How Slot Machines Work

An Overview of How Slot Machines Work

There is nothing like the lights and sounds of a slot machine. Casinos all across the country are full of their flashing lights, bells, sirens, and electronic jingling. Slot machines are one of the biggest draws to get players into a casino and in this article we'll be discussing how slot machines work. Slots with the most frequent payouts are strategically placed around casinos so that passersby can see players winning. Every die-hard and casual player has a system for playing slot machines. But how does a slot machine work? How often is it supposed to hit the jackpot? If a machine hasn’t had a payout in awhile, is it due one? We’re going to take an inside look at how slot machines operate.

How Old School Slot Machines Work

To learn how slot machines work first we review the old school slot machines. Slot machines from twenty to thirty years ago were called “electro-mechanical”. Players pulled a lever and the reels positioned inside the machine spun until a mechanism stopped the reels at a random symbol. The central piece inside the machine was a metal shaft that the reels spun on. Once the wheels were in motion, then a brake system would stop the reels. Sensors inside the machine determined the payout according to the position of the reels. Eventually the electro-mechanical slots gave way to electric slots where the reels were spun by a motor. These old slot machines didn’t have the high jackpots that today’s machines have but they were apparently just as random.

How New Technology Slot Machines Work

How slot machines work in early models is very different to how slot machines work now. Electro-mechanical systems no longer determine how a slot machine works. All modern machines are now run on computer chips. They are still designed to look and operate just like the classic slot machines except for maybe the lever being replaced by a spin button. The results of a modern slot machine are determined not by physically spinning the reels but by a computer processor that operates a random number generator (or RNG). An RNG ensures that each spin of the reels is separate from the last. The computer is not programmed to hit a winning payout after so many spins. This type of programming ensures that a slot machine has the potential to hit a big win on each spin of the reels. An RNG produces hundreds of numbers a second. When the lever is pulled or the button is pushed, the computer records the next numbers produced by the RNG and a program uses these numbers to determine where the reels will stop. The RNG is the key to how slot machines work in today’s casinos.

How slot machines work has changed radically changed since its modernization. There are a lot of benefits from switching from mechanical slots to computer slots. Players no longer have to deposit coins into the machines. Players can now bet using accounts that have been set up with the casino. Computer slots also enable both the player and the casino to keep track of their wins and losses more easily. Another advantage, at least for the casino, is that they can now program the slot machine’s computer to vary the odds of winning. Essentially, the computer can be programmed to make the machine either tighter or looser.

Computerized slot machines can handle a player’s money differently. Some machines have a “cash out” button that when pressed will drop the player’s winnings into a coin hopper (or bucket). Other machines will print out a ticket or voucher that you can take to the cashier’s window and redeem it for cash.

Some new slot machines actually have a screen with a video image of reels. These are called video slots and the machines use digital animations to make the reels appear to spin. Video slots still use RNG’s. The only difference is there are no longer physical reels within the machine.

Slot Machine Payout Percentages

Another essential piece of how slot machines work is the payout percentage. The slot machine’s computer is programmed to achieve a level of payout percentages. A payout percentage is the percentage of money put into a slot machine that is eventually won back by the player. Most casinos slots have a target payout percentage of around 82 to 96%. For example, over time, of the 100% of cash a player put into a machine they may eventually win back 82 – 96% of it. This means that a casino is guaranteed to win from 4 – 18% from the slots. This is all part of how casinos make money. A casino does not want to have a bunch of tight slot machines with low payout percentages. They have to stay competitive with other casinos. If another casino has machines with a higher payout percentage, they are going to attract all the players. There are laws and regulations governing a casino game’s payout percentage and most states within the U.S. have minimum percentages that the casinos must meet. A casino can order the manufacturer of the slot machines to program a machine’s computer chip to give a payout of any rate. However, once the chip is set, the payout cannot be changed without replacing the entire computer chip. State and Federal agencies audit slot machines from time to time to make sure casinos have not tampered with the machines.

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