Today's slot machines: how do they work?

Back in the old days when saloon slots paid in cigars and gum, which would then be required to be bought back by the bartender, slot machines were only made of pulleys and gears, with marginal payouts. Soon afterward, technological advancement transformed these machines into electromechanical devices, just after the second world war. This electronic transformation paved the way for huge jackpot payouts and initiated the beginning of the “dream big” fantasy of modern slot players.

Nowadays, the slot machine is a computer-powered wonder of modern technology. Almost everything is decided by the pesky machine, similar to the impacts regular computers have on different aspects of our lives. It is only normal if players still think that reel spinning is an independent event and that the reels are the only devices that determine your chances of winning. However, this is no longer the case. Here is how the whole process works

How do slots work?

The slot machine contains what is called the Random Number Generator (RNG). This machine is based on selecting a series of numbers arbitrarily. These numbers will relate to all the symbols present on the reels. Once you start playing the RNG machine tells you the symbols it has selected at that moment. It does that by displaying the symbols on the reels. 

Furthermore, even when players are not using the machine, the RNG is always in is in a perpetual process of choosing number sequences. When you play your credits, it has nothing to do with the chosen sequences. This implies that it is not related to what the reels will be doing. 

The RNG figuratively makes a decision: it tells the reels where to land. There is no way to determine what will be displayed or when since the RNG is generating numbers in less than one second. The modern computer age is when every slot player now lives in. Inside the slot machines is the computer brain that only serves one purpose: picking what will be displayed on the reels.

Several slot machines are available with over 100 lines of possible wins going in all directions simultaneously. That kind of machine only existed thanks to the computer revolution that brought about the RNG, which also made it possible to achieve payoffs - that could never have been possible - in different casinos across the globe. Besides the RNG system, there are other ways casinos – especially online casinos – expose their players to fair gameplay. One of these is the provision of lucrative bonuses. However, some of these bonuses require certain codes, including Bet365 best slots, to activate.

How are the Machines programmed?

Usually, slots do not pay out their wins smoothly. It is not like if the player wins a game, the slot machine the next or the player wins two games, and the slot machine the next two games - or any type of sequence that makes the game close to a 50/50 game.

For slot machine players, such a game would become boring. If they relished that kind of game, they would be playing baccarat. Rather, slot games are explosive.The player can make a long sequence of wrong decisions, win and lose a little (which is normal), and then a huge win appears - this is what all slot players hope for. It is the dream and promise of a big win that drives players' fantasies and makes the game more intriguing.

Now, the next question is: How does the casino support these huge wins and still make so much profit? Indeed, how do slot machines make money for casinos? There is a certain percentage of all the money that the slot machines are programmed to keep. Let us imagine, for instance, that this percentage is 5 percent. This implies that for every $100 stake, the machine will keep $5. As a result, it returns the rest of the $95 in form of wins. 

The rate of return can be as low as 83 percent or as high as 99 percent. Now, it must be stressed that the machine does this sporadically. Most of the time, the player loses, a few spins will return small wins, and on rare occasions, it pays out huge wins. However, the most important thing is for the machine to return the predetermined average rate of return - 90% in the aforementioned example - of every $100 that is wagered by the players. In other words, the little wins, medium wins, and huge payouts must return 90% over a large number of spins. This is how casinos make their money with slot machines. As a player, you get back less than the original amount you wager. 

Conclusion

Exposure to the thrills is possible, with genuine hopes that you can win. Yet, the casino takes much pleasure in getting more money from you over time. The incredible sum of money the players wager enables the machine to provide outrageous jackpots in millions of dollars. Even though the idea explained above seems simple, it happens in a very complex manner, especially when so many gamblers play the slot machine.