Do Slots Pay More at Night?
Fact Checked
If you understand how gambling works, you must have realized that there are various winning and losing theories or myths. Whether or not players will win more playing slots at night is one of them.
Logically, playing at night may also increase your chances of winning an online slot game. At least most people may be asleep. However, that’s not enough to make you win more at night, don’t you think? Nonetheless, a punter can win real money on Quick Hit slots at any time.
Then, why do gamblers think playing slots at night pays more, and how valid is their assumption?
What Punters Think about Night Gambling
The belief that slots pay more at night comes from the fact that there are more players at night. There are two angles to this theory. Some people argue that when more people play, the casinos will want to attract and compensate them by increasing the winning probability.
That is similar to a retail shop reducing prices of goods at festive periods to encourage more shopping. Some gamblers argue otherwise. They believe the casinos do not alter their winning probability, but the machine has been programmed to pay more when more people play.
So at night, when more players are at the casinos, there will be more winnings. Now let’s discuss how accurate these claims are.
The Truth about Night Gambling
There are indeed more casino players at night. This is simply because non-productive time is the best time to play slot games. In the morning and afternoon, people are busy with their daily job.
However, no casino alters its game at any time of the day. Slot machines use randomly generated numbers to decide who wins and the amount. It has already been programmed and cannot be altered frequently. Most casinos do not even have any control over the majority of the games they offer. Besides, altering the game programs will amount to cheating and malpractices.
It will make their games unfair, and the regulating authority may penalize them. Would you like to play in a casino that can decide when to win and lose?
However, more people win when the casino is busy, but that does not increase your chances of winning. No doubt, there must be winners and losers among casino players; the more the players, the more the winners. Unfortunately, the more the losers also.
Jackpot games are designed to pay out after a set number of people have played. At night there will be more jackpot winners than in the day because more people play, and the jackpot quickly reaches the limit for a winner to emerge. Yet, that does not increase anybody’s chance of winning.
Let us assume the jackpot pays only one winner in the daytime when ten people play, and 20 people pay at night when 200 people play. It could be more tempting to play when you know that there will be 20 winners than when there will be only one winner.
But you should also realize that you are competing with just nine other people for that single winning chance in the day, but at night you will be competing with 199 other people. Your chances of winning in both cases remain 10%.
How Slot Winning Is Determined
Mathematically the chances of winning a slot game remain the same irrespective of when you play. Slot machines are designed with Random Number Generator (RNG) to decide when the game is won.
Even though each game is programmed to determine the frequency of winning, the players that get the winning combination are determined randomly. Playing often increases your chance of winning. But you can play the whole day without winning and can win big at your very first spin. It happens all by chance.
How to Increase Your Winning Chances
Although playing at night may not increase your winning chances, there are a few things that can better your winnings. Consider these factors below to improve your chances of winning.
- The Return to Player (RTP): Aside from luck, the most important factor determining the probability of winning is the return to player (RTP). A game’s RTP is its probability of winning. It is the factor that specifies the house profit margin. If the RTP is 95%, it means the house edge is 5%. For every R100 spent, you will likely win R95 while the house keeps R5. Does that mean you will always lose? Not exactly. Since winning occurs randomly, some players winning may exceed the house edge sometimes. But the average of all the players will be the RTP. However, the higher the RTP, the higher the probability of winning. Rather than going to the casino at night, search for slot games with a high RTP. Most casinos will display the RTP of their games under the game information. If the casino does not disclose it, you can Google it. Any game with RTP above 96% is ideal.
- Volatility: Volatility will not influence the probability of winning but determine the frequency of winning and how much you can win at a time. You stand a good chance of winning big with a single spin with high volatility slot games. But the frequency of winning is low. You will frequently win if you play a low volatility game, but each winning will be small. A medium volatility game is in between the two. To win frequently, opt for a low volatility game.
- Free Spins: Many casinos offer free spins on some of their slot games. With a casino-free spin, you are taking no risk. If you win, you will keep your winnings. But if you lose, you lose nothing. Many games also have free spin rounds.
Night Gambling: Good or Bad
Playing at night will not increase your chances of winning slot machines. However, you stand a better chance if you play a game with a high return to the player. You can also win more frequently with low volatility games and win big when playing a high volatility game. Finally, to win, choose only from the best online slots and stick to a budget.
I’m Leah and I joined the team in July 2020 as a second editor of CasinoHEX.co.za.
Now I review licensed online casinos and slots on the South African market to provide the readers with juicy and rich bonuses, the newest promotions, and other useful information to help them make the right choice and enjoy safe and joyful gambling.
My name is Banele Nkuna, and I am thrilled to be a part of the CasinoHEX.co.za team as the second editor.
With a passion for online gambling and a deep understanding of the South African market, I have been entrusted with the task of reviewing licensed online casinos and slots and preparing blog posts for our site.
Since joining in May 2023, my primary goal has been to provide our readers with valuable insights into the world of online gambling.
