Whenever luck decides to work against us, we may develop the feeling that the entire sequence of gambling is not as fair as it claims to be. After all, when there isn’t enough transparency for us to use a method of peeping into the mechanisms that can get us paid, we may have to start developing doubts.
It also doesn’t help that luck seems to be very sequential in its nature. Sometimes, we are seeing cases of online casino gaming going our way, with a hot hand and rolling wins, while other times, we simply cannot explain why we are losing round after round.
This is how myths regarding slots, the most popular type of game of luck, have appeared as part of the industry’s wider lore. It’s what makes people feel apprehensive about booting up their favorite games, redeeming the most attractive online casino free spins, and having fun accordingly.
This article will be your gateway toward the truth of the matter: why this mythology developed, what the main myths are, and why they aren’t true. We will do our best to provide grassroots explanations that are relevant enough to dispel the fallacious claims that have become mythical. Better explanations lead to a proper understanding of these games, which can help you make responsible decisions and gamble safely.
Why slot machines have developed an entire mythology
The issue goes back to the idea of the mechanism that underlies the online gambling industry: the rapacious desire for profit. This is the desire of online casinos, and they need to work their way around winnings. Some players win, others lose, and even casinos can have good and bad days with the revenue that they generate.
We can say that there is a non-zero sum of cases when there is rigging involved. Such cases are the exact reason why there was a rise in claims of unfairness; however, the nature of the perpetrators of such nefarious acts is different from the actual face of the industry.
Unlicensed, rogue, and clandestine online casinos have nobody to check up on their software or see the veracity of their marketing claims. As a result, they are able to attract unsuspecting players, scam them with rigged digital slots, which causes players to lose money, and share their experiences.
Some conclude that, ultimately, this is the entire state of the industry, and the propagation of these ideas leads to misconceptions that turn into myths.
In short, bad apples within the industry, acting at its fringes and without any accountability, have provided a bad reputation to a field that, in general, has a legal obligation to be fair and abide by the rules.
1. Scheduled Winning
Scheduled winning is the very definition of believing that there is rigging in the air, but, unlike the next myth that we will discuss, the perception is that this is an automated process. It’s the premise that slot machines, especially digital, have due moments when, after a series of losing spins, they will finally give you a pity win so they can keep you hooked.
The truth that contradicts this narrative is quite simple. Any slot must operate with an RNG (random number generator), which uses algorithms to create randomness in how spins operate.
Based on the slots that can have assigned symbols, there is a number of winning combinations, and the distribution of symbols within these slots is completely randomized. The RNG algorithms are making sure of that.
How does a slot prove that its RNG is legitimately random? It must submit its model to the licensing body that vets the producer who created that RNG, and that licensing body has a partnership with an independent testing authority. Such entities, such as eCOGRA or GLI, are reputed, government-approved labs that report the results to the gambling authority, which can provide its sign of approval.
If the producer receives such approval for the RNG model that it uses for a slot, you know that it’s legitimate. This is why the best casinos and game producers always operate with reputable licenses. They have to be accountable for their software under independent and legitimate testing bodies.
2. Casino intervention based on your spending
Another myth that belongs to the same rigging principle is about the casino intervention theory. The myth that online casinos, when seeing that you are losing too much, get in there manually to give you the same pity win. The same principle applies when you win too much, which would disturb them, so they cut off your winnings so they can recoup their losses.
In legitimate gambling cases, the only true thing from above is that casinos don’t like you to win. However, they can’t really do anything about it other than investigate you in case they feel like you’re doing any foul play. If you’ve done nothing, they have no choice but to pay you.
This is why you have to remember that licensing is important, not just as a presence, but for its standards.
Some online casino licenses are better than others because their standards are higher. There are authorities that never exert their authority; as long as you pay them, they slap the license on your site, and they stop caring.
The legitimate ones will enforce their rules, heavily penalize transgressions, and, crucially, run audits and verifications. As such, they will know if the casino intervenes in randomized software in any way, and will act in a way that forces restitutions to players. However, for casinos such as those licensed by the notoriously strict UKGC, there is no incentive to such bush league acts, which is why your spin results are solely at the discretion of your luck.
3. RTPs are immediate rip-offs
One of the most misunderstood concepts in the online gambling industry is the Return To Player ratio, otherwise known as the RTP. It’s a concept that is neither simple nor is it difficult to grasp, which is why many have developed misconceptions that have become chronic myths.
The RTP is a bias that any slot has. It’s a reality of online gambling that everybody accepts because it also entails the house edge, which is a levy that casinos implement. An RTP of, say, 95%, means that 95% of your investments are due to return to you when played. The bias is that the 5% will go to the casino in how the slot distributes its winnings.
As such, the randomness of a slot has this tiny bias toward giving the house its due. It’s part of the terms and conditions that you sign up for when playing casino games, which is why you need to acknowledge and accept it.
The myth is that the casino takes a cut of your bet right as you place it within a spin. This is false. The RTP entails a bias that you won’t feel in tens, even hundreds of spins. Rather, it’s truly visible over the course of tens of thousands of spins.
It’s perfectly feasible that you may retain 56% of your bet money after a reasonably long session. It’s also possible that a session of the same length may generate 1500% of what you paid. This is the nature of slot gaming: you never know what you’re going to get. The RTP is not something that you will feel unless you have tens and hundreds of hours in a particular slot (of continuous spins).
4. Bonus spins are already rigged
The last entry in this hall of fame of slot myths is not about the slot in itself, but about a casino bonus that, in many cases, allows you to play with house money at that particular game. It’s easy bait since the idea of the house manipulating the money that it gives you is in its own interest of loss mitigation.
The short debunking is the same one that we’ve given earlier regarding regulatory intervention. A legitimate casino will never do such a thing because it will lead to its closing, lawsuits, criminal investigations, and such.
However, in the context of casino bonuses, we need to come up with yet another explanation: the fact that bonus gaming is normal gaming. Yes, you are playing with casino credits that are not yet withdrawable, real cash. However, the slot, as long as it receives its chips (the bet money), it will interpret any slot spin normally.
If you play at a reputable casino, operating with a strong license and playing a game from a fellow licensed producer, every bonus spin will be the same as a normal one, which means that it’s legit.
Conclusion
To finally close out this discussion, it’s time for us to remind you that, regardless of what kind of opinion you have about online gambling, it’s crucial to stay informed about the nature of the industry. Concurrently, you should be frugal and careful about where you play, what sums you play, and always gamble responsibly!