[06/14/01] Gamblers at the Isle of Capri Casino in Vicksburg will be able to try their hand at some new slot machines.

The area casino is spending $2.8 million to replace 65 percent of their machines hopefully by the end of the year, said general manager Kim Tullos.

The work is part of the Isle of Capri Casino Inc.’s $35 million plan to improve floor machines in six states.

One of the casino’s first projects was to purchase an easy-pay system, which pays the gambler in coupons instead of coins. This system will begin Wednesday.

“This has been on the market for about a year, and we are now jumping on the bandwagon,” Tullos said.

The reason for the upgrade was that the casino’s older machines have had customer-response problems in the past and parts were increasingly harder to find, she said.

The new machines will improve the response times and provide more choices for the casino customers, she said.

This upgrade was really needed because 60 percent of their floor machines were bought when the casino opened in 1993, she said.

People may not have to worry that their favorite game will be replaced, because the casino plans to replace the machine not necessarily the game.

Some of the new and updated games include Cigar Game, Titanic and Chain Saws and Toasters.