Guts free spins. I recently covered how to win at online casinos every time, so I thought a post about how to win on slot machines in gas stations would make for a nice follow-up. (And I just wrote a post about the best gas station cigars at one of my other sites, so the topic is on my mind.)
Here's the truth about how to win on slot machines in gas stations:
The ONLY way to win on slot machines in gas stations is to get lucky and then quit while you're ahead. ALL slot machines, including the ones you find in gas stations, are designed with a mathematical edge for the game. They do this by programming the payouts to have lower odds than the odds of winning that payout. If you play long enough, that house edge will ensure that you lose your money.
Much of my advice from my previous post stands — keep your expectations low, treat gas station slot machines as entertainment, and never play with money you can't afford to lose.
Most of the Advice about How to Win on Slot Machines in Gas Stations Is Nonsense
Most of the advice about how to win on slot machines in gas stations is the same advice you'll see about any other gambling machine. Here are some tips that you can safely ignore:
SLOT MACHINES With over 1500 slot machines in stock, we are uniquely positioned to bring you the best gaming machines in the industry! NOTE: Slot machines require freight shipping services. To get an accurate shipping cost, please contact us directly at 763-253-0230. At one point, there were a variety of locations that could offer slot machines including laundromats, bowling alleys, drugstores, grocery stores, gas stations, etc. One by one, the major casino corporations have crossed locations off this list.
Gas Station Gambling Machines
Wait to play the game until someone's been playing for a while without a win. The idea behind this advice is that if a game hasn't paid out in a while, your odds of winning go up. That's not how a slot machine works, though, whether it's in a casino or a convenience store.
Every spin of the reels on a slot machine is an independent event. This means that what happened on the previous spin have no effect on the probability of the next spin.
If the probability of winning the jackpot is 1000 to 1, it remains 1000 to 1 even if the previous 1000 spins were losing spins. The game doesn't eliminate combinations just because they've already been hit.
Push the buttons in a specific pattern. No, this doesn't work. Slot machine games are random even when they appear to have a skill element. It really doesn't matter when or how you spin the reels.
The probability of winning remains the same.
All the advice about slot machines on Michael Bluejay's Easy Vegas site applies to gas station slots.
More Nonsensical Advice about Winning on Convenience Store Slot Machine Games
How Beat Gas Station Slot Machines
Sometimes you'll find 'winning' advice from people who start by saying that there's no strategy to win.
But they follow up with their advice for how to be luckier than you would otherwise.
I saw one poster on a popular question and answer site who claims she always has better luck playing slots at gas stations than she does at real casinos or airport slot machines.
I'm not sure what her agenda is or if that's even her real experience, but I doubt that most convenience stores offer slot machines with better odds than a competitive casino.
Gas Station Slot Machines
Some of her other advice was practical, though — like sneaking her vodka in and drinking from a Slurpee cup while she played. That won't help you win, but it might make you FEEL like a winner.
She says to watch for gas stations where lots of people are playing the machines. She also suggests that if the gas station seems to have regular players, their slots might pay out more.
That's not the worst advice I've ever seen, but I doubt it holds much water.
SLOT MACHINES With over 1500 slot machines in stock, we are uniquely positioned to bring you the best gaming machines in the industry! NOTE: Slot machines require freight shipping services. To get an accurate shipping cost, please contact us directly at 763-253-0230. At one point, there were a variety of locations that could offer slot machines including laundromats, bowling alleys, drugstores, grocery stores, gas stations, etc. One by one, the major casino corporations have crossed locations off this list.
Gas Station Gambling Machines
Wait to play the game until someone's been playing for a while without a win. The idea behind this advice is that if a game hasn't paid out in a while, your odds of winning go up. That's not how a slot machine works, though, whether it's in a casino or a convenience store.
Every spin of the reels on a slot machine is an independent event. This means that what happened on the previous spin have no effect on the probability of the next spin.
If the probability of winning the jackpot is 1000 to 1, it remains 1000 to 1 even if the previous 1000 spins were losing spins. The game doesn't eliminate combinations just because they've already been hit.
Push the buttons in a specific pattern. No, this doesn't work. Slot machine games are random even when they appear to have a skill element. It really doesn't matter when or how you spin the reels.
The probability of winning remains the same.
All the advice about slot machines on Michael Bluejay's Easy Vegas site applies to gas station slots.
More Nonsensical Advice about Winning on Convenience Store Slot Machine Games
How Beat Gas Station Slot Machines
Sometimes you'll find 'winning' advice from people who start by saying that there's no strategy to win.
But they follow up with their advice for how to be luckier than you would otherwise.
I saw one poster on a popular question and answer site who claims she always has better luck playing slots at gas stations than she does at real casinos or airport slot machines.
I'm not sure what her agenda is or if that's even her real experience, but I doubt that most convenience stores offer slot machines with better odds than a competitive casino.
Gas Station Slot Machines
Some of her other advice was practical, though — like sneaking her vodka in and drinking from a Slurpee cup while she played. That won't help you win, but it might make you FEEL like a winner.
She says to watch for gas stations where lots of people are playing the machines. She also suggests that if the gas station seems to have regular players, their slots might pay out more.
That's not the worst advice I've ever seen, but I doubt it holds much water.
Avoiding the slot machine by the door or by the checkout counter almost certainly doesn't matter. Betting the max doesn't make much difference, either — it just depends on the pay table for the game.
Even if you get bigger payouts when betting the max, the game still has a mathematical edge, though.
You can't win in the long run.
Not Every Gas Station with Slot Machines Is Operating Legally, Either
I'm from Texas, and we have gas stations offering slot machine here called 8-liners. These games are legal if they meet certain restrictions about the sizes of the prizes.
But guess what?
Almost all the gas stations offering such games here are ignoring the law.
And the state doesn't do much to enforce the law.
Sure, you'll see the state crack down on these so-called 'game rooms' that pop up from time to time, but a gas station with 3 or 4 games in it doesn't seem to constitute much of a threat.
I've been to bars which offer these games, too.
As with any slot machine, these illicit games have no strategy for winning.
They're completely random with no patter.
You put your money in and hope you get lucky. That's all there is to it.
Where Can You Find Slot Machines in Gas Stations?
Most states don't have gas stations with slot machines, but more offer slot machine gambling in convenience stores than you might expect.
Here's a list of states offering gas station slot machines:
- Arizona
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New York
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Virginia
Conclusion
The best way to beat slot machines in gas stations is to refuse to play. You can find better ways to gamble your money without much trouble at all. Heck, find a home poker game to participate in.
Life's too short to spend a lot of money and time trying to beat a mathematically unbeatable game. You'd almost be better off playing the lottery. After all, if you're hanging out in a gas station to gamble, that's the most traditional way to do it.
If you want to make your local corner store owner really nervous, try asking them this question – 'How do those gaming machines work?' When I asked the owner of a store that I frequent, I got a very nervous 'Why do you ask?' in response. It seems almost every independently run convenience store I go in has a small bank of video gaming (gambling) machines, also known as eight-liners, tucked away somewhere in the store. I got curious about all these machines and thought I'd write a post to share what I found out. This is an abnormal post for this site but falls under the 'Dad is Learning' philosophy of living.
A BIG Loophole
Laws on video gaming machines vary from state to state. Texas is surrounded by states that allow gambling, leading to a high number of attempts to circumvent laws against gambling in Texas. Section §47 of the Texas Penal Code defines gambling but in §47.01(4) you will find the provision that has been litigated for over a decade that excludes 'gambling devices' that are defined as 'any electronic, electromechanical, or mechanical contrivance designed, made, and adapted solely for bona-fide amusement purposes if the contrivance rewards the player exclusively with non-cash merchandise prizes, toys, or novelties, or a representation of value redeemable for those items, that have a wholesale value available from a single play of the game or device of not more than 10 times the amount charged to play the game or device once or $5, whichever is less.' This is often referred to as the 'fuzzy animal' defense, derived from the claw games you see in restaurants and elsewhere.
The loopholes in the law are numerous. The Dickinson County Police have posted an advisement from the Galveston County District Attorney's office about this matter. Here are a few noted exceptions quoted from that site:
- Regarding the 'charitable sweepstakes' issue: Typically this is done by some type of an association being made with the charity group by the owner of the 8-liners. The players put their money into the machine as a 'donation' and you are allowed to play the game for free. At the end of the day the Charity may pay the owner of the machines $.90 out of every $1.00 collected. This is not an exception to the law.
- The use of 'door prizes' to attract customers is presumed to be legal, provided the players are not given additional entries into the door prize drawing based on the number of credits they win on a game or device.
- The following could result in prosecution – Any award of non-cash merchandise prizes, toys, or novelties that have a wholesale value available from a single play of the game or device of more than 10 times the amount charged to play the game or device once, or $5.00, whichever is less. The accumulation or stacking of credits/tickets toward the purchase of more valuable prizes will be considered to be a violation of the law if the accumulated credits exceed the maximum value for a prize which can be awarded from the machine as noted above. The wholesale value of the prize, not the ticket, available from a single play, must be no more than 10 times the amount charged to play or $5.00, whichever is less.
The Difficulty of Enforcement
Gathering enough evidence to prosecute illegal gaming operations costs thousands of dollars and numerous man hours in already stretched thin police departments and district attorney offices. The machines are fairly portable and can be removed by simply unplugging them and wheeling them away on a dolly. Operations have been known to shut down and move overnight when there is suspicion of investigation. Due to the high volume of money involved, a few police officers have also been bribed to tip off the owners of illegal operations as occurred in Tarrant County in 2008.
The Meadowbrook Shopper, a neighborhood publication in Fort Worth, featured an interview with Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson in the January 24, 2013 edition where he spoke about eight-liners in Fort Worth. Anderson said, 'The machines have almost been eradicated in the county. At one time, we would have thousands of them in storage. Now, thanks to civil forfeiture through the Justice of the Peace Courts, we can seize them and have them destroyed within two weeks. Unfortunately, we've been so successful the machines are moving into smaller cities.'
Many may not have issue with the morality of the machines but call authorities when a loved one loses large amounts of money to unregulated gaming machines. Anderson said, 'More-and-more we will get calls from concerned relatives when their parents, or older relatives on fixed incomes, get scammed out of all their money involving eight-liners. Believe me, it's a big problem. There are usually drugs associated with these operations. It's not uncommon for us to seize 20-40 thousand dollars after raiding just one small operation.'
Illegal gaming operations are also an easy target for criminals. There is typically a large amount of cash involved and operators won't contact the police due to the illegal nature of their activities. This Star-Telegram article from 2013 details a Fort Worth man who was ambushed, robbed, and murdered in September 2013 outside of an illegal gaming operation.
Why Was I Curious?
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I frequent two convenience stores that have a few of these machines. Let me be clear…I don't play. These aren't the illegal gambling dens that involve so much of the trouble documented in this post, but they are quite possibly operating in a grey area of the law. One store is close to my office and every time I have been in that location there is at least one person settled in and poking away at a machine. As several articles report, it is quite often people on a fixed-income, the unemployed, or the elderly who play on these machines.
A screenshot of the completed auction listings for the gaming machines.
My curiosity was also peaked by an auction on LonestartAuctioneers.com this week. I follow the site regularly as part of my side hustle but was surprised to see gaming machines being auctioned off by the Texas Facilities Commission. I wasn't familiar with this agency, but part of their responsibility is the oversight of surplus property programs. The machines in the auction went for an average selling price of $300 to $400, plus 10% buyers premium. The 31 machines in the auction fetched a total of $8,540 plus buyers premium.
I follow the opinion of most financial advisers, who believe gambling in it's various forms is a tax on the poor and people who can't do math. Dave Ramsey offers up great insight on the matter of gambling in 'Gambling Offers False Hope.' There is a reason the big casino across the border builds a new hotel building every year. And there is a reason individuals are willing to risk a $4,000 fine and maximum sentence of a year in jail for running illegal gaming machines. Gambling is a sure-fire money maker for the owner.
