Slot machines are games with odds based in math, just like all other casino games. But few players understand just how those odds work, and whether they can do anything to improve their odds.

The objective of this chapter is to introduce you to how slot machine odds work and what that means to your chance to win at slots.

HERE ARE A FEW BASICS:

• Slots machine results are as random as humans can program a computer to be.
• Odds of the game are set so the house will have an edge
• Except in rare cases, slot machines are not games of strategy

Casino games make money for the house by paying less than the true odds of winning the bet. On table games, that can be relatively simple. At double zero roulette, for example with numbers 1 through 36 plus 0 and 00, the true Roulette odds against any specific number are , but the house pays single-number winners only

HOW MANY POSSIBLE OUTCOMES?

Slot machine odds work in a similar fashion to the roulette example, except there are many more possibilities on the slots. There are thousands, and sometimes millions, of reel combinations. There also is an open field for game designers to assign how much each winning combination pays. The number of winning combinations and the payoffs per winner work together to determine a game’s odds.

The sheer number of possibilities makes the math that goes into slot machine odds more complicated than on table games.

• On early three-reel slots with 10 symbols per reel, there were 1, possible combinations (10 x 10 x 10).
• If blank spaces between lines are used as stops, the number of combinations increases to 20x20x20, or 8,
• With bigger reels holding 20 symbols and 20 spaces, combinations increase to 40x40x40, or 64,

The change to virtual reels enabled programmers to make the reels to behave as if they had any number of stops. With stops on each of three reels, there are 1 million combinations. The Megabucks three-reel slot that paid the world record jackpot of more than $39 million has about 50 million combinations. Most modern video slots have five video reels can be as long as the gamemaker needs them to be. With symbols on each of five reels, there are 10 billion combinations.

A SIMPLIFIED SLOT

To see how slots pay less than true odds to give the house an edge, let’s set up an example that’s as streamlined as slot odds can get, a game of the type used in the early decades after Charles Fey invented the three-reel slot machine in A hypothetical three-reel slot game with one 7, two bars, three cherries and four watermelons per reel would have 1, possible combinations and return percent to players with this pay table.

 

IN OUR SAMPLE GAME:

• Each of three reels has 10 symbols. Each reel has one 7 – that’s the top jackpot symbol.
• Each reel also has two bars, three cherries and four watermelons.
• There are 1, possible three-reel combinations – 10 symbols times 10 symbols times 10 symbols.
• Only one combination – or 1 x 1 x 1 – will be three 7s.
• Eight combinations will be three bars, 27 will be three cherries and 64 will be three watermelons.
• of the 1, combinations mix different symbols.

If the game paid at true odds, then the payoffs would be set up so that each 1, coins wagered would bring 1, coins in payoffs. One way to do that would be to have payoffs of coins on three 7s, 30 on three bars, 10 on three cherries and 5 on three watermelons. But the casino must have an edge, or it couldn’t pay the bills and offer the game. So instead it pays on three 7s, 25 on three bars, 8 on three cherries and 4 on three watermelons. Multiplied by the frequency of wins, those payoffs total coins. By paying less than the true odds of the game, the machine has a payback percentage of percent, or a little less than today’s 1- cent games.

SLOTS TODAY

Modern slot machine or online slots odds work in much the same way, except that the math is more complex for several reasons:

• Random number generators work from much larger number sets, leading to exponentially greater possibilities.
• Many more than four reel symbols are actually used.
• Most modern slots have more paylines than the one line in the sample slot above.
• Game programmers have to account for the effect of bonus events.

SLOTS EXAMPLES AND EXPLANATIONS

In the classic WMS Gaming video slot Super Jackpot Party, there are eight reel symbols that form winning combinations, plus the noisemaker and party guy symbols that launch a bonus event. All of the symbols need to be assigned sets of random numbers, and payoff values assigned to three-, four- and five of a kind winners. That makes calculations much more complex than in our example game above.

The number of paylines also complicates the math. Even if there’s only one jackpot symbol on each reel, a line game means there are 30 chances to line up those symbols in a winning combination, instead of just one. So it goes for every possible combination – programmers have to account for each combination 30 times.

As for bonus events, nearly all modern slot machines have events in which regular play stops, and with no further wagers, you get a spin of a bonus wheel, a pick’em event, free spins or some other extra. Bonus event payoffs have to be included in the calculation of the game’s overall return.

 

 

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

We can’t see the random numbers being generated, and it’s those numbers that really determine whether we win. In fact, there’s a list of things we can and can’t see that are important to our chance of winning.

• We can’t see the odds of the game.
• We can’t tell if one machine is higher paying than another.
• We can see a machine’s pay table, and that gives us a clue to volatility.
• We can see what kinds of bonuses are offered, and that also is a volatility clue.

Casinos don’t post payback percentages on individual games, and there’s no way for a player to calculate the odds since all the random number details are regarded as proprietary and not revealed. Even on different machines with the same game, we don’t know if the paybacks are the same. Game manufacturers make several versions of the same game available to casino operators, and each version has its own payback percentage. Two machines can look identical, but have different payback percentages.

 

However, a machine with a large top jackpot gives back less on smaller wins than a game with a smaller top prize, and that means the big jackpot games usually are more volatile. That’s not always the case – the big jackpot can be rare enough that the game still has a normal percentage of lower payoffs, but it’s a starting point.

In addition, games with free spin bonuses are more volatile than games with pick’em bonuses. Volatility matters in choosing what you want out of a game. Are you the type of player who wants to maximize chances at a really big win and are willing to accept that fast, bankroll-eating losses are part o f the game? Then you want a high-volatility game.

Would you rather have a game that gives frequent small wins and extends your playing time, but rarely pays big? Then you want a low-volatility game. But regardless of whether the game you choose has high volatility, low volatility or something in between, you can be sure the house has taken an edge with payouts that are less than the true odds of winning your bet.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Casinos have an edge on slot machines because winners are paid less than true odds.
• Slot odds are mathematically complex because of the number of possible outcomes and the different paybacks per winner.
• You can’t look at a slot game and tell the odds. In fact, two identical-looking games can have different odds.
• Looking at a machine can give you a clue as it its volatility, and that can help in choosing a game.

When a casino buys a slot machine from a manufacturer, it can choose from a variety of targeted payback percentages. The manufacturer might make the same game available in , , and percent versions, and it’s up to the operator to choose which works best in game mix and for its competitive position.

That the games have targeted payback percentages in their programming leads to misconceptions from players. A common theme in my email over the last 20 years has been, “How can games be both programmed and random? The programming must keep them on track for the percentage.”

The short answer is that slots are programmed for a target percentage in the same way table games are: Odds of the game are set so they will naturally lead to an expected payback percentage.

A TABLE ANALOGY

Let’s use roulette as an example, because the math is uncomplicated.

• A double-zero roulette wheel has 38 numbers – 0, 00 and 1 through
• The odds against any specific number coming up on any spin are
• The casino pays only on any winning single number.
• The two-unit difference between odds and payoffs is kept by the house.
• Divide that two-unit difference by 38 possibilities and you get , for a percent house edge.

In that way, roulette is “programmed” so that in the course of thousands of wagers, the house will keep percent. Results can be random. The same number can turn up three or four or five times in a row. But over time, the odds of the game lead to that percent-edge.

 

SLOT “WHEELS”

What if instead of reels with symbols and results driven by a random number generator, we set up a slot-like game with slot-like payoffs by using a series of roulette-like wheels?

• Let’s say we line up three roulette-type wheels, each marked into segments.
• We mark each segment with a slot symbol. Each wheel gets one 7, five bars, 10 cherries and so on.
• We have a dealer spin and drop a ball on each wheel.
• The total number of three-wheel combinations is xx, or 1 million.

 

That’s the same number of possible combinations you’d get on a slot machine if the random number generator was working with sets numbers for each reel.

From there, it’s easy to calculate the number of possible combinations that have the ball landing in the same symbol on each wheel. For the 7, since there is only one on each wheel, it’s 1x1x1 – there is only one three-7s combination. For bars, it’s 5x5x5, or out of the million total combinations. For cherries, it’s 10x10x10, or 1, three-cherry combos.

Note that we’re not using computer software here. We’re using physical equipment, but it’s giving us the equivalent of “programmed” combinations and odds. That’s just how the odds work on modernized computerized slot machines. They don’t force a game to pay an exact percentage, they just let the normal odds of the game drive long-term results to an expected percentage, the same way table games do.

PROGRAMMED VS. RANDOM, FAQ

The notion that slots are both programmed and random can be difficult to fathom. Confusion over slot programming has jammed my email box for years. Here are some of the questions readers ask most often.

A. “Random results” is not the same as saying “equal results.” A game doesn’t have to be programmed so that a jackpot symbol shows up as often as a blank space, or a bonus symbol as often as a cherry.

The odds of the game are set so that blank spaces will show up more often than winning symbols and small winners will show up more often than big winners. On three-reel slots, that will lead to there being more losing spins than winners, and on five-reel video games it will lead to more “wins” for amounts less than the size of your bet than bigger winners. The programmer sets the odds of the game, and then lets random chance take its course.

A. Streaks are a normal part of the probability of the game. Let’s take a three-reel game with a 12% hit frequency -- you’ll have a winner an average of once per spins. On your first spin, there’s an 88% chance it’ll be a loser. There’s a 77% chance you’ll lose two in a row, 68% chance you’ll lose three in a row, and so on.

At 20 in a row, there’s still a % chance of every spin being a loser. That’s easily within normal probability. Anyone playing a machine with a 12% hit frequency for very long will have streaks of 20 or more losses.

A. Your choices do make a difference in pick’em-style bonus events, but not in any way you can predict or control. The programmer knows that over a very long time, the bonus even will yield an average payback.

Let's make up a simple slots bonus event, in which you pick one of three symbols to reveal a bonus award. If you touch one symbol, you get 25 credits, if you touch a different one, you get 50, and if you touch the other you get You don’t know which symbol hides each award, so your results are random. However, over a very long time, you’ll get each award about a third of the time, so will average 50 credits.

The programmer can build that average into calculations for the payback percentage. You have a random result contributing to odds that drive paybacks into a long- term average – the same as on the reel-spinning part of the slot game, and the same way table games work.

• Slot machines have targeted payback percentages built into their programming, but results are random.


• Programmed percentages on the slots work in the same way as percentages on the tables – the odds of the game lead to expected returns.


• Random results are not the same as equal results. Odds are set so big winners turn up less often than other combinations.

With some rare exceptions, Las Vegas-style slot machines with random number generators are not designed to be tests of skill. There is no strategy that can overcome the house edge.

Games are not beatable in the long run. There could be a change coming as both brick-and-mortar casinos and online operators try to reach out to the Millennial generation. The State of Nevada legalized fully skill-based electronic games in , and it’s expected some games will make their way onto casino floors in In some international markets, skill already is part of the mix. Japanese pachinko parlors offer games known as pachisuro, a blend of slot game play and traditional pachinko, and skillful play may improve your results. Still, Las Vegas is the trend-setter in slot development, and its random number generator slots are designed to so the house can count on its edge. Even so, a few beatable games have made it to casino floors.

BANKED BONUSES

In the mid-to-late s there were a flurry of games where you could collect coins or symbols on a video screen until you reached a trigger point for a bonus award. Players in the know could look for machines that were already part way toward slots free bonus territory, and play only when enough of the trigger was completed to give the player an edge. Such games are rare today.

In a casino with older equipment, you still might spot such games occasionally.

Here’s how they worked:

Piggy Bankin:

This WMS Gaming three-reel slot was the banked bonus trend-setter. Piggy Bankin’ had a Dotmation screen in the top box, above the mechanical reels. Every time the reels showed three blank spaces, a coin was added to a piggy bank animated in orange dots. When the Break the Bank symbol landed on the payline, an animated hammer broke the bank, and the player collected the amount displayed. It was soon discovered that if you played only with enough coins in then bank, you had an edge.

Racing 7s:

Before taking a full plunge into video, IGT had its “Vision Series” with a color LCD panel in the top box. Racing 7s featured red, white and blue 7s on a track. Each time a corresponding 7 would land on the payline in the main game, that color 7 would move a notch closer the finish line. To get an edge, you looked for a screen with 7s already close to the finish and a bonus payout.

Fort Knox and Buccaneer Gold:

Silicon Gaming, no longer in business, offered several games with banked bonuses.

On Fort Knox, if five numbers in a digit code had already been solved through reel spins, you had an edge. Once the full code was solved, the vault would open for your bonus. In Buccaneer Gold, the object was to collect five daggers sticking in the ship’s rail. If there already were three or four daggers when you started, you had an edge.

S&H Green Stamps:

This was Bally Technologies’ entry into the banked bonus field. During play, you’d collect Green Stamps as they landed on the video reels. If you filled a book of 1, stamps, you’d go to a slots bonus event. The trick was to look for machines with stamps or more already in the book. At that level, the player had an edge. In casinos with all new equipment, you won’t find these games. In casinos with older equipment, it’s possible. More important than the specific games is that you understand that if you ever see such a build-a-bonus, banked game, starting close to the finish improves your odds.

JACKPOT HUNTING

A number of players over the years have told me they beat the slots by looking for larger than usual progressive jackpots. It’s a method that works better on video poker where the house edge on the base game is smaller than on the slots. Slot payback percentages are low enough that even what looks like an oversized jackpot may not be enough to overcome the full house edge. Still, if you always wait to play a game until its jackpot is a certain size, you will be playing a game with a lower house edge than if you played for lesser amounts.

 

Here’s the method a jackpot-hunting player relayed to me:

• She starts by making daily rounds and charting jackpot amounts on different machines.
• Of the machines she tracks, she notes the payoff amount when someone wins the jackpot.
• Over many readings, she gets an idea of the average size of the jackpot when it hits.
• She then plays only when the jackpot reaches that average. For example, if the jackpot starts building from a $1, base and her chart of dozens of jackpots or more shows it hits at an average of about $2,, then she starts playing the game only when the jackpot is $2, or more.

JACKPOT HUNTERS, BEWARE

If you’re going to play such games anyway, there’s no harm and some gain in delaying your play until the jackpot exceeds a targeted amount. However, profits are not guaranteed.

• Knowing the average size of the jackpot does not tell you the break-even point.
• There is no guarantee that you’ll be the one to hit the jackpot.
• Waiting for the jackpot to be a certain size does not increase your chances of winning the jackpot.

Let’s expand on that a little. Imagine a game where the jackpot usually hits at about $ Unbeknown to you, the jackpot has to reach $5, before the game’s return reaches percent. That means even if you start playing only when the jackpot is $2, or more, you still are playing a game on which the house has an edge. Waiting does ensure that when you do hit the jackpot, your average payout will be higher than if you started playing at the base level.

So if you’re jackpot hunting, good luck, but be aware there are pitfalls as well as big rewards.

SKILL-BASED BONUS EVENTS

Chapter 5, BONUS EVENTS, will deal more extensively with skill-based events. For now, understand that even though fully skill-based gaming has not yet launched in Nevada, there are games with skill-based bonuses. Among those marketed in recent years are IGT’s Centipede, where you play a version of the old arcade game in your bonus event, and GTECH’s Zuma, based on the popular online game.

Though your skill makes a difference in these games, they are not beatable slots. Even if you’re a Centipede grand master, the house still has an edge. With some variation by jurisdiction, a maximum of 4 percent of a game’s overall payout can be based on skill, and the house edge is high enough that getting the full 4 percent will not take you into profitable territory.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• As games that are not strategy-driven, most slot machines are not beatable in the long run.
• Banked bonus games offer an opportunity to get an edge, if you see that you’re already part way toward triggering a bonus.
• There might be profit opportunity in games with progressive jackpots, but there’s no certainty.
• Your skill matters in skill-based bonuses, but expertise doesn’t give you an edge on the games.

Question 1: Does the house gets an edge on slots by blocking winning combinations?

No. The house gets an edge by paying less than the true odds of winning on slots.

Question 2: On a mechanical slot with three reels and 10 symbols on each reel, how many possible three-reel combinations are there?

1, possible combinations.

Question 3: How many reel combinations are possible on modern slots with video reels or virtual reels?

Slots can be programmed with any number of slots on a virtual reel or video reel, so there can be as many reel combinations as the game designer needs.

Question 4: Do identical-looking machines always have the same payback percentages?

No, identical-looking machines don’t always have the same payback percentage. You can’t tell a game’s odds by looking from the outside.

Question 5: Do the slot payback percentages are “programmed” only in that the odds of the game are set to lead to a desired payback percentage?

Yes. Slot payback percentages are “programmed” only in that the odds of the game are set to lead to a desired payback percentage.

Question 6: Does randomness mean all symbols must turn up on an equal portion of spins?

No. Results can be random while still setting the odds so some symbols occur more often than others.

Question 7: Do long winning or losing streaks defy the odds of the games?

No. Long winning or losing streaks are part of normal probability.

Question 8: On most slots, is there an opportunity to overcome the house edge and be consistently profitable?

No. Most slots do not offer an opportunity to overcome the house edge and be consistently profitable.

Question 9: What is a “banked bonus”?

A banked bonus is an event in which you collect representations of coins or symbols until you have enough to trigger a bonus event.

Question Does waiting until a progressive jackpot reaches a certain size increase your chances of winning the jackpot?

No, until a progressive jackpot reaches a certain size does not increase your chances of winning the jackpot, but it increases your average payout when you win the jackpot.

Written by John Grochowski

Casino gambling machine

"One-Armed Bandit", "Slot Machine", "Fruit machine", and "Pokies" redirect here. For the album, see One-Armed Bandit (album). For the band, see Slot Machine (band). For other uses, see Fruit machine (disambiguation) and Pokey (disambiguation).

Row of digital-based slot machines inside a casino in Las Vegas

A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English) or poker machine (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively as one-armed bandits because of the large mechanical levers affixed to the sides of early mechanical machines and the games' ability to empty players' pockets and wallets as thieves would.^[1]

A slot machine's standard layout features a screen displaying three or more reels that "spin" when the game is activated. Some modern slot machines still include a lever as a skeuomorphic design trait to trigger play. However, the mechanics of early machines have been superseded by random number generators, and most are now operated using buttons and touchscreens.

Slot machines include one or more currency detectors that validate the form of payment, whether coin, cash, voucher, or token. The machine pays out according to the pattern of symbols displayed when the reels stop "spinning". Slot machines are the most popular gambling method in casinos and constitute about 70% of the average U.S. casino's income.^[2]

Digital technology has resulted in variations on the original slot machine concept. As the player is essentially playing a video game, manufacturers are able to offer more interactive elements, such as advanced bonus rounds and more varied video graphics.

Etymology[edit]

The "slot machine" term derives from the slots on the machine for inserting and retrieving coins.^[3] "Fruit machine" comes from the traditional fruit images on the spinning reels such as lemons and cherries.^[4]

History[edit]

"Liberty Bell" machine, manufactured by Charles Fey.

Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn, New York developed a gambling machine in that was a precursor to the modern slot machine. It contained five drums holding a total of 50 card faces and was based on poker. The machine proved extremely popular, and soon many bars in the city had one or more of them. Players would insert a nickel and pull a lever, which would spin the drums and the cards that they held, the player hoping for a good poker hand. There was no direct payout mechanism, so a pair of kings might get the player a free beer, whereas a royal flush could pay out cigars or drinks; the prizes were wholly dependent upon what the establishment would offer. To improve the odds for the house, two cards were typically removed from the deck, the ten of spades and the jack of hearts, doubling the odds against winning a royal flush. The drums could also be rearranged to further reduce a player's chance of winning.

Because of the vast number of possible wins in the original poker-based game, it proved practically impossible to make a machine capable of awarding an automatic payout for all possible winning combinations. At some time between and ,^[5]Charles Fey of San Francisco, California devised a much simpler automatic mechanism^[6] with three spinning reels containing a total of five symbols: horseshoes, diamonds, spades, hearts and a Liberty Bell; the bell gave the machine its name. By replacing ten cards with five symbols and using three reels instead of five drums, the complexity of reading a win was considerably reduced, allowing Fey to design an effective automatic payout mechanism. Three bells in a row produced the biggest payoff, ten nickels (50¢). Liberty Bell was a huge success and spawned a thriving mechanical gaming device industry. After a few years, the devices were banned in California, but Fey still could not keep up with the demand for them from elsewhere. The Liberty Bell machine was so popular that it was copied by many slot-machine manufacturers. The first of these, also called the "Liberty Bell", was produced by the manufacturer Herbert Mills in By , many "bell" machines had been installed in most cigar stores, saloons, bowling alleys, brothels and barber shops.^[7] Early machines, including an Liberty Bell, are now part of the Nevada State Museum's Fey Collection.^[8]

The first Liberty Bell machines produced by Mills used the same symbols on the reels as did Charles Fey's original. Soon afterward, another version was produced with patriotic symbols, such as flags and wreaths, on the wheels. Later, a similar machine called the Operator's Bell was produced that included the option of adding a gum-vending attachment. As the gum offered was fruit-flavored, fruit symbols were placed on the reels: lemons, cherries, oranges and plums. A bell was retained, and a picture of a stick of Bell-Fruit Gum, the origin of the bar symbol, was also present. This set of symbols proved highly popular and was used by other companies that began to make their own slot machines: Caille, Watling, Jennings and Pace.^[9]

A commonly used technique to avoid gambling laws in a number of states was to award food prizes. For this reason, a number of gumball and other vending machines were regarded with mistrust by the courts. The two Iowa cases of State v. Ellis^[10] and State v. Striggles^[11] are both used in criminal law classes to illustrate the concept of reliance upon authority as it relates to the axiomatic ignorantia juris non excusat ("ignorance of the law is no excuse").^[12] In these cases, a mint vending machine was declared to be a gambling device because the machine would, by internally manufactured chance, occasionally give the next user a number of tokens exchangeable for more candy. Despite the display of the result of the next use on the machine, the courts ruled that "[t]he machine appealed to the player's propensity to gamble, and that is [a] vice."^[13]

In , Bally developed the first fully electromechanical slot machine called Money Honey (although earlier machines such as Bally's High Hand draw-poker machine had exhibited the basics of electromechanical construction as early as ). Its electromechanical workings made Money Honey the first slot machine with a bottomless hopper and automatic payout of up to coins without the help of an attendant.^[14] The popularity of this machine led to the increasing predominance of electronic games, with the side lever soon becoming vestigial.

The first video slot machine was developed in in Kearny Mesa, California by the Las Vegas–based Fortune Coin Co. This machine used a modified inch (48&#;cm) Sony Trinitron color receiver for the display and logic boards for all slot-machine functions. The prototype was mounted in a full-size, show-ready slot-machine cabinet. The first production units went on trial at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel. After some modifications to defeat cheating attempts, the video slot machine was approved by the Nevada State Gaming Commission and eventually found popularity on the Las Vegas Strip and in downtown casinos. Fortune Coin Co. and its video slot-machine technology were purchased by IGT (International Gaming Technology) in ^{[citation needed]}

The first American video slot machine to offer a "second screen" bonus round was Reel ’Em In, developed by WMS Industries in ^[15] This type of machine had appeared in Australia from at least with the Three Bags Full game.^[16] With this type of machine, the display changes to provide a different game in which an additional payout may be awarded.

Operation[edit]

RAY's Ruusu and Tuplapotti slot machines in Finland

Depending on the machine, the player can insert cash or, in "ticket-in, ticket-out" machines, a paper ticket with a barcode, into a designated slot on the machine. The machine is then activated by means of a lever or button (either physical or on a touchscreen), which activates reels that spin and stop to rearrange the symbols. If a player matches a winning combination of symbols, the player earns credits based on the paytable. Symbols vary depending on the theme of the machine. Classic symbols include objects such as fruits, bells, and stylized lucky sevens. Most slot games have a theme, such as a specific aesthetic, location, or character. Symbols and other bonus features of the game are typically aligned with the theme. Some themes are licensed from popular media franchises, including films, television series (including game shows such as Wheel of Fortune), entertainers, and musicians.

Multi-line slot machines have become more popular since the s. These machines have more than one payline, meaning that visible symbols that are not aligned on the main horizontal may be considered as winning combinations. Traditional three-reel slot machines commonly have one, three, or five paylines while video slot machines may have 9, 15, 25, or as many as different paylines. Most accept variable numbers of credits to play, with 1 to 15 credits per line being typical. The higher the amount bet, the higher the payout will be if the player wins.

One of the main differences between video slot machines and reel machines is in the way payouts are calculated. With reel machines, the only way to win the maximum jackpot is to play the maximum number of coins (usually three, sometimes four or even five coins per spin). With video machines, the fixed payout values are multiplied by the number of coins per line that is being bet. In other words: on a reel machine, the odds are more favorable if the gambler plays with the maximum number of coins available.^[17] However, depending on the structure of the game and its bonus features, some video slots may still include features that improve chances at payouts by making increased wagers.

"Multi-way" games eschew fixed paylines in favor of allowing symbols to pay anywhere, as long as there is at least one in at least three consecutive reels from left to right. Multi-way games may be configured to allow players to bet by-reel: for example, on a game with a 3x5 pattern (often referred to as a way game), playing one reel allows all three symbols in the first reel to potentially pay, but only the center row pays on the remaining reels (often designated by darkening the unused portions of the reels). Other multi-way games use a 4x5 or 5x5 pattern, where there are up to five symbols in each reel, allowing for up to 1, and 3, ways to win respectively. The Australian manufacturer Aristocrat Leisure brands games featuring this system as "Reel Power", "Xtra Reel Power" and "Super Reel Power" respectively. A variation involves patterns where symbols pay adjacent to one another. Most of these games have a hexagonal reel formation, and much like multi-way games, any patterns not played are darkened out of use.

Denominations can range from 1 cent ("penny slots") all the way up to $ or more per credit. The latter are typically known as "high limit" machines, and machines configured to allow for such wagers are often located in dedicated areas (which may have a separate team of attendants to cater to the needs of those who play there). The machine automatically calculates the number of credits the player receives in exchange for the cash inserted. Newer machines often allow players to choose from a selection of denominations on a splash screen or menu.

Terminology[edit]

A bonus is a special feature of the particular game theme, which is activated when certain symbols appear in a winning combination. Bonuses and the number of bonus features vary depending upon the game. Some bonus rounds are a special session of free spins (the number of which is often based on the winning combination that triggers the bonus), often with a different or modified set of winning combinations as the main game and/or other multipliers or increased frequencies of symbols, or a "hold and re-spin" mechanic in which specific symbols (usually marked with values of credits or other prizes) are collected and locked in place over a finite number of spins. In other bonus rounds, the player is presented with several items on a screen from which to choose. As the player chooses items, a number of credits is revealed and awarded. Some bonuses use a mechanical device, such as a spinning wheel, that works in conjunction with the bonus to display the amount won.

A candle is a light on top of the slot machine. It flashes to alert the operator that change is needed, hand pay is requested or a potential problem with the machine. It can be lit by the player by pressing the "service" or "help" button.

Carousel refers to a grouping of slot machines, usually in a circle or oval formation.

A coin hopper is a container where the coins that are immediately available for payouts are held. The hopper is a mechanical device that rotates coins into the coin tray when a player collects credits/coins (by pressing a "Cash Out" button). When a certain preset coin capacity is reached, a coin diverter automatically redirects, or "drops", excess coins into a "drop bucket" or "drop box". (Unused coin hoppers can still be found even on games that exclusively employ Ticket-In, Ticket-Out technology, as a vestige.)

The credit meter is a display of the amount of money or number of credits on the machine. On mechanical slot machines, this is usually a seven-segment display, but video slot machines typically use stylized text that suits the game's theme and user interface.

The drop bucket or drop box is a container located in a slot machine's base where excess coins are diverted from the hopper. Typically, a drop bucket is used for low-denomination slot machines and a drop box is used for high-denomination slot machines. A drop box contains a hinged lid with one or more locks whereas a drop bucket does not contain a lid. The contents of drop buckets and drop boxes are collected and counted by the casino on a scheduled basis.

EGM is short for "Electronic Gaming Machine".

Free spins are a common form of bonus, where a series of spins are automatically played at no charge at the player's current wager. Free spins are usually triggered via a scatter of at least three designated symbols (with the number of spins dependent on the number of symbols that land). Some games allow the free spins bonus to "retrigger", which adds additional spins on top of those already awarded. There is no theoretical limit to the number of free spins obtainable. Some games may have other features that can also trigger over the course of free spins.

A hand pay refers to a payout made by an attendant or at an exchange point ("cage"), rather than by the slot machine itself. A hand pay occurs when the amount of the payout exceeds the maximum amount that was preset by the slot machine's operator. Usually, the maximum amount is set at the level where the operator must begin to deduct taxes. A hand pay could also be necessary as a result of a short pay.

Hopper fill slip is a document used to record the replenishment of the coin in the coin hopper after it becomes depleted as a result of making payouts to players. The slip indicates the amount of coin placed into the hoppers, as well as the signatures of the employees involved in the transaction, the slot machine number and the location and the date.

MEAL book (Machine entry authorization log) is a log of the employee's entries into the machine.

Low-level or slant-top slot machines include a stool so the player may sit down. Stand-up or upright slot machines are played while standing.

Optimal play is a payback percentage based on a gambler using the optimal strategy in a skill-based slot machine game.

Payline is a line that crosses through one symbol on each reel, along which a winning combination is evaluated. Classic spinning reel machines usually have up to nine paylines, while video slot machines may have as many as one hundred. Paylines could be of various shapes (horizontal, vertical, oblique, triangular, zigzag, etc.)

Persistent state refers to passive features on some slot machines, some of which able to trigger bonus payouts or other special features if certain conditions are met over time by players on that machine.^[18]

Roll-up is the process of dramatizing a win by playing sounds while the meters count up to the amount that has been won.

Short pay refers to a partial payout made by a slot machine, which is less than the amount due to the player. This occurs if the coin hopper has been depleted as a result of making earlier payouts to players. The remaining amount due to the player is either paid as a hand pay or an attendant will come and refill the machine.

A scatter is a pay combination based on occurrences of a designated symbol landing anywhere on the reels, rather than falling in sequence on the same payline. A scatter pay usually requires a minimum of three symbols to land, and the machine may offer increased prizes or jackpots depending on the number that land. Scatters are frequently used to trigger bonus games, such as free spins (with the number of spins multiplying based on the number of scatter symbols that land). The scatter symbol usually cannot be matched using wilds, and some games may require the scatter symbols to appear on consecutive reels in order to pay. On some multiway games, scatter symbols still pay in unused areas.

Taste is a reference to the small amount often paid out to keep a player seated and continuously betting. Only rarely will machines fail to pay even the minimum out over the course of several pulls.

Display screen of a slot machine in tilt mode

Tilt is a term derived from electromechanical slot machines' "tilt switches", which would make or break a circuit when they were tilted or otherwise tampered with that triggered an alarm. While modern machines no longer have tilt switches, any kind of technical fault (door switch in the wrong state, reel motor failure, out of paper, etc.) is still called a "tilt".

A theoretical hold worksheet is a document provided by the manufacturer for every slot machine that indicates the theoretical percentage the machine should hold based on the amount paid in. The worksheet also indicates the reel strip settings, number of coins that may be played, the payout schedule, the number of reels and other information descriptive of the particular type of slot machine.

Volatility or variance refers to the measure of risk associated with playing a slot machine. A low-volatility slot machine has regular but smaller wins, while a high-variance slot machine has fewer but bigger wins.

Weight count is an American term referring to the total value of coins or tokens removed from a slot machine's drop bucket or drop box for counting by the casino's hard count team through the use of a weigh scale.

Wild symbols substitute for most other symbols in the game (similarly to a joker card), usually excluding scatter and jackpot symbols (or offering a lower prize on non-natural combinations that include wilds). How jokers behave are dependent on the specific game and whether the player is in a bonus or free games mode. Sometimes wild symbols may only appear on certain reels, or have a chance to "stack" across the entire reel.

Pay table[edit]

Main article: Pay table

Each machine has a table that lists the number of credits the player will receive if the symbols listed on the pay table line up on the pay line of the machine. Some symbols are wild and can represent many, or all, of the other symbols to complete a winning line. Especially on older machines, the pay table is listed on the face of the machine, usually above and below the area containing the wheels. On video slot machines, they are usually contained within a help menu, along with information on other features.

Technology[edit]

Reels[edit]

Historically, all slot machines used revolving mechanical reels to display and determine results. Although the original slot machine used five reels, simpler, and therefore more reliable, three reel machines quickly became the standard.

A problem with three reel machines is that the number of combinations is only cubic &#; the original slot machine with three physical reels and 10 symbols on each reel had only 10³ = 1, possible combinations. This limited the manufacturer's ability to offer large jackpots since even the rarest event had a likelihood of %. The maximum theoretical payout, assuming % return to player would be times the bet, but that would leave no room for other pays, making the machine very high risk, and also quite boring.

Although the number of symbols eventually increased to about 22, allowing 10, combinations,^[19] this still limited jackpot sizes as well as the number of possible outcomes.

In the s, however, slot machine manufacturers incorporated electronics into their products and programmed them to weight particular symbols. Thus the odds of losing symbols appearing on the payline became disproportionate to their actual frequency on the physical reel. A symbol would only appear once on the reel displayed to the player, but could, in fact, occupy several stops on the multiple reel.

In , Inge Telnaes received a patent for a device titled, "Electronic Gaming Device Utilizing a Random Number Generator for Selecting the Reel Stop Positions" (US Patent ),^[20] which states: "It is important to make a machine that is perceived to present greater chances of payoff than it actually has within the legal limitations that games of chance must operate."^[21] The patent was later bought by International Game Technology and has since expired.

A virtual reel that has virtual stops per reel would allow up to ³ = 16,, final positions. The manufacturer could choose to offer a $1 million jackpot on a $1 bet, confident that it will only happen, over the long term, once every million plays.

Computerization[edit]

With microprocessors now ubiquitous, the computers inside modern slot machines allow manufacturers to assign a different probability to every symbol on every reel. To the player, it might appear that a winning symbol was "so close", whereas in fact the probability is much lower.

In the s in the U.K., machines embodying microprocessors became common. These used a number of features to ensure the payout was controlled within the limits of the gambling legislation. As a coin was inserted into the machine, it could go either directly into the cashbox for the benefit of the owner or into a channel that formed the payout reservoir, with the microprocessor monitoring the number of coins in this channel. The drums themselves were driven by stepper motors, controlled by the processor and with proximity sensors monitoring the position of the drums. A "look-up table" within the software allows the processor to know what symbols were being displayed on the drums to the gambler. This allowed the system to control the level of payout by stopping the drums at positions it had determined. If the payout channel had filled up, the payout became more generous; if nearly empty, the payout became less so (thus giving good control of the odds).

Video slot machines[edit]

Video slot machines do not use mechanical reels, but use graphical reels on a computerized display. As there are no mechanical constraints on the design of video slot machines, games often use at least five reels, and may also use non-standard layouts. This greatly expands the number of possibilities: a machine can have 50 or more symbols on a reel, giving odds as high as million to 1 against &#; enough for even the largest jackpot. As there are so many combinations possible with five reels, manufacturers do not need to weight the payout symbols (although some may still do so). Instead, higher paying symbols will typically appear only once or twice on each reel, while more common symbols earning a more frequent payout will appear many times. Video slot machines usually make more extensive use of multimedia, and can feature more elaborate minigames as bonuses. Modern cabinets typically use flat-panel displays, but cabinets using larger curved screens (which can provide a more immersive experience for the player) are not uncommon.^[22]

Video slot machines typically encourage the player to play multiple "lines": rather than simply taking the middle of the three symbols displayed on each reel, a line could go from top left to the bottom right or any other pattern specified by the manufacturer. As each symbol is equally likely, there is no difficulty for the manufacturer in allowing the player to take as many of the possible lines on offer as desire &#; the long-term return to the player will be the same. The difference for the player is that the more lines they play, the more likely they are to get paid on a given spin (because they are betting more).

To avoid seeming as if the player's money is simply ebbing away (whereas a payout of credits on a single-line machine would be bets and the player would feel they had made a substantial win, on a line machine, it would only be five bets and not seem as significant), manufacturers commonly offer bonus games, which can return many times their bet. The player is encouraged to keep playing to reach the bonus: even if they are losing, the bonus game could allow them to win back their losses.

Random number generators[edit]

All modern machines are designed using pseudorandom number generators ("PRNGs"), which are constantly generating a sequence of simulated random numbers, at a rate of hundreds or perhaps thousands per second. As soon as the "Play" button is pressed, the most recent random number is used to determine the result. This means that the result varies depending on exactly when the game is played. A fraction of a second earlier or later and the result would be different.

It is important that the machine contains a high-quality RNG implementation. Because all PRNGs must eventually repeat their number sequence^[23] and, if the period is short or the PRNG is otherwise flawed, an advanced player may be able to "predict" the next result. Having access to the PRNG code and seed values, Ronald Dale Harris, a former slot machine programmer, discovered equations for specific gambling games like Keno that allowed him to predict what the next set of selected numbers would be based on the previous games played.

Most machines are designed to defeat this by generating numbers even when the machine is not being played so the player cannot tell where in the sequence they are, even if they know how the machine was programmed.

Payout percentage[edit]

Slot machines are typically programmed to pay out as winnings 0% to 99% of the money that is wagered by players. This is known as the "theoretical payout percentage" or RTP, "return to player". The minimum theoretical payout percentage varies among jurisdictions and is typically established by law or regulation. For example, the minimum payout in Nevada is 75%, in New Jersey 83%, and in Mississippi 80%. The winning patterns on slot machines &#; the amounts they pay and the frequencies of those payouts &#; are carefully selected to yield a certain fraction of the money paid to the "house" (the operator of the slot machine) while returning the rest to the players during play. Suppose that a certain slot machine costs $1 per spin and has a return to player (RTP) of 95%. It can be calculated that, over a sufficiently long period such as 1,, spins, the machine will return an average of $, to its players, who have inserted $1,, during that time. In this (simplified) example, the slot machine is said to pay out 95%. The operator keeps the remaining $50, Within some EGM development organizations this concept is referred to simply as "par". "Par" also manifests itself to gamblers as promotional techniques: "Our 'Loose Slots' have a 93% payback! Play now!"^{[citation needed]}

A slot machine's theoretical payout percentage is set at the factory when the software is written. Changing the payout percentage after a slot machine has been placed on the gaming floor requires a physical swap of the software or firmware, which is usually stored on an EPROM but may be loaded onto non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) or even stored on CD-ROM or DVD, depending on the capabilities of the machine and the applicable regulations. Based on current technology, this is a time-consuming process and as such is done infrequently.^{[citation needed]} In certain jurisdictions, such as New Jersey, the EPROM has a tamper-evidentseal and can only be changed in the presence of Gaming Control Board officials. Other jurisdictions, including Nevada, randomly audit slot machines to ensure that they contain only approved software.

Historically, many casinos, both online and offline, have been unwilling to publish individual game RTP figures, making it impossible for the player to know whether they are playing a "loose" or a "tight" game. Since the turn of the century, some information regarding these figures has started to come into the public domain either through various casinos releasing them—primarily this applies to online casinos—or through studies by independent gambling authorities.^{[citation needed]}

The return to player is not the only statistic that is of interest. The probabilities of every payout on the pay table is also critical. For example, consider a hypothetical slot machine with a dozen different values on the pay table. However, the probabilities of getting all the payouts are zero except the largest one. If the payout is 4, times the input amount, and it happens every 4, times on average, the return to player is exactly %, but the game would be dull to play. Also, most people would not win anything, and having entries on the paytable that have a return of zero would be deceptive. As these individual probabilities are closely guarded secrets, it is possible that the advertised machines with high return to player simply increase the probabilities of these jackpots. The casino could legally place machines of a similar style payout and advertise that some machines have % return to player. The added advantage is that these large jackpots increase the excitement of the other players.

The table of probabilities for a specific machine is called the Probability and Accounting Report or PAR sheet, also PARS commonly understood as Paytable and Reel Strips. Mathematician Michael Shackleford revealed the PARS for one commercial slot machine, an original International Gaming TechnologyRed White and Blue machine. This game, in its original form, is obsolete, so these specific probabilities do not apply. He only published the odds after a fan of his sent him some information provided on a slot machine that was posted on a machine in the Netherlands. The psychology of the machine design is quickly revealed. There are 13 possible payouts ranging from to 2, The payout comes every 8 plays. The payout comes every 33 plays, whereas the payout comes every plays. Most players assume the likelihood increases proportionate to the payout. The one mid-size payout that is designed to give the player a thrill is the payout. It is programmed to occur an average of once every plays. The payout is high enough to create excitement, but not high enough that it makes it likely that the player will take their winnings and abandon the game. More than likely the player began the game with at least 80 times his bet (for instance there are 80 quarters in $20). In contrast the payout occurs only on average of once every 6, plays. The highest payout of 2, occurs only on average of once every 64³ = , plays since the machine has 64 virtual stops. The player who continues to feed the machine is likely to have several mid-size payouts, but unlikely to have a large payout. He quits after he is bored or has exhausted his bankroll.^{[citation needed]}

Despite their confidentiality, occasionally a PAR sheet is posted on a website. They have limited value to the player, because usually a machine will have 8 to 12 different possible programs with varying payouts. In addition, slight variations of each machine (e.g., with double jackpots or five times play) are always being developed. The casino operator can choose which EPROM chip to install in any particular machine to select the payout desired. The result is that there is not really such a thing as a high payback type of machine, since every machine potentially has multiple settings. From October to February , columnist Michael Shackleford obtained PAR sheets for five different nickel machines; four IGT games Austin Powers, Fortune Cookie, Leopard Spots and Wheel of Fortune and one game manufactured by WMS; Reel 'em In. Without revealing the proprietary information, he developed a program that would allow him to determine with usually less than a dozen plays on each machine which EPROM chip was installed. Then he did a survey of over machines in 70 different casinos in Las Vegas. He averaged the data, and assigned an average payback percentage to the machines in each casino. The resultant list was widely publicized for marketing purposes (especially by the Palms casino which had the top ranking).^{[citation needed]}

One reason that the slot machine is so profitable to a casino is that the player must play the high house edge and high payout wagers along with the low house edge and low payout wagers. In a more traditional wagering game like craps, the player knows that certain wagers have almost a 50/50 chance of winning or losing, but they only pay a limited multiple of the original bet (usually no higher than three times). Other bets have a higher house edge, but the player is rewarded with a bigger win (up to thirty times in craps). The player can choose what kind of wager he wants to make. A slot machine does not afford such an opportunity. Theoretically, the operator could make these probabilities available, or allow the player to choose which one so that the player is free to make a choice. However, no operator has ever enacted this strategy. Different machines have different maximum payouts, but without knowing the odds of getting the jackpot, there is no rational way to differentiate.

In many markets where central monitoring and control systems are used to link machines for auditing and security purposes, usually in wide area networks of multiple venues and thousands of machines, player return must usually be changed from a central computer rather than at each machine. A range of percentages is set in the game software and selected remotely.

In , the Nevada Gaming Commission began working with Las Vegas casinos on technology that would allow the casino's management to change the game, the odds, and the payouts remotely. The change cannot be done instantaneously, but only after the selected machine has been idle for at least four minutes. After the change is made, the machine must be locked to new players for four minutes and display an on-screen message informing potential players that a change is being made.^[24]

Linked machines[edit]

Some varieties of slot machines can be linked together in a setup sometimes known as a "community" game. The most basic form of this setup involves progressive jackpots that are shared between the bank of machines, but may include multiplayer bonuses and other features.^[25]

In some cases multiple machines are linked across multiple casinos. In these cases, the machines may be owned by the manufacturer, who is responsible for paying the jackpot. The casinos lease the machines rather than owning them outright. Casinos in New Jersey, Nevada, and South Dakota now offer multi-state progressive jackpots, which now offer bigger jackpot pools.^[26][27]

Fraud[edit]

Mechanical slot machines and their coin acceptors were sometimes susceptible to cheating devices and other scams. One historical example involved spinning a coin with a short length of plastic wire. The weight and size of the coin would be accepted by the machine and credits would be granted. However, the spin created by the plastic wire would cause the coin to exit through the reject chute into the payout tray. This particular scam has become obsolete due to improvements in newer slot machines. Another obsolete method of defeating slot machines was to use a light source to confuse the optical sensor used to count coins during payout.^[28]

Modern slot machines are controlled by EPROM computer chips and, in large casinos, coin acceptors have become obsolete in favor of bill acceptors. These machines and their bill acceptors are designed with advanced anti-cheating and anti-counterfeiting measures and are difficult to defraud. Early computerized slot machines were sometimes defrauded through the use of cheating devices, such as the "slider", "monkey paw", "lightwand" and "the tongue". Many of these old cheating devices were made by the late Tommy Glenn Carmichael, a slot machine fraudster who reportedly stole over $5 million.^[29] In the modern day, computerized slot machines are fully deterministic and thus outcomes can be sometimes successfully predicted.^[30]

Skill stops[edit]

Skill stop buttons predated the Bally electromechanical slot machines of the s and s. They appeared on mechanical slot machines manufactured by Mills Novelty Co. as early as the mid s. These machines had modified reel-stop arms, which allowed them to be released from the timing bar, earlier than in a normal play, simply by pressing the buttons on the front of the machine, located between each reel.

"Skill stop" buttons were added to some slot machines by Zacharias Anthony in the early s. These enabled the player to stop each reel, allowing a degree of "skill" so as to satisfy the New Jersey gaming laws of the day which required that players were able to control the game in some way. The original conversion was applied to approximately 50 late-model Bally slot machines. Because the typical machine stopped the reels automatically in less than 10 seconds, weights were added to the mechanical timers to prolong the automatic stopping of the reels. By the time the New Jersey Alcoholic Beverages Commission (ABC) had approved the conversion for use in New Jersey arcades, the word was out and every other distributor began adding skill stops. The machines were a huge hit on the Jersey Shore and the remaining unconverted Bally machines were destroyed as they had become instantly obsolete.^{[citation needed]}

Legislation[edit]

United States[edit]

In the United States, the public and private availability of slot machines is highly regulated by state governments. Many states have established gaming control boards to regulate the possession and use of slot machines and other form of gaming.

Nevada is the only state that has no significant restrictions against slot machines both for public and private use. In New Jersey, slot machines are only allowed in hotel casinos operated in Atlantic City. Several states (Indiana, Louisiana and Missouri) allow slot machines (as well as any casino-style gambling) only on licensed riverboats or permanently anchored barges. Since Hurricane Katrina, Mississippi has removed the requirement that casinos on the Gulf Coast operate on barges and now allows them on land along the shoreline. Delaware allows slot machines at three horse tracks; they are regulated by the state lottery commission. In Wisconsin, bars and taverns are allowed to have up to five machines. These machines usually allow a player to either take a payout, or gamble it on a double-or-nothing "side game".

The territory of Puerto Rico places significant restrictions on slot machine ownership, but the law is widely flouted and slot machines are common in bars and coffeeshops.^[31]

In regards to tribal casinos located on Native American reservations, slot machines played against the house and operating independently from a centralized computer system are classified as "Class III" gaming by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), and sometimes promoted as "Vegas-style" slot machines.^[32] In order to offer Class III gaming, tribes must enter into a compact (agreement) with the state that is approved by the Department of the Interior, which may contain restrictions on the types and quantity of such games. As a workaround, some casinos may operate slot machines as "Class II" games—a category that includes games where players play exclusively against at least one other opponent and not the house, such as bingo or any related games (such as pull-tabs). In these cases, the reels are an entertainment display with a pre-determined outcome based on a centralized game played against other players. Under the IGRA, Class II games are regulated by individual tribes and the National Indian Gaming Commission, and do not require any additional approval if the state already permits tribal gaming.^[33][34]

Some historical race wagering terminals operate in a similar manner, with the machines using slots as an entertainment display for outcomes paid using the parimutuel betting system, based on results of randomly-selected, previously-held horse races (with the player able to view selected details about the race and adjust their picks before playing the credit, or otherwise use an auto-bet system).^[35]

Private ownership[edit]

See also: United States slot machine ownership regulations by state

Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia place no restrictions on private ownership of slot machines. Conversely, in Connecticut, Hawaii, Nebraska, South Carolina, and Tennessee, private ownership of any slot machine is completely prohibited. The remaining states allow slot machines of a certain age (typically 25–30 years) or slot machines manufactured before a specific date.

Canada[edit]

The Government of Canada has minimal involvement in gambling beyond the Canadian Criminal Code. In essence, the term "lottery scheme" used in the code means slot machines, bingo and table games normally associated with a casino. These fall under the jurisdiction of the province or territory without reference to the federal government; in practice, all Canadian provinces operate gaming boards that oversee lotteries, casinos and video lottery terminals under their jurisdiction.

OLG piloted a classification system for slot machines at the Grand River Raceway developed by University of Waterloo professor Kevin Harrigan, as part of its PlaySmart initiative for responsible gambling. Inspired by nutrition labels on foods, they displayed metrics such as volatility and frequency of payouts.^[36] OLG has also deployed electronic gaming machines with pre-determined outcomes based on a bingo or pull-tab game, initially branded as "TapTix", which visually resemble slot machines.^[37]

Australia[edit]

In Australia "Poker Machines" or "pokies"^[38] are officially termed "gaming machines". In Australia, gaming machines are a matter for state governments, so laws vary between states. Gaming machines are found in casinos (approximately one in each major city), pubs and clubs in some states (usually sports, social, or RSL clubs). The first Australian state to legalize this style of gambling was New South Wales, when in they were made legal in all registered clubs in the state. There are suggestions that the proliferation of poker machines has led to increased levels of problem gambling; however, the precise nature of this link is still open to research.^[39]

In the Australian Productivity Commission reported that nearly half Australia's gaming machines were in New South Wales. At the time, 21% of all the gambling machines in the world were operating in Australia and, on a per capita basis, Australia had roughly five times as many gaming machines as the United States. Australia ranks 8th in total number of gaming machines after Japan, U.S.A., Italy, U.K., Spain and Germany. This primarily is because gaming machines have been legal in the state of New South Wales since ; over time, the number of machines has grown to 97, (at December , including the Australian Capital Territory). By way of comparison, the U.S. State of Nevada, which legalised gaming including slots several decades before N.S.W., had , slots operating.^[40]

Revenue from gaming machines in pubs and clubs accounts for more than half of the $4 billion in gambling revenue collected by state governments in fiscal year &#;^{[citation needed]}

In Queensland, gaming machines in pubs and clubs must provide a return rate of 85%, while machines located in casinos must provide a return rate of 90%.^{[citation needed]} Most other states have similar provisions. In Victoria, gaming machines must provide a minimum return rate of 87% (including jackpot contribution), including machines in Crown Casino. As of December 1, , Victoria banned gaming machines that accepted $ notes; all gaming machines made since comply with this rule. This new law also banned machines with an automatic play option. One exception exists in Crown Casino for any player with a VIP loyalty card: they can still insert $ notes and use an autoplay feature (whereby the machine will automatically play until credit is exhausted or the player intervenes). All gaming machines in Victoria have an information screen accessible to the user by pressing the "i key" button, showing the game rules, paytable, return to player percentage, and the top and bottom five combinations with their odds. These combinations are stated to be played on a minimum bet (usually 1 credit per line, with 1 line or reel played, although some newer machines do not have an option to play 1 line; some machines may only allow maximum lines to be played), excluding feature wins.

Western Australia has the most restrictive regulations on electronic gaming machines in general, with the Crown Perth casino resort being the only venue allowed to operate them,^[41] and banning slot machines with spinning reels entirely. This policy had an extensive political history, reaffirmed by the Royal Commission into Gambling:^[42]

Poker machine playing is a mindless, repetitive and insidious form of gambling which has many undesirable features. It requires no thought, no skill or social contact. The odds are never about winning. Watching people playing the machines over long periods of time, the impressionistic evidence at least is that they are addictive to many people. Historically poker machines have been banned from Western Australia and we consider that, in the public interest, they should stay banned.

While Western Australian gaming machines are similar to the other states', they do not have spinning reels. Therefore, different animations are used in place of the spinning reels in order to display each game result.

Nick Xenophon was elected on an independent No Pokies ticket in the South Australian Legislative Council at the South Australian state election on percent, re-elected at the election on percent, and elected to the Australian Senate at the federal election on percent. Independent candidate Andrew Wilkie, an anti-pokies campaigner, was elected to the Australian House of Representatives seat of Denison at the federal election. Wilkie was one of four crossbenchers who supported the GillardLabor government following the hung parliament result. Wilkie immediately began forging ties with Xenophon as soon as it was apparent that he was elected. In exchange for Wilkie's support, the Labor government are attempting to implement precommitment technology for high-bet/high-intensity poker machines, against opposition from the Tony AbbottCoalition and Clubs Australia.

During the COVID pandemic of , every establishment in the country that facilitated poker machines was shut down, in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus, bringing Australia's usage of poker machines effectively to zero.^[43]

Russia[edit]

In Russia, "slot clubs" appeared quite late, only in Before , slot machines were only in casinos and small shops, but later slot clubs began appearing all over the country. The most popular and numerous were "Vulcan " and "Taj Mahal". Since when gambling establishments were banned, almost all slot clubs disappeared and are found only in a specially authorized gambling zones.

United Kingdom[edit]

Row of old fruit machines in Teignmouth Pier, Devon

Slot machines are covered by the Gambling Act , which superseded the Gaming Act ^[44]

Slot machines in the U.K. are categorised by definitions produced by the Gambling Commission as part of the Gambling Act of

Casinos built under the provisions of the Act are allowed to house either up to twenty machines of categories B–D or any number of C–D machines. As defined by the Act, large casinos can have a maximum of one hundred and fifty machines in any combination of categories B–D (subject to a machine-to-table ratio of ); small casinos can have a maximum of eighty machines in any combination of categories B–D (subject to a machine-to-table ratio of ).

Category A[edit]

Category A games were defined in preparation for the planned "Super Casinos". Despite a lengthy bidding process with Manchester being chosen as the single planned location, the development was cancelled soon after Gordon Brown became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. As a result, there are no lawful Category A games in the U.K.

Category B[edit]

Category B games are divided into subcategories. The differences between B1, B3 and B4 games are mainly the stake and prizes as defined in the above table. Category B2 games &#; Fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) &#; have quite different stake and prize rules: FOBTs are mainly found in licensed betting shops, or bookmakers, usually in the form of electronic roulette.

The games are based on a random number generator; thus each game's probability of getting the jackpot is independent of any other game: probabilities are all equal. If a pseudorandom number generator is used instead of a truly random one, probabilities are not independent since each number is determined at least in part by the one generated before it.

Category C[edit]

Category C games are often referred to as fruit machines, one-armed bandits and AWP (amusement with prize). Fruit machines are commonly found in pubs, clubs, and arcades. Machines commonly have three but can be found with four or five reels, each with 16–24 symbols printed around them. The reels are spun each play, from which the appearance of particular combinations of symbols result in payment of their associated winnings by the machine (or alternatively initiation of a subgame). These games often have many extra features, trails and subgames with opportunities to win money; usually more than can be won from just the payouts on the reel combinations.

Fruit machines in the U.K. almost universally have the following features, generally selected at random using a pseudorandom number generator:

• A player (known in the industry as a punter) may be given the opportunity to hold one or more reels before spinning, meaning they will not be spun but instead retain their displayed symbols yet otherwise count normally for that play. This can sometimes increase the chance of winning, especially if two or more reels are held.
• A player may also be given a number of nudges following a spin (or, in some machines, as a result in a subgame). A nudge is a step rotation of a reel chosen by the player (the machine may not allow all reels to be nudged for a particular play).
• Cheats can also be made available on the internet or through emailed newsletters to subscribers. These cheats give the player the impression of an advantage, whereas in reality the payout percentage remains exactly the same. The most widely used cheat is known as hold after a nudge and increases the chance that the player will win following an unsuccessful nudge. Machines from the early s did not advertise the concept of hold after a nudge when this feature was first introduced, it became so well known amongst players and widespread amongst new machine releases that it is now well-advertised on the machine during play. This is characterized by messages on the display such as DON'T HOLD ANY or LET 'EM SPIN and is a designed feature of the machine, not a cheat at all. Holding the same pair three times on three consecutive spins also gives a guaranteed win on most machines that offer holds.

It is known for machines to pay out multiple jackpots, one after the other (this is known as a "repeat") but each jackpot requires a new game to be played so as not to violate the law about the maximum payout on a single play. Typically this involves the player only pressing the Start button at the "repeat" prompt, for which a single credit is taken, regardless of whether this causes the reels to spin or not. Machines are also known to intentionally set aside money, which is later awarded in a series of wins, known as a "streak". The minimum payout percentage is 70%, with pubs often setting the payout at around 78%.

Japan[edit]

Further information: Pachinko

Japanese slot machines, known as pachisuro (パチスロ) or pachislot from the words "pachinko" and "slot machine", are a descendant of the traditional Japanese pachinko game. Slot machines are a fairly new phenomenon and they can be found mostly in pachinko parlors and the adult sections of amusement arcades, known as game centers.

The machines are regulated with integrated circuits, and have six different levels changing the odds of a The levels provide a rough outcome of between 90% to % (% for skilled players). Japanese slot machines are "beatable". Parlor operators naturally set most machines to simply collect money, but intentionally place a few paying machines on the floor so that there will be at least someone winning,^{[citation needed]} encouraging players on the losing machines to keep gambling, using the psychology of the gambler's fallacy.

Despite the many varieties of pachislot machines, there are certain rules and regulations put forward by the Security Electronics and Communication Technology Association (保安電子通信技術協会), an affiliate of the National Police Agency. For example, there must be three reels. All reels must be accompanied by buttons which allow players to manually stop them, reels may not spin faster than 80 RPM, and reels must stop within seconds of a button press. In practice, this means that machines cannot let reels slip more than 4 symbols. Other rules include a 15 coin payout cap, a 50 credit cap on machines, a 3 coin maximum bet, and other such regulations.^{[citation needed]}

Although a 15 coin payout may seem quite low, regulations allow "Big Bonus" (c. – coins) and "Regular Bonus" modes (c. coins) where these 15 coin payouts occur nearly continuously until the bonus mode is finished. While the machine is in bonus mode, the player is entertained with special winning scenes on the LCD display, and energizing music is heard, payout after payout.

Three other unique features of Pachisuro machines are "stock", "renchan", and tenjō (天井). On many machines, when enough money to afford a bonus is taken in, the bonus is not immediately awarded. Typically the game merely stops making the reels slip off the bonus symbols for a few games. If the player fails to hit the bonus during these "standby games", it is added to the "stock" for later collection. Many current games, after finishing a bonus round, set the probability to release additional stock (gained from earlier players failing to get a bonus last time the machine stopped making the reels slip for a bit) very high for the first few games. As a result, a lucky player may get to play several bonus rounds in a row (a "renchan"), making payouts of 5, or even 10, coins possible. The lure of "stock" waiting in the machine, and the possibility of "renchan" tease the gambler to keep feeding the machine. To tease them further, there is a tenjō (ceiling), a maximum limit on the number of games between "stock" release. For example, if the tenjō is 1,, and the number of games played since the last bonus is 1,, the player is guaranteed to release a bonus within just 10 games.

Because of the "stock", "renchan", and tenjō systems, it is possible to make money by simply playing machines on which someone has just lost a huge amount of money. This is called being a "hyena". They are easy to recognize, roaming the aisles for a "kamo" ("sucker" in English) to leave his machine.

In short, the regulations allowing "stock", "renchan", and tenjō transformed the pachisuro from a low-stakes form of entertainment just a few years back to hardcore gambling. Many people may be gambling more than they can afford, and the big payouts also lure unsavory "hyena" types into the gambling halls.

To address these social issues, a new regulation (Version ) was adopted in which caps the maximum amount of "stock" a machine can hold to around 2,–3, coins' worth of bonus games. Moreover, all pachisuro machines must be re-evaluated for regulation compliance every three years. Version came out in , so that means all those machines with the up to 10, coin payouts will be removed from service by

Jackpot disputes[edit]

Electronic slot machines can malfunction. When the displayed amount is smaller than the one it is supposed to be, the error usually goes unnoticed. When it happens the other way, disputes are likely.^[45] Below are some notable arguments caused by the owners of the machines saying that the displayed amounts were far larger than the ones patrons should get.

United States of America[edit]

Two such cases occurred in casinos in Colorado in , where software errors led to indicated jackpots of $11 million and $42 million.^{[citation needed]} Analysis of machine records by the state Gaming Commission revealed faults, with the true jackpot being substantially smaller.^[46] State gaming laws did not require a casino to honour payouts in that case.

Vietnam[edit]

On October 25, , while a Vietnamese American man, Ly Sam, was playing a slot machine in the Palazzo Club at the Sheraton Saigon Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, it displayed that he had hit a jackpot of US$55,,^[47] The casino refused to pay, saying it was a machine error, Mr Ly sued the casino.^[48] On January 7, , the District 1 People's Court in Ho Chi Minh City decided that the casino had to pay the amount Mr Ly claimed in full, not trusting the error report from an inspection company hired by the casino.^[49] Both sides appealed thereafter, and Mr Ly asked for interest while the casino refused to pay him.^[50] In January, , the news reported that the case had been settled out of court, and Mr Ly had received an undisclosed sum.^[51]

Problem gambling and slot machines[edit]

Mills Novelty Co. Horse Head Bonus antique slot machine

Natasha Dow Schüll, associate professor in New York University's Department of Media, Culture and Communication, uses the term "machine zone" to describe the state of immersion that users of slot machines experience when gambling, where they lose a sense of time, space, bodily awareness, and monetary value.^[52]

Mike Dixon, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Waterloo,^[53] studies the relationship between slot players and machines. In one of Dixon's studies, players were observed experiencing heightened arousal from the sensory stimulus coming from the machines. They "sought to show that these 'losses disguised as wins' (LDWs) would be as arousing as wins, and more arousing than regular losses."^[54]

Psychologists Robert Breen and Marc Zimmerman^[55][56] found that players of video slot machines reach a debilitating level of involvement with gambling three times as rapidly as those who play traditional casino games, even if they have engaged in other forms of gambling without problems.

Eye-tracking research in local bookkeepers' offices in the UK suggested that, in slots games, the reels dominated players' visual attention, and that problem gamblers looked more frequently at amount-won messages than did those without gambling problems.^[57]

The 60 Minutes report "Slot Machines: The Big Gamble"^[58] focused on the link between slot machines and gambling addiction.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• Brisman, Andrew. The American Mensa Guide to Casino Gambling: Winning Ways (Stirling, ) ISBN&#;X
• Grochowski, John. The Slot Machine Answer Book: How They Work, How They've Changed, and How to Overcome the House Advantage (Bonus Books, ) ISBN&#;
• Legato, Frank. How to Win Millions Playing Slot Machines! Or Lose Trying (Bonus Books, ) ISBN&#;

External links[edit]

Posted on Oct 27,

How many times have you stepped in a casino and dreamt of walking out a millionaire?  How often do you login to your online casino account with high hopes?  Everyone plays to win and hopefully win big.  Players win every day in casinos, but truly big wins are far in between. 

Some players are truly lucky, turning a few bucks into millions.  There are also the winners who create their luck by throwing money at the house, hoping lady luck will reward their efforts. Whichever route they arrive at these jaw-dropping millions, the taste hitting the jackpot is just as sweet. Here are people who have been lucky to have the dream of millions turn into hard cash (both land-based and online casinos);

#1 Archie Karas – $50 to $50million to $0

The poker table is full of strange tales.  Archie Karas’ was a gifted Greek immigrant who made a name as a genius poker player. He relocated to Las Vegas with $50 in his pocket. Archie quickly made a fortune at the poker tables, which allowed him to place increasingly larger wagers.  He beat poker greats such as Stu Ungar. 

Archie Karas set a record with a streak of good luck that was nicknamed ‘the run’ in Las Vegas. He won a cumulative fortune of $40 million at poker tables in 30 months. It took only three weeks to blow it away.

#2 Anonymous ‘Peter’- $38 million

Big wins in online casinos are becoming more frequent. One of the earlier stories of fortune was of a Norwegian ( who was later known as only Peter) hit the jackpot big online.  Peter tried his luck in progressive jackpots. In one lucky morning, Peter hit the jackpot for million Norwegian Krone ($38 million). It is not surprising since online casinos routinely offer very big jackpots. Head over to this online casino comparison site to find the more rewarding casinos.

#3 Kerry Packer &#; $30 million 

It was more like $40 million, much of it in MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas. But Kerry Packer staked so much money and blew away so much of his winnings that it was hard to keep track of the money. He was a billionaire to start with, which allowed him to throw the money at the machine without worry.  Kerry’s notorious nickname was the ‘Prince of Whales.’   He was generous enough to give $1 million in tips.  

#4 Elmer Sherwin &#; $25 million 

For Elmer Sherwin, lightning strikes twice. He walked into the Mirage Las Vegas a few hours after it opened and hit the jackpot for $ million. Sixteen years after this win, he walked back to the same casino hoping to strike it big again.  Lady luck smiled at him again, he hit an even bigger jackpot, taking home $21 million.  

#5 Young Engineer &#; $ million 

Hitting the jackpot at the slots is very rare, but for one year-old, it happened in a big fashion.  The player (he identified only as ‘young engineer’) walked to a slot machine in the Excalibur, Las Vegas and put in coins to the $ mark. The slot machine rewarded him with an amazing jackpot of $39, He opted to split his wins into $ million per year.

#6 John Tippin &#; $12 million 

Tipping was a Post office worker until he walked into the Gold Coast Casino in Las Vegas.  He hit a Megabucks jackpot worth $12 million. Sadly, he lost it all to a life of hedonism. 

#7 Amy Nishimura &#; $ Million 

Is it possible to sweet talk a slot machine into rewarding you with huge winnings? It is what Amy Nishimura did when playing the slots in the Fremont Las Vegas.  She played for three straight hours, all the while talking to the machine. The machine answered her prayer with $ million in winnings from a $ stake. 

#8 Mike Ashley &#; £ million/ $ Million 

Mike Ashley was the billionaire owner of Newcastle United football team when he hit this big win (perhaps peanuts to him).  He has walked into the Fifty London casino not expecting to play roulettes for more than 15 minutes. At the end of that quarter-hour, he was $ million richer. 

#9 Beverly Whitten &#; $ Million

This retired teacher found luck in Mountaineer Casino and Resort in She has walked into the casino to play slots. The slot machine she played at was aptly named ‘Golden Chambers.’ At the end of 2 hours of playing, she was $3,, richer. She also opted to split the winnings into monthly instalments.

Many other stories of good fortune happen in casinos.   Who knows?  Your next game could become a popular story of luck.

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A casino’s allure is unmistakable.

There is so much to be excited about when you enter the doors and hear the sound of the slot machines, and all of the voices and energy around the tables. While you might feel inspired as you walk in the door, or log in online to play darmowe spiny, it’s always helpful to get some tips on how to win.

In this post, we will explore some of the biggest casino wins of all time to help inspire you on your gaming journey. As you can imagine, many of these wins took place along the famous gambling strip in Las Vegas, but some also occurred in cities like London, and European casino hotspots like Monte Carlo.

1. MGM Grand, Las Vegas: $ $40 million

One night, famous Australian billionaire Kerry Packer decided to try his hand at some blackjack and baccarat just for fun, and to find out what these games were like. Well, as the story goes, he won between $20 and $40 million. In fact, he won so much during the evening that the exact figure is unknown! 

Packer reportedly became very generous on this occasion after becoming the biggest winner, as he gave large tips to the staff on duty that evening. However, it is said that packer also went on to lose millions of dollars at another casino later on in his gambling career. 

2. CAESAR, BORGATA AND TROPICANA CASINOS, ATLANTIC CITY: $15 MILLION

Gambling fans who frequently visit the lowest wagering requirements casino platforms, know that with the right planning and strategy, the possibility of winning rises. However, even the most enthusiastic among those players don’t expect to win huge prizes over the course of three months. Unless they are Don Johnson.

Heading out to the most famous gambling strip on the East Coast, Don Johnson won about $15 million at three Atlantic City casinos over the course of a few months. In fact, he was so good at winning that he earned the nickname “The Killer of Atlantic City”, as due to his winning streak, he was obviously not that popular with casino management.

Some claim that Johnson was using dubious means to win but he denies it. His tips for winning include the fact that you should always have a thorough understanding of strategy, especially when it comes to blackjack, and that you should adopt an easy-going attitude when it comes to winning and losing.

3. Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort, Chester, WV: $ million

West Virginia might not be the most talked about gambling spot, but it’s well known for hosting another one of the biggest wins in casino history. 

In , retired teacher Beverly Whitten decided to play a slot machine called Golden Chambers for two hours and ended up winning the jackpot of $ million.

She was reportedly so overwhelmed by the sum of money that she asked the casino to pay her out the money in monthly instalments of $1,

4. Fifty Casino, London: $ million

London might not have the most widespread gambling reputation, but as one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, and with a robust economy, it isn’t surprising that one of the biggest casino wins took place there in

The win was made by Mike Ashley, the billionaire owner of the Newcastle Football Club. One night at a casino called Fifty, he decided to just spend a quick 15 minutes playing roulette, and ended up taking home $ million!

Interestingly, Ashley was very specific about his bet, and made it very well known at the time that he was going to bet on the number 17, and only that number. Given the odds of winning so much on a single number bet, it’s clear that luck was on his side. 

5. Monte Carlo, Monaco: 1 Million Francs

Along the well known Monte Carlo strip, which is a hub of casino activity in Europe, a man called Charles Wells is well known for “breaking the bank”.

After reportedly playing roulette for many years, he took out a loan from the bank in , and went on to play eleven hours of roulette, breaking the bank not only once, but 12 times!

In fact, he was on such a winning streak that the casino did not have enough chips to continue with the game, and he ended up taking home 1 million francs. 

Final thoughts on the biggest casino wins of all time

As you can see from the article above, it is possible to win big, no matter what casino you play at. In fact, it is very interesting to hear the stories, and it shows how luck can be on someone’s side, even when they least expect it. 

If you want to try your own luck, there are loads of crypto casinos available online on this site  where you can sign up and play. Most of these sites will give you a casino bonus if you make a first deposit which you can use to play the slots and games to try and win. You can browse and select a first deposit bonus casino to get started.

A Monmouth County woman's life has changed and all it took was a lucky spin on a Wheel of Fortune slot machine in Atlantic City.

Listen to Matt Ryan weekday afternoons on The Point and download our free The Point app.

Have you ever been to Atlantic City and looked at the sea of slots with jackpots swelling to hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions, and thought "does anybody ever win that money?"

You may hear people claim they have a "strategy" on how to hit it big on the slots.

Congratulations to Monmouth County's own Donna who won a whopping $1,, playing a Wheel of Fortune slot at Resorts in Atlantic City.

I'm more of a blackjack guy, but when I play slots I always go for Wheel of Fortune and hope to get a "spin." I won $1, on a machine a while ago at Borgata.

Can you imagine the rush Donna must have felt when all of the stars aligned and the bells and lights started going crazy?

It's awesome to see someone actually win big. It's even better when it's someone from right here in the area.

Feeling lucky? Check out Where NJ&#;s biggest winning lottery tickets were sold

1. $21 million and $ million dollars

It’s hard to fathom winning millions of dollars in a Las Vegas slot machine, but one man found himself in that position twice. Elmer Sherwin, a World War II vet was 76 when he won a $ million dollar Megabucks jackpot, a mere 10 hours after The Mirage opened to the public. He used the money to travel the world. Even with the big win, Sherwin continued to play the slots once or twice a week in hopes of being the first, second-time winner. Sixteen years later, he won 21 million dollars in the same jackpot. This time around, he gave a lot of his money to charity, including the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

2. $ million

year-old Amy Nishimura won her jackpot while on vacation from her home in Hawaii. Every time she visited Vegas, Nishimura played the same machine—her machine—at the Freemont Hotel, which she is said to have talked to in order to give her luck. She played for 3 hours with less than dollars before her big win of nearly 9 million dollars. Just goes to show that a little bit of tenacity goes a long way.

3. $ million

At the Excalibur Casino, an unknown year-old man from Los Angeles came to pass the time while waiting for a basketball game. He left with one of the biggest Vegas payouts of all-time, worth more than $39 million dollars! Not a bad way to pass the time. The anonymous man decided to take a $ million dollar a year payout for the next 25 years.

4. Between $20 million and $40 million

Not every slot player comes to Vegas with the hopes of becoming a millionaire. For Kerry Packer, an Australian billionaire, the trip was one of many high roller adventures. During the trip, Packer won somewhere between $20 and 40 million dollars in blackjack and baccarat. Rumor has it he tipped his doorman a cool million. Unfortunately for Packer, his luck would run out two years later when he lost $28 million in a London casino. Some people just don’t know when to quit when they're ahead.

5. $, and $27+ million

In the Palace Station Hotel, a some-odd-year-old woman won $, on The Wheel of Fortune machine. Instead of going out to spend that impressive chunk of change, the woman continued to play the Vegas machines. A few months later, she won more than $27 million in the Megabucks jackpot. I guess the lesson here is to never settle?

6. $11 million

In , postal worker John Tippin went on vacation to Vegas and hit the Megabucks. In , he published a book about the after effects of his trip. I Did It! My Life After Megabucks describes the downside to becoming a multimillionaire, including the isolation and paranoia he felt. Poor guy. Feel sorry for him?

Footage has emerged 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine a businessman winning £million on a lucky slot machine streak.

Former Ocean Finance owner Paul Newey is seen hitting jackpots while playing on eye-watering $5,a-spin machines in Las Vegas.

His four-time winning streak sees him pocket $million (£million) and is believed to have been filmed in the 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine city's upmarket Aria Casino resort.

Paul Newey grins at the camera after showing off his staggering $1million win on the slots

The footage was uploaded to YouTube in December but has recently rocketed in popularity with more than 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine views.

It begins with Mr Newey pointing at his slot machine which displays a $1million jackpot.

He grins and says Funky Spin Slots Machine 'Three sevens. One million. Lovely.'

The clip then cuts to Mr Newey playing another slot machine at am. He collects another $, before saying: 'Lovely jubbly.'

His winnings are believed to have been filmed in Las Vegas's upmarket Ariana Casino resort

Filming is generally banned in Las Vegas casinos - although some venues do not mind people showing off big winnings.

Paul Newey founded Tamworth-based debt consolidation business Ocean Finance in before selling it for £million in

He is an avid poker player and often plays on television. 

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A Monmouth County woman's life has changed and all it took was a lucky spin on a Wheel of Fortune slot machine in Atlantic City.

Listen to Matt Ryan weekday afternoons on The Point and download our free The Point app.

Have you ever been to Atlantic City and looked at the sea of slots with jackpots swelling to hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions, and thought "does anybody ever win that money?"

You may hear people claim they have a "strategy" on how to hit it big on the slots.

Congratulations to Monmouth County's own Donna who won a whopping $1, playing a Wheel of Fortune slot at Resorts in Atlantic City.

I'm more of a blackjack guy, but when I play slots I always go for Wheel of Fortune and hope to get a "spin." I won $1, on a machine a while ago at Borgata.

Can you imagine the rush Donna must have felt when all of the stars aligned and the bells and lights started going crazy?

It's awesome to see someone actually win big. It's even better when it's someone from right here in the area.

Feeling lucky? Check out Where NJ&#;s biggest winning lottery tickets were sold

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Slots will always be the most popular games in a casino. We enjoy them for their simplicity and entertainment value, and who doesn't like it when the reels fall in place, and we get a good win? But for some lucky players, those wins are huge, life-changing figures. And all from the spin of a slot machine.

If you think it's unlikely anyone will win hundreds of thousands on a slot, think again. People win millions. Sometimes many tens of millions. Here, we give you the top 10 slot machine jackpots of all time. Maybe you'll be next big winner while playing one of TwinSpires Casino's cool slots.

1. $ million on a cell phone

This lucky winner, known only as D.P., 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, was playing on the Zodiac Casino on her Android smartphone when she hit a massive $ million jackpot on the Mega Moolah slot game. It remains the largest ever slot win on a mobile device.

2, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine. $ million at Fremont in Las Vegas

Fremont in Downtown Las Vegas has awarded many jackpots to gamblers down the years. But this player, known only as Rodolfo T, won $ million on Megabucks in August Rodolfo had made a max $3 bet on the slot, one of the Nevada Megabucks slots networked together to build jackpots quickly.

3. $ million, Aria Resort, Las Vegas

This lucky player was in Vegas to celebrate her niece's birthday. But it was she who got the biggest present possible, a massive jackpot win on the Megabucks series slot machine in the Aria Resort. She had been out partying when she decided to spend $6 (yes, you read that right, just $6) on a random slot machine. And promptly won $ million.

4. $ million on Mega Moolah

Microgaming's Mega Moolah progressive jackpot slot is wildly popular, with the jackpot regularly running into millions. But this one time, the jackpot kept growing and growing some more. Then along came a British soldier named Jon Heywood, who bet just a quarter to land the 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine prize. It certainly was life-changing in more than one way because Jon used some of his winnings on medical treatment for his father.

5. $20 million in Roman coins

Ina mystery player won a cool $20 million after betting just $10 on Megabucks in Caesar's Palace, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, Las Vegas.

6, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine. $21 million for World War II veteran

They say lightning doesn't strike twice. But that's not strictly true. WWII veteran Elmer Sherwin won $ million playing on Megabucks when he was a 'young' 80 years old. Incredibly, 12 years later, he went back to the same casino and played Megabucks again, this time bagging the huge $21, jackpot. Thankfully, Elmer not only had a strong heart to cope with the shock, but also a big 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, because he gave a large chunk of his jackpot win to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

7. $24 million heads to Finland

An anonymous year-old Swedish poker player bagged $24 million playing Mega Fortune – perhaps the most appropriate slot game name in history. Like some of our other big winners, he only wagered a small amount, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, 25 cents in this case, at an online casino to win the multi-million-dollar fortune.

8. $ million sky-high win

A player at the Palace Station resort in Las Vegas scooped a huge win on Megabucks. All we know is that this was back inand the gambler was a retired flight attendant. Have her feet touched the ground since we wonder?

9. $ million – cocktails!

Cocktail waitress Cynthia Jay Brennan popped into the Desert Inn casino in Las Vegas after a work shift back in An hour later, she walked out nearly $35 million richer. Tragically, she was seriously injured in a car wreck just a few weeks later. Now wheelchair-bound, she is generous in her donations to the Free Wheelchair Mission and campaigns against drink driving.

$ million magic at Excalibur

Yet again, the Megabucks slot came up trumps for a player in Las Vegas. This time a young software engineer was trying his luck at the city's Excalibur Casino back in when the extraordinary jackpot hit. He reckoned he had gambled $ before hitting his dream win, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, the largest ever slots jackpot. The prize was so large that he agreed to the money being paid out in 25 annual installments – so he still has a couple of years to go.

Give Our Slots a Spin

Are you inspired to try for a fortune on the slots? Sign up with TwinSpires Casino today, claim your generous welcome bonus, and take our slot games for a spin.

Slot machines are games with odds based in math, just like all other casino games. But few players understand just how those odds work, and whether they can do anything to improve their odds.

The objective of this chapter is to introduce you to how slot machine odds work and what that means to your chance to win at slots.

HERE ARE A FEW BASICS:

• Slots machine results are as random as humans can program a computer to be.
• Odds of the game are set so the house will have an edge
• Except in rare cases, slot machines are not games of strategy

Casino games make money for the house by paying less than the true odds of winning the bet. On table games, that can be relatively simple. At double zero roulette, for example with numbers 1 through 36 plus 0 and 00, the true Roulette odds against any specific number arebut the house pays single-number winners only

HOW MANY POSSIBLE OUTCOMES?

Slot machine odds work in a similar fashion to the roulette example, except there are many more possibilities on the slots. There are thousands, and sometimes millions, of reel combinations. There also is an open field for game designers to assign how much each winning combination pays. The number of winning combinations and the payoffs per winner work together to determine a game’s odds.

The sheer number of possibilities makes the math that goes into slot machine odds more complicated than on table games.

• On early three-reel slots with 10 symbols per reel, there were 1, possible combinations (10 x 10 x 10).
• If blank spaces between lines are used as stops, the number of combinations increases to 20x20x20, or 8,
• With bigger reels holding 20 symbols and 20 spaces, combinations increase to 40x40x40, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, or 64,

The change to virtual reels enabled programmers to make the reels to behave as if they had any number of stops. With stops on each of three reels, there are 1 million combinations. The Megabucks three-reel slot that paid the world record jackpot of more than $39 million has about 50 million combinations. Most modern video slots have five video reels can be as long as the gamemaker needs them to be. With symbols on each of five reels, there are 10 billion combinations.

A SIMPLIFIED SLOT

To see how slots pay less than true odds to give the house an edge, let’s set up an example that’s as streamlined as slot odds can get, a game of the type used in the early decades after Charles Fey invented the three-reel slot machine in A hypothetical three-reel slot game with one 7, two bars, three cherries and four watermelons per reel would have 1, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine combinations and return percent to players with this pay table.

 

IN OUR SAMPLE GAME:

• Each of three reels has 10 symbols. Each reel has one 7 – that’s the top jackpot symbol.
• Each reel also has two bars, three cherries and four watermelons.
• There are 1, possible three-reel combinations – 10 symbols times 10 symbols times 10 symbols.
• Only one combination – or 1 x 1 x 1 – will be three 7s.
• Eight combinations will be three bars, 27 will be three cherries and 64 will be three watermelons.
• of the 1, combinations mix different symbols.

If the game paid at true odds, then the payoffs would be set up so that each 1, coins wagered would bring 1, coins in payoffs. One way to do that banque casino numero be to have payoffs of coins on three 7s, 30 on three bars, 10 on three cherries and 5 on three watermelons. But the casino must have an edge, or it couldn’t pay the bills and offer the game. So instead it pays on three 7s, 25 on three bars, 8 on three cherries and 4 on three watermelons. Multiplied by the frequency of wins, those payoffs total coins. By paying less than the true odds of the game, the machine has a payback percentage of percent, or a little less than today’s 1- cent games.

SLOTS TODAY

Modern slot machine or online slots odds work in much 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine same way, except that the math is more complex for several reasons:

• Random number generators work from much larger number sets, leading to exponentially greater possibilities.
• Many more than four reel symbols are actually used.
• Most modern slots have more paylines than the one line in the sample slot above.
• Game programmers have to account for the effect of bonus events.

SLOTS EXAMPLES AND EXPLANATIONS

In the classic WMS Gaming video slot Super Jackpot Party, there are eight reel symbols that form winning combinations, plus the noisemaker and party guy symbols that launch a bonus event. All of the symbols need to be assigned sets of random numbers, and payoff values assigned to three- four- and five of a kind winners. That makes calculations much more complex than in our example game above.

The number of paylines also complicates the math. Even if there’s only one jackpot symbol 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine each reel, a line game means there are 30 chances to line up those symbols in a winning 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, instead of just one. So it goes for every possible combination – programmers have to account 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine each combination 30 times.

As for bonus events, nearly all modern slot 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine have events in which regular play stops, and with no further wagers, you get a spin 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine a bonus wheel, a pick’em event, free spins or some other extra. Bonus event payoffs have to be included in the calculation of the game’s overall return.

 

 

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

We can’t see the random numbers being generated, and it’s those numbers that really determine whether we win. In fact, there’s a list of things we can and can’t see that are important to our chance of winning.

• We can’t see the odds of the game.
• We can’t tell if one machine is higher paying than another.
• We can see a machine’s pay table, and that gives us a clue to volatility.
• We can see what kinds of bonuses are offered, and that also is a volatility clue.

Casinos don’t post payback percentages on individual games, and there’s no way for a player to calculate the odds since all the random number details are regarded as proprietary and not revealed. Even on different machines with the same game, we don’t know if the paybacks are the same. Game manufacturers make several versions of the same game available to casino operators, and each version has its own payback percentage. Two machines can look identical, but have different payback percentages.

 

However, a machine with a large top jackpot gives back less on smaller wins than a game with a smaller top prize, and that means the big jackpot games usually are more volatile. That’s not always the case – the big jackpot can be rare enough that the game still has a normal percentage of lower payoffs, but it’s a starting point.

In addition, games with free 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine bonuses are more volatile than games with pick’em bonuses. Volatility matters in choosing what you want out of a game. Are you the type of Mega Joker Slot who wants to maximize chances at a really big win and are willing to accept that fast, bankroll-eating losses are part o f the game? Then you want a high-volatility game.

Would you rather have a game that gives frequent small wins and extends your playing time, but rarely pays big? Then you want a low-volatility game. But regardless of whether the game you choose has high volatility, low volatility or something in between, you can be sure the house has taken an edge with payouts that are less than the true odds of winning your bet.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Casinos have an edge on slot machines because winners are paid less than true odds.
• Slot odds are mathematically complex because of the number of possible outcomes and the different paybacks per winner.
• You can’t look at a slot game and tell the odds. In fact, two identical-looking games can have different odds.
• Looking at a machine can give you a clue as it its volatility, and that can help in choosing a game.

When a casino buys a slot machine from a manufacturer, it can choose from a variety of targeted payback percentages. The manufacturer might make the same game available in, and percent versions, and it’s up to the operator to choose which works best in game mix and for its competitive position.

That the games have targeted payback percentages in their programming leads to misconceptions from players. A common theme in my email over the last 20 years has been, “How can games be both programmed and random? The programming must keep them on track for the percentage.”

The short answer is that slots are programmed for a target percentage in the same way table games are: Odds of the game are set so they will naturally lead to an expected payback percentage.

A TABLE ANALOGY

Let’s use roulette as an example, because the math is uncomplicated.

• A double-zero roulette wheel has 38 numbers – 0, 00 and 1 through
• The odds against any specific number coming up on any spin are
• The casino pays only on any winning single number.
• The two-unit difference between odds and payoffs is kept by the house.
• Divide that two-unit difference by 38 possibilities and you getfor a percent house edge.

In that way, roulette is “programmed” so that in the course of thousands of wagers, the house will keep percent. Results can be random. The same number can turn up three or four or five times in a row. But over time, the odds of the game lead to that percent-edge.

 

SLOT “WHEELS”

What if instead of reels with symbols and results driven by a random number generator, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, we set up a slot-like game with slot-like payoffs by using a series of roulette-like wheels?

• Let’s say we line up three roulette-type wheels, each marked into segments.
• We mark each segment with a slot symbol. Each wheel gets one 7, five bars, 10 cherries and so on.
• We have a dealer spin and drop a ball on each wheel.
• The total number of three-wheel combinations is xx, or 1 million.

 

That’s the same number of possible combinations you’d get on a slot machine if the random number generator was working with sets numbers for each reel.

From there, it’s easy to calculate the number of possible combinations that have the ball 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine in the same symbol on each wheel. For the 7, since there is only one on each wheel, it’s 1x1x1 – there is only one three-7s combination. For bars, it’s 5x5x5, or out of the million total combinations. For cherries, it’s 10x10x10, or 1, three-cherry combos.

Note that we’re not using computer software here. We’re using physical equipment, but it’s giving us the equivalent of “programmed” combinations and odds. That’s just how the odds work on modernized computerized slot machines. They don’t force a game to pay an exact percentage, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, they just let the normal odds of the game drive long-term results to an expected percentage, the same way table games do.

PROGRAMMED VS. RANDOM, FAQ

The notion that slots are both programmed and random can be difficult to fathom. Confusion over slot programming has jammed my email box for years. Here are some of the questions readers Santas Wild Ride slot free demo game most often.

A. “Random results” is not the same as saying “equal results.” A game doesn’t have to be programmed so that a jackpot symbol shows up as often as a blank space, or a bonus symbol as often as a cherry.

The odds of the game are set so that blank spaces will show up more often than 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine symbols and small winners will show up more often than big winners. On three-reel slots, that will lead to there being more losing spins than winners, and on five-reel video games it will lead to more “wins” for amounts less than the size of your bet than bigger winners. The programmer sets the odds of the game, and then lets random chance take its course.

A. Streaks are a normal part of the 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine of the game. Let’s take a three-reel game with a 12% hit frequency -- you’ll have a winner an average of once per spins. On your first spin, there’s an 88% chance it’ll be a loser. There’s a 77% chance you’ll lose two in a row, 68% chance you’ll lose three in a row, and so on.

At 20 in a row, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, there’s still a % chance of every spin being a loser. That’s easily within normal probability. Anyone playing a machine with a 12% hit frequency for very long will have streaks of 20 or more losses.

A. Your choices do make a difference in pick’em-style bonus events, but not in any way you can predict or control. The programmer knows that over a very long time, the bonus even will yield an average payback.

Let's make up a simple slots bonus event, in which you pick one of three symbols to reveal a bonus award. If you touch one symbol, you get 25 credits, if you touch a different one, you get 50, and if you touch the other you get You don’t know which symbol hides each award, so your results 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine random. However, over a very long time, you’ll get each award about a third of the time, so will average 50 credits.

The programmer can build that average into calculations for the payback percentage. You have a random result contributing to odds that drive paybacks into a long- term average – the online casino europa as on the reel-spinning part of the slot game, and the 7 Reels Casino No Deposit Bonus Codes way table games work.

• Slot machines have targeted payback percentages built into their programming, but results are random.


• Programmed percentages on the slots work in the same way as percentages on the tables – the odds of the game lead to expected returns.


• Random results are not the same as equal results. Odds are set so big winners turn up less often than other combinations.

With some rare exceptions, Las Vegas-style slot machines with random number generators are not designed to be tests of skill. There is no strategy that can overcome the house edge.

Games are not beatable in the long run. There could be a change coming as both brick-and-mortar casinos and online operators try to reach out to the Millennial generation. The State of Nevada legalized fully skill-based electronic games inand it’s expected some games will make their way onto casino floors in In some international markets, skill already is part of the mix. Japanese pachinko parlors offer games known as pachisuro, a blend of slot game play and traditional pachinko, and skillful play may improve your results. Still, Las Vegas is the trend-setter in slot development, and its random number generator slots are designed to so the house can count on its edge. Even so, a few beatable games have made it to casino floors.

BANKED BONUSES

In the mid-to-late s there were a flurry of games where you could collect coins or symbols on a video screen until you reached a trigger point for a bonus award. Players in the know could look for machines that were already part way toward slots free bonus 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, and play only when enough of the trigger was completed to give the player an edge. Such games are rare today.

In a casino with older equipment, you still might spot such games occasionally.

Here’s how they worked:

Piggy Bankin:

This WMS Gaming three-reel slot was the banked bonus trend-setter. Piggy Bankin’ had a Dotmation screen in the top box, above the mechanical reels. Every time the reels showed three blank spaces, a coin was added to a piggy bank animated in orange dots. When the Break the Bank symbol landed on the payline, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, an animated hammer broke the bank, and the player collected the amount displayed. It was soon discovered that if you played only with enough coins in then bank, you had an edge.

Racing 7s:

Before taking a full plunge into video, IGT had its “Vision Series” with a color LCD panel in the top box. Racing 7s featured red, white Love Bugs Slots Machine blue 7s on a track, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine. Each time a corresponding 7 would land on the payline in the main game, that color 7 would move a notch closer the finish line. To get an edge, you looked for a screen with 7s already close to the finish and a bonus payout.

Fort Knox and Buccaneer Gold:

Silicon Gaming, no longer in business, offered several games with banked bonuses.

On Fort Knox, if five numbers in a digit code had already been solved through reel spins, you had an edge. Once 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine full code was solved, the vault would open for your bonus. In Buccaneer Gold, the object was to collect five daggers sticking 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine the ship’s rail. If there already were three or four daggers when you started, you had an edge.

S&H Green Stamps:

This was Bally Technologies’ entry into the banked bonus field. During play, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, you’d collect Green Stamps as they landed on the video reels. If you filled a book of 1, stamps, you’d go to a slots bonus event. The trick was to look for machines with stamps or more already in the book. At that level, the player had an edge. In casinos with all new equipment, you won’t find these games. In casinos with older equipment, it’s possible, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine. More important than the specific games is that you understand that if you ever see such a build-a-bonus, banked game, starting close to the finish improves your odds.

JACKPOT HUNTING

A number of players over the years have told me they beat the slots by looking for larger than usual progressive jackpots. It’s a method that works better on video poker where the house edge on the base game is smaller than on the slots. Slot payback percentages are low enough that even what looks like an oversized jackpot may not be enough to overcome the full house edge. Still, if you always wait to play a game until its jackpot is a certain size, you will be playing a game with a lower house edge than if you played for lesser amounts.

 

Here’s the method a jackpot-hunting player relayed to me:

• She starts by making daily rounds and charting jackpot amounts on different machines.
• Of the machines she tracks, she notes the payoff amount when someone wins the jackpot.
• Over many readings, she gets an idea of the average size of the jackpot when it hits.
• She then plays only when the jackpot reaches that average. For example, if the jackpot starts building from a $1, base and her chart of dozens of jackpots or more shows it hits at an average of about $2, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, then she starts playing the game only when the jackpot is $2, or more.

JACKPOT HUNTERS, BEWARE

If you’re going to play such games anyway, there’s no harm and some gain in delaying your play until the jackpot exceeds a targeted amount. However, profits are not guaranteed.

• Knowing the average size of the jackpot does not tell you the break-even point.
• There is no guarantee that you’ll spin casino canada the one to hit the jackpot.
• Waiting for the jackpot to be a certain size does not increase your chances of winning the jackpot.

Let’s expand on that a little. Imagine a game where the jackpot usually hits at about $ Unbeknown to you, the jackpot has to reach $5, before the game’s return reaches percent. That means even if you start playing only when the jackpot is $2, or more, you still are playing a 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine on which the house has an edge. Waiting does ensure that when you do hit the jackpot, your average payout will be higher than if you started playing at the base level.

So if you’re jackpot hunting, good luck, but be aware there are pitfalls as well as big rewards.

SKILL-BASED BONUS EVENTS

Chapter 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, BONUS EVENTS, will deal more extensively with skill-based events. For now, understand that even though fully skill-based gaming has not yet launched in Nevada, there are games with skill-based bonuses. Among those marketed in recent years are IGT’s Centipede, where you play a version of the old arcade game in your bonus event, and GTECH’s Zuma, based on the popular online game.

Though your skill makes a difference in these games, they are not Wolverine Action Stacks Slots Machine slots. Even if you’re a Centipede grand master, the house still has an edge, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine. With some variation by jurisdiction, a maximum of 4 percent of a game’s overall payout can be based on skill, and the house edge is high enough that getting the full 4 percent will not take you into profitable territory.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• As games that are not strategy-driven, most slot machines are not beatable in the long run.
• Banked bonus games offer an opportunity to get an edge, if you see that you’re already part way toward triggering a bonus.
• There might be profit opportunity in games with progressive jackpots, but there’s no certainty.
• Your skill matters in skill-based bonuses, but expertise doesn’t give you an edge on the games.

Question 1: Does the house gets an edge on slots by blocking winning combinations?

No. The house gets an edge by paying less than the true odds of winning on slots.

Question 2: On a mechanical slot with three reels and 10 symbols on each reel, how many possible three-reel combinations are there?

1, possible combinations.

Question 3: How many reel combinations are possible on modern slots with video reels or virtual reels?

Slots can be programmed with any number of slots on a virtual reel or video reel, so there can be as many reel combinations as the game designer needs.

Question 4: Do identical-looking machines always have the same payback percentages?

No, identical-looking machines don’t always have the same payback percentage. You can’t tell a game’s odds by looking from the outside.

Question 5: Do the slot payback percentages are “programmed” only in that the odds of the game are set to lead to a desired payback percentage?

Yes. Slot payback percentages are “programmed” only in that the odds of the game are set to lead to a desired payback percentage.

Question 6: Does randomness mean all symbols must turn up on an equal portion of spins?

No. Results can be random while still setting the odds so some symbols occur more often than others.

Question 7: Do long winning or losing streaks defy the odds of the games?

No. Long winning or losing streaks are part of normal probability.

Question 8: On most slots, is there an opportunity to overcome the house edge and be consistently profitable?

No, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine. Most slots do not offer an opportunity to overcome the house edge and be consistently profitable.

Question 9: What is a “banked bonus”?

A banked bonus is an event in which you collect representations of coins or symbols until you have enough to trigger a bonus event.

Question Does waiting until a progressive jackpot reaches a certain size increase your chances of winning the jackpot?

No, until a progressive jackpot reaches a certain size does not increase your chances of winning the jackpot, but it increases your average payout when you win the jackpot.

Written by John Grochowski

Posted on Oct 27,

How many times have you stepped in a casino and dreamt of walking out a millionaire?  How often do you login to your online casino account with high hopes?  Everyone plays to win and hopefully win big.  Players win every day in casinos, but truly big wins are far in between. 

Some players are truly lucky, turning a few bucks into millions.  There are also the winners who create their luck by throwing money at the house, hoping lady luck will reward their efforts. Whichever route they arrive at these jaw-dropping millions, the taste hitting the jackpot is just as sweet. Here are people who have been lucky to have the dream of millions turn into hard cash (both land-based and online casinos);

#1 Archie Karas – $50 to $50million to $0

The poker table is full of strange tales.  Archie Karas’ was a gifted Greek immigrant who made a name as a genius poker player. He relocated to Las Vegas with $50 in his pocket. Archie quickly made a fortune at the poker tables, which allowed him to place increasingly larger wagers.  He beat poker greats such as Stu Ungar. 

Archie Karas set a record with a streak of good luck that was nicknamed ‘the run’ in Las Vegas. He won a cumulative fortune of $40 million at poker tables in 30 months. It took only three weeks to blow it away.

#2 Anonymous ‘Peter’- $38 million

Big wins in online casinos are becoming more frequent. One of the earlier stories of fortune was of a Norwegian ( who was later known as only Peter) hit the jackpot big online.  Peter tried his luck in progressive jackpots. In one lucky morning, Peter hit the jackpot for million Norwegian Krone ($38 million). It is not surprising since online casinos routinely offer very big jackpots. Head over to this online casino comparison site to find the more rewarding casinos.

#3 Kerry Packer &#; $30 million 

It was 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine like $40 million, much of it in MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas. But Kerry Packer staked so much money and blew away so much of his winnings that it was hard to keep track of the money. He was a billionaire to start with, which allowed him to throw the money at the machine without worry.  Kerry’s notorious nickname was the ‘Prince of Whales.’   He was generous enough to give $1 million in tips.  

#4 Elmer Sherwin &#; $25 million 

For Elmer Sherwin, lightning strikes twice. He walked into the Mirage Las Vegas a few hours after it opened and hit the jackpot for $ million. Sixteen years after this win, he walked back to the same casino hoping to strike it big again.  Lady luck smiled at him again, he hit an even bigger jackpot, taking home $21 million.  

#5 Young Engineer &#; $ million 

Hitting the jackpot at the slots is very rare, but for one year-old, it happened in a big fashion.  The player (he identified only as ‘young engineer’) walked to a slot machine in the Excalibur, Las Vegas and put in coins to the $ mark. The slot machine rewarded him with an amazing jackpot of $39, He opted to split his wins into $ million per year.

#6 John Tippin &#; $12 million 

Tipping was a Post office worker until he walked into the Gold Coast Casino in Las Vegas.  He hit a Megabucks jackpot worth $12 million. Sadly, he lost it all to a life of hedonism. 

#7 Amy Nishimura &#; $ Million 

Is it possible to sweet talk a slot machine into rewarding you with huge winnings? It is what Amy Nishimura did when playing the slots in the Fremont Las Vegas.  She played for three straight hours, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, all the while talking to the machine. The machine answered her prayer with $ million in winnings from a $ stake. 

#8 Mike Ashley &#; £ million/ $ Million 

Mike Ashley was the billionaire owner of Newcastle United football team when he hit this big win (perhaps peanuts to him).  He has walked into the Fifty London casino not expecting to play roulettes for more than 15 minutes. At the end of that quarter-hour, he was $ million richer. 

#9 Beverly Whitten &#; $ Million

This retired teacher found luck in Mountaineer Casino and Resort in She has walked into the casino to play slots. The slot machine she played at was aptly named ‘Golden Chambers.’ At the end of 2 hours of playing, she was $3, richer. She also opted to split the winnings into monthly instalments.

Many other stories of good fortune happen in casinos.   Who knows?  Your next game could become a popular story of luck.

1. $21 million and $ million dollars

It’s hard to fathom winning millions of dollars in a Las Vegas slot machine, but one man found himself in that position twice. Elmer Sherwin, a World War II vet was 76 when he won a $ million Magic Harp Slots Machine Megabucks jackpot, a mere 10 hours after The Mirage opened to the public. He used the money to travel the world. Even with the big win, Sherwin continued to play the slots once or twice a week in hopes of being the first, second-time winner. Sixteen years later, 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine, he won 21 million dollars in the same jackpot. This time around, he gave a lot of his money to charity, including the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

2. $ million

year-old Amy Nishimura won her jackpot while on vacation from her home in Hawaii. Every time she visited Vegas, Nishimura played the same machine—her machine—at the Freemont Hotel, which she is said to have talked to in order to give her luck. She played for 3 hours with less than dollars before her big win of nearly 9 million dollars. Just goes to show that a little bit of tenacity goes a long way.

3. $ million

At the Excalibur Casino, an unknown year-old man from Los Angeles came to pass the time while waiting for a basketball game. He left with one of the biggest Vegas payouts of all-time, worth more than $39 million 5 Million Winning Streak Slots Machine Not a bad way to pass the time. The anonymous man decided to take a $ million dollar a year payout for the next 25 years.

4. Between $20 million and $40 million

Not every slot player comes to Vegas with the hopes of becoming a millionaire. For Kerry Packer, an Australian billionaire, the trip was one of many high roller adventures. During the trip, Packer won somewhere between $20 and 40 million dollars in blackjack and baccarat. Rumor has it he tipped his doorman a cool million. Unfortunately for Packer, his luck would run out two years later when he lost $28 million in a London casino. Some people just don’t know when to quit when they're ahead.

5. $, and $27+ million

In the Palace Station Hotel, a some-odd-year-old woman won $, on The Wheel of Fortune machine. Instead of going out to spend that impressive chunk of change, the woman continued to play the Vegas machines. A few months later, she won more than $27 million in the Megabucks jackpot. I guess the lesson here is to never settle?

6. $11 million

Inpostal worker John Tippin went on vacation to Vegas and hit the Megabucks. Inhe published a book about the after effects of his trip. I Did It! My Life After Megabucks describes the downside to becoming a multimillionaire, including the isolation and paranoia he felt. Poor guy. Feel sorry for him?