Slot Machine Payout Percentage: What Pros Won’t Tell You

Slot Machine Payout Percentage

There are many ways to give oneself a better chance of winning at slot machines. The slot machine payout percentage is an important factor to know and understand before starting to play. This would fall under the categories of Random Number Generator and Return to Player. 

When playing slots, don’t expect the sharps to share their insight with you. Rather, do the homework and understand what the ins and outs of each machine are.

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Can Players Influence Slot Machine Payout Percentages?

Despite what many players want to believe, there is no way to impact the slot machine’s payout percentage. The RTP is a fixed number for each machine. That means over the course of time, the slot will return the percentage it is set to do. Of course, there are those who believe in the myth that one can figure a way around the RTP. This has been debunked time and again.

One of the worst patterns a player can follow is to believe that, because they came close to winning on one spin, they are ready to make a hit. The slots are programmed by Random Number Generators. Just because a machine delivers a near hit, that doesn’t mean anything on the next spin or the next 1,000 spins.

Anything can happen and usually does when it comes to a spin. Understand that the slot machines’ percentage of payout is fixed. So, one can win three spins in a row or lose 300 spins in a row. The only predictability is the unpredictability.

Do Slot Machine Payout Percentages Vary by Game Theme?

The payout percentage on slot machines can vary from machine to machine. That means the RTP will be the same, but when and how they happen are not fixed. Game themes don’t exactly determine RTP. That is based on the RNG, not anything else. Some machines are programmed to have high volatility, which means they will return bigger payouts but hit less frequently. The machines that are programmed to have low volatility will have more frequent payouts but with lower returns.

Casinos could have machines next to each other with different RTPs. However, if one does their research, they will find the across-the-board RTP for the machines with the same theme. There is no way to know or calculate when a machine or the one next to you will land on winning reels. What has to be understood is that the slot will payout the same percentage over time. Don’t be fooled into thinking a machine you are playing on will have the same return at the same pace as the one next to you. It is the long haul that determines the RTP, not the theme.

Do Progressive Jackpots Affect Slot Machine Payout Percentages?

Progressive jackpots are ones that work through multiple machines to build the prize. The key to understanding this is that the progressive jackpot will pay out its big win randomly and rarely. When one calculates slot machine payout percentage, the progressive jackpot recognizes that the RTP will sometimes be more frequent and others will be infrequent.

The only way to know what will happen is to play, and before starting to spin the reels, to find out what kind of RTP the machine has. In other words, there are some progressive jackpot slots that will pay off more frequently, due to low volatility, and others that won’t, due to high volatility. Again, the only certainty is uncertainty.

How Do Casinos Adjust Slot Machine Payout Percentages Over Time?

Casinos can adjust the slot machine payouts. This is not a simple change. The machine must be opened, and it is a tedious process. In fact, there are some places where a representative of a gambling commission has to be present for any sort of adjustment.

In Nevada, a machine must be idle for a few minutes and have no credits in the machine for a change to be made; the machine must indicate it’s gone out of service for the change, and a few minutes after as well. When machines are purchased, the casino has five or six options for how to set them. The casino understands what it wants and how it wants, so the idea that it needs to change on the fly is not common. The shop is in the business of making money and isn’t about to set a machine up to pay out ridiculous amounts.

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Kenneth Shepard

Kenneth is our passionate gaming writer, and he's still emotionally invested in the Mass Effect trilogy, even years after its epic conclusion.