If you’ve watched the SlotsFan YouTube channel you’re no doubt familiar with our podcast host NJ Slot Guy.
NJ Slot Guy is a respected slots streamer in his own right with tens of millions of views and well over 60,000 subscribers. He’s got his finger on the pulse of the slots community and has already interviewed some of the biggest names in the space including Slot Hopper, Casino Kelly, Slot Cracker and more on the SlotsFan YouTube channel.
But who is the man behind the sunglasses and why does he have such a passion for the slots community?
Let’s get right to it.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
SlotsFan: How did you get started in all this?
NJ Slot Guy: I was at home with my dad, just browsing stupid s*** on YouTube. I randomly suggested we look up slot machines, having no idea what I was getting into. Back then, there were like 20 channels creating content. Maybe 50. I just remembered certain channels like Brian Christopher. All the big guys now.
That summer I had a bachelor party and I hit 56 jackpots in four days. It clicked – I could’ve been filming this and putting it on YouTube! By the following month, I had started my own channel. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I just started recording with my phone.
When was that?
NJ: August 2018. Before I knew it, I had 5,000 subscribers. I started reading comments and people were asking me to talk more and show my face.
One day I slipped up and cursed, and they went wild. They loved hearing me speak. They were used to the polished West Coast channels. They got me standing there holding a phone, cursing at the damn machine, calling the women in the games broads, hitting the machine, drinking whiskey, smoking cigarettes, they loved that demeanor. It wasn’t hard to be myself.
Before I knew it, I had 10,000 subscribers, and I was getting in touch with all the top East Coast slot content creators. They were like, “You’re one of the fastest-growing channels I’ve ever seen.” I said to myself, “The only thing I can do with this is run with it.” And here we are.
Was there a moment when you realized this could be a real thing?
NJ: Seeing those numbers compared to other creators, I realized people loved my content. I didn’t understand algorithms or anything, but I knew I was making more money than ever before. With a family to support, I went even harder.
That’s cool. What was your background before getting into all this? Did you have transferable skills from what you’re doing before?
NJ Slot Guy: No way. I always worked odd jobs from the time I was 16 until I started the channel. I was doing physical labor stuff. I worked at a uniform company. I was a supervisor there, rose through the ranks, all that stuff. I actually thought that’s what I was gonna do for the rest of my life. There was a lot of customer service. I love talking to people, I love handling people’s problems. So I was dead set on that job, but I was just like, “What the hell am I doing, I’m working to make somebody else rich, while I’m just stuck in this process here, this is not what I’m supposed to be doing.”
I never felt comfortable, and now, for the first time in my life, I actually do feel comfortable—not only comfortable but completely in my own space. It’s easier to have a positive thought process. It’s easier to move forward with things when you absolutely love what you’re doing.
Did you ever see yourself doing something like this?
NJ: When I look at the background of it, I try to say it’s not just about being a slot channel. I’m the entertainer here, I’ve made myself the primary focus.
This slots stuff is just the background. I can go to a restaurant and record the same way, eating a meal and talking and doing what I do and still accomplish my goal of being entertaining to my audience. And that’s what I’ve taken from it and absolutely run with it. I’ve created a foundation where I can move around.
I feel like if I needed to, maybe it was on TV or the Internet somewhere, it just happens to be slot channels now. I almost wish I hadn’t seen those slot channels and had come across something else, like telling jokes in my backyard. But that’s what I was presented with, so I did it. I was always a gambler, even underage. For some reason, that looked a lot easier.
In fact, if I went back, I’d just say I’m going in my yard, start walking around and start talking smack about New Jersey or something and it would have had the same success, I believe, honestly.
That’s a great point. A lot of the slots influencers I watch are entertaining personalities on their own. Slots just provide a narrative.
NJ: Exactly.
What’s it been like watching this scene explode around you?
NJ: It’s crazy to see how much the number of channels has grown in just six years. I feel like we’re still on the ground level, just breaking through the ceiling of what this could be. This is going to explode into something huge. Eventually, casinos will see how much they need us. That’s when things will really take off. The numbers we have now will be ten times bigger once people see the potential.
How would you pitch slots content to someone who’s never seen it?
NJ: Watch me, save your money. Live vicariously through me. Drive past the casino, stay home, turn on your phone, and watch me suffer so you can enjoy it. I’ll give you a stand-up show for 20 minutes. I’m always with friends or fans; sometimes I bring them into my videos. I can announce I’m at a casino this weekend and have 15 to 100 people show up. I love interacting with my fans. You don’t get that with other YouTubers. You’re not gonna watch some video of a guy fixing his truck and then go meet the guy and shake his hand.
Plus, gambling has always been a cornerstone of the American economy. Now we can bring it to your home. Can’t make it to the casino? Turn on YouTube. There are about 10 live streaming channels right now, and about 100 post videos. You don’t need to go anywhere.
I gotta ask about the name. NJ Slot Guy. It’s a pretty simple name. Was it just as straightforward as you’re like, “I’m in New Jersey, I play slots…”?
NJ: Yeah, that’s it.
I wish I had taken that part of it more seriously. I got so big that when I wanted to change my name, I asked my audience. I said, “Should I change it?” They said, “Don’t do it, we love NJ.” People call me NJ when they see me, they call me a state.
It seems like a good fit though…
NJ: If we’re going by the character that people see, where he’s got no filter, he’s straight to the point, I guess we can ride with that and say “NJ Slot Guy” fits.
Not a lot of thought went into that name. I have so many names in my head that I don’t want to say publicly out loud because I don’t want anyone to take them, but I had some really, really good names that I could have used for this, and I didn’t because I didn’t take it seriously. I didn’t think I was going to have a successful slot channel. I was like, “This is just something I’m gonna try.” I wasn’t even thinking about the name and what it could have been, and now I do.
So I can give other channels, anyone coming into this space, a little bit more advice just because of that mistake on my end.
But the name seems pretty good. Why would you change it?
NJ: I guess you’re right. I do have some good ones that have to do with slots and whatnot. And I kind of cornered myself in that sense if I ever wanted to move into something else. Let’s just say it was entertainment. I want to be a standup comedian. Now I can’t call myself “NJ Slot Guy”, but that’s the funny part. I have such a good following that I can go out there and I’ll have that foundation of a following, and they’ll support me. I’ll just be “NJ Guy” telling jokes, I guess. It is what it is. It flows.
How are you liking interviewing other slots influencers for the podcast?
NJ: I’m enjoying it more than I expected. I have a good grasp on the community and know great channels, but I’ve realized I’ve spent more time with some creators than with close friends. When we’re recording at the casino, there’s natural banter and support, like hanging out with friends.
So, I wanted to take that and remove the slot machines. Let’s talk about you, as a creator and a fan. I want to know your story, just like I’d be curious about actors or athletes.
It’s helpful for everyone. The audience might not know these stories, and creators don’t always share personal details while playing slots. Past interviews felt flat, with basic questions. I wanted a podcast feel, where we could go off on tangents and have fun. We’re gonna talk about weird s*** and we’re gonna have a good time doing it.
I hate when the hour is up! It’s like, “Man, I was really rolling with this.” I love getting to know creators as friends. I actually love this more than creating slot content.
Who’s been your favorite interview so far?
NJ: That’s not cool! It’s not cool to pick favorites, but I guess I’d have to say the FNS interview stands out, partially because of the production quality. It’s not fair to the others who’ve been on my stream, but the way the FNS interview looked and flowed, it’s my prize winner for now. I’m happy it was the first one released.
I might change my mind, though, because we have some great interviews coming up.
Who would you most like to get on the podcast?
NJ: I really want to get Mr. Handpay on there. That’s my goal in the future because if there’s somebody that I’ve spent most of my time with, as a creator, it’s Mr. Handpay. We were literally in a movie together, so I’m not diving into that.
What?
NJ: You’re gonna have to find that one out another time, pal, but we’ll save that for the Mr. Handpay interview. That’s my goal as of right now. To get him on here and really show you guys what kind of person he is, his demeanor, his character. He has rumors floating around about what he does and stuff, and I would love to put his story out there. Let everybody meet him and see exactly what kind of person he is as a creator.
Nice. I’m curious if you’re willing to share what you like to do when you’re not playing slots.
NJ: When I’m not playing slots, I’m a family man. I take care of my kids. Right now, we’re in the midst of football season. That’s something that is born and bred in this family. So, it’s coaching my son now…
I read that you played football back in the day.
NJ: So I played seven-on-seven. Full contact, no pads, in tackle football league from the age of 19. I just retired a couple of years ago after about 16 years.
How’s your body holding up?
NJ: Not great. I’m currently going to physical therapy twice a week. I’m constantly fighting with different ailments and other stuff because of the abuse. I never got paid for it. The one proud moment I can say is that my kid got to watch me play football on TV, and that’s awesome. Yes, it was for free. Yes. I’m hurting because of it, but hopefully, I can mold him to be a better football player.
I coached 10 years of football for boys that I had no connection to; none of them were my kids or anything. Now my kids are in it, so it’s like I’m doing a double dose. I love coaching, and I love watching football, let alone my kids running the show. So it’s like I’m in Glory Town right now. The offseason is football too. Football doesn’t stop.
I’m also a bowler.
Moving back to slots. If you could change one thing about the slots industry, what would you change?
NJ: I would change the entire outlook of these [slot machine] executives, showing them who we are as social content creators and what we can bring to help them progress. They didn’t have us before, so why not add us into the mix? We can expose new slot machines to the world.
There may be a casino that has no idea about a new release, and we can push that for them, along with the slot manufacturers. If we all work together, we can show the world how important the influencers can be when it comes to gambling. Algorithms, tips, tricks, techniques – casinos that people didn’t even know existed – we can make all of this happen as social content creators.
And for some reason they just… I don’t know, they just keep doing the same thing. They use us very sparingly – even the top channels can vouch for that. We get more invites from a single casino than we would from a slot manufacturer, and that’s sad. I really wish that the executives and marketing teams in the slot manufacturer industry would see how important we are to this space.
It’s weird to me. It’s like they have one of the single best marketing things they could ever have, and they just seem scared of it.
NJ: I don’t get it.
Since you’re very familiar with the slots scene, who are some of your favorite channels to watch right now?
NJ: Man, I love watching The Big Payback. Tim is very entertaining in his space with his variety of machines and how he travels across the country. He has a great demeanor too; he has no issues with anybody. There’s no drama regarding him. I consider him a veteran in the space, and I’ve always come to him when it comes to different deals, emails, or anything like that. Tim is my number one go-to, not only because I trust him as a friend but because he’s one of the first channels I watched. He was one of the first channels to bring me in under his wing and say, “Yeah, you should do this or do that.” So I would definitely say Tim is up there.
Mr. Handpay is one of the most exciting and entertaining channels you can ever watch. I mean, in person or online, it’s all the same too; you’re not missing anything that he doesn’t do in person. He’s doing food reviews now at these casinos, which adds a whole other thing to it. Not only can I go to this casino and find these machines, but now I know where to eat. He’s helping the industry a little bit more than he knows, and I respect that as well.
Where do you see this space going over the next five to ten years?
NJ: I hope I’m right in this, but as I said before, I really think that this is going to explode. It’s already trending upwards. Look at how many people are involved, and how many influencers and slot channels can keep this moving. What will it be like when some celebrity, maybe not a current A-lister, but someone with a lot of money, comes into this space and gets a massive following? That following will trickle down to us and see all the rest of us.
And I have a feeling that it will – especially with all of these new slot machines coming out. All of these new video game-looking things will appeal to the new generation. The new generation wasn’t taught anything about slots from their parents like I was. They didn’t grow up with those old-school machines; all that stuff is disappearing. And now, this new generation is coming in, and this new generation is glued to their phones and social content. What’s better than clicking on a channel and watching me tell the machine to go “eff itself” while I’m playing the machine that you love? It not only gives them entertainment, but it also might give them the ability to say, “Holy crap, I can do this as well.” Now you’ll have that whole trickle effect. They will be able to do this much better than anybody who came into the space five to ten years ago because of the technology and resources available now.
And following up on that, do you have any personal goals for your own channel in terms of views, subs, or anything like that?
NJ: I did at one point. I had goals like reaching a thousand subscribers for monetization, then 5,000, then 10,000. Now, it’s obviously about getting that 100,000 subscriber plaque. But honestly, I’ve built such a loyal audience that I focus on creating content for them. If I gain subs and followers along the way, that’s great, but my priority is my existing audience. They’ll love me no matter what I put out or play.
And now that we’ve unlocked this whole interview thing, I hope to do that forever. I want to interview everyone who comes into this space, as it’s constantly growing. I’ll never catch up at a rate of one interview a week. I could do this for six years straight and still feel like there’s an untapped market of channels. So I’m looking forward to that more than anything, even more than creating slot content.
This was fun. Anything extra you want to plug?
NJ: Just check us out at SlotsFan.com. Ladies and gentlemen, make sure you click that bell to stay notified, like, comment, follow, and share. I’d really like to interview channels that are just starting out. Hopefully, this can create another channel and help you all get some monetization going. We’re all helping each other.
What interviews are coming up?
NJ: We’ve got Casino Fanatic Andy, Mid-South Slots, and Slots With Sean. Right now, it’s just me setting up to see who’s available. These creators’ schedules are tough, but they have to create content for their own channels. That’s why I’m interviewing them in the first place, to help them get exposure. I’ll be swimming in interviews five months out, which is my goal.
NJ: Appreciate you, Arthur. You’re the man. I’ll talk to you soon.
Thanks man.
You can follow NJ Slot Guy on YouTube and Facebook. You can also watch his interviews on the official SlotsFan YouTube channel.
