How Does Casino Slot Machines Work

Posted on
Today's slot machines are far different than the mechanical machines of the 1900s. To answer how do the casino slot machines work, you should start with the original machines. Here's a look at slot machines over time.

Slots don’t get hot or cold – There is a myth about slot machines getting hot or cold. It truly is a myth only. Slot machines don’t get hot or cold, they can only seem to. The outcomes and results are also random. Slot jackpots can never be due because it does not work on any pre-designed basis. It is a highly unpredictable game. Slots and video poker now account for more than 70% of the casino's total take. (Even so, many Vegas casinos are surprisingly unprofitable.) On the other hand, the number of slot machines is declining, because millennials aren't very interested in gambling. Slot machines are the most common games where you earn progressive jackpot wins. Slots that have the progressive jackpot are the newer videos with many paylines, they also have bonus rounds and other new features. They can be found in reel machines, table games and video poker machines. Slot machines, also known as fruit machines or simply slots, are one of the most popular types of casino games, because they come with engaging visual and sound effects, no matter if you play them at land-based or online casinos. Plus, slot machine reels are very easy to spin, and there are no skills required to play them.

How Mechanical Slot Machines Work

Slot machines came to life in the late-1800s when a pair from New York created a machine that used playing cards to create hands. Players deposited a coin, pulled the lever, and watched the cards fall into five drums. If a poker hand formed, players won prizes like a free drink. With that machine growing in popularity, the first true mechanical slot was created. Instead of dropping five cards, the machine would spin three reels and have them stop to reveal random symbols. With an old-fashioned mechanical slot machine, a coin had to be deposited in the coin slot. This triggered mechanisms within the machine to unlock the reels. The lever on the side connected to the reel plates and caused them to spin when the lever or arm was pulled. Those reels had decals or paintings of different symbols. Symbols were typically bells, cherries and other fruit, and stars. To win, you needed matching symbols to appear on the reels in the open window on the slot machine. Certain symbols paid more than others. If a winning combination appeared, the reels triggered the mechanism to release the coins. Due to gambling laws, some establishments continued to offer food and beverage prizes instead of cash. The machines grew popular and were placed in barber shops, saloons, entertainment venues, and certain stores. Eventually, electronics came into play. The mechanisms that connected to springs and pulleys were replaced with electric motors that spun and stopped the reels. The first official electromechanical slot came out in 1963, and this would lead to the slots we're familiar with today.

A Quick Look at How Video Slot Machines Work

Fortune Coin Company developed the first video slot machine in the late-1970s. The machines made their way to the Vegas Strip. Machines still required that coin, and that would change over time. Today, a slot machine may take coins or paper money, but they're often set up to take casino tickets or cards that resemble debit cards and deduct the bet from the money you deposit with a casino cashier or ticketing machine. Video slot machines are quite similar to computers. You have the monitor where the reels, paytable, and rules appear. There is another screen with the buttons you use to spin, make your bet, or access the paytable and rules. Every video slot is written and uploaded to a cabinet that holds the screen and other components like the ticket slot and speakers. That program is what makes the game come to life on the screen. Video slots had a little more control over being able to predict the results of a spin. Part of a video game program is a random number generator. This part of the code assigns random numbers to the various patterns the symbols can form. A number is generated in advance of a spin and determines how the reels will stop. As it is completely random, you could win two jackpots in a row and not see another for weeks or win jackpots week after week. There's no predicting what symbols will appear on the reels because the randomly generated numbers are chosen in advance of a spin and change constantly. In an online casino, it's easier. The games are uploaded to the website where they can be played online, downloaded using free casino software, or played on a mobile device. You may find the rare mechanical slot machine in an older casino, but most casinos have switched to modern video slots. If you play online, you'll have a wide range of video slots at your fingertips. Play slots for real money or play for fun. The choice is yours.

How casino slot machines work for most players is that when you press the spin button the reels start spinning and you could win or lose. Over the years and through technological advancements slots have changed quite a bit, although the idea remains the same, the reels spin and stops in random positions, should three or more identical symbols form a combination then the player wins.

How Does Casino Slot Machines Work

How Do Indian Casino Slot Machines Work

Years ago, all slots in casinos were mechanical powered by gears and levers, while a braking system stopped the reel and sensors informed the machine what to pay out according to the symbols. The mechanical slot machines have now been replaced with video slots powered by microchips, controlling the process via a motherboard. All slots whether land-based or online award random outcome due to the random number generators and each outcome is independent of the previous result and software are subject to regular test by independent auditors such as eCOGRA and TST.

But when it comes down to how online slots work it all starts with the ways to win, which includes patterns of symbols in a horizontal shape starting from the leftmost reel, patterns formed in a diagonal shape and even in a zig-zag shape. To discover all the winning patterns, it is best to visit the paytable section of the slot.

How Does Casino Slot Machines Work Youtube

Casino bonus slot features work in mysterious ways to increase players winning chances, wild symbols can stand in for all paying symbols to increase the possibility of payouts via combinations. Scatter symbols offer cash prizes even when they do not line-up on a payline, provided three or more are visible at the same time. The other wonderful function of scatters is that it triggers bonus rounds such as free spins.

How Does Casino Slot Machines Work Well Because They Are Based On A Variable

Free spins bonus rounds are the most popular since it entitles the player to reel spins completely free of charge. Once activated a free spins bonus round can award around 20 free spins, this means that the reels spin automatically for 20 spins and no wagering are required. The total wins are added to the current winning total at the end of the bonus round.

How Does Casino Slot Machines Work Youtube

Casino slot jackpots are either the maximum prize offered in the slot or a progressive jackpot. Progressive jackpots continuously increase since it a small percentage of every wager is added to the pot from all wagers. There are two types of progressive jackpots including local and linked progressive jackpots. Local progressive jackpots are only available to players at one casino and can be won on one slot machine only. Linked progressive jackpots mean in land-based casinos that the jackpot is contributed to by players on several machines, while online progressive jackpots can be contributed to by players at several casinos. The benefit of linked progressive jackpots is that they jackpot increase quicker and reach multi-million payouts, while the benefit of local progressives is that your chances of being the lucky winner are increased since fewer players contribute towards it the jackpot payouts are smaller but still well worth spinning for.