Video Lottery Terminal (VLT)
What is a 'Video Lottery Terminal (VLT)'?
A VLT, or video lottery terminal, is a type of gaming
machine which allows players to place a wager on the outcome of a video game in a
casino. In a similar style to a casino
slot machine, a video lottery terminal is a stand-alone machine which uses a generator to randomly select numbers. Video lottery terminals are monitored by a central computer system in the casino. Each bet placed on a video lottery terminal is completely random and must adhere to
lottery jurisdiction.
'Video Lottery Terminal (VLT)' Explained
Video lottery terminals were first introduced in America during the 1990s, and by the early 2000s, almost all large casinos featured VLTs. More casinos added video lottery terminals to their establishments after becoming impressed with the large profit revenues that the video lottery terminals were capable of bringing in. The payout for a video lottery terminal is a percentage amount, averaged over thousands of spins. Because of this, the casino or
house with video lottery terminals will always have the advantage over players.When a player places a bet, a random number generator, also called an 'RNG', inside the machine cycles through millions of possible numbers. The outcome of the spin is automatically decided when a player hits the spin button – meaning that it is impossible to predict whether you will win or lose on a video lottery terminal.In certain casinos and states, video lottery terminals are also used for non-lottery games, including poker and
bingo. Most video lottery terminals will have a relatively small maximum credit amount available for a player to
wager. This is usually around $100. Once a player has added credit, they will then be given different lengths of play time to choose from. After the selected play time has run out, the player will have the option of cashing out or adding another amount of time to their play.
