Slot machine mode

What slot mode is

Above the tool you will find a small switch with two choices, Wheel and Slot. Slot replaces the round wheel with a single reel, like the one on a fruit machine. Names scroll past quickly, slow down, and settle on the winner in the middle row, between a line above and a line below.

It is purely a different presentation. The list, the colours, the spin time, the sound options, the confetti, the full screen view and the Remove button all work exactly as they do on the wheel.

One reel, one winner

People who know slot machines sometimes expect several reels showing several results. Here there is a single reel and a single winner. Pressing SPIN always produces exactly one name, whatever the look.

The reel does not decide anything while it moves. The winner is picked first, in the same way as on the wheel, and the reel is then animated to land on that name. The names that flash by on the way are only decoration, chosen from your list so the motion looks natural. The first and last rows around the winner are never the winner itself, so the result is easy to read.

Wheel or slot: which one to choose

• Long names or many entries: the reel shows whole names at a comfortable size, while a crowded wheel has to shrink or drop the text. For lists beyond a few dozen entries slot is easier to read.
• A small group at a table: the wheel makes a better show, since everyone can see their own slice and watch it come closer.
• Short prompts and questions: the truth or dare wheel and similar party wheels work in both looks. Try slot when the text is long.
• Numbers and codes: a reel that stops on a number suits a raffle, and the random number wheel has a ready list from 1 to 10.

Using slot mode

1. Press Slot in the switch above the tool. The first time, the reel loads in a moment.
2. Add or edit names in the Names tab exactly as on the wheel. The reel previews three of them while it is idle.
3. Press SPIN. The reel runs for the spin time you chose in the Style tab. A longer spin simply scrolls through more names before it settles, so the speed stays pleasant at any length.
4. When it stops, the result card slides up with the winner, and the middle band of the reel glows briefly.

If you switch sound on, the reel clicks as each row passes, plays a soft stop sound when it lands and the winner chime afterwards, using the volume you set. The ticks can be switched off on their own. Your choice of Wheel or Slot is remembered on your device.

Is slot as fair as the wheel?

Yes, because the fairness lives in the pick and not in the picture. Slot results use the same seed, the same list fingerprint and the same procedure as wheel results, and a slot result can be checked just as well. The proof records the mode as slot, and the verify page confirms the winner in the same way.

Because both looks choose the same way, switching between them does not change anyone's chances. Entries that appear twice in the list still count twice.

Good to know

• Keep entries short. Long names wrap inside the row, and a very long one can be cut off at the edge of the reel.
• Lists of up to 2,000 entries work, because the reel only ever draws a short strip of names at a time.
• Embedded wheels can start in slot mode by adding mode=slot to the web address, as described in the guide to embedding.
• On devices set to reduce motion, the reel moves briefly and calmly instead of scrolling for the full time.

Sharing a slot machine

A share link remembers the look as well as the list. If you create a link while Slot is selected, the person who opens it sees the slot machine with your names. They can switch to the wheel at any time without changing the list. The guide to sharing wheels covers links in more detail.