"Jogburg" sent me an e-mail today asking about the difference between a "Video Lottery Terminal" and a slot machine...

Yes,

I would like to get a definite answer to what is the difference between a Video Lottery Terminal and a slot machine.

My understanding is that they are very similar, that is they are both controlled by the RNG.

Is it true that the VLT machines are nothing more than a scratch off lottery as such, that is. That they are controlled by the Lottery commission and not the Gaming commission, and that VLT have RNG's in each machine, but their outcome is determined by a central computer at the lottery headquarters.

Where as regular slot are controlled by a per-programmed RNG that is installed in each machine and that the RNG can not be tampered with or changed unless there is a malfunction in the chip/and or machine. And that the casinos, slot parlors, or racinos do not tie the machine into a central computer where they can change the outcome of the game in progress.

Thanks, I appreciate your response.

Video Lottery Terminals are what the gaming industry refers to as "Class II machines". The Las Vegas style slot machines you're comparing them to are "Class III machines".

You pretty much nailed the primary difference, in that a group of Class II machines are controlled by one central computer. Whereas each Class III machine has its own computer picking out numbers.

Both Class II and Class III machines rely on random number generator, except with a Class II machine, that RNG is running inside of a central computer, located at the casino. That central computer is not located at a Lottery commission, as you asked. However, these machines are in fact monitored by the government using a separate computer, to ensure casinos are running them according to law.

In the states and jurisdicions I'm familiar with, Video Lottery Terminals are not connected with a state lottery system. They use the word "lottery" because it mimics a lottery. That is, across all VLTs within a single casino, there is a predetermined number of winners.

You're actually playing "Bingo", where each spin of the reels is a bingo card. Legally speaking, that's exactly what it is, Bingo. It allows indian reservations to offer something that looks and feels like a slot machine, but meets the laws and regulations of Bingo.

Labels: Slot-Machine-General