How RNG Works in Slots – and How I Simulated It at Home

Online slots seem simple: you press a button, the reels spin, and in seconds you find out if you’ve won. But behind that simplicity lies a complex system powered by RNG - a Random Number Generator.

I’ve been curious about online casino mechanics for a while. After reading through bonus offers on sites like https://ingyenporgetescasino.com/, I started wondering: how exactly does a slot machine determine what shows up on the reels? And could I simulate that logic myself?

So, I gave it a try. Here’s what I learned.

What is RNG?

RNG (Random Number Generator) is the core system that powers every spin in a modern slot machine. It generates numbers - usually many per second - and uses them to determine what symbols appear on the reels.

Online slots don’t wait for you to click; RNG is running constantly in the background. Each spin is an independent event, unaffected by what came before or after. Most systems use a pseudorandom number generator (PRNG), which means it's not truly random, but unpredictable enough for practical use. It works based on a seed - an initial value that drives the sequence.

🛠️ How I Tried to Simulate It at Home

I used Python to build a very simple slot machine emulator. Here's how I did it:

• Created a list of symbols: ["🍒", "7", "🍋", "BAR", "🔔"]
• Simulated three reels by randomly choosing one symbol for each reel
• Used Python’s random.choice() to simulate randomness
• Displayed results like: ["🍋", "7", "🍋"]

💡 Basic Win Logic:

• All three symbols match → big win
• Two symbols match → small win
• No match → try again

Here's a simplified version of the code:

import random

symbols = ["🍒", "7", "🍋", "BAR", "🔔"]

def spin():
    return [random.choice(symbols) for _ in range(3)]

def check_win(reels):
    if reels.count(reels[0]) == 3:
        return "Big Win!"
    elif len(set(reels)) == 2:
        return "Small Win"
    else:
        return "Try Again"

for i in range(5):
    result = spin()
    print(result, "-", check_win(result))

🎯 Final Thoughts

This project gave me insight into how online slots work, and how randomness is controlled through code. If you're learning to code and want something practical, try simulating a slot machine yourself!