For the purposes of organizing our detailed reviews of various slots games, we’ve organized this section of our site according to which companies design and manufacture which games. Slot machineproviders like IGT have been around for decades and serve both the land-based and online casino markets. Others, like Realtime Gaming, have been around for less than a decade and only serve theInternet market.

May 18, 2017  Since slot machines were first invented many manufacturers of those machines have devised ways to design them to become legal in certain jurisdictions were slot machines are not permitted, and one of the more novel ways of giving players a slot machine like playing experience is by designing something known as an Electronic Pull Tab machine.

Clicking on the links to the providers’ pages will take you to the information page on that company. That page will include a list of the games that company provides. On this page, we providebrief overviews of each company, including a couple of examples of well-known games that each company produces.

We’ve done our best to make this section as comprehensive as possible, but there are literally thousands of slots games available. If we’ve left out a provider or a game that you feel is worthyof conclusion here, please use the information on our “contact us” page to let us know.

Ainsworth Game Technology is an Australian company that’s been in business for 20+ years. The company is named after its founder, Len Ainsworth. The company is publicly listed under the codeAGI on the Australian stock market. They have headquarters in Newington, Sydney, Australia. We offer detailed reviews of their most famous games, including Dragon Lines, Eaglebucks, and GrandDragon.

Amatic Industries is an international designer and manufacturer of slot machines games found in casinos all over the world. They’ve been in business since 1993. They offer more than just slots,though—they’re also one of the leading designers of electronic roulette games. The company has won multiple industry awards, including “Most Stylish Gaming Machine” at the Irish Gaming Show andthe Golden Dice Award at ICE. We offer comprehensive reviews of some of their best-love titles, including Admiral Nelson, Cool Diamonds, Eye of Ra, Lucky Coin and Wolf Moon.

Amaya Gaming is best-known as the Internet juggernaut which bought PokerStars, making them the largest online poker provider in the world. It also catapulted them into the leading position oflargest publicly traded gambling company in the world. They do work in partnership with other companies—for example, their partnership with Aristocrat enables players to play some of the mostfamous Australian poker machines (pokies) online. Some of their more popular slot machine games include Casinomeister, Forrest Gump, Jenga, Superman, and The Flash.

Aristocrat Gaming Technology is another publicly traded company based out of Australia. (What can we say? Slot machines are really popular in that country, even if they call them “pokies”instead of “slots”.) The company was founded in 1953. They have licenses to operate in 240 different jurisdictions in 90 different countries throughout the world. Some of their better-knowngames include 50 Lions, Zorro, Sons of Anarchy, The Walking Dead, and Dumb and Dumber, among many others.

Ash Gaming has been in business since 2002 and focuses on providing specific games to specific clients, especially those in the sports betting industry who want to expand their offerings totheir player base. They also focus primarily on the Internet market. They don’t have the most extensive list of games in the industry, but some of their games are popular, including Alice inWonderland, Life of Brian, Nostradamus, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Bally Technologies is one of the oldest and best-known companies on this list. They’ve been in business since 1968, and they offer a huge range of games. If the name sounds familiar, it’sbecause the company is large enough to be involved in multiple aspects of the business. At one time, they were also popular providers of regular video games and pinball machines. They also havea casino in Las Vegas. They have a number of lucrative licensing deals, and they design and manufacture some of the following slot machines: Betty Boop, Double Dragon, Ducky Dynasty, Grease,Pawn Stars, Titanic, and ZZ Top.

Barcrest Gaming is a UK company that’s been providing gambling machines to businesses since 1968. They were acquired by IGT in the late 1990s but were then sold to Scientific Games in 2011.Both IGT and Scientific Games saw the wisdom in letting the brand continue under its own name, which it still does. You’ll find pages on our site providing complete game details for thefollowing games: Crown Gems, Rainbow Riches, Thai Flower, and Wipeout.

Betsoft Gaming is famous for their innovative and impressive 3D gaming products available on the Internet. We try to be as objective as possible when writing about any company on this site.Spend some time here, and you’ll see that we rarely “toot a company’s horn”, as it were. But the games from this provider are so much more impressive than anything else on the market that it’shard to not brag on them at least a little bit. They focus more on Internet gaming than land-based casino games. Some of the games from Betsoft Gaming that we especially enjoy include: AfterNight Falls, A Night in Paris, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Good Girl Bad Girl, and Greedy Goblins. You’ll find more of their games listed on our page devoted exclusively to their company.

Blueprint Gaming is a provider of gaming machines to the UK market, but they’re actually owned by a German company, the Gauselmann Group. They focus on creating games for Internet and mobilegamblers. They have multiple unusual licenses, including slots with the following themes: Austin Powers, Bejeweled, Chuzzle, Peggle, Plants vs Zombies, and Zuma. You can read about any of thoseindividual games here on our site, as well as find more details about Blueprint Gaming on their corporate profile page here.

Cadillac Jack supplies gaming machines to casinos throughout the world. They create and build video reel slots, wide area, multi-level progressive jackpot games, and Latin style bingo games.They focus largely on the United States market, offering both Class II and Class III gaming machines there. They also have games that target the Mexican gaming market. Some of their betterknown games include Alaskan Husky, Geckos Gone Wild, and So Hot.

The “EGT” in EGT Interactive stands for “Euro Games Technology”. That should give you a good idea of where the company is located and which market they serve—Europe. Like many of the companieson this list, EGT focuses exclusively on the Internet and mobile gaming market—you won’t see their games in traditional land-based casinos in Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Their better-knowntitles include Flaming Hot Slots, Super Hot Slots, Blue Heart Slots, and Zodiac Wheel. You can learn more about the company on their page, and more about the specific games on the info pagesfor each game.

Endemol Games boasts of being the #1 provider of TV-themed slot machine games in the world. We’re a little bit dubious of this claim, as IGT holds the rights to Wheel of Fortune slots, which isprobably the best-known game of that genre in existence. That being said, Endemol Games does have an interesting selection of games, including slot machines based on Big Brother, Catch Phrase,and Deal or No Deal. Since all of these games are considerably newer than Wheel of Fortune, perhaps their claims as a leader are more credible than we think. At any rate, you can learn moreabout the company on its profile page and more about each game on its review page.

Fremantle is actually not a slot machine manufacturer—it’s actually a TV company with several big brands that have been converted into slots games as well as used in other media. Their line ofslot machine games include some of the more interesting brands we’ve seen, and their execution of these concepts into gaming machine form is flawless. Some of their games include Play YourCards Right, Stargate SG1, Trivial Pursuit, and X Factor.

Gamesys is a relatively new company, having launched in 2001. They originally just provided the games behind the Jackpot Joy online casino, but they’ve since expanded their business model andgames offered. They have over 900 employees and are based in London. Many of their games include chat-based functionality, which is unusual in the slot machine industry. Their game based on themovie The Godfather is probably their best known property.

High 5 Games provides slot machine games for Facebook users. Like other providers on this list, they’re interested in providing games to Internet users and mobile gamblers. They offer a LOT ofdifferent games, most of which are listed on their company profile page here. Casino hot dogs trenton nj. Some highlights include Da Vinci Diamonds, Princess of Paradise, and The Vanishing Act.

IGT stands for International Game Technology, and if you’re a slot machine fan, you’ve probably already heard of them. They are the largest slot machine designer and manufacturer in the world.A large percentage of the gambling machines in any casino were probably designed and built by IGT. They were acquired by a company named Gtech, but that company changes its name to the morefamous name of its acquisition. They’re responsible for so many games that it’s impossible to list them all here, but you can find a close-to-complete list on our company profile page for thecompany. A representative sample list might include Wheel of Fortune, Lobstermania, and Double Diamond, not necessarily in that order.

Konami Gaming was founded in Japan but now also has offices in Australia. They’re not as well-known as IGT, but they still provide a large number of gambling machines to casinos throughout theworld. Not surprisingly, many of their games have an Asian theme—Ancient Dragon and China Shores are two games from the company that come to mind immediately.

Mazooma Interactive Games was founded in 1997. Unlike many of the online providers on this list, they provide games to land-based casinos as well as to online casino properties. In recentyears, they were acquired by Novomatic. A couple of games from the company that are worth mentioning include Spinderella and Wizard of Odds, the latter of which is named after the informationalwebsite from Michael Shackleford.

Microgaming is a UK based online casino software provider that’s best known for its large selection of progressive jackpot games on the Internet. They power some of the most famous andreputable casinos on the Internet, but none of the properties using their software allow real money players from the United States. They also have their own poker network, which also doesn’tallow USA players. They have a large stable of original games, including progressive jackpot games like Cash Splash and Major Millions. Unlike many exclusively online providers, they also offersome interesting licensed games, like Bridesmaids and Game of Thrones.

NetEnt is the shortened version of Net Entertainment, a Sweden-based designer of gambling games for the Internet. At one time all their games were Java based, but now they are Flash based. Wecan only assume that they will soon be upgrading their games to run on HTML 5.0. They have some interesting games available based on classic horror movies and literature, including Creaturefrom the Black Lagoon and Frankenstein.

NextGet is short for Next Generation. The company is based in Australia. They were founded in 1999 and are known for offering games with unusual, innovative features. Some of their gamesinclude A Dragons Story, Dragon Drop, and King Tiger.

Novomatic Gaming provides both online games and games for brick and mortar casinos. The company was founded in 1980. They originally catered to a largely German audience, but they soon expandedinto France, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Some of the games available via their company include Book of Ra, Buffalo Thunder, and Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

Playtech is a software company similar to Microgaming—a leader in the field of online casino software. They left the United States market at the same time as Microgaming, but they still powergames at a large number of online casinos catering to an international clientele. They, too, have progressive jackpot games, but not as many as Microgaming. Their jackpots aren’t as high,either. Their most interesting and popular progressive jackpot games stem from their license with Marvel Comics—you can find slot machines based on The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, and IronMan, among others.

Red stag casino codes. Realtime Gaming is one of the few online casino software providers which stuck with the United States market when all the other providers were leaving the market. Their software isn’t as fancyas Microgaming or Playtech, but it works well. Some of their slot machine games, like It’s Good to Be Bad, are unique and entertaining. As a lower cost provider for Internet casinos withsmaller budgets, they have fewer licensed properties available. Some of their games, like Mister Money and Jumping Beans, have unique and entertaining gameplay.

VGT is short for “Video Gaming Technologies”, and they might be the smallest company on this list. They focus largely on providing games to Native American casinos in the Oklahoma market.That being understood, you should also know that they offer some of the loosest slots in that state. We’ve enjoyed playing some of their unique games, including Lucky Ducky and Mr. Moneybags.Their red screen bonus stage is one of the aspects of their games that is most enjoyed by gamblers.

WMS Gaming was once known as Williams Gaming. They not only offer slot machines and video lottery terminals to land-based casinos, but they also have a number of popular online gamesavailable at Internet casinos. Some of the famous licenses they hold include Bruce Lee, Game of Life, and Elton John. You’ll find a much larger list of their games on our company profile pagefor WMS Gaming, and we also have detailed reviews of all those games.

Conclusion

Slot machine providers create and manufacture slot machine games for casinos throughout the world. Some of these manufacturers work exclusively with brick and mortar casinos. Others offerboth online casinos and traditional casinos their games. And a few companies only offer Internet casinos access to their games.

If you need more information about a particular company or its games, you should be able to find it by clicking through on one off the links on this page. If we’ve left something off thelist, please contact us and let us know so that we can update this page

accordingly.

One of the most common questions you’ll see about anything in the casino gambling industry relates to “honesty”. You’ll see this question asked about every casino game under the sun. You’ll also see it asked about every casino, especially the online gambling sites.

In this post, I want to address this specific question:

Are slot machines honest?

How Do You Define Honest?

When I use Google to look for a definition of honesty, I see some of the following definitions listed:

• “Free of deceit and untruthfulness”
• “Sincere”
• “Morally correct or virtuous”
• “Fairly earned, through hard work”

I think most people are thinking of the first definition when they ask whether slots games are honest. They want to make sure they’re not being cheated. In this context, the answer is yes, slot machines are honest. I’ll explain why in detail in the rest of this post.

In the second context, where “honest” means “sincere”—I’m less sure. Are the casinos sincere when they want you to think you’re able to win money? I think so, but they know in the long run, anyone who plays slots long enough will lose all their money.

In the third and fourth contexts, I’d have to say that slot machines are NOT honest. Slot machines are closer to morally neutral than they are to sinful, but you might have a different belief system about such things. It’s hard to say that slots don’t appeal to one of the seven deadly sins, though (greed).

I’m not sure anyone could (or would) consider money won on a slot machine “earned” or to have anything to do with “hard work”. It’s a game of luck. If you win, then you got lucky—it has nothing to do with working hard or being smart.

I’ll explain more about that later in this post, too.

How a Slot Machine Works Mathematically

Answering the question “are slot machines honest?” begins with learning how the games work mathematically. The math behind the games is easier to understand than most people probably think.

The first concept to understand is basic probability. When someone says “probability”, they’re talking about the mathematical likelihood that something is going to happen. That “something” is called an event.

The probability of an event is always represented as a number between 0 and 1. An event that will always occur no matter what has a probability of 1. An event that will never occur has a probability of 0. An event that will occur half the time has a probability of 0.5.

For simplicity’s sake, and to make understanding the concept easier, I just used whole numbers and decimals in the previous paragraph. But probabilities are almost always expressed as percentages or fractions.

How to Express Probability as a Percentage

You’re watching the evening news, and the meteorologist says there’s a 50% chance of rain tomorrow.

That means it’s just about as likely to rain as it is to not rain.

Here’s another example:

You flip a coin. You have a 50% chance of it landing on heads. You also have a 50% chance of it landing on tails.

If you add the probabilities of all possible events together, you always get a total of 1 (or 100%).

Probability is the mathematical engine that makes gambling games possible.

How to Calculate a Probability

Here’s how you calculate a probability:

You take the number of ways an event can happen. You divide that by all the total events possible (including what can happen and what happens if it doesn’t.)

You’re rolling a single six-sided die. You want to know the probability of getting a 6.

There are 6 possible outcomes. Only one of them is a 6.

The probability of getting a 6 is 1/6.

Another way to express that is using odds, which can be useful when calculating whether a bet is expected to be mathematically profitable or not.

Odds expresses the number of ways something can’t happen versus the number of ways it can happen.

In the six-sided die example, the odds of getting a 6 are 5 to 1. You have 5 ways of NOT rolling a 1, and only 1 way of rolling a 1.

If you want to calculate a probability that includes the word “or”, you add the probabilities of the events together.

If you want to calculate a probability that includes the word “and”, you multiply the probabilities by each other.

You want to know the probability of getting a 1 or a 2 on a roll of a six-sided die. The probability of each is 1/6.

1/6 + 1/6 = 2/6

You can reduce that to 1/3.

Here’s another example:

You roll 2 dice. You want to know the probability of getting a 6 on both dice. The probability of each is 1/6.

1/6 X 1/6 = 1/36 Casino dealer classes near me.

Applying Probability to a Simple Hypothetical Slot Machine Game

But how does all this apply to the honesty of slot machines?

I’ll use a super simple hypothetical slot machine game to explain how this probability affects the integrity of the game.

This super simple game has 3 symbols on each reel—an orange, a lemon, and a cherry.

The probability of getting a lemon on the first reel is 1/3.

The probability of getting a lemon on the second reel is also 1/3.

In fact, it’s the same on each reel. Blackjack when to hit and stay.

But the game only pays off if you get 3 of the same symbol on each reel.

The probability of that is 1/3 X 1/3 X 1/3, or 1/9.

Let’s suppose the payoff for getting 3 lemons is 4 for 1.

And let’s suppose the payoff for getting 3 cherries is 3 for 1.

Finally, we’ll suppose the payoff for getting 3 oranges is even money.

• The probability of winning 4 coins is 1/9.
• The probability of winning 3 coins is also 1/9.
• The probability of winning 1 coin is also 1/9.
• The probability of winning nothing is 6/9, or 2/3.

Now let’s suppose you’re putting $1 in on every spin, and you play 9 spins, getting every possible result once.

You win 4 coins once. You win 3 coins once. You win 1 coin once. That’s a total of 8 coins you’ve won.

But you’ve inserted 9 coins into the game.

Where did the extra coin go?

In the pockets of the casino, that’s where.

By setting up the payoffs so that they’re lower than the odds of winning, the casino sets up a situation where it’s guaranteed a mathematical profit over the long run.

Of course, most modern slot machines aren’t quite this simple. They have more symbols on each reel, for one thing. For another, the probability of getting a particular symbol might be different from the probability of getting another symbol.

For example, you might have a 2/3 probability of getting a pear, and only a 1/24 probability of getting a cherry.

What Happens in the Long Run vs. the Short Term?

By manipulating the payoffs and the probabilities of the symbols, the casino can guarantee that over a long period and many spins, they’ll profit.

But in the short run, a player might win a big jackpot or lose several times in a row.

That’s the nature of random events. In the short run, anything can happen. In the long run, the numbers get closer to the theoretical probability.

This is obvious when you look at it with an extreme example.

On an infinite number of spins, your average loss per spin will mirror the mathematical expectation.

The closer you get to an infinite number of spins, the closer you’ll get to the mathematical expectation.

Do Slot Machines Cheat?

The casinos don’t need to cheat to make a healthy profit.

The slot machine designers and manufacturers don’t need to cheat to make a healthy profit.

In fact, in well-regulated jurisdictions (like Nevada), games are thoroughly audited for fairness. When they’re auditing a game for fairness, one of the things they check is whether a game has a jackpot that’s impossible to win.

That’s the main concern many players have when they ask if slot machines cheat.

Does the game have jackpots that are impossible to win?

The short answer in almost every case is no, they don’t.

But you have no way of knowing what the probability of winning that jackpot is. Slot machine games have opaque odds and probabilities. The results are generated by a computer program called a random number generator (RNG).

The only people who know the exact settings for that RNG are the designers and the casino managers.

In fact, you could be playing two identical slot machines located right next to each on the casino floor and have different odds of winning. Not only is this legal, it’s common.

Does that sound like cheating?

By the strict letter of the law, it’s not.

Is it honest?

I’d say yes. Having two games next to each other offering different odds is intentionally misleading. It’s legal, but it’s not sincere in any way.

Online slot machines are no different, except that in some cases, these games HAVE been known to cheat. But not reputable casinos and not reputable software providers.

How do they cheat?

They set up games which are impossible to win.

The reasons baffle me. You stand to make far more money in the long run if you offer an honest game.

Even an idiot can tell after a while that he’s never going to win a rigged casino game on the Internet.

But otherwise smart people will continue to deposit money and wager it at a breakneck pace if they’re winning something every now and then, even if they’re showing a net loss over time.

That’s how gambling works.

What About Video Poker Games?

Slot Machine Electronic Cheat Devices

You need to understand immediately that video poker games are NOT the same thing as slot machine games. They look similar on the surface, but the math and the gameplay couldn’t be more different. And the philosophy behind these games is different, too.

Here’s why:

A video poker machine uses a random number generator that duplicates the odds found in a 52-card deck of cards. You know the probability of getting a specific symbol. Any specific card has a 1/52 probability of appearing.

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A card of a specific suit has a ¼ probability of appearing. A card of a specific rank has a 1/13 probability of appearing.

Payback Percentages and the House Edge

Knowing this enables mathematicians and computer programs to calculate the actual payback percentage for these games.

What’s a payback percentage?

It’s the percentage of each bet that’s paid back to the player on average in the long run. It’s the opposite of the house edge.

On a slot machine, you have no way of calculating a game’s payback percentage. It’s impossible, because you have no way of knowing the probability of getting a specific symbol.

But on a video poker game, you can calculate all the possibilities. And since you know how much the game pays out for various combinations, you can add the expected value of each to get an overall payback percentage for the game.

And you know what’s even better than this?

The payback percentages for video poker games are significantly higher than the payback percentages on slot machines in almost every case.

Even the worst video poker game usually has a payback percentage of 95% or so. But the better games offer payback percentages in the 98%+ range. Some (rare) games have pay tables which offer a slightly positive game for the player, like 100.2%. But those numbers assume perfect strategy on your part.

But even the best slot machine games usually have a payback percentage in the 95% range. The more common games slip down into the lower 92% or so range.

Expected Hourly Loss Rates in Slot Machine Games vs. Video Poker Games

What does this mean to your bankroll?

Let’s look at how much money you can mathematically expect to lose playing 2 different games:

We’ll start with an average slot machine game with a 94% payback percentage. You’re playing for $1 per spin, and you’re making 600 spins per hour. You expect to win 94% of each bet back, which means you expect to lose 6% of each bet.

6% of $600 is $36, which is the amount the casino expects you to lose on this game on average over time.

Then we’ll consider a 9/6 Jacks or Better game which you’re playing with perfect strategy. The payback percentage for this game is 99.54%, which means the house edge is 0.46%.

We’ll assume you’re playing a quarter machine and betting 5 coins per hand. You’re putting a little more money into action on each bet–$1.25. Most video poker players are as fast as slot machine players; they play 600 hands per hour. That’s $750/hour in action.

But with a house edge of 0.54%, your expected loss on that kind of action is only $3.77.

That’s right.

Playing slots costs you 10 times as much as playing video poker.

Video poker offers other advantages over slots, too. One of these is the skill element. You might not want to think about what you’re doing when you’re gambling.

But if you’re anything like me, you want to be able to at least exert a little bit of control over your destiny.

In video poker, you get to do that. The decisions you make playing each hand have a direct effect on your bottom line.

Play your hands well, and you’ll be playing one of the best gambling games in the house.

Should You Play Slot Machines at All?

This is a legitimate question. Should you play slot machines at all?

Here are some pros and cons of playing slots:

Pros:

• You can win bigger jackpots on slot machine games than any other gambling game except maybe keno. If you’re looking for a life-changing jackpot, like you’d see if you won a lotto drawing, slots are the way to go.
• They require little in the way of attention or effort on the part of the player. This suits some temperaments just fine. Relaxing in front of the spinning reels seems like a good deal for a lot of people.
• They’re available in an endless variety. You can find a slot machine game with any theme you can imagine. Love Elvis Presley? You’ll find a slot machine for it. Play Dungeons & Dragons when you were 12? There’s a slot for that, too. The themes and games are almost endless.

Cons:

• They offer some of the worst odds in the house. The house edge for slot machines vary widely. Some of them might offer good odds, but most of them have a house edge of between 5% and 10%. This isn’t awful. After all, roulette has a house edge of 5.26%. The problem is that slots play so fast that you can easily put more money into an action than you thought you could.
• You can’t figure out what the odds are. I have a philosophical problem with slot machine games. No other casino game is opaque about your odds. You can calculate the house edge for any table game in the casino. You can calculate it for video poker, too. But you’re never given the information you need to figure out the house edge on a slot machine. This is unacceptable to me.
• They’re designed to be addictive. Slot machine manufacturers spend millions doing research into what kinds of stimuli are going to put most people into the “flow” state. Flow is great if you’re interested in personal productivity at work, but if you’re playing a gambling game, it’s awful. No other casino game is as addictive as a slot machine.

Conclusion

Yes, slot machines are honest—in a manner of speaking, anyway. Casinos don’t make claims about slot machines that are blatantly untrue. If a game has a maximum jackpot of $1 million, you do have a chance of winning that much money.

What you don’t know is how likely or unlikely it is to win that amount.

Is this disingenuous on the part of the casinos?

I think it is, at least to some extent.

But all casino games have math behind them that puts the odds in the casino’s favor. That’s just the nature of the games. Slots are no different in that respect.

No matter which casino game you play, if you stick with it long enough, you’ll eventually lose all your money.

The only exceptions are certain games that can be played with advantage techniques, but that’s another subject entirely.

The only way for you to get an edge against a slot machine game is to cheat.

In most jurisdictions, cheating is blatantly illegal. You’re better off learning to play poker at an expert level, or learning how to count cards in blackjack.

Handheld Slot Machine Games Target

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