Do Casinos Change the Payout on Slots?

One of the major things that slot gamblers can often get slightly nervous about is whether or not the casinos they are playing at are changing the payout on their slots – check out Slots Baby. It is more than understandable after all, you’re not going to want to gamble on a slot machine that has been altered in the casino’s favour, are you?

But here’s the thing: do casinos really change the payout on slots? Or is it an urban myth? Keep reading to find out.

How is the payout in slots calculated?

In order to gain a deeper understanding of the question of whether casinos are really changing the payout on slots we first need to get to grips with how the payout in slots is calculated. The main thing to remember here is something called RTP, which is an abbreviation of Return To Player. Another abbreviation – RNG – is also used to describe the mechanism that keeps slot machines inherently random when you spin the reels: Random Number Generators. 

RNGs are completely random by their very nature, however developers can decide how likely it is that you will win money through setting the RTP. This is a percentage value that basically gives an average of what a gambler can expect to win back from his bets over the course of a session. For instance, a slot game with 97% RTP means that an average payout of £97 per £100 will occur throughout a gambling session. 

For us slot gamblers this is the easiest way to calculate the potential payout in slots – just look for the RTP and you’re away! If you want an actual tangible way to calculate how much money you could win on each spin you can look at the multipliers for each symbol combination, and simply multiply your base bet by this. 

A few reasons why casinos cannot change the payout on slots online

Online casinos cannot change the payout on their online slot titles because this is set by the developers, and also because legal legislation has been enforced to avoid people getting swindled. Here are a few reasons why casinos cannot change the payout on slots online: 

•         Gambling laws: The biggest thing stopping online casinos from changing the payout on their slot titles is the fact that it is banned by authorities such as the UK Gambling Commission and Malta Gaming Authority. Ignoring this law would end in the casino in question being blacklisted.
•         Online slot developers: Another thing in the way of casinos changing the payouts on their online slots is the fact that the developers in question would be vehemently against it. This is largely because they could adopt a bad name through no fault of their own if casinos keep lowering the RTP score of their games. 

An instance where casinos can theoretically change the payout on slot machines

Whilst online casinos categorically cannot change the payout on slot machines, at land-based casinos it can be done by replacing the EPROM chip. Regardless this must be disclosed to the authorities otherwise it is illegal!