Regional Slots Variations

Slot machines offered at the casinos of different countries may vary in some aspects. We offer you to look through the most typical slots in the United States, Australia, United Kingdom and Japan.

United States

In the United States the laws regulate the possession of slot machines at different establishments. Nevada is the only state where there are no any restrictions against the slot machines while in some of the states it is banned to install and use slots on any basis, public or private.

It is possible to speak about the general classification of all slot machines used in different states though it can vary somehow. The slot machines of the first class (traditional or Vegas-style slots) have the same chance of winning any payout. In addition, such slots are not joined with each other and operate independently from the central computer system. Traditional slots are usually featured at the casinos in Nevada or Atlantic City. The slots of the second class are also called the Video Lottery Terminals. They are connected to the centralized system that determines the game results.

Some casinos in the USA offer slots players to join the Slot Clubs. The members of such clubs benefit from different comps including food, drinks, hotel rooms and sometimes cash that must be returned later. The players who have entered the Slots Club must use the special membership cards each time they play. Thus the casinos can track the level of the each member’s play and provide the comps.

Australia

All gaming machines in Australia may be called the Poker Machines, Video Poker or Pokies. Traditional Australian slots contain five reels and use the video displays. There are usually up to 50 paylines and additional bonus and second-screen features. In Australia it possible to play slots not only at the casinos but also pubs and clubs. The first the law allowing to install gaming machines at most of the social and sports clubs was passed in 1956 in New South Wales. Today this rule is in force in many states of Australia. According to the Australian Productivity Commission there are about 180,000 slot machines in Australia (1999) that is five times as many as in the USA.

United Kingdom

In the Unites Kingdom the slot machines are usually called the One-armed Bandits, Fruit Machines, or AWPs (Amusement with Prizes). Traditional slot machines are 3-reel with about 16-24 symbols on each reel. These machines have many additional features and subgames that allow to win more than from the spins. Fruit machines are usually installed at the pubs and arcades rather than casinos. The slots jackpots are usually very limited, especially at Fruit machines. The newest slot machines that are featured at the UK casinos are called the Section 16s. They have 5 spinning reels and 20 paylines.

Traditional slot machines posses a number of common features. First of all, the player can hold one of several reels before the spin and this option can slightly increase the gaming results. Moreover, the minimum payout percentage at slot machines is 70% from the wagered money. The slots featured at pubs provide even higher payouts, up to 78%.There are also the so-called Club Machines that are used at different clubs that require membership. Such machines usually have higher jackpots.

Japan

Japanese slots or Pachisuro can be found only in the pachinko parlors and adult sections of the game centers. According to the special regulations by  the Security Electronics and Communication Technology Association all slot machines must contain three spinning reels and the players must be provided with the special option that allows to stop the reels. The maximum betting amount is only 3 coins per spin. Among the special slots features are the Stock, Renchan and tenjo options. Stock option collects all the bonus spins that can be later played in a row (this is the possibility of Renchan). Tenjo is the maximum limit on the number of games between Stock release.

Most of the Japanese slot machines are beatable and they provide the payout percentage from 90% to 160%! It is even possible to win up to 200% of the wagered sum if using the skills.