A dive into the mechanics of slot machines
Since the first slot machines were invented in the 1890s, they’ve changed quite a lot. Technology has come a long way in the last century, after all!
The games we have now are far more advanced and intricate thanks to developments under the hood. For example, you wouldn’t have found anything like Megaways slots back in the days of the original one-armed bandit.
But how exactly do slot machines work? What is it that goes on behind the scenes once the player pulls the lever? Let’s take a look.
One-armed bandits
It all began with the basic design of five drums printed with the card faces of 50 Poker cards, which were set to start spinning once payment was inserted and a lever pulled.
Because of the many variations of possible winning cards these early machines had no way of recording a win or even paying out.
Rather than have players keep having to go up to the bar to ask for their winnings, Charles Fey created a simpler machine that could be fully automated.
Cutting things back to just three reels and five possible symbols, this simplified format allowed the machines to determine a winning combination thanks to notches in the discs that support each reel.
Random number generators
Modern slot machines have generally swapped out the mechanical for the computer. While they still look pretty similar to older models their inner workings are really quite different.
At the core of each slot machine sits a random number generator which determines the outcome of every spin.
In the time it takes for a player to pull the lever or press the start button the machine plugs the last few numbers from the generator into a formula that will tell it exactly where each reel should stop.
This helps to ensure that each spin is completely random, never straying from the odds that the casino has set for it.
So now there is no chance that machines can ‘loosen’ over time, making it so a player is no more likely to win on any given spin. The only factor at play here is the impartial RNG.
The switch to digital
Many machines today now feature a video screen rather than any physical reels. This helps to push the theming and effects on offer even further, with the option to add footage from popular films or TV shows.
Removing the physical limitations of the built-in reels also allowed for more experimental Slots formats to emerge. Developers could add more reels and more symbols, leading to more potential combinations.
The move to online gaming also helped to foster fresh creativity and innovation, with the only real limitation being what could fit on someone’s computer screen.
A particularly popular result of this are Megaways slots, which first arrived on the scene in 2015.
The Megaways mechanic is distinct from more traditional slot machines, with six reels and symbols which can potentially take up multiple slots on a row.
As a result, Megaways slots have far more potential combinations than classic formats, in addition to a variety of bonus features and in-depth theming.
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After coming so far, Slots are unlikely to stop evolving in the decades to come. Who knows what fresh twists on the old format we could see as digital technology continues to develop?
