Slot machines are gambling games with spinning reels. When slots were first invented, these spinning reels were mechanical and were set into motion using gears and springs. Modern slots retainthe trappings of these earlier games, but they use a computer program called a random number generator to determine their results.

Sep 05, 2018 And at this rate of play it could take years of playing a single slot machine for the casino’s long-term advantage to become evident. Table games like black jack are not nearly as lucrative. Before you sit down at a table, know which casino games have the best odds so that you can spend your money wisely. Before you start, know that none of the casino games have good odds for players. There's a reason why people say, 'The house always wins.' Slot machines have various odds of winning, and the odds are printed on each machine.

Here’s how that works:

A random number generator is a computer program that cycles through a set of numbers, thousands of times per second. When you push the spin button or pull the lever on a modern slot machine, itstops at whatever number it’s on at that nanosecond. That determines the results you see on the reels.

The spinning is just for effect, in fact. The outcome is determined long before the reels stop spinning.

The reels have symbols on them. The combinations of those symbols determine how much you get paid out. The game is designed so that the house has a mathematical edge over time, though.

Here’s how the house edge works:

The casino and the slot machine designers know what the probability is of getting a certain combination of symbols. They set the payoffs for those combinations in such a way that the casino makesa tiny profit.

You might have a 50 to 1 chance of getting a particular set of symbols. That combination might pay off at 45 to 1.

When you hit that combination, you win money, but over the long run, you’ll lose more often than you’ll win.

We’ll discuss the math behind these games in more detail elsewhere on this page and elsewhere on the site.

You’ll usually hear the term “annuity” discussed when talking about lottery winners or when talking about retirement instruments. It’s just a fancy word for a financial instrument that pays outa certain amount of money over a period of time. It comes up when talking about slot machines because of the size of progressive jackpots.

Here’s how a common annuity might work:

You win $1 million on a progressive slot machine. You have the option to take out a cash payment of $750,000, or you can choose an annuity of $25,000 a year for the next 40 years.

Even though you get a million dollars with the annuity option, the cash payment is the better option. That’s because of the time value of money. Over 40 years, with wise investing andbudgeting, $750,000 will be worth more than $1 million.

There are several companies which take advantage of gamblers who have gotten an annuity through the lottery or a progressive jackpot win.

Here’s what happens:

A player wins a million dollars and takes the annuity. Since the player won a life-changing jackpot, she starts changing her lifestyle. She loans people money. She moves into a bigger house.She buys a nicer car.

But $25,000 a year isn’t a lot of money. It doesn’t take long for someone who doesn’t have experience managing money to run through their available cash really fast.

When they do, they start looking for ways to get out of debt.

Enter these companies who buy annuities.

They’re experts at buying annuities for pennies on the dollar. They might come in and offer someone $150,000 for the annuity that’s paying $25,000 a year. This might look like a godsend tosomeone who’s in over their head with debts because of lifestyle changes.

But for the company buying the annuity, the return on investment is huge. They’ll have paid off the $150,000 in 6 years with the money from the annuity. The rest of the money is pure profit.

Some companies even buy and sell annuities to each other at a profit.

Hit frequency refers to how often a slot machine hits a winning combination. The concept is related to the house edge and the payback percentage, but it’s not the same thing.

A slot machine that hits often but only for small wins might have a lower payback percentage than a slot machine that hits only seldom but has higher average wins.

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Slot machine designers and manufacturers have enormous amounts of data informing their decisions about hit frequency and payback percentages. They know what hit frequency combined with whatpayback percentage will maximize a player’s time spent on machine, which is the #1 factor determining how profitable a particular game is.

Here’s the interesting thing about hit frequency. Human and animal psychology are set up in such a way that intermittent rewards are more powerful motivators than consistent rewards. We knowthis because of experiments conducted by BF Skinner.

He set up boxes which released food when a lever was pulled. The pigeons were motivated by the food to pull the lever.

But he found that pigeons were MORE motivated to pull the lever when they only got food some of the time. You would think that they’d be more motivated if they got a reward every time, butthat’s not the case.

Slot machines are a perfect example of that theory in action.

A wild symbol on a slot machine works just like a wild card in a game of poker. It replaces and stands in for a symbol you don’t have that you need in order to create a winning combination.

Here’s an example:

You’re playing Ghost Rider slots from Playtech. The Ghost Rider symbol is wild. You get 4 of the same symbol on a payline, and the other symbol on that payline is Ghost Rider.

You get paid off as if you had 5 of that symbol on that payline.

Some wild symbols stack on top of one another, increasing the amount you’re getting paid off.

Scatter symbols are slot machine symbols that create payoffs regardless of what payline they’re on. If you have a certain number of those symbols anywhere on the screen, you get paid.

Scatter symbols are a common feature on modern video slots. In some games, like the new 243 ways slots, every symbol in the game can be considered a scatter symbol.

Bonus games are games that are triggered by the appearance of certain symbols on the reels. During these bonus games, you get to win additional prizes. On some games, the bonus might just be arandom number of free spins. But on other games, you might get to spin a prize wheel or choose from a number of symbols which have prizes behind them.

A progressive jackpot game has a large jackpot with long odds of being hit. What makes it “progressive” is that it grows larger as the game is played. The casino and the machine take a tinypercentage of each bet to “fuel” the growing jackpot.

You can find multiple types of progressives. Some standalone games have a progressive jackpot that only increases when that individual machine is played. Some games are networked inside aparticular consider, and their jackpot is tied into each of those games. When anyone spins the wheel on any of those games, the jackpot grows.

The biggest jackpots are found on the wide area progressive jackpots. These are games that are networked across multiple casinos. Megabucks is the most famous example, and the size of thejackpot on that game starts off at $10 million. It’s gotten as high as $39.7 million in the past.

What’s the difference between video slots and mechanical slots?

Video slots are the default kind of slot machine game now. They feature spinning reels, but they’re just animated reels on a computer monitor.

Mechanical slots have actual springs and gears controlling the spinning of the reels.

Even slots with mechanical-looking reels use a computer program (a random number generator) to determine their outcome these days.

What’s the difference between video poker and slot machines?

Video poker games look and act a lot like slot machines, but the differences are huge.

Slot machines are the only games in the casino where you don’t know the house edge. That’s because, even though you know the payoffs or the various combinations, you don’t know the odds ofhitting that combination.

Video poker games use poker hands for their combinations, and the odds of getting a poker hand are known. If you know the odds of winning and the payoff for winning, you can calculate the houseedge for the game.

The other major difference is that you make decisions on every video poker hand. You have the option to keep or discard any combination of cards that you’re dealt. This adds a skill element tovideo poker that is lacking in slot machines.

The final difference is that the payback percentage on video poker is almost always much better than the payback percentage on slot machines. Slot machines tend to top out around 95% with theirpayback percentages. That’s about where most video poker games start.

Are slot machines really streaky, cold, and/or hot?

Yes, slot machines are streaky. And they do get hot and/or cold.

But that’s not as good a bit of news as you were hoping.

The reason is that you have no way of predicting whether or not a slot machine will stay hot or cold for any length of time. These patterns that emerge during a gambling session or over thelife of a gambling game are visible only in retrospect.

That’s because they’re illusory. During any series of random events, things are going to happen from time to time that look like streaks of good luck or bad luck.

That’s just the nature of random events, though. It’s not based on anything.

You’re no more or less likely to win on a slot machine if it’s paid off 10 times in a row than if it hadn’t paid off 10 times in a row.

In that sense, no they’re not streaky. No, they don’t get hot or cold.

There’s a mathematical term for this flaw in logic. It’s called the gambler’s fallacy. It’s the assumption that the odds on your next trial change based on what happened on previous trials.

What is a loose slot machine? What is a tight slot machine?

“Loose” and “tight” are adjectives used to describe how often and how much a slot machine pays out. A loose slot machine usually pays off often and also has relatively large payouts. A tightslot machine, on the other hand, probably has a low hit frequency and relatively low payouts.

These are relative terms that don’t really mean much. They’re only meaningful in terms of comparing one machine to another. For example, there’s meaning when you say that the slots in thecasinos on the Vegas Strip are looser than the slots at the airport. But there’s no real meaning when you say that a particular machine is tight.

Games are only loose or tight in comparison with each other.

What is a payback percentage? What about return to player? How do those numbers relate to the house edge?

The payback percentage is a calculation of how much the machine expects to pay back to the player over time. For example, if a game has a 95% payback percentage, over the long run, it shouldpay back 95% of the money fed into it in winnings. The other 5% is the house edge, and that’s how much the casino expects to win over the long run.

Here’s the thing, though:

The payback percentage is a long-term number. It makes sense in the context of tens of thousands of spins. It takes a long time, sometimes a lifetime, before a gambler begins to get into thelong run.

And in the short run, anything can happen.

The average slots player makes 600 spins per hour. If you assume that the long run STARTS to come into play at 20,000 spins—which is just an assumption we’re making as an illustration—then itwould take 33 or 34 hours to start getting into the long run.

Most players probably don’t spend that much time playing slots during a particular trip.

But if you know how much time is spent playing, you can calculate a player’s expected loss. You just multiply the spins per hour by the cost per spin and then by the house edge.

Let’s say you spend 40 hours playing dollar slots on a machine with a 95% payback percentage.

You’ll probably make 24,000 spins at a dollar a spin. That’s $24,000 you put into action. The machine should pay out, over time, 95% of that in winnings. That’s $22,800. Your expected lossis $1200.

The return to player is the same thing as the payback percentage. It’s just a different phrase that describes the same concept.

The house edge is just the payback percentage subtracted from 100%. That’s the amount the house expects to win over time.

Why are table game sok but slot machines are not found

And of course, in the short run, these figures are largely irrelevant. You might win big or lose really fast. Who knows?

Are slot machines rigged?

In a sense, yes, slot machines are rigged. But not in the way that you think.

All casino games are rigged, mathematically. That doesn’t mean the house has control over any individual result or playing session. It just means that over time the payoff odds on the bets arelower than the odds of winning. That creates a mathematical edge for the casino.

But slots don’t base their results on what’s happened previously. They’re not rigged in that way.

If you have a 1 in 1000 chance of hitting a jackpot on a slot machine, and you win, the odds of winning that jackpot again on the next spin remain the same—1 in 1000. They don’t go up or downbased on what kind of playing session you’ve been having.

The casinos have no need to rig their games in any other way, because the math will pay off in the long run.

Table

Online slot machines might be legal or illegal depending on where you live. In the United States, it’s illegal at the federal level to bet on sports. It’s illegal to run an online casinowithout proper licensure. But it’s not, strictly speaking, specifically illegal to play a slot machine for real money on the Internet.

But individual states have their own laws. Some of them have legalized and regulated online casinos—Nevada and New Jersey are 2 examples. In those states, it’s legal to play, but only at thecorrect casinos.

Other states have specific laws related to online gambling. In those states, it’s flat-out illegal to play specific games, but maybe not others. The worst example we can think of is the stateof Washington, where it’s a felony to play poker online for real money.

Then there are more enlightened countries like the United Kingdom, where you can play at regulated casinos as much as you want to.

Introduction to Washington Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019

Washington slot machine casino gambling consists of 29 tribal casinos with a unique type of video lottery terminal (VLT) slot machines. Along with many card rooms in the state, they also offer most Vegas-style table games.

All state-tribal compacts set a minimum payout return limit. However, no payout return statistics of actual gaming is available to the public.

This post continues the weekly series Online Resource: A State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambling enthusiasts to success. Each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or the federal district.

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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Washington*

The minimum legal gambling age in Washington depends upon the gambling activity:

  • Land-Based Casinos: 21/18 depending on the casino
  • Poker Rooms: 18
  • Bingo: 18
  • Lottery: 18
  • Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18

Washington slot machine casino gambling exists at tribal casinos based on the lottery’s scratch ticket games in electronic form. This unique form of video lottery terminal (VLT) slot machines makes Washington slot machines unique in the U.S. All other U.S.-based VLTs are lottery draw games, not from lotteries other game: scratch tickets.

Each of the 29 federally recognized American Indian tribes negotiated state-tribal compacts with the state to offer gambling at tribal casinos. However, the state and these tribes could not agree on whether Vegas-style slot machines should be legal in Washington.

Why Are Table Game Sok But Slot Machines Are Not Working

Scratch-based VLTs resulted from early negotiations of state-tribal gaming compacts. This impasse resolution led to creating a secondary lottery system for VLTs at tribal casinos. The state lottery was a model for the Tribal Lottery System (TLS).

Draw-based VLTs create tickets at the time of the bet using random number generators (RNGs). Scratch-based VLTs know in advance the result of each wager. Put another way, the outcome of each scratch-based VLT bet is pre-determined. Bets do not require an RNG.

Another technical difference between lottery draw tickets and scratch tickets is how many of them can exist. For example, there can be as many draw tickets as players are willing to buy. However, lotteries create only a limited number of scratch tickets but, hopefully, enough for a busy night at Washington tribal casinos.

All negotiated tribal-state compacts also have other legal restrictions for their scratch-based VLT-style slot machines. These limits have been expanding over time as part of this state’s dynamic gaming industry. The requirements are:

  • Allows replaying of credits won
  • No handles
  • No mechanical spinning wheels
  • A minimum payout return (see below)
  • $5 maximum wager on 85% on VLTs
  • $20 maximum wager on 15% of VLTs
  • Cap of 2,500 VLT machines per tribe

A small group, carousel, or bank of VLTs pull virtual scratch tickets from the same set. Each small group uses a different set. Given these tickets are of a finite number, running out of tickets in a set means only a few VLTs are out of them before switching to a new set of tickets. This switching should take place nearly instantaneously, likely not causing any small group of VLTs to shut down temporarily.

*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws apply to various forms of gambling. This information is not intended to provide legal advice.

Slot Machine Private Ownership in Washington

It is legal to privately own a slot machine in the state of Washington if it is 25 years old or older. However, it cannot have a gambling purpose. For example, it must be free to play.

Gaming Control Board in Washington

The gaming control board is the Washington State Gambling Commission. It provides licensing, regulation, and enforcement of certain aspects of the gaming industry in Washington. Their regulatory responsibilities primarily include testing and approving new electronic gaming machines.

Otherwise, each tribe with a casino in Washington has a tribal gaming agency (TGA). Agents of a TGA are the primary regulators at tribal casinos. At all times, at least one TGA agent must be on duty at a tribal casino.

Casinos in Washington

There are 29 American Indian tribal casinos available in the state of Washington with more than 35,000 VLT-style slot machines.

The largest casino in Washington is the Muckleshoot Casino having more than 3,000 VLT slot machines and 75 table games.

The second largest casino is Tulalip Casino having more than 2,400 VLT slot machines and more than 35 table games.

List of Casinos in Washington

The state of Washington has no non-tribal casinos with slot machines. However, Washington has many card rooms or “mini-casinos” with up to 15 tables each.

Why Are Table Game Sok But Slot Machines Are Not Pregnant

List of Tribal Casinos in Washington

The state of Washington has 29 tribal casinos. Each casino’s website is in this handy downloadable list. Washington tribal casinos are:

  1. Angel of the Winds Casino Resort in Arlington located 50 miles north of Seattle
  2. BJ’s Bingo in Fife situated near Tacoma
  3. Chewelah Casino in Chewelah situated 50 miles north of Spokane
  4. Coulee Dam Casino, one of three 12 Tribes Colville Casinos, in Coulee Dam situated 40 miles north of Seattle
  5. Elwha River Casino in Port Angeles situated 70 miles northwest of Seattle by ferry
  6. Emerald Queen Hotel & Casino in Fife situated near Tacoma
  7. Emerald Queen Casino at I-5 in Tacoma
  8. Ilani Casino Resort in Ridgefield located 25 miles north of Portland near the border to Oregon
  9. Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton situated 23 miles north of Olympia
  10. Lucky Dog Casino in Skokomish situated 23 miles north of Olympia
  11. Lucky Eagle Casino in Rochester situated 26 miles south of Olympia
  12. Mill Bay Casino, one of three 12 Tribes Colville Casinos, in Manson situated 200 miles northeast of Seattle on the north shore of Lake Chelan
  13. Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn situated 20 miles south of Seattle
  14. Nooksack Northwood Casino in Lynden situated 14 miles north of Bellingham
  15. Northern Quest Resort & Casino in Airway Heights situated 10 miles west of Spokane
  16. The Point Casino in Kingston situated 18 miles west of Seattle via Bainbridge Ferry
  17. Quil Ceda Creek Nightclub & Casino in Tulalip situated 30 miles north of Seattle
  18. Quinault Beach Resort and Casino in Ocean Shores situated 90 miles west of Tacoma
  19. Red Wind Casino situated in Olympia
  20. 7 Cedars Casino in Sequim situated 70 miles northwest of Seattle by ferry
  21. Shoalwater Bay Casino in Tokeland situated 75 miles southwest of Olympia
  22. Silver Reef Casino Resort in Ferndale situated 17 miles north of Bellingham
  23. Skagit Valley Casino Resort in Bow situated 75 miles north of Seattle
  24. Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualmie situated 30 miles east of Seattle
  25. Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort in Suquamish situated 15 miles west of Seattle via Bainbridge Ferry
  26. Swinomish Casino & Lodge in Anacortes situated 70 miles north of Seattle
  27. Tulalip Casino in Tulalip situated 30 miles north of Seattle
  28. 12 Tribes Casino, one of three 12 Tribes Colville Casinos, in Omak situated 165 miles northeast of Seattle
  29. Yakama Legends Casino in Toppenish situated 20 miles south of Yakama

Other Gambling Establishments

As an alternative to enjoying Washington slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Washington is:

  • North: Canadian Province of British Columbia
  • East: Idaho Slots
  • South: Oregon Slots
  • West: Pacific Ocean

Each of the links above will take you to my state-specific blog for that neighboring state to Washington.

Payout Returns in Washington

The Tribal Lottery System (TLS) directly controls the results of Washington’s unique VLT-style slot machines. A central computer system at the TLS provides the outcome of each bet made on each tribal casino’s VLT at the time of the wager. This off-site control extends to any bonus rounds.

All tribal-state compacts in Washington established a minimum payout return percentage of 75% for their VLT slot machines. Further, no tribe in the state of Washington releases payout return statistics of actual results for slots.

Our Washington Slots Facebook Group

Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Washington? If so, join our new Washington slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to freely join this closed Facebook Group.

There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in or near Washington. Come join us!

Summary of Washington Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019

Why Are Table Game Sok But Slot Machines Are Not Free

Washington slot machine casino gambling consists of 29 tribal casinos with scratch ticket VLT-style video slot machines. A central computer server at the Tribal Lottery System directly controls the results of each bet. Otherwise, all tribal casinos in the state of Washington offer Las Vegas-style table games.

Tribal-state compacts regulating Washington’s tribal casinos set a minimum payout return of 75% for their unique VLT-style slots. No payout return statistics are available to the public.

Annual Progress in Washington Slot Machine Casino Gambling

Sometime within the last year, the Two Rivers Casino & Resort in Davenport located 60 miles west of Spokane began to no longer offer a casino alongside its RV park and marina.

Archive: Washington Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2018

Related Articles from Professor Slots

Other State-By-State Articles from Professor Slots

  • Previous: Virginia Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019
  • Next: West Virginia Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019

Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC