Most people percept the gambling business in the wrong way. We tend to think that a casino owner is a person who can basically do anything. They buy slot machines, place them in their casino, set them to pay certain wins, and earn money. But things are much more difficult here and you should know about that.
Today, we’ll tell you whether casinos can tighten slots on weekends or in busy evenings to earn more money and allow the slots to payout less wins. We’ll also see how the return percentage or RTP works for slot machines and who controls this.
Here’s what exactly we are going to discuss:
- Does anyone control slot machines in terms of RTP?
- Can a casino change RTP manually in a certain slot machine?
- Do investigators prove that casinos change their RTPs during weekends?
- How does the modern casino work in terms of return percentage and payout?
- When do players have the highest chance of winning money in a casino?
Let’s get started!
Who controls casino slot machines in the US?
Well, there is a gambling commission in the US and it controls the return percentage or RTP in all official slot machines around the country or in a certain state. This commission approves certain changes and the casino has to let the commission know that it intends to change the RTP in a certain machine or type of machine to adjust earnings.
The commission then may reject or approve this application to change the RTP. But you may guess that casinos will not send applications to this commission every Friday to allow them to adjust their revenues for the hot period of the weekend. If they do, they may eventually lose their license.
Here’s how it works with modern computerized slots:
- every type of machine has a computer in it and the installed gambling game;
- this is basically the same gambling game that you can access in official online casinos, but you play it on a machine;
- this software is created with a certain RTP and then checked and approved by the gambling commission;
- also, the software is independently checked by the body that issued the license to a certain casino or to the game developer;
- in the end, the game is regularly checked in casinos by different bodies and companies;
- if the RTP changes sharply, the game may easily lose its license and will need to be removed from all casinos that use it.
So, the gambling commission is a pretty severe body that keeps casinos and software developers under control. Once something bad happens with the RTP, the gambling commission will react and take measures. Very often, the commission may just close the casino or the software company that is in charge of this issue.
The gambling market can bring a lot of revenue but it’s also a very dangerous and regulated market that requires clear and fair work. Although we know cases when big casinos managed to get out of the problem and keep on working, we understand that the problems with the gambling commission are a good teacher, and business owners will never want to trick their clients out of money again.
Can you change RTP manually in a certain machine?
The payout percent could be controlled manually in older slot machines. They were mechanical, didn’t have a lot of software and actually often worked randomly. But not completely randomly. Casino owners could literally manually tighten the payout percentage to keep all the money or the majority of stakes in their pockets.
For this, they needed to manipulate a certain setting in the machine physically.
But today, things work absolutely differently. A certain slot machine just doesn’t have any settings at all. The software that is installed in this slot machine is connected to the server of the game developer. It’s only the developer who may change the RTP and allow the casino to earn more money. But it’s almost impossible to make for a certain machine.
There are still cases when the same machine in the bar and in the actual casino show different RTP. Some slot machines come with manual control of RTP but it can go between, say, 80% and 97%. So, a bar owner still can’t set the machine to give all the money to the bar.
Manipulations are still possible. If you are playing in a casino with absolutely unique slot machines, you may suspect that these machines are all developed and controlled by a special software company that is controlled by the casino. In this case, all kinds of manipulations are possible. But to build such a business in the US now, you need billions of dollars to close the eyes of controlling bodies and commissions.
So, hypothetically, you can change RTP in a certain slot and earn more money as a casino owner. But in reality, you will not want to do that because of the risks you are getting. Also, you will probably have to pay more money than you will earn, in the end.
Do professional gamblers prove that casinos are tricking people?
No, the majority of professional gamblers agree that today slot machines in the US are under control and they don’t trick people out of money illegally. Actually, they do trick you out of money, but legally. The return percentage never goes over 96%, so in the long run, you will anyway lose at least 4% of your money.
Actually, the official RTP of almost all gambling game developers goes between 90% and 97%. But this RTP is counted in a very tricky way. Eventually, the real RPM will be about 80% in all slot machines around the US – in bars, shops, and also in casinos. It means you will lose a minimum of 20% of your money, in the long run. But within one weekend, you may actually win if you are lucky enough.
Professional gamblers who review slot machines and build some strategies for other people agree that today’s slot machines in every legal place can’t be tightened manually for a weekend or for any other event.
Here’s how a modern casino works with slot machines
To understand all the important limitations of a modern casino, you need to know how these businesses work. So, they sign a contract with a company that develops or owns slot machines. Then, these slot machines are placed in the casino and operated by a special licensed company. The casino doesn’t have any control over the machine – all control goes to the developer or to the maintenance company that operates the machines.
Also, the revenue is most often split between three parties: government, software developer or operator, and casino.
One of the most important parts is that every casino should be licensed by the gambling commission. And every casino undergoes some inspections from time to time. If the commission comes to the conclusion that a certain casino tricks people out of money and manipulates with RTP settings, this casino will most likely lose the license and will be closed.
So, casinos don’t have the full control over their slot machines. Game developers, government, and also slot machine operators have more power over RTP than the casino itself.
When can players more likely win in the casino?
Unfortunately, there is no way you can predict the best time to play slots. And there is no certain winning strategy that will guarantee you some wins. We still believe that playing in a stuffed casino with a lot of people inside is much safer than playing in a convenience shop where slot machine may be hit by clients two or three times a day.
When people pay thousands of dollars to the machine a night, it pays out thousands of dollars, too. So, you may just get a good chance to hit the button a couple of times and get a big win. But it’s not guaranteed to any of us even if you know some strategies.
Gambling can never guarantee wins. We insist that you should percept gambling as a way to entertain yourself and pay some money for this entertainment. Yes, you can win sometimes, but never rely on this and never expect this. Always pay the machines only the sum of money you can easily lose right now.
Final thoughts
We know how the gambling industry works and are sharing some insights with you. When it comes to slot machines, they are not as simple as they may seem to be. All slot machines in the US are official and are controlled by the gambling commission. Owners of these machines and of the casinos where they are placed have little control over the payout percentage and other settings.
But still, we know some cases when casinos tried to trick people out of money and eventually lost their licenses.
But when it comes to the question of whether casinos can change their RTPs in the slot machines for a weekend, the answer is clear – no, they can’t.
