How Do Gambling 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.
- The classic slot machine design works on an elaborate configuration of gears and levers. The central element is a metal shaft, which supports the reels. This shaft is connected to a handle mechanism that gets things moving. A braking system brings the spinning reels to a stop, and sensors communicate the position of the reels to the payout system.
- Modern gaming machines use computer technology to operate their functions. Slot machine outcomes are determined unsing a Random Number Generator (RNG) which is a mathematically-based program that selects groups of numbers to determine which symbols.
- How gaming machine plays work. Modern electronic gaming machines are run by a computer program that randomly generates thousands of possible outcomes for each play. In a play, the gaming machine takes the credits you have bet and then randomly determines the outcome of that play. If there is a win, you get paid credits; if not, you can.
Are the reels real?
Have you ever wondered what's inside a gaming machine? The first surprise for some people is that there are no reels spinning around the modern Australian gaming machine. The reels you see are just projected on the screen. The winning or losing combination really has nothing to do with what is on the screen. It is simply a fancy way of showing you whether or not you won a prize.
Gaming machines and the larger gambling industry can be used to assist this process because they are among the only arenas where significant amounts of cash can flow in and out of a premises in a.
What makes the machine work?
Well, apart from putting in your money, the most important component of a gaming machine is the Random Number Generator. This is part of the internal computer of the machine. And there is no prize for guessing what the Random Number Generator does. Yep, it generates random numbers! This is important because it is the random numbers that are translated into the random outcomes of the machine when you press the play button. Each time you press the button, the outcome is completely random. It doesn't matter what the previous outcomes of the gaming machine were, each button push is completely independent.
So how come I get a feeling that a machine is about to pay?
That's because something else is not completely random. And that's your brain. The brain has a good memory and it can identify patterns and trends. Emotions, such as the desire to win, can affect the brain's outcome. So the brain can sometimes give us the idea that a machine is more or less likely to pay a prize without there being any evidence to support that idea.
But I've seen it happen! Right after I got off the machine someone jumped on and won a big prize!
OK. But it doesn't mean that the machine was somehow bursting with your money. It was just one of those random things that happen. The important thing is that you were really upset when it happened, so you remembered that occasion very clearly. What you don't remember so clearly are the many occasions when you thought you were going to win and didn't, or someone else got on the machine and they didn't win either. So we remember the big wins more than the many losses.
I thought machines were programmed to pay back a certain percentage.
Yes they are, but over the life of the machine. You need to play a few million games for the machines to get close to the percentage they are supposed to pay. Along the way, the machines will fluctuate. Sometimes they pay more, sometimes they pay less. So most times you play a gaming machine you will finish up with a lot less than the average theoretical return. Once in a while, you will win big which will make you feel really good. The rest of the time you can expect to lose.
Then is a machine more likely to pay a big prize if it hasn't paid for a while?
No, every game is the same. The machine is just as likely to pay when it hasn't paid after 5 hours of play than if it paid 5 minutes ago.
Do gaming machine makers employ teams of psychologists to make them addictive?
No they don't. It is the random nature of the games that make them attractive, and a small percentage of players find that too attractive and become addicted. The rest of us just enjoy the excitement of wondering if the next button push will win a prize. The makers of gaming machines certainly try to make them attractive. They want you to put your money in their machine rather than their competitor's. So they look at the features of the machines on the market and try to identify those features that get people to choose to play one particular machine instead of another. And those features are unfortunately addictive for a small percentage of people.
Do I have a better chance of winning if I play all the lines on a multi-line machine or play the maximum bet?
No, it doesn't matter how many lines you play or how big the bet, your chance of winning is always the same on that particular machine. If you play more lines, you'll win more often, but it is also costing you more. If you bet more, your prizes will be proportionately larger, and so will your losses.
I feel some machines pay more often than others. Should I trust my feelings?
Perhaps you should. Some machines do have a higher return to player. The general rule of thumb is the higher the denomination of the machine, the higher the return to player. For example, a $1 machine will often have a better return to player than a 1 cent machine - this is generally to encourage people to wager a higher amount. Unless you live in the ACT, where venues are required to display the theoretical return to player on each machine, you won't be able to easily find out the theoretical return to player. So your feeling that a particular machine pays more may be worth taking into account. The higher return to player, the longer you can theoretically play the machine before your money runs out.
What else is inside a gaming machine?
The gaming machine is housed in a cabinet. Insert your money in the note acceptor or coin slot and press the buttons to play. You can play a single line or multiple lines on most machines. Look at the video screen. Above it is the top box and below is the belly panel. If you are lucky your winnings will be deposited in the coin tray, or you might need to call for an attendant or take your ticket to the cashier.
If you could look inside the gaming machine you would see a cashbox where the paper money is stored and a note validator to check the money is genuine. Coins are stored in a hopper. There are computer parts including a motherboard, meters and cables. Speakers play the machine sounds and an alarm goes off if someone tries to break into the machine.
As there is just a lot of computer and technical stuff inside, you can't influence the result by stroking or hitting them, talking to them nicely or threatening them. Even lucky charms don't work.
How can I win when I play a gaming machine?
The best way to be a winner is to be realistic. Don't trust in luck. Feelings can deceive us. Expect to lose money and only gamble what you can afford. Set a limit and stick to it. Don't try to win back what you've lost. Chasing losses is for losers. Every now and then you'll come out ahead. Enjoy the feeling!
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'Bar Month' at OnMilwaukee.com is back for another round! The whole month of February, we're serving up intoxicatingly fun bars and club articles -- including guides, unique features, drink recipes and more. Grab a designated driver and dive in!
At bars all over the Milwaukee area, patrons sit down, order a drink and take their chances at a video gambling machine.
In just about every bar, you can find one of these machines. And for every machine, there is at least one patron willing to dump in money for hours on end, despite labels proclaiming 'for entertainment use only.'
Many times, though, the label is as decorative as beer advertisements on the wall. The fact is a large percentage of bars offer payouts for gamblers, in direct violation of Wisconsin state statutes.
Under a 1999 agreement that reduced penalties for operating illegal machines, enforcement is now handled solely by the state Department of Revenue, which makes sure bar, restaurant and hotel owners are paying appropriate taxes on revenue generated by machines.
Before then-Gov. Tommy Thompson revised the state law, violators faced felony charges, fines of up to $10,000, loss of liquor license and prison time. The current state law allows bars to have up to five video poker machines and paying out winnings is a civil offense, carrying a $500 fine and no loss of license.
Bars with more than five machines, however, could face criminal charges, according to Department of Revenue Communications Officer Jessica Iverson.
Regulating the machines is big business for the DOR, which has brought in nearly $23 million in taxes since the law went into effect in 2003. Proceeds generated through video gaming machines are taxable income, and the gross receipts are subject to the state's sales tax.
To keep things in check, the department relies heavily on tax audits and also enlists the help of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement agents.
'Our ATF agents come across the illegal machines through the course of normal inspection as well as in the course of investigating other tobacco or alcohol law violations,' Iverson says. 'We also, of course, conduct tax audits of businesses. If auditors identify gambling operations during the course of those audits, they will enlist the help of ATF agents to enforce that part of the statute, as well.'
In addition to the tax implications, the Wisconsin statute 945.01 (c) makes it illegal to operate any machine that affords a player to win something of value determined by a game of chance.
The threat of audits, fines and licensing issues aside, bar owners are willing to make the illegal payments because the machines bring in a big chunk of money.
'People sit down when they're bored,' said one bar owner who spoke with OnMilwaukee.com under the condition of anonymity. 'They're more inclined to spend more time and buy more drinks when they're at the machines and have a chance to win some money.
'A lot of people, if there's nobody at the bar, will sit at a machine and make a couple bucks to pass the time.'
At this particular establishment, players receive a ticket when done that they can redeem at the bar for their winnings. The bar owner knows he's taking a chance, but there's big money to be made, especially important in the current economy.
'It's a little bit scary, yeah,' he said. 'But it's a risk you take.'
Earlier in the decade, the Tavern League supported a measure introduced by Rep. Terry Musser (R-River Falls) that would have legalized the machines, generating as much as $380 million in revenue. Other supporters of the bill wanted to prevent Wisconsin Native American tribes, legally operating casinos under a compact with the state, from having a monopoly on gaming.
How Do Pokies Machines Work
Some states are reconsidering their stances on video gambling in an effort to patch up growing budget deficits.
In Pennsylvania, Gov. Ed Rendell proposed legalizing some forms of video gambling as a means to fund free college tuitions at the 28 campuses in his state. Officials there estimate that roughly 17,000 video poker machines are operating illegally. Those machines, if legalized, could generate as much as $550 million, according to Gov. Rendell's plan.
How Do Gambling Machines Work
'This is not an expansion of gaming,' Pennsylvania Revenue Secretary Stephen Stelter told The Philadelphia Inquirer earlier this month. 'It is the recognition that video poker is already a thriving industry.'