Reel Tilt in Slots: How it Affects Slot Machine Outcomes
In 2000, Jacques Bezou took iGaming operator IGT and Harrah Casino to court after seeming to win a $1.3 million jackpot that the casino refused to pay. The defendants argued that the payout resulted from something known as “reel tilt,” but after several years, they lost the case and were forced to pay.
Recently, Roney Beal, a player from South Jersey, found herself in a similar position. The machine told her that she had won the jackpot, but when she pushed the button to call for security, it switched to “Tilted,” and the casino refused to pay her over $1.2 million.
Beal is suing the same developer as Bezou, IGT, and Bally’s Atlantic City.
The idea of winning a huge sum and being told you get nothing is enough to give any player nightmares. So, what’s happening here, and what exactly is reel tilt on a slot machine?
What is Reel Tilt?
First, if you’re looking for slot machines to play online, you don’t need to worry about reel tilt. It only concerns electromechanical slots and relates to a fault in how these machines operate.
An electromechanical slot combines mechanical reels with virtual random number generators (RNGs), also found in online slots.
The games contain two reels. One is a virtual reel, the outcome of which is determined by the RNG. The results on this reel are created randomly and fairly, and they choose the player’s payout. They also send a signal to the mechanical reels, telling them to show the same result seen on the virtual reels.
If this signaling process malfunctions, the information shown on the virtual reels may differ from what the player sees. This means the mechanical reels could show a jackpot or another big payout, but the virtual reels are gearing up for a loss or a small payout.
This is known as reel tilt.
Where Does the Phrase “Reel Tilt” Come From?
Electromechanical slots were once fitted with tilt switches. These switches sounded an alarm when the machine was tampered with. So, if the players rocked or hit the machine to influence the outcome, the tilt switch would trigger, and an alarm would sound.
Over time, the term came to be used for all faults on electromechanical slot machines, ranging from issues in the circuits and communication to an open door or a motor failure.
Can Casinos Refuse to Pay in the Event of Reel Tilt?
If you look closely enough at an electromechanical slot machine, you will see a warning that says something along the lines of, “Malfunction voids all pays.” In other words, if the system fails, the outcome is null and void, even if it shows that the player has won the jackpot.
Such incidents are uncommon, but there have been several stories of them in the past, including the two outlined at the top of this article. They led to protracted and messy legal complaints, and while they resulted in a win for Jacques Bezou, other players haven’t been so lucky.
Pauline McKee saw a jackpot declaration of $42 million in 2012, and after the Isle’s Casino Hotel dismissed the outcome, she took them to court, only for the case to be dismissed.
Katrina Bookman also thought she had won over $42 million in 2016 when spinning slots at Resorts World New York. After noticing an error, the casino refused to pay and offered her a few bucks and a free steak dinner. She took legal action, but the courts dismissed her case, stating she was not entitled to the full amount the machine said she’d won.
Her lawyer eventually changed direction, declaring that Bookman should at least get the machine’s jackpot amount of $6,500. She ended up with nothing.
Can You Trust Electromechanical Slots?
Although there have been a few jackpot reel tilts, they are rare in the grand scheme. It’s not a position that any player wants to find themselves in. Still, you could spend hours playing every electromechanical slot at every Las Vegas and Atlantic City casino and never see anything remotely like this.
The cases mentioned above are the outliers. Most of the time, if the machine tells you that you have won a jackpot, you have won a jackpot.
And if you’re playing online slots or other games governed entirely by RNG, you have nothing to worry about.
Summary: Reel Tilt on a Slot Machine
You could encounter reel tilt in a land-based casino, but it’s highly unlikely. If you do, and the game flashes a jackpot win that turns out to be false, just know that while you can try to sue the casino, it may not work in your favor. The law often covers casinos by allowing them to refuse payment in case of a malfunction.
To learn more about these games and others like them, look at this piece on the best time to play slot machines—it could maximize your chances when playing slots and applies to online and offline games.
Slots Common Queries
What is a tilt error on a slot machine?
As above, it’s simply a malfunction, an issue with the machine’s operation. It’s very uncommon, and you are unlikely ever to encounter such an issue while playing a slot machine.
What does reel tilt mean on a slot machine?
It refers to a malfunction and often specifically addresses an issue in how electromechanical slots generate outcomes and show these outcomes to the player. If there is a discrepancy between the two, the player might think they have won the jackpot when they have a very small payout or nothing at all.
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