Guys, maybe I don't get it but why would you want a slot machine or pachinko machine? The only thing that's fun about those games is the fact that you might win money.
The allure of a Pachinko or PachiSlo (Japanese slot machine) is something that is not really understandable until you have played them for a while. These games have a certain element of skill involved, as you have some amount of control in what happens.
In Pachinko, you can control the amount of force that the balls exit the chute with (kind of like a hi-tech, automated pinball plunger). As you start dropping balls into the targets, lots of animation and noise begins and builds "artificial excitement" and close wins which keeps you coming back for more. BTW, it must work, because millions of people in Japan practically live in those places and it's not to win cash. Officially, gambling is prohibited in Japan. But I have heard of "unofficial redemption outlets", often located in the alley next to the parlors, where balls and tokens can be traded for prizes and/or money.
With PachiSlo, you don't just start the reels spinning and hope for the best. Each reel has a button that needs to be pressed to stop the reel where you want it. This, of course, requires a good sense of timing, a bit of luck, and most importantly, a machine that is ready to "pay off". If the machine is ready and you have the skill to stop the reels at the right places, you start to "win" pretty regularly (one payoff after another). All in all, it's quite fun. I have one that I spend a half an hour with once every couple of weeks or so.
As for a Vegas 1-arm bandit.......I think they are great conversation/nostalgia pieces, but would probably require a certan amount of imagination to be fun for any length of time for the reasons you stated.
RandyT