Ways you're losing money swiping left & right on slots

If you’ve ever played slot machines online you’ve probably noticed that some let you swipe to spin.
This feature might seem like a great way to quickly play slots but it isn’t.
I’ll explain why you lose more money when you use this feature at online casinos compared to tapping.

If you’ve spent any time playing at the best online casinos, you’ve definitely seen slot games that let you swipe to spin.

This feature might seem like a nice addition which makes gameplay quicker and easier. But did you know that swiping left or right reels on your slots will ultimately cost you more in the long run?

Just to be clear, I’m not talking about making you lose individual hands. We all know slots work that way. Your average return percentage is just lower if you use this feature, which means you’ll run through your bankroll faster.

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Any experienced slot player will tell you that the quicker you burn through your money, the less likely you are to leave with winnings.

I’ll explain exactly how you’re losing money by using this feature below. But before we get into that, have a look at some safer and more reliable online casino options below.

5 Reasons Why You’re Losing Money by Swiping to Spin Slots Online

Table games at online casinos typically don’t come with unnecessary features that don’t affect the gameplay. For example, you can’t swipe to deal blackjack or swipe to spin roulette.

It seems like almost all online slot machines allow you to swipe to spin, but there are some that don’t. This might seem weird at first, but you’ll understand why after I tell you why you lose money from swiping.

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Some online slots give you the option to tap or swipe to spin. I would always recommend tapping if you’re trying to preserve your banking method.

If you’re still curious as to why swiping costs you more, read on for five reasons.

1. Vigorous Slot Spins with Finger Dragges Cost More in Long Run

Everyone wants to be efficient when they’re playing their favorite online slot machines for real money. It’s natural to want to complete as many spins as possible without having to constantly tap the screen. This is especially the case during mobile gaming sessions.

One way to increase the speed of your spins is by dragging your finger from left to right across the spin button. Some might even refer to this as “swiping.” This technique works well if you’re watching videos or reading articles and want to play in the background.

Getting more action in is important if you’re trying to take advantage of welcome bonuses and other promotions. I certainly won’t knock someone for trying to max out free spins, but there’s a right and wrong way to go about it.

Dragging your finger across the screen to quickly spin slots is not the answer. In fact, online slots are coded in a way that makes you spend more when you use this technique.

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Online slots use an Random Number Generator (RNG) to determine where the reams stop. This is used to ensure every spin on a machine is completely random and cannot be manipulated. RNGs are regularly audited by third-party companies to make sure everything is fair.

Most people don’t realize that online slots begin randomly generating numbers the moment you hit the slot machine button at an online casino, not when you press down on the actual button. This means you could technically get the same results hitting the preview button or even by pressing the space bar on your keyboard if it worked.

What most people don’t know is that online slots generate a certain number of random numbers , waiting for you to press the button. The reel spins you see on the screen are just images that correspond with those numbers. These numbers are generated whether you hit the button or swipe to spin.

The reason you have a short period of time when you can swipe for the spin to take affect is because the casino needs a way to differentiate your chosen set of random numbers from the next player’s. If you wait too long, the casino assumes you’ve changed your mind and gives you a new set of random numbers with your next spin.

When you quickly tap the button, you’re usually taking advantage of the very first set of random numbers. Unfortunately, if you drag your finger, there’s a good chance you are getting a completely different set of numbers.

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In the end, vigorous slot spins with finger drags cost you more in the long run, simply because you’re more likely to get fewer match ups.

You’re better off just tapping the button if you care about your bankroll. Otherwise, keep swiping if you really don’t care one way or the other.

2. There’s a Delay When Your Finger Is Removed from the Screen

Another reason you’re losing money by swiping to spin slots is because there’s a delay when you remove your finger from the screen. Most people don’t even notice this feature, but it exists nonetheless.

As soon as you lift your finger, the slot takes a little bit of extra time before the RNG is locked in. The purpose of this delay is to account for accidental spins. It would certainly get annoying if you were just browsing the Internet and your Slots-A-Fun started spinning whenever your hand accidentally brushed your laptop pad.

Again, everyone is going to react differently to this information. Some of you might be furiously closing this tab and swearing never to talk about slots on this site again. I’d prefer if my readers were informed, however.

Sometimes it takes a little longer for your bankroll to make the trip from your computing device to an online slot machine. If you lift your finger and lock in an entirely new set of random numbers, your payment will be wasted on those pointless spins.

There’s no way to know for sure how long the delay lasts, so the only thing you can do is try to be cautious. Tapping tends to be a quicker motion than swiping, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t have delays. You might want to try rapidly tapping the button to see how your particular machine responds.

3. Subtle Differences in Swipes Can Produce Different Results

Another reason you might be losing money by swippping to spin is because subtle differences in swipes can produce different results. To save money while playing online slots, you need to lock in the exact same swipe every single time.

Is it really possible to make the exact same swipe each time? Probably not. Humans aren’t robots and we are bound to make mistakes. It’s also difficult to know if you’ve made an exact copy of your previous swipe or not.

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Even if you somehow manage to make the exact same swipe, there’s no guarantee you’ll lock in the exact same random numbers. Subtle differences in your swipes could be sending your slot spin buttons to different sets of numbers.

Minor differences in swipes can also drain your bankroll much faster. I mentioned earlier how online casinos use the time it takes you to react to swiping to determine whether you want to use those original random numbers or not.

If you take too long to react after a failed swipe, you’ll end up spending more money on your next few pulls. That’s why the top slot players make sure to rapidly tap the button rather than risk wasting money on unused spins.

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4. You Might Not Realize How Much Money Swiping to Spin Costs

Another reason you may be losing money by swipping is because you might not even realize it. Casinos don’t explicitly advertise how swiping costs you more money. I had to do some research to find all these hidden details about slot machines for this blog post!

How many people are actually going to call up to their customer support line and ask if swiping to spin will cost them more in the long run? Very few. This means that almost all slot swipers are unknowingly losing money.

Slots are already designed to part you from your hard earned cash. You should at least be aware of all the factors that come into play when you’re playing online. Ignorance is bliss until you go broke and realize you’ve been playing the wrong way this whole time. By then, you might be too depressed to turn your luck around.

Do yourself a favor and rapidly tap the slot machine button from here on out.

5. You’re Desperate to Go Broke Faster

Honestly, the only real reason to quickly spin online slot machines is because you’re desperate to go broke fast. I’m not here to judge. Everyone has their own reasons for playing gambling games. However, I strongly advise against using money that isn’t disposable income.

If you’re trying to burn through your bankroll as fast as possible perhaps you shouldn’t be playing with money that you needed to pay your rent/mortgage. Not only are you going to drive up your credit card processing fees, but you risk defaulting on your payments. Missing a mortgage payment can cost you thousands of dollars in late fees and legal action.

Swiping to quickly spin online slots simply speeds up a losing process. Instead of watching the agony unfold slowly, you get to witness your entire bankroll disappear in a matter of minutes. At least the slow death by slot machine gives you time to accept your fate and come to terms with your poor decision-making skills.

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Should You Play Slots Online If You Want to Win Money?

So, are slots online worth it? Sadly, the odds are stacked against you when you play slots online. Progressive jackpots offer the largest payouts in gambling, but your chances of hitting one are extremely slim.

Don’t get me wrong, people win big bucks on progressive slots all the time. Someone has to hit the Mega Moolah jackpot and become an instant millionaire. Why can’t that “someone” be you? It very well could be.

Here’s the problem –the odds are not in your favor. Online slots operate on a similar principle to the lottery. Sure, somebody has to win the lottery every week. Your chances of winning, however, continue to get worse and worse no matter how many times someone else hits the jackpot.

Winning the $10+ million dollar jackpots on progressive slots requires you to hit a certain combination of numbers/symbols. The downside is that progressive slots change their RNG with every single spin. Let’s look at the Mega Moolah slot at . I’m not picking on these guys; every online casino is equally guilty.

As you can see, Mega Moolah has a theoretical RTP rating of 94%. That means in the long run they expect to payout $94 for every $100 spent. The problem is the “in the long run” caveat. The only way you know a gaming company’s numbers ex post facto is well … afterwards.

Moreover, the 94% RTP is just an industry average. Each individual slot machine has its own rating. Some rate higher than 94%, whereas others sit closer to 88%. The issue is the infamous “theoretical.” No one has ever seen anyone actually divide gaming revenue by gaming expenses over a long period of time and come up with a whole number. Gaming revenues and expenses fluctuate wildly year to year.

Which Mega Moolah RTP rating is the correct one? It really doesn’t matter because you can never calculate the ratios after the fact unless you have access to their internal financial statements. Even if you did, you wouldn’t know what time frame to base your analysis upon.

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The bigger question is, “Does it matter?” Not really, because the ratings are meaningless. Anybody can go onto a gaming website and find a wide range of RTP percentages for the same games. Some rate them as low as 88% and others claim they are as high as 97%. Which one is right? They all are … and they all are not.

Here’s the kicker – none of that matters if no one plays the game. Let’s say the Mega Moolah slot above has an 88% RTP. Does that mean you should go crazy and pull the trigger? Absolutely not. That rating only means the slot machine will payout $88 for every $100 spent over a lengthy period of time … if someone actually calculated the ratios at some point in the future.

Here’ s the crucial point – the slot machine won’t pay out 12 cents for every dime put into it that day, this week, or this year. It could take in $990 and payout $807. That 88% rating only applies to the long term, which essentially means it’s irrelevant until the long term actually materializes. Until then, the game could payout 99 cents for every $1.00 or vice versa.

Progressive slots use a similar concept to megapot lotteries. A portion of each spin goes towards the jackpot, which grows larger until someone wins. Once someone hits the jackpot, it reset to a predetermined minimum and the process starts all over again.

The Mega Moolah slot at Bovada uses 2.71% of each spin towards the jackpot. Assuming that percentage remains constant, the game should payout $97 for every $100 during regular play. Of course, that’s not true. Regular play doesn’t apply until way into the future, which might be never.

Things get even trickier when you factor in the random number generators. Each spin resets the numbers, which means the 94% rating only applies to regular play. In other words, regular play’s “in the long run” keeps getting pushed further into the future thanks to the resettable RNG.

Let’s assume you and a friend play Mega Moolah together. You decide to stick to the regular slot, while your buddy goes for the jackpot. Your friend eventually hits the jackpot and walks away with $10 million. Meanwhile, you slowly grind out a small profit over the course of several weeks.

Here’s the crazy part – you might have outearned the jackpot winner despite his game resetting to its default setting. If that happened, it means the 94% rating would have applied to my situation, but not his.

The only way everyone receives fair value over the long haul is if all the new jackpot seeds are roughly equal to all the regular wagers. As you can see, that is a pretty big assumption to make.

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Not only does the jackpot seed reset change the RNG, it also resets the ratio. If $2.71 of every $100 went towards the jackpot 100 times in a row, the next seed will determine whether the next 100 spins contribute $271 or $10 to the jackpot. Needless to say, this changes the odds dramatically.

Ultimately, all you need to know is that swiping to spin online slots won’t help you win more money. It might even cause you to waste more of your bankroll. If you are deadset on playing slots, check out my list of the to learn where you can sign up easily.

Is There a Trick to Winning Online Slots?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a trick to winning online slots. The only true way to win is to follow these steps.

Choose a Low Jackpot – Start by looking for online slots with small daily or hourly jackpots. You want something that resets often.
Watch When It Resets – Keep an eye on the slot machine you chose in step 1. Start spinning as soon as the jackpot seed resets. Of course, you’ll have to sign up for the online casino ahead of time.
Hope for the Best – There’s no guarantee you’ll hit the jackpot as soon as it seeds. Keep spinning until you either win or decide to move on.

Obviously, step 3 is the most important one. Hopefully the other three help you accomplish your goal. Good luck!

Of course, I would much rather teach you how to beat online slots than have you swim aimlessly in the hopes of finding shore. Follow my system and you’ll have a much better chance of coming out on top.

Footnotes:

provided information about slot swiping to quickly place multiple bets.
The Mega Moolah slot information came from .

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J.W. Paine is one of the most experienced writers at GamblingSites.com. He's written for television and the printed media, and he's a well-known novelist (as Tom Elliott).

Paine loves writing about Las Vegas nearly as much he loves living here. Many of his stories take place in Las Vegas, and he's here frequently in more realistic fiction.