Slot machines account for between 60 percent to 70 percent of the profit raked in on a casino floor; therefore, it makes sense that companies that make the machines want them to be as attractive as possible and be played as much as possible. That can be difficult since every modern casino slot machine made today is exactly the same on the inside.

Whether a “flat top” or “progressive” machine, whether it has multiple pay lines or only one, all slot machines are controlled by a microprocessor (that’s a computer) and a random number generator (RNG). Everything else is just window dressing, simply bells and whistles.

Passive Entertainment

At the most basic level, slot machines are passive entertainment. All the player has to do is choose how many coins to drop into the slot and pull the level or push the “spin” button. The machine does all the rest. In fact everything that the machine does is irrelevant the instant after the spin button gets pushed. The RNG inside a slot is constantly generating numbers, or “outcomes.” Once the trigger is pushed, one of those outcomes gets locked in and that determines if, or how much, a player wins on that “spin.”

It often is described that the NRG generates a number that translates to the symbols on the slot reel, but that is not exactly the case. Each outcome generated by the RNG represents a payout, be it zero (most often) or the big jackpot (rarely). Whatever gets displayed on the screen is just for show and to let the player know what the outcome was. Most traditional “old time” computerized slots work like this - outcome generated, displayed to player, next spin.

Interactive

But that is changing. Today more and more slot machines are either “active” or “semi-active,” meaning the display of the outcome is altered by interaction with the player. In some semi-active slots, the reels will stop in between two symbols and the player has to choose to move it up or down.

Active machine ask the player to take some action, such as shooting at a shot glass as in a video game, to determine what symbol comes up. The player interaction in these games is completely pointless, the RNG generated outcome already has been decided, the actions of the player merely determine how that outcome is displayed.

The Future

While the passive variety of slot machine still dominates the casino floor, experts predict they will be replaced by semi-active and active machines in the next few years. While these slots do nothing to change the odds or payouts of the machines, they are more entertaining than even the most glitzy passive machines.

feedback@slotmachinecash.com