It must be said the online slots are some of the most popular games in the world. Even before online casinos came about, slot machines were an incredibly valuable addition to every land-based facility globally. Online slots can take advantage of some of the latest graphic technology, and they have used this to propel themselves to global stardom when it comes to video games. The technology behind slot machines is interesting, so how do slot machines work?
The Set-Up
You are probably familiar with the setup of a slot machine, there are reals, and generally, this will be three or more, each of which contains a series of symbols relevant to the theme of the machine. Currently, slot machines are made in all genres, from movie and TV franchises to cartoons, sports and more. To fill a reel, there are likely to be at least 20 different symbols, but when it comes to online slot machines, this can increase to numbers above 250 different symbols, which generates an infinite number of possibilities. To win money, you must get the reels to stop on specific combinations of symbols, and these are called the paylines.
Random Number Generator
The technology that decides which symbol a reel stops on is the same for physical and virtual slot machines. It is a thing called a random number generator, and this can handle multiple transactions every second. So, when a player triggers a spin of the wheels, all the slots will cycle through symbols until the random number generator decides to stop them. Therefore, there is no way to predict what might come next. A random number generator does not depend on previous or future spins of the real; every single spin is a unique event making this a real game of chance. Each slot machine has its combinations of paylines, and there are slight variations to each game you play. Some machines allow users to determine how many pay lines they want to play, and some have a fixed price while others are more variable. Wherever you play a slot machine, be it virtually or physically, pay tables should be displayed near each machine that tells you precisely what you are playing.
Can You Win?
The simple answer to the question ‘can I win any money on a slot machine?’ is yes. However, the likelihood is it will not be a very high amount. Generally, the lower the playing cost, the more frequently you will win, but relatively small prizes will be. Some slot machines cost several pounds or dollars to play, but in return, the jackpot that you could win is significantly bigger, and the odds are higher. For example, it would not be uncommon to see that the odds of winning a prize are one in 12 spins, but the odds that this will be a top prize were massive money increase to one in 650,000. You should also understand like any gambling-based game; the odds are in favour of the house. That means the company who owns the machine will always make more money than they pay out, for obvious reasons.
For this reason, it is a particularly difficult area to regulate as there is a lot of scope for the machines to be programmed to offer higher or lower odds. Generally, most venues accept that the average house advantage for a slot machine game sits at about 8%. So, this means that every £ paid in 92p is returned to players in winnings. This isn’t bad compared to some of the other games offered, which is one of the reasons that they have become so popular. The lottery tends to carry a 50% house advantage, so you can see when compared to slots, the lottery isn’t such a good deal (only 50p in every pound is paid out to players). Still, blackjack tends to carry a 0.5% house advantage (99.5p returned in winnings), making the slot machine seem quite tough.
The Myth
If you have ever watched slot machines on movies and television shows, you will see the common myth that if you lurk by a machine that doesn’t payout, you can swoop in and claim a massive prize when the original player gives up. As explained, a random number generator does not work this way, so this is a total myth with no truth. You may hear someone say that a slot machine is due to payout, and again this is rubbish. Each spin is a unique and independent transaction, and therefore a machine may not pay out for days or payout five or six times in a row. There is simply no way to predict what will happen next. This myth was likely developed because a machine paid out soon after someone stopped playing, and they had a case of the sour grapes!
Remember, never travel without travel insurance! And never overpay for travel insurance!
I use HeyMondo. You get INSTANT quotes. Super cheap, they actually pay out, AND they cover almost everywhere, where most insurance companies don't (even places like Central African Republic etc!). You can sign-up here. PS You even get 5% off if you use MY LINK! You can even sign up if you're already overseas and traveling, pretty cool.
Also, if you want to start a blog...I CAN HELP YOU!
Also, if you want to start a blog, and start to change your life, I'd love to help you! Email me on johnny@onestep4ward.com. In the meantime, check out my super easy blog post on how to start a travel blog in under 30 minutes, here! And if you just want to get cracking, use BlueHost at a discount, through me.
Also, (if you're like me, and awful with tech-stuff) email me and my team can get a blog up and running for you, designed and everything, for $699 - email johnny@onestep4ward.com to get started.
Do you work remotely? Are you a digital nomad/blogger etc? You need to be insured too.
I use SafetyWing for my digital nomad insurance. It covers me while I live overseas. It's just $10 a week, and it's amazing! No upfront fees, you just pay week by week, and you can sign up just for a week if you want, then switch it off and on whenever. You can read my review here, and you can sign-up here!