Are Slot Machines a Safe Bet?

This is not only a common question but it is also a wise question to ask. With so many online fraud scams and stories about money laundering you really cannot be too careful. The first thing to be aware of is that slot machines do not exist in isolation. They exist as part of an online casino, but more than that, a slot machine was created by a software developer who sells or rents their software to the casino.

The first sign that a slot machine is not safe is when it is not part of a casino, the software provider is unknown and you are being asked to hand over your money.

Software developers make huge investments and they rely very heavily on their reputation to gather clients in the form of online casinos. The casinos too spend a great deal of cash on customer support staff, advertising and sign on bonuses. A bad reputation can send the ship to the ocean floor.

Before playing at any casino first check their credentials. Ask questions surrounding their licensing and their software providers. Look for information on who does their audits. Audits should be public even if not published on the web-site. An average payout percentage usually fluctuates between 93 and 97%. This in no way means that a single sitting will reproduce these results.

These stats are averages over hundreds and thousands of clicks and plenty of play time.

After giving the web-site a full once over it is time to download the software and scrutinize it too. Real skeptics will play the flash version where there is no downloading involved and no possibilities of viruses. Well known software providers offer the same game in free play and in real play mode. So payout ratios will be the same. Always play a game in free play before testing it with real cash. The first 10 spins will give you an indication if this is a paying machine or not.

A paying machine either leaves you with more money than you started off with after 10 spins, or it pays out 6 of those 10 spins. Another clue is to take a peek at the paytable. This is where you will find the maximum payout for any symbol combination. Return to the game and click around until you find the value of the max bet. The maximum bet should ideally be between 10 and 20% of the highest payout. There are slot machines that have a higher risk while the reward is comparatively tiny. Watch out for this.

If a casino is going to honor your payout they are going to keep records of your game play. Each and every spin and the result must be recorded. If this is not directly accessible by you, a request to customer support must be able to provide you with that audit.

Slot machines are based on random number generators. They are able to be random because the proportions of higher paying symbols to lower paying symbols are less. Once the machine has become well oiled with the clicks of hundreds upon thousands of gamblers the machine begins to pay out the ratios accurately. It is not impossible that a slot machine will malfunction though do a little digging on the internet and you will find this is a very uncommon occurrence.

So know your facts and before making any deposits check out the casino and software provider, when you open an account, be sure to get an account number. Always remember, a casino whether online or land-based is not a money making scheme, it is a form of entertainment but if you do win, you have a right to be paid out.