Understanding Random Number Generation For Slots

Being the most popular entertainment among the visitors of both land-based and online casinos, slots not only fascinate millions of players around the world but they also provoke plenty of various myths. One of them (and maybe the most favored one) is that punters can actually have an effect on the spinning reels and even outsmart the machine.

With the introduction of progressive jackpots and their lucky winners, such a belief is getting stronger. If all those people don’t have their own small secrets …

… how then could they hit big, right?

Well, perhaps it would be nice to control the game, but the truth is the result of each and every spin is absolutely random and regulated by special programs, called Random Number Generators.

The Origin of RNG

The first device that could generate an unpredictable sequence of numbers was invented by Inge Telnaus. In 1984 this talented programmer was granted a U.S. patent for a computerized method of determining the results of a slot machine.

                   “the only one to determine a winner”

In fact, he was hired somewhat earlier by Bally Technologies to create a concept of larger jackpots that could be attractive to punters and harmless for the house at the same time. Telnaus worked out a unique random number generator that soon would be used in the majority of gambling devices.

It was a revolutionary invention and its impact on the development of the slot industry in the next decades is hard to overestimate. Today, RNG is a must-have component of all casino games, not only slots and it’s the only one to figure out who and when will win.

The Brain Of All Slots

Nowadays two types of RNG are used to determine the fallout of the game. The first one, Hardware Random Number Generator or HRNG represents some kind of external device connected to the casino server’s USB port. On the other hand, the Pseudorandom Number Generator or PRNG is a program code created by software developers, so complex mathematical algorithms “tell” reels when to stop.

Typically, the RNGs in slots are designed to be able to generate …

… up to 4 billion numbers for every single spin. They always start with a so-called “seed number” used by the program to engender a new, random number, which in its turn becomes a seed to supply the complicated algorithm with more data for the endlessly repeating process.

RNG and RTP Are Linked

We bet all slot fans are well-familiar with the term “theoretical return to player” or RTP – no doubts, it’s the information of great importance! At the end of the day, we all want to know, what percentage of all staked money will go back to the punters and how much will stay at the casino.

Obviously, different slots have different RTPs but …

… have you ever noticed that the return percentage of the same title might vary from one playing house to another? These minor dissimilarities are caused by the way the RTG for a certain game was programmed, in other words, the people who did math are to “blame” – they have decided the number of random combinations to be assigned for any individual stop.

We hope you’re not disappointed by the fact that your little rituals, long-time observations, experience or supernatural abilities to predict future cannot actually exert influence on the outcome of the spins.

Life-changing wins are based exclusively on RTGs and, of course, on pure luck.

And isn’t that awesome?