Connect with us

Latest News

Myth-Busting UNLV Study Reveals that Gamblers Can’t Detect Slot Machine Payout Percentages

Published

on

Myth-Busting UNLV Study Reveals that Gamblers Can’t Detect Slot Machine Payout PercentagesReading Time: 3 minutes

 

As casino operators optimize the house advantage, a new UNLV study contradicts long-held beliefs about a player’s ability to detect differences in how much – and how often – a slot machine pays.

 

It’s a common sight on casino floors: patrons jumping from slot machine to slot machine before eventually hunkering down at a game that’s due for the next big payout. But can players – even the regulars who frequent a particular property – really tell the difference between the house edge on one game from that of another?

Nope. At least not according to a series of recent studies led by Anthony Lucas, a UNLV Hospitality College professor and former gaming industry operations analyst.

For the past several years, Lucas and colleague Katherine Spilde from San Diego State University have taken to casino floors on multiple properties in the U.S., Australia, and Mexico to investigate. Their results contradict long-held beliefs by casino operators about a player’s ability to detect differences in how much – and how often – a slot machine pays.

“I think some operators are naturally and understandably cautious of new information that challenges traditional industry practices,” said Lucas. “But we must consider how we know what we know. This is where our work takes on a Moneyball-like aspect – questioning the wisdom of widely held beliefs when data show that a new way of thinking may be better.”

In their latest study, the UNLV-led research team compared two pairs of reel slot games at a “locals” casino in suburban Sydney, Australia, where all wagering occurs on electronic gaming devices.

Their process is relatively straightforward: take two identical slot machines, positioned in similar places on a casino floor, but vary the par – the percent of total coin-in that the machine keeps over time. For example, if the par on a game is set at 10 percent, the machine would be expected to retain $10 of every $100 wagered, on average, over the long term. But in the short term, this rarely happens, increasing the difficulty of par detection.

For this study, researchers compared the daily performance of pairings for the games “Tokyo Rose” and “Dragon’s Fortune X” over a nine-month period. The pars within each pairing ranged from 7.98 percent on the low end to 14.93 percent on the high end.

Researchers measured daily coin-in for each machine as well as its T-win, a formula that multiplies coin-in and par to calculate a machine’s expected value, or its theoretical win. If, over the course of the nine-month test, regular players could detect a difference in the pars, this comparison would reveal whether (and how much) players migrated from higher par to lower par games.

As Lucas predicted, differences between the high and low par games remained stable throughout the length of the study, which meant that there was no statistically significant indication of play migration.

And while the lower par machines had more coin-in over the course of the study period, the T-win was greater on average for the high par machines. The positive impact from the elevated T-win on revenue for the higher par machines more than compensated for the decline in coin-in on those machines.

“Casino operators should take note of the substantial increases in T-win, as they are responsible for optimizing revenues, not coin-in,” said Lucas.

The results were also consistent with findings from the team’s previous studies, which analyzed 11 pairs of games over 180 days at gaming properties in U.S., Mexico and Australia.

So, other than busting one of gaming’s great myths, why does this matter?

Pars are an important factor for casinos looking to optimize revenues, as the bulk of slot revenues come from reel slots, and a lion’s share of a casino’s overall profits come from slot operations. While there are exceptions to this rule, it is true for most of the world’s casinos.

“Ultimately, operators are responsible for optimizing slot revenues, which is no simple task,” Lucas said. “Knowing which par will produce the greatest win is most helpful, but the optimization issue becomes more complex when the possibility of player detection is introduced.”

That’s where industry perspective is mixed, as operators have expressed concerns that short-term gains from higher pars could lead to long-term losses as players leave perceived “tight” slot floors for the greener pastures of their competitors.

To account for this concern, researchers extended length of time from previous work, from six months to nine months. They also expanded the difference in pars between matched pairs from 4.9 percent in the initial study to 6.95 percent in the current study.

In a concurrent study, the researchers compared the Australian data with four, two-game pairings at two similarly situated casinos in Mexico. Par differences for those games were even more drastic – ranging from 7.98 to 8.9 percent.

Despite these factors, in both instances the results still found no evidence of players moving away from higher-par machines to their low-par counterparts, and the high-par games continued to post substantially greater revenues.

“Put simply, our results suggest that greater pars produce greater revenues, without the risk of brand damage resulting from ‘price’ detection,” Lucas said.

Full Study

The study, “Impacts of increased house advantages on reel slots,” was recently published online in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.


Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: Myth-Busting UNLV Study Reveals that Gamblers Can’t Detect Slot Machine Payout Percentages

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

Latest News

INSPIRED UNVEILS GOLD CASH FREE SPINS SUPER WHEEL™ FEATURING THE REVOLUTIONARY PLAYER LINK™ MECHANIC

Published

on

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Inspired Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: INSE), a leading B2B provider of gaming content, systems, and solutions, has launched Gold Cash Free Spins Super Wheel, a supercharged evolution of Inspired’s classic hit slot, Gold Cash Free Spins. Available across the UK and Malta iGaming markets.

Gold Cash Free Spins Super Wheel introduces a new industry-first shared bonus mechanic named, Player Link (United States Patent No. 12,350,596). For the first time, players can share and compete in the anticipation and excitement of a bonus trigger in the form of the Super Wheel. This innovative mechanic generates a sense of community and competition, delivering the lucrative “Super Bonus” to a winning player, before resetting and starting the competition all over again.

Set on 5×4 reels with 40 win-lines, the game combines the much-loved Gold Cash Free Spins gameplay with electrifying new features. The shared Super Wheel awards instant cash prizes, lucrative Super Cash rewards, or triggers the high-value Super Bonus. Each spin of the super wheel builds suspense, with segments that progressively upgrade to increase the chances of hitting the Super Bonus. The Super Bonus awards eight Super Free Spins featuring only the highest-paying symbols and dramatic Wild Spins, with Wilds dropping onto the reels for big win potential.

Steven Collett, Chief Product Officer at Inspired Entertainment, commented: “Gold Cash Free Spins Super Wheel is a major leap forward in slot innovation. With the revolutionary Player Link mechanic, we’ve created a shared, community-driven experience that builds excitement for every player. This game blends the trusted Gold Cash Free Spins brand with fresh, competitive gameplay designed to engage players and deliver strong results for operators. We’re excited to see its performance and look forward to launching more fun content, featuring our groundbreaking Player Link technology. Each title will incorporate the Super Wheel as a consistent feature while offering a distinct Super Bonus aligned with the game’s theme.”

With escalating rewards, shared excitement, and iconic features, Gold Cash Free Spins Super Wheel sets a new benchmark for iGaming. It combines big wins, big action, and a shared sense of fun, to keep players engaged and highly entertained.

The post INSPIRED UNVEILS GOLD CASH FREE SPINS SUPER WHEEL™ FEATURING THE REVOLUTIONARY PLAYER LINK™ MECHANIC appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Wagercomms and Million Games Launch Hard Eight Poker™ – A Fast, Strategic Table Experience

Published

on

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Million Games, in partnership with Wagercomms, has officially launched Hard Eight Poker, a high-speed, strategic casino table game that combines classic card play with dual progressive jackpots and sleek, mobile-first design.

Developed under the Million Stars partner program, Hard Eight Poker represents the next step in Wagercomms’ mission to deliver proprietary, high-performing table content for online operators.

The game introduces a dynamic mix of Ante betting, Red/Black decisions, and optional Progressive Eight side bets, giving players the freedom to raise, insure, or cash in at every stage. With multi-tier payouts — including 5:1 for a Pair of Eights, 25:1 for a Hard Eight, and 50:1 for Triple Eights — the action builds round after round.

“Hard Eight Poker delivers exactly what today’s casino audience wants — something fast, strategic, and fair,” said Thomas Nimstad, CEO of Million Games. “Wagercomms has created a table game that’s easy to learn but layered with strategic depth, giving operators a powerful new addition to their lobbies. It’s the perfect example of how the Million Stars program helps studios like Wagercomms transform great concepts into market-ready games”

Following Draw Sevens, Hard Eight Poker marks the next milestone for Wagercomms under its Wagercomms Originals series — a growing portfolio designed for lasting player engagement and differentiation in slot-heavy environments.

“With Hard Eight Poker, we wanted to create a table game that feels familiar but plays with a fresh edge — fast, strategic, and designed for the modern player,” said Peter Bengtsson, CEO of Wagercomms. “Working with Million Games allowed us to focus on gameplay depth and balance, while their platform and publishing expertise helped us bring it to operators worldwide.”

With a 2.74% house edge, mobile-first design, and certified RNG, Hard Eight Poker is now available for integration via Million Games, offering both casual and competitive players an elevated table experience.

The post Wagercomms and Million Games Launch Hard Eight Poker™ – A Fast, Strategic Table Experience appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Vixio Strengthens Trust and Innovation with ISO 27001 Certification and Next-Generation Workspace Platform

Published

on

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Vixio, a leading provider of regulatory intelligence and change management solutions, today announced two major milestones: achieving ISO 27001 certification for information security management and launching the latest evolution of Vixio Workspace, the company’s AI-enabled workspace to help compliance teams simplify compliance processes.

Together, these developments demonstrate Vixio’s continued commitment to helping compliance professionals operate with confidence, efficiency, and trust in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.

Stephen Lovell, Chief Product Officer for Vixio, said: “Our clients rely on Vixio to deliver accurate, timely and trusted regulatory intelligence. Achieving ISO 27001 certification and launching our enhanced Workspace platform reflect twin priorities: protecting sensitive information to the highest international standard, and equipping compliance teams with powerful, intelligent tools that simplify regulatory complexity. We’re turning our tried-and-true horizon scanning into simpler horizon planning capabilities.”

ISO 27001 Certification: Reinforcing Trust and Data Security

ISO 27001 is the globally recognised standard for information security management systems (ISMS), awarded to organisations that meet rigorous criteria for managing and mitigating data risks. The certification covers Vixio’s operations, systems and processes used to deliver its intelligence platforms and client services, ensuring robust controls are in place to protect sensitive information.

This milestone follows a series of investments by Vixio to enhance its infrastructure, data governance, and security frameworks, ensuring clients continue to benefit from reliable, secure and industry-leading regulatory intelligence solutions.

Vixio Workspace: Powering Compliance with Intelligence and Automation

Vixio Workspace, launched in 2025, is an AI-enabled, centralised, collaborative workspace that connects compliance and business strategy, enabling teams to integrate regulatory insight with workflow execution, create a fully auditable trail, and streamline both compliance and go-to-market processes. Since its launch, client feedback and growing market demand to simplify compliance processes have fuelled the next phase of its evolution.

 

“We designed Vixio Workspace to bring order to complexity and replace the old-fashioned spreadsheet systems,” added Lovell. “By combining Vixio’s trusted intelligence with secure, evidence-based automation, we’re empowering compliance teams to make faster, more confident decisions.”

Vixio has now expanded the tool with new features to help compliance teams manage regulatory change in one place: 

  • Triage Tool (‘Smart Inbox’): Available now, the Triage Tool (smart inbox) filters thousands of updates to the few that truly affect users, based on their watchlists, regions, and compliance focus. Using machine learning, it surfaces priority regulatory changes unique to each user. 
  • Vixio API: Also available now is a Vixio API, which allows clients to seamlessly connect Vixio’s regulatory intelligence and triage workflow into their own internal tools, dashboards, or compliance systems. This is in addition to Vixio Workspace’s plug-and-play deployment, which is designed for teams who prefer a fast, low-effort set up rather than custom integrations.
  • Requirements Extraction: Finally, coming soon, Vixio Workspace will feature a Requirements Extraction tool that allows users to search, snippet, and save passages directly from regulatory sources and documents to build precise compliance evidence.

These enhancements give compliance professionals a centralised, intelligent platform that saves time, reduces regulatory risk, and adapts as regulations and business priorities evolve.

“My initial reaction to the new Vixio Workspace tool is that I loved it. I think it will solve so many problems for compliance managers and compliance teams, having that single source of truth, having that workflow tool all built into one,” said Anoushka Thompson, Governance, Risk & Compliance Executive.

For these innovations and more, Vixio was recently recognised as a Compliance Solution of the Year at the 2025 International Business Awards and Best RegTech Platform at the FinTech Breakthrough Awards, both awards received for the second consecutive year. These accolades reflect the company’s continued leadership in delivering secure, intelligent, and transformative regulatory technology solutions to its global client base.

The post Vixio Strengthens Trust and Innovation with ISO 27001 Certification and Next-Generation Workspace Platform appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Continue Reading

Trending

EEGaming.org is part of HIPTHER, parent brand of various prominent news outlets and international conferences. These platforms and events span a wide range of industries, including Entertainment, Technology, Gaming and Gambling, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Fintech, Quantum Technology, Legal Cannabis, Health and Lifestyle, VR/AR, eSports, and several others. This indicates that EEGaming.org is part of a larger network that focuses on a diverse array of sectors, particularly those related to cutting-edge technology and modern lifestyle trends.

Contact us: [email protected]

Editorial / PR Submissions: [email protected]

Copyright © 2015 - 2025 HIPTHER. All Rights Reserved. Registered in Romania under Proshirt SRL, Company number: 2134306, EU VAT ID: RO21343605. Office address: Blvd. 1 Decembrie 1918 nr.5, Targu Mures, Romania

We are constantly showing banners about important news regarding events and product launches. Please turn AdBlock off in order to see these areas.