The six-sided dice. Just about everyone and their dog knows what they look like and have rolled them at least once in their life. The earliest six-sided dice dates back to 3000 BC, which gives an indication as to how long humans have been gambling. Fast forward a few thousands of years to 2020 and there are now over 1.1 million slot machines to be found, with millions of people playing them worldwide. But what makes playing them fun and why are there so many repeat players?
Slot machines are undoubtedly extremely popular amongst gamblers, bringing in more revenue than blackjack tables. This is due to many reasons. Slot machines offer jackpots, and the idea of winning one large amount of money is a dream many people have. It is comparable to winning the lottery. A sum of money that will fix all of the problems in life.
Social interaction is another big reason that makes playing so fun. Many people play slots because it doesn’t require any skill, this gives players the opportunity to play passively while talking to fellow players around them. Some casinos even arrange the slot machines in circles to cater to this need, instead of the conventional rows.
That being said though more and more people are turning to play slots online. There’s a huge variety of online slots games which are becoming really immersive with different themed games. Especially in the Japanese market where you have the likes of Casino X who offer over 1,200 game modes, you can learn more about Casino X in this article by Japan 101.
The most compelling reason why they are fun to play is the fact that the returns are quite high, and the bets are quite low. The slot machines are programmed to give around a 90% payback percentage. What this means is that they are very low risk games but winning most of your money back keeps the players sitting in the chair.
There are unfortunately cons to playing slots. As already mentioned, slot machines don’t use a house edge, which is the advantage that the gambling game or casino has over you. They use payback percentage instead. This percentage is already determined before you sit down to play. Some casinos have a 94.74 payback percentage for every $10 played and some have a 96.46 payback percentage. Does this mean that you will get your money back while playing? No. For the majority of players, the money spent playing typically won't be made up in the same night. But that isn’t to say you won’t be winning anything at all. You might also want to try your luck at Lotto Malta, featuring the world's biggest lottos with amazing prizes.
One of things that makes slot machines fun is also something that makes it a danger to play. It isn’t based on skill. Slot machines use something called RNG, this means Random Number Generator. Every single time you play slots, the numbers generated are completely random and aren’t dependent on how many times you have won or lost.
The biggest con is that the machines are inconsistent. A player could sit down and win after a few rolls of reels, whereas another player could go for 20 turns and not win anything. Considering that the games are over really quickly compared to something like blackjack, this might cause a player to feel compelled to top-up and continue playing as they might feel unfulfilled.
So how does a person win at slot machines? One thing that could turn the odds in your favor is playing higher denomination slots because they have higher payback percentages. So, playing $1 slots will have a higher payback than nickels. You will also want to maximize the bets you make for bigger payouts; however, this means potentially losing money faster. This is also determined by the casino in question. As stated earlier, different casinos have different payback percentages. These percentages are usually available online or published by the casino, so it would be in your best interest to choose a casino with the highest payback percentage for the amount you will be playing.
Setting a budget when playing could help you win too because you will potentially be losing less money. Try to have a budget that will allow you to play for at least 3 hours, as well as only betting using disposable income. Following that train of thought, it’s important to think about what you will do in the event that you win money. Will you spend it all immediately by continuing to play in the pursuit of making more money? Or will you call it a night and cash in your winnings?
Don’t try to guess which machine is paying more than another, or which machine has better odds than another. These things are not obvious and having confidence based on incorrect information can lead to betting large amounts of money, only to end up losing it. Choosing the correct machine will drastically influence whether you will be going home with a smile or not. Machines with a lot of features are often more fun, but the simpler machines tend to pay out more money. Try to avoid machines with very large jackpots. These jackpots are funded by players who have lost their money playing, so it’s advisable to play slots with modest jackpots.
Many players think that warming the machine up will result in big payouts later in the evening. However, as we now know that the machines are entirely randomized, playing small and losing will not result in winning later when you start maximizing your bets. The odds of winning and losing remain the same regardless of the amount that you play. This is why choosing a machine that plays an amount you are comfortable with, and setting a budget is important.
So before playing, decide what the purpose of the visit to the casino is. Is it for fun, to make as much money as you can, or to be entertained? This will help you to make a decision as to how much money you will be spending, and it will help you to set a budget, so you don’t lose more money than you need to.
