You are asking about a machine-level process, not a venue policy
The question of whether slot machines at Finger Lakes use a random number generator is a question about how the machines work, not about anything specific to this one building. The answer is that modern electronic gaming machines, including the ones on this floor, determine outcomes through a random number generator that runs continuously. No player action, button timing, or previous spin changes what the generator produces.
What this article can and cannot do is important to state at the start. It can explain the mechanism behind a random number generator and what that mechanism means for a player at Finger Lakes. It cannot quote the exact RNG algorithm, certification file, or payout percentage for any machine at this venue, because those figures are not published in a form this article can verify. The venue is a physical place in Farmington, New York, and the machines on its floor are the subject here, but the numbers that describe them are not all public.
What a random number generator does
A random number generator in a slot machine is a computational process that produces a stream of numbers at a rate far faster than the machine is played. Each number maps to a position on each reel or to a position in a virtual reel set. When a player presses the spin button, the machine captures the number that exists at that instant and translates it into the symbols that appear on the screen.
The key point is that the generator does not start or stop when a player acts. It is already running. The spin button does not influence the outcome; it only samples whatever number the generator is producing at that moment. A player who presses the button a fraction of a second later would sample a different number, but neither moment is more favorable than the other. The mapping from numbers to outcomes is fixed, and the house advantage is built into that mapping, not into the timing.
Why the outcome cannot be predicted from the screen
Slot machines display symbols on reels, but the reels a player sees are a presentation layer. The underlying outcome is already determined by the number sampled at the moment of the spin. The visible reels stop in a sequence that matches that outcome. This means that watching the reels, tracking which symbols have appeared recently, or looking for a machine that has not paid out in a while provides no information about what the next spin will produce.
A machine that has just paid a large jackpot is not more or less likely to pay again on the next spin. A machine that has gone many spins without a significant payout is not due for one. Each spin is an independent sample from the generator. The machine has no memory of previous spins in any way that changes the odds of the next one.
How this applies to the floor at Finger Lakes
Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack opened on May 23, 1962, as a thoroughbred horse race track, according to publicly published reference sources. The property is located in Farmington in western New York State, approximately 25 miles southeast of Rochester. The venue's coordinates place it at 42.971183 latitude and -77.343514 longitude. Those are the documented points that anchor this article.
The slot machines on the floor operate under the same general principle as electronic gaming machines elsewhere: a continuous random number generator determines each outcome, and the house edge is fixed in the machine's programming. This article does not have access to the specific RNG certification, the return-to-player percentage, or the par sheets for the machines at this venue. Those documents are not published here, and no figure of that kind appears in this article because none is verifiable from the facts available.
| What the machine does | What it does not do |
|---|---|
| Runs a random number generator continuously | Start or stop based on a player pressing spin |
| Samples a number at the instant of the spin | Change its odds based on previous spins |
| Maps the sampled number to a fixed outcome | Become due for a payout after a dry spell |
| Displays reels that match the outcome | Let a player influence the result by timing |
What changes and what stays fixed
The random number generator is fixed in the sense that its mapping from numbers to outcomes is set when the machine is configured. The house edge is a property of that mapping. What changes from spin to spin is only which number gets sampled, and that is not under the player's control. The player chooses when to press the button, but the choice of timing does not change the expected loss on the bet.
Expected loss is the correct way to think about any slot machine session. The house advantage means that, on average, the player loses a fixed percentage of each wager over a large number of spins. A single session can end above or below that average because of variance, but the average itself is not something a player can move. No betting pattern, no stopping point, no observation of the machine changes it.
What the venue's history does and does not tell you
The fact that Finger Lakes opened in 1962 as a horse track is documented in publicly published reference sources. That opening date describes the racing operation, not the current gaming floor. The property has changed over time, and the slot machines now on the floor are a later addition. Figures like machine counts, floor area, and the exact number of games are revised as properties are rebuilt and expanded, so any number of that kind would need to be checked against the venue's current published materials.
The location facts are stable: the venue is in Farmington, western New York State, roughly 25 miles southeast of Rochester. Those coordinates are fixed. What is not fixed is the machine-level detail a player might want before a visit, such as which specific titles are on the floor or what the current payout settings are. Those change and are not published here.
Straight-line distances to common reference points
If you are planning a trip to Finger Lakes, the distances below are straight-line measurements from the venue's documented coordinates. They are not road distances. Road travel is always longer, and this article does not publish driving mileage or driving time.
| Reference point | Straight-line distance (miles) | Measurement type |
|---|---|---|
| Rochester area (venue's own location note) | 25 | Approximate, from published location description |
| Syracuse | 60.8 | Great-circle |
| Buffalo | 77.9 | Great-circle |
| Niagara Falls | 89.3 | Great-circle |
| Toronto | 112.8 | Great-circle |
| New York City | 232.0 | Great-circle |
| Philadelphia | 237.1 | Great-circle |
| Atlantic City | 291.9 | Great-circle |
| Boston | 322.1 | Great-circle |
The 25-mile figure comes from the venue's published location description, which states the property is approximately 25 miles southeast of Rochester. The other figures are great-circle distances between the venue's coordinates and the coordinates of the named cities. None of these are driving distances.
What to confirm before you go
If your interest in the random number generator question is practical rather than theoretical, the things you might want to confirm are all changeable and are not published in this article. The venue's own guest services desk is the channel for current information about the gaming floor. The property's published materials, including any player information brochures available on site, are the place to look for machine-level disclosures that the venue chooses to make.
Before traveling, confirm the current operating status of the venue and the gaming floor. Confirm what identification or age requirements apply at entry. Confirm whether the specific type of machine you want to play is on the floor, since machine inventories change. And understand that no published source will give you a way to predict a machine's next outcome, because the random number generator makes that impossible by design.
FAQ
Do slot machines at Finger Lakes use a random number generator?
Modern electronic slot machines determine outcomes through a continuously running random number generator. The machine samples a number at the instant the player presses spin, and that number maps to the displayed outcome. Nothing about this process is specific to Finger Lakes; it is how electronic gaming machines of this type operate. The exact RNG certification for this venue's machines is not published in a form this article can verify.
Can I predict when a machine at Finger Lakes will pay out?
No. Each spin is an independent sample from the random number generator. The machine has no memory of previous spins, and a machine that has not paid recently is not due for a payout. The house advantage is fixed in the machine's programming, and no observation of the reels, the machine's history, or the timing of your button press changes the expected loss on a spin.
Does the 1962 opening date tell me anything about the slot machines?
The opening date of May 23, 1962, describes Finger Lakes Racetrack's start as a thoroughbred horse race track, according to publicly published reference sources. The slot machines now on the floor are a later addition to the property. Facility details such as machine counts and floor configuration are revised as properties are rebuilt and expanded, so any current figure should be confirmed with the venue directly.
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This article is general information about how these mechanics work. It is not legal advice and not a recommendation to gamble or to use any particular operator. Availability and legality differ by jurisdiction — check the rules that apply where you are.