A long way from the mechanical pull-to-play machines of decades ago, casino floors are alight with towering slot machines that offer bright video screens and a variety of different themes. These eye-catching contraptions might be tempting to play, but experts warn that they’re likely to cost you more than you’ll walk away with.
Despite their high-tech appearance, slots are basically the same as they’ve always been: an electronic random number generator decides the odds of a spin and can only change those odds once you press the “Spin” button. The RNG generates numbers across a massive spectrum and, when combined with the number of virtual stops on a machine, determines whether or not you will win a spin.
The type of slot game you choose can also make a difference in your enjoyment and potential payouts. Regular slot games have set jackpot amounts whereas progressive slots can be massive (even record-breaking). It’s important to know which kind of slot you’re playing and the jackpot potential before you start spending any money.
A common misconception among players is that you can cheat at slot games. This is untrue, and casinos even publish the RTP of their slot games on their websites. The RTP of a slot game refers to the average percentage that a particular slot will return over a large number of spins. It’s worth noting that this figure doesn’t apply to your individual gaming session and that different games from the same developer will have different RTPs.