Slot machines are the undisputed kings of the gambling world, forming the backbone of casinos’ profits and offerings for decades now.
In fact, industry estimates reveal that nearly 70% of all casino-goers gravitate towards slots more than any other game, making them a central feature on the casino floor. Yet, despite their popularity, slots are often misunderstood. Indeed, many myths persist about these games, including how they’re designed, whether they’re rigged, and more.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at 10 of the most persistent falsehoods surrounding these machines while also revealing the truth that lies behind the spinning reels.
Myth 1 – Slot Machines Are Rigged
This is the biggest lie about slots, and it’s surprisingly widespread – even among regular slot players. Given the latest gambling statistics, slots are among the most popular games, so it’s crucial to address this misconception upfront.
Slot machines are not rigged in any real sense of the word, and machines at reputable establishments are regularly audited by third parties to ensure that they’re on the up and up.
Now, it is true that slot machines have an inherent house edge; that’s how the casinos stay in business, after all. But this isn’t the same as casino games being rigged, and there’s no reason why a company would risk the massive profits that regular slots bring by trying to rig them for a little more cash.
Myth 2 – Slot Machines Can Be “Due” for a Payout
Modern slot machines operate using something called a Random Number Generator, or RNG. The RNG ensures that each spin is completely independent from the ones before it.
This means that no matter how “hot” or “cold” the machine has been running lately, your odds on the next spin will be exactly the same as they were before. This belief is known as the gambler’s fallacy, as it relies on the feeling that a random event will occur simply because a series of opposite events have occurred.
To put it another way, if you flip a coin ten times and it comes up heads every time, the odds of it being heads on the 11th flip are still 50/50.
Myth 3 – Casinos Can Control When Slots Pay Out
This is closely related to the first myth, and it hearkens back to images of Humphrey Bogart controlling the roulette wheel in Casablanca.
Casinos can’t control who wins or loses on a slot machine. All machines come pre-programmed with payout rates and RNGs that make them virtually impossible to rig.
Now, a casino could theoretically jailbreak a slot and override the payout rates and RNG, but that would leave an unmistakable trail – and it would be shut down the next time it was audited.
While gambling fraud is real, online slots themselves are not what players should be worried about.
Myth 4 – Maximum Bets Guarantee Bigger Wins
This one may be more of a misunderstanding than a myth.
It’s true that betting the max makes you eligible for bigger paydays (including jackpots on certain machines). However, simply betting more doesn’t affect your odds of winning on any particular spin.
If you have hopes of hitting a life-changing progressive jackpot, then yes, you should bet the max on every spin. Just don’t expect to get any luckier than you normally would.
Myth 5 – Machines Pay Out More at Certain Times of Day
The idea behind this myth is that casinos like to “loosen” up their slots to attract more players at off-peak hours. After all, how else would you get people to keep playing at 3 a.m.? Again, though, the payout rates and RNG are all fixed. Casinos can’t manipulate them just to drive more traffic when they want to. Also, many casinos follow strict security standards to ensure your safety.
And it turns out that it’s surprisingly easy to keep many players spinning the reels at all hours of the day. Who knew?
Myth 6 – Machines in Certain Physical Locations Pay Out More
Another “advertising-related” myth. The thought here is that physical casinos would put their highest-paying slots in prime real estate, such as at the end of rows or in corners.
Then, people would see that these machines are paying out all the time, causing them to flock to the other machines (the ones that barely pay out at all).
Repeat after me: RNGs and payout rates are all fixed.
However, it’s worth noting that there’s another factor at play here that casinos can’t control: volatility. Volatility refers to how often a machine triggers wins; typically, low-volatility machines give players more frequent (but smaller) wins, while high-volatility machines issue larger payouts but do so less frequently.
It’s possible that a casino could put a low-volatility slot in prime real estate, but the idea that seeing players eke out a steady supply of small wins could cause an uptick in slot traffic is dubious at best.
Myth 7 – A Machine Won’t Pay Out If a Jackpot Was Just Hit
You already know what we’re going to say here. RNGs and payout rates and all that.
Again, each spin is independent of the ones that came before. Your odds of hitting a jackpot are the same on every spin, regardless of whether it was just hit or if it’s been ages since it paid out.
One caveat: many casinos have “Hot Drop” jackpots that are guaranteed to pay out within a certain timeframe, such as a day or a week. The closer you get to the deadline without someone hitting the jackpot, the better your odds of being the one to trigger it.
Of course, “better odds” are not the same as “good odds,” so keep that in mind.
Myth 8 – Pulling Levers Works Better Than Pressing Buttons
This myth is more prevalent among older slot enthusiasts – and it can be difficult to even find machines that have working levers anymore.
The origins of this myth are likely psychological. Pulling the lever is a more physical act and requires interaction with physical hardware, which can give players the illusion of more control over the outcome as opposed to just pressing a button.
At the end of the day, though, the machine will do what it’s programmed to do, no matter how you play it.
Myth 9 – Newer Machines Have Better Odds
We’re not sure where this myth arose, but the fact is that a machine’s age has nothing to do with how much it pays out. All of that is pre-programmed.
Having said that, many slot developers have learned that gamblers like games with higher RTP (return-to-player) percentages, so they’ve adjusted their titles accordingly. It could very well be that many newer games have higher RTPs than their older counterparts.
Again, though, that’s all preset (and you can find each machine’s RTP for yourself by doing a little Googling). Don’t just pick a new machine and assume it will pay out better than other ones.
Myth 10 – You Can’t Improve Your Chances of Winning
Finally, a debunked myth provides some good news. While it’s true that you can’t find any (legal) hacks or cheat codes to beat modern slot machines, there are things you can do to improve your predicted outcome.
Important strategies for making your playtime more fruitful include playing high RTP slots, taking advantage of bonuses, and only playing games you understand.
Now, you’re still not going to win in the long run – that’s the house’s job. However, by playing smart, you can stretch your gambling dollar further, enabling you to spend more time playing your favorite games.
New Myths Are Always Popping Up!
While these are the most common myths in the slot world today, new myths always arise whenever new technology is introduced, or a conspiracy theory is spread on social media.
At the end of the day, the most important things to keep in mind are that the house always wins (but doesn’t cheat) and that gambling is supposed to be fun.
As long as you remind yourself of those two things, every day at the casino should be fun and exciting – regardless of how your luck turns out.
