It's very common for people to state that slot machines are 'rigged'. If your definition of 'rigged' is that the casino is guaranteed to make money off of slot machines over a long period of time then you're right. However, slot machines from reputable casinos that use random number generators (RNG) are not 'rigged' so that you will lose.
In this episode VP of Slots, Buddy Frank explains the random generator. Get an inside look at how a slot machine and the jackpot process works! In the United States and in Canada the games have sealed CPU EEPROM chips and boards. These are gaming commission/ authority inspected regularly. Each machine runs its own independent algorithms and are networked only for reporting (accounting pur.
Many times when we are losing at a slot we envision someone at the controls making us loose. We get angry and imagine that the casino has flipped a switch that makes it impossible to win. This is where the misconceptions take place. Slot machines are completely random and if you are having a string of bad luck it has nothing to do with anybody 'rigging' the machine.
The slot machine has a computer program that dictates the overall payback percentage of that machine. That means if the machine is set to payback 95% then the casino will receive 5% of every dollar that is played in a particular machine. This is when some people become confused. In no way does that mean you will lose 5% of each dollar you play in a machine. In fact, a slot machine may payback more than it takes in over a day, a week, or even a month. The preset percentages don't come about until the long term.
What is the long term? There is a bit of ambiguity as to what constitutes the long term, but usually it means there must be thousands if not millions of spins. What does this mean to the average player? Basically, it means that you are not being cheated. Unless you play everyday day, year after year, on one slot machine, you will probably not receive the same rate of payback that the machine is set at. Granted, there will be more losers than winners at slots, but there are winners and you have the same chance to win as anyone else.
How Casino Slot Machines Work
Players have two major things that they can control when playing slots. What machines they play and how long they play. Those two powers can't be taken very lightly because they may be the difference between whether you win or lose.
The first power you have as a slot player is choosing what games you will play and at what casinos. Slot machines can range from a payback of 70%-99.5%. Does that mean if you play the 70% payback you are going to lose? No, but statistically speaking you have a much greater chance of winning on a slot with a payback of 95%+. That means you should only play slots that have a higher payback percentage. Again, this doesn't guarantee success but it can improve your chances of success dramatically.
You are more likely to find higher payback slot machines online than you are in land-based casinos. Online casinos have a huge advantage over land-based casinos because the cost of over-head is so much lower. This enables them to offer higher payback machines because they can achieve a profit much easier. There are some high payback slots in land-based casinos, but in general online casinos offer better paybacks. If you'd like to learn more about payback percentages, you may want to read the article on how online casinos offer better paybacks written by my friend Jared Bates who runs the website casinobonusandfreechip.com
Are Casino Slot Machines Rigged Spin
As a slot player, it is your job to research and find out which online casinos offer the best payback machines. All reputable online casinos are independently audited and tested to verify the payback percentages that they advertise. Only play slots that offer high paybacks to insure you are giving yourself the best chance to win. Dark knight rises free.
The second power slot players have is the ability to dictate how long they play and how much they are betting. It is very important for slot players to use a money management system that will enable them to walk away when they win and limit their losses. Do not let emotions dictate your rate of play. Utilize preset limits to let you know when to walk away.
If you play slots at a reputable casino you can be sure that the machines are not 'rigged' to make you lose. Yes, they are programmed to take in more than they payout over the long term, but that in no way means you are being cheated. You have exactly the same chance of winning as anyone else, and yes there are people that win playing slot machines. Find high payback slots and utilize a strict money management system and you may just walk away a winner. Most importantly enjoy yourself while you play because if you're not having a good time then there is no sense in playing.
RNG is short for 'random number generator'. It is also the answer to the 'how online slot games work' question. You can think of it like computer software that generates random numbers. And when we say random, we mean it: Nobody, including the person who programmed the software, can predict the results. We explained how slot machines work in our online slots guide, but here is the short version, in order to explain the importance of RNG:
- Every symbol in slot games has a numerical range. For example, the numerical range of the wild symbol is between 1280 and 1290.
- When you click the 'spin' button, the RNG software generates a random number. And if this number matches the numerical counterpart of a specific symbol, it gets displayed on the screen.
- So, if the RNG software generates '1287', for example, you will see the wild symbol on the screen. All of these happen in milliseconds, so you just see the results.
Are Casino Machines Rigged
Of course, this is a pretty simple explanation but it is enough to give you an idea. Due to the unpredictability of the RNG results, it is impossible to develop a working strategy for online slots. For the same reason, it is near impossible to rig them: In order to rig something, you need to change a specific result and lower its chance of happening (or increase it), for example. If all of the results are randomly generated each and every time, there is no outcome to 'rig'. So, if a slot machine is based on RNG software, it can't be rigged at all. Basically, there is no need to ask the 'are online slots rigged' question for RNG-based slots. However, there is still a 'trick' that can be done: A rogue operator can change the numerical range of symbols we mentioned above. This won't affect the randomness of the results but it will affect your winning chances: It is possible to make the wild symbol appear much less frequently by giving it a shorter range, for example. So, how can you understand and avoid this?
