Garden Route Casino boasts with 412 slot machines, including Slots Reel, Slots Video and Slots Poker.
How Slots Machines Operate
Play on slots machines is possibly the most misunderstood form of gambling in casinos. Not only do most players misunderstand how slot machines work, so do the authors of most books on the subject.
The Return To Player Percentage (RTP%)
The Return to Player Rate Percentage is the theoratical percentage of turnover which players will be paid out from the slot machine. It is calculated by dividing the total value of wines by the total number of combinations.
Let's look at the "Simple Simon" example of slot machine RTP%.
The "Simple Simon" slot machine is a R1 machine and is a 1 coin/credits game.
The 3 reels of the machine each 10 stop positions on them with various numbers of the following symbols 7's, watermelons, oranges and blanks. The total number of combinations on this machine is 10 x 10 x 10 = 1000. This is also called the theoratical cycle of the machine.
Return to Player % (RTP%) = 900/100 x 100/1 = 90%
The "Simple Simon" statistics sheet indicates the number of times each symbol or a blank appears on each reel, which when multiplied together equal the number of hits (number times this combination could possibly come up during each theoratical cycle). The hits are multiplied by the number of pays to reach the total win per combination. The sum of these totals is the value of of the wins (900) which is divided by the total number of possible combinations (1000) and multiplied by 100 to give the theoratical RTP%, which in this example is 90%. Conversely this means that the casino theorotical hold percentage or the casino advantage for the machine would be 10%.
Although the principle remains the same most modern slots machines are more complex than the "Simple Simon" machine. For example, when a slot machine has 64 reel stops and 3 reels, the total number of combinations would be 64 x 64 x 64, therefore 262 144 possible combinations. Similarly the total number of possible winning combinations will also increase to achieve the desired theoratical RTP%. The slot machines that are available for play in the Western Cape operate totally randomly, which means that there is no sequence or order of payouts. It is therefore theoratically possible to hit a winning combination with every game played, yet this is unlikely due to the fact that there are also many non-winning combinations (blanks) available on each game type.
It is important to remember that the Return to Player Percentage is a theoratical percentage and that slots machines will perform closer to this percentage with more play. If one considers the random throw of a dice, it has a 1 in 6 chance of landing on each one of its numbers. It is possible however, that if it is thrown six times it will not land in an evenly distributed manner (i.e. once on each of its six numbers). However, if it is thrown 1 000 times, it is much more likely to land in a more evenly distributed manner.
The Random Number Generator
At the heart of a slot machine is computer chip, which runs a random number generator (RNG). This RNG is continuously cycling through numbers at a rate of thousands per second even when the machine is not being played. These numbers correspond to stop positions on the reels of the slot machine, which display winning or losing combinations of symbols. When you hit the spin button the RNG picks the combination at that given micro-second. Therefore the outcome of the game is randomly determined at the moment you hit the spin button. When the reels have stopped spinning the machine will check whether the reel stop numbers correspond to a winning or losing combination at which point it will pay out and/or end the game.
Myths regarding slot machines
Since most people don't understand the inner working of slot machines, it is understandable that many have developed their own theories based on their personal experiences. Let's take a look at a few of the most popular myths regarding slot machines and the true position:
If someone hits the jackpot at the machine you just left, you would have won that jackpot if you had continued playing.
False. If you had stayed at the machine it is highly unlikely you would have stopped the RNG at the exact nano-second to display the particular winning combination of nubmers. In the time it takes to talk with a friend the RNG has cycled through thousands of combinations.
Machines have different programmes for the different numbers of coins/credits you play and therefore you have more chance of winning a jackpot if you play one coin/credit rather than three or more coins/credits.
False. The number of credits or coins wagered per spin has no effect on the randomness of the game. The influence of the number of coins/credits wagered only comes into the calculation once a winning combination is verified and if the number of bets wagered affects the value of the payout. In many types of games, the higher the bet, the higher the payout for winning combinations will be.
Casino staff can predict when a machine is going to pay out.
False. Once again the outcome of each game is randomly determined and therefore it is impossible to know when a machine is going to pay. One of the core functions of casino staff is to interact with guests and assist them with regard to the products and services on offer, as well as attending to slot machine payouts.
Casinos can loosen or tighten slot machines at the flip of a switch.
False. Slots machines have a computer chip in them, which determines the Return to Player (RTP) Percentage. These computer chips have to comply with national norms and standards and are tested by the South African Bureau of Standards and approved by the Gambling Board. To change the RTP percentage, the computer chip needs to be exchanged. The exchange of the computer chip is strictly regulated by legislative requirements. All computer chips and RNG's have to be sealed in a "logic box" inside the slot machine. This process is recorded, strictly audited and controlled by internal, external and gambling board auditors.
The temperature of coins or the temperature of the machine will affect the way a machine pays.
False. A slot machine is not affected by temperature or the amount of coins/credits therein.
If you us your slots club card the machine will pay back less.
False. There is no link between the Random Number Generator and the card reader. The computer systems used by casinos are for the purpose of monitoring and collating information on player tracking and slot machines and cannot influence the outcome of any game. In short the system cannot transmit any instruction to the machines.
If the casino changes games it is because they are paying out too much.
False. All slot machines have a theoratical payback which is regulated by provincial gambling board guidelines. Casino management will track which games are most popular with their patrons and will make changes to satisfy the demand. They may also introduce new and more entertaining products in order to gain new patrons. In order to offer new products to patrons, the casino is required to exchange current games with new products, as the casino is only permitted to operate a limited number of slot machines.
What is a progressive jackpot and how does it work?
A typical progressive jackpot will operate in the following way:
A bank of machines will be linked by means of a monetary display above the machines which will increase as the machines are being played. When the top jackpot of the machine is hit, usually on maximum credits, the player will win the value on the display. After the win, the value on the display will return to the top award or base value of the machines and begin incrementing all over again from that base level. The rate at which the display increases is determined by the increment percentage, which is a predetermined percentage of each credit played into the machines. It is important to note that the machines are only linked by way of their contribution to the progressive amount and that jackpot wins on one machine have no influence on the potential for jackpot wins on other machines on the bank therefore machines still operate as individual units and the progressive link does not detract from this principle. There are several varieties of progressive jackpots. Some operate within a single slot machine, some have multi-level progressives and some operate with several hundred slot machines machines linked to different locations.
The increment towards a mystery jackpot works in a similar manner than a progressive jackpot. The winning value is determined by a Random Number Generator and will be selected to pay out between the pre-determined lower and upper values. No winning combination on the slot machine is therefore required and the player, whose bet reaches the randomly selected winning value, would win the mystery jackpot.
