The first time I saw people use member cards for slot games, I didn’t know what they were. I asked the man sitting next to me and he explained a few details about the rewards club. But he wasn’t using a card himself.
When I asked him why, he said he once had a card but stopped winning when he played with the card. He thought the casino was monitoring his playing and adjusting the slot game results.
This rumor has circulated both online and offline for many years. It’s normal for people to hear something repeatedly and wonder if there is truth to it. But I’ve never found any proof that casinos can change the way slot games play by flipping a switch.
What makes it difficult to combat this idea and other rumors about slot machines is the many different markets where you find them. Slot machine games are regulated by each country. Complying with different regulations may mean that a slot maker must change how its games work.
Nov 26, 2019 True slot machine games are Class III games. Native American casinos offer Class II bingo games that are made to look like slot games. The game cabinets must display the casino bingo games that are used to determine wins. Class II slot machines may have reels and bonus games but they’re not really slot machine games as defined by federal law. Every update gives you new ways to win on Slots and new tips on how to pick a winning Slot machine when you register at an online Casino for the first time. In this article: The Fundamentals to Win at Slots Which Slot machines pay the best How to choose a game Top 10 Slots by RTP in 2019 How to tell if a Slot machine is ready to pay 7 Secrets.
The clearest example I can give is how slot games are decided in the United States. Class II slot games decide the outcome on the basis of one random number then configure the display to match that result. Class III games use several random numbers to control the reels.
How Modern Slot Machine Games Work
There aren’t many physical slot games left. They’re all electronic now, and the electronic machines use random number generator chips to decide results.
But there is more involved than just generating a random number. The “slots” in the slot games are spaces on reels. The computers now simulate these reels.
Former and current slot machine manufacturing employees answer questions about game design on several websites including Quora. This answer was posted in September 2014, and it explains how the simulated reels are managed by software.
The programs to simulate the reels and assign the random numbers are etched into ROMs, Read-Only Memory chips. These ROMs must be physically changed by a technician to change how the game payout percentages work.
Legitimate Online Casino Operators Lease Games From Service Providers
There are over 2,000 online casinos. It’s impossible to be sure about how they all manage their slot games. But what is known about the most popular casinos is that they don’t run their slot games from their own servers.
Instead the online casinos lease game services from secure data centers. These gaming platforms are run by companies like Blue Ocean and EveryMatrix. Some of the game design companies also run their own servers, leasing resources to online casinos.
Although it would be simple for online gaming companies to switch things up, they would risk losing independent certifications if they allowed the games to be rigged.
There’s no need for casinos to adjust the percentages. They can order the percentage breakouts for house edge and return to player that they want to offer. This way, they maintain competitiveness and support long-term profitability.
Many Games Publish the Theoretical Return to Player
Some slot games include the theoretical return to player in their help screens.
If the players see that RTP has been adjusted downward, they can play elsewhere. If players only suspect that the RTP has been adjusted without proper notification, they might still leave.
Casinos need players. The best strategy to grow their customer base is to keep game rewards high enough to make the risk worthwhile.
Some Governments Regulate Return to Player Percentages
Licensed gaming casinos must comply with local laws governing their businesses. Some countries provide more regulation than others.
In the United States, commercial land-based casinos are regulated by their states. However, Native American casinos are mostly regulated by the tribal governments that own them. Each jurisdiction has the authority to set minimal RTP percentages to ensure the casinos don’t make too much money.
The 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act creates the legal framework used by tribes to protect their traditional gaming activities from state regulatory laws. The act also defines the three classes of gaming and how they are to be regulated.
Class II games are regulated by the tribes but only in states that allow any kind of gaming. Only Class III games are subject solely to state regulation.
True slot machine games are Class III games. Native American casinos offer Class II bingo games that are made to look like slot games. The game cabinets must display the casino bingo games that are used to determine wins.
Class II slot machines may have reels and bonus games but they’re not really slot machine games as defined by federal law.
How Do You Determine the Odds That a Slot Game Pays?
Casinos may or may not be required to declare the return to player for their slot games. Some casinos place a plate or sticker on their slot games with a notice. Other casinos leave it to the game help screens (thus, the manufacturers) to inform players.
The games’ odds may be reported as a theoretical RTP percentage, but they could also be reported as a ratio, similar to the way lottery games declare chances of winning a prize. Either way, these games don’t have to tell you how often to expect to win a prize of any amount.
Some players merely judge the looseness of slot games by how much money they win or how often they win as they play the games.
Some players judge the looseness of slot games by how popular they appear to be. This observational strategy assumes that the crowd knows more than the individual.
One of my friends tells me he only plays slot games with low jackpots. His reasoning is that players need to lose less money for someone to win $10,000 than for someone to win $20,000.
Slot Machines May Have Programmed Payout Limits
In another post on Quora from 2016, someone claimed to have industry experience in the Caribbean.
In his post, he said that a machine won’t pay more than it has accumulated after the first month of operation. That first month establishes the limit based on the profit the machine made.
The system is designed to be random within a range of percentages. The software decides when and how much to pay but won’t go over the monthly limit.
It should be obvious that this limit could be reset.
The Games Are Designed to Be as Random as Possible
People who design and repair slot machine games express much trust in the random number generator chips these games use. The RNGs, as they are called, use the latest available algorithms at the time they are manufactured.
Math has not yet progressed to the point where truly random numbers can be generated. Mechanical devices require input from an outside source to be truly random.
The way slot game designers handle this limitation is they design the chips to generate thousands of random numbers every second. The random numbers each take a turn at being available for use by the game.
Because of the percentage payouts and internal limits they use, slot machine games don’t have to be reprogrammed to improve casino profits. Everything is designed to run with as little intervention as possible.
And that is better for the casino because the more they can intervene in a game’s function, the more likely they’ll face regulation over that intervention.
Casino game techs often say that replacing chips in slot machines must follow a special procedure (in the United States). They are closely monitored and every part must be accounted for. So, it’s less expensive for casinos if they don’t tweak the games.
Conclusion
An honest casino doesn’t need to control who wins at a slot game. They already control who can play a slot game. They can ask anyone to leave for any reason.
Naturally, casinos don’t do that. Instead. they purchase gaming systems that are designed to create an entertaining experience for patrons while legally retaining a profitable percentage of wagers.
No matter how much one’s frustration tempts a player into wondering about Big Brother Casino tweaking the game, it’s more profitable for the casino to let nature take its course.
This casinos slots seem to be pretty 'tight' and love to 'tease'. I have read so much about slots in the last year that i keep playing at TSR KNOWING it is just luck.... until i came across(10minutes ago) an article that talks of class 2 slots not being so random! Which would make a lot of sense why i just witnessed a woman drop 5500.00 on a .50 keno machine and won less than 100.
HOW CAN I DETERMINE if my casino is using class 2 or class 3 or a combination of both? Who do i ask? What do i look for?
Administrator
I am a frequent player at Casino Arizona Talking Stick Resort. I have been playing slots @TSR for about a year. I did well during 4th quarter of '14. I starter to almost recognize a for sure losing machine pretty quickly. Sadly, can not recognize the winners at all =)
This casinos slots seem to be pretty 'tight' and love to 'tease'. I have read so much about slots in the last year that i keep playing at TSR KNOWING it is just luck.... until i came across(10minutes ago) an article that talks of class 2 slots not being so random! Which would make a lot of sense why i just witnessed a woman drop 5500.00 on a .50 keno machine and won less than 100.
HOW CAN I DETERMINE if my casino is using class 2 or class 3 or a combination of both? Who do i ask? What do i look for?
I would ask at the rewards center/player's club. They should tell you (they tell me when I ask in a new state/jurisdiction). It's usually not up to the casino; it's up to the state or other regulatory authority's compact with the state. This is a good article on how it works in general; it's a federal law that governs the terms of what the NA casinos are allowed to offer and what the states have to let them do, but it's still negotiated state by state. The rule of thumb is, if a class of gaming is allowed anywhere in the state for any purpose, the NA casinos can offer the same class of games. Class II are player-banked, with the casino taking some kind of rake. Class III allows casinos to offer house-banked games. That's just a very simple explanation, but the Class is considered public information, so they should tell you if you ask.
Edit: This is a gov't-issued blank compact application that defines and includes Class I, II, and III gaming for the state of AZ, so I guess it depends on what level the tribe wants to offer/qualify for there.
teddys did a pretty good review on Phoenix-area casinos, and specifically mentioned that they can offer Class II and Class III gaming (though no true craps or roulette). Doesn't mean the Talking Stick doesn't have a mix of II and III slots, but it's a start to know that much.
It's been my experience that Class II slots MUST in some way display a link or reference to the bingo game they're based on, even if it's a really small icon or something. The machine probably shows it somewhere in the instructions/pays button as well (that most people don't use).
Administrator
It's been my experience that Class II slots MUST in some way display a link or reference to the bingo game they're based on, even if it's a really small icon or something. The machine probably shows it somewhere in the instructions/pays button as well (that most people don't use).
I agree. A class II slot should have a little bingo card in the corner of the screen. Often there is a button that says 'daub' instead of 'spin.' If you have any doubt, it is probably class III.
What do i look for?
Does the 'play' button say 'play', or 'play/daub'?
If you scroll through all (and I do mean ALL) the help and paytable displays, does it list a bingo paytable?
Does the front of the place mention that it's a 'Class II gaming facility'?
Does the machine have a display of a bingo card on it? (Sometimes - particularly on the 'keno' machines, it's mostly hidden - I've seen it on the topmost video screen, up by the slot-topper blinking light sign)
Is there a sticker on the machine that says (something like) 'Prizes awarded based on bingo play'?
... so then, it might be Class III.... And ask at the player's club booth if they have any Class II machines, and how you'd tell the difference.
I've played both Class III and Class II machines; they're both vaguely similar in that you stick money in, whack the button, and maybe get some money back. My subjective observations say that Class II behaves quite differently as the number of other players changes; sometimes better, sometimes not.
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian
Community
Casino Arizona & Talking Stick Resort
https://gaming.az.gov/sites/default/files/documents/files/2014%20Annual%20Report%20FINAL.pdf
Page 24 indicates that the casinos have operated Class III gaming since 1993, when the first compact went into effect. All casinos wishing to offer Class III Gaming must have a compact with the State of Arizona, and the Casino Nevada and Talking Stick Resort is run by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, who have such a compact.
There are sixteen tribes with casinos and six tribes that do not have casinos, but have slot machine rights that can be leased to other tribes, only the Hopi tribe does not have a compact.
In fact, the Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (see pages 24 & 25) had, perhaps, the hardest battle to finally get a compact. It spanned multiple lawsuits, a general election initiative (Pima-Maricopa was successful) and then even more lawsuits over a ridiculous span of three years. I'm sure there was a reason that Arizona made it so difficult for this tribe, but don't care enough to look further into it, and ultimately, the reason must have been ridiculous because the State was eventually forced to negotiate a compact with them.
Moreover, State of Arizona law, pursuant to the compacts, dictates minimum theoretical payouts for slot machines at 80%, video poker at 83% and keno at 75%. (See Link 1)
Although BBB's link does allow for both Class II and Class III machines, I've called the casino and they've not called back, yet. I'll try again tomorrow.
In fact, the Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (see pages 24 & 25) had, perhaps, the hardest battle to finally get a compact. It spanned multiple lawsuits, a general election initiative (Pima-Maricopa was successful) and then even more lawsuits over a ridiculous span of three years. I'm sure there was a reason that Arizona made it so difficult for this tribe, but don't care enough to look further into it, and ultimately, the reason must have been ridiculous because the State was eventually forced to negotiate a compact with them.
Maybe Az. didn't want competition for their scratch off tickets?Could be Zcore knows something about this?
Thanks for putting this info out, I am going to be in the Phoenix area in the next few weeks.
How To Win At Slots
l i came across(10minutes ago) an article that talks of class 2 slots not being so random!
that exclamation point suggests the article would have you believe class 2 is better. That is the opposite of the usual opinion, so I would take what it says with a grain of salt.
I suppose it is possible there are times, depending on number of players, when class II treats you as well or even better. The one thing you can say for sure is that it is idiotic to think you are playing a game of skill like video poker only to realize you are playing on a class II. Players dislike that for sure.
I wouldn't mind seeing that article if it is a link you can post.
Understanding Slot Machine To Win
Maybe Az. didn't want competition for their scratch off tickets?
Could be Zcore knows something about this?
Thanks for putting this info out, I am going to be in the Phoenix area in the next few weeks.
As far as I know every slot in Casino Arizona is Class III. Same as at my Casino. The Compact does allow for some minimal use of Class II slots, but I don't know of any Tribe that is using them.
ZCore13
I am a frequent player at Casino Arizona Talking Stick Resort. I have been playing slots @TSR for about a year. I did well during 4th quarter of '14. I starter to almost recognize a for sure losing machine pretty quickly. Sadly, can not recognize the winners at all =)
This casinos slots seem to be pretty 'tight' and love to 'tease'. I have read so much about slots in the last year that i keep playing at TSR KNOWING it is just luck.... until i came across(10minutes ago) an article that talks of class 2 slots not being so random! Which would make a lot of sense why i just witnessed a woman drop 5500.00 on a .50 keno machine and won less than 100.
HOW CAN I DETERMINE if my casino is using class 2 or class 3 or a combination of both? Who do i ask? What do i look for?
If you are looking for a better gamble and would like to get comps I would highly recommend you keep driving east of Talking Stick to Fort Mcdowell, the games are much looser and they are far more generous with comps.