Well, we all know that RTG allow the individual operators to alter the payouts of the games. With tables and poker it is done by altering the paytables, but with slots it is hard to see what has been done because they don't use proper reelbands as do Microgaming.
This question has also bugged me a lot. We know for sure that the RTG casino mangers can change the payout%, but how does the slots implement this ie. what is changed for the slots?
I see the following solutions:
1) (Hard to explain) The reels are an deception at RTG 5-reel slots. Only a single random is used to generate the win. The reels are then just showing a position matching this win. This is not the standard way 5-reel slots are working and it is a kind of cheating the players actually showing the reels. I do not hope this is true. But if it is, then it is very easy to change the payout%, and this is why I include this case. Rival and MG slots does not work this way! , and I think the big majorty of casino slot-software also does not work this way. 'Normally' the 5-reel are actually used to determined the spin result and then the win is calculated. Doing it the other way around is deceptive. (Like showing a card game where it is actually not.) I must state that I do not believe that this is the case, but I am not sure. If someone found the reels for a standard RTG then the SlotAnalyzer program could test it.
2) When changing the payout% for a slot it also changes the reels and only the reels (symbols on the reels). Paytable is the same. This would be the perfect way to do it.
3) The reels stay the same, but wins from 'bonus games' are decreased.
Examples:
For 'picking bonus games' this is easy. Simply just decrease the average win.
For games like 'Fruit Frenzy' simply just reduce the chance to hit. (We have seen this in action... It reduced the payout but 20% when you could never hit)
For games that gives a random #freespins and #Multiplier simply just decrease these.
I do not like this solution!
4) For the Rapid Fire Jackpot slots there also is this solution. Decrease the contribution from each spin to the jackpot and give it to the casino. This I would also say is a fair way to do it.
5) Changing the paytables. I know this is not the case for RTG since the paytables are the same for all RTG casinos, but I am listing it to make the list complete. This is also a fair way to it and was used by Rival.
Can anyone think of more ways to do it? Of course mixing several of these solution can also be used.
I must add that I actually disapprove of changing the payout% for a slot unless it is done for all casinos, because the players never know what they get.
When you play 'Thunderstruck' it is always the same no matter what MG casino you play it. I believe it hurts the RTG brand that the same slot is actually not the same slot for individual casinos or over time.
Zoozie
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