For this week’s Deep Dive Series, we are interviewing LauraMilesSlots.
Laura (@LauraMilesSlots on Clapper) is a slots creator on Clapper. Laura lets followers live vicariously through her while she gambles and shares her winnings. She’s always trying to level up her creator game by expanding her content and figuring out what else she can give to her supporters. In this interview, we talked with Laura about the influx of gambling channels on Clapper, her advice for first time gamblers, her tips for people wanting to start social media, and so much more!
Keep reading this Deep Dive Series to find out more about this creator’s fantastic story. Make sure to tune in every Thursday at 5pm CT on our @ClapperCreator account to listen to the bonus questions that will only be available on our live radio show: Clapper Talks.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. What does a day look like in your life?
That depends on the day. Am I working that day? Do one of my five children have any sporting events or concerts that day? Is my Discord going crazy because they want me to go Live? But a normal work day for me is wake up, go to work, come home, eat a little something, check my social media, and go to sleep. On a day that I don’t work or I’m travelling, I’m constantly on social media, interacting with the LMS Squad. I’m always trying to figure out ways to better my social media and give back to the people that follow me. Because being a creator isn’t just about the benefits that I get; I have to be able to give benefits to the followers and supporters. Without them there’s no me.
Obviously from your username and content, you’re big on slot machines and gambling! How did you get into this hobby?
When I went to a pool tournament back in 2005, I put a couple dollars in the slot machine and didn’t think it was for me. Then I went back to Vegas around 2012 and sat on the Wheel of Fortune Max Bet $1.25 machine. That’s what got me, because I kept hitting and kept making money. I put $50 in the machine and walked away with $200 or $300! Then I came home and I’d go to the casino maybe once a week, playing Max Bet $1.25. Slowly but surely I’m there 2 days a week, 3 days a week, playing $2, $4. Fast forward to 2023, I’m probably at a casino more than 2 to 5 times a week playing anywhere between $5 and $100 a spin.
These casinos know what they’re doing and Vegas knows how to reel you in. When I get to the airport in Vegas, there’s a limo waiting to take me to the hotel. I check in and the casino gives me $2,000 to play with and $1,500 to eat, go to the spa, and do all this glamorous stuff. They make it so simple for you because they know you’re going to gamble. Who wouldn’t want an almost all-expense paid trip to go to Vegas? And they’re giving you money to gamble with? But that does come with a price tag: you have to gamble.
We’d love to learn a little more about why people enjoy watching slot machine content. We’ve seen a huge influx of slot and scratch-off creators on the app and people are loving that content. Why do you think that is?
I’m going to give you the hardcore truth as to why Clapper has blown up with slot, Bingo, and scratcher channels. I’m sure you may already know, but in case some of the listeners don’t: TikTok banned any kind of gambling on their app. Around February 17th, they permanently banned my main account at 49,000 followers. People have migrated over to Clapper because creators can still Livestream, get Gifts, interact with followers, use the Groupchat feature, and you guys have the Clapper Shop. So I think that’s what is bringing the influx of gambling channels over to Clapper.
And I’ll tell you what actually happened. I hosted a slot channel takeover in Las Vegas February 16th to the 19th. There were over 30 creators, mods, supporters, and we were all meeting up when TikTok shut down gambling. So that ruined the whole thing, because we were going to stream for our followers. We came over to Clapper and it’s taken off since.
There are so many different kinds of gambling – Black Jack, Poker, Texas Hold ‘Em, just to name a few. Have you played the others? What makes slots so fun that you want to build an account on them?
Every now and then I dabble in Black Jack. I’m not a Poker person, and I don’t know how to play Roulette or Craps because I’m not good with dice and I don’t know how to get them on the – I’m not in that league. Now, the reason I got hooked on slots is because there’s no thinking involved. Either you’re going to hit it or you’re not, and we all know that 90% of the time the casino wins, but there’s always that chance that you could win. That’s what we thrive on as gamblers. I tend to play the machines were I don’t have to think. If I’m in Vegas and I’m sitting there and I’m on my 3rd drink, I don’t want to be at a table with 4 other people because I’d have to be conscious of what I do. Where as a slot machine, it’s just me and the machine and a button. Either I’m going to hit it, or I’m not. Either I’m going to win, or I’m going to lose. It’s as simple as that.
Some of us on the team have never been gambling before. What advice do you have for people who might go gambling for the first time?
Well, the first advice I’d say is don’t gamble! But for someone that wants to go see what it’s about, I advise that you only gamble what you can afford to lose. Throughout my years I’ve seen bankruptcy, people kicked out of their homes, I’ve seen marriages break up, I’ve seen all kinds of bad things when it comes to gambling. Because, yeah, you won $10,000, but how much did I lose before that? So if you’re going to pick up gambling and you want to gamble, just know that it is exactly what the word is. It’s a gamble.
And another pointer, don’t overdrink. And the ATM is the hottest machine: you’ll always win from the ATM, which is dangerous.
So, when did you join Clapper? How did your journey as a creator begin?
So I joined Clapper around the 17th or 18th of February. I didn’t jump on it right away, only because I was hosting the event and didn’t have time to go Live unless it was part of our Behind the Scenes. But when I got home and got settled in, I was like “what do I do? where do I go next?” I’m hoping to build a community like I had before! It is kind of slow moving because you have to get all your supporters over to Clapper, but my journey just started not too long ago. Honestly, I’ve not been on Clapper as much as I should, but that’s only because I’m trying to set myself up on all platforms in case something else goes down. I learned that I can’t put all my eggs in one basket.
What feature do you think’s been the most helpful for your content specifically?
I don’t know about the content specifically, but the feature that stands out the most to me is the Groupchats. I like that I can push out what I’ve got going on. And I also like the Shop feature where I can put my merch up.
How do you think Clapper could be improved? What else could we be doing to increase your creator experience?
One of the major things I’d like to see is (and of course I know it takes a lot of tech to do this and it could be easier said than done) improving the video quality. And if we’re talking in the chat and someone wants to tag another person, they can’t really “@” them. Also, we have to re-mod people every time we come into a Live, whereas if we set mods on other platforms they stay. Because I can’t push a button, drink a drink, smoke a cigarette, look at the chat, think about how much money I’ve got in my pocket – I can’t do that all at one time. I need those moderators to focus on the chat. Those are some of the features that could be improved for even more followers to come over. Which would help creators, because where I have more followers is where I’m going to focus my attention.
What advice would you give new users that want to be successful creating on social media?
Overall, you just need to be yourself. It’s going to be a little nerve-wracking when you first come on but just be yourself, be authentic. Remember that yes you are a creator, and all the ways people support you are appreciated, but you have to show your followers you care about them. There’s plenty of times that I’ve gone in my Discord and I’m tired, but I have folks in the chat asking me to go on Live because they need a pick me up. So what do I do? I jump on Live. So you’ve got to remember it’s not just about what your supporters can do you for you, but what you can do for your supporters.
We hope you enjoyed getting to know @LauraMilesSlots. For our latest deep dive on @Rogue_ read here.