Slots are the realm of the coins. There are typically more slot machines in a casino than any other sort of gambling game, unless the establishment boasts otherwise. They’re popular not only in brick and mortar establishments, but online as well, credit to technology and internet streaming. To date, slot machine revenue accounts for 70% of profits earned by casinos. We’ve certainly come a long way from humble origins.

There are a variety of names used in terms of slot machines, depending on where in the world you reside. Americans refer to them simply as slots, the British tend to use the term Fruit Machines, relating to the classic cherries that signal a big win, and those in New Zealand and Australia refer to them as poker machines, though the game of poker isn’t necessarily essential. Classic slots can be defined as coin operated machines that house at least three reels to be spun independently of one another to create completely random combinations of the pictures and symbols imprinted on said wheels. Minimum bets are required, and the game can be activated either by pulling on a lever on the side of the machine, or by pressing a button on the face. Slot machines may also be known as “one-armed bandits” referring to the lever or arm activating the game, and their tendency to render gamblers penniless. Winning combinations can be determined in a variety of ways, from exact matches, to category matches of the symbols, and can be dependant on a number of pattern possibilities. Whereas historically speaking, older machines required that a winning combination be hit on the center line only, technology now allows a vast multitude of line possibilities, as well as digital tracking and randomization for game play.

Slot machines originated in New York: Brooklyn to be specific by two gentlemen by the names of Pitt and Sittman, in the year 1891. They came up with a game prototype based on the winning notions of poker (in that certain combinations warranted wins) but used spinning drums instead of cards. Their invention allowed players to play solitarily. Five drums showed a total of 50 card faces, and would spin independently when a coin was paid and the lever pulled. The aim of the game was to achieve the winning poker combinations, but there was no direct payout from the machine. Winning players would notify the establishment, who would reward the winner with prizes such as a free beer. When the machines were built, a couple of key cards would be left out of the possibilities (50 card images rather than 52) to diminish the chances of key combinations like Royal Flushes.

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, California, Charles Fey had a similar invention, though his was simpler. He designed his game around only 5 symbols- horseshoes, spades, diamonds, hearts and a Liberty Bell- which was also the name of the game. His game also only used 3 reels. This simplification allowed an automatic payout mechanism to be built in. The grand prize jackpot was three Liberty Bells in a row- winning the gambler 10 nickels. Fey’s success was huge; when gambling was outlawed in California, he still had difficulty meeting the demands for the game in surrounding states.

Some earlier games gave out prizes rather than money for winning combinations. Chewing gum prizes, to be precise. The symbols on the reels represented flavors of the gum, and when combinations were hit, that flavor gum was the prize. This early version is the origination of the Cherry image that is still predominant. The “BAR” symbol you see today is also related; it was the logo for the Bell-Fruit Gum Company. The first totally electromechanical slot machine was released in 1964 by Bally; the name was Money Honey.

Though time has altered the appearance and machinery of the game, it hasn’t altered its essence. The aim is to win money by achieving winning combinations. Often the symbols on the reels will be brightly colored, easily recognizable or distinct shapes so that the player can see combinations easily. Electronic machines offer multiple lines from which to win, provided you are willing to play a credit for each. Winning combinations are advertised on the front of the machine, or on the screen to the top and sides if playing slot machines online. When winning combos are hit, money is distributed, or additional prizes such as extra games and bonus rounds are won; depending on the posted payout schedule.

The majority of machines are now wholly electronic, and therefore offer the addition on multiple winning lines. Players can win on the diagonal, double diagonal, top lines, bottom lines, and zigzag lines, depending on the game. The machines can be programmed, and programs updated so that they may offer three or five paylines for mechanical machines; computer chip based machines can have anywhere from 25 to 100 lines! Video slot machines are often based on pop culture, advertising bright colors, upbeat music and lights intended to grab the gambler’s attention. Most games allow player to play more than one credit at a time, both increasing chances of winning, and elevating the payouts when they do win.

There are differences between reel slot machines and their video counterparts. Basically, reel based slots have physical reels turning independently, and though computerizes, still hold the basis of the game in the manifestation of the mechanics. Video slots are played on computer screens, and there are no physical wheels turning, just the images of the wheels, with corresponding images imprinted on them. Chances are determined randomly by programming in either case, but the video slots may seem more remote than the original game. There is also a difference in the payouts. With mechanical machines, it’s to the player’s advantage to play as many credits as possible as it is contingent that to win the maximum jackpot, you must have played the maximum number of credits. On video slots, fixed payout values are multiplied by the number of coins per line that are being played. It’s to the player’s advantage to play as many lines as possible, but not necessarily the number of credits.
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Slot machines’ minimum bet can be any denomination, ranging from .01 (penny slots) to $100 a turn. Typically, high limit slot machines are separated from the mass of the main floor, often designated as “High Limit” areas for the special comfort of the patrons. Technology has also advanced to the point where credit systems are often in place, tracking winnings to be cashed out at the casino’s cage rather than having a million nickels flood into your lap. Credit systems allow players to play more quickly, and allows for easy switching of machines should the player so choose. At the player’s command, a receipt will be printed with all credit information imprinted in the barcode. This receipt can be inserted into another machine, or taken directly to the cage to be cashed out into bills, rather than coins.

Even more recently, technology has advanced to where casinos may offer multi-denominational machines; machines that can alter the denomination played. Instead of a player choosing the denomination and finding an appropriate machine (a player wants to play nickel slots rather than $5 slots), players can sit at a multi-denominational machine and program it to the amount to credit each play (player chooses a Venetian-themed game and chooses to play one dollar each spin, whereas the previous player had it set to ten-cents a spin.) They can then alter the denomination depending on the success, or difficulty they’re having with the game.

Slot machines are a unique game in that even though they have a history of longevity, the technology has changed so much in the last 100 years, the differences are vast between modern machines and their originators. The last 25 years especially have impacted the industry greatly. One example of this is the belief that the odds of winning on a machine were correlated to the number of symbol types on each reel. This may have been true with the original physical reels, and the mechanical randomization of the game, but today all wins and losses are programmed into the computer of the machine. The payout odds for machines are set into the programming. Present day machines that still offer the lever on the side, and the physically spinning wheels are for entertainment purposes only. This leads to the growth in popularity of video slots as well as online casino slots. It is unnecessary to have the machine grinding away in front of you to gain the gaming experience. As the computer is in control in modern machines, the programming and Random Number Generators (RNGs) act as the spinning wheels, in the casino or your own home.

The Random Number Generator is always on, always working, whether the machine is being played or not. It generates random numbers at an incredible speed: hundreds, even thousands per second. This continues between plays. The last random number that is generated when the lever is pulled, or the play button pushed determines the outcome. This is true both with in-house casinos, video slots, and online versions. The results depend only on the moment you press the button and are unrelated to any combinations before or after.

It should be noted that come professional gamblers have brought up that not all machines utilize true RNGs, but few use PRNGs- or pseudo-Random Number Generators. These are examples of poor programming: it is not difficult to create a truly random generator that would not repeat a sequence in a human lifetime. But the fact of the matter is that there are some machines, though few and far between, that do repeat. In these cases, it’s possible for gamblers, such as infamous Ronald D Harris, who was able to predict combinations for specific poorly programmed games. As stated before, this is rare.

So the next question is: what about winning? Slots typically are programmed to payout to gamblers somewhere between 82 to 98 percent of the monies put into the machine. Obviously, you’d prefer to play on games with high payouts. This translates to the house keeping anywhere from 2 to 18 percent of the cash put in for maintenance and profit. All this is known as the “theoretical payout percentage.” Most payouts are determined by the laws and regulations of the area. New Jersey’s minimum is 78%; Nevada’s is 75%. If a machine is programmed to payout 95% and it has a denomination of $1, then over 1,000,000 spins, $50K would be kept by the house, and the remaining $950K would be paid back to gamblers. This is also known as par. The par has promotional advantages for casinos as well. But be cautious; a casino may advertise 98% payout on slots, but perhaps 3 or 4 of the machines are programmed that way, the others keeping only to the state’s minimum.

Payout percentages are programmed when the machine is made in the factory. If the casino were to change the payout, they must physically change the software of the slot, which is a time consuming process despite technology. Such changes, then, are not completed often. Some places, like New Jersey, have additional regulations in place that require such updates to be made in the presense of a gaming official, and sealed with a tamper-proof guarantee. Nevada, among other states, regularly and randomly audit machines.

However, technology has kept up with other aspects of the game, rendering upkeep easier. One of these ways is by linking machines. In houses where thousands of machines can be simultaneously in play, upkeep in general can be a monstrous task. Linking machine programming together into groups that can be altering remotely assists in managing large game quantities. Changes may not be done whenever, though. The machines are managed remotely, and possible only if the machine has been idle for 4 minutes. The machine is then taken offline, with messaging coming up on the screen to inform any potential players, while the new data is being uploaded.

With equipment at its highest, the days of defrauding slot machines are essentially over, but there was a time when scamming the slot industry was quite possible. One way to do it was to spin a coin with a length of wire. When the coin was dropped in the machine, it would register the shape and weight, crediting the player. But the wire on the coin would cause it to be ultimately rejected, back into the payout chute, to be reused, and reused, and reused. Renovations to machines now prevent such scams.

Few current machines even accept coins anymore, the preferred money being paper bills, or receipt readers. Machines are programmed with anti-cheating devices, and anti-counterfeiting options. Earlier computerized versions, however, were able to be fooled by devices such as the “monkey paw” or “slider,” utilized by Tommy Glenn Carmichael. These devices do not work anymore. Even more progressive cheats like Ronald Dale Harris and his manipulation of the software controlling the machines have been caught, studied, and protective measures have been taken.

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