Fruit Machine Chat

I have been taking alot of notice of the percentage stickers on machines recently.

I was in a pub the other day who use Games Tech as providers, it is one of the bigger pub chains (cant remember the name of them).

Anyway they have three fruit machines in that pub and the stickers on the machines all said different percentage amounts. One had 80% another had 78% and the machine which had 6% extra lit had 70% on the cabinet (so I guess its on 76% in total).

Personally I thought the larger pub chains dictated to the service providers what the percentage is on.

So this got me thinking can these stickers be trusted?

Hangman21 wrote:So this got me thinking can these stickers be trusted?

No.

They are only a logistics company, the manufacturers are ultimately responsible.

No, the retailers are responsible.

They are more than likely all set to the same percentage but the lazy ass engineers have forgot to change the % display.

harry2 wrote:They are only a logistics company, the manufacturers are ultimately responsible.

I don't think thats right. When the manufactures make the machine they don't know what percentage its going to be used on... I imagine it is the responsiblily of either the owner / tennant themselves (pub/arcade etc) or the provider (leasure link, gamestec etc), though i don't know which one.

I don't think the stickers can be trusted, especially in arcades. However, i'm sure its illegal for them to display a false percentage (can anyone confirm?) and any one doing so risks losing there license. (Although its not really a risk because i've never seen or heard of it being enforced).

Unless the machine is actually owned by the pub ,arcade etc,then the responsibility of setting and maintaining the % payout is down to the owner/operating company.
I would not trust the accuracy of the stickers,If researched it will probably expose that certain operating companies machines are not all correctly workshopped or have checked % payout settings before delivery to site, and some are just transferred from pub to pub and just given a wipe over in the back of the delivery van(If they have got time that is).Hence results of machines on same site all with different % shown.
Dont know if this will help clarify, this is how The Gambling Commission states the following on odds and percentage labels displayed on machines.
"3.2 If any display (including reels) does not reflect the actual odds of the game presented the following statement must be included on the face of the machine, clearly visible to the player:
THE OUTCOME OF ANY GAME OR FEATURE IS NOT NECESSARILY THAT SHOWN BY THE ODDS DISPLAYED."
"3.3 Machines must display, clearly visible to the player, a sign in the form:
NO PRIZE GREATER IN VALUE THAN [X] POUNDS CAN BE WON FROM THIS MACHINE IN ANY ONE GAME.
Where [X] is the maximum win achievable on the machine (which must be no greater than the statutory prize limit for the category of machine)."
"3.5 Where regulation 3(2) of the Regulations applies any percentage payout labels displayed on the face of machines must be clearly visible to the player, and in the following form:
THIS MACHINE HAS AN AVERAGE PAYOUT OF 70% OR GREATER."
"6.4 All category B3, B4, C & D legacy machines must have a payout of at least 70%."

Thanks I have been reading the replies. I knew some of you would be alot more clued up than I am on this.

seen one what said 70% when enginer was sortin it and walked away looked it had a 78%key in it

they are thieving wankers

I recall seeing a non-random "random spinna" in a bingo hall once, with the percentage setting displayed behind the glass from two 7-seg LEDs.

It would be nice if manufacturers made that standard, to remove the uncertainty of wrong/misleading decals.

In fact, they ought to use the scrolling display whilst the machine is in attract. This would be so simple to do, I can only surmise that they have been paid or "we will take our business to your competitors" threatened not to.

About the only piece of equipment all the manufactures have used as standard is the refill lock.
Manufactures don't give a toss about anyones opinion from the operator to the player,only the machine sales.
They have stumbled along in the dark for years now taking no notice of the market or feedback.The games are site tested by just a select few,any malfunctions in the software is only checked and rectified when enough duplicate complaints are recieved.If they took just a bit of time to look and take in the feedback from sites such as this, they would see that a general census is that most of their games are crap.
They appear to go through designers/programmers like throw away coke cans,as they all seem to regulary advertise for them.I would be interested to know if it's down to poor wages or the programmers themselves are ignored and have their creative ideas rejected for the works everytime T.V. based game.(How many more cloned versions of Deal or no Deal can there be).How about just renaming it Ant and Decs Saturday night takeaway and hope nobody notices.
Or could it be as simple as there being no programmers left that know how to design and build a fruit machine game with player appeal.
So,if by chance any manufacturing company ever reads this posting take note,consider the gauntlet duly thrown down and let's hear your long awaited answers as to the sorry state of the industry.