A deeper look at slot machine odds, the benefit of the house and the chance of a winning combination
If you’ve ever considered spinning one or more reels of a slot machine, you’ve probably asked yourself a few questions. Can slots be set up to deceive you, the player? What are the odds of winning on a slot machine? Are the devices fair? And do online casinos manipulate slots at the expense of the players?
Since we know that you’d like to know the answers to these questions, this article will shed some light on the matter. So sit back and read all the facts about the odds of slots, house edge, and the fairness of online casinos and their games.
Are online casinos able to influence slot machines?
A question as old as modern gambling itself is whether casinos manipulate slot machines and whether casinos can control the payouts of slot machines.
Online casino operators have no control over slot machines and their payouts – unless the conditions they are trying to implement meet the strict requirements of the gaming authorities. Each country has such an authority, which determines laws that set a lower and upper limit for the payout pattern of online slots.
Online casinos must comply with legal gaming requirements to stay out of trouble with gambling control authorities and avoid the possibility of losing their license. This alone makes it virtually impossible for the online casino to withdraw your money.
- What if you win a lot? Does the chance of winning change when you’re suddenly hitting it big?
Online casinos need to keep track of how much you win and lose because of potential scams that the players try to work, but that doesn’t mean they can use that information for anything else. Each time the wheel turns, the outcome will be completely random. Think of it as a coin toss. The chance of head or tails is 50%. Even if the coin lands on heads 20 times in a row, the next time you toss it, the probability of it landing on heads or tails is still 50/50. Players often fall for the gambler’s fallacy or Monte Carlo fallacy.
This misconception leads players to believe that if the coin lands on heads several times in a row, the next toss is more likely to result in tails. We’ll explain why slot machines really don’t work that way below.
Are slot machines fair or not?
The slot machines on reputable online casino sites are not unfair. Slot machines’ random number generators (RNG) ensure that there is no “machine memory” of previous spins, as they are programmed to work on individual spins. Each new spin is an isolated event, where only casino managers and slot machine designers know the exact settings for that RNG.
Nowadays, almost every slot machine includes the percentage of what you can expect to get back in the long run, but the exact settings are not yet clear. Slot machines are designed to have a mathematical advantage over the player, to enable their manufacturers to make a healthy profit without cheating. However, this is all mathematical – there isn’t any scam at play.
What is the house edge with online slots?
You’ve likely seen the term RTP (return to player) a few times. This percentage determines how much a player will get back, on average, over a longer period of betting. If you subtract the RTP percentage from 100%, the remaining number indicates the house advantage.
Also known as the casino advantage, the house advantage is something that applies to any slot machine, table game, lotto or other game in an online casino or a land-based casino. House advantage tells you the average amount that each game pays out over its lifetime. It’s important to note that, unlike some other casino games, in slot games skill, experience and expertise do not change the home edge. The reason why these normally valuable qualities don’t increase a gambler’s chances of winning a slot machine is because, with slots, every player is exactly the same and every game is random.
The optimal home advantage
In the casino world, most casino games have a house edge of somewhere between 0% and 5%. The only games with a higher house edge are slots, which normally come in with a house edge around 10%. We prefer to see RTPs from 90% – the higher the better – as that will be more profitable for you!
Most gaming authorities allow online casinos to bet their slots on an RTP of 75%, but silent agreements usually see it set higher. However, there is a limit to this as online casinos don’t want to establish a reputation for offering slot machines with a moderate payout formula.
The best slots to take full advantage of
With this explanation of home advantage in mind, you can easily distinguish between a profitable slot machine and a less profitable one. You’ll soon see a distinction in terms of style. Jackpot slots are generally more unstable than non-jackpot slots. The percentages aren’t much lower, but you have to be a long shot to keep playing for those jackpots. It can often take a very long time before this happens and players understandably get tired of losing. non-jackpot slots see a much more stable return, but large prizes aren’t expected.
Is there anything you can do to influence the outcome?
In table games, it’s essential to have a strategy in order to take maximum advantage of the opportunities the game offers. You can choose your own variant or use the advanced tactics of experienced players. While it might seem that slot machines do not have such an advantage at first glance, some players swear by certain tactics that help them to win. We’ll look at two of these in detail now.
Time
There probably isn’t a single gambler – veteran or beginner – who hasn’t wondered at least once in his gambling career if there is a specific time of day, month or year when there is a better chance of winning on slot machines and if there is a way to always win on slots.
Unfortunately, such details have never been revealed to the public and it seems impossible for the authorities to allow this in any way. The best we can advise here is that you play in a way that doesn’t disturb your health or daily routine.
Switch or stay
Choosing to change slot machines or stay with one is rationally an easy choice. Emotionally, on the other hand, this can be a lot more difficult. Suppose there is already quite a bit of your budget in a slot machine. This might be reason to stay for some, while it could be a reason to leave as soon as possible for others.
Just joining a slot machine gives you as much chance of winning a bonus or jackpot as if you’ve been playing it for an hour, so don’t worry about when to switch or stay.
The choice is yours
Spinning the reels on your favorite online slot machine is always one of the best ways to make your day that little bit more exciting. Rather than waste time with theories, calculating your odds and wondering if online casinos tighten up slots on the weekends, choose your favorite slot machine, sit back and enjoy every second.
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