Gaming information

Slot machines operate randomly. A Random Number Generator (RNG) inside each machine cycles through millions of numbers continuously. The outcome of a spin is automatically determined by the RNG when you hit the spin button. This means that it’s impossible to predict whether you’ll win or lose.

Some machines allow you to stop the spinning reels early. This makes no difference. It has no impact on the outcome of the spin – there is nothing you can do to control where the reel stops.

Some slot machines might offer you bonus games. The player can influence the bonus prize amount by interacting with an arcade-style video game. While skill appears to play a factor in the outcome of the bonus prize, it’s actually all down to chance. No matter what a player’s perceived skill level is, the RNG inside each machine determines the outcome: whether a player wins the opportunity to play the bonus game, plus the pre-determined maximum amount available to be won during the bonus game.

The good news is that luck isn’t against you. In fact, luck has nothing to do with whether you win or lose. There’s no way to predict the outcome of the game — it’s completely random. The only thing you can count on is unpredictability.

Lots of people dream of winning the lottery or getting the “perfect” poker hand, but do you know what the real chances are? When you flip a coin, there’s always a one-in-two chance you’ll land on heads. Each toss is independent of what came before, so two tosses don’t guarantee you’ll land on heads.

Probability and odds are related ways of describing a player’s chances of a winning outcome.

Probability refers to the number of ways that an event can happen, set against the total number of possible events that could happen. Basically, it predicts how often something will occur, but doesn’t predict exactly when it will occur. Understanding probability can help you figure out the likely long-term bottom line of a particular game is and if the game is worth the money spent to play.

Odds can be an exact measure of win probability, but are subjective in most games. When odds are referred to in games of pure chance, the probability is precise. When odds are referred to in games of skill, it is an estimate of payout for each unit bet.

Randomness refers to things happening by chance. It indicates that there is no purpose, no plan and no pattern or influence from past patterns or events. It’s completely unpredictable; gambling is all about unpredictability. It means that the strategies and systems gamblers come up with to help predict outcomes don’t actually work.

You can find randomness in lots of things:

• VLTs generating different combinations every millisecond
• shuffling multiple decks of cards in blackjack
• spinning the wheel in roulette
• rolling dice in craps

Hit frequency is defined as how often a slot machine will have a winning outcome and is usually given a percentage. A hit frequency of 10 per cent means that a machine will stop on a winning combination about 10 per cent of the time. These percentages can range from three per cent to 40 per cent. Machines with smaller hit frequencies tend to have larger jackpot opportunities. Some machines offer multiple lines on each spin and give the illusion that a player is winning more often when, in reality, the losing combinations will far outnumber the winning ones.