Slots were considered a second-echelon type of entertainment in casinos for a long time. It was nearly impossible to win big money while playing slot machines. Yet, as soon as video slots showed up, especially when the era of the Internet arrived, everything changed. Currently, the number of available slots in North America is around 767,000, and the average number of online slot machines is nearly impossible to count.
Slots have completely changed the entire casino market. Around 85% of all casino revenue comes from slot machines, and most special offers are related to slot machines. The largest slot-related tournament in the world had 3,173 players. Nowadays, no deposit bonus slots have become necessary for every online gambling platform. In this article, you will learn more about slot machines and how they impact the gambling market.
How Modern-Era Slots Work
Back in the old days, the slots were mechanical machines with only three reels and from one to three pay lines. Everything changed in 1967 when the first major video slot group was launched and installed in casinos. The average number of reels and paylines has increased. A new payout principle was introduced, and slot machines slowly started to gain more popularity.
The basic technology that has become an integral part of these slot machines is called the random number generator (RNG). It has successfully replaced the mechanical components of old-era slots, enhanced the interactivity of all games, and made them more appealing to players. The RNG creates a set of numbers that helps to produce an entirely random sequence of symbols on the screen of slot machines. As a result, players get a fair and fully random gaming experience.
RNG (but in programming form) have been transferred to the newest Internet-era slot machines. They also significantly influence the possibility of winning and partially generate data for return-to-player rates (a number that shows the percent rate of money that would be returned to the player in the long run) and volatility (the frequency of winning on each slot). Volatility might be low, medium, and high, each granting gradually increasing chances for players to receive a winning combination.
Elements of Slot Machines
For a long time, slots have had pretty much the same components. The first slots only consisted of a coin acceptor and a lever used to spin the reels, which featured a minimum number of symbols (around 5 or 7) and had from 1 to 3 pay lines. Nowadays, most elements have significantly improved and make the whole process of gambling more entertaining. Modern-era slot machines include:
- Reels
- Slot machine symbols
- Slot machine special symbols
- Main buttons
- Bonus games buttons
This element represents the most basic slot machine of the Internet era. Yet, it might be pretty uneasy to understand them if you are unfamiliar with most aspects of slot machine gambling. That’s why we created a brief description of every element.
Reels of Slot Machine
Reels are the elements of slots that display different symbols. When the player presses the start button, the reels start moving and stop when the random number generator issues the command to stop. Most modern slots have 5 to 7 reels. Depending on the number of reels, slot machines may have different paylines, often as many as a few dozen.
Slot Machine Symbols
Symbols are mainly represented by various pictures with different values. Usually, the player has to get three or more of the same symbol in a payline to win a certain amount of money. The pictures of the slot’s symbols are often closely related to the main design of the slot machine. For example, if the slot is designed in an Egyptian style, symbols were likely represented by scarabs, mummies, pyramids, etc.
Slot Machine Special Symbols
Special symbols of slot machines were first introduced in 1990, with the advent of video slots, quickly becoming one of the most desired things to see on the screen for most gamblers. There are several types of special symbols, each with its unique value and meaning. Some, for example, help to win a jackpot, while others might replace any other symbol and become a part of a winning combination. Last but not least, special symbols often help to launch a profitable minigame.
Main Buttons
The main buttons help gamblers in playing slot machine games. They usually contain a start button, which launches the reels, and buttons to pick a suitable bet. Most modern-era slot machines also have so-called “auto” buttons that help players launch reels automatically one by one until they reach a certain amount of wins or lack of money to spin further.
Bonus Games Buttons
Those buttons are explicitly designed for various mini and bonus games, which have become integral to video slots and were entirely unavailable in old-fashioned slot machines. The specific type of bonus game buttons may vary in several ways. The simplest bonus games display two buttons: red and black. They need to pick one that will bring them additional bonus money. The second one naturally disintegrates the whole whining stake of the spin.
Why Slots Have So Much Popularity Among Gamblers
Slot machines are relatively easy to use and are 100% random, which naturally grants the most fun for gamblers who seek authentic thrills. There is no need to master complex rules like in poker and blackjack, and even newbies can enjoy them as soon as they register on an online gambling platform. Slots will likely remain among the most popular online casino services for a long time.
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Conclusions
Slots are currently one of the most popular types of gambling industry. Since 1990, when the first video slot machine was released, slots have gained increasing interest among gamblers worldwide. Slot machines remain at the top of gamblers’ charts all over the globe. They are 100% random, grant an outstanding amount of pure gambling fun, and are more likely to remain on top of casinos’ charts for a long time.
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