Rumours masquerading as facts or myths as truths are all part and parcel of the world of online slots. So if you've been told that online slots will only pay out, if you are paying in, or that progressive slots only pay out at certain levels, then read on!
It is easy to see why many people often have the wrong impression about online slots. There are certain myths and half-truths propagated about this hugely popular form of entertainment, often passed on by a 'person in the know' with a knowing wink.
While in isolation these fantastical notions are generally harmless, the problem is when they spread amongst the community and gain a degree of credence amongst players, who perhaps do not have the experience and knowledge to know better. As such, they approach these games believing that they genuinely are loaded against them winning.
Frustratingly, if only these people would consider the facts about online slots and jackpots, then all these misunderstandings would be eradicated within an instant.
So to help these people who may have heard a rumour or two about online slots, either from fellow players, a friend or even via an online community; here's a look at five of the most common myths about online slots and jackpots, together with a brief explanation of why they are totally incorrect.
1. A progressive jackpot is 'going to be won very shortly' or 'won't be won for a while as it has just been won'
There is a lot of confusing and often conflicting information bandied about in the cyber-world by self-proclaimed online slot experts. These are the people who try and sell you "a winning formula" for success on the slots, and who seem to be 'in the know' as to when a big progressive jackpot is about to be won, or not.
The logic seems to be that the longer a progressive jackpot goes without being won, the more likely it is to be won. Therefore, if a progressive jackpot has just been won on a particular game, then you should not play that game as it is unlikely the jackpot will be won again for some time.
As appealing as this logic is to some people, unfortunately it is completely false and easy to prove why.
All online slots at reputable casinos, like those listed on our site and partner sites, are powered by software known as a random number generator (RNG). It is this which decides which symbols are displayed on every 'spin' of the reels. Every time you press a button, the slot selects a random number from all of those available.
So what this means is, regardless of when the last time the jackpot was won or not, every time somebody plays the game, they have the same chance of winning the jackpot as every other person before them, or playing after them.
The slot is not a conscious entity; it does not 'know' when the last jackpot was won, nor does it know not to award a jackpot until it has reached a certain threshold. The process is entirely random (otherwise this would be easily picked up by licensing bodies, such as eCogra).
The upshot of this is, nobody can know when a progressive jackpot is 'ready to be won' in the same way that a jackpot being won a short time previously is not an indicator that the jackpot will not now be won for some time and there is plenty of corroborative evidence for this from the online casino world.
Take the famous Mega Moolah slot, after the first jackpot was won in April 2008, it was 13 months before it was won again in May 2009. Yet in May 2013, the jackpot was won twice within the space of five days, on the 5th and then again on the 10th May.
Given the RNG, a progressive jackpot could be won on the next spin, in the next week, month, year or longer. That is why it is random and that is why it is fair.
2. Online slots can run "hot" and "cold" at the casinos discretion
This notion is that casinos can manipulate games to make it appear as if it is 'easy' for a player to win and then when the player wagers more money on them, the games suddenly start losing, thus handing the casino a tidy profit.
Of course, such weighting in the game would be very easy for licensing bodies to spot and furthermore, companies such as eCogra, which certify casinos as offering fair games, would easily spot this during their millions of trial runs of the gaming software.
While it is certainly true that casinos do not skew fair games in any way, that doesn't mean a game cannot run through a period of payouts, or a relatively inactive period of payouts. The random nature of the games mean that there will be times when the game does tend to pay out more, or less, than usual.
That doesn't mean the game is skewed in any way whatsoever, it is just further confirmation that the game is indeed random and fair.
3. You can only win the big online slot jackpot prizes if you wager the largest amount possible per spin.
Some people believe that if you are going to win the really big prizes on a progressive jackpot slot, such as Major Millions or Mega Moolah, then you need to wager the highest amount of money possible to give yourself a chance of winning the biggest prize.
While games like Mega Moolah do offer staggered jackpots amounts based on your wager, there is no requirement that says you have to bet the largest amount to win a big prize and the best evidence of this comes, once again, from real life.
In December 2012, one player from the UK, called John O, won a jackpot approaching six million pounds on Mega Moolah, yet his total bet from that spin of the wheel was just 30p, a fraction of what you could spend on a spin on this hugely popular game.
4. Online slot machines only pay out once a player has paid so much into the machine/casino
The idea that a machine will only pay out to a player once they have paid so much into it, is an appealing one to users as it seems to be a common sense belief. After all, the casino isn't in this to pay you money for playing, so it would want cash from you first before it offers you a decent pay out.
Unfortunately, as we have already discussed, the fact that these slots use independently verified random number generators to power them, again totally dismisses this idea. As does the notion that a game can somehow recognise which player is playing and can then record how much they have paid into the pot before judging whether they deserve a payout.
Sadly, while slots are great fun, they are not yet that intelligent!
5. You'll never win money playing free spins/bonus cash
Many people believe that if a casino offers you free bonus cash or free spins, that you'll never win anything worthwhile with them. That the casino detect you are using their bonus money and will not allow you to win anything as a result.
Once again, the easiest way to disprove this is from real life. In January 2014, a Dutch gambler won a jackpot of over a million Euros playing the Major Millions progressive slot from his mobile.
The catch? He was not using a single cent of his own cash to play. For his birthday, his casino had sent him some bonus cash to play with on the site and the player was simply using up this cash when he landed his huge progressive jackpot win.
So remember, online slots are arguably one of the most stringently regulated forms of gaming that you'll find online today and while these myths may seem to offer a degree of common sense, they are all false.
You have as much chance to win on the next spin, as the next person, regardless of how much you are playing with, where your money has been sourced and how long ago it was from the last big payout.
Next Post: The two types of Free Spins sure to get you in a whirl
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