A recent conference panel revived a question in my mind that has bugged me for awhile now: Why is it so hard to know how volatile a slot is, and why do we need to spend our hard-earned money (by playing it) to figure it out?
Some background: I was recently invited to speak at the 19th International Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking, hosted by the University of Nevada Las Vegas International Gaming Institute at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
It took place right after this year’s Rudies Weekend, so unfortunately I wasn’t able to stay for the entire conference. While there for my session, I attended another panel, which discussed some of the changes on the casino floor in regards to slot design. One topic that was brought up was volatility and how that’s increased.
During the Q&A, I asked a question (which captured the attention of a reporter there, which reminded me I asked it!), around the fact that players blame casinos for what they perceive as lower payback percentages, but volatility seems to be playing a role in players bombing out of their budget faster.
They responded with answers I’ve heard before, that players vote with their wallet. This may be true. But I also get told (rightfully so) that not all players are the same, and so different types of games are made for different types of players.
One type is the so-called “entertainment” style, which tends to have a lot more activity, but also tends to be a lower volatility level. But as a player you’re not necessarily going to know how to find these games because there isn’t any indicator of what to expect.
There are some ways that this sort of information can be surfaced. Global Gaming Business and their slot reviews will sometimes include some indications around volatility. Some of the slot makers have their own volatility scores, and occasionally that information will surface, whether on their website or in write-ups about the game.
One of the more forward thinking companies when it comes to this is 4thePlayer.com., an online slot company that shares quite a bit of info about their slots, from the RTP to the bonus frequency to a volatility rating. Where possible, they even showcase some of these data points on the loading screen – nothing to go digging for here.
Why can’t this be more commonplace? It seems a bit unfair that a player new to a game would need to put $100 into a slot to see that Big Hot Flaming Pots has such anemic line hits. Sure, you can look at a paytable, but just seeing how much something pays only tells part of the story. Other elements like hit frequency and bonus frequency can have a big impact on how a slot plays.
Of course, if every slot company had its own rating system (which to some degree, at least internally, they do), it could still be potentially confusing, but given many players get to know who make slots over time, similarly it’d still be helpful to know that this Aristocrat slot is more volatile than this other Aristocrat slot, and be able to make decisions around that among other factors like bet size/options and so on.
It feels like a small step, but one that could be really helpful for players to find the games they’ll like the most. And for those players who feel like the volatile slots are boxing them out because of their budget, it might make those players feel more comfortable, and be more likely to return.
Continued volatility chase without some transparency may slowly box out more players, reducing the casino industry’s customer base. That might work in times where the remaining players can carry the difference, like seen in Las Vegas recently, but isn’t a long term solution if slowly more players continue to be turned off.
So this is the deal…when I see a new machine I put in 100 dollars and play lower bets so see how it responds. If I blow through half if that with no line hits whatsoever I get up and never look back. A machine has to earn my play and if it does that on the lower bets I will bet up and see how but goes. It does not have to be much on those initial line pays but these measily 15 cent returns on bigger bets is insulting and just not worth a return too. I like a little give and take when I play, that is the fun and entertainment value and the possibility keeps you playing.
While this makes sense to us, the thing we doin’t like is you have to invest money to get a sense of the game, instead of information about the game being more readily available for players to be able to screen beforehand. Sure, you could watch videos like Brian’s to get a sense for the game as well, but it still feels like an imperfect solution. But we agree with you that if a game doesn’t feel fun, it’s worth moving on, so from that perspective we like your approach!
Totally agree. I would love to win big once in a while,but at least let me play for the entertainment.