Are Video Slots Rigged?

In the online gambling world, some players have unlucky days and sometimes it’s easier to blame the game. This is how one of the most common questions in the industry - “Are video slots rigged?” was born.

In this article, we will show you where this myth originates from and why online slot machines cause so much mistrust even when there is so much evidence to bust the myth.

Even if the clear answer to the question is “no” because slots use a complex mathematical algorithm that’s impossible to control and influence, this question continues to spread like wildfire ever since the invention of slots in 1899.

Back to the old slot machines 

When Charles Fay invented the first slot machine in 1899, this machine was very simple and different in terms of functionality from the modern video slots we know today. 

It was quite fascinating in its simplicity and perhaps that led to the huge popularity these casino games enjoy even today.

All you had to do was put a coin in the machine and pull a handle. A series of mechanical reels put in motion by a complex system of wheels, disks, and metal pins were put in motion to generate a random result and display a combination of symbols. If the symbols displayed were identical, the player was considered a winner.

To rig such a machine to alter the outcome and trigger those winning combinations less often, the whole machine would have to be remade with custom reel plates and pins which was extremely expensive in those days and few people would have the knowledge to do it.

To simplify the whole matter, we can say that it would have been extremely hard to make a rigged slot machine and it would be so expensive that it would not be worth it in the end. 

The Rigged Slots Myths in the Modern Days

If we have already concluded the retro one-armed bandits were very hard to rig and nobody had the finances or the knowledge to do so, how are things with slots today?

Even if the mechanics behind the functioning of a slot changed a lot, the ultimate goal, roughly remained the same. Nowadays, land-based slot machines work based on a complex system of microprocessors and computer boards to randomly generate the result which is then displayed electronically on a screen.

Online slot machines are even more complex because they represent a mathematical algorithm, a program which has a graphical interface and that’s loaded on the software provider’s server. 

You interact with the program through the graphical interface and the complex algorithm behind, called RNG (Random Number Generator) will deal with the randomization of the result. 

Unfortunately, as the technology evolved, it became cheaper and more accessible which made it possible for a slot machine to be rigged. This is where the myth originates from.

In the early days of the industry, there were few laws and very few third-party regulatory bodies to make sure that everyone “plays fair”, both players and casino operators. 

Taking advantage of the legal gaps and the little information available, there were plenty of players trying to abuse the casinos and plenty of gambling operators trying to scam the players.

However, it’s important to mention that the slot machines were not exactly rigged, not technically at least. The RNG was functioning just as it was intended to, it was just that due to the lack of laws, the software developer company or the casino operator were not displaying the actual RTP (Return to Player) and the house edge was huge. 

The game didn’t need to be rigged, since the house edge was so big that the player was clearly at a disadvantage.

We will explain more about the RNG and RTP in the next section of the article to clarify how the slight refusal to publish the RTP was influencing gameplay.

We can conclude that an old-school one-armed bandit was hard to rig and it was not worth it, however, that doesn’t solve the rigged slots myths as it was perpetrated for decades and still exists today.

This is where the rigged slot machines myth came from, however, things changed very fast in the industry once regulatory bodies started to appear. 

The market quickly entered the right track and it became almost impossible for some rogue casino operators to continue their dirty practices as it become impossible for players to abuse a certain law or condition.

As all the online casinos today need to be licensed and regulated by independent authorities which have very harsh rules and policies, the market became very safe and there is no reputable operator that would risk offering rigged games to its customers and losing them.

Understanding slots RNG, RTP, and Volatility

To completely understand why a casino operator can’t and will not rig a game we first need to understand two mechanics that are found the functioning base of a slot machine.

We’ve already mentioned that a slot machine is software - a Random Number Generator with an interface that deals with calculating the result of a spin.  Absolutely all modern slots are based on this mathematical algorithm.

When generating the result, the RNG takes into consideration a couple of predefined elements, being introduced by the software provider that created the slot. These two elements are RTP (Return to Player) and Volatility.

The volatility can be resumed basically to how risky a slot machine is. It refers to the short terms win. If a slot has high volatility, it will also have higher potential prizes but they occur less often, leaving a lot of dead periods in the middle.

Now, the RTP is the whole opposite because it represents the theoretical long-term return on investment. If the laws don’t force a casino or a software development company to display the volatility of a slot, they are forced to do so when it comes to RTP and it can be found on the software provider’s homepage.

The RTP can be seen as what you may expect to get in the long run when playing a slot, taking into calculation the house edge.

For example, you want to play Blood Suckers, a very popular slot machine that came out of the gates of NetEnt. This slot is very popular because it has one of the highest RTP’s in the industry of 98%.

If you were to play this slot for 1,000 spins, investing $1 on each spin will result in a total investment of $1,000. However, at the end of those 1000 spins, you will only get back $980 representing that return to the player, what remains, the $20 representing the 2% is the house edge and it goes to the casino.

This is how a casino operator makes a profit and even if firstly it seems unfair, remember that a casino is, in the end, a business and it needs to make a profit to be able to stay on the market.

Remember also that the RTP is purely theoretical as we are speaking about gambling. In the long run, the result could be less or could be more, depending on luck. Since slot machines are games of chance, nothing is guaranteed and that represents the potential to lose or to win.

Because of the existence of the house edge, the casino doesn’t need to rely on rigged games. It already makes a tiny profit from the thousands of customers they have, more than enough to stay in business and even pay the fair wins.

Today is very easy to find out if a gambling website has tried to scam somebody because words on the internet circulate fast. Just a quick search on a search engine will show you various reviews from other gamblers that played at the casino.

There are very few blacklisted casinos today that still try to offer games from unreliable or shady companies without displaying the RTP and those do not stay in business for long.

Online slots certifications and licenses

The best online casinos on the market will strive to partner up with all the reputable software developer companies because that gives them a reputation boost, ensuring players of a safe and unbiased gambling experience.

These software companies have their games RTPs verified and licensed by independent labs like iTech Labs or eCOGRA.

Once these authorities have verified the slot machine to ensure that all results are completely random, you can be certain that the experience you will get will be fair.

This is also why it’s important to only play at licensed and regulated online casinos and never play slots from companies that are not certified and regulated.

How to avoid rigged slots

Today, the situation in the industry is incomparably better due to the constant changes and improvements brought in the legal sector. There are plenty of regulatory bodies that verify and license casino operators and plenty of labs to check the slots provided by software developers.

Unfortunately, there are still some rogue casinos and shady companies that do try to take advantage of their players through various means by avoiding revealing certain information about the slot.

To sum it up, it’s impossible to rig a slot machine nowadays as the algorithm behind is far too complex, however, some software providers may offer games with fairly low RTPs of 82-85% when we can consider the market’s average around 95%.

Technically it’s not a scam, because the Random Number Generator works flawlessly to randomize the result just as it’s intended to. 

The only difference comes from what it has to calculate. If it has to take into consideration a house edge of 15-18% the results will automatically be much different compared to a house edge of just 5% or lower.

We can consider the rigged slots myth completely busted and it’s easy to avoid playing slots with a low RTP by following just some simple rules.

First of all, never play slots from shady software providers. If you didn’t hear of the software provider you want to enjoy games from, make a couple of diggings. The logo of the testing lab that certified the slot should appear during the loading screen.

Also, from just a couple of quick searches, you can find out if the specific developer company is licensed and regulated. 

It should be easy to find out because all the reputable titans will brag with the authorities that licensed them to show their customers that their services are of the highest quality and completely safe.