Four reasons:
1. I think we are being exploited and I am offended. IGT won't give out information because the casino is the customer. Casino personnel are ill-informed at best and some slot managers resent us when we ask about the program or complain about the mix (I got 20 N9NEs in a row at the Palms) or getting an old or damaged strike. Barbary Coast has a no trade policy that says in writing that any employee caught trading will be fired. When it suits them, these are souvenirs and to heck with the collectors. Now they have found a way to mine our money with chase strikes and limiting production, so we are in favor. However, look at the mistreatment, such as the Pentagon strike at Suncoast. Look at the ignorant employees. Look at the sour employees. Look at the poor service. For example, I was the first one to play the machines at Mirage. No one knew anything about the 200s. Finally, they found them in the vault but couldn't release them becuase the vault manager was going to lunch. Then, after about 2.5 hours, they were brought up and I got the first one given out, number 23. When I asked for number one, I was told that it was too much trouble to put them in order, that it was too time consuming. I have heard many worse stories from other collectors.
2. It is getting too expensive. 15 strikes (SAF, Palms and The Nugget)at Norm's Buy It Now of $349.95 totals $5249.25. There are better things to do with your hard-earned dollars.
Imperial Palace, The Plaza and The Las Vegas Club have the right idea and the right pace. No one says you have to limit the issue to 250. One or two a year is perfect.
3. It is getting too time consuming. Running around to a number of casinos and then spending a long time on a machine is tedious. I play for the current Las Vegas and Southern Nevada strikes becaiuse I am fortunate enough to live within 235 miles of Las Vegas. At the Palms, I played for three Pentagons, one for me and two to trade another collector for the two new Nuggets). I also played for two more for two collectors who couldn't get there and sold them to those people for what it cost. I broke up my play into three sessions, including one late night. That is a lot of time. Add in that there is frequently a wait for the machine (think of O'Shea's at the convention two years ago) and an irritation if the person is a paid player or a dealer playing for a number of $200 strikes, and the fun is no longer there.
4. A number of my friends who are collectors are leaving the hobby because of these reasons and that bothers me.