Slot Machine Payout
Casino Slot Payouts By State
Illinois Bar Slot Machines Payouts
What Slot Machines Have The Best Payouts
Slot Machine Payout Table
Some people might want to know how to find the payout percentage on a slot machine. Sadly, its not something thats printed on most games at least not here in the United States.
Generally, the more cash you put into a slot machine, the higher its payout percentage is going to be. The slots that require at least $1 pay out 95-99, where 25 and 50 cent slot machines pay out less, 92-95. Now for the sake of comparison, lets say a certain slot machine has an RTP of 92 and it costs you $1 to spin its reels.
Slot machines payback percentages dont always rise when you bet maximum coins. If payoffs are strictly proportional to your bet size, the payback percentage is the same no matter how much you bet.
Casino slot machines typically have the highest payouts at 95. This means that for every dollar you put in, the machine is programmed to give back 95 of it at some point. Other gambling locations such as airports, bars, grocery stores, and service stations typically stock machines that have a 50 to 75 payout.
Loosest Slot Machines: When you hear other players talk about tight and loose slot machines, they are talking about the payout percentage. A looser slot machine pays out often and a higher percentage, whereas a tight machine has a lower return to play and will pay out fewer times. Looser slots are much better for players.
This post is for them.
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Understanding this topic involves some rudimentary understanding of probability as it relates to casino gambling. Youll need to understand three separate concepts thoroughly:
Payback percentage
House edge
Return to player
This post explains each of those in enough detail that even a beginner should understand what they mean. Some Basic Facts Related to Probability, the House Edge, Payback Percentage, and Return to Player
Probability is the branch of mathematics that deals with how likely an event is to happen. If you want to measure how likely you are to win a jackpot on a slot machine, probability is the way to figure that out.
But the word also refers directly to that likelihood.
In other words, if I say the probability of getting heads when I flip a coin is 50, Im not talking about that branch of mathematics. Im talking about the actual statistical likelihood of that event.
You should understand a few things about probability in general.
Probability is always a number between 0 and 1. An event with a probability of 0 will never happen, and an event with a probability of 1 will always happen. The closer to 1 the probability is, the more likely the event is to happen.
Probability can be expressed multiple ways. It can be expressed as a fraction, a decimal, a percentage, or as odds. The probability of getting heads on a coin flip can be expressed as 1/2, 0.5, 50, or 1 to 1.
An events probability is the number of ways it can happen divided by the total number of possible outcomes. When youre discussing a coin toss, you have two possible outcomes. Only one of those is heads. That makes the probability 1/2.
The probability that an event will occur added to the probability that an event wont occur always equals 1. Therefore, if you know the probability that something will happen, you also automatically know the probability that it wont happen, and vice versa.
The house edge is a statistical measure of how much the house expects to win (on average, over the long run) from every bet you make on a game. The house edge is a theoretical number that accounts for the probability of winning versus the probability of losing AND the payout if you win.
All casino games carry a house edge. In the short run, it doesnt matter much, but in the long run, its the most important thing.
If I say a game has a house edge of 4, this means that over time, you should average a loss of $4 for every $100 you bet on the game. This is a long run statistical average, though. In the short run, youre unlikely to see results that mirror the house edge.
The return to player and the payback percentage are the same thing. Some writers use one to refer to the statistical expectation and the other to refer to the actual results, but most writers use these terms interchangeably.
The payback percentage added to the house edge always equals 100. The payback percentage is the amount of each bet that you get back, and the house edge is the amount of each bet that the casino wins. Again, these numbers are on average over the long run.
A game with a 4 house edge has a 96 payback percentage.
In the United States, slot machine payback percentages are impossible to calculate and not posted on gambling machines. To calculate the house edge or the payback percentage for a casino game, you need two pieces of data:
The probability of winning
The amount of money youll win (the payoff)
Slot machines include their payouts on their pay tables, but they dont include the probability of achieving any of the winning outcomes.
In some countries, the payback percentage is posted on the machines, but not in the United States.
To make things even worse for a slot machine player, the random number generator program can be set differently even if the slot machine is identical to the one next to it. You could be playing The Big Lebowski slots at Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma, and your buddy could be playing the identical machine right next to you.
The payback percentage on his machine might be 94, and the payback percentage on your machine might only be 88.
The difference comes from how the probabilities are weighted for each symbol. On one game, the bars might show up 1/4 of the time, but on the next, they might only come up 1/8 of the time.
This has an obvious effect on the payback percentage.
The payback percentage would be easy to calculate if you knew the probabilities. The payback percentage is just the total expected value of all the possible outcomes on the machine.
Lets assume you have 1000 possible reel combinations. Lets also assume that if you got each of those in order, from 1 to 1000, youd win 900 coins.
The payback percentage for that game would be 90.
Youd put 1000 coins in, and youd have 900 coins left after a statistically perfect sampling of 1000 spins.
If you knew the payback percentage and house edge for a slot machine game, you could predict your theoretical cost of playing that game per hour in the long run. Youd only need to multiply the numbers of bets you made per hour by the size of those bets. Then youd multiply that by the house edge to get your predicted loss.
Most slots players make 600 spins per hour. Lets assume youre playing on a dollar machine and betting three coins on every spin, or $3 per spin. Youre putting $1,800 per hour into action.
If the slot machine had a 90 payback percentage, youd lose $180 per hour on that machine. Youd have $1,800 at the start of the hour and $1,620 at the end of the hour assuming you saw statistically predicted results.
In the real world, though, where youd be seeing short-term results, youd see some hours where you won and some hours where you lost. If you played long enough, the Law of Large Numbers would ensure that youd eventually see the statistically predicted results. This is how the casinos make their money. In the short run, youll win some of the time. That will keep you playing.
But in the long run, the math will ensure that the casino will win a net profit. How You Could Calculate a Payback Percentage Based on Actual Results
Of course, you have some data that you can directly observe when youre playing slot machines.
But tracking this data and calculating the payback percentage on a specific session can add to your enjoyment of any slot machine game. It can make you more mindful because youll be paying more attention to whats happening.
Heres how to do it.
Start by tracking how many spins youre making per hour. This is easy to do, but it takes more effort than you might think. It might help to get one of those clicky things people use to count stuff with. You will probably also need a stopwatch of some kind. I just use the timer function on my phone.
Make a note (mental is fine) of how much youre betting per spin. It helps to bet the same amount.
Also note how much money you started with so that you can calculate how much youve won or lost. The slot machine will convert your money into credits. The easiest thing to do is to keep up with how many credits you had at the beginning of the session and again at the end of the session.
Now, lets do the math using a hypothetical 45-minute session.
I made 300 spins in 45 minutes. I was betting $3 per spin, and I started with $600.
After my playing session, I had $500 left. At times I was up, and at times I was down.
But my net loss was $100. (My starting bankroll was $600, and I finished with $500.)
Over 300 spins, that means I lost an average per spin of 33 cents. $100 in losses divided by 300 spins is 33.33 cents per spin.
How much was I betting per spin?
Since I was playing a $1 machine, and my max bet was three coins, I was risking $3 per spin.
33 cents is 11 of $3, which means my actual loss was 11. The machine paid back 89 for the session.
Does this mean that the payback percentage for the machine is 89?
Probably not.
In the scheme of things, 450 spins is a small sample size. To have any confidence in your statistics, you really need to have at least 5,000 spins under your belt.
Even then, depending on how volatile the game is, your actual results might be wildly different from the mathematically expected payback percentage.
Heres another example that will prove that point.
My friend Leo went to the Winstar last weekend and played the $5 slots. He started with $3,000, and when he left, he had $4,800, which means he had an $1,800 profit for the day.
He played for seven hours.
Ive watched Leo play. Hes slow, but not much slower than average. He makes about 500 spins per hour.
This means that he made about 3,500 spins.
$1,800 in winnings divided by 3,500 spins is an average win of 51 cents per spin.
Since he was betting $5 per spin, his return was 10.3.
His actual return for the trip on that slot machine was 110.3.
I have friends who design slot machines for a living more than one, in fact. Theyll be happy to tell anyone who asks that the algorithm is never set up to have a payback percentage of more than 100. What About the Casinos That Advertise a Specific Payback Percentage?
Some casinos advertise a specific payback percentage. This is almost always stated as an up to number.
So you might see an ad for a casino that says, Payback percentages up to 98!
Theyre almost certainly telling the truth, too. They probably have one slot machine in their casino that has a payback percentage of 98. Of course, it isnt labeled, so you dont know which one it is.
And in the short run, which is what youre going to be playing in as an individual gambler, theres not much difference between a 98 payback percentage and a 92 payback percentage. You could walk away a winner or a loser at either setting.
Also, keep in mind that the games arent designed to tighten up after a win and loosen up after a lot of losing spins. Thats not how it works at all.
The machines are designed to allow you to win a certain specific percentage of the time because of the probability. Then theres an average amount that youll win based on the payout for the specific combination of symbols that you hit.
But every spin of the reels on a slot machine is an independent event. You can hit a jackpot on a spin, and your probability of hitting the jackpot on the next spin hasnt changed at all. What About the Denominations and Location Reports I See Advertised on the Internet?
Youll find websites like Strictly Slots and American Casino Guide which post payback percentages for specific denominations and specific casinos. These are AVERAGES.
These averages have little bearing on the machine that youre sitting in front of.
For example,
you might be looking at a casino that reports an average payback percentage of 94 on its dollar slot machines. That casino might have half their machines paying off at 90 and the other half paying off at 98.
And you wont be able to differentiate between the two because the hit ratio might be the same from one of those machines to another. Casino Slot Payouts By State What Do Hit Ratio and Volatility Have to Do With It?
The hit ratio is the percentage of time that you can expect to hit a winning combination on a slot machine. Something like 30 isnt unusual, but it can vary 10 or more in either direction. The casinos want you to a hit a winning combination often enough that you wont lose interest in playing the game.
But hit ratio is only part of the equation. The average size of the prize amounts is also important. Volatility takes this into account. A game that hits less often but has higher average prize amounts might have the same payback percentage as a game that hits more often but with lower payouts.
Either way, in the short run, it will be all but impossible to discover this number, too.
If you wanted to, you could track how many spins resulted in wins for you and calculate the percentage, but youre facing the same obstacle you are with the overall payback percentage of the machine.
You just dont know what its programmed to accomplish in the long run. Online Slot Machines
Some online casinos post the payback percentages for their slot machine games. I think this information is of limited use, but I also think its fairer to the gambler than not providing them with that information.
After all, table games are transparent. You can calculate the house edge for any casino table game there is because they all use random number generators with known quantities cards, dice, and wheels.
Theres been a push to label food, both at the grocery store and at restaurants, with nutritional information that includes caloric amounts.
Requiring casinos to provide similar information about their gambling machines only makes sense.
Well see if it ever happens, though. Conclusion
You cant find the payout percentage on a slot machine at least not in the United States.
Ive heard that you can get this information on slot machines in Europe, but Ive never seen an actual photograph of this kind of labeling.
You can, though, have some fun calculating actual payback percentages in the short run. This at least gives you something to keep track of while youre playing slots, which is honestly one of the more mindless activities in the casino. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Introduction to Controls Slot Machine Odds
Who controls slot machine odds is a popular question from slots enthusiasts. Its quite an interesting question, which I thought my audience would appreciate an answer to.
My most recent encounter with this general question was during the QA segment of another gambling podcast, episode 634 from Five Hundy By Midnight. They had a question from David which was, When a new themed penny slot debuts, what is the typical hold percentage? Does it vary by machine, casino, or both?
Tim and Michelle, co-hosts of the long-lasting Five Hundy By Midnight, a gambling podcast thats all about Las Vegas, answered the question well, if somewhat briefly.
Im sure my own audience would like the answer too, so Im providing a few more details as well as a more general answer with a bit of the why of it all.
This segment has the following sections:
Introduction
A Bit of Background on Legal Requirements
A Bit of History on Physically Setting Odds
Slot Machine Types Based on How Odds are Set
Identifying Who Controls Slot Machine Odds
Does It Really Matter Who Controls Slot Machine Odds? Yes!!
Summary Keep Reading or Watch Instead! Or Listen Instead!
Subscribe to my Professor Slots podcast: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Gaana Stitcher Pandora iHeart Radio Tune-In SoundCloud RadioPublic Android RSS and wherever else you find podcasts! A Bit of Background on Legal Requirements
To answer this question, Ill need to delve into a bit of recent history to explain how odds are set in older-style standalone slot machines using a random number generator (RNG). This way is how many people incorrectly believe the odds are currently set on ALL slot machines.
However, starting around 2008, a lot changed with setting slot machine odds. These changes are due to the emergence of new gaming technologies, not only in slot machines but also with the development of casino operating software. Both provide casinos with an increased operating efficiency and therefore low operating costs.
With so many more people visiting casinos in the last decade, and with their profit margins getting smaller every year, casino operators find they cannot afford to ignore the savings opportunities of new technologies.
The second driver for this change to how slot machines are controlled is due to ongoing developments in statutory regulations for gaming jurisdictions. In the U.S., these gaming jurisdictions are the states, territories, or federal district that legally allow gaming.
In essence, casino operators have to follow the gaming regulations for the jurisdiction wherein they are located. In part, these gaming jurisdictions often include laws which place an upper and lower limit on the pay back return for slot machines.
To not lose their gaming license, or to otherwise get in trouble with gaming control authorities, casino operators must remain in compliance with these legal gaming requirements.
Note that commercial casinos have to be comply to gaming regulations as set by the U.S. state, territory, or federal district they are located in. Native American tribal casinos also have to comply with their own set of gaming requirements, which are usually not based on state law.
Rather, these are defined by negotiation between a federally-recognized tribe and the state within which they are located by carefully crafting a state-tribal compact ultimately approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
So, within this overall context, who controls slot machine odds? At a high level, gaming regulators determine the legal limits, if any, for payout returns on slot machines. This is accomplished via state law or negotiated compacts, and usually not changed for a decade, if that often.
Casinos operators are, often but not always, required to provide weekly or monthly reports on actual payout returns to show their gaming authority they are compliant. Sometimes, depending on each gaming jurisdiction, these statistical reports are then provided to the public by the state gaming commission.
Four winds casino slots. Going further, these regular reports can break down these actual payout returns by casino, table games, slot machines, gaming machines, by the denomination of slot machines within a specific casino, or even if the machine has a progressive jackpot. What is done is very specific to the gaming jurisdiction where the casino is located.
Given all these variability of what is or is not done within a U.S. gaming jurisdiction, Ive created an online series of posts for my audience of slots enthusiasts. Its meant to help them navigate this dynamic environment of state-specific gaming regulations.
For more information on your specific state, territory, or federal district of interest, see Slot Machine Casino Gambling, State-By-State: A Weekly Blog.
So, at its high level, slot machines are controlled by gaming regulators by the placement of legal requirements for payout return percentages. Sometimes, however, these state-specific gaming regulators do not set limits on payout returns. Put another way, they have deliberately chosen to not set legal limits.
When this happens, somewhat obviously, casino operators do not have a legal requirement for setting payout returns. However, to remain open and not close due to lack of customers, they still have to be careful to not set their payout returns too low.
Its worth noting that most gaming regulations set a low limit on payout returns to which casino operators deliberately stay well above. To do so is just good business. A Bit of History on Physically Setting Odds
The random number generator (RNG) was developed for slot machines by Bally Technologies in 1984. About a decade later, most slot machines had this RNG, which allowed for easily adjustable odds of winning.
Beforehand, the odds of winning were set in an entirely mechanical manner. This worked well for decades, until the technical development of slot machines began to cause difficulties. Basically, as credits to bet and number of pay lines increased, the physical mechanisms for determining odds began to reach certain physical limits.
Slot enthusiasts loved having a choice of how many credits to bet, as well as playing a slot machine with more than one pay line. Increased credits and pay lines also led to much higher jackpots.
All of these developments led to odds of winning being needed for many more possible outcomes, which mechanical devices for determining the odds of winning began to not be able to handle. In fact, these mechanical devices began to fall behind and actually became less and less random in nature.
As an aside, the topic of randomness is actually quite interesting. True randomness is very difficult, if not literally impossible, to generate. Often, when randomness is needed in either an mechanical or electronic device, various methods are used which are random enough.
Technically speaking, there is no such thing as an existing perfectly random number generator. At best, there are only pseudo random number generators, one variant of which was patented by Bally Technologies in 1984.
Moving away from our brief sortie into the philosophy of randomness, the invention of the RNG solved for slot machine manufacturers this limitation of mechanical devices for determining randomness in slot machines. But, it created another problem: With adjustable odds of winning via electronic RNGs, casinos would need to have a large workforce to do that adjusting.
And so, that is what casinos did. They built and trained a workforce of slot mechanics to adjust the odds of winning on their new slot machines to meet their desired performance metrics.
However, the size of that workforce would increase tremendously depending on how often those odds of winning were adjusted. For older style slot machines, this is at least 7 days and may be as much as 2 weeks, as Ive expressed in Professor Slots Episode 21: Winning at Slots on Older Casinos-Kentucky Slots 2018.
No deposit codes for silver oak casino. Most recently, since 2012 or so, relatively newer casinos have been able to reduce this costly workforce thanks to new casino operating systems. These systems not only help casinos manage large promotional events with less overall issues, but also allow them to remotely adjust the odds of winning on slot machines connected to the casinos central computer system.
Of course, this connection to the casinos central computer system is currently limited to a wired connection due to potential security concerns as well as WIFI bandwidth limits. As a result, using a central computer in this manner is only possible if all the slot machines are physically wired up.
Doing so requires sufficient building infrastructure, such as clearance beneath floors and behind walls, to allow for these many, many cable connections. This is only practically possible in all new casinos being built as well as older casinos being heavily renovated. That is to say, renovated to have far more than simply new carpeting and wallpaper.
With wired connections from slot machines to a central computer, the reduced cost of a smaller workforce of slot mechanics, much faster adjustment of casino performance metrics to daily or even hourly updates, and more satisfied customers due to efficiently run events, the question remains. Who controls slot machine odds?
To get closer to the answer to this question, well next have to discuss how the legal limits of payout returns are set on actual slot machines. Why? Because slot machines can be categorized by how their odds are set. And, how those odds are physically set will tell us who really controls them. Slot Machine Types Based on How Odds are Set
Slot machines can be divided up into methods by which their odds of winning are set. These slot machine types include:
Standalone
Casino-Specific Progressives
Multi-Casino Progressives
State-Wide Progressives
Remotely Controlled Onsite by Casino
Remotely Controlled Offsite by Gaming Regulators
Standalone slot machines are those which are most often found in older casinos, but are technically slot machines including within their cabinets the ability to set and provide odds of winning with a random number generator. A workforce of slot mechanics adjust the odds of winning periodically as directed by the casino operator.
In general, there is a limited number of settings available for these older slot machines. YouTube videos are available from individuals who have personally purchased an older style, standalone slot machine showing exactly how these odds are set.
For those videos I have viewed, there were six possible settings which could be entered after opening up the slot machine door. These settings were based on codes from a booklet provided by the slot machine manufacturer.
Keep in mind that videos such as these are the general source of knowledge most people have about the internal workings of slot machines. Employees of slot machine manufacturers and casinos with access to these payout settings simply arent sharing this information due to non-disclosure agreements and other legal restrictions.
Besides which, accessing the control for changing the odds of a slot machine is quite problematic. The slot machine is alarmed, so any tampering without official access (employee card key, entry code, physical key) are required to even open a slot machine door. Not to mention, the casino surveillance system sees all.
Discussing the three types of Progressive Slot Machines mentioned will be the dedicated topic for another time. Id discuss how the ownership of these Progressive slot machines matters with regards to how the odds of winning are set. Briefly, the amount of the Progressive jackpot is primarily based on how many slot machines are included.
For instance, these can be a carousel of slot machines in a certain area of a casino, it can be a larger number of slot machines located throughout a casino, or a large group of Progressive slot machines located at multiple casinos.
These large group could actually be of two types: multiple properties of the same casino operator, or multiple casino operators, within a single gaming jurisdiction, i.e., state.
Already discussed are slot machines remotely controlled onsite at a casino through the use of a central computer operating system. Only new or heavily renovated casinos have the facility infrastructure to handle the sheer number of cables necessary.
If they are controlled onsite, these slot machines have their odds of winning adjusted daily or hourly by remote access. How often these adjustments are made is, rather unfortunately at this time, a matter of debate.
Im currently trying to track down state legal requirements of which Id heard rumors. The rumor I heard was that a slot machine must be idle for at least 15 minutes without a players card being inserted before the casino is allowed, if desired, to remotely adjust its odds of winning. Further, the rumor stated that this practice was typical and originally based on Nevada gaming regulations.
However, this rumor doesnt pass the so-called smell test. At this time, Ive currently reviewed state gaming regulations for over 38 U.S. states, territories, or a federal district. Ive yet to find any substantiation for this rumor. Alternatively, it may well be an accepted business practice built-in to the advanced casino operating systems.
Why do I feel strongly that slots players are protected from having their odds of winnings reduced while playing? Its simple the state control board controls the odds of winning on slot machines, and everything Ive seen, read, and studied tells me they work for you.
I just cant imagine state gaming commissions would allow something this untoward, this nefarious even, to occur. They have careful casino operating system approval processes in place to prevent it, they watch casino operations like hawks (often from within the casino), and any casino that decides not to be fully compliant is in for a world of hurt if/when caught.
Finally, there are slot machines having their odds controlled off-site by state gaming regulators. These are most or all video lottery terminals style slot machines.
Video lottery terminals are, as their name implies, instant lottery machines. That means they are controlled by the state lottery, which is set up to remotely handle many, many such terminals at any given moment. Identifying Who Controls Slot Machine Odds
Who controls slot machine odds at a casino you are considering whether or not to visit? Who controls slot machine odds on the slot machine youre sitting at?
As Ive discussed before, both on my webpage Assessing Casinos as well as Professor Slots podcast episode 3: Assessing Casinos, Alaska Slots 2017, deciding which local casino you want to spend your time at is an important decision for determining your baseline success at slots.
So, youll likely want to know who controls slot machine odds when youre choosing between, for instance, an older, pre-2012 casino with standalone slot machines or a racino with many new video slot machines.
The top level choice is really about your own gambling goals, as also discussed on my webpage Identifying Gambling Goals or, alternatively, within Professor Slots podcast episode 5: Identifying Gambling Goals, Arizona Slots 2017.
But, whether your gambling goal is entertainment, earning maximum comps, or take-home money, having better odds of winning on a slot machine will help accomplish that goal. So, ignoring other important considerations such as drive time, the spread of the buffet, players club, and etc., the type of slot machine is definitely a consideration.
Casinos with standalone slot machines where the actual machine in front of you has its own dedicated random number generator is relatively easily determined. Ask someone, how old is the casino?
Or, if you dont want to ask someone or look it up online, just take a look at the slot machine in front of you. Specifically, look at the player card interface area. What does its display look like? Is it a touchscreen display?
Or an LED display like those seen outside of a bank showing the time and temperature for a passerby to see? If its a touchscreen, the slot machine is most likely not standalone. If its an LED, it most likely is a standalone slot machine.
Determining whether or not a Progressive slot machine is connected to a single carousel, across several carousels within a casino, across several casinos owned by a single casino operator, or across several casino operator properties will be, as previously mentioned, the topic of an upcoming post.
Next up are non-video slot machines with touchscreens at the players card interface. These are all slot machines centrally controlled by a computer onsite at the casino. You can confirm this by learning the date of the casinos original opening or when it was last heavily renovated.
Keep in mind that a very few casinos have both, assuming they have expanded their original structure not by renovating it, but by building a new casino facility right next to it.
This is the case with Foxwoods Resort, which is itself an older style casino. However, they recently build Fox Tower right next to it, which is a newer style casino.
Finally, there are video slot machines. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to tell the difference between a video slot machine and a video lottery terminal. A video slot machine is controlled onsite by the central computer at the casino. A video lottery terminal is controlled offsite by the state lottery.
The only sure way to tell the difference between these two slot machine types is to take a look at what the state gaming commission says they are at that casino.
For instance, in Ohio, there are currently 4 commercial casino resorts and 7 pari-mutual racinos. The 4 casinos have traditional reel and video slot machines all controlled by a central computer located onsite.
However, Ohios seven racinos have a mix of traditional reel and video lottery terminals slot machines. The traditional reel slot machines are controlled onsite with a central computer while all of the video lottery terminals, which externally look exactly like video slot machines, are controlled offsite by the state lotterys central computer systems. Does It Really Matter Who Controls Slot Machine Odds? Yes!!
With this improved understanding of how casinos work, lets consider these two facts. First, that there are types of slot machines, specifically those that are standalone or remotely controlled by casino operator or state. Second, that there are the several ways slot machines can have their odds of winning set on an ongoing basis, depending on their specific type.
So yes, actually, it does matter who controls slot machine odds. Why? Because this is where patterns of winning are found. When slot machines are set up to be as random as possible, and that assigned level of randomness is unchanged over days and weeks, then long-term statistical principles rule.
Meaning, on average over the long haul, people will always loss money playing slots. Put another way, profits are only possible in the short term. This specifically applies to all slot machines controlled by the state, such as video lottery terminals.
However, when the odds are changed hourly or set over 100 for promotional purposes, then there are better times to play a slot machine and all that slot enthusiasts need do is figure out when that better time is in order to win more and, potentially, make some level of profit. Thats what I did: I made a profit at slots by looking for and finding winning patterns, when I won 90 taxable jackpots in 9 months.
Only casino operators change their odds hourly or deliberately adjust them for promotional purposes. The state has no need or desire to do so, getting their money no matter what, while the casino is a business, with stockholders and a board of directors, obligated to try to succeed financially.
The casino puts in the time and energy to hit their financial performance metrics. The casinos hire the best general manager who themselves hire the best possible team.
Put another way, the casino has a business need to adjust the odds of winning on their slot machines to eke out a living while the state only needs to be patient. Businesses are not patient they try things in their ongoing quest for success.
And, really, that struggle is what has changed since around 2012 with the technology behind the winning odds of slot machines. Casinos are always trying new things. And, when they have control over setting the odds on slot machines, they adjust them to try to succeed.
Before 2012, this amounted to increasing the odds of winning to be over 100 on a single slot machine near a busy area in their casino, as a promotional tool with its own limited budget.
With the new casino operating technologies, casinos have been given a finer control over setting those odds. This has allowed them to try new things, which they very much like to do. These new things are to adjust the odds on slot machines more often than ever before.
In financial terms, theyre trying to tune their financial performance metrics on a daily or even hourly basis, something that was never before possible. Illinois Bar Slot Machines Payouts
Ive never worked for a casino, so have never been pitched a new casino operating system by a slot machine manufacturers sales team. But, its obvious that this tuning is part of the pitch being made to casino operators. Without having seen it, how can I believe this? Simple. Ive won a lot at slots through pattern recognition.
Whats happened is that, and it matters not at all how it came about, casinos have obviously bought into the idea of finely tuning their financial performance metrics.
In the case of slot machines, which is the only game as casino offers that Im interested in, theyve broken the long-term constant randomness of the odds of winning on a slot machine. Therefore, as all statisticians know, patterns emerge.
So, again, yes it does matter who controls slot machine odds, because those controlled by the casino have had their randomness broken. It matters because slots enthusiasts can look for emerging patterns on these casino-controlled machines, then use them to win more. What Slot Machines Have The Best Payouts
In the future, Ill talk more about the winning patterns Ive found using this understanding. In the meantime, I hope Ive made it clear how and why they exist. Summary of Can You Guess Who Controls Slot Machine Odds?
In summary, who controls slot machine odds is answered by understanding they are controlled by the machine, the casino staff, both, possibly the state if the machine is a video lottery terminal, and by slot machine manufacturers themselves in the case of most Progressive slot machines.
This control over the odds of winning was historically a mechanical device supplanted by an electronic random number generator invented in 1984, afterwards allowing slots machines to be developed having more credits, denominations, and pay lines as well as higher jackpots.
Theres currently older-style casinos with standalone slot machines and newer-style casinos built to have the facility infrastructure necessary for physically wiring up their slot machines to be remotely controlled by a computer server. Buffalo slot machine free .
Ive discussed how to tell the difference, as well as explained how slot machines can be remotely controlled by the casino or, in the case of video lottery terminals, by computers established for this purpose by the state lottery agency.
Finally, Ive discussed if any of this matters to slots enthusiasts looking for an advantage. It does matter. In essence, any slot machines with odds of winning directly controlled by a casino have patterns of winning because casinos keep adjusting those odds to meet their financial performance metrics.
These patterns make it possible for savvy slots enthusiasts to improve their own gambling performance. Related Articles from Professor Slots Other Articles from Professor Slots Slot Machine Payout Table
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Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC
Illinois Bar Slot Machines Payouts
What Slot Machines Have The Best Payouts
Slot Machine Payout Table
Some people might want to know how to find the payout percentage on a slot machine. Sadly, its not something thats printed on most games at least not here in the United States.
Generally, the more cash you put into a slot machine, the higher its payout percentage is going to be. The slots that require at least $1 pay out 95-99, where 25 and 50 cent slot machines pay out less, 92-95. Now for the sake of comparison, lets say a certain slot machine has an RTP of 92 and it costs you $1 to spin its reels.
Slot machines payback percentages dont always rise when you bet maximum coins. If payoffs are strictly proportional to your bet size, the payback percentage is the same no matter how much you bet.
Casino slot machines typically have the highest payouts at 95. This means that for every dollar you put in, the machine is programmed to give back 95 of it at some point. Other gambling locations such as airports, bars, grocery stores, and service stations typically stock machines that have a 50 to 75 payout.
Loosest Slot Machines: When you hear other players talk about tight and loose slot machines, they are talking about the payout percentage. A looser slot machine pays out often and a higher percentage, whereas a tight machine has a lower return to play and will pay out fewer times. Looser slots are much better for players.
This post is for them.
BIGGEST RIO DREAMS JACKPOT in YouTube history!!!! While playing Rio Dreams at Wynn Las Vegas we hit a 4 jewel bonus game and a few re-triggers after.
Understanding this topic involves some rudimentary understanding of probability as it relates to casino gambling. Youll need to understand three separate concepts thoroughly:
Payback percentage
House edge
Return to player
This post explains each of those in enough detail that even a beginner should understand what they mean. Some Basic Facts Related to Probability, the House Edge, Payback Percentage, and Return to Player
Probability is the branch of mathematics that deals with how likely an event is to happen. If you want to measure how likely you are to win a jackpot on a slot machine, probability is the way to figure that out.
But the word also refers directly to that likelihood.
In other words, if I say the probability of getting heads when I flip a coin is 50, Im not talking about that branch of mathematics. Im talking about the actual statistical likelihood of that event.
You should understand a few things about probability in general.
Probability is always a number between 0 and 1. An event with a probability of 0 will never happen, and an event with a probability of 1 will always happen. The closer to 1 the probability is, the more likely the event is to happen.
Probability can be expressed multiple ways. It can be expressed as a fraction, a decimal, a percentage, or as odds. The probability of getting heads on a coin flip can be expressed as 1/2, 0.5, 50, or 1 to 1.
An events probability is the number of ways it can happen divided by the total number of possible outcomes. When youre discussing a coin toss, you have two possible outcomes. Only one of those is heads. That makes the probability 1/2.
The probability that an event will occur added to the probability that an event wont occur always equals 1. Therefore, if you know the probability that something will happen, you also automatically know the probability that it wont happen, and vice versa.
The house edge is a statistical measure of how much the house expects to win (on average, over the long run) from every bet you make on a game. The house edge is a theoretical number that accounts for the probability of winning versus the probability of losing AND the payout if you win.
All casino games carry a house edge. In the short run, it doesnt matter much, but in the long run, its the most important thing.
If I say a game has a house edge of 4, this means that over time, you should average a loss of $4 for every $100 you bet on the game. This is a long run statistical average, though. In the short run, youre unlikely to see results that mirror the house edge.
The return to player and the payback percentage are the same thing. Some writers use one to refer to the statistical expectation and the other to refer to the actual results, but most writers use these terms interchangeably.
The payback percentage added to the house edge always equals 100. The payback percentage is the amount of each bet that you get back, and the house edge is the amount of each bet that the casino wins. Again, these numbers are on average over the long run.
A game with a 4 house edge has a 96 payback percentage.
In the United States, slot machine payback percentages are impossible to calculate and not posted on gambling machines. To calculate the house edge or the payback percentage for a casino game, you need two pieces of data:
The probability of winning
The amount of money youll win (the payoff)
Slot machines include their payouts on their pay tables, but they dont include the probability of achieving any of the winning outcomes.
In some countries, the payback percentage is posted on the machines, but not in the United States.
To make things even worse for a slot machine player, the random number generator program can be set differently even if the slot machine is identical to the one next to it. You could be playing The Big Lebowski slots at Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma, and your buddy could be playing the identical machine right next to you.
The payback percentage on his machine might be 94, and the payback percentage on your machine might only be 88.
The difference comes from how the probabilities are weighted for each symbol. On one game, the bars might show up 1/4 of the time, but on the next, they might only come up 1/8 of the time.
This has an obvious effect on the payback percentage.
The payback percentage would be easy to calculate if you knew the probabilities. The payback percentage is just the total expected value of all the possible outcomes on the machine.
Lets assume you have 1000 possible reel combinations. Lets also assume that if you got each of those in order, from 1 to 1000, youd win 900 coins.
The payback percentage for that game would be 90.
Youd put 1000 coins in, and youd have 900 coins left after a statistically perfect sampling of 1000 spins.
If you knew the payback percentage and house edge for a slot machine game, you could predict your theoretical cost of playing that game per hour in the long run. Youd only need to multiply the numbers of bets you made per hour by the size of those bets. Then youd multiply that by the house edge to get your predicted loss.
Most slots players make 600 spins per hour. Lets assume youre playing on a dollar machine and betting three coins on every spin, or $3 per spin. Youre putting $1,800 per hour into action.
If the slot machine had a 90 payback percentage, youd lose $180 per hour on that machine. Youd have $1,800 at the start of the hour and $1,620 at the end of the hour assuming you saw statistically predicted results.
In the real world, though, where youd be seeing short-term results, youd see some hours where you won and some hours where you lost. If you played long enough, the Law of Large Numbers would ensure that youd eventually see the statistically predicted results. This is how the casinos make their money. In the short run, youll win some of the time. That will keep you playing.
But in the long run, the math will ensure that the casino will win a net profit. How You Could Calculate a Payback Percentage Based on Actual Results
Of course, you have some data that you can directly observe when youre playing slot machines.
But tracking this data and calculating the payback percentage on a specific session can add to your enjoyment of any slot machine game. It can make you more mindful because youll be paying more attention to whats happening.
Heres how to do it.
Start by tracking how many spins youre making per hour. This is easy to do, but it takes more effort than you might think. It might help to get one of those clicky things people use to count stuff with. You will probably also need a stopwatch of some kind. I just use the timer function on my phone.
Make a note (mental is fine) of how much youre betting per spin. It helps to bet the same amount.
Also note how much money you started with so that you can calculate how much youve won or lost. The slot machine will convert your money into credits. The easiest thing to do is to keep up with how many credits you had at the beginning of the session and again at the end of the session.
Now, lets do the math using a hypothetical 45-minute session.
I made 300 spins in 45 minutes. I was betting $3 per spin, and I started with $600.
After my playing session, I had $500 left. At times I was up, and at times I was down.
But my net loss was $100. (My starting bankroll was $600, and I finished with $500.)
Over 300 spins, that means I lost an average per spin of 33 cents. $100 in losses divided by 300 spins is 33.33 cents per spin.
How much was I betting per spin?
Since I was playing a $1 machine, and my max bet was three coins, I was risking $3 per spin.
33 cents is 11 of $3, which means my actual loss was 11. The machine paid back 89 for the session.
Does this mean that the payback percentage for the machine is 89?
Probably not.
In the scheme of things, 450 spins is a small sample size. To have any confidence in your statistics, you really need to have at least 5,000 spins under your belt.
Even then, depending on how volatile the game is, your actual results might be wildly different from the mathematically expected payback percentage.
Heres another example that will prove that point.
My friend Leo went to the Winstar last weekend and played the $5 slots. He started with $3,000, and when he left, he had $4,800, which means he had an $1,800 profit for the day.
He played for seven hours.
Ive watched Leo play. Hes slow, but not much slower than average. He makes about 500 spins per hour.
This means that he made about 3,500 spins.
$1,800 in winnings divided by 3,500 spins is an average win of 51 cents per spin.
Since he was betting $5 per spin, his return was 10.3.
His actual return for the trip on that slot machine was 110.3.
I have friends who design slot machines for a living more than one, in fact. Theyll be happy to tell anyone who asks that the algorithm is never set up to have a payback percentage of more than 100. What About the Casinos That Advertise a Specific Payback Percentage?
Some casinos advertise a specific payback percentage. This is almost always stated as an up to number.
So you might see an ad for a casino that says, Payback percentages up to 98!
Theyre almost certainly telling the truth, too. They probably have one slot machine in their casino that has a payback percentage of 98. Of course, it isnt labeled, so you dont know which one it is.
And in the short run, which is what youre going to be playing in as an individual gambler, theres not much difference between a 98 payback percentage and a 92 payback percentage. You could walk away a winner or a loser at either setting.
Also, keep in mind that the games arent designed to tighten up after a win and loosen up after a lot of losing spins. Thats not how it works at all.
The machines are designed to allow you to win a certain specific percentage of the time because of the probability. Then theres an average amount that youll win based on the payout for the specific combination of symbols that you hit.
But every spin of the reels on a slot machine is an independent event. You can hit a jackpot on a spin, and your probability of hitting the jackpot on the next spin hasnt changed at all. What About the Denominations and Location Reports I See Advertised on the Internet?
Youll find websites like Strictly Slots and American Casino Guide which post payback percentages for specific denominations and specific casinos. These are AVERAGES.
These averages have little bearing on the machine that youre sitting in front of.
For example,
you might be looking at a casino that reports an average payback percentage of 94 on its dollar slot machines. That casino might have half their machines paying off at 90 and the other half paying off at 98.
And you wont be able to differentiate between the two because the hit ratio might be the same from one of those machines to another. Casino Slot Payouts By State What Do Hit Ratio and Volatility Have to Do With It?
The hit ratio is the percentage of time that you can expect to hit a winning combination on a slot machine. Something like 30 isnt unusual, but it can vary 10 or more in either direction. The casinos want you to a hit a winning combination often enough that you wont lose interest in playing the game.
But hit ratio is only part of the equation. The average size of the prize amounts is also important. Volatility takes this into account. A game that hits less often but has higher average prize amounts might have the same payback percentage as a game that hits more often but with lower payouts.
Either way, in the short run, it will be all but impossible to discover this number, too.
If you wanted to, you could track how many spins resulted in wins for you and calculate the percentage, but youre facing the same obstacle you are with the overall payback percentage of the machine.
You just dont know what its programmed to accomplish in the long run. Online Slot Machines
Some online casinos post the payback percentages for their slot machine games. I think this information is of limited use, but I also think its fairer to the gambler than not providing them with that information.
After all, table games are transparent. You can calculate the house edge for any casino table game there is because they all use random number generators with known quantities cards, dice, and wheels.
Theres been a push to label food, both at the grocery store and at restaurants, with nutritional information that includes caloric amounts.
Requiring casinos to provide similar information about their gambling machines only makes sense.
Well see if it ever happens, though. Conclusion
You cant find the payout percentage on a slot machine at least not in the United States.
Ive heard that you can get this information on slot machines in Europe, but Ive never seen an actual photograph of this kind of labeling.
You can, though, have some fun calculating actual payback percentages in the short run. This at least gives you something to keep track of while youre playing slots, which is honestly one of the more mindless activities in the casino. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Introduction to Controls Slot Machine Odds
Who controls slot machine odds is a popular question from slots enthusiasts. Its quite an interesting question, which I thought my audience would appreciate an answer to.
My most recent encounter with this general question was during the QA segment of another gambling podcast, episode 634 from Five Hundy By Midnight. They had a question from David which was, When a new themed penny slot debuts, what is the typical hold percentage? Does it vary by machine, casino, or both?
Tim and Michelle, co-hosts of the long-lasting Five Hundy By Midnight, a gambling podcast thats all about Las Vegas, answered the question well, if somewhat briefly.
Im sure my own audience would like the answer too, so Im providing a few more details as well as a more general answer with a bit of the why of it all.
This segment has the following sections:
Introduction
A Bit of Background on Legal Requirements
A Bit of History on Physically Setting Odds
Slot Machine Types Based on How Odds are Set
Identifying Who Controls Slot Machine Odds
Does It Really Matter Who Controls Slot Machine Odds? Yes!!
Summary Keep Reading or Watch Instead! Or Listen Instead!
Subscribe to my Professor Slots podcast: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Gaana Stitcher Pandora iHeart Radio Tune-In SoundCloud RadioPublic Android RSS and wherever else you find podcasts! A Bit of Background on Legal Requirements
To answer this question, Ill need to delve into a bit of recent history to explain how odds are set in older-style standalone slot machines using a random number generator (RNG). This way is how many people incorrectly believe the odds are currently set on ALL slot machines.
However, starting around 2008, a lot changed with setting slot machine odds. These changes are due to the emergence of new gaming technologies, not only in slot machines but also with the development of casino operating software. Both provide casinos with an increased operating efficiency and therefore low operating costs.
With so many more people visiting casinos in the last decade, and with their profit margins getting smaller every year, casino operators find they cannot afford to ignore the savings opportunities of new technologies.
The second driver for this change to how slot machines are controlled is due to ongoing developments in statutory regulations for gaming jurisdictions. In the U.S., these gaming jurisdictions are the states, territories, or federal district that legally allow gaming.
In essence, casino operators have to follow the gaming regulations for the jurisdiction wherein they are located. In part, these gaming jurisdictions often include laws which place an upper and lower limit on the pay back return for slot machines.
To not lose their gaming license, or to otherwise get in trouble with gaming control authorities, casino operators must remain in compliance with these legal gaming requirements.
Note that commercial casinos have to be comply to gaming regulations as set by the U.S. state, territory, or federal district they are located in. Native American tribal casinos also have to comply with their own set of gaming requirements, which are usually not based on state law.
Rather, these are defined by negotiation between a federally-recognized tribe and the state within which they are located by carefully crafting a state-tribal compact ultimately approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
So, within this overall context, who controls slot machine odds? At a high level, gaming regulators determine the legal limits, if any, for payout returns on slot machines. This is accomplished via state law or negotiated compacts, and usually not changed for a decade, if that often.
Casinos operators are, often but not always, required to provide weekly or monthly reports on actual payout returns to show their gaming authority they are compliant. Sometimes, depending on each gaming jurisdiction, these statistical reports are then provided to the public by the state gaming commission.
Four winds casino slots. Going further, these regular reports can break down these actual payout returns by casino, table games, slot machines, gaming machines, by the denomination of slot machines within a specific casino, or even if the machine has a progressive jackpot. What is done is very specific to the gaming jurisdiction where the casino is located.
Given all these variability of what is or is not done within a U.S. gaming jurisdiction, Ive created an online series of posts for my audience of slots enthusiasts. Its meant to help them navigate this dynamic environment of state-specific gaming regulations.
For more information on your specific state, territory, or federal district of interest, see Slot Machine Casino Gambling, State-By-State: A Weekly Blog.
So, at its high level, slot machines are controlled by gaming regulators by the placement of legal requirements for payout return percentages. Sometimes, however, these state-specific gaming regulators do not set limits on payout returns. Put another way, they have deliberately chosen to not set legal limits.
When this happens, somewhat obviously, casino operators do not have a legal requirement for setting payout returns. However, to remain open and not close due to lack of customers, they still have to be careful to not set their payout returns too low.
Its worth noting that most gaming regulations set a low limit on payout returns to which casino operators deliberately stay well above. To do so is just good business. A Bit of History on Physically Setting Odds
The random number generator (RNG) was developed for slot machines by Bally Technologies in 1984. About a decade later, most slot machines had this RNG, which allowed for easily adjustable odds of winning.
Beforehand, the odds of winning were set in an entirely mechanical manner. This worked well for decades, until the technical development of slot machines began to cause difficulties. Basically, as credits to bet and number of pay lines increased, the physical mechanisms for determining odds began to reach certain physical limits.
Slot enthusiasts loved having a choice of how many credits to bet, as well as playing a slot machine with more than one pay line. Increased credits and pay lines also led to much higher jackpots.
All of these developments led to odds of winning being needed for many more possible outcomes, which mechanical devices for determining the odds of winning began to not be able to handle. In fact, these mechanical devices began to fall behind and actually became less and less random in nature.
As an aside, the topic of randomness is actually quite interesting. True randomness is very difficult, if not literally impossible, to generate. Often, when randomness is needed in either an mechanical or electronic device, various methods are used which are random enough.
Technically speaking, there is no such thing as an existing perfectly random number generator. At best, there are only pseudo random number generators, one variant of which was patented by Bally Technologies in 1984.
Moving away from our brief sortie into the philosophy of randomness, the invention of the RNG solved for slot machine manufacturers this limitation of mechanical devices for determining randomness in slot machines. But, it created another problem: With adjustable odds of winning via electronic RNGs, casinos would need to have a large workforce to do that adjusting.
And so, that is what casinos did. They built and trained a workforce of slot mechanics to adjust the odds of winning on their new slot machines to meet their desired performance metrics.
However, the size of that workforce would increase tremendously depending on how often those odds of winning were adjusted. For older style slot machines, this is at least 7 days and may be as much as 2 weeks, as Ive expressed in Professor Slots Episode 21: Winning at Slots on Older Casinos-Kentucky Slots 2018.
No deposit codes for silver oak casino. Most recently, since 2012 or so, relatively newer casinos have been able to reduce this costly workforce thanks to new casino operating systems. These systems not only help casinos manage large promotional events with less overall issues, but also allow them to remotely adjust the odds of winning on slot machines connected to the casinos central computer system.
Of course, this connection to the casinos central computer system is currently limited to a wired connection due to potential security concerns as well as WIFI bandwidth limits. As a result, using a central computer in this manner is only possible if all the slot machines are physically wired up.
Doing so requires sufficient building infrastructure, such as clearance beneath floors and behind walls, to allow for these many, many cable connections. This is only practically possible in all new casinos being built as well as older casinos being heavily renovated. That is to say, renovated to have far more than simply new carpeting and wallpaper.
With wired connections from slot machines to a central computer, the reduced cost of a smaller workforce of slot mechanics, much faster adjustment of casino performance metrics to daily or even hourly updates, and more satisfied customers due to efficiently run events, the question remains. Who controls slot machine odds?
To get closer to the answer to this question, well next have to discuss how the legal limits of payout returns are set on actual slot machines. Why? Because slot machines can be categorized by how their odds are set. And, how those odds are physically set will tell us who really controls them. Slot Machine Types Based on How Odds are Set
Slot machines can be divided up into methods by which their odds of winning are set. These slot machine types include:
Standalone
Casino-Specific Progressives
Multi-Casino Progressives
State-Wide Progressives
Remotely Controlled Onsite by Casino
Remotely Controlled Offsite by Gaming Regulators
Standalone slot machines are those which are most often found in older casinos, but are technically slot machines including within their cabinets the ability to set and provide odds of winning with a random number generator. A workforce of slot mechanics adjust the odds of winning periodically as directed by the casino operator.
In general, there is a limited number of settings available for these older slot machines. YouTube videos are available from individuals who have personally purchased an older style, standalone slot machine showing exactly how these odds are set.
For those videos I have viewed, there were six possible settings which could be entered after opening up the slot machine door. These settings were based on codes from a booklet provided by the slot machine manufacturer.
Keep in mind that videos such as these are the general source of knowledge most people have about the internal workings of slot machines. Employees of slot machine manufacturers and casinos with access to these payout settings simply arent sharing this information due to non-disclosure agreements and other legal restrictions.
Besides which, accessing the control for changing the odds of a slot machine is quite problematic. The slot machine is alarmed, so any tampering without official access (employee card key, entry code, physical key) are required to even open a slot machine door. Not to mention, the casino surveillance system sees all.
Discussing the three types of Progressive Slot Machines mentioned will be the dedicated topic for another time. Id discuss how the ownership of these Progressive slot machines matters with regards to how the odds of winning are set. Briefly, the amount of the Progressive jackpot is primarily based on how many slot machines are included.
For instance, these can be a carousel of slot machines in a certain area of a casino, it can be a larger number of slot machines located throughout a casino, or a large group of Progressive slot machines located at multiple casinos.
These large group could actually be of two types: multiple properties of the same casino operator, or multiple casino operators, within a single gaming jurisdiction, i.e., state.
Already discussed are slot machines remotely controlled onsite at a casino through the use of a central computer operating system. Only new or heavily renovated casinos have the facility infrastructure to handle the sheer number of cables necessary.
If they are controlled onsite, these slot machines have their odds of winning adjusted daily or hourly by remote access. How often these adjustments are made is, rather unfortunately at this time, a matter of debate.
Im currently trying to track down state legal requirements of which Id heard rumors. The rumor I heard was that a slot machine must be idle for at least 15 minutes without a players card being inserted before the casino is allowed, if desired, to remotely adjust its odds of winning. Further, the rumor stated that this practice was typical and originally based on Nevada gaming regulations.
However, this rumor doesnt pass the so-called smell test. At this time, Ive currently reviewed state gaming regulations for over 38 U.S. states, territories, or a federal district. Ive yet to find any substantiation for this rumor. Alternatively, it may well be an accepted business practice built-in to the advanced casino operating systems.
Why do I feel strongly that slots players are protected from having their odds of winnings reduced while playing? Its simple the state control board controls the odds of winning on slot machines, and everything Ive seen, read, and studied tells me they work for you.
I just cant imagine state gaming commissions would allow something this untoward, this nefarious even, to occur. They have careful casino operating system approval processes in place to prevent it, they watch casino operations like hawks (often from within the casino), and any casino that decides not to be fully compliant is in for a world of hurt if/when caught.
Finally, there are slot machines having their odds controlled off-site by state gaming regulators. These are most or all video lottery terminals style slot machines.
Video lottery terminals are, as their name implies, instant lottery machines. That means they are controlled by the state lottery, which is set up to remotely handle many, many such terminals at any given moment. Identifying Who Controls Slot Machine Odds
Who controls slot machine odds at a casino you are considering whether or not to visit? Who controls slot machine odds on the slot machine youre sitting at?
As Ive discussed before, both on my webpage Assessing Casinos as well as Professor Slots podcast episode 3: Assessing Casinos, Alaska Slots 2017, deciding which local casino you want to spend your time at is an important decision for determining your baseline success at slots.
So, youll likely want to know who controls slot machine odds when youre choosing between, for instance, an older, pre-2012 casino with standalone slot machines or a racino with many new video slot machines.
The top level choice is really about your own gambling goals, as also discussed on my webpage Identifying Gambling Goals or, alternatively, within Professor Slots podcast episode 5: Identifying Gambling Goals, Arizona Slots 2017.
But, whether your gambling goal is entertainment, earning maximum comps, or take-home money, having better odds of winning on a slot machine will help accomplish that goal. So, ignoring other important considerations such as drive time, the spread of the buffet, players club, and etc., the type of slot machine is definitely a consideration.
Casinos with standalone slot machines where the actual machine in front of you has its own dedicated random number generator is relatively easily determined. Ask someone, how old is the casino?
Or, if you dont want to ask someone or look it up online, just take a look at the slot machine in front of you. Specifically, look at the player card interface area. What does its display look like? Is it a touchscreen display?
Or an LED display like those seen outside of a bank showing the time and temperature for a passerby to see? If its a touchscreen, the slot machine is most likely not standalone. If its an LED, it most likely is a standalone slot machine.
Determining whether or not a Progressive slot machine is connected to a single carousel, across several carousels within a casino, across several casinos owned by a single casino operator, or across several casino operator properties will be, as previously mentioned, the topic of an upcoming post.
Next up are non-video slot machines with touchscreens at the players card interface. These are all slot machines centrally controlled by a computer onsite at the casino. You can confirm this by learning the date of the casinos original opening or when it was last heavily renovated.
Keep in mind that a very few casinos have both, assuming they have expanded their original structure not by renovating it, but by building a new casino facility right next to it.
This is the case with Foxwoods Resort, which is itself an older style casino. However, they recently build Fox Tower right next to it, which is a newer style casino.
Finally, there are video slot machines. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to tell the difference between a video slot machine and a video lottery terminal. A video slot machine is controlled onsite by the central computer at the casino. A video lottery terminal is controlled offsite by the state lottery.
The only sure way to tell the difference between these two slot machine types is to take a look at what the state gaming commission says they are at that casino.
For instance, in Ohio, there are currently 4 commercial casino resorts and 7 pari-mutual racinos. The 4 casinos have traditional reel and video slot machines all controlled by a central computer located onsite.
However, Ohios seven racinos have a mix of traditional reel and video lottery terminals slot machines. The traditional reel slot machines are controlled onsite with a central computer while all of the video lottery terminals, which externally look exactly like video slot machines, are controlled offsite by the state lotterys central computer systems. Does It Really Matter Who Controls Slot Machine Odds? Yes!!
With this improved understanding of how casinos work, lets consider these two facts. First, that there are types of slot machines, specifically those that are standalone or remotely controlled by casino operator or state. Second, that there are the several ways slot machines can have their odds of winning set on an ongoing basis, depending on their specific type.
So yes, actually, it does matter who controls slot machine odds. Why? Because this is where patterns of winning are found. When slot machines are set up to be as random as possible, and that assigned level of randomness is unchanged over days and weeks, then long-term statistical principles rule.
Meaning, on average over the long haul, people will always loss money playing slots. Put another way, profits are only possible in the short term. This specifically applies to all slot machines controlled by the state, such as video lottery terminals.
However, when the odds are changed hourly or set over 100 for promotional purposes, then there are better times to play a slot machine and all that slot enthusiasts need do is figure out when that better time is in order to win more and, potentially, make some level of profit. Thats what I did: I made a profit at slots by looking for and finding winning patterns, when I won 90 taxable jackpots in 9 months.
Only casino operators change their odds hourly or deliberately adjust them for promotional purposes. The state has no need or desire to do so, getting their money no matter what, while the casino is a business, with stockholders and a board of directors, obligated to try to succeed financially.
The casino puts in the time and energy to hit their financial performance metrics. The casinos hire the best general manager who themselves hire the best possible team.
Put another way, the casino has a business need to adjust the odds of winning on their slot machines to eke out a living while the state only needs to be patient. Businesses are not patient they try things in their ongoing quest for success.
And, really, that struggle is what has changed since around 2012 with the technology behind the winning odds of slot machines. Casinos are always trying new things. And, when they have control over setting the odds on slot machines, they adjust them to try to succeed.
Before 2012, this amounted to increasing the odds of winning to be over 100 on a single slot machine near a busy area in their casino, as a promotional tool with its own limited budget.
With the new casino operating technologies, casinos have been given a finer control over setting those odds. This has allowed them to try new things, which they very much like to do. These new things are to adjust the odds on slot machines more often than ever before.
In financial terms, theyre trying to tune their financial performance metrics on a daily or even hourly basis, something that was never before possible. Illinois Bar Slot Machines Payouts
Ive never worked for a casino, so have never been pitched a new casino operating system by a slot machine manufacturers sales team. But, its obvious that this tuning is part of the pitch being made to casino operators. Without having seen it, how can I believe this? Simple. Ive won a lot at slots through pattern recognition.
Whats happened is that, and it matters not at all how it came about, casinos have obviously bought into the idea of finely tuning their financial performance metrics.
In the case of slot machines, which is the only game as casino offers that Im interested in, theyve broken the long-term constant randomness of the odds of winning on a slot machine. Therefore, as all statisticians know, patterns emerge.
So, again, yes it does matter who controls slot machine odds, because those controlled by the casino have had their randomness broken. It matters because slots enthusiasts can look for emerging patterns on these casino-controlled machines, then use them to win more. What Slot Machines Have The Best Payouts
In the future, Ill talk more about the winning patterns Ive found using this understanding. In the meantime, I hope Ive made it clear how and why they exist. Summary of Can You Guess Who Controls Slot Machine Odds?
In summary, who controls slot machine odds is answered by understanding they are controlled by the machine, the casino staff, both, possibly the state if the machine is a video lottery terminal, and by slot machine manufacturers themselves in the case of most Progressive slot machines.
This control over the odds of winning was historically a mechanical device supplanted by an electronic random number generator invented in 1984, afterwards allowing slots machines to be developed having more credits, denominations, and pay lines as well as higher jackpots.
Theres currently older-style casinos with standalone slot machines and newer-style casinos built to have the facility infrastructure necessary for physically wiring up their slot machines to be remotely controlled by a computer server. Buffalo slot machine free .
Ive discussed how to tell the difference, as well as explained how slot machines can be remotely controlled by the casino or, in the case of video lottery terminals, by computers established for this purpose by the state lottery agency.
Finally, Ive discussed if any of this matters to slots enthusiasts looking for an advantage. It does matter. In essence, any slot machines with odds of winning directly controlled by a casino have patterns of winning because casinos keep adjusting those odds to meet their financial performance metrics.
These patterns make it possible for savvy slots enthusiasts to improve their own gambling performance. Related Articles from Professor Slots Other Articles from Professor Slots Slot Machine Payout Table
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