Slots machines online

We receive emails daily asking questions about slot machines. When it makes sense we create an article to tackle a question in-depth. When it doesn’t we list and answer them on this page. You’ll find more than 20 slot related questions and answers below.

What Kind of Questions Do You Accept?

Any! We generally stick to answers about real live games, but do accept the odd online question.

The list below is only a small sampling, but it does reflect some of the more popular questions readers have submitted. This includes questions relating to payback percentages, RNG, where and how to purchase a used slot machine, cheating and so on.

Is gambling on a slot machine really random?

Yes. Both virtual and physical slot machines use a random number generator (RNG). This is a computer-run program or algorithm that randomly chooses numbers. Each number is connected to a symbol. When that number / symbol is chosen, it (the reel) stops.

There is no such thing as a slot machine being due to hit or having a payout cycle. There might be exceptions, but not at a legit casino. Casinos wouldn’t want that anyway – they make the most money when games are entirely random with no element of skill involved.

Can and do casinos change the payout on slot machines?

Based on my research that varies on the casino, jurisdiction, type of machine, etc. With the machine it sounds as simple as changing the weight on the reels or swapping out a chip. In one of these cases the casino could alter the payout. However, if the casinos do there is paperwork involved, which includes reporting the changes to gaming authorities.

It used to be that the machines return percentage was set at the factory. It sounds like that’s not the case anymore, at least not any more than the weights and/or chips I mentioned above.

What is the difference between a class 2 and class 3 slot?

The key difference between the two classes is that a class 2 slot machine is connected to a centralized computer system that determines the outcome of each wager. Class 3 slot machines are considered traditional slots, like those you’d see in Las Vegas. They’re played and pay out independent from a computer system, and the player’s chances of winning are the same each spin.

Each state will have regulations that determine what class of slot machines casinos or other establishments are allowed to use.

Do UK fruit slots follow the same payouts as American slots?

No. This excerpt from the Daily Mail says it all:

In the UK, manufacturers claim most machines are set at 95 per cent but many pay out less - as low as 70 per cent in certain pubs and at motorway service stations, where the odds are worst of all; the transient clientele will not be around long enough to realise what an ungenerous fellow their fruit machine is.