009, Tabcorp , the then-owners of Star City, announced an A$ 475 million refurbishment and expansion program called Project Star which involved the re-orientation of the casino towards Sydney Harbour, including a new "iconic" entrance as well as a drop-off zone on the harbour side of the casino site. Work began in late 2009 and was completed late 2012. Despite initial cost estimates, according to Echo Entertainment Group CEO, Larry Mullin

3960-537: The Pyrmont Bridge between 1988 and 2013. Pyrmont is a future rapid transit station that will be built as part of the Sydney Metro West project. St Bartholomew's Park is a small park on the corner of Bowman Street and Cross Street, created in 1954 after the demolition of numbers 113-115 Bowman Street. The park is named after St Bartholomew's Church which once stood nearby on Point Street (now

4048-402: The amount bet, the higher the payout will be if the player wins. One of the main differences between video slot machines and reel machines is in the way payouts are calculated. With reel machines, the only way to win the maximum jackpot is to play the maximum number of coins (usually three, sometimes four or even five coins per spin). With video machines, the fixed payout values are multiplied by

4136-688: The area into a 1.8ha recreational space, with cafes, barbeque facilities and children's play equipment. Giba Park sits atop the cliff overlooking Pirrama Park. Waterfront Park is near the western extreme of the suburb, near the Glebe Island Bridge . Other parks in Pyrmont include The Knoll , Carmichael Park , Jones Street Pocket Park , Ballaarat Park , Metcalfe Park , Pyrmont Bay Park , Bank Street Foreshore Park , and Refinery Square . Slot machine A slot machine , fruit machine ( British English ), poker machine or pokies ( Australian English and New Zealand English )

4224-404: The casino after fraudulent chips were found. Some chips did make their way into the bank due to limited security features on the chips. The Star has a large variety of restaurants including five star fine dining. Not all the restaurants are managed by The Star with a number of outlets being privately managed. The Star's Harvest Buffet is known for its all you can eat buffet with seafood buffet over

4312-415: The city had one or more of them. Players would insert a nickel and pull a lever, which would spin the drums and the cards that they held, the player hoping for a good poker hand. There was no direct payout mechanism, so a pair of kings might get the player a free beer, whereas a royal flush could pay out cigars or drinks; the prizes were wholly dependent upon what the establishment would offer. To improve

4400-411: The concept of reliance upon authority as it relates to the axiomatic ignorantia juris non excusat ("ignorance of the law is no excuse"). In these cases, a mint vending machine was declared to be a gambling device because the machine would, by internally manufactured chance, occasionally give the next user several tokens exchangeable for more candy. Despite the display of the result of the next use on

4488-412: The course of free spins. A hand pay refers to a payout made by an attendant or at an exchange point ("cage"), rather than by the slot machine itself. A hand pay occurs when the amount of the payout exceeds the maximum amount that was preset by the slot machine's operator. Usually, the maximum amount is set at the level where the operator must begin to deduct taxes. A hand pay could also be necessary as

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4576-596: The defunct Register of the National Estate. Also on the defunct Register is the Waite and Bull building at 137 Pyrmont Bridge Road. Pyrmont has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: The Star casino dominates the Darling Harbour waterfront of Pyrmont and the Sydney Fish Market is located on Blackwattle Bay . Jacksons Landing is a residential and commercial property development located on

4664-862: The display and logic boards for all slot-machine functions. The prototype was mounted in a full-size, show-ready slot-machine cabinet. The first production units went on trial at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel . After some modifications to defeat cheating attempts, the video slot machine was approved by the Nevada State Gaming Commission and eventually found popularity on the Las Vegas Strip and in downtown casinos. Fortune Coin Co. and its video slot-machine technology were purchased by IGT (International Gaming Technology) in 1978. The first American video slot machine to offer

4752-434: The final cost was estimated to be around A$ 961 million. On 16 September 2011, the casino reopened under the name "The Star". The venue has featured awards nights including playing host to the annual film and television AACTA Awards . The first 12 episodes of the 2005–2006 Australian television series Joker Poker was filmed in a private gaming room at the casino. The game was dealt by experienced The Star croupiers; however

4840-597: The first slot machine with a bottomless hopper and automatic payout of up to 500 coins without the help of an attendant. The popularity of this machine led to the increasing predominance of electronic games , with the side lever soon becoming vestigial. The first video slot machine was developed in 1976 in Kearny Mesa, California by the Las Vegas–based Fortune Coin Co. This machine used a modified 19-inch (48 cm) Sony Trinitron color receiver for

4928-562: The floor shortly after due to lack of interest from players. The Star provides a selection of electronic gaming machines, including slot machines , bingo , rapid roulette and video poker machines . Rapid Big Wheel was introduced in early 2006 to replace the often slow-paced table game version , which has now been reintroduced, and the Rapid Big Wheel removed in August 2007. The Star has just over 1490 electronic gaming machines but

5016-420: The form of payment, whether coin , banknote , voucher , or token . The machine pays out according to the pattern of symbols displayed when the reels stop "spinning". Slot machines are the most popular gambling method in casinos and contribute about 70% of the average U.S. casino's income. Digital technology has resulted in variations in the original slot machine concept. As the player is essentially playing

5104-399: The game (similarly to a joker card), usually excluding scatter and jackpot symbols (or offering a lower prize on non-natural combinations that include wilds). How jokers behave are dependent on the specific game and whether the player is in a bonus or free games mode. Sometimes wild symbols may only appear on certain reels, or have a chance to "stack" across the entire reel. Each machine has

5192-440: The large mechanical levers affixed to the sides of early mechanical machines, and to the games' ability to empty players' pockets and wallets as thieves would. Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn , New York , developed a gambling machine in 1891 that was a precursor to the modern slot machine. It contained five drums holding a total of 50 card faces and was based on poker . The machine proved extremely popular, and soon many bars in

5280-413: The machine, the courts ruled that "[t]he machine appealed to the player's propensity to gamble, and that is [a] vice." In 1963, Bally developed the first fully electromechanical slot machine called Money Honey (although earlier machines such as Bally's High Hand draw-poker machine had exhibited the basics of electromechanical construction as early as 1940). Its electromechanical workings made Money Honey

5368-410: The machine. A scatter is a pay combination based on occurrences of a designated symbol landing anywhere on the reels, rather than falling in sequence on the same payline. A scatter pay usually requires a minimum of three symbols to land, and the machine may offer increased prizes or jackpots depending on the number that land. Scatters are frequently used to trigger bonus games, such as free spins (with

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5456-441: The manufacturer's ability to offer large jackpots since even the rarest event had a likelihood of 0.1%. The maximum theoretical payout, assuming 100% return to player would be 1000 times the bet, but that would leave no room for other pays, making the machine very high risk, and also quite boring. Although the number of symbols eventually increased to about 22, allowing 10,648 combinations, this still limited jackpot sizes as well as

5544-455: The measure of risk associated with playing a slot machine. A low-volatility slot machine has regular but smaller wins, while a high-variance slot machine has fewer but bigger wins. Weight count is an American term referring to the total value of coins or tokens removed from a slot machine's drop bucket or drop box for counting by the casino's hard count team through the use of a weigh scale. Wild symbols substitute for most other symbols in

5632-412: The minimum out over the course of several pulls. Tilt is a term derived from electromechanical slot machines' " tilt switches ", which would make or break a circuit when they were tilted or otherwise tampered with that triggered an alarm. While modern machines no longer have tilt switches, any kind of technical fault (door switch in the wrong state, reel motor failure, out of paper, etc.) is still called

5720-477: The multiple reel. In 1984, Inge Telnaes received a patent for a device titled, "Electronic Gaming Device Utilizing a Random Number Generator for Selecting the Reel Stop Positions" (US Patent 4448419), which states: "It is important to make a machine that is perceived to present greater chances of payoff than it actually has within the legal limitations that games of chance must operate." The patent

5808-406: The needs of those who play there). The machine automatically calculates the number of credits the player receives in exchange for the cash inserted. Newer machines often allow players to choose from a selection of denominations on a splash screen or menu. A bonus is a special feature of the particular game theme, which is activated when certain symbols appear in a winning combination. Bonuses and

5896-442: The northern part of the peninsula. Pyrmont is home to the headquarters of several corporations including Vodafone , Accenture Australia, Network 10 , Google and radio stations Nova 96.9 , Smooth 95.3 , and 2SM . Pyrmont is the former home to Seven West Media (moved to Australian Technology Park at Eveleigh in 2017) and 2GB (moved to North Sydney in 2020). At the 2021 census , 12,658 people were living in Pyrmont. In

5984-497: The number of bonus features vary depending upon the game. Some bonus rounds are a special session of free spins (the number of which is often based on the winning combination that triggers the bonus), often with a different or modified set of winning combinations as the main game and/or other multipliers or increased frequencies of symbols, or a "hold and re-spin" mechanic in which specific symbols (usually marked with values of credits or other prizes) are collected and locked in place over

6072-457: The number of coins per line that is being bet. In other words: on a reel machine, the odds are more favorable if the gambler plays with the maximum number of coins available. However, depending on the structure of the game and its bonus features, some video slots may still include features that improve chances at payouts by making increased wagers. "Multi-way" games eschew fixed paylines in favor of allowing symbols to pay anywhere, as long as there

6160-421: The number of possible outcomes. In the 1980s, however, slot machine manufacturers incorporated electronics into their products and programmed them to weight particular symbols. Thus the odds of losing symbols appearing on the payline became disproportionate to their actual frequency on the physical reel. A symbol would only appear once on the reel displayed to the player, but could, in fact, occupy several stops on

6248-455: The number of spins multiplying based on the number of scatter symbols that land). The scatter symbol usually cannot be matched using wilds, and some games may require the scatter symbols to appear on consecutive reels in order to pay. On some multiway games, scatter symbols still pay in unused areas. Taste is a reference to the small amount often paid out to keep a player seated and continuously betting. Only rarely will machines fail to pay even

6336-553: The odds for the house, two cards were typically removed from the deck , the ten of spades and the jack of hearts , doubling the odds against winning a royal flush. The drums could also be rearranged to further reduce a player's chance of winning. Because of the vast number of possible wins in the original poker-based game, it proved practically impossible to make a machine capable of awarding an automatic payout for all possible winning combinations. At some time between 1887 and 1895, Charles Fey of San Francisco , California devised

6424-412: The operator that change is needed, hand pay is requested, a potential problem with the machine or the progressive jackpot has been won. It can be lit by the player by pressing the "service" or "help" button. Carousel refers to a grouping of slot machines, usually in a circle or oval formation. A coin hopper is a container where the coins that are immediately available for payouts are held. The hopper

6512-530: The origin of the bar symbol, was also present. This set of symbols proved highly popular and was used by other companies that began to make their own slot machines: Caille , Watling, Jennings and Pace. A commonly used technique to avoid gambling laws in several states was to award food prizes. For this reason, several gumball and other vending machines were regarded with mistrust by the courts. The two Iowa cases of State v. Ellis and State v. Striggles are both used in criminal law classes to illustrate

6600-415: The reels). Other multi-way games use a 4x5 or 5x5 pattern, where there are up to five symbols in each reel, allowing for up to 1,024 and 3,125 ways to win respectively. The Australian manufacturer Aristocrat brands games featuring this system as "Reel Power", "Xtra Reel Power" and "Super Reel Power" respectively. A variation involves patterns where symbols are adjacent to one another. Most of these games have

6688-526: The show was not a success. Also filmed there were several episodes of Beauty and the Geek Australia . The now defunct Ralph magazine shot its swimsuit model of the year competition at Turbines Health Club (pool and gym for the hotel and apartments). During the COVID-19 pandemic , Australian comedians Alex Apollonov of I Did a Thing and Aleksa Vulović partnered with The Chaser to create

6776-912: The staff detected with a temperature gun and was still allowed entry to the casino. "My head was still really hot after I got inside," said Apollonov. "I must have drunk 3 or 4 of their complimentary water bottles. They're obviously very used to catering for sick customers." When asked about possible legal repercussions over their comedic stunt, Vulović replied: "There's no point suing us, we already lost all our savings on big wheel during our filming breaks." Crown (Sydney) The Star (Sydney) Crown (Melbourne) The Reef (Cairns) The Star (Brisbane) The Star (Gold Coast) The Ville Resort-Casino (Townsville) Adelaide Casino (Adelaide) Crown (Perth) Country Club (Launceston) Wrest Point (Hobart) Lasseters (Alice Springs) Mindil Beach (Darwin) Casino Canberra (Canberra) Pyrmont, New South Wales Pyrmont ( / p ɪər m ɒ n t / )

6864-418: The suburb - Pyrmont Bay, The Star, John Street Square, Fish Market and Wentworth Park. The Pyrmont Bay ferry wharf is served by Pyrmont Bay ferry services . Pyrmont is also served by buses. Pyrmont was served by the former Sydney tramway network . Services commenced at Railway Square, travelling southwest on Broadway, turning right onto Harris Street, passing the former Darling Harbour Goods Yard. At Pyrmont

6952-474: The suburb. Pyrmont was regarded as a slum area in the late 19th century. It started to decay seriously after World War II, when industries closed down, and the residents moved to the suburbs. In 1963 the Ultimo Powerhouse closed down as well. Its population declined to only 1,800 by 1978. By 1990 the population had dropped to around 900. In order to rejuvenate the area the government initiated

7040-416: The weekend. The Star operates eight bars within the complex with a further two outlets designated as bars and another two external independent outlets able to serve alcohol. Bars within the gaming area are not accessible to minors (persons under 18). Some bars have live entertainment, mostly on weekends. The Lagoon Bar and Glo Bar closed in 2009 as part of the refurbishment project. A new nightclub, known as

7128-423: Was 'Pirrama', which is still the name of a road on the Pyrmont waterfront. Pyrmont was once a vital component of Sydney's industrial waterfront, with wharves , shipbuilding yards , factories and woolstores. As industry moved out, the population and the area declined. In recent years it has experienced redevelopment with an influx of residents and office workers. The original name for the land now known as Pyrmont

7216-402: Was available at Star City but was removed at the end of October 2003 as the game was not considered to be economically viable. The pit typically required three dealers and two games supervisors, consequently management felt that returns were not as high as they could be and with Tabcorp insisting on large reductions in overheads and increased profit, this iconic game was closed. In December 2005,

7304-453: Was later bought by International Game Technology and has since expired. A virtual reel that has 256 virtual stops per reel would allow up to 256 = 16,777,216 final positions. The manufacturer could choose to offer a $ 1 million jackpot on a $ 1 bet, confident that it will only happen, over the long term, once every 16.8 million plays. With microprocessors now ubiquitous, the computers inside modern slot machines allow manufacturers to assign

7392-808: Was one of the largest building projects ever carried out in Australia. The complex is now owned by The Star Entertainment Group. The casino features two gaming floors — the main gaming floor on level one for general entry and the Sovereign Room on level three. The Sovereign Room table bet ranges from $ 25 to $ 75,000 and also contains the Inner Sanctum , with table bet ranges of $ 100 to $ 500,000. The two areas are only available to high rollers and international guests following an application for membership and review by The Star's management. The Inner Sanctum pits are frequently used for junket players. Star City returned to junket play in 2005 after taking

7480-474: Was produced by the manufacturer Herbert Mills in 1907. By 1908, "bell" machines had been installed in cigar stores, brothels and barber shops. Early machines, including an 1899 Liberty Bell, are now part of the Nevada State Museum's Fey Collection. The first Liberty Bell machines produced by Mills used the same symbols on the reels as did Charles Fey's original. Soon afterward, another version

7568-455: Was produced with patriotic symbols, such as flags and wreaths , on the wheels. Later, a similar machine called the Operator's Bell was produced that included the option of adding a gum -vending attachment. As the gum offered was fruit-flavored, fruit symbols were placed on the reels: lemons , cherries , oranges and plums . A bell was retained, and a picture of a stick of Bell-Fruit Gum,

7656-550: Was the site of quarries from a fairly early stage because of the quality of the sandstone . Charles Saunders, licensee of the Quarryman's Arms hotel, became the biggest quarrymaster, with three quarries established in the area from 1853. The work was continued by his son and grandson till circa 1931. The quarries were nicknamed Paradise, Purgatory and Hell Hole by the Scottish workers employed by Saunders. Steam-powered equipment

7744-617: Was used there for the first time in Australia. The sandstone was used in many of the most significant buildings in Sydney. Saunders Street, near the site of the Paradise quarry, was named after Saunders. The area was also the site of the first Presbyterian Church in the colony, built in 1864 and situated in Mount Street. The congregation eventually outgrew the premises and had to move to a new church at Quarry Street, Ultimo, in 1883. In

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