Some slot machines are said to be either tight or loose, making them either more or less likely to pay out. But with there being over 1 million slot gaming machines worldwide, what’s the secret to finding the machines that will give you the best chance of winning some money? In this guide, we separate the facts and the myths about slot machines. 

Explaining 'Loose' And 'Tight' Slots Machines

If you’ve spent any time on a casino slot floor then you’ll probably have heard the terms ‘loose’ and ‘tight.’ In order to discuss the myth regarding loose and tight slot machines, it is first necessary to explain the relevant terms.  

Loose Slot Machine Facts

The expression of a loose machine is used to describe slot machines that appear to have been set to pay back greater payouts than other machines.  

Tight Slot Machine Facts 

A slot machine is said to be tight if it seems to be set to make lower payouts than other machines. 

Which Slot Machines Do Casinos Make Most Money From?

When someone asks which slot machines are the most profitable to land and online casinos, what they’re really asking is – am I more likely to lose money from a loose or a tight slot machine? The answer to that question is simple – you’re more likely to lose money from a loose machine, as these pay out less. 

The answer to which machines are more profitable to casinos is a little more complex. If a machine is tight, then casinos lose less to players (hence, they win more from them). However, if players are winning less frequently from slot machines then they’ll be more likely to have shorter gambling sessions. This means it’s difficult to say with absolute certainty which slot machines casinos make the most money from. 

Slot Machine Location 

It has long been rumoured that casinos use slot machine placement to entice gamblers to bet, along with catching out those who are not paying attention to low payout machines. This has made slot machine location a hot topic among land casino fans, with many seeking to know the secret to spotting both loose and tight machines. 

How To Locate A Loose Slot Machine 

With loose slots being the ones with the highest payouts, being able to find one could increase your chances of having a winning casino session. 

The myth goes that casinos place loose machines at the end of a row of slot machines - especially near the entrance of the casino.

Why? Because, as the argument goes, this means gamblers can see fellow punters getting wins from the machines and this encourages them to play the slots too. 

It has also been suggested that slot machines with raised carousels are loose, along with those on the intersections that pass through casinos.

How To Locate A Tight Slot Machine

As tight slot machines are fabled for giving the lowest payouts, it’s important you know how to spot them – so that you can avoid them. 

Casinos don’t want you to spot the tight slot machines. They want you to stumble on to them by accident, then splurge your money on a machine with a lower return – so the theory goes, anyway. 

One idea is that tight machines are placed far from the hustle and bustle, hidden in dingy corners of the casino. 

Another suggestion is that casinos put their tight slots near bars, dining areas, or sportsbooks. Why? Because these gamblers may have loose change that they’re willing to wager on a slot machine – along with possibly being less likely to clock that the machines are tight, as they’re distracted by their drinks. 

An Important Fact About Casino Slot Machine Location 

While many gamblers are sure that casinos seek to extract money from them by using loose and tight slot machines, there is an important fact you must know about strategic slot machine placement – it’s against casino regulations. 

Laws that regulate casino operations prohibit any strategic placement of slot machines in order to swing an advantage on a particular game, or to influence the results of a game either way. This means that you shouldn’t be able to locate a loose or tight machine, as there should never be any in the casino you are gambling in. 

Myths About Slot Machines & Top Online Casinos

Although most myths concerning slot machine games originated in brick and mortar casinos, there are plenty of myths regarding the slot machines that are present today at online casinos. 

The most popular belief is that if an online slot machine has just paid out a jackpot prize, it is not worth playing as it will be tight.  

The truth regarding this myth, whether at a land-based casino or online casino site, is that the slot machine does not really know that it has just paid out winnings and cannot control when it provides a winning combination and makes payouts.

RNG Expels The Myth Online Slots Can Be Tight Or Loose 

Perhaps the greatest myth concerning online slot machines is that if the player had remained for just one additional spin, then the jackpot would have been won. This is just not true.  

Today's online slot machine games are controlled by the inclusion of a random number generator (RNG) into the slot machine software. This RNG ensures the honesty and fairness of the game making certain that the outcome of the online slot game will be entirely random.

There are those players that perhaps enjoy believing in the existence of loose and tight slot machines. However, RNG means that this is simply not the case. It could therefore perhaps be said that believing that online casinos have loose and tight machines is rather like believing in the tooth fairy. 

FAQs

How Can You Tell If A Slot Machine Is Loose? 

The myth is that loose slots are put at the end of rows of slots, or at the entrances to gaming areas. As it’s against casino regulations to do this, perhaps the only way to have an idea about the payout you can get from a slot machine is to ask other gamblers. 

However, even then, you must remember that slot machines use a random number generator (RNG). Sadly, this means there’s no secret to winning at slot machines by finding one that has been programmed as loose. 

Are Machines Rigged By Casinos?

Whether online or land-based, casinos are not allowed to rig slot machines. Rigging a slot machine is against gambling regulations, meaning that a casino that tries to do so could be subject to legal action. 

What Is The Secret To Winning At Casino Slot Machines? 

There really is no secret to winning at slot machines – if there was it would have been discovered long ago, publicised, and then used by every gambler on the planet. However, there is a way of potentially improving your chances of winning – by picking the slot machine with the highest RTP. 

RTP (return to player) is the amount of money that players win back from gambling games over time. By choosing the slot game with the highest RTP you can (in theory) increase your chances of winning. Where this theory falls down is that slot machines use RNG. This means that just because a slot machine currently has a high RTP it may not forever.