The gambler’s fallacy is the mistaken belief that past results change the odds of independent future events: that red is “due” after a run of black, or that a slot that has not paid for hours must pay soon. The longer a losing run lasts, the more convinced the player becomes that a win is just around the corner.
In games of chance, each spin or roll is independent. A roulette wheel has no memory, and a random number generator does not track earlier results. If an outcome has a 1% chance, it has a 1% chance on the first attempt and on the thousandth; a hundred tries do not guarantee a win. The belief is also called the Monte Carlo fallacy, after a famous 1913 roulette session at Monte Carlo in which black came up 26 times in a row, and players lost heavily betting that red was due.
Never suggest a result is due
The fallacy fuels loss-chasing. Game statistics and promotional copy should never imply that an outcome is due. See our responsible gambling principles.