Do Casinos Control the Slot Machines They Offer?

Can Casinos Control Slot Machines?

Can casinos control slot machines and do casinos control slot machines are two quite different questions. Let’s take the ‘can’ question first. 

Yes, some casinos do have the technical ability to control slot machine payouts. However, the only circumstance in which a casino would do so is if the site (conventional or virtual) is a bogus one. If a casino were to fiddle with the workings of a slot, customers would soon catch on. The word would spread quickly throughout the community, and in a fairly short space of time, players would stop visiting and the casino in question would soon go bust.

Sometimes, bogus online casinos might appear for one day. Scam sites like this are casinos rigged to ensnare gamblers who don’t check out the details of casinos before they try them. These sites disappear as quickly as they appear, so they are not concerned about the word being spread not to use them. 

Do Casinos Control The Online Slots?

Let’s now answer the ‘do’ question. Although they can control slot machines, if genuine, bona fide casinos did control them, as just mentioned, they would likely lose customers rapidly as the word spreads. The other thing they would fall foul of is losing their gambling licenses. 

Industry-respected gambling licenses issued by agencies such as the Malta Gaming Authority and the UK Gambling Commission insist on their licensees following casino industry best practice. If such an agency discovers that a casino is operating rigged slot machines, its licenses would immediately be revoked.

However, there is unacceptable rigging, and then there is acceptable rigging. What do we mean? Please read on to discover when the answer to the question, ‘Are gambling machines rigged?’ is yes, but it’s acceptable, and what it actually means.

The Infamous House Edge

Are casinos rigged? Yes, but only slightly so. In fact, it’s necessary because if punters won all the time, casinos wouldn’t make enough money to cover their costs and return a profit. Who in their right mind would operate a business that always loses money? No one right? To ensure that they make money, casinos have what is known as a house edge. In poker, it’s called the rake, and it’s what the casino retains each time the pot is won.

Basically, house edge was introduced to ensure that casinos can make a profit. Are slots rigged? They sure are, but only fractionally. Enough to ensure that in the long term, a casino makes money. It’s not just slots, either. Are gambling machines rigged when it comes to games like roulette, blackjack, and poker? Yes, they all are. However, it’s something that all gamblers and licensing agencies know and accept. They have to, otherwise there wouldn’t be any legitimate casinos around.

Say, for example, the house edge is 3%. It means that for every £100 a player spends playing a casino’s games, the casino (or house as it is otherwise known) retains £3. The remaining £97 is returned to the players, and this is known as RTP (Return to Player). House edge and RTP are the same things, but looked at from opposite viewpoints. Add house edge and RTP together, and they total 100% of a player’s spend.

Here are some examples of typical house edges relating to specific game types:

• Slot machines – from 2% to 15%
• Poker – from 1% to 5%
• Table games – generally across most types – from 1% to 5%

Are Slots Rigged by Changing RTPs?

As you can see, the spread of house edges on slots is quite wide. Also, when a casino rents a slot from the software provider (casinos don’t own them), they can sometimes choose a specific RTP, as the provider often offers a specific slot title with a range of RTPs.

So, do casinos control the slot machines or not? Yes, they do, inasmuch as when they rent a slot, they can sometimes choose the RTP they prefer, and they are free to change it as long as the software provider agrees. Typically, where software providers do offer a range of RTPs on a specific slot machine, they will be between 87% to 96%. The table below shows which software providers offer slots with changeable RTPs and which don’t

The UK Gambling Commission makes the point that in the UK, there is no minimum RTP. They also state that all gaming machines in the UK must display a label (an attachment or a screen notice) that clearly shows what a specific slot machine’s RTP is. Under no circumstances can a casino display a false RTP.

The Gambling Commission dictates what is permitted in the UK, but each country is free to make its own rulings. However, the slot software provider must agree to any RTP change to one of its slots. So, when considering the question of, ‘Do casinos control the slot machines they offer?’ you can at least be sure that they cannot manipulate slot RTPs unilaterally.

Why RTP Flexibility Matters

The issue of RTP flexibility is something of a double-edged sword, and it is an important factor to consider when asking, ‘Can casinos control slot machines?’ On the one hand, it does facilitate casinos being able to tailor game offerings in terms of meeting the demands of different players and markets. 

As an example, a casino targeting casual players is more likely to go for games with higher RTPs in the hopes of encouraging players to extend their sessions, give them greater satisfaction and encourage them to come back often. It also allows players the opportunity to look around for casinos that offer the best value for money, thus promoting healthy competition within the online casino industry.

On the other hand, it does allow casinos to lower RTPs, thereby increasing their house edge to simply make more profit at the expense of the player. That’s why it is so important that, as a player, you need to do your due diligence to find a casino offering the best RTPs.

Casinos Select Slots RTPs to Suit Their Goals

Do casinos control the slot machines they offer via RTP choice? In many instances, yes, they do. Take a look at the spread of RTPs available on the slots shown in the table below.

As you can see, the differential can be quite significant, and Play’n GO seem to be at the top of the table when it comes to offering casinos a choice of the biggest spreads. So, it pays to shop around to see which casinos are offering the best RTPs for a specific game you want to play.

Can Casinos Manipulate Slot Machines With Your Players Card?

If you only play at online casinos and you’ve never visited a conventional, brick-and-mortar casino, you may never have heard of a player’s card. They’re a bit like a loyalty/VIP membership at an online casino, but they are physical things, not digital. 

You can use a player card each time to visit a conventional casino, and it will track your sessions. It will record when, how often, and how long your sessions last, as well as how much you typically spend. In the same way that online casinos reward you with comp points you can use to redeem gifts and offers, conventional casinos do the same via your player card. But can casinos manipulate slot machines with your player card?

They cannot. The programs that drive slot machines do not include anything in their programming or algorithms relating to player cards. They are casino-only add-ons and cannot therefore control any game outcomes.

Can Casinos Control Online Slots?

Online slots are basically the same as slot machines at conventional brick-and-mortar casinos. All the same arguments apply to both. The only thing to be wary of is that it is much easier for fake and scam casinos to set themselves up and disappear quickly than it is for land-based casinos. 

Are online casinos rigged? Not if you ascertain that the online casino you’re interested in playing at operates under a genuine, respected gambling license. 

The fact is that even bogus online platforms can’t really rig slots that have been created by any of the top software providers. But they can steal your identity and your money, so you should steer well clear of them. 

RNGs Hold The Key

The answer to the question, ‘Do casinos control the slot machines on their sites beyond determining which RTP to choose when they rent a new game,’ is no. The control is the province of the slot’s RNG (Random Number Generator), or to give it its full name, the PRNG (Pseudo-Random Number Generator). The difference between the two is that the RNG is powered by hardware and is relatively slow, whereas the PRNG uses algorithms and is lightning fast, making it much more suitable for use with games. PRNGs are part of a slot’s programming, and they define the game’s RTP. 

They do this by generating thousands of random numbers per second, even when the slot is idle. The outcome of each spin you initiate is determined in milliseconds when you activate the slot, by the PRNG stopping on a number in the constant stream. The numbers correspond to a specific position on the reels. So, contrary to popular belief, the outcome is decided, not as the reels come to a halt, but rather, in an instant, right at the beginning when you hit the spin button.

Are slot machines rigged? Yes, they are, but only in this random fashion. It’s the only way of providing a fair and random outcome. That outcome is rigged long-term in the casino’s favour. But, because it’s random, you never know when a payline is going to land, or how small or large the corresponding payout will be. 

Using the Rigging To your Advantage

Are gambling machines rigged to disadvantage you? Yes, they are, but there are ways that you can give yourself a better chance of winning. 

1. Choose games with high RTPs. The higher the RTP, the more chance you have of winning – in theory at least. Some games, like certain blackjack variations, have house edges as low as 0.5% (99.95% RTP). Some slots have high RTPs. Ugga Bugga by Playtech has a 99.07% RTP (0.93% house edge), while others like Book of 99 by Relax Gaming, Ooh Aah Dracula by Barcrest, and Mega Joker by NetEnt have RTPs of 99%, which translates to a 0.90% house edge.
2. Check Out the Hit Frequency. When we talk about a slot’s hit frequency, we are referring to the percentage chance that a spin will deliver a payout. However, it doesn’t take the amount of the payout into account. What that means is that a high hit frequency slot won’t necessarily have a high RTP. There is also something called volatility, and although hit frequency and volatility are two distinct things, they are related.
3. Taking Volatility Into Account. Volatility, also referred to as variance, deals with how a slot’s potential payouts occur, how often they happen and how big they are. A low volatility slot can be described as one that pays out frequently, but in small amounts each time. A high-volatility slot, on the other hand, is one that pays out infrequently, but in large amounts.

RTP percentages and volatility ratings are most talked about when discussing slot choice, whereas hit frequency hardly gets mentioned. It is, however, an important consideration along with RTP and volatility when trying to counter the house edge and give yourself a better chance of winning. But, as mentioned previously on the subject of ‘Do casinos control the slot machines they offer?’, RTPs can vary on a specific game, so you need to shop around to find the best deals.

Concluding Thoughts on Can Casinos Control Slot Machines

Whether you’re asking, ‘Are casinos rigged, or are slots rigged?’ the answer is the same. Yes, they both kind of are. But when we’re talking about legitimate, properly licensed casinos, the rigging is about ensuring that the casinos make a profit, and providing that profit isn’t extortionate, everyone is prepared to accept it.

The golden rule is to stay clear of bogus, scam casinos. Do that, and follow the advice given above in terms of how to give yourself a decent chance of winning, and you can enjoy some fun and hopefully fruitful gambling experiences.