Are Online Slots Rigged at Sweepstakes Casinos?

Are you an American wondering if online slots are rigged in sweepstakes casinos? What factors to consider when determining whether sweeps slots are fair?

Today we will make sure to answer these questions so that it is completely clear to you whether it is safe to play at sweepstake casinos.

How Does a Sweepstakes Slot Work?

There are a couple of features characterizing online slots. They have reels, usually 5, on which a number of symbols spin.

Using a random number generator, the game generates thousands of combinations for each spin, and picks one based on the random number. The combinations of symbols that result in a win are called paylines.

This is the general description for how an online slot functions. But how do sweep slots differentiate?

The difference from traditional online slots is that sweeps slots use a dual currency system, required by local state laws so that the social casino is legal to operate.

The two virtual currencies are called Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. If you want to play for fun, play with the first ones and with the second ones, respectively, in case you want to be able to win real money prizes.

fortune coins casino slots

Example Sweepstakes Slots – Fortune Coins 

Are Online Slots Rigged?

The short answer to this question is no, they are not if you play them at legitimate sweepstakes casinos. One thing to consider is the game developers available in the casino.

Reputable gaming creators cannot afford to fix the games they provide, as this will put them out of business in the long run.

Moreover, these software brands are licensed by different regulators, ensuring that their games are fair and transparent.

How Can Slot Machines Be Rigged?

Now that you know the basics of how online a slot functions, let’s cover how it can be rigged.

There are a couple of important slot features to consider.

RNG

We’ll start with the RNG we previously mentioned. Standing for “Random Number Generator“, it ensures that the game is transparent and fair. Since the combinations of symbols over the reels are completely random, it is hard to predict the outcome of a game.

It is important to note that the software developer cannot manipulate RNG, as it is a product created by third-party organizations. A provider doesn’t need to have such a certificate, but reputable ones do.

Make sure you check what game developers stand behind the game library of a sweepstakes casino. Some popular and legitimate ones are Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Relax Gaming, Hacksaw Gaming, to name a few.

Volatility

Understanding this essential feature of online slots is crucial for knowing what to expect from a game. If you do not know what volatility is, you can easily fall into the confusion of thinking that a given slot is rigged.

Volatility is the ratio that shows how often the game will pay you back and what amount to expect. Based on it, you can determine how risky a game is. So, a game with low volatility will reward you frequently, but you cannot expect significant wins.

On the other hand, a highly-volatile slot will pay rarely, but your winnings will be memorable in most cases.

gates of olympus design

Example of Volatility Display – Gates of Olympus Slot 

RTP

Any casino-style game has an RTP, which stands for “return-to-player“. It is a percentage that the casino game pays to you in the long run.

For example, if a sweep slot has an RTP of 96%, this doesn’t mean that if you wager coins worth an equivalent of $100, you will end up with coins equal to $96.

You can win a substantial jackpot, a lesser amount of coins, or lose everything. The game will give $96 for $100 to all players who play the game in all casinos. No one knows what your case and luck would be.

In other words, you can hardly be on profit playing slots in the long run, but you can win if you play today, for example.

Note that RTP is not the same as volatility.

Hit Rate

Another feature that can actually be tied to the volatility is the hit rate. The percentage shows how many times the game will offer winnings, irrelevant of small or big ones. A small hit frequency implies high volatility, while a game with a high hit rate is probably with low volatility.

Let’s say we are looking at 100,000 spins of a given slot, and it has a hit frequency of 20%. This means that there will be 20,000 winning spins, whether big or small amounts.

Final Words

As sweepstakes casinos are already widely accepted amongst US casino-style game enthusiasts, it is crucial to know whether the games in them are fair. Today we covered how to determine whether online slots are rigged, what aspects are important, and the sweeps slots features to look for.

Elina Blagoeva is a member of the Mr. Sweepstakes editorial team. She studied Multimedia and Creative Technologies at the KdG University of Applied Science and Arts in Antwerpen, Belgium.

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