People that play slot machines typically think that these games can’t be beaten in the long run. After all, they have some of the highest houses in the casino.
Slots in land-based casinos are especially bad. They carry anywhere from a 5% to 15% house advantage.
Don’t expect the advent of skill-based slots to erase the house advantage. Will allow you to get at a skill-based slot machine,” Lucas said. Website of casino news service CDC Gaming. – New Jersey gambling regulators have approved a New York firm to become the first in the United States to deploy skill-based slot machines on casino floors in which payout is determined by the. Skill-based slot machines put a touch of Las Vegas at the local bar Queen of Virginia skill machines at New York Deli in Carytown. (Photo by Benjamin West) (Source: Capital News Service).
More recently, though, slots providers have been rolling out skill-based slot machines. They give you the chance to win more money based on your skill level.
But can you earn long-term profits with skill-based slots? I’m going to answer this question by covering more on how these games work and if they can ultimately be beaten.
How Does a Skill-Based Slot Machine Work?
You may have difficulty distinguishing a skill-based slot from a traditional machine. After all, they basically operate the same way.
You insert money, spin the reels, and wait for luck to do the rest. The only difference is that a skill-based game has bonus rounds that require skill to win.
With some of these games, you don’t necessarily have to play the skill-based round. You may be given the option between an interactive bonus and free spins.
Assuming you choose the former, then you’ll be taken to a second screen to play a skill-based game. The goal is to boost your profits by playing well.
- You’re playing a racing themed slot
- You trigger the bonus room and choose the skill-based bonus
- You need to race against other cars
- Your finish will determine the size of your payout
Again, these games don’t differ much from regular slot machines. However, they do stand out due to their unique bonuses.
What Makes These Games Worthwhile?
For decades, slot machines have been based on pure luck. You can’t do anything to influence the results after spinning the reels.
Instead, the random number generator determines whether you win or lose. The only thing you can really do is pick slot machines that offer a high return to player (RTP).
However, skill-based slots are a departure from traditional machines. They actually give you a chance to boost your profits with skill, much like blackjack or video poker.
Of course, you can’t use your skills throughout the entire game. These slots are mostly like traditional games, aside from the bonus rounds.
Nevertheless, the fact that you can use some degree of skill is an interesting change. If you like playing video games, then you’ll appreciate the opportunity to win more money based on how well you play the bonuses.
What Are the Chances of Beating Skill-Based Slot Machines?
Skill-based slots are somewhat deceiving. Your skills can result in more money, but not enough to earn guarantee profits in the long run.
The biggest problem is that even if you’re an expert at the bonus round, you won’t raise RTP enough to guarantee winnings. These games are still programmed to give the house a large enough advantage to beat the average player.
- A game features 92% base RTP
- The bonus rounds make up an additional 2-5% of payback
- Even with expert play, you can only expect to earn 97% RTP
Does this mean that skill-based slots are impossible to beat? No, you can still beat them just like a regular slot machine.
The drawback, though, is that they’re not like blackjack (card counting) or certain video poker variations, which can offer an edge over the casino. The bonus rounds just don’t make up enough of the RTP for this to be possible.
At best, you can play well enough during the bonus to earn higher payback than with the average slot machine. But you’ll still need luck to beat these games in the end.
Should You Still Play Skill Based Slots?
You might not like how skill-based slots aren’t as skillful as they may appear. But you can still have a good time playing these games.
The main thing to consider is what type of gambler you are. Are you looking for unique slot machines? Do you wish there was more interactivity with the average game?
If your answer is “yes” to both, then you should appreciate these slots. They’re fairly new to the industry and offer something different from the norm.
Blackjack, Texas hold’em, sports betting, and video poker are examples of games that you can conquer with the right skills and know-how.
Skill-based slots, unfortunately, don’t fall into the same category. You still need some degree of luck to win profits.
Now, this situation could very well change in the future. Developers might eventually create games that can offer profits to expert players.
But for now, skill-based slot machines are like regular slots in terms of RTP. The only difference is that some may offer high payback when you play the bonus well.
What Type of Slot Machines Can You Beat?
One little-known fact about slots is that certain types of games can offer long-term profits. Below, you can see three categories of slot machines that can give you an edge.
Accumulator Slots
An accumulator slot machine features a bonus meter. You gradually fill this meter by collecting special symbols throughout the game. Once the meter is full, you’ll trigger a bonus.
You can actually make profits by consistently playing accumulator slots when the meter is almost full. In these cases, you’re benefiting from all of the bets made beforehand that pushed the meter.
You need the right combination of a nearly full meter along with someone who gives up their seat right before triggering the bonus.
The latter doesn’t happen most of the time. Therefore, “slots vultures” try to trick players into leaving games.
Vultures hang around slot sections and look for bonus meters that are almost full. They’ll then approach players on these games and ask something like, “This is my lucky machine, can I have it?”
The problem with this strategy is that you need the nerve to actually ask players to get up from their machines. Some gamblers won’t willingly oblige and may get hostile if you persist.
In the end, accumulator slots are one of the worst ways to make gambling profits. But you still might be interested in these games if you have no trouble asking gamblers to vacate games with nearly full bonus meters.
Mystery Jackpot Slot Machines
A mystery jackpot slot features a jackpot that pays out at a predefined point. For example, a game may deliver its top prize at exactly $500.
Much like with accumulator slot machines, you can win guaranteed profits by consistently playing these games at the right points. Namely, you want to jump on a mystery slot when a progressive jackpot is nearing its payout.
Some gamblers will leave these machines close to the point when a jackpot is about to hit. They may leave because they’re tired of playing or simply because they run out of money.
Whatever the case, you can profit by taking advantage of these situations again and again. But you won’t find an abundance of perfect opportunities.
First off, vultures also like to scout out mystery progressive slots. Second, these games aren’t widely available on casino floors.
Progressive Jackpot Slots
A progressive slot machine features a jackpot that grows with each bet. These games take a small percentage out of each wager to fund the top prize.
Every progressive slot has a base jackpot amount. For example, a game’s top prize might start at $10,000 and continue growing until it’s finally won.
These slots also feature base RTP, which indicates how much the game is set to pay back at the starting jackpot value. However, the theoretical RTP increases along with the jackpot.
Assuming the top prize gets large enough, then you’ll technically gain positive expected value by playing at this point. Of course, the key problem is that your chances of winning a larger jackpot are very slim.
Even with a theoretical advantage, you must rely on lots of luck to hit a jackpot worth thousands or millions of dollars, but maybe you will want to check first this blog where we explain how to make a profit playing progressive slots.
Conclusion
The term “skill-based slot machines” is fairly misleading. True to their names, these games do feature some degree of skill. However, they mostly revolve around pure luck like other slot machines.
The only skill involved is in the bonus rounds. You play mini games where your performance will determine the payout.
Some of these slots can offer solid RTP if you’re skilled enough. For example, you may be able to push a game with 92% RTP to 97% payback with a great performance.
But are these games going to deliver profits if you’re good enough? No…at least not guaranteed profits.
The reality is that you’ll still need luck to win. Your skills in the bonus round will only cut down on the random chance.
But you shouldn’t expect to gain a long-term edge with these machines. They just don’t feature enough skill.
Assuming you’re desperate to win profits with slots, then you might try accumulator, mystery jackpot, or progressive jackpot slot machines.
I’m not a big fan of hanging out in casinos and trying to beat these games. But they all can deliver profits, with accumulator slots and mystery jackpot games being the most-feasible options.
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Slot machines have been entirely based on luck for decades. Unlike blackjack or poker, they don’t offer any control over the results.
However, a new breed of skill-based slots has begun to enter casinos. These games do provide the chance to control results to a degree.
Casinos aren’t necessarily offering skill-based slot machines willingly. Instead, they see a new trend on the horizon that could leave them obsolete if slots aren’t modified.
I’m going to discuss this new trend along why it’s forcing casinos to offer new types of slot machines. But first, I’ll cover more on how skill-based and traditional slots differ.
What Do Skill-Based Slot Machines Offer that Regular Slots Don’t?
A regular slot machine works as follows:
- You make a bet
- You spin the reels
- The random number generator (RNG) comes up with a combination
- Your results are displayed on the reels
You can see that the RNG decides the spin’s fate.
Some gamblers appreciate the complete randomness of slots. They don’t like overthinking every decision and would rather take a pure gamble.
Skill-based slot machines offer something different than this traditional setup. They feature bonus rounds that involve a high degree of skill.
Scientific Game’s Space Invaders is a perfect example of these games. This slot is based on a 1978 arcade machine that was later adapted to the Atari system.
Here’s how this slot machine’s bonus round works:
- You trigger the bonus with three or more scatter symbols
- You can choose between free spins and a skill-based round
- The latter brings up a second screen that’s filled with alien invaders
- You control a small spacecraft at the bottom and shoot at the advancing aliens
The base game still plays like any normal slot. You spin the reels and await a random result.
However, the key difference is in how the bonus works. You improve your chances of winning money by becoming more skilled at the bonus round.
Millennials Aren’t Playing Regular Slot Machines
The main reason why casinos are trialing skill-based slots is that millennials aren’t playing the traditional machines.
This generation, which was born between 1981 and 1996, visits casino resorts for the bars, nightclubs, and amenities. They’ve even shown some affinity for table games like blackjack and mini-baccarat.
However, millennials just don’t play slot machines like previous generations. They’re not impressed by the fancy graphics and features of the average modern slot.
This group has grown up during a technology boom that’s seen online gaming and smartphone use spread like wildfire. Millennials can simply pull out their phone and play a wide variety of games — gambling or otherwise.
In contrast to Baby Boomers and Generation X, they didn’t grow up visiting casinos just to gamble. Therefore, millennials don’t experience the same nostalgia that older gamblers do on slot machines.
The average millennial sees slots in land-based casinos as more relics than anything. But casinos are hoping to change this trend by injecting skill into the equation.
Gambling venues in both Las Vegas and Atlantic City have rolled out this new class of slots. They hope that the combination of skill-based bonuses, cool features, and good graphics is enough to attract young players.
Getting Skill-Based Casino Games Right Is Difficult
Skill-based gaming is still in its early stages. But so far, the results have been marginal at best.
The gaming world has been offering these slots since 2015. Neither millennials nor older gamblers are flocking to these machines.
One problem is a lack of awareness. Most players don’t realize that certain slots in Vegas and AC casinos feature skill.
Another potential problem is that developers just haven’t found the right combination to draw more gamblers.
Bonuses only account for around 3-5% of total return to player (RTP). This might not be a large enough degree of control for millennials, who are used to playing skill-based video and mobile games.
One more challenge for developers is figuring out the right type of bonuses. They’re going with old arcade games for now, which is a step in the right direction.
The idea is to use simple skill-based games that don’t turn off casual gamblers. After all, a 70-year-old grandma doesn’t want to play a slot where the bonus is patterned after Call of Duty.
But herein lies another dilemma: if the goal is to attract millennials, then why focus on arcade games from the 70s and 80s?
Uncertain Future with Skill-Based Slots
Aside from all the challenges I just highlighted above, casinos and developers must also deal with a high degree of uncertainty.
In the end, they could just be wasting their time by testing out skill-based slot machines. Nothing guarantees that these games will draw young adults.
Skill-based gaming sounds like a great idea in theory. Giving players the ability to decide their own fortunes is appealing.
Tournament.com, for example, found out the hard way that there are problems associated with such gaming.
They introduced an online betting platform for Half Life and Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) in 2007. Players could gamble on their team’s success on Tournament.com.
This idea sounds amazing in theory. Competitive gamers could win money by playing the games they love.
However, successful gamers would purposely play badly to lower their rating. They could then compete against lower-rated players and guarantee themselves more winnings.
Casinos don’t face the exact same set of trials as a video game betting site. But they too must worry about if the gambling world is ready for a new concept.
Game Of Skill Slot Machines
What Will the Future of Slot Machines Look Like?
Skill-based Slot Machines News Today
The same skill-based slots that we see today may or may not ultimately win players over. In this case, what will the future of slot machines be?
Obviously, I can only speculate on the matter. But future slots will likely be closer to both social gaming and console/computer games.
Social games like Angry Birds, Candy Crush, and Plants vs. Zombies have become highly popular over the years. These games walk the fine line between being both entertaining and easy enough for the average person.
Many millennials would appreciate a more-hardcore gaming experience in casinos. After all, a good CS:GO player won’t get much stimulation from shooting Atari aliens that move at a snail’s pace.
Therefore, complex video games could make their way onto casino floors. Players would gamble on their abilities in games similar to CS:GO, Call of Duty, and Halo.
GameCo is already experimenting in this category with Danger Arena. This first-person shooter involves betting on your ability to blast armored soldiers.
Conclusion
The slots world is always evolving. Once three-reel games played on mechanical drums, these machines have transformed to reflect modern gaming better.
Nevertheless, they still aren’t catching on with younger gamblers. Millennials would rather visit a casino nightclub or spa than sit on a slot machine.
The good news is that these same visitors are still spending money. The bad news is that they’re not playing the casinos’ cash cows.
The industry fully realizes that they’ll be in trouble if they don’t find something that appeals to millennials. Skill-based slot machines are the first step in figuring out what young adults want.
The jury is out on whether these games are a success. They’ve only been available in casinos for a few years and haven’t been major hits thus far.
Developers may need to tweak the subject matter for the bonuses. Their early efforts include arcade adaptations that mainly appeal to older gamblers.
Both social and complex video gaming would very likely be popular among millennials. The fact is that gambling on games like Candy Crush and Halo hits closer to home with young players.
Again, these efforts are still in the early stages. But it’ll be interesting to see the end product of what finally does attract millennial gamblers.