| RNGs generate numbers--nothing more, nothing less. There's no such thing as a loose or a tight RNG. RNGs are also not programmed to have "pay" and "take" cycles. And neither are slot machines programmed to have pay cycles. These cycles do seem to occur, but they're just the result of the random selection of outcomes, just as a coin toss has streaks of heads and tails. The coin doesn't decide to start landing on heads, and the program in the machine doesn't decide it's time to start paying for a while. Best of luck in and out of the casinos, John -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear John, I truly enjoy reading your column on the slots. In reference to your reply to Dale on January 29, you stated that Indian casinos may have Class II gaming devices. What's the difference in Class II and any other gaming devices? How many different classes are there? Are the Indian casinos nationwide like this or just in Iowa? Thanks, Jim Dear Jim, The three different classes of gaming and gaming devices are defined in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). Class I gaming is defined as "social games solely for prizes of minimal value or tradition forms of Indian gaming engaged in by individuals are a part of, or in connection with, tribal ceremonies or celebrations." Class II gaming includes bingo, pull-tabs and scratch-offs, lotto, and other games similar to bingo. Class III is everything else, including banking card games and Las Vegas-style slot machines. So, what's the difference between a Class II and a Class III device. In a Class III slot machine, the RNG in the machine is used to determine the result of a spin. No other device is used. Class II devices are not allowed to determine their own results, just as a bingo card alone cannot determine the result of a bingo drawing. In much the same way that a bingo drawing determines the winners and losers in a game of bingo, the RNG in another device must determine the winners and losers on the Class II devices. These devices essentially turn a bingo drawing into a slot machine. Each slot machine has its own bingo card to use in determining spin results. The central computer draws some number of numbered balls and sends the results of the drawing down to the slot machines, which determine which symbols to show on the payline based on the pattern covered on their bingo cards. Frank Scoblete and I have consulted with manufacturers about the design of both Class II and Class III devices. The implementation of a Class II device is rather complicated and arcane compared with the simplicity and elegance of a Class III device. Nevertheless, IGT and Bally are both designing Class II versions of their most popular Class III machines. Indian casinos need state compacts in order to offer Class III gaming. They don't need compacts to offer Class II gaming, so that's why we have these "bingo machines in slot machine's clothing." Best of luck in and out of the casinos, John -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is the RNG? Regards, Betty Dear Betty, RNG stands for Random Number Generator. The RNG is a special function in the computer program running the slot machine that generates a series of numbers. You can make your own simple RNG by tossing a pair of dice repeatedly and noting the sum of the dice on each throw. In the slot machine, the RNG is a set of mathematical functions. The slot machine uses the numbers from the RNG to determine which symbols to land on the payline. For example, the number from the RNG might be 1,283,345, which might correspond to Megabucks-Megabucks-Blank. Better luck next time! Best of luck in and out of the casinos, John As high-powered processors and memory keep getting cheaper and cheaper and therefore used in slot machines, the platform will be able to do more and more. Graphics and sound will continue to improve. I was about to say that the bonus rounds would get more intricate, but the more I thought about it, the less I thought that would happen. A bonus round can't be so complicated that someone has to read a help screen to know how to play it. As for the cabinet itself, I think we'll see more attention paid to ergonomics in future designs. I find playing uprights uncomfortable. I much prefer playing slant-tops. But slant-tops take up more floor space than uprights. I would be more comfortable playing uprights if the button deck were lower. But I know some people who are more comfortable playing uprights than slant-tops. Ideally, the buttons would be on some sort of device that could be moved up and down and in and out. Or, for a totally off-the-wall idea, how about adding a connector to the front of the machine and then selling touchscreen panels that players would take with them from machine to machine. When a player attaches his panel to a machine, the machine downloads to the panel the button deck configuration so the panel can duplicate the buttons on the deck. The player holds the panel in his lap and presses the buttons on the touchscreen instead of on the button deck. Casinos can sell branded panels and manufacturers could also sell panels branded to particular games--though, of course, there will be a standard and any panel will work with any machine in any casino. |
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