Many people go to the casino with hopes of hitting a huge jackpot or at least leaving with more money than they came with, while few go to the casino with the intention of filming their experience playing the slots. Comped Travel has been tracking down these select few Slot Channel entertainers to feature. The Slotaholic caught our attention with his fun and creative personality, as well as his “Sip, Spin, and Win” motto.

Comped Travel’s Katie Vanpool interviews Josh Duffy, the Slotaholic himself, to learn more about how he got started, his passions outside of the casino, playing strategies, and more. Be sure to check out his videos!

Full Transcript Below

(0:00-0:17) Katie Vanpool: Hi everybody, it’s Katie with URComped and Comped Travel. I am here with the SLOTaholic himself. We’re here with Josh Duffy. Josh, how are you doing today?

(0:17-0:19) Josh Duffy: I’m awesome. How about you?

(0:19-0:30) KV: I’m feeling great. Thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule to meet with us. And help us get to know a little bit more about you, yourself, and about your channel as well.

(0:30-0:32) JD: Thanks for having me here.

(0:32-0:41) KV: You’re welcome. So why don’t we start at the very beginning? Tell us, maybe what you did before your slot channel and then how it got started.

(0:41-1:22) JD: Yeah, I come from music. And so I… When I left College, I went straight into the music industry and I put out a solo album. I toured the country. And then I got a wild hair to open up a business. And so I have a retail business for 10 years. And all that time I was playing at the casino. And so I’ve always been at the casino since I turned 21. And I’ve always loved to play slot machines and watching YouTube. I saw YouTube channels come to be with slot machines and slot channels. And so I was like, “I’m there enough. Let me try my channel.” And here I am today.

(1:22-1:40) KV: Nice. Was there a moment that kind of made you think like, “Oh, wow, like I should, continue making these videos maybe get…” When was the point where it turned from a… Maybe a hobby into like a full-time, Full Throttle Deal?

(1:40-3:07) JD: Totally. Yeah. And you’re right. It was a hobby at first. Like I said, I have a business and so that’s very time-consuming. But I had a wild hair in 2015 to start the channel. I came up with the name SLOTaholic because when I go to the casino, I like to sip. “Oh, look like I’m wearing shirts SIP, SPIN, and WIN.” So instead of like a little bit of alcoholic. A little bit of slotaholic. These days not so much drinking. I’ll still sip but I don’t drink as much as I used to. But it was a video… And this was the night I’m drinking too. I was at Harrah’s New Orleans. And the stories that involve drinking are always fun. And something told me to record this Buffalo gold bonus. And I was like down to my last hundred dollars at the casino. I didn’t have any luck that day. I had been drinking more than winning. And I definitely was a little sassy and cursing and saying some off-color things. Nothing too bad, but unlike my character because of the drinking. And before I knew it, “Oh my God, I had 15 gold heads, and on a dollar eighty bet. And the bonus was 99 free games.” And I sobered up so quickly and I need… Yeah. I just knew that that video was going to be like pretty epic. And that’s when I decided to take the channel like seriously. Like, “Hey, I got some great wins. I can start sharing. I just need to learn how to navigate having a channel.”

(3:07-3:19) KV: Yeah, was that… Would you say that’s your most memorable jackpot? Or do you have one that sticks out is like your favorite jackpot you’ve ever won? Or one that’s memorable like that?

(3:19-5:04) JD: Oh, yeah. I mean there is… I don’t think there’s any beating. I started the series in 2018 that ended very quickly. Because there’s no way I could top it. And it was called “The Hundred Dollar Holler.” And so basically, I would put a hundred dollars into the machine. And if I got a hundred times win, I would scream in the casino. And to be that person like, “What is going on?” And my fourth video I decided to play “Hold On To Your Hats.” And “The Locket Link.” It was brand new. It just arrived at Harrah’s. I think it was like its first week. I literally went to the casino with a hundred dollars in twenty dollars for like, my tips for the servers. Because I always tip my servers. Yeah. I got down like seventy bucks. The bonus triggered. And I had no idea I… The bunny popped out of the hat and I was like, “Oh, what’s the bunny? Ah, the grand jackpot! Holy…” I couldn’t believe it was like, eleven thousand seven hundred dollars. On a dollar twenty bet. And I couldn’t believe it. So that was epic and it’s on my YouTube channel. Just look for “Grand Jackpot as it happens.” I think it’s the title. But can I tell you this as well? Joseph and I, my husband. We got married in Maui and we like to go there once a year. We didn’t get to go last year because of the pandemic. But we had just come back three months later after that Hold On To Your Hats grand jackpot. Went straight to the casino because we didn’t have any food in the house. Went to eat at the buffet. And went to play Hold On To Your Hats and got the Grand again at thirteen thousand seven hundred.

(5:04-5:05) KV: Wow.

(5:05-5:24) JD: And so that’s like pretty… In my mind, that’s pretty epic. And just to add on to that too. I know it’s a lot. It’s great to have these jackpots. But just a couple of days later. We were with our friends at dinner at the casino. And we got all fifteen balls on Dragon Link- thirteen thousand six hundred dollars.

(5:24-5:25) KV: Wow.

(5:25-5:55) JD: And so that was like… That’s on the channel. It’s called like, “Double Jackpots.” Moments like that are just like, “Wow. So awesome to capture that on video for the viewers.” Because it really showcases the potential of these games. I won a grand jackpot on a dollar twenty. And with just a hundred dollars into the machine. So that’s what’s great about doing this slot channel. And entertaining the viewers. with these amazing wins that are truly possible for them.

(5:55-6:13) KV: And then you play a lot of games. So you showcase a lot of them. To people who maybe never played certain games before. And they can see how they’re played. Out of all the games that you’ve played. What is one of your all-time favorites? Like, you go to the casino. You got at least get on this game once.

(6:13-7:14) JD: I do kind of have some go-tos. I don’t know if I have favorites. But I will always play Mighty Cash. And we call him “The Tiger” is “Zsa Zsa” and “The Dragon” is “Tiki” Named after our kids. Our cats who are sleeping behind me somewhere. So we always check them out because we’ve had some amazing wins on those games. I do like Aristocrat Games as well. Because they’re just a little bit more volatile and can have big wins. But I do love… I like to play everything. I’m a slotaholic. So I give every slot manufacturer a chance. I love the visual graphics of Scientific Games. And I’ve yet to have like a… I think scientific gaming might have “Lock It Link.” So yeah, I have had some hand pays on their games. But I love the graphics of IGT Games. But I’ve just never had a hand pay on the IGT game. I play them all. I really do. I like anything. As long as it’s colorful and pretty, and pays.

(7:14-7:28) KV: Now, do you have a certain strategy you use or a betting strategy? Or maybe habits that you do while you’re playing?

(7:28-8:53) JD: Habits, well that would kind of involve a little sipping. But what I generally do when I walk into the casino. I will look at the progressive jackpots. I have an understanding of where they reset to. And I do try to tell that on my channel. I like to explain, “Hey, this game the major resets at a thousand. It’s at eleven hundred. So I’m not going to go for it.” So I do stuff like that for my viewers. I think I like to do is just put sixty dollars in a slot machine. And so I put three twenties in and I dedicate 60 bucks to a machine. I’ve kind of learned over the years that a machine is… It’s going to give you the bonus right away. Or don’t chase. Don’t chase. I’ve plenty of videos of me chasing major jackpots especially. And two times have the person next to me won it. And I’m happy for them, trust me. And I’m happy for them because I don’t have to go to sleep thinking about that major jackpot and going back tomorrow. So in a couple of cases, I have showed the winner and, “Hey, do you want to be on camera to celebrate your win?” And I’ll show that on the channel. But I do like to stick to my sixty dollar method. And just check out the progressives. And see if they’re ready to pop.

(8:53-9:11) KV: So what are your favorite casinos to play at? I know you live in New Orleans. So I’m assuming you’ve got some locals that you like to go buy more often than not. But then… Name a few that you like. Maybe local and then maybe not local.

(9:11-11:00) JD: Sure. Yeah. Well six blocks away from where we live is Harrah’s New Orleans which is going to become Caesars New Orleans. And that’s like my second home. However, I don’t have recording privileges there anymore. So I don’t go there as much as I used to. These days we go to Coushatta Casino, which is in Kinder, Louisiana. It’s about three and a half-hour drive. And we’ll truck it over there. And we’ll record all day long to the wee hours in the morning. Get a couple of hours of sleep. And then, drive right back home. And so, that’s pretty much where all of my video comes from. Is a one-day trip. And so, it’s quite a lot. But other casinos that we do visit. We love Peppermill in Reno. It’s a very beautiful Resort. I love the spa when it’s not a pandemic. I love… And in Vegas, we’ve only stayed at the Caesars properties. So Planet Hollywood, Bally’s, Caesars. I love Qua. The Spa at Caesars. And I do love Cosmopolitan, Aria… As far as the Gulf Coast and Biloxi. I love to stay at Scarlet Pearl. We’ll play at Palace Casino because it’s not smoking. So that’s another thing is non-smoking casinos are where it’s at for me. I can’t last longer than a few hours at a casino that allows smoking. But I have yet to hit the East Coast. I’ve yet to hit any casinos in Florida and in California. So actually we’ve been to SoCal. That was a nice property. But yeah, I’m looking to travel more this year to expand my casino repertoire.

(11:00-11:12) KV: When you’re not in the casino. What do you do other than your slot channel? Do you run any businesses? I think you mentioned earlier a retail business.

(11:12-12:26) JD: Yeah, so I have Bourbon Pride. It’s the only LGBT shop. We like to also call it a human rights store. It’s on Bourbon Street. And we’ve been there for 10 years. And so we have something for everybody there. Not just LGBTQ+, but that’s our baby. That’s number one in our life. SLOTaholic is right behind at two. But as I did mention earlier, I am a singer, songwriter, entertainer. So music is my passion has always been my passion. And this year. I’m really getting… I’m making sure to get back into that studio and put some music out. And if not for me, for other artists. Because I have another catalog of songs in my brain that have collected. That I need to get out there and put into the world. That’s like my mission in life. SLOTaholic has been a nice surprise. In fact, I need to make sure to update my screen. There it is. Yeah. It’s been a nice surprise in my life to have a slot channel. YouTube Channel that’s growing. And it’s definitely a lot of work. But my number one thing in life is if not a Grammy. I definitely want a song that can be a legacy of mine that someone will always know the words to. So that’s my mission in life as well.

(12:26-12:51) KV: I love that. That’s so special. I love that you’re aspirational and working towards that dream of yours which… I mean, I’m always all for it. As far as aspirations go. Do you have any… I guess dreams or looking ahead for your slot channel? Where do you see it going? What’s next for your slot Channel?

(12:51-14:13) JD: Oh, God. I wish I could predict the future. It’s been pretty awesome I have to say. I did create the channel in 2015. And really started chipping away at the work part of it just two years ago. And it’s something a slow steady growth which I’m thankful for, trust me. Because if it were to blow up, you miss out on those relationships with your viewers. It just becomes an amoeba, “What the heck’s going on?” I would just want to know… When I’m doing this. I’m invested into it. And my viewers respond with kind words. And just congratulatory comments and stuff. So I’m thankful for this slow build. Everyone always says, “Why isn’t your channel bigger? I’m like, I don’t know. I’m like, it’s beyond me.” I’m just thankful that people are watching. It’s going to get there. I feel it in my bones, but the sky’s the limit. Just keep working at it. Just like anything in life. Nothing comes without putting work into it. So but yeah, I’m looking forward to traveling for sure. I’m looking forward to seeing other casino properties. Networking with other slot channels. And just building relationships with the viewers. And getting those jackpots.

(14:13-14:15) KV: Right. Number one.

(14:15-14:16) JD: Yeah.

(14:17-14:23) KV: So, I mean, you’ve got tens of thousands of views. Where can our viewers see more SLOTaholic?

(14:23-14:54) JD: You can find the Facebook’s SLOTaholic Page. That incorporates the community of SLOTaholics. It’s not just about me. It’s about you. And I’m on Instagram as well, which is primarily where do most of my social media posting.

(14:54-15:13) KV: Awesome. Well, thanks so much Josh for taking time out of your day to talk to us. I’m so excited for our viewers to get to see more of your channel. And I look forward to seeing your channel take off, grow. I look forward to listening to your hit song when it comes out. So we’ll be seeing more of Josh Duffy.

(15:13-5:17) JD: You can go to Alexa song right now and say, “Play Josh Duffy.”

(15:17-5:18) KV: I’m gonna do it.

(15:18-15:22) JD: I have a full album out there and another single. So yeah.

(15:22– 15:26) KV: Awesome. Well, thank you again, Josh. And we’ll listen to you on some iTunes.

(15:26-15:36) JD: Alright. You go, SIP, SPIN, and WIN. And collect those coins.