Are Slot Machines at Casinos Rigged?

Most slot machines are fair because they return the percentage of bets they are supposed to as prizes to the players. However, they do feel rigged sometimes because of the house edge that helps the casinos make money in the long run.

The higher the house edge, the higher the likelihood of a losing session that will feed your doubts in the fairness of the games. The simple reality is that you’re supposed to lose money on slots by design, but that doesn’t make them rigged.

Of course, there are exceptions. If you play in shady casinos, you might run into real money slots that return significantly less in prizes than they are supposed to.

Are Online Slots Rigged?

Online slots are similar to land-based slot machines: most of them are not rigged, as long as you stick to reputable casinos.

However, they do come with a house edge that works in favor of the gambling sites, making it more likely to lose than win.

Technically, it is possible for a land-based or online casino to rig a slot machine by messing with the numbers or the mechanics. However, if you’re playing at any reputable location, the actual return-to-player (RTP) percentages match what’s officially discloses for slot machines.

Sometimes on older machines, reels can malfunction and inevitably land on a winning combination, and the player isn’t paid. However, the casino is required to keep a log of all malfunctions, which is then audited by the gaming commission. Even in spots where the reels stopped on a losing combination, if it was supposed to have been a winner, the player will get paid.

Malfunctions are the closest thing you are going to see when it comes to feeling like a slot game is rigged.

Reputable casinos are regulated and monitored by an independent governing body. In Nevada, for example, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) oversees all gaming activity in the state, and they constantly audit the casino’s results.

On top of this, most slot machines come from third-party providers who independently control their slot’s return to player percentage (RTP). Providers also go through rigorous random number generator (RNG) testing.

Both physical slot machines and online slots can be rigged in theory, but there are many reasons why most of them are fair.

The main reasons online slots for real money aren’t rigged are the house edge, slot volatility, reputation, and regulatory measures. Let’s go through all of these.

House Edge

All the best online slot machine games publicly state their RTPs. This gives players a gauge for how much they can expect to win when playing. We recommend looking for games that offer an RTP of 96.5% and higher. Anything at this rate and above is considered a good return.

Slot Volatility

Comparing RTP vs. slot volatility is another way to predict the number of wins to expect to have on a slot machine. Popular slots grade their games as either low, medium, or high volatility.

A low-volatility game is expected to return more frequent wins, but for lower amounts. Meanwhile, a high-volatility game returns bigger wins, but less frequently. Medium volatility falls somewhere in between.

If you play on a slot with high volatility, you can experience long losing streaks that create the sensation the game is rigged.

Regulatory Measures

Land-based casinos are usually regulated by a local gambling commission, like the Nevada Gaming Control Board I already mentioned.

Online casinos are also mostly regulated. There are multiple independent regulators online. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is an example of a major online casino regulator that oversees over 50 online casinos and poker rooms, and with nearly 25 years in the business, they are a trusted name in online gaming.

Before playing with your hard-earned cash in an online casino, you should always do your homework. Remember to make sure that the site is legit, and that they are regulated by a third party.

We also recommend looking for online casinos that have obtained third-party testing for RNGs. Many sites will prominently feature a certificate or badge from companies like eCOGRA, who certify the fairness of iGaming products.

Reputation

If an online casino fails an audit and loses its license or certificates of fairness, this information would become public knowledge and would severely damage the casino’s reputation long term. It could kill a very lucrative business, so casinos prefer to keep it clean.

It’s even worse for land-based casinos, since losing your license essentially means losing your business right away. In the worst-case scenario, the owners could also face jail time and large fines.