How Slot Machines Are Tested for Fairness

We all know that when it comes to every type of casino game, the house will always have a slight edge. However, that edge has to be legal and in order to ensure that slot machines are tested for fairness, there are several steps that casinos need to take. 

Let’s highlight what some of these steps are.

Slot machines must comply to strict legal requirements 

The aim of every online casino and land-based casino is to ensure that they receive a big tick from the gambling legal bodies and are officially recognised by gambling commissions and other regulatory bodies. 

To be officially recognised by a gambling body is huge. It demonstrates to casino customers that the casino is a safe place to play. It shows that it takes customer welfare incredibly seriously. In order to comply, every slot machine that a casino owns has to pass a series of tests by third parties. 

The first thing that is often run is a random number generator test. Also known as an RNG test, this test randomises several spins to check that the house edge isn’t overly skewed and that the game isn’t rigged in any way and that the player does have the opportunity to win. 

An RNG test should recognise that the game is weighted towards the house, but if that edge is too severe and the player stands little to no chance of winning, the likely conclusion is that the game won’t be deemed sufficient enough to play. 

Software testing and bonus features are heavily reviewed 

You would think that when a slot machine is tested for fairness that only the probabilities of how likely a customer is to win or not is the only thing that is tested, but that’s not true. 

The software is tested vigorously to ensure that several boxes are ticked.

When a game is submitted for testing, the theme or objective of the slot will be declared, slot game testers will ensure that the software behind the game is reflective of the game’s overall theme. 

For example if the slot game is based on the ‘Wild West’, the tester will check that the graphics, soundtracks and interface broadly reflect that theme. If any of these elements don’t quite hit the mark, it’s likely that the game won’t pass the test. 

The other area that is heavily reviewed are any bonus features that the slot game chooses to operate. 

Often coming in the form of free spins, any bonus features are reviewed for fairness. The level of success is reviewed and whether the player can actually win the highest possible amount is assessed.

Similarly to when the slot is played when in regular mode, the bonus levels have to comply with the strict RNG guidelines that have been set by the legal authorities and bodies. 

Volatility 

If you want to see what the likelihood of winning on a slot machine actually is, one important step to take is to check the game’s volatility numbers. 

The volatility of a slot has been concluded due to the RNG test and it will result in either a high or low volatility being declared. 

If a game has a high level of volatility, this means that the regular win rate might be low, but the chance to win the game’s jackpot is high. If a game has a low volatility rate, this means that regular wins might be frequent but the jackpot rate or bonus level feature might be low. 

Depending on how you like to play, should determine whether volatility matters or not. The level should be declared on the official website for the slot.