Black Diamond Slot Review. Black Diamond is a game that is tailor-made not for players who just want a retro-style slot machine, but players who want something that’s as close as possible to the old Vegas classics. Everi Gaming provides fast reels, a clean design and customizable paylines to deliver a new machine that has the feel of the old antiques.
Remember the movie National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation, when gambling fever consumes Chevy Chase’s character, Clark W. Griswold? He goes on a losing streak to beat all losing streaks while his son, Rusty, wins four cars by playing the slot machines. Maybe Clark would have done better if he had read Probability For Dummies! In this article, you discover the basic ideas behind slot machines and how they work, so that you can get past the myths and develop a strategy based on sound probability.
Understanding average payout
When casinos advertise that their slot machines pay out an average of 90 percent, the fine print they don’t want you to read says that you lose 10 cents from each dollar you put into the machines in the long term. (In probability terms, this advertisement means that your expected winnings are minus 10 cents on every dollar you spend every time the money goes through the machines.)
Suppose you start with $100 and bet a dollar at a time, for example. After inserting all $100 into the slot, 100 pulls later you’ll end up on average with $90, because you lose 10 percent of your money. If you run the $90 back through the machine, you’ll end up with 90 percent of it back, which is 0.90 x 90 = $81. If you run that amount through in 81 pulls, you’ll have $72.90 afterward (0.90 x 81 = 72.90). If you keep going for 44 rounds, on average, the money will be gone, unless you have the luck of Rusty Griswold!
How many pulls on the machine does your $100 give you at this rate? Each time you have less money to run through the machine, so you have fewer pulls left. If you insert $1 at a time, you can expect 972 total pulls in the long term with these average payouts (that’s the total pulls in 44 rounds). But keep in mind that casinos are designing slot machines to go faster and faster between spins. Some are even doing away with the handles and tokens by using digital readouts on gaming cards that you put into the machines. The faster machines can play up to 25 spins per hour, and 972 spins divided by 25 spins per minute is 38.88 minutes. You don’t have a very long time to enjoy your $100 before it’s gone!
The worst part? Casinos often advertise that their “average payouts” are even as high as 95 percent. But beware: That number applies only to certain machines, and the casinos don’t rush to tell you which ones. You really need to read or ask about the fine print before playing. You can also try to check the information on the machine to see if it lists its payouts. (Don’t expect this information to be front and center.)
Implementing a simple strategy for slots
Advice varies regarding whether you should play nickel, quarter, or dollar slot machines and whether you should max out the number of coins you bet or not (you usually get to choose between one and five coins to bet on a standard slot machine). In this section, you’ll find a few tips for getting the most bang for your buck (or nickel) when playing slot machines.
Basically, when it comes to slot machines, strategy boils down to this: Know the rules, your probability of winning, and the expected payouts; dispel any myths; and quit while you’re ahead. If you win $100, cash out $50 and play with the rest, for example. After you lose a certain amount (determined by you in advance), don’t hesitate to quit. Go to the all-you-can-eat buffet and try your luck with the casino food; odds are it’s pretty good!
Choosing among nickel, quarter, and dollar machines
The machines that have the higher denominations usually give the best payouts. So, between the nickel and quarter slots, for example, the quarter slots generally give better payouts. However, you run the risk of getting in way over your head in a hurry, so don’t bet more than you can afford to lose. The bottom line: Always choose a level that you have fun playing at and that allows you to play for your full set time limit.
Deciding how many coins to play at a time
When deciding on the number of coins you should play per spin, keep in mind that more is sometimes better. If the slot machine gives you more than two times the payout when you put in two times the number of coins, for example, you should max it out instead of playing single coins because you increase your chances of winning a bigger pot, and the expected value is higher. If the machine just gives you k times the payout for k coins, it doesn’t matter if you use the maximum number of coins. You may as well play one at a time until you can make some money and leave so your money lasts a little longer.
For example, say a quarter machine pays 10 credits for the outcome 777 when you play only a single quarter, but if you play two quarters, it gives you 25 credits for the same outcome. And if you play the maximum number of quarters (say, four), a 777 results in 1,000 credits. You can see that playing four quarters at a time gives you a better chance of winning a bigger pot in the long run (if you win, that is) compared to playing a single quarter at a time for four consecutive tries.
The latest slot machine sweeping the nation is the so-called “penny slot machine.” Although it professes to require only a penny for a spin, you get this rate only if you want to bet one penny at a time. The machines entice you to bet way more than one penny at a time; in fact, on some machines, you can bet more than 1,000 coins (called lines) on each spin — $10 a shot here, folks. Because these machines take any denomination of paper bill, as well as credit cards, your money can go faster on penny machines than on dollar machines because you can quickly lose track of your spendings. Pinching pennies may not be worth it after all!
I’m planning to include some reviews of various gambling machines here soon, so I thought I’d start with a look at some of the slot machine manufacturers and their products. There was a time, not long ago, when such a list would be short. But with the advent of internet casinos, the list of slot machine companies grows longer every day.
Play slot machines online for free. Get a 350% deposit bonus if you play for real money. WildVegasCasino.
Of course, depending on where you live, you might be searching for such information using a phrase like “fruit machine suppliers” or “gaming companies.” Such a list should (and does) include old slot machine brands like IGT (International Game Technologies) and internet casino software vendors like Microgaming and Playtech.
As I create more posts about related subjects, I’ll update this page with links to manufacturer-specific lists of games and reviews of their overall offerings.
I know that a lot of sites in this space try to offer as complete a resource as possible, but please remember that I’m just one guy with a blog. I don’t have an army of freelance writers working for me, and even if I did, there are so many slot machine games from so many different providers that it would be almost impossible to keep up with them all.
But if I’ve left out your favorite slot machine manufacturer, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the list.
Slot Machine Manufacturers List – Updated 2020
And here’s the list of slot machine manufacturers:
1. Ainsworth Game Technology
Ainsworth Game Technology is one of the oldest companies on my list of slot machine manufacturers. They’ve been in business for 20+ years. Ainsworth is an Australian company, and if you know anything about gambling in Australia, you know how popular slots are there. They call them “pokies,” though, which is an abbreviation for “poker machines.”
And some of Ainsworth’s most recent game additions include:
- Action Dragons
- Big Hit Bonanza
- Pac-Man Wild Edition
2. Amatic Industries
Amatic Industries has been in business for over a quarter of a century now. Besides slot machines, they make video lottery terminals and video roulette games. They have a huge selection of slot machine brands in their stable, too, including some of the following:
- Games Bond (Yes, this is a “James Bond” knockoff.)
- GrandX (A “Wheel of Fortune” lookalike.)
- Vampires (A simple enough theme and title, no?)
3. Amaya Gaming
Amaya Gaming is defunct now. It’s part of The Stars Group, the company which owns PokerStars. I include it here under its original name because I think some online users still look for games from Amaya Gaming. They offer lots of cute games, including:
- Barn Yard Boogie
- Jenga
- Street Fighter II
4. Aristocrat Gaming Technology
Aristocrat Gaming Technology is another Australian “poker machine” vendor. They’e recently gotten their hands on some major intellectual property, too, and they offer games like:
- Batman Classic TV Series
- The Big Bang Theory
- Britney
- Game of Thrones
- Sons of Anarchy
- The Walking Dead
5. Ash Gaming
Ash Gaming used to be a big deal, now they’re a part of Playtech. As part of that group, they have extensive licensed properties to create games about. Their most famous, though, is probably Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
6. Bally Technologies
Bally Technologies is now a subsidiary of SG Gaming (Scientific Games). The company has been around forever. Not only do they make slot machines, but they used to be one of the biggest pinball machine companies in the world, too. Some of their most well-known brands include:
- James Bond
- Monopoly
- Willy Wonka
7. Barcrest Gaming
Barcrest Gaming–like Bally Technologies– is also now a subsidiary of SG Gaming (Scientific Games). If you’re a real slot machine aficionado, you might recognize the names of some of their games:
- Deja Vu Diamonds
- Flippin’ Out
- Psycho Cash Beast
8. Betsoft Gaming
Betsoft Gaming specializes in online gambling games, especially mobile friendly slots and 3D games. Here are some of their titles:
- Dragon Kings
- The Golden Owl of Athena
- Ogre Empire (which has a suspicious resemblance to the movie Shrek)
9. Blueprint Gaming
Blueprint Gaming is based in the United Kingdom. Most of their fruit machines can be found on casino floors there or in Germany and Italy. Here’s a sample of their titles:
- Fairy Fortunes
- Slots o’ Gold
- Wild Antics
10. Cadillac Jack
Cadillac Jack was a subsidiary of Amaya Gaming, which is now wholly owned by The Stars Group.
11. EGT Interactive (Euro Games Technology)
EGT Interactive specializes in video slots. You can find a lot of their games at various sports book sites that also offer casino games. They offer over 150 different games, including titles like:
- 40 Ultra Respin
- Crazy Bugs II
- More Like a Diamond
12. Endemol Shine Gaming
Endemol Shine Gaming specializes in both online and brick and mortar gambling games. Some of their best-known properties belong to the licensed television game show genre. Some examples include:
- Deal or No Deal
- MasterChef
- Million Pound Drop
13. Fremantle Media
Fremantle Media is one of the more unusual listings on this page, because they don’t exactly design or manufacture slot machine games. They own several large television brands, which they aggressively promote through multiple channels–including slot machines. If you’re playing one of these slots, Fremantle Media had a lot to do with it:
- American Idol
- Blockbusters
- The X Factor
14. The Gamesys Group
The Gamesys Group does slots and bingo games. Some of the better known brands in their stable include:
- The Godfather
- Guardians of Fire & Ice
- Secrets of the Phoenix
15. Heiwa Corporation
Heiwa Corporation is a publicly-traded Japanese corporation that specializes in pachinko and pachislo machine manufacture.
16. High 5 Games
High 5 Games creates both internet-based and land-based slot machine games, some of which are popular. They use HTML 5 for their online slot machines. Their most famous games include:
- Cats
- Golden Goddess
- Photographing Fairies
17. IGT (International Game Technology)
IGT is far and away the largest slot machine company in the world. They’re everywhere. The most popular gambling machines in the casino are the product of International Game Technology. Just a few of their big names include:
- Family Guy
- Jeopardy
- Siberian Storm
- Wheel of Fortune
18. Konami Gaming
Konami Gaming is the maker of the following slot machines:
- Dungeons and Dragons
- Flaming Red Diamonds
- Year of Best Wishes
19. Mazooma Interactive Games
Mazooma Interactive Games is a UK game company that specializes in online games. They’re now a subsidiary of Novomatic.
20. Microgaming
Microgaming was the first large online casino software provider. They’re best-known for the wide variety of their online progressive jackpots. Some of their most famous brands include:
- Battlestar Galactica
- Halloween
- Playboy
- Terminator 2
I’ve written about Microgaming before, here.
21. NetEnt
NetEnt is another publicly-traded company that specializes in online games. They’re responsible for, among other things, the Jumanji slot machine game.
22. NewGin Co. Ltd.
NewGin Co. Ltd. is another Japanese manufacturer of pachinko and pachislo machines.
23. NextGen Gaming
Slot Machine Rules By Named
NextGen Gaming serves both online and land-based casinos. They offer some really cool titles, including:
- King Kong Fury
- Samurai Split
- Wonder Hounds
24. Novomatic Gaming
The name “Novomatic” always reminds me of the Steve Goodman song, Vegematic.
But that song has nothing to do with the company, though. Novomatic Gaming is probably the biggest European slot machine maker there is, in fact.
Some of their games you’ve probably heard of include:
- From Dusk Til Dawn
- Stories of Infinity
- Treasure of Tut
25. Ortiz Gaming
Ortiz Gaming specializes in Class II and Class III slot machines, especially when it comes to bingo technology. And their games are OVERTLY bingo-based, too:
- Allstar Bingo
- Rodeo Bingo
- Multimania
26. Playtech
Playtech is another online game designer and creator, and, like Microgaming, they’re publicly traded. They also don’t allow their licensees to accept real money players from the United States. Some of their better known games include:
- Ace Ventura
- American Dad
- Batman Begins
- Grease
- Justice League
- Pink Panther
- Rocky
27. Realtime Gaming
Realtime Gaming (RTG) is probably the biggest online casino game vendor that still serves U.S. audiences — at least the audiences that don’t live in states with legal, regulated online casinos. (There are 47 states like that.) As a result, you’ve probably never heard of most of their games unless you’re a devoted internet gambler.
My favorite of their games is It’s Good to Be Bad, but I’m old school.
28. SG Gaming (Scientific Games)
Scientific Games is headquartered in Las Vegas. They own Bally now, and they own Shuffle Master. And they also own WMS Gaming. Their most well-known game is probably Monopoly slot machines.
29. Universal Entertainment Corporation
Universal Entertainment Corporation is another pachinko and pachislo manufacturer.
30. VGT (Video Gaming Technologies) – One of My Favorite Slot Machine Manufacturers
VGT is one of the biggest names in the Oklahoma gambling market, and they specialize in bingo-based slot machine games.
31. WMS Gaming
WMS Gaming is now a subsidiary of Scientific Games. So see that entry above.
32. Apollo Games (just added!)
Slot Machine Rules
Apollo Games has a full profile on our site. Click the link for full details.
The Final Word about Slot Machine Manufacturers
The brand names in the slot machine manufacturers category are many, but, of course, IGT (International Game Technology) towers above the rest like Walmart towers over other retail establishments. The list above gets longer when you account for the companies making online slot machine games, too.
Slot Machine Rules By Name Search
If you have any comments about the games available from these corporations, I’d enjoy hearing them. I’m human and make mistakes, so if you leave a comment pointing one out, I’ll update this post with corrections (and probably even give you credit.)