Video slot machines are computerized games that use random number generators to determine the results of a spin. They are typically played with multiple paylines and often have bonus events. The game’s payouts are determined by the pay table, which shows how much each winning combination pays. While reel machines used to have one, three or five paylines, video slots often feature as many as 1024 different lines that can appear on the screen — up, down, sideways and diagonally. The number of paylines can increase a machine’s chance of winning, but it doesn’t necessarily increase its percentage payout or odds.
Before the 1990s, slot machines were all-or-nothing affairs that offered only a small jackpot when cherries or lucky 7s lined up. But the advent of better computer technology changed all that. Now, casinos can offer higher jackpots and exciting games while still controlling the percentage payback and odds of each machine.
The first change was to make slot machines more interactive and entertaining. In addition to the traditional three-reel machines, video slots now offer a wide range of bonus events, including free spins, pick’em bonuses and mystery prize multipliers. These events can increase a player’s chances of winning a large payout or trigger other bonus events, such as a mini-game with a character from the game’s theme.
While the newer video slot games are more entertaining, they’re also more addictive than their mechanical counterparts. Psychologists have found that people who play video slot machines reach debilitating gambling addiction levels three times more rapidly than those who play other types of casino games. In her book “Slot Machines: The Big Gamble,” author Kathryn Schull argues that stricter regulations are needed to control video slot addiction, although she does not recommend banning them.
Another reason for the popularity of video slots is their fixed payout values, which are proportional to the number of coins wagered per payline. With a 20-line machine, for example, two hawks and three mice bring a payout of 15 coins, or less than the bet amount. Unlike reel machines, however, most video slots allow players to choose whether they want to cover all paylines, bet one coin per line or something in between.
Another benefit of the video format is that there’s no need to keep reel strips small in order to fit them into a machine casing. A video reel strip can be as long as a programmer needs, and it’s easy to add additional symbols on a reel without making the overall game math too complicated. This is also why video slots can have so many paylines and so many different combinations of wins.