Do Some Slot Machines Have Higher Payouts? Yes, slot machines have varying return to player. Make sure to check these out before playing. In general, machines with higher denomination have a higher return to the player. For instance, a $2 machine will have higher RTP than the one with $1. Some machines display the RTP, others do not. Slot Machine Paylines Slot Machine Paylines. The number of pay lines available in a game is among the most important features of any slot machine. A payline, in simple terms, is the line on which a payout will be awarded based on winning combinations. There are X amount of paylines in any given slot, whether that number be 1 or 100. To maximize slot machines payouts, make sure you’re eligible for the bonuses offered. Some newer games avoid the issue by eliminating the option to play fewer paylines than available. A 40-line game might have buttons labeled “Bet 40,” “Bet 80,” “Bet 120,” “Bet 160,” and “Bet 200,” giving you options to bet one, two, three.
The first time I saw people use member cards for slot games, I didn’t know what they were. I asked the man sitting next to me and he explained a few details about the rewards club. But he wasn’t using a card himself.
When I asked him why, he said he once had a card but stopped winning when he played with the card. He thought the casino was monitoring his playing and adjusting the slot game results.
This rumor has circulated both online and offline for many years. It’s normal for people to hear something repeatedly and wonder if there is truth to it. But I’ve never found any proof that casinos can change the way slot games play by flipping a switch.
What makes it difficult to combat this idea and other rumors about slot machines is the many different markets where you find them. Slot machine games are regulated by each country. Complying with different regulations may mean that a slot maker must change how its games work.
How Slot Machine Payouts Work At Home
The clearest example I can give is how slot games are decided in the United States. Class II slot games decide the outcome on the basis of one random number then configure the display to match that result. Class III games use several random numbers to control the reels.
How Modern Slot Machine Games Work
There aren’t many physical slot games left. They’re all electronic now, and the electronic machines use random number generator chips to decide results.
But there is more involved than just generating a random number. The “slots” in the slot games are spaces on reels. The computers now simulate these reels.
Former and current slot machine manufacturing employees answer questions about game design on several websites including Quora. This answer was posted in September 2014, and it explains how the simulated reels are managed by software.
The programs to simulate the reels and assign the random numbers are etched into ROMs, Read-Only Memory chips. These ROMs must be physically changed by a technician to change how the game payout percentages work.
Legitimate Online Casino Operators Lease Games From Service Providers
There are over 2,000 online casinos. It’s impossible to be sure about how they all manage their slot games. But what is known about the most popular casinos is that they don’t run their slot games from their own servers.
Instead the online casinos lease game services from secure data centers. These gaming platforms are run by companies like Blue Ocean and EveryMatrix. Some of the game design companies also run their own servers, leasing resources to online casinos.
Although it would be simple for online gaming companies to switch things up, they would risk losing independent certifications if they allowed the games to be rigged.
There’s no need for casinos to adjust the percentages. They can order the percentage breakouts for house edge and return to player that they want to offer. This way, they maintain competitiveness and support long-term profitability.
Many Games Publish the Theoretical Return to Player
Some slot games include the theoretical return to player in their help screens.
If the players see that RTP has been adjusted downward, they can play elsewhere. If players only suspect that the RTP has been adjusted without proper notification, they might still leave.
Casinos need players. The best strategy to grow their customer base is to keep game rewards high enough to make the risk worthwhile.
Some Governments Regulate Return to Player Percentages
Licensed gaming casinos must comply with local laws governing their businesses. Some countries provide more regulation than others.
In the United States, commercial land-based casinos are regulated by their states. However, Native American casinos are mostly regulated by the tribal governments that own them. Each jurisdiction has the authority to set minimal RTP percentages to ensure the casinos don’t make too much money.
The 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act creates the legal framework used by tribes to protect their traditional gaming activities from state regulatory laws. The act also defines the three classes of gaming and how they are to be regulated.
Class II games are regulated by the tribes but only in states that allow any kind of gaming. Only Class III games are subject solely to state regulation.
True slot machine games are Class III games. Native American casinos offer Class II bingo games that are made to look like slot games. The game cabinets must display the casino bingo games that are used to determine wins.
Class II slot machines may have reels and bonus games but they’re not really slot machine games as defined by federal law.
How Do You Determine the Odds That a Slot Game Pays?
Casinos may or may not be required to declare the return to player for their slot games. Some casinos place a plate or sticker on their slot games with a notice. Other casinos leave it to the game help screens (thus, the manufacturers) to inform players.
The games’ odds may be reported as a theoretical RTP percentage, but they could also be reported as a ratio, similar to the way lottery games declare chances of winning a prize. Either way, these games don’t have to tell you how often to expect to win a prize of any amount.
Some players merely judge the looseness of slot games by how much money they win or how often they win as they play the games.
Some players judge the looseness of slot games by how popular they appear to be. This observational strategy assumes that the crowd knows more than the individual.
One of my friends tells me he only plays slot games with low jackpots. His reasoning is that players need to lose less money for someone to win $10,000 than for someone to win $20,000.
Slot Machines May Have Programmed Payout Limits
In another post on Quora from 2016, someone claimed to have industry experience in the Caribbean.
In his post, he said that a machine won’t pay more than it has accumulated after the first month of operation. That first month establishes the limit based on the profit the machine made.
The system is designed to be random within a range of percentages. The software decides when and how much to pay but won’t go over the monthly limit.
It should be obvious that this limit could be reset.
How Slot Machine Payouts Work From Home
The Games Are Designed to Be as Random as Possible
People who design and repair slot machine games express much trust in the random number generator chips these games use. The RNGs, as they are called, use the latest available algorithms at the time they are manufactured.
Math has not yet progressed to the point where truly random numbers can be generated. Mechanical devices require input from an outside source to be truly random.
Slot Machine Payout Chart
The way slot game designers handle this limitation is they design the chips to generate thousands of random numbers every second. The random numbers each take a turn at being available for use by the game.
Because of the percentage payouts and internal limits they use, slot machine games don’t have to be reprogrammed to improve casino profits. Everything is designed to run with as little intervention as possible.
Slot Machine Payout
And that is better for the casino because the more they can intervene in a game’s function, the more likely they’ll face regulation over that intervention.
Casino game techs often say that replacing chips in slot machines must follow a special procedure (in the United States). They are closely monitored and every part must be accounted for. So, it’s less expensive for casinos if they don’t tweak the games.
Conclusion
An honest casino doesn’t need to control who wins at a slot game. They already control who can play a slot game. They can ask anyone to leave for any reason.
Naturally, casinos don’t do that. Instead. they purchase gaming systems that are designed to create an entertaining experience for patrons while legally retaining a profitable percentage of wagers.
No matter how much one’s frustration tempts a player into wondering about Big Brother Casino tweaking the game, it’s more profitable for the casino to let nature take its course.
Slots are among the most popular casino games. As they don’t require any gambling knowledge or strategy, slot machines were created for recreational and casual use, unlike traditional casino games such as Blackjack and Baccarat.
Since they were introduced to the public, slot machines have proved to be a huge success. Over the years, their novelty has grown so much that today they have become the most popular and profitable game in all casinos worldwide.
Slot machines developed along with technology, so their classical mechanical designs have been completely replaced by computer-controlled systems. Nevertheless, the game remained the same. A player starts a game by pulling the handle and rotating a series of reels (usually three) with pictures printed on them. If all three reels show the same winning picture along the same line, you win.
Although slots are one of the most popular casino games, most people don’t have a clear understanding of how they work. Some people have a misunderstanding of how they work, while others just dive into them without giving it any thought or research.
Today we will explore how modern and classical mechanical slots work. We will go through the inner workings of the game, what determines the odds of winning on a slot machine, and some popular variations of the game.
Let’s begin.
Mechanical slot machines
Classic slot machines work on a principle of gears and levers. The reel is supported by a central metal shaft. This metal shaft is connected to a handle mechanism that gets the machine spinning. Once a coin is inserted, a coin detector registers it and unlocks the brake system which enables the handle to move. The braking system stops the spinning reel, and sensors communicate the position of the reels to the payout system.
Although there are various ways to arrange these mechanical elements, we will focus on the most common design. As we said, three reels are connected to a central shaft. The shaft also supports three notched disks that are connected to the three reels.
Below the central shaft, there is a second shaft that supports a metal piece called the kicker. The kicker has three paddles, which are lined up in a way so they can push against the notches on the three disks. The second shaft also has a series of stoppers, which are teeth that lock on into the notches on the disk.
Once you pull the handle, a hook mechanism is rotated which catches the kicker and pulls it forward. A catch on the other end of the kicker catches a control cam piece and rotates it forward. A series of gears that are connected to the control cam are then rotated. A spring then pulls the control cam back to its original position.
Modern or computerized slot machines
Although modern slot machines are designed to feel and look like classic ones, they operate on an entirely different principle. With retro slots, the outcome is controlled by the motion of the reels, as with modern slots, everything is done by a central computer.
The central computer uses step motors to turn each reel and to stop them at the prearranged point. These step motors are powered by short digital pulses that are controlled by the central computer, unlike the electrical current that powers standard electric motors.
Although the computer commands the reels where to stop, the slots are not pre-programmed to pay out at a specific time. Every slot central computer uses a random number generator, that ensures that every pull on the machine has an equal chance of hitting the jackpot.
What are the odds?
With today’s modern slot machines the odds of hitting a winning combination or jackpot depend on the set-up of the virtual reel. Every stop on the actual reel may correspond with several stops on the virtual reel. Plainly said, the odds of hitting a certain image on the actual reel are conditioned by how many virtual stops correspond to the actual reel.
The top jackpot for each reel, in a typical weighted slot, corresponds to only one virtual spot. This implies that the odds of hitting a jackpot image on one reel are 1 in 64. On the other hand, if the reels are set in the same way, the odds of hitting the jackpot on all three reels are 1 in 643.
Slot machines with bigger jackpots usually have virtual reels with many more stops, which decreases the chance of winning drastically. Some people use slot strategies, such as: “The longer I play, the better chance I have of winning.” In reality, slots don’t loosen up and allow you to win after some time. As we said, the central computer uses a random number generator, so every time you pull the handle, you have the same chances of winning the Jackpot.
Slot variations
When you hit the slots in a casino, you will have several gaming options. You will find slots with different numbers of reels and multiple pay lines.
Slots with multiple pay lines offer you to choose how many lines you want to play. For instance, for a minimum bet, you can only play the single line running across the reels. On the other hand, if you want to put more money in, you can play the horizontal lines above and under the main pay-line, and even diagonal lines that run across the reels.
Modern slot machines have several payout schemes. Standard flat top and straight slot machines have a set payout amount that always stays the same. However, progressive jackpots have a jackpot payout that increases as players put more money into it. At one point someone wins it all, and the jackpot is reset to a starting value.
Summary
The purpose of this article is to help you better understand the basic principle of slots, and what to expect when you hit the casinos. The game itself provides a great adrenaline rush, and it can be a lot of fun if played responsibly.
Slot Machine Payout Rate
Good luck!