Nowadays, slot machines represent the main attraction in many online and offline casinos. Since they first appeared at casino venues, these brightly colored and fun machines caught the attention of players. However, it took them long before they paved their road to fame. It wasn’t until the ’80s when such machines started to be more favorable, but today, they took over the casino gaming industry.
Even if you are not familiar with such machines, you probably have heard the basics of the technology behind them and how they work. A random number generator runs them. You spin the slot reels by pushing a button or pulling a lever. If you get matching symbols through one spin, you win a specific price. If you don’t, you can repeat and spin again. Today, online casinos continually come up with creative offers, free spins, and attractive bonuses. Check SlotsWise for more information on casino bonuses, free spins, and different offers from various casino operators.
Maybe the rules of this type of game are simple, but there are several less known facts about how these machines work. Here we take a closer look at some of the less known facts about slot machines.
Most of them offer over 90% return to player
RTP is an abbreviation that stands for a return to a player. If we’re speaking of other types of casino games such as Blackjack and Roulette, we usually talk of the house edge as a critical figure. The house edge gives us the casino advantage. In contrast, the RTP has reverted calculation, in the sense that it tells us the theoretical win percentage, i.e., how much of the amount that has been wagered will be returned to players as winnings.
Knowing how much and how often you’re likely to win makes a big difference. As an interesting fact, many machines, both online and offline, offer a payback percentage of over 90%. The vast competition of the market has led to machines generally averaging at 95-96% for RTP, although some even offer an RTP of around 98%. Stats show that people believe online casino sites have a better payout percentage than the ones that are offline based.
The previous outcomes don’t have a direct income on your gameplay
The concept behind this belief comes from the myth about hot and cold machines, which refers to the effect of the previous spins on the upcoming ones. Yes, themachines, i.e., their software does track information on wins and payouts, as games are based on an RNG, every result is driven by chance. That means you can still win the next spin even though there was a jackpot three turns before.
They have a fascinating history
The beginnings of the slot machine date back to 1891 in Brooklyn. This precursor to this type of machine used 50 of the 52 standard deck cards and allowed players to try their hand against a computer. The popularity of these machines proliferated. However, the engineering industry back in the 1890s was not able to standardize the payouts for all possible winning combinations. Therefore, the prizes varied from one machine bar to another. These things changed by 1895 when Charles Fey introduced a three-reel machine with five symbols. Technically, with this solution, it was much easier to standardize payouts for all possible combinations.
Today’s machines have little in common with traditional slots
The technology behind these machines has evolved dramatically compared to the first slot machine. Modern-day machines, both online and offline, don’t have so much in common with their forerunners.
A traditional machine had the following components:
– Coin slots
– Levers
– Hoppers
– Reels
Now, these machines are made up of around 1,200 parts. These are all developed and put together by teams of hundreds of people throughout the design and manufacturing process. Today, the add-ons are updated with the latest technology, including touchscreens, bill validators, and machine cabinets. With the latest technology advancements and the implementation of microprocessors, the possible winning combinations have significantly improved. For example, a digital reel may have 200 symbols on it with over a million possible combinations. It is important to note that this does not reflect the chance of winning but provides additional flexibility for manufacturers. With all this noted, you can choose how much you want to bet per line, view animations online, share your progress on social media, and much more!
Online slots are based on the same playing principles as land-based ones
Even though they sound, feel, and look different, online, and offline machines work in a very similar way. The main difference between online and land-based slots is the hardware. The focus of the online slots are the animations, security measures, seamless gameplay, and the provided comfort of playing anytime you like. While with offline casinos, you are likely to be drawn by the sounds, flashing lights, and gaming atmosphere of the venue.
There is a job position called Slot Machine Professional
Yes, in case you were wondering, there are professionals that inspect the gaming experience for a living. They also discuss strategy components and propose new ones that will guide both players and manufacturers through the odds of winning. That is an exciting career choice since playing slots still boils down to the RNG inside the machine.
Many names knew slots
Slot machines are usually referred by different names in different countries around the world. For example, Brits refer to them as fruit machines. In New Zealand and Australia, they are known as Pokies. However, the well-known name behind the machine is The One-Armed Bandit. This name was used to refer to a strange character who had a thing for stealing from a player.
The country with the most significant number of such machines is…?
You are probably thinking about the US, considering the number of internationally famous casinos and companies. Maybe the UK, where most of the pubs own at least one fruit machine. The interesting fact here is that none of these countries can boast the most significant number of slot machines. Japan is listed to be the country that holds the most significant amount of slot machines. This number goes up to 5 million all over the country, while the US has an approximate number of 800.000.
With the latest technology improvements, slot machines have continued to grow in popularity among the players. Back in the 90s, casinos relied only on poker and dice table games for the majority of a house takes. Since then, the computer industry has boomed, and old coin slots have been adjusted to be wholly automated interactive machines. Nowadays, these systems, both online and offline, enjoy the title of the biggest generator of revenue for casinos.
