Is There Any Magic Behind Winning the Jackpot on Slot Machines?

Naturally, slot players are always aiming at winning the jackpot, but specialists say that it’s not about the skills, but about randomness and technical parameters, instead of special abilities.

12 casinos in South Mississippi witness over $1 billion in wagers every month and a lot of superstition is involved in players’ gambling habits.

Boomtown Casino’s lucky charm – the bull Warren – is often attended by players. Chris Foret, marketing manager of the casino, explained that a lot of clients have the ritual of dropping coins in the bucket in front of the bull for good luck before they process with their games. This money is definitely luck to the charities that receive it, when Boomtown donates its couple of times a year.

Player’s opinion

Slot machines jackpot is often hit by chance and not thanks to special skills

• Slot players often use various charms for good luck

• Some players think that being at the right place in the right time is key to winning

• Slot developers should offer gamblers more opportunities to win, so that players have the right incentives to wager more

Of course there are a lot of other superstitions, performed by players that often make it into the gambling news with their interesting habits like placing their personal charms on the machines, knocking on the slot machine three times for good luck and many many more.

Stephen Grimes, regular player, said: “No skill, no talent is involved in winning. It’s just being in the right place at the right time.”

His largest single win so far is $5,000 and he explained that he doesn’t expect to win all the time, but his advice for other gamblers is to be hopeful they will win the jackpot and have positive approach.

Grimes also have the habit of trying out new slot games at the Southern Gaming Summit expo every year and commented: “It has been surprising how many new games being showcased by their manufactures can go 100 spins without awarding a bonus feature.”

He added that players have certain expectations about the amount of winnings and if they don’t receive enough, they don’t spend more. Grimes added that he and his wife like to play classic slots like Pompeii and Moon and Stars, as they offer sufficient amount of bonus rounds.

Slots developer experience

Matt Wilson, vice president of marketing for Aristocrat Technologies, explained that they have great number of loyal players, as the company fulfills the expectations of all types of gamblers – the hard core players, who are devoted to the game and want to win, the ones who prefer to just enjoy the game and the ones who appreciate popular licensed games like Superman.

He explained that Aristocrat slot developer based in Australia approached the US market with slot machine that offers big wins.

Wilson added that high-volatility machines pays out less frequently, but pays large sums, in comparison to low-volatility slots, which pay more often, but the winnings are smaller.

He commented: “Some players go into a casino knowing they’re not going to win big. For those who play for the entertainment value, $50 can last for two hours. With a high-volatility game, $50 could last 10 minutes, but you could win big.”

The gaming commission

Mississippi Gaming Commission, which is overseeing the implementation of all US gambling laws, is the institution that has to make sure all games are fair for both sides – players and casino operators.

Emil Lyon, Director of the commission’s gaming laboratory, explained that his department tests all new games, and makes sure that every machine of each kind offers the same parameters in all locations.

He said: “People think previous wagers have some bearing on their chance of winning,” and added that if the lab finds machine, which could be manipulated by alternating the wager or lines bet, the department will remove it and place it out of operation.

Lyon said further: “Finding the magic combination of game popularity and volatility is key for the slot managers. The casino wants to make money, but the casino wants people to win money.”

He concluded that slot developers always introduce changes to their machines: “They’re constantly changing their models and makes. There’s something out there for everyone.”