Online Casino blog

Back in the 80’s, a band of slot machine impostors started cheat slot machines in casinos all over the state of Nevada. It has been said that the gang of cheaters won the slot machine jackpots from Nevada and New Jersey, gathering $1.6 million. Also, other rumors say they won $20 million.

The head of the band was John Joseph Vacarro, aka Alan Joseph Champagne, a former skilled carpenter. Thanks to his charming character, the cheater managed to get help from inside for his hits on the Nevada casinos. Casino workers and managers had priority numbers and they could call out particular numbers to gamblers that wanted to play the slot and then the numbers called were given to the members of John’s gang.

This was a simple con and the gang of slot machine cheaters pulled it off just fine. The gang operated only for 8 months, from April to December, in the year 1982, time in which they hit New Jersey Casino’s Harrah’s Marina Hotel/Casino and Caesar’s Boardwalk Regency Hotel/Casino.

He was caught by authorities in ’84 and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 13 months of jail under the charges of violating New Jersey Law,N.J.S.A. 5:12-113(a) and also had to pay a fine of $5000. For co working with casino managers and workers, John was also convicted of conspiracy and was given 9 more years in prison.

Slots are a very simple game to play and very fun to play as well. These two attributes make slots very popular. Unlike other casino games, there are no complicated rules or betting options. All you have to do is get a winning symbol combination and get a payout. Hopefully you will win that huge jackpot.

The game goes like this. Take a coin from your pocket and insert it in the machine. Then pull the handle and wait for the symbols to stop spinning. If you have won, the lights and ringing bells will let you know that you got the jackpot.

Note that the payoffs are usually displayed on the machine. Also note that new slots machines will carry instructions.

There are numerous types of slots players. Consequently there are various models of slots machines, and various coin denominations. This way any player can find a machine that he likes. In any land based casino you will usually find these types of slots machines: mechanical, electromechanical video, and touch-screen. Touch-screen slots let you switch between slots and poker at a touch of the screen.

The slot machines have gained a new lease of life with the introduction of bonus games. By playing a bonus round you could win free slot spins, coin multipliers or progressive jackpots.

If you want to play a bonus round you will usually have get 3 bonus symbols on a pay-line or in the pay-field. This is very popular with online casinos. online slots use advanced software which makes the game even more thrilling and entertaining.

Slots are not lucrative only for the player. The casinos as well consider slots to be very profitable. They are easy to use, cheap to maintain and hardly require any expertise to play. On average a slots player can earn between 85% - 98%. The casinos make an estimated profit of nearly 9%.

Another interesting thing about playing slots is the possibility to win a progressive jackpot. By playing progressive online slots you have the chance of winning a million dollar jackpot. They are called progressive slots because all the machines are connected. They are a network of systems connected together. Every time you play a progressive slot a part of your bet is added to the jackpot. And since you are playing online and there are millions of other people playing slots, you can imagine how big the jackpot can get. Not only that, but it will also grow very quickly. Some progressive jackpots have even surpassed the 1 million mark. So you too can win a multi-million jackpot just by playing slots.

There are more ways of playing the slot machines than pulling the lever or pressing the push button. Some tricks can help you gain an advantage towards other players and is worth knowing these tips before playing at a slot machine.

Choose a machine with a higher payout percentage

You must know the average payouts offered by casinos and choose a casino that has higher payouts than those casinos. Usually the payout percentage is between 80% and 98%, but that depends on the casinos. Choosing a casino with a higher payout will be more profitable.

Choose the right machine

Now all the machines offer the payouts advertised by the casino. If they say that their machines offer a 98% payout, that means only some machines do that. Since they don’t mark these machines it is your job to find them. Asking some local players can be useful since they probably know the looser slot machines.

Choose the coin denomination depending on your bankroll

You should use your bankroll as a way of identifying the proper slot machines. If the machines offer the jackpot only when playing maximum coins, don’t rush into playing at that machine if you can’t afford to. You should choose a machine with a lower coin denomination, to increase your playing time. Sometimes the machines that use lower coin denomination are more profitable than the ones that use a higher one.

Play and Leave

Don’t spend too much time at a machine that doesn’t offer money, because it won’t offer any time soon and you will end up losing even more money. What is best to do is leave that machine and try out another one.

These tips won’t guarantee a 100% win because luck is a major factor when it comes to winning. You can use them to increase your chances of winning though.

Slots are one of the simplest casino games, because they don’t have any rules to follow. You just pull a lever, or press a button to spin the reels and hopefully you will win the big jackpot. You will know if you win the jackpot because the light and the ringing bells will go like crazy.

There are different types of slot machines, with different coin denominations. Some machines are mechanical, electromechanical video, or touch-screen. At the latter a simple touch on the screen can change the slot game to a poker one. Bonus slot games have been added and they repay the player in certain situations, (when 3 bonus symbols on a pay-line or in the pay-field appear) with free slot spins, coin multipliers or progressive jackpots.

Slots have huge success in casinos; they are played by all types of players, bringing 9% benefits to the casinos. The players usually win 85% - 98% of the times. A very popular type of game is the progressive online slots, because this game can make you a millionaire. Every time a player pulls the lever, an amount of the wager goes to the pot. Many machines are linked together so thousand of layers contribute to the pot. Usually the progressive jackpot grows to thousand or millions of dollars and anyone can win it.

The only constant is change. This is certainly true when it comes to technology. For the past 10 years newer and newer technology has been introduced in casinos. Nowadays land based and online casinos alike use some of the most advanced technology around. But what will the future bring? What new innovations will be made in the next ten years?

Ed Rogich, Vice-President of Marketing for International Game Technology or IGT says that the wave of the future is made of high-tech casino floors, impacting both slot machine and table game play. IGT is the world’s leading electronic gaming device developer and manufacturer.

According to Ed Rogich, these are the main trends that you should keep an eye out for:

- Server-based slot machine technology;

- The impact of the low-denomination slots on the gaming world;

- State-of-the-art video and audio reproduction.

Ed Rogich had this to say: “Our world revolves around networks. The same concept applies when you network all the slot machines on the floor (server-based technology). You can deliver games on demand to all the different machines that are hooked up on the network.”

We can expect high-definition, wide-screen video technology to replace the slot screens used today. We already see this happening in our homes. The TV screens from ten years ago seem ancient compared to the new flat-screen HD TV.

Ed Rogich had this to say: “A perfect example of all the technologies coming together is the IGT Star Wars series. We’re coming out with our second chapter of games which are in high definition on IGT’s Advanced Video Platform (AVP) and include actual video from the movie that recreates the look that you saw on the big screen with better sound than we have ever before put on a machine.”

A good example of new technology implemented by IGT is the Soul Train 70’s musical themed slot carousel and the Price is Right themed group of games. These new formats will soon be launched in casinos and they will feature multi-level progressives with mystery bonuses.

Ed Rogich had this to say about low denomination machines and the impact they have on the gaming industry: “Our MegaBucks wide-area progressive is available in Nevada in a five-reel penny denomination. It’s a linked progressive ‘for pennies on steroids’. A three-dollar bet buys 60 pay lines with the chance to win $10 million or more.”

Even Wynn Las Vegas has been won over by penny machines. Ed Rogich had this to say: “We’ve got a special Steve Wynn version of video penny MegaBucks that’s in the Wynn Las Vegas property. Who ever thought Steve Wynn would have penny machines? Ten years ago he would have said that you’re absolutely crazy to think he’d ever offer a penny machine on his floor.”

Did you know that some penny slot machines offer jackpots of $10 million?

The world progresses with each day passing and the casino slot machines did not missed their train of progress. Looking at the first slot machines created two decades ago, the ones you can find in casinos today are a lot more sophisticated and advanced.

Back then, to play at a slot machine you had to insert a coin and pull the handle so that the three reels will revolve in contrast with each other. If on the three reels appears three same symbols, you win.

The slot machines today have a lot of features for a more user-friendly interface. To the old slot machines was introduced the microprocessor and with the use of this microprocessor, developers included additional combination and arrangements of the winning symbols. Also, multiple coins can be played on every pay lines, offering the player a bigger possibility to hit the jackpots.

The old one armed bandits had instruction printed on its cabinet. Today, slot machines post details on how to play multiple combinations on a screen and on a separate screen are posted details about combination or multiple combinations. Also, on another screen is the payout table, meaning the details on the amount of money to be won on every combination and multiple combinations including some special characters that contains bigger value than the others.

All these instructions are posted on different screens so that the player won’t get confused and for a better looking slot machine. Also, this is a commercial attraction, showing you in a more attractive way the machines innovations and the prize it has to offer, upon pushing the play button.