by Matthew Gover | Date of Publishing: 31 January 2023
Slots are one of the most popular niches in the gambling industry, with thousands available from 100s of different software providers. However, some things that casinos are aware of that do not get widely publicised about slots are worth considering before you start playing.
It can be very tempting for players to dive straight in with a slot before doing some research, though below, we outline certain things that could help to improve your slot-playing experience that casinos don’t necessarily broadcast.
Table of Contents
Depending on whether you are in a land-based casino or visiting an online casino, there are several factors to think about before you start playing slots, which we have listed below.
This is particularly true when playing at a land-based venue; every slot machine has a limit of how much cash it can hold at any one time before a payout is triggered. As a result, if a machine has been played constantly over a sustained period without paying out, your chances of winning could be significantly increased.
Every slot has a volatility level relevant to both land-based and online casinos. It can usually be found in the slot description, which some players need to be aware of, though it is worth finding out before you start playing.
It can significantly affect your chances of being paid out regularly – low volatility slots indicate a better chance of frequent yet, smaller payouts. In contrast, high volatility signifies less regular but typically larger payouts.
While big payouts such as jackpot wins can happen, every game and slot in a casino is heavily stacked in favour of the casino. It is indicated by the house edge applied to every game, which provides a clue as to how much of an advantage a casino has in each game.
Those players in the know often choose games with a lower house edge, such as video poker. But, even then, there is no guarantee that a player will win.
Most bonuses have wagering requirements attached to them. While a promotion can look attractive to inexperienced players, many of these have steep wagering requirements.
Often a bonus will require you to wager your deposit ‘x’ number of times (the average in the industry being 25) before you can withdraw any winnings – even then, there are no guarantees.
As a result, you may end up wagering far more than you anticipated without success. Although wagering requirements are included in the terms and conditions of an offer, these are only sometimes easily visible.
For most slots, bonus rounds can be rewarding; however, the chances of triggering these can be rare because of the random nature of the slot. Because of this, players can wager more than they initially bargained or budgeted for before they unlock a bonus round in the hope of triggering a big win.
Indeed, at the biggest casino brands, the likelihood is that hundreds (if not thousands) of other players are all wagering on the same slot as you. It is especially the case if it is a popular title or, indeed, a jackpot slot. As a result, your chances of winning will be relatively low, though considering that many other people are wagering simultaneously makes winning even more difficult.
Of course, there are some well-publicised examples of players who have won big while playing online slots; however, this does not happen regularly.
Despite a slot having a random number generator (RNG), there are often 100s of thousands of possible combinations (depending on how many reels there are), and only a tiny percentage of these are winning combinations. Consequently, it heavily stacks the odds in the casino’s favour.
Online slots are one of the most significant contributors to problem gambling – especially in the UK. As a result, they have caused many players to lose thousands of pounds (in some cases, money they either did not have or could not afford to lose).
Some cases have been reported in extreme examples, though players still lose significant sums of money every week chasing big payouts on slots.
It is always good to know about the intricacies of slots before you start playing, and the above points may help to paint a clearer picture.
The best way to approach slots is to set a limit, stick to it, and not chase a win. While casinos may not want you to know some of the above points, they are bound by specific rules they must abide by, and the Gambling Commission ensures they promote responsible gambling, which helps to keep players safe.
Author: Matthew Gover.
After graduating, Matthew began working as an English teacher abroad, initially in Spain and then Vietnam before finally coming back to the UK to settle. Matthew has always had a love for writing and an even bigger love for the igaming industry... Read More
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