Scioto Downs Rocks!!!

That is Scioto Downs in Columbus, OH, mark it on your map, folks!

I went to Scioto Downs eight days ago where I was given $25 in Free Play after signing up for the In Club.

That was the only time in my life I have ever been there and I finished at +$273. The best part of the whole thing was that, discluding a beer and a tip for the beer, I was never actually down!!! There was exactly one point after Tiltpoul left that I was exactly even (which was my third spin on QuickHits after I had thought about leaving) but that spin resulted in Free Games which put me back in the good.

For More Details:

https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/general/10433-scioto-with-tiltpoul/

For some reason, the above play has led to me receiving $60 FREE PLAY at Scioto Downs!!! I get $20 between July 1-15th, $20 between July 16th-30th and $20 between July 31st-August 15th. I just got that in the mail today!

I don't care what anyone says, that place is awesome!

The only problem is that I still can't figure out if I should go. I have to look at the EV of this Free Play + $50.00 to play vs. the EV of $50 at my normal casino.

If we assume that both casinos return about 90% on slots:

WI: $50 = $45

Scioto $75 = $67.50

However, an oil change is $30.00 and I get one every 3,000 miles, so that's a penny per mile. WI is eight miles away from where I work (where I'd be leaving from) and Scioto is 113 miles away.

WI: -$0.16

Scioto: -$2.26

Total: WI $44.84 Scioto: $65.24

The big one, of course, is fuel. I've measured highway only and my PT Cruiser gets about 25.2 mpg on the highway. The distance of either place that is not highway is negligible, so I'm just going to call it highway the whole way and assume no traffic jam in Columbus. That's usually a safe assumption for when I would be going to Scioto Downs.

The current price of gas around here is $3.49/gallon.

I would use 16/25.2 = .635 gallons of gas to go to WI and back at a cost of .635 * 3.49 = $2.22

I would use 226/25.2 = 8.968 gallons to go to Scioto at a cost of 8.968 * 3.49 = $31.30

Total EV: WI $42.62 Scioto: $33.94

I'm basically killing my EV with fuel, and that's not counting wear and tear (almost an intangible) and also with placing a value of $0.00 on my time in both cases due to driving time. I like the drive, anyway.

This leaves me with only one option. I must compel my wife to go to Scioto with me to spin the Free Play wheel for at least $25. If she does this thing, hopefully she will also receive $20 Free Play coupons in the mail which will give Scioto Downs a higher EV than Wheeling Island.

Never happen.

Are there any bus companies that go to Scioto Downs from your town? Often they will have a cheap fare as well as giving some amount of free play. That gets rid of the gas/auto costs. Just make sure you don't mind riding with senior citizens...

Quote: teddys

Are there any bus companies that go to Scioto Downs from your town? Often they will have a cheap fare as well as giving some amount of free play. That gets rid of the gas/auto costs. Just make sure you don't mind riding with senior citizens...

I'll have to look into that, great idea, actually. I'm not sure whether or not there are, at this point. I'll say this, even if I had to go to the town 30 miles away, and the fare was cheap enough, I'd still be having the best of it going to Scioto.

Oh, one more idea: if you go on a "bubble day", you might be able to collect two chunks of free play. Usually the slot day rolls over at Midnight, so you can get $20 and then $20. Check your offer for details.

Quote: teddys

Oh, one more idea: if you go on a "bubble day", you might be able to collect two chunks of free play. Usually the slot day rolls over at Midnight, so you can get $20 and then $20. Check your offer for details.

That's an excellent idea, I actually thought about calling and asking them about that. I just don't know if any of the bubble days fall correctly. I will be in good shape for August, quite possibly. My wife and I have a Prop Bet going on an unrelated matter, and if I win, she goes to Scioto at some point in August with me. There's also an alternative end to her side of the bet if the Free Play wheel is gone by then, completely unrelated to gambling.