Originally posted by: Boris Radtke
changing videopoker paytable is of course different from changing average return percentages (RTP) on slots. You can easily identify good videopoker and compare to bad videopoker by checking the paytables. The ramdomness of the cards cannot be changed. Just the paytables. Which is the indicator about how much a machine will return in the long run (based on optimum play).
Yes, we all know that. I was simply pointing out that the casinos don't need to ask permission to change a machine's return, and the same rules apply to both slots and VP.
There used to be a regulation wherein a GCB rep had to be notified whenever a hardware chip was replaced; back then, that was the only way to reprogram a machine. But even then, all the casinos had to do was submit a list of the machines that had been modified; there was no requirement for witnessing the change.
There was also the very, very rare "surprise inspection," wherein a GCB rep would pick a machine and remove the chip for off-site inspection. They can't do such a thing now, because when a machine is powered down, the programming disappears. It's still on the firmware, but the rep would have to dismantle the machine and take away the motherboard to examine it.