Slot Machine
From
Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia
A
slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English), or poker
machine (Australian English) is a certain type of casino game. Traditional slot
machines are coin-operated machines with three or more reels, which spin when a
lever on the side of the machine is pulled. The machines include a currency
detector that validates the coin or money inserted to play. (The slot machine is
also known informally as a one-armed bandit because of its traditional
appearance and its ability to leave the gamer penniless.) The machine typically
pays off based on patterns of symbols visible on the front of the machine when
it stops. Modern computer technology has resulted in many variations on the slot
machine concept. Today, slot machines are the most popular
gambling method in
casinos and constitute about 70% of the average casino's income.
History
Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn, New York
developed a gambling machine in 1891 that could be considered a precursor to the
modern slot machine. It contained 5 drums holding a total of 50 card faces and
was based on poker. This machine proved extremely popular and soon many bars in
the city had one or more of the machines bar-side. Players would insert a nickel
and pull a lever, which would spin the drums and the cards they held, the player
hoping for a good poker hand. There was no direct payout mechanism, so a pair of
Kings might get the player a free beer, whereas a Royal Flush could pay out
cigars or drinks, the prizes wholly dependent on what was on offer at the local
establishment. To make the odds better for the house, two cards were typically
removed from the "deck": the Ten of Spades and the Jack of Hearts, which cut the
odds of winning a Royal Flush by half. The drums could also be re-arranged to
further reduce a player's chance of winning.
The first "one-armed bandit" was invented
in 1887 by Charles Fey of San Francisco, California, who devised a much simpler
automatic mechanism. Due to the vast number of possible wins with the original
poker card-based game, it proved practically
impossible to come up with a way to make a machine capable of making an
automatic pay-out for all possible winning combinations. Charles Fey devised a
machine with three spinning reels containing a total of five symbols –
horseshoes, diamonds, spades, hearts and a Liberty Bell, which also gave the
machine its name. By replacing ten cards with five symbols and using three reels
instead of five drums, the complexity of reading a win was considerably reduced,
allowing Fey to devise an effective automatic payout mechanism. Three bells in a
row produced the biggest payoff, ten nickels. Liberty Bell was a huge
success and spawned a thriving mechanical gaming device industry. Even when the
use of these gambling devices was banned in his home state after a few years,
Fey still couldn't keep up with demand for the game elsewhere.
Another early machine gave out winnings in
the form of fruit flavored chewing gums with pictures of the flavors as symbols
on the reels. The popular cherry and melon symbols derive from this machine. The
"BAR" symbol now common in slot machines was derived from an early logo of the
Bell-Fruit Gum Company. In 1964, Bally developed the first fully
electromechanical slot machine called Money Honey. The new
electromechanical approach, allowed 'Money Honey' to be the first slot machine
with a bottomless hopper and automatic payout, up to 500 coins, without the help
of an attendant.
The first video slot machine to offer a
second-screen bonus round was 1996's Reel 'Em In by Williams.
Description
A person playing a slot machine purchases
the right to play by inserting coins, cash, or in newer machines, a bar-coded
paper ticket (known as "ticket in/ticket out" machines), into a designated slot
on the machine. The machine is then activated by means of a lever or button, or
on newer machines, by pressing a touch screen on its face. The game itself may
or may not involve skill on the player's part — or it may create the illusion of
involving skill while only being a game of chance.
The object of the game is to win money
from the machine. The game usually involves matching symbols, either on
mechanical reels that spin and stop to reveal one or several symbols, or on a
video screen. The symbols are usually brightly colored and easily recognizable,
such as images of fruits, and simple shapes such as bells, diamonds, or hearts.
Most games have a variety of winning
combinations of symbols, often posted on the face of the machine. If a player
matches a combination according to the rules of the game, the slot machine pays
the player cash or some other sort of value, such as extra games.
There are many different kinds of gambling
slot machines in places such as Las Vegas. Some of the most popular are the
video poker machines, in
which players hope to obtain a set of symbols corresponding to a winning poker
hand. Depending on the machine, players can play one, 100, or more hands at one
time.
Becoming more popular now are the
multi-line slots. These slots have more than one payline. Reel slots commonly
have three or five paylines, while video slots have 9, 15, 25, or even 100
different paylines. Video slots are themed slots, with graphics and music based
on popular entertainers or TV programs (The Addams Family, I Dream of
Jeannie, etc.) with a bonus round. Most accept variable amounts of credit to
play with 1 to 5 credits per line being typical. The higher the amount bet, the
higher the payout will be. There are also standard 3 - 5 reel slot machines, of
various types. These are the typical "one-armed bandits".
One of the main differences between video
slots and reel slots is in the way payouts are calculated. With reel slots, the
only way to win the maximum jackpot is to play the maximum number of coins
(usually 3, sometimes 4, or even 5 coins per spin). With video slots, the fixed
payout values are multiplied by the number of coins per line that are being bet.
In other words: on a reel slot, it is to the player's advantage to play with the
maximum number of coins available. On video slots, it is recommended to play as
many individual lines as possible, but there is no benefit to the player in
betting more than one credit per line with regards to calculating the payout
amounts. There are some isolated cases where a video slot machine requires the
maximum number of credits per spin to be inserted to win the largest payout, but
those are the exception.
As an example, on the "Wheel of
Fortune" reel slot, the player must play 3 coins per spin to be eligible to
trigger the bonus round and possibly win the jackpot. On the Wheel of Fortune
video slot, the chances of triggering the bonus round or winning the maximum
jackpot are exactly the same regardless of the number of coins bet on each line.
Larger casinos offer slot machines with
denominations from $.01 (penny slots) all the way up to $100.00 or more per
credit. Large denomination slot machines are usually cordoned off from the rest
of the casino into a "High
Limit" area, often with a separate team of hosts to cater to the needs of the
high-rollers who play there.
Slot machines common in casinos at this
time are more complicated. Most allow players to accept their winnings as
credits, which may be "spent" on additional spins.
In the last few years, new slot machines
commonly known as "multi-denomination" have been introduced. In a
multi-denomination slot machine, the player can choose the value of each credit
wagered from a list of options. Based upon the player's selection, the slot
machine automatically calculates the number of credits the player receives in
exchange for the cash inserted and displays the amount of available credits to
the player. For example, a player could choose to wager one dollar per game on a
nickel slot machine. This eliminates the need for a player to find a specific
denomination of a particular slot machine; they can concentrate on simply
finding the machine and setting the denomination once they decide to play.
Recently, some casinos have chosen to take
advantage of a concept commonly known as "tokenization," where one token buys
more than one credit. A casino can configure slot machines of numerous different
denominations to accept the same type of token. For example, all penny, nickel,
quarter, and dollar slot machines could be configured to accept dollar tokens.
This significantly reduces a casino's inventory costs and coin handling costs. A
tokenized slot machine automatically calculates the number of credits the player
receives in exchange for the token inserted and displays the amount of available
credits to the player. When a player chooses to collect his credits (by pressing
a "Cash Out" button), the slot machine will automatically divide the number of
credits on the credit meter by the value of one token and return the result to
the patron. Any remainder is known as "residual credits" and cannot be
collected. Residual credits must be either played or abandoned.
Terminology
Bonus is a special feature of the
particular game theme, which is activated when certain symbols appear in a
winning combination. In the bonus, the player is presented with several items on
a screen from which to choose. As the player chooses items, a number of credits
is revealed and awarded. Some bonuses use a mechanical device, such as a
spinning wheel, that works in conjunction with the bonus to display the amount
won.
Candle is a light on top of the
slot machine. It flashes to alert the operator that change is needed, hand pay
is requested or a potential problem with the machine.
Carousel refers to a grouping of
slot machines, usually in a circle or oval formation.
Coin hopper is a container where
the coins that are immediately available for payouts are held. The hopper is a
mechanical device that rotates coins into the coin tray when a player collects
credits/coins (by pressing a "Cash Out" button). When a certain preset coin
capacity is reached, a coin diverter automatically redirects, or "drops", excess
coin into a "drop bucket" or "drop box".
Credit meter is a visual LED
display of the amount of money or credits on the machine.
Drop bucket or drop box is a
container located in a slot machine's base where excess coins are diverted from
the hopper. Typically, a drop bucket is used for low denomination slot machines
and a drop box is used for high denomination slot machines. A drop box contains
a hinged lid with one or more locks whereas a drop bucket does not contain a
lid. The contents of drop buckets and drop boxes are collected and counted by
the casino on a scheduled basis.
EGM is used as a short-hand for
"Electronic Gaming Machine".
Hand pay refers to a payout made by
a slot attendant or cage, rather than the slot machine. A hand pay occurs when
the amount of the payout exceeds the maximum amount that was preset by the slot
machine's operator. Usually, the maximum amount is set at the level where the
operator must begin to deduct taxes. A hand pay could also be necessary as a
result of a short pay.
Hopper fill slip is a document used
to record the replenishments of the coin in the coin hopper after it becomes
depleted as a result of making payouts to players. The slip indicates the amount
of coin placed into the hoppers, as well as the signatures of the employees
involved in the transaction, the slot machine number and the location and the
date.
Low Level or Slant Top slot
machines include a stool so you can sit and play. Stand Up or Upright
slot machines are played while standing.
Optimal play is a payback
percentage based on a gambler using the optimal strategy in a skill-based slot
machine game.
Payline is a straight or zig-zagged
line that crosses through one symbol on each reel, along which a winning
combination is evaluated. Classic spinning reel machines usually have up to nine
paylines, while video slot machines may have as many as one hundred.
Rollup is the process of
dramatizing a win by playing sounds while the meters count up to the
amount that has been won.
Short pay refers to a partial
payout made by a slot machine, which is less than the amount due to the player.
This occurs if the coin hopper has been depleted as a result of making earlier
payouts to players. The remaining amount due to the player is either paid as a
hand pay or an attendant will come and re-fill the machine.
Tilt In the old mechanical days,
slot machines had tilt switches. While modern machines no longer have tilt
switches, any kind of mechanical failure (door switch in the wrong state, reel
motor failure, etc) is still called a "tilt".
Theoretical Hold Worksheet is a
document provided by the manufacturer for all slot machines, which indicates the
theoretical percentage that the slot machine should hold based on adequate
levels of coin-in. The worksheet also indicates the reel strip settings, number
of coins that may be played, the payout schedule, the number of reels and other
information descriptive of the particular type of slot machine.
Weight count is an American term,
referring to the dollar amount of coins or tokens removed from a slot machine's
drop bucket or drop box and counted by the casino's hard count team through the
use of a weigh scale.
For a complete listing of slot machine
terminology please refer to
http://www.slotmachinecash.com/glossary.shtml
Pay table
Each machine has a table that lists the
number of credits the player will receive if the symbols listed on the pay table
line up on the pay line of the machine. Some symbols are wild and will pay if
they are visible in any position, even if they are not on the pay line.
Especially on older machines, the pay table is listed on the face of the
machine, usually above and below the area containing the wheels. Most video
machines display the pay table when the player presses a "pay table" button or
touches "pay table" on the screen; some have the pay table listed on the cabinet
as well.
Technology
Random number
generator
It is a common belief that the odds on a
machine have something to do with the number of each kind of symbol on each
reel, but in modern slot machines this is no longer the case. Modern slot
machines are computerized, so that the odds are whatever they are programmed to
be. In modern slot machines, the reels and lever are present for historical and
entertainment reasons only. The positions the reels will come to rest on are
chosen by a Random Number Generator (RNG) contained in the machine's software.
The RNG is constantly generating random
numbers, at a rate of hundreds or maybe thousands per second. As soon as the
lever is pulled or the "Play" button is pressed, the most recent random number
is used to determine the result. This means that the result varies depending on
exactly when the game is played. A fraction of a second earlier or later, and
the result would be different.
Some professional gamblers observe that
the RNG does not actually generate random numbers. Indeed, most RNGs (so-called
pseudorandom number generators or PRNGs) will eventually repeat their number
sequence. This behavior is due to poor programming, as it is relatively easy to
build PRNGs with periods so long no computer could complete a single period in
the expected lifetime of the universe. Having access to the PRNG code and seed
values Ronald Dale Harris, a former slot machine programmer, discovered
equations for specific gambling games like Keno
that allowed them to predict what the next set of selected numbers would be
based on the previous games played.
Payout
percentage
Slot machines are typically programmed to
pay out as winnings between 82 to 98 percent of the money that is wagered by
players. This is known as the "theoretical payout percentage". The minimum
theoretical payout percentage varies among jurisdictions and is typically
established by law or regulation. For example, the minimum payout percentage in
Nevada is 75 percent and in New Jersey is 78 percent. The winning patterns on
slot machines, the amounts they pay, and the frequency at which they appear are
carefully selected to yield a certain percentage of the cost of play to the
"house" (the operator of the slot machine), while returning the rest to the
player during play. Suppose that a certain slot machine costs $1 per spin. It
can be calculated that over a sufficiently long period, such as 1,000,000 spins,
that the machine will return an average of $950,000 to its players, who have
inserted $1,000,000 during that time. In this (simplified) example, the slot
machine is said to pay out 95%. The operator keeps the remaining $50,000. Within
some EGM-development organizations this concept is referred to simply as "par".
"Par" also manifests itself to gamblers as promotional techniques: "Our 'Loose
Slots' have a 93% Pay-back! Play now!" As an aside, the "Loose Slots" actually
may describe an anonymous machine in a particular bank of EGMS.
A slot machine's theoretical payout
percentage is set at the factory when the software is written. Changing the
payout percentages after a slot machine has been placed on the gaming floor
requires a physical swap of the software, which is usually stored on an EPROM
but may be downloaded to Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM) or even
stored on CD-ROM or DVD depending on the technological capabilities of the
machine and the regulations of the jurisdiction. Based on current technology,
this is a time consuming process and as such is done infrequently. In certain
jurisdictions, such as New Jersey, the EPROM is sealed with a tamper-evident
seal and can only be changed in the presence of Gaming Control Board officials.
Other jurisdictions, including Nevada, randomly audit slot machines to ensure
that they contain only approved software.
In many markets where central monitoring
and control systems are used to link machines for auditing and security
purposes, usually in wide area networks of multiple venues and thousands of
machines, player return must usually be changed from a central computer rather
than at each individual machine. A range of percentages are preprogrammed into
the game software and selected by configuring the machine remotely.
In 2006, the Nevada Gaming Commission
began working with Las Vegas casinos on technology that would allow the casino's
slot manager to change the game, the odds, and the payouts remotely via a
computer. The change cannot be done instantaneously, but only after the selected
machine has been idle for at least four minutes. After the change is made, the
machine must be locked to new players for four minutes and display an on-screen
message informing potential players that a change is being made.
Linked machines
Often machines are linked together in a
way that allows a group of machines to offer a particularly large prize, or
"jackpot". Each slot machine in the group contributes a small amount to this
progressive jackpot, which is awarded to a player who gets (for example) a royal
flush on a video poker machine, or a specific combination of symbols on a
regular or 9 line slot machine. The amount paid for the progressive jackpot is
usually far higher than any single slot machine could pay on its own.
In some cases multiple machines are linked
across multiple casinos. In these cases, the machines may be owned by the
machine maker who is responsible for paying the jackpot. The casinos lease the
machines rather than owning them outright. Megabucks may be the best
known example of this type of machine. Megabucks Nevada starts at $10,000,000
after a jackpot. (Prior to September 2005, Megabucks Nevada reset to
$7,000,000.) The new penny Megabucks video game also has a jackpot that
starts at $10,000,000.
Slot machines that are not linked to a
large regional jackpot such as Megabucks usually have higher payout
percentages, as linked machines have to take into consideration the large
jackpot amount into their payout percentage calculations.
Near-miss
programming
Because the reel display of modern slot
machines is controlled by computer software, it is possible to make the slot
machine frequently display combinations that are close to winning combinations.
For instance, if the jackpot combination is "777",
a slot machine could be programmed to frequently display "7-7-(non-7)". This can
fool the player into thinking they "almost won", teasing them into playing more
often.
This practice of showing combinations that
are similar to winning combinations more frequently than would occur randomly is
called "near-miss" programming. It has been ruled illegal in the U.S. states of
Nevada and New Jersey. The Nevada Gaming Commission did review some machines
with this type of programming and refused to authorize them.
There is a related phenomenon that is also
sometimes called "near-miss". The chance of a winning combination appearing on a
payline is controlled by the winning percentages programmed into the slot
machine. However, the combinations appearing above and below the payline are all
roughly equally randomly distributed. This means it is much more likely that a
"winning combination" will appear above or below a payline than on the payline.
Using the same example above, it is much more likely that a "winning
combination" of "7-7-7" would appear on a line above or below the payline than
the chance that it would appear on the payline. This phenomenon only occurs
where abbreviated physical reels are used to display a win pattern based upon
the RNG. In Video Slot Machines, virtual reels are used and the symbols that
appear around the winning line are usually an accurate depiction of how the
reels were mathematically modeled.
The issue of a near-miss above or below
the payline was also investigated by the Nevada Gaming Commission. They ruled
that this was legal, so long as the "near-miss" above or below the payline was
not specially programmed. In other words, the "near-miss" must be just as likely
to occur as any other combination. The machine cannot be specially programmed to
show "winning combinations" more frequently than other combinations above or
below the payline.
The calculation is more complicated than
implied here. The stops are not 'programmed' in the sense that their outcome is
the result of a calculation. In fact, the reel strips (like a mechanical poker
machine) are designed so that the machine will pay according to the relevant RTP.
Near-miss programming, where a near miss
is inaccurately displayed (i.e. the player is shown something that is not an
accurate representation of the reelstrips) is not allowed in Australia either.
Due to this, regulators use stop motion cameras to audit manufacturer's
practices.
Fraud
Mechanical slot machines and their coin
acceptors were sometimes susceptible to cheating devices and other scams. One
historical example involved spinning a coin with a short length of plastic wire.
The weight and size of the coin would be accepted by the machine and credits
would be granted. However, the spin created by the plastic wire would cause the
coin to exit through the reject chute into the payout tray. This particular scam
has become obsolete due to improvements in newer slot machines.
Modern slot machines are controlled by
EPROM computer chips and, in large casinos, coin acceptors have become obsolete
in favor of bill acceptors. These machines and their bill acceptors are designed
with advanced anti-cheating and anti-counterfeiting measures and are difficult
to defraud. Early computerized slot machines were sometimes defrauded through
the use of cheating devices, such as the "slider" or "monkey paw" used by
notorious slot cheat Tommy Glenn Carmichael. However, more recent attempts at
defrauding slot machines involve manipulating the EPROM, such as by directing
microwaves toward it to disrupt its proper functioning.Casino insiders such as
Ronald Dale Harris have also been discovered manipulating the software in slot
machines in order to defraud casino operators.
Regional
variations
United States
In the United States, the public and
private availability of slot machines is highly regulated by state governments.
Many states have established gaming control boards to regulate the possession
and use of slot machines. Nevada is the only state that has no significant
restrictions against slot machines both for public and private use. In New
Jersey, slot machines are only allowed in hotel-casinos operated in Atlantic
City. Several states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Missouri) allow slot machines
(as well as any casino-style gambling) only on licensed riverboats or
permanently anchored barges. Since Hurricane Katrina, Mississippi has removed
the requirement that casinos on the Gulf Coast operate on barges and now allows
them on land along the shoreline. Delaware allows slot machines at three horse
tracks, they are regulated by the state lottery commission. For a list of state
by state regulations on private slot machine ownership, see U.S. state slot
machine ownership regulations.
Native American
casinos
Native American casinos located in
reservations are not permitted to have slot machines unless the tribe first
reaches a pact with the state in which it is located (per Indian Gaming
Regulatory Act). Typically, a pact entitles the state to receive a percentage of
the gross revenue from slot machines.
Slot machine
classes
The Following statements are generalities,
not actual laws for every state. There is no federal law governing slot
machines, so these classifications may vary from state to state.
Some states have restrictions on the type
(called "class") of slot machines that can be used in a casino or other gaming
area. "Class III" (or "traditional") slot machines operate independently from a
centralized computer system and a player's chance of winning any payout is the
same with every play. Class III slots are most often seen in Nevada or Atlantic
City and are sometimes referred to as "Vegas-style slots".
"Class II" slot machines (also known as
"Video Lottery Terminals" or "VLTs") are connected to a centralized computer
system that determines the outcome of each wager. In this way, Class II slot
machines mimic scratch-off lottery tickets in that each machine has an equal
chance of winning a series of limited prizes. Either class of slot machines may
or may not have a player skill element.
In general a game must have all
characteristics of a Class II game to be a Class II game. Any characteristic of
a Class III game makes it a Class III game. The casino pays a fee to the state
for each Class III game and can only purchase so many Class III licenses. There
is no such restriction for Class II games. Class II games are not so nearly
regulated by the state.
Class II game
characteristics
-
The player is playing against other
players and competing for a common prize.
-
There is certain to be a winner in
each game. The game continues until there is a winner.
-
In a given set there are a certain
number of wins and loses. Once a certain combination has happened it cannot
happen again until a new batch is initiated. This is most obvious in scratch
card games that come in a pack. Once a card has been pulled those winning
combinations cannot occur again until a new pack of cards is installed. One
game is dependent on previous games.
-
The player must be an active
participant. They must recognize events as they occur and must recognize
when they have won and announce their winning. Bingo is an excellent example
here.
-
All players play from the same set of
numbers as they are announced.
Class III game
characteristics
-
The player is playing against the
house.
-
There is a very real possibility that
the player may lose the game.
-
Each game is independent of previous
games. Any possible outcome can occur in any game.
-
Wins are announced automatically.
Slot clubs
Many American casinos offer free
memberships in "slot clubs", which return a small percentage of the amount of
money that is bet in the form of "comps" (complimentary food, drinks, hotel
rooms, or merchandise), or sometimes as cash back (sometimes with a restriction
that the cash be redeemed at a later date). These clubs require that players use
a card that is inserted into the slot machine, to allow the casino to track the
player's "action" (how much the player bets and for how long), which is often
used to establish a level of play that may make a player eligible for additional
comps. Comps or cash back from these clubs can make a significant difference in
the maximum theoretical return when playing slot machines over a long period of
time.
Australia
Slot machines in Australia are generally
referred to as "video poker", "poker machines" or "pokies", but are officially
termed Gaming Machines. Australia has seen changes in regulations leading
to proliferation of gaming machine venues in various states, most notably New
South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Revenue from gaming machines in pubs and
clubs accounts for more than half the $4 billion in gambling revenue collected
by state governments in 2002-2003 In 1999 the Australian Productivity Commission
reported that Australia had nearly 180,000 poker machines, more than half of
which were in New South Wales. This figure represented 21% of all the gambling
machines in the world. On a per capita basis, Australia had roughly five times
as many gaming machines as the United States. The proliferation of poker
machines has led religious organizations and welfare groups to claim that this
has increased levels of "problem gambling".
Australian-style gaming machines use video
displays to simulate physical reels, usually five. These machines have
additional bonusing and second-screen features such as free games and bonus
levels. They also allow for multiple lines (up to 50) or multiple ways (up to
243) to be played. This higher level of complexity offers greater opportunity of
rewards for players.
Gaming machines are found in casinos
(approximately one in each major city) as well as pubs and clubs (usually
sports, social, or RSL clubs). There are suggestions that this high level of
accessibility may be linked to problem gambling; however, the precise nature of
this link is still open to research. The first Australian state to legalize this
style of gambling was New South Wales in 1956 when they were made legal in all
registered clubs in the state.
Laws governing gaming machines in
Australia are controlled at the state level and as such, those laws vary between
states. In the state of Queensland gaming machines in pubs and clubs must
provide a return rate of 85% while machines located in casinos must provide a
return rate of 90%. Most other states have similar provisions.
United Kingdom
Slot machines are usually known as
fruit machines, one-armed bandits and AWP (Amusement with
Prizes) in Britain. Fruit machines are commonly found in pubs, clubs, arcades,
and some take-away food shops. These machines commonly have 3, but can be found
with 4 or 6 reels with around 16 or 24 fruit symbols printed around them. These
reels are spun, and if certain combinations of fruit appear, winnings are paid
from the machine, or subgames are played. These are very similar to slot
machines seen in casinos and elsewhere around the world, but the term "fruit
machine" is usually applied to a type of machine more commonly found in pubs and
arcades. These games have lots of extra features, trails and subgames with
opportunities to win money, usually more than can be won from just the reels.
However, the jackpots from these fruit machines are strictly limited. An
old-fashioned word for these machines can be 'Didlers'.
Fruit machines in the UK also almost
universally have the following features, generally activated or not on a random
basis:
-
A player may be given the opportunity
to hold one or more reels before spinning, meaning that a held reel
will not be spun, but instead retain its result from the previous spin. This
can sometimes increase the chance of winning.
-
A player may also be given a finite
number nudges following a spin (or, in some machines, as a result in
a subgame); a nudge is a single-step rotation of a reel of the player's
choice.
Currently in the UK, the cost of an
individual game (i.e. a single spin of all of the reels, together with the
playing of any subgame that may be triggered by the result of it) may not exceed
50p. The maximum payout for an individual game depends on the type and the
location of the machine, but is typically £35 in pubs where people under the age
of 18 are not allowed entry. It is known for machines to pay out multiple
jackpots, one after the other (this is known as a streak) but each
jackpot requires a new game to be played so as not to violate the maximum
payout. The minimum payout percentage is 70% in Britain, with pubs often setting
the payout at around 78%. Private members' clubs are allowed "club machines",
which have higher jackpots and are allowed to charge more per game.
These machines also operate in a different
fashion to American slot machines. The latter are programmed to pay a percentage
over the long-run. There is no reason why a jackpot cannot be paid straight
after one has already been won, or that it must be paid because it has not been
paid in a while. The probability of getting the jackpot in each game is
independent of any other game, and these probabilities are all equal.
In the UK, though, the states that "The
target percentage payout (which must not be less than the minimum agreed or
defined for the machine type) shall be achieved within any 10000 games for S.34
(AWP) machines or 100000 games for S.31 (casino machines)." This means that, in
the case of AWP, if the return for the last 10K games approaches the legal
minimum, the machine is likely to increase the jackpot percentage to avoid ever
falling below it.
You must remember anyway that an AWP
machine takes on an amount above its payout percentage before winning, so if a
payout is 95%, a machine will make the player lose £10 before paying out £9.50.
As such, it is sensible to watch for people playing these machines but not
winning as the likelihood of a win increases. This, however, is called
Sharking.
This type of fruit machine is popular
across Europe (in the countries where they are legal), and very popular in
countries such as the Czech Republic, Russia, and Ukraine.
It has been alleged by the Fairplay
campaign that UK fruit machines employ fraudulent techniques in which gambles
and chances which appear to be random are in fact pre-determined and cannot be
affected by player choices.
...at this point, you'll have
gambled the win up to £25. However, the machine doesn't want you to gamble
any further. If from the 5 you select "High", the machine will spin in a 3
and you'll lose. If, on the other hand, you select "Low", the machine will
spin in a 9 and you'll lose...
The claims centre around the emulation of
fruit machine hardware on Windows-based computers, which can allow for a fruit
machine's RAM state to be saved at a particular point and replayed making a
different choice. Although there was only two practical example demonstrating
this which the end user could replicate, there was a lot of debate between
fairplay campaigners and the fruit machine emulation authors about the
reliability of these claims. The authors suggested that the emulators did not
have 100% complete core emulation and does not lead or prove the assumption that
fruit machines "cheat"; The fairplay campaign, led by Stuart Campbell rubbished
these claims publicly on various internet forums. After some TV and radio
coverage on behalf of the fairplay campaign on this issue, the fruit machine
industry has hit back at the allegations through BACTA, releasing a statement on
the issue.
BACTA at the time, issued guidance to
provide voluntary notices are to be put in place on a sticker for older machines
or integrated on the "top glass" artwork, most fruit machine manufacturers have
done this for circa 2005 machines. This is in fact the law now in the UK, and
all machines carry a notice informing the user that the machine may at times
offer the player a choice in which they have no possible chance to win. You can
often find messages on the artwork on machines also stating not to reproduce the
software, artwork, etc in any way, shape or form without permission. The newest
UK machines are called 'section 16's' - these are 20 lines, across 5 reels of 3
symbols high, playable from 1 or 5 lines minimum (10p-50p spin) up to £2 which
is 10p for all 20 lines. Like the RNG comments state, the RN sequence repeats
itself, as anybody who plays on autoplay will note. Some machines let you play
£4-10 for all 20 lines, on the pretext of upping the percentage from 92-94 or
96.
Japan
Japanese slot machines, known as
pachisuro, are a descendant of the traditional Japanese pachinko game. Slot
machines are a fairly new phenomenon and they can be found in mostly in pachinko
parlors and the adult sections of amusement arcades, known as game centers.
The machines are regulated with IC chips,
and have six different levels changing the odds of a "777". The levels provide a
rough outcome of between 90% to an astonishing 160% (200% if using skills).
Indeed, the Japanese slot machines are "beatable". The parlor operators,
naturally set most of the machines to collect money, but intentionally place a
few paying machines on the floor so that there will at least someone winning,
encouraging players on the losing machines to keep gambling.
Despite the many varieties of the
machines, there are certain rules and regulations put forward by the "Security
Electronics and Communication Technology Association", an affiliate of the
National Police Association (NPA). For example, there must be three reels. Also,
all reels must be accompanied by buttons which stop these reels, no more than 15
coins can be paid out per plays, credit meter cant go higher than 50, 3 coin
maximum bet, etc. Although a 15 coin payout may seem ridiculously low, the
regulations allow "Big Bonus" (~400-->711 coins) and "Regular Bonus" modes (~110
coins) where these 15 coin payouts occur nearly continuously until the bonus
mode finished. While the machine is in bonus mode, the player is entertained
with special winning scenes on the LCD display, and energizing music is heard,
payout after payout.
Three other unique features of Pachisuro
machines are "Stock", "Renchan", and tenjō
(天井,
tenjō). On many
machines, when enough money to afford a bonus is taken in, the bonus is not
immediately awarded. Typically the game merely stops making the reels slip off
the bonus symbols for a few games. If the player fails to hit the bonus during
these "standby games", it is added to the "Stock" for later collection. Many
current games, after finishing a bonus round, set the probability to release
additional stock (gained from earlier players failing to get a bonus last time
the machine stopped making the reels slip for a bit) very high for the first few
games. As a result, a lucky player may get to play several bonus rounds in a row
(a "Renchan"), making payouts of 5000, even 10,000 coins possible! The lure of
"Stock" waiting in the machine, and the possibility of "Renchan" tease the
gambler to keep feeding the machine. To tease him further, there is a tenjō
(ceiling), a maximum limit on the number of games between "Stock" release. For
example, if the tenjō is 1500, and the number of games played since the
last bonus is 1490, the player is guaranteed to release a bonus within just 10
games.
Because of the "Stock", "Renchan", and
tenjō systems, it is possible to make money by simply playing machines on
which someone has just lost a huge amount of money. This is called being a
"hyena". They are easy to recognize, roaming the aisles for a "Kamo" ( "sucker"
in English) to leave his machine.
In short, the regulations allowing
"Stock", "Renchan", and tenjō has transformed the Pachisuro from a
low-stakes form on entertainment just a few years back to the hard-core gambling
it has become in 2006. Many people may be gambling more than they can afford,
and the big payouts also lure unsavory "hyena" types into the gambling halls.
To address these social issues, a new
regulation (Version 5.0) has been adopted in 2006 which caps the maximum amount
of "Stock" a machine can hold to around 2000--3000 coins worth of bonus games.
Moreover, all Pachisuro machines must be re-evaluated for regulation compliance
every 3 three years. Version 4.0 came out in 2004, so that means all those
machines with the up to 10000 coin payouts will be removed from service by 2007.
Only time will tell how these changes will affect the Japanese Pachisuro
industry.
Skill Stops
'Skill Stop' Buttons were added to some
slot machine by Zacharias Anthony in the early 70's which allowed the player to
stop each reel allowing a degree of 'skill' to satisfy New Jersey gaming laws of
the day which required that players be allowed to control the game in some way.
This is the first known use of the skill stop on slot machine. The conversion
was applied to late model Bally slots. Because the typical machine stopped the
reels automatically in less than 10 seconds weights were added to the mechanical
timers to prolong the automatic stopping of the reels. There were approx. 50
machines involved in the original conversion. By the time the New Jersey ABC
(Alcoholic Beverages Commission) had approved the conversion for use in New
Jersey arcades the word was out and every other distributors began adding skill
stops. The machines were a huge hit on the Jersey Shore. The rest of the
unconverted Bally machines were destroyed as they had become instantly obsolete.
Common
misunderstandings
"Hot" and
"Cold" machines
Standard slot machines do not get "hot" or
"cold". The odds of hitting a winning combination are determined by a random
number generator contained in the machine's software and is exactly the same
with every spin. Such slot machines are never "due to be hit" if they haven't
paid out a jackpot in a while. (Exception: UK-style AWP and Japan-style
Pachisuro machines are progressive which means chances of winning will
increase over time if the machine has not paid any wins out. Many also "force"
wins on players in order to meet the payout percentage.
Placement
There is a science to the placement of
slot machines on the gaming floor, but the highest paying machines are not
necessarily placed in high-traffic areas. Typically, machines of similar payback
percentages are grouped together, with 1% or less difference from machine to
machine in the group.
Payout changes
-
In most jurisdictions, casinos cannot
alter the machine's payout percentage by time of day, day of week, or
remotely via a computer.
-
Using a slot club card does not affect
the machine's payout percentage. The card just allows the casino to keep
track of the amount wagered by a player and issue complimentaries
accordingly.
Missed
opportunities
Consider these two scenarios:
-
You leave a machine. Another player
comes up and immediately hits a jackpot. You think, "If I had played just
one more time, I would have won that jackpot."
-
A machine returns a higher jackpot for
playing more coins. You play fewer coins, and a winning combination appears.
You think, "If I had played more coins, I would have won more money."
In both cases, you did not "miss" an
opportunity to win. The results of modern slot machines depend on exactly when
you play them. It is very unlikely in either case that you would have received
the same result if you had played just one more time or just one more coin. This
is because the random numbers being generated are constantly changing thousands
of times per second. It is impossible to assume that the instant you would have
made the play would be the same for the other opportunity, thus getting
different results from the machine. See Random Number Generator above.
TOP
Source of Article: Wikipedia, the free
Encyclopedia
Link to Article:
Slot Machine