Playing slot machines is one of the most popular forms of gambling in the world and potentially one of the most damaging. There are currently approximately more than 10,000 slot machines all over the world and recently, some big online casino companies such as NetBet announced expansion plans that could increase the number significantly.
While much of the focus on the problems of the game is on the player, it is also important to see how the games themselves contribute to the problem of the game. The high speed of the game and its characteristics that promote false beliefs, are some of the most problematic elements related to slot machines. It is good that players of the slot machines know what factors make them riskier.
The problems of the slot machines
1. Probability of winning
The probability of winning in slot machines is generally not very high. Casinos earn money because they keep a percentage of the money that players bet. The percentage with which he does not stay is that which is eventually paid to the players over time. Player pay rates are based on hundreds of thousands or millions of laps, so they do not reflect what will happen on a certain day in the casino.
Slot machines are profitable because they are programmed to pay only a percentage of the money that is wagered. Likewise, they are designed and tested to ensure that they will not lose money over time. Slot machines in Ontario are programmed to pay 85 percent or more, so the casino can keep up to 15 percent of the money wagered on the machine. Not all machines are programmed at this level, and some versions will pay up to 98 percent. But as these versions look the same, players can not know what the percentage of payment of the machine they are playing will be. While it is possible to calculate the possibility of winning or losing with other forms of gambling, in the case of machines, only machines retain the information necessary to calculate that probability.
2. Game speed
Generally the machines are played at a much higher speed than other games, so players can lose much more quickly. The game with the machines offers a continuous form of play, in which players can give between 600 and 1,200 spins per hour.
3. Reels with weights
Most players do not realize that the reels inside the machines have weights that make the symbols that pay little appear more than those that indicate that you got the fat. A casino can’t use dice with weights or stacked cards, but reels with dumbbells are common in slot machines and most players are not aware of it.
4. Unbalanced reels
Unbalanced reels are created when one reel contains fewer fat symbols than the others. This makes it more feasible for the player to see two jackpot symbols but not three. This leads to what is known as “almost win”. When the players watch the reels turn, it seems as if all the symbols have the same possibilities of appearing, but it is not like that
