What Makes a Slot Popular?
A slot is a narrow opening, hole, or slit, especially one for receiving something, as a keyway in machinery or a place for a coin in a vending machine. It may also refer to a position in a sequence or series, such as a time slot for an appointment.
From the earliest mechanical slots — the ones operated by pulling a lever — to the modern multi-reel video games, casino operators and suppliers have sought ways to understand what makes players stick with a game. “Slot developers rely on data more and more these days,” says Cody Herrick, director of gaming at Ainsworth Game Technology. “They use reports from firms like ReelMetrics to see what features players value most.”
One thing that varies across games is the symbols used in them. Some have classic symbols like cherries, watermelons, lemons and the Bar symbol, while others have more elaborate symbols based on pop culture and movie characters. Some even feature stories that tie in with the game’s theme.
Regardless of what type of symbols are used, it’s important to remember that the game’s RNG determines what happens. The reels don’t actually spin — they just represent the stops that the computer has already selected. This is why many slot machines don’t even have visible reels — the computer does that work for them. They still show up, though, as a visual courtesy to the player. “The presence of the reels helps to build excitement,” says SG’s Mastropietro.