Are Gambling Machines Rigged

4/3/2022by admin

It turns out, those claw machines are likely rigged. A recent investigation by blogging service Vox Media found winning a stuffed animal in a claw game has little to do with skill and more to do. If the claw is so badly rigged, then why do people keep playing this game? Starting in 1951, the machines were regulated as gambling devices, but in 1974, those regulations were relaxed.

Many casino players ask themselves, at some point, “are casino games rigged?”

New players wonder this because they’ve heard the popular expression, “the house always wins.”

Some experienced players also ask themselves this question because they’ve experienced overall losses when they calculate their profits and losses over time.

In this piece, I’ll answer the question with facts about casino games. As you will see, casino games are rigged to favor the house. But as long as you’re playing legit games at trusted casinos, you can still win.

Allow me to explain…

Understanding House Edge and RTP – How Casino Games Are Rigged

Before we can discover whether casino games are rigged or not, we have to define what rigged means.

If you’re asking whether it’s true that the house will always win, the answer is yes.

The casino will always make money on its games in the long term because it has a mathematical advantage.

However, if you mean rigged as you can’t win, no matter what you do, the answer is no.

Legit casino games aren’t rigged to cheat you.

There’s a chance that you can win, but even if you do, the casino will still make money because other players will lose enough to cover your win plus deliver some profit.

When playing casino games online, it’s important to understand two concepts.

House Edge – This is the casino’s mathematical advantage. It varies from game to game. The house edge on slot machines is usually 4%, whereas, in blackjack, it can be as low as 0.5%.
RTP – This is the average amount of money returned to players. For example, on slot machines, it’s usually 96%, whereas, in blackjack, it might be 99.5%.

You’ll notice the relationship between the house edge and RTP numbers. The house edge lets you calculate the casino’s profit on the game. So, does the RTP, but it tells you how much the casino will return to players. They’re two ways of expressing the same thing.

Examples will help clarify these concepts further:

The house edge on a slot machine might be 4%.

That means out of every $100 wagered on slots; the casino will make $4.

The RTP on a slot machine might be 96%.

This means that of every $100 wagered on a slot machine, players get $96 back.

In this example, do not make the mistake of thinking that the casino will only keep 4% of your money or will return $96 out of every $100 wagered by you. It’s possible that 10 players could lose $100 each, then one lucky player would win $40 on a $1 spin. RTP and house edge figures are averages.

Likewise, if you win a jackpot, you can be sure that the casino has either already taken more than that in profits or will do in the future. That’s why the house always wins. In this sense, casino games are rigged in favor of the house.

The House Edge for Popular Casino Games

Now that you understand the concepts of house edge and RTP, let’s look at the house edge for some popular casino games. Learning these will help you decide the best casino game to play to reach your goals.

Before we begin, note three things.

First, the higher the house edge, the bigger the potential payouts.
Second, different bets within a game can alter the house edge.
Lastly, the house edge can be affected by what game variant you play.

Game	House Edge
Blackjack	Between 2% and 0.28% depending on strategy and player experience.
Baccarat	1.06% on player bet. 1.24% on banker bet. 14.3% on tie bet.
Roulette	2.7% on European Roulette. 5.26% on American Roulette.
Slot Machines	Variable is 96% average. Up to 15% on progressive jackpot slots.
Keno	Variable is 20% to 30% depending on variant.
Video Poker	Variable depending on variant.
Craps	Variable depending on bet. 0% for taking the odds, up to 13.89% for 2, 12, and hard hops.
Sic Bo	Between 2.78% and 33.33% depending on what bet you place.

As you can see, slot machines, keno, and some craps bets have the highest house edges. Casinos make most of their money on these games. That’s one of the reasons they’re almost always permitted in casino bonus terms and conditions. However, these games also offer you the largest potential returns.

Are Slot Machines Rigged

Video poker almost always has the lowest house edge. It does vary depending on what variant you’re playing, but there are some games such as Jacks or Better have a house edge as low as 0.46% and can even have a negative house edge when played with a perfect video poker strategy.

Do you want to play games that offer potentially massive payouts but that have a bigger house edge, or do you want to play games that allow you to slowly grind out smaller profits but that give you a much better chance of winning?

Avoiding (Actual) Rigged Casino Games

You now understand that all casino games give the house a mathematical advantage, the extent that they do so depends on the game variant and often how you play it, and that even if you win a jackpot, the casino will still make money in the long game.

However, sadly, this isn’t enough for some greedy casinos. Rogue operators aren’t content with steady profits of 4% or greater on slot machines or double digits on keno.

These greedy merchants aim to lighten your wallet by running rigged casino games in a literal sense. While it saddens me to have to report this, I believe in being positive.

Therefore, I’d like to focus on two things:

There are far more honest, legit online casinos than there are rogue ones. I’d say it’s at least a 10:1 ratio.
You can avoid rigged casinos by being aware of them and learning how to spot them.

Here are some clues that casino games might be rigged.

The games aren’t powered by legit and verified safe software providers like NetEnt, Microgaming, RTG, or Evolution.
You lose more frequently than you statistically should. The house edge table above will give you a clue as to how many hands, rolls, or spins you should win out of 100.
The casino operator doesn’t have a valid gaming license. This is a red flag, and you have to ask yourself why.

There are also cloned casino games that appear to be from legit software providers. With experience, you can easily spot these because there will be glitches and other tells. They just won’t be of the same quality as authentic casino games.