Slot games are one of the most unchanging components in the gaming culture since its creation more than a century ago. There are many factors as to why people are drawn by it. Slot machines generate as high as 65 to 81 percent of the casino’s revenue, and it doesn’t stop there – the figure can go higher depending on the betting trend of the city.
Part of the popularity that slots are gaining comes from the concentrated marketing from the casinos, where they are publicized in a bright tone to make them more captivating to the crowd.The easy gameplay is another reason why slot games are so popular. It is a game of chance that has piqued the interests of players, thus, making them fall in love with the game, hard. There is nothing complicated about playing a slot game. All the players need to do is enter the amount of credit that they would like to bet on, press the button or pull the lever, and hope for the best!Anyone who knows how to insert the coins and push the button has just as good of an odd of winning the jackpot as the seasoned players. It all boils down to whose side is the luck goddess on when they are spinning the reel.
Slot Game Terminologies
Here are some of the terminologies that you should know about to better understand the game of slots.Coin in and coin out refer to the number of credits played and paid out. Coin in means the number of units that are played, while coin out refers to the number of units won. A higher coin out rate is always preferred over a higher coin in rate.
A cold slot or a tight slot is a slot machine that does not pay out as often, while a hot slot or a loose slot is a slot machine that pays out very often. Though it is not exactly proven that some slot machines are cold or hot, it is a very much convicted belief among the slots players.The denomination is the value of each credit played on a specific slot machine. Penny slots are one-penny slot denomination.
A free spin is one of the most famous and well-loved bonuses on any slot game. Players can get a few bonus spins without having to insert money into their spins while the winnings, if any, are credited into their bankroll.Hammer a machine is a localized slang among the slot players that means playing the same game for an extended time, in an attempt to win a large progressive jackpot.A jackpot is the biggest prize in slots that a player can win. The amount of jackpot varies according to the accumulation of the prize pool. Every time a player bets, a certain percentage of the credits that they slot in goes to the accumulation or prize money, which makes up the jackpot.
Progressive slot machines are slot games that have a progressive jackpot built up until a lucky winner wins it. The jackpot is usually astronomical due to the staggering collective number of players contributing to the jackpot by spinning the reels.Hit and run is also another slang that denotes a player betting at maximum for a few spins before moving on to another game if the specific slot game is not paying out any credits.
A pay line is a line on which a payout will be awarded based on winning combinations.
Payout is the amount a player wins according to the winning combination that they strike.
The paytable is an index in which it informs the players the meaning of the symbols found, the different winning combinations and the amount of payout they are credited for in a slot game.The second screen bonus is a bonus feature that lets players earn more bonus once triggered. It is very commonly found in video slots. Video slots are slots that do not have the parts of the physical reel inside. Instead, it is a screen powered by a computer program. Most of the games available today are of this kind.The outcomes that appear on the reels are completely randomized and are decided by a Random Number Generator (RNG). An RNG is an algorithm that is used to run the foundation of the slots system.
Coin denomination can affect the payout of a slot game. According to gaming statistics, slot machines with a smaller coin denomination tend to pay out lesser than the slot machines with higher coin denomination. For instance, for a one-cent denomination game, the RTP (return to player) rate can go from 85% to 93%, whereas a game with the denomination as high as one dollar normally has RTP as high as 93% to 96%.All in all, the more you insert in one spin, the higher your return of investment in the long run. A wise man once said, you reap what you sow; the higher revenue that a machine brings for the casino, the more the casino will invest in it. That is why slots with a higher coin denomination tend to pay more than coin denomination of smaller value.
How are the Casinos Depending on Slots to Generate Revenue?
As aforementioned, slots are one of the main attractions in a casino, traditional and online. As long as people are playing it, the casino is earning. This is why slot games are reliable money-makers for the casinos.The most basic figure that the casino looks at is the drop. A drop is a certain amount of money a player inserts to play a slot game. Another figure casinos look at is the handle, which is the total amount wagered at a slot game.
Now, you are probably wondering how a player can bet more money than they put in. Here’s an example:
If a player starts a game with RM 150, wins RM 65, but continues playing until all of the money is used up, this means the player has brought about a drop of RM 150 and a handle of RM 215. What is left after the casino has paid out is the revenue earned.
According to a gaming consultant and casino management instructor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, the payouts on slot games are statistically calculated. By pressing the button, it activates the Random Number Generator that determines the results of each spin and how big the win is going to be. Each game has a fixed hold percentage and a paytable that depicts how frequent and how much each game will payback.
Low volatility slots like video slots payback more often, but in smaller amounts. On the other hand, high volatility slots like progressive slots payback less often, but in bigger amounts, a few million at most.Although the payout of a high volatility slot game is bigger, your bankroll usually gives you more time to play should you be on a low volatility game. On this premise, can a player get an edge from playing slots that rely solely on chances? Sometimes, yes! Once again, the results are dependent on the Random Number Generator, and there is nothing the casino or player can do to alter how the numbers are generated.
However, a casino is like any other business, and it is built to profit. With that said, the mathematics of a slot game makes certain that the casino has a consistent revenue coming through from the slot games that they provide. Another thing that remains certain is that if a slot machine never pays out anything, the players will stop playing, and that will reflect badly on the casino’s financial records. Jurisdiction instructs that slot games should return a set of minimum amounts as low as 85% to players.
A majority of the players might have lost their credits playing slots, but at the end of the day, someone has to win a part of that 85%, and it can very well be you the next time you play! All in all, there is a realistic chance for any players to win playing slots.
Who are the Big Winners?
Although the results are random, some players have had quite some luck and bagged the big wins unexpectedly while playing slots. I guess good things do come when you least expect it!
The first one on the list is a lucky Canadian who scored Microgaming’s progressive jackpot at Mega Moolah on January 20th, 2019. The total amount won by the lucky one amounted to $20.06 million. The win created two milestones, (i) it was the first in the history of Microgaming to have its jackpot raised over 20 million (ii) the first jackpot above the 20 million-mark to be won. This win made the Canadian player the biggest jackpot winner in the Great White North’s history and also is the 13th Mega Moolah millionaire.
On 2013 January 20th, a lucky Finnish player turned a 25-cent bet on NetEnt’s Mega Fortune slots into an amazing amount of jackpot that totaled up to €17,861,800! After so many years of playing slots, luck finally came his way, and he was one of the few players that hit the right spot with Mega Fortune slots. If this is not the walking definition of luck, nothing is.
Everyone knows Vegas is the place to go if they want to win big while playing the slots, this became exceptionally true for a lucky lady when she was visiting her niece for a birthday party at the Aria hotel. When on the way to her niece’s hotel room, this lady chose to play a six-dollar bet on an unoccupied slot machine. As luck would have it, she bagged a staggering $12,769,933 on her first spin.
In Genting Highlands, a player was seen in a video that has since gone viral, playing on a slot machine and hit a jackpot of RM 736,480. The onlookers were shocked by the phenomenon, some even touched the machine, hoping that some of the luck can be channelled to them.
When to Bet on the Maximum Coin?
The outcomes of the slot games are completely random, but that does not mean you cannot work around the system and ride the tide to your favor. While traditional slots are not in fashion anymore, the online slots work just the same, with all logics and computing programs applied. To stand a chance in taking home a big win like the lucky fellas aforementioned, there are some tricks that you can use to your advantage.
Trick One:
Go for the popular online slots. Always remember, the more players there are in playing a specific slot game, the higher the accumulated jackpot will be, and the bigger the win when you strike the gold. Besides, more circulation normally means that the specific slot game is creating enough hype, such as a better bonus, to attract the players.
Having a better bonus can sometimes help you in hitting the big win. Bonuses like free spins and free credits are immunities that can up your chances of hitting the jackpot.
Trick Two:
It is all about psychology. The human mind plays a part in playing the online slots. Why? This is because when you feel good, you feel positive even when you are faced with outcomes that do not exactly go your way.
The key here is to find the online slots that resonate with you the most. You can go about it from different angles here. If you are more of an audio-visual kind of person, there are a bunch of 3D online slots with vivid graphics and lively sound effects that are guaranteed to rock your senses.
To satisfy a crowd with different preferences, everyone can surely find a slot game that appeals to them the most that consequently makes their gaming experience an entertaining one. Trust us on this, even if you do not win as often, at least you will get to enjoy the animation and effects that you like very much.
Trick Three:
Go through the paytable and check the paylines before you get into the game. A paytable includes a clear description of how much and how often the online slots are paying. Different games have different payout rates and the number of paylines.
Although online slots with more paylines might burn through your bankroll quicker, you stand a substantial chance of winning and getting your money back. On top of that, online slots nowadays have more bonus rounds if compared to before. By activating all the paylines, you are less likely to miss the bonus rounds.
Epilogue
With all things considered, slots in most professional opinions will very likely remain in the game for a long time. No one will ever get tired of the enjoyment that online slots bring, definitely not the thrill that striking the jackpot will cause. No matter what the future or how advanced the technology may be, online slots will always find a way and assimilate into the contemporary culture, further satiating the hunger that the players are demanding.