Since the 1980s, casinos have realized that slot machines generate more revenue than table games. The same holds true for online casinos as it does for traditional casinos. In Las Vegas, where free beverages and loyalty rewards have long been used as inducements to play slot machines, the latest promotional trend is boasting about payback rates. Where do the largest jackpots occur? Who offers the greatest odds on slot machines?
as opposed to the Strip
Slot machines generate nearly sixty percent of Nevada’s annual gaming revenue, nearly twice as much as table games. The Nevada Gaming Control Board divides its slot machine statistics for Las Vegas into two main tourist districts: downtown and the Strip. In addition, there is a substantial local market, which gaming revenue reports designate as the Boulder Strip and North Las Vegas.
The payback percentages for all machines in Clark County were 93.51% for the entire fiscal year between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012. By area, downtown returned 93.47 percent and the Strip returned 92.62%, so there is some validity to the residents’ claim. However, what is not mentioned is that slots in North Las Vegas returned 93.91% and slots on the Boulder Strip returned 94.76%, so the best advice is to avoid tourist areas and play where the residents play.
In 2012, all regions except the Boulder Strip experienced a modest decrease in paybacks compared to fiscal 2011. Along Boulder Highway, slot machines from Sam’s Town, Arizona Charlie’s, and Boulder Station, to mention a few, paid out exactly the same amount of money year after year.
Probabilities Based on Slot Type
The Gaming Control Board’s statistics also indicate, by credit denomination, which slot machines offer the highest payouts. Megabucks progressive slot machines had the lowest return percentage in 2012, at 87.16 percent. Nonetheless, the appeal of a massive jackpot clearly outweighs the poor odds during difficult economic times, as Megabucks revenues increased 59% compared to fiscal 2011 — the largest increase among slot machine varieties.
On the opposite extreme of the spectrum, high roller slots offered the highest payback percentages. Those who accepted $5, $25, and $100 bills returned 94.67%, 96.52%, and 96.30%, respectively, demonstrating once more that it takes money to make money.
The most lucrative games for those with champagne preferences and beer budgets are the nickel and quarter slots, which also include video poker machines of those denominations. In 2012, 94.48 percent of all 25-cent wagers were returned. Following closely behind were nickel machines, which returned 94.40%.
With a return percentage of 94.65% in 2012, multi-denomination slots are a popular choice among slot players. Meanwhile, dollar dispensers were not poor performers, yielding a return on investment of 94.42%. Penny machines, which returned just 89.33% to users, were the second-worst wager after Megabucks.
What Regarding Other Games?
If slots aren’t your thing and you’d rather play blackjack for real money, visit our page dedicated to online blackjack. Blackjack offers better odds than slot machines in the United States, particularly if players are willing to learn card counting. Utilize the advice on legitimatecasino.com to make judicious wagers with your actual funds.
Who Is Really First?
For those seeking a specific casino to frequent or a specific slot machine with the greatest odds, it is difficult to separate the hype from the reality. The statistics of the Gaming Control Board do not disclose the results by casino or machine. And claims made by casinos themselves should be viewed with skepticism.
For instance, in 2010 the Palms Casino Resort introduced a massive advertising campaign based on the findings of a “independent survey by the Las Vegas Advisor” indicating that the casino’s slot machine and video poker payback percentages are higher than the state’s average. Their claim was that the slot machines at Palms were “28.278 percent looser than those in Clark County and 36.856 percent looser than those on the Strip.”
In 2011, the downtown El Cortez Casino responded with advertisements asserting that their slot machines were “39% looser than the Strip,” implying that they were looser than the Palms’ slot machines. Most lists of “hot slots” in Las Vegas rank the two properties as No. 1 and No. 2, but with three Megabucks rewards awarded at the Palms since 2004, it may have a slight edge. The El Cortez has not yet paid out any Megabucks victors.
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