What those fraudsters and slot cheats would then do is to send players to casinos all over the world and start playing slot machines on which there was a random number generator that could for all intents and purposes be cracked.
Published Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019, 1:42 pm
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Casino Slot Machines
You may not be aware slot machines provide casinos with approximately seventy percent of their income. Slot machines are now considered a contemporary type of gambling due to the way they have evolved as time has passed. The older slot machines were mechanical and required physical reels. Complicated microchips are used for modern slot machines. These chips are the reasons winning combinations occur in a random manner on the reels. This is made possible by an (RNG) random number generator.
Random Number Generators
Random number generators are critical for slot machines. In the past, randomization was provided through mechanical concepts. The problem was the limitations. Eventually, the process used by RNGs was completely digitized. A computer chip is now being used for everything. This type of chip is also used for a wide variety of machines including keno and video poker. It is like a brain for slot machines.
Although you probably realize your numbers are being chosen by a computer chip, you are most likely unaware of how everything works. There are a lot of misconceptions and myths regarding slot machines. One of the most frequently referred to myths is every slot machine has a cycle to let you know when it is going to pay off. There are numerous disreputable salespeople selling systems to make this happen. This is simply a myth, the systems do not work and this is not possible.
A generator has just one function. This is the generation of random numbers. The numbers are generated on a consistent basis. RNGs require a fraction of one second to generate numbers. This happens when the machine is being played and when it is not in use. This distinction is important because many players believe the RNG only works after they press a button or pull a handle. The determination of whether the player loses or wins is determined by the random numbers.
The random number generator provides the slot machine with the most recent and random numbers being generated. This occurs 24/7. It is important to realize the process of randomization is actually separate from the slot machine game. The random numbers supplied by the RNG are provided using a specific format. This is true for slot machine symbols, poker cards and the numbers for keno. This is what ensures the game you are playing is completely random.
Casinos are not making money by rigging the games. They simply make certain the math used for generating the random numbers is in their favor. This does not mean you will be unable to win. It simply means the odds are in favor of the casino. When you are playing at a reputable casino online or in a gaming jurisdiction that has been well regulated, you can be sure everything is completely legitimate. This is because no casino is willing to risk their license or customers by cheating for a slight edge.
Casinos already have the best part of the deal. Every slot machine is now operating with a random number generator. Every second, there are several billion hundreds of numbers being generated. The results you receive are truly random. There is no such thing as a slot machine due to hit a jackpot or becoming either cold or hot. These concepts are the superstitions of the players. It is not possible to predict when a slot machine will pay off or for what amount.
The position of the reels is always determined by the RNG. This is true for progressive slots, video slots and classic slots. Once you have pressed the button or pulled down the lever, the last numbers generated are what are displayed. These numbers correspond to the symbols or numbers on the reels of the slot machine. The Time AI random number generator is simply a microprocessor. No matter what you do, you will not be able to change the way the numbers are being generated.
The payout ratio and frequency of the hit have already been set. No matter how much or how little you bet, how long you decide to play the slot machine or how frequently you push that button, you will not be able to change the numbers. This is because provided the slot machine has been turned on, the number generator will continue generating new numbers every millisecond. This is the entire purpose of the RNG. The number values are translated into numerous symbol combinations on the reels.
The RNG is what determines the actual outcome of your spins. This means they are both impartial and extremely accurate. The microprocessor in the slot machine is a lot like the one you have at home on your computer. This difference is it uses a special program as opposed to Excel or Word. This program generates numbers corresponding to the numbers or symbols on the reels. The numbers generated by the RNG have a value between zero and four billion.
This value is what is translated into specific number sets corresponding to the reels. The number selected by the random number generator is what determines the outcome for every spin. This occurs every time you activate your next spin. The actual formula used is actually an algorithm. This provides the instructions so the numbers can be generated. The average person does not have the mathematical skills to understand the algorithm.
Despite this, the algorithm can still be checked for accuracy. This is done by different testing laboratories such as the Casino Control Board. This makes certain the program is operating correctly to eliminate the chance of any of the players being cheated. There is a way of explaining this process in much simpler terms. This is not a precise explanation of how an RNG operates, but it will offer you a means of better understanding the principles used to determine a winning spin.
You must first understand the reels on slot machines have a specific number of spaces. These can either be blank or contain a symbol. The majority of the mechanical slot machines used in the past had a maximum of twenty symbols. The slots machines you are currently playing have 22 physical stops on the reels. This is possible due to new microprocessing technology. This is why modern slot machines can hold so many additional symbols.
A good example is a slot machine with just ten stops on each of the reels. There are 1,000 different combinations possible with ten stops. If you multiply how many symbols are on each reel by 1,000, you will come up with the same figure. The 1,000 different combinations are referred to as a cycle. This word is the reason so many players become confused. They believe the slot machine has cycles of losing and winning. This is not true.
When a three-number combination is chosen, the odds are one in one thousand. This means if you played 1,000 spins on the machine, all of the number combinations should appear once each. The reason this does not happen is that the numbers being generated are random. If you were to spin the reels a million times, the actual number combinations would begin to even out.
The best example is a simple coin flip. Every time you flip a coin, the odds of landing on heads or tails are fifty percent each. Despite this, after 100 flips you will most likely not see fifty tails and fifty heads because the flips are at random just like the random number generators.
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You are playing a three-coin slot machine. You only are playing two coins at the time. The jackpot is hit. If you had been playing one coin, or if you had been playing three coins, would it still have gone off at that point?
If you had put in one or three coins the outcome would likely have been entirely different. The machine is constantly drawing random numbers and the numbers that were drawn at the moment you spin the reels determine the outcome. So, if you had played fewer or more coins you would have spun the reels at a different moment and thus the outcome would have been different.
Hey Shack I hadn't been to the site in awhile and I just wanted to compliment you on the new sleek look. I know you initially wanted to stay away from the banners but they do help pay the bills eh?
Congratulations also on the new gig with Casino Player, I enjoy it the site and your occasional posts on bj21. As someone who works in the industry, admittedly not slots, I was under the impression that the more recent slots have the RNG stop the moment the first coin drops, so it really doesn't matter if you play 1,2, or 3 coins -- the symbols will line up the same. Have I been misinformed? According to your previous answer I apparently have. Keep up the good work and I'll stay in touch, thanks and best wishes.
Thanks for the kind words Dave. You're right that it was the money that finally made me accept the banners. It is my understanding that when the player presses the button to spin the reels the random numbers are drawn at that instant, which determine where the reels stop, and ultimately what you win. The number of coins bet does not matter.
How many numbers does the RNG (Random Number Generator) pick for each spin in a slot machine? Is it three numbers (1 for each reel) or is it 1 number that's mapped to a unique combination of symbols for all 3 reels?
This is a great website!. FYI - A guy missed the Megabucks jackpot (7.9M) yesterday because he had just two coins in. To the best of your knowledge, when does the RNG stop and determine your outcome? If it stops on the first coin, then he blew it. If it is on the last coin, he could have had an entirely different outcome. My guess that the stop time is set by the individual manufacturer, and there is no regulation telling him when to do so. Just wondering if you knew different.
Thanks for the compliment. The outcome of the game is determined when the player initiates the spin. The game is constantly drawing random numbers, even when not played. The random numbers chosen at the moment the button is pressed to spin the reels determine where the reels stop, which determines what the player wins. So, if the player bet three coins he would have pressed the button at a different moment, causing a different outcome.
Have you noticed when you look sideways past the right reel on IGT games there are 4-5 counters inside the machine labeled 'coins in, coins out, jackpots' or similar wording? I was just wondering what your experience with the counters was. Is there any way to get helpful information from those? Thanks for your time.
No, that information won’t help you at all. Your odds are always the same on every spin, regardless of the counters.
I have heard it is illegal for a slot machine to deliberately have too many near misses. Can you tell me what you know about this?
To answer your question I asked a well connected gaming consultant and he said Nevada regulations state that one stop on a reel can not be weighted more than six times more than either stop next to it. So if a jackpot symbol were weighted by 1 and both bordering blanks were weighted by 6 then there would be 12 near misses for every one time the reel stopped on the jackpot symbol. This would be the maximum allowed near miss effect. My own results detailed in my slot machine appendix 1 back up this theory well. The red double seven was the highest paying symbol and I saw the blanks above and below it about 5 to 6 times as often:
Double Strike Actual Results
Symbol | Reel 1 | Reel 2 | Reel 3 |
Blank | 250 | 248 | 291 |
Double red 7 | 52 | 51 | 55 |
Blank | 259 | 292 | 262 |
The same source said that New Jersey and Mississippi likely have adopted the Nevada regulations.
This is not a game theory question, but I figured since you answer dating questions you might handle this. I had a dream recently where I sat down at an open slot machine. I was getting my player’s card out of my pocket when a guy came up from behind me and put money in the machine. I told him it was my machine and hit the cash out button and gave him his ticket. He said he had his eye on the machine and since he had his money in first it was his machine. I turned to call a slot attendant and while I was doing that he put his money in again, pushed the button and hit a jackpot. In my dream we then had an argument over who gets the money, the person who clearly had the machine and intended to play it or the person who unsolicited put the money in the machine. I realize this is a bizarre situation but who do you think would win the argument?
My understanding is that the person who is pressing the buttons gets the money. I asked Brian, who helped with the last question, about this. Here is what he wrote, which I agree with.
In the scenario described, the person who put in the money and pressed the buttons would receive the jackpot.
What I find interesting about this question is the paradox that in all likelihood, the jackpot never would have occurred without this chance encounter.
As you know, the random number generator in the slot machine is continuously working even when the machine is not in play. So even though one patron feels cheated, their run-in ultimately led to pressing the spin button at that exact millisecond when the RNG was on the winning combination. So, if one patron had acquiesced, there is never a jackpot to fight over.
Slot Random Number Generator
I have used your site to knock down myths and betting systems with many friends and your proofs always win the day. On the Pink Panther (and some others) there is a bonus round that presents a screen with pictures from which to pick. Behind some are coin amounts and others have a symbol that ends the bonus round. Once you are presented with the bonus board the placement of the symbols cannot be changed, can they?
Thanks for helping in the fight against betting systems. First let me say that I have never worked for a major slot machine company and don’t have direct knowledge of this. However, I know many people in the industry and those I trust pretty much are in agreement on this topic.
That said, it is my understanding that in all forms of electronic games, including video slots, video poker, and video keno, the outcome is usually determined the moment you make your decision. Meanwhile the possible outcomes are constantly being shuffled, thousands of times a second. I can’t speak for every slot machine but I believe that with the major U.S. slot makers the outcome is not predestined but depends on the exact microsecond you press the button to make your play.
First, love the site, very informative! Background: When using a Random Number Generator (RNG) to determine certain payouts for a finite set, such as 1 million lottery scratch off cards, the RNG can be programmed to drop non-pay or add pay selections so as to keep a more even distribution of winners throughout the finite set of cards created. The goal is to maintain a more even distribution in the cards along with the payout percentage as required. Is this, or can this programming be done in Nevada? The law of averages would indicate no need for this, but is it not theoretically possible for a signed 97% slot machine to payout 95% one year and 99% the next year unless some control on the RNG was made?
Random Winner Generator Slot Machine
Thanks for the kind words. Scratch cards and pull tabs can indeed be printed in batches. These batches will have a specified number for each win, and the return of the overall batch will be exactly as the maker intended. In some jurisdictions, where only pull tabs are legal, the outcome can be displayed to the player on a video monitor, in the form of a slot or video poker machine. However, in Nevada, that is not how slots work. Each play is completely independent of the past. A machine programmed to average a 97% return, could indeed pay under 95% or over 99% over a year, especially if not heavily played.