Player wins $1.1 million on slot machine - what are your chances of winning big?

With more and more people playing slots online these days we could be seeing many more examples like this in the future, even though the odds are firmly stacked against them. Ever since the very first slots machine was invented in the late 19^th century it’s been the same story – you’re many times more likely to lose than you are to come out on top.

A quick tour of today’s slots game

So let’s take a look at how one of today’s slots games works. Gone are the physically spinning reels. Now it’s a video projection that’s driven by a random number generator that uses an algorithm to recreate the unpredictability of those physical reels.

Overlaying this, slots also have another piece of programming that regulates precisely how much will be paid out in winnings over a set period of time. We’ll learn more about this shortly. The actual odds of a jackpot mean it’s always going to be a rare occurrence and the bigger the jackpot the rarer it is going to be.

There are two important factors that it’s vital for anyone planning to play on slots games needs to understand. The first of these is a particular game’s level of volatility. This refers to how the algorithm is set to provide winning payouts.

A high volatility game is one which is designed to offer higher payouts on a less regular basis while a low volatility one is the opposite. The second is the particular games Return To Player rating. This is a figure given as a percentage that represents the proportion of stake money that is returned as winnings. Generally, somewhere between 90 and 95%, the remaining 5 to 10% is what’s known as the house edge, or the profit the online casino will make from the game.

The RTP is often misunderstood by some players who think that in a game with, say, an RTP of 94% they will always get 94% of their stake back. This is false as it’s a figure taken over a longe period of time, certainly far longer than any single session. So some players will win back far more than 94% of their stake money, others far less.

Where to find vital slots information

Anyone wanting to access vital information about s specific slots game such as its volatility or RTP have a few options. The truly dedicated can go to the games developer’s website and search for the relevant game. Most reputable online casinos will also show this information on their site.

Arguably the best way to get the facts is from one of the many sites that list different casinos and provide links to sign up with them. Review sites like Casino.org profile the best online slots in Canada, highlighting their RTP rates, range of games, payment methods and much more. This includes an overall review of a particular site including its security and licensing details – even how good its level of player support is.

Above all, it can provide a real insight into a site’s slots offering as well as whether there are opportunities, however slim, to carry off a progressive jackpot win of a potentially life-changing amount of money.

The slots myth

But before anyone gets too excited by the prospect of outwitting a slots game on their way to a big win there are a number of popular misconceptions that need to be put to bed. The first is that games can be hot and ready to pay out or cold and keen to hold on to stake money. The random number generator genuinely is random so any spin could win, or lose.

Some people also believe that betting strategies, like the martingale in roulette, are a road to success. In fact, they’re quite the opposite. Finally, and linked to the first two, there is no sequence to spins. Each one is unconnected from the one that precedes or comes after it.

So by all means play slots, but manage your bankroll responsibly, keep the sessions short and regard it as entertainment rather than the road to a certain fortune. And, just maybe, you could be rewarded with a jackpot win yourself one day.