Thank you opus17, that is exactly what I was trying to say, but you phrased it perfectly. On those 99% (or even 100%) payout slots, people assume they cannot lose, ever!

If you have a nice bankroll, plenty of time, and are absolutely certain you are sitting at one of those slots, you will indeed notice the high return over time. But if you only have a limited amount of money to play, and limited time to play, you can just as easily lose your money even on a 100% payout machines.

And be sure to remember that probability has no "memory" -- if you sat at a 100% payout machine for 3 hours and get 0% back, the same machine (or any other machine with the same pay table) will not "know" that and pay you 200% over the next 3 hours. On the other hand, if you just hit a royal flush, you have just a good of a chance on the next play to hit another one (i.e., not very good).

I understand what a random number generator will do. Do you know that the machines can not kick in a non-random number generator at times? That would enable the machines to give bigger single payoffs while maintaining the overall payoff percentage. Give the crowd more thrills, so to speak. I know your answer.

I don't see how a single "non random" event will generate more thrills. Someone will hit that 10 million dollar megabucks jackpot at some point, and be thrilled. Are you implying that the casino should make it hit at 7 pm on a Saturday when they are more crowded so that they get better marketing? While it is probably possible to program a machine to do it, it would be against Nevada law. Why risk your casino license? Casinos have no need to cheat. The odds are always in their favor.

Let me explain it, then. A machine can generate more thrills by paying an inordinate amount of bigger winners, balanced out by a scarcity of smaller winners. The machine makers have also been reprimanded for the proliferation
of "near winners", where the big jackpot is only one spot off, giving the appearance of almost hitting. To buy the totally random concept is beyond
my trust. You other guys just accept it without question, apparently.

The gaming commission in Nevada is so strict that - yes, I accept without question that the advertised win percentages are correct.

The gaming commission was not always in control of the casinos. I hate to admit how old I am - but.........

Years ago when I was just 21 or 22 I played Blackjack downtown - not really knowing how. The dealer told me every move to make and I won huge. Huge for me unfortunately was based on the fact that I was playing $2.00 hands. The dealer I am sure had fun practicing dealing from the bottom or top of the deck or whatever he was doing to help me win. This type of thing just doesn't happen any more.

I know nothing about this, but had always believed that the machines were not random, but often gave the impression you were 'close' e.g. first two reels show the jackpot, and the third something else, to keep people hooked...

Nonsense?

Not nonsense at all-that is prevalent. Some of it has been banned by the regulators but the machine makers still find ways to do it.

I did not say the win percentages were not adherred to-why did you assume
that? I just maintain that the occurences are not completely random. If you believe the rng story, there is never a reason to leave a machine because it can't be cold. So a machine can give you a good win and quickly gain it all back, plus, by having you stick to the same machine.

But randomness will do that for you. If there were 10 items on a reel, the "near jackpot" on the last wheel would happen 9 times as much as the real jackpot.

That's not what was banned - showing the winner as only one off from the actual is what was frowned on. You can see more than just the actual pay window-frequently showing the needed figure immediately above and below was the deceit.

Yes that is my point, only two items, are 'near' the jackpot...

My point is that on machines like Wheel of Fortune, almost 1/2 the time a SPIN bonus will show above or below the pay line. There are many SPIN bonus slots on the reel but only one is actually active. The others are for show.

RNG is a fact - not a story. Yes, you can sit at one machine and have the same luck or lack of luck with every pull of the handle.

Did you read the explanation of how slot machines work at this site? http://wizardofodds.com/slots

I don't believe everything I read. Maybe the wizard doesn't manufacture slots,
and is relaying what he or she was told.