Drawomg

No, the odds are the same regardless of the time of day.

Not many take much notice of slots payback percentages, and how understanding them could improve their winning opportunities. It is definitely worthwhile for every slots plays to understand these. Payout percentages determine the percentage a slot machine will pay out in relation to the take, or the total amount wagered on the machine. A slot machine where one credit is equal to $5 will return a higher percentage of the money played, than a $1 slot machine, a 25 cent slot machine, and so forth. Some slot machine players feel more comfortable playing three credits for $15 in a $5 slot machine because of the higher return percentage than they do by playing 50 lines in a 25 cent.

Slots return most of the money put into them to players; however, this varies from 90% to 97%. You will often find “ return to player% ” in the help information. The primary factor affecting the RTP of a slot is its denomination, which is the size of your stake per line. The range goes from penny slots up to dollars.

Most slot machines usually offer an incentive to play the maximum coins. For example two coins may pay 2,000 on the jackpot but three coins will pay 5,000. So if there an economy of scale incentive, then the return is higher with a max-coin bet. However, I should mention that most casinos tend to increase the theoretical return on their slots as they go up in denomination. So, you may be better off betting one coin on a $1 machine than four coins on a quarter machine.
My advice on slot selection is to play a simple smaller game. Nothing with fancy signage or a huge screen. Ultimately, it is the players that pay for that in the form of a lower return.

Interesting question. I'm sure that didn't refer to the payback percentage, 37% would be way too low. The 'hit frequency' is the probability that the player wins anything.

I'm pretty sure that the odds on Megabucks are the same everywhere. It is a 'proprietary game,' meaning the casino and slot maker (IGT) share in the profits. As I understand it, such propriety games are generally set to a return of about 88% by the slot maker, and the casinos do not have the option for a looser or tighter version.
The Wheel of Fortune game, with the big jackpot, I believe is also a proprietary game. Video poker odds are dictated by the pay table. For example, a 9-6 Jacks or Better game will pay 99.54%, assuming optimal strategy and an infinite amount of play, regardless of where the machine is or number of number of hands the player gets on the draw.

You're right, it is impossible for me to know without Microgaming giving me the details on how their reels are weighted. I have asked some of the major software companies for such information, but thus far nobody has volunteered anything. However, I can tell you that the average payback for all slots at the Golden Palace for the month of March 2000 was 95.67%. This information is available at the Golden Palace web site, click on the Price Waterhouse Coopers monthly payout review.

I would assume that the odds are the same at all Microgaming casinos. All casinos probably contribute money to the same account from which the jackpot is paid. This way, the individual casino from which the jackpot was hit does not have to reach into their own pocket when somebody wins. Mid-level payouts are probably paid by the casino itself.

The minimum applies to every machine. Someone with the Gaming Control Board in Carson City, Nevada, told me that every machine in the state must meet minimum payback percentages. The only exception, he said, are on some antique machines in Virginia City.

Unlike most slots, this game has different types of wins according to the number of coins bet. The first coin enables the player to win the small frequent 'bar' wins, from 2 to 60. The second coin enables larger 'seven' wins from 100 to 500. The third coin doubles the wins for sevens, except it also qualified the player for the progressive jackpot for three sizzling sevens.
The ways these games are programmed is to give the player a slightly higher return on each additional coin bet. For example, the first coin might have a return of 92%, the second 93%, and the third 94%. You seem to think the return for one coin would be very low, due to the small wins, but those wins happen more often than the wins for sevens.
In Nevada, regulations require slots to theoretically pay at least 75%. Even the games at the airport, which are very tight, still pay at least 85% or so. I'm quite sure that the return for any number of coins bet in Blazing Sevens conforms to industry norms.

In general Indian casinos are self-regulated. There is generally a tribal commission that will hear disputes, but ultimately the members of the commission know which side of their bread gets buttered.
Don't assume any kind of minimum return on the slot machines. However, ultimately economics would dictate that a return too low would be sensed by players, who would be unlikely to return if they consistently lost too much money too quickly. It would also be bad business, and time consuming, to loosen and tighten the slots like a yo-yo.
Your sound level hypothesis sounds interesting, I never thought of that.

The casinos don't actually program the casinos to pay a certain percentage, but determine the weighting of the reels so that the theoretical return is whatever they wish. In the short run, the actual return can be either much higher or lower than the theoretical return. However, the laws of mathematics dictate that the actual return will get closer to the theoretical return the greater the number of trials.

Each frame in these video slots is weighted equally. Any given line is equally likely to produce any given combination. Thus, the return is the same regardless of the number of coins played.

Royal flush - 840
Four deuces - 200
Wild Royal - 20
Five of a kind - 12
Straight flush - 9
Four of a kind - 5
Full house - 3
Flush - 2
Straight - 2
Three of a kind - 1
I would do this myself, but I am unable to use the necessary software, as I am not a windows user.

Physically all you have to do to change the return of the slot machine is change the EPROM chip inside. Assuming the casino manager had all the EPROM chips, which I think they sometimes do, they could make the change themselves. However in a major jurisdiction the change would have to be reported to the gaming authorities, not to mention internal paperwork. The random number generator is constant, it is what the program does with the random numbers that determines the return.

In general the higher the coinage the better the rate of return is. However in my own research I have seen plenty of exceptions, notably dollar machines that paid less than quarters.

I don’t know whether the chances of winning were better or not. They worked the same way as they do now except each stop on each reel had an equal chance. The very early ones didn’t pay money but chewing gum, which explains the bar symbols (sticks of gum) and fruits (flavors) on some modern slot machines.

I’ve been asked about these North Carolina slot machines so many times I’m tempted to fly there just to see them for myself. Yes, if they did give the probability of each symbol for each reel then an optimal strategy and a return could be fairly easily calculated. However I have never actually seen such a table and have never worked out the odds.

I just had an eye-opening experience at Casino Windsor. No where do they publish their percent payback on slots. However, that aside, I was going to play quarter (my comfort level) video poker. I was really taken aback when I put up the paytable. They were 5/4 machines. I am talking Jacks or better was only 5 coins on a full house and 4 coins on a flush. I looked at about 20 machines and only found one that paid any better and that was a 6/4 machine.

As I stated, I am not a mathematician but I think that payback percentage must be in the very low 70s. Needless to say I didn’t play video poker there because I know that the longer I would have played the greater the loss I could have expected with the house taking approximately $30.00 from every $100.00 put through the machine. That is not a gamble with some expectation of winning, it is a sure loss for players. On the Detroit side of the river, MGM Grand has their machines at 7/5. Not really great but a whole lot better than 5/4.

Could you please tell me the exact percentage payback on the 5/4 and 7/5 machines. Since none of the area casinos post their average payback on slots I am (and this is dangerous) assuming that their reel slots payback the same percentages. Best regards.

Actually with perfect play the 5/4 pay table return 92.78%. Still one of the worst pay tables I have ever heard of. Have you tried the Greektown casino in Detroit? I don't know what games they have but I do know they have had security remove several winning video poker players from the building, including a old lady who hit a royal on a machine with a 97% pay table. They must have something good enough to warrant throwing winners out for.

First lets clear up what the term 'hold' means. For purposes of electronic games it is the theoretical return the game is set to. In both video poker and slots each play is random and independent of all past plays. The laws of mathematics dictate that even with independent trials the as the sample size gets larger the actual return will tend to get closer to the theoretical mean, or the hold. So contrary to popular belief a machine never goes hot or cold to get back in balance. Never mind the term 'cycle.' It is a poorly named industry term for the number of possible outcomes of the random number generators inside the machine. Unfortunately the term has trickled down only to confuse low level employees and players alike. Contrary to popular myth there are no cycles and again each play is equally random and independent of all other plays.

Not often. Contrary to popular myth the casinos don’t tighten the machines on weekends or whenever it is busy. Here in Las Vegas the casinos have to fill out a form every time they change the percentage on each game. Most slot managers I have spoken with have a policy on what coinage is set to what return. I tend to think the most likely reason to change the percentage would a change in ownership and/or management, which do not happen often.

The 96.7% applies to total money bet and transaction fees generally only apply to deposits and/or withdrawals. Players generally circulate through the same money and thus bet much more than they deposit. As I discussed in the September 18, 2005, column a player could bet through about 1.5 million dollars with a $10,000 bankroll and betting $5 at a time in blackjack. In this case the casino would make their profit based on 1.5 million in bets but pay expenses based only on $10,000.

From what I hear anything you can configure at the machine you can configure remotely through the server. This would include the theoretical return percentage. However most casinos report that changing the theoretical return of a slot machine necessitates a lot of paperwork.

Even if it were effortless to move the slot machine return up and down, it strikes me as a conspiracy theory to think the casinos would do that on a player by player basis. Living here in Vegas, I hear all kinds of theories about the lengths the casinos go to in order to win, like pumping in oxygen and playing a subsonic mantra that says 'lose lose lose.' These are just urban legends. Most casinos correctly believe that if you give the player a good experience and a fair gamble then he will keep coming back. As they say, you can only slaughter a sheep only once, but you can shear it many times. (My webmaster, Michael Bluejay, who is a vegetarian, tried to get me to use this analogy instead: 'You can seize all of a sheep’s money only once, but you can force it to take you bowling many times.')

According to the Nevada Gaming Control Boards that means that every slot machine in that bank must be set to a theoretical return of at least 97.4%. Popular opinion has it that only one machine must be set to 97.4%, or that the overall average must be 97.4%. However, I am taking a firm stand that both notions are wrong, at least here in Nevada.

It depends. If the slot play may be used in any machine in the casino, including video poker, then it can be worth 99 cents on the dollar or more, depending on the video poker offerings. For example, the MGM Mirage casinos award $1 in free slot play for every one point earned. It can be used in any machine in any casino connected to the MGM Mirage player card. Most MGM Mirage properties offer 9/6 Jacks or better, so the value of $1 in free slot play is worth 99.54 cents, with correct strategy.

However, sometimes free slot play must be done on particular promotional machines that don’t accept money. The value of this kind of free play is hard to estimate closely, but generally very little. For example, the Las Vegas World used to sell “$1000” vacation packages for $400. Of the alleged $1000 value $600 was in promotional slot machine play. In his book “Million Dollar Video Poker,” Bob Dancer writes that he did this deal numerous times over, and estimates the value of the free slot play to be about ten cents on the dollar.

It will show the specific return of the game you played.

Understanding Slot Machine Payouts Jackpots

Let’s assume 10.8 for the standard deviation, which I get from the Red, White, and Blue game described in my slot machine page. The standard deviation of the mean over n spins is standard deviation per bet divided by the square root of n. In this case, 10.8/10,000^0.5 = 0.108. The difference between 93% and 91% over 10,000 spins is just 18.5% of one standard deviation. To get the standard deviation of the mean to just 2% you would need a sample size of 291,600 spins. The standard deviation in slots will vary substantially, so take these figures with a grain of salt.

No, there isn’t. I don’t like it any more than you do. I think the player should be allowed to know the rules and/or the odds about what he is gambling on. Others have asked me if invoking the state Freedom of Information Act. I tend to doubt it would help or apply. As far as I know, the only place with such a right to know might be Holland. I’m told in Amsterdam information about the virtual reel stripping is indicated in little cards on the machines. You could in theory calculate the odds with that information and the pay table.

'Anonymous' .

No. To get an estimate of how loose a casino's slots are you would want to know the ratio of money returned to money bet. This ratio would typically be about 92%. Telling you only the amount paid out is not useful at all. Consider the Circus Circus claim of paying out $26 million a month. They don't disclose how much players bet to get that $26 million. What if they bet $35 million? That would be a return of 71.43%, which would be awful.
In conclusion, I don't know whether to be angry over what I consider to be deceptive advertising or depressed that people fall for it.

The thrill of slots lies in the potential for a big payout. Whether you’re looking for the big jackpot or trying to grind out a steady profit, it’s what the machine gives you back that’s the most important. But are all slot machine payouts equal? Is there any truth to the myth that some games are more generous than others? If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, then you’ve come to the right place.

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On this page, we’ll go over the best payout slots in the UK today, plus tell you exactly how you can check the slots payout ratio of any game you come across. Remember, the UK gambling scene is completely licensed and regulated. Consequently, casinos must be transparent about how much money they are making and paying back out in jackpots and winnings. The information is not always sitting right in front of your nose, but it is there to find if you know where to look.

Slot Machine Payouts – In a Nutshell

So how exactly does a slot payout ratio work? The amount that a slot machine pays out can, and is, calculated by both casinos and regulators. Modern online slots call this value RTP – or return-to-player. The figure is given as a percentage and is used to provide customers with an accurate prediction of how much of the money staked on a game is paid out in prizes. There are a couple of things you need to understand about RTPs, however, before you wander off in search of the highest rate.

RTPs are theoretical. We cannot stress this enough. If you find a game with a reported theoretical RTP of 98%, it does not mean you are guaranteed to have 98% of your stake returned in a single gaming session. Sometimes, you can find data for actual RTP rates. Actual RTPs are more accurate than theoretical ones, but it’s important to realise that they represent the rate of payouts in the past, and do not necessarily reflect what that machine will pay out in the future.

What Slot Machines Have The Best Payouts

Let’s look at an example to better explain how RTP is calculated in the online casino industry. Say, for example, that you are playing a slot that had one payline, and the chance of winning on that payline is equal for every spin you take. If, after staking a single coin on 10 spins, you have received a total of 9 coins in return, your actual RTP would be 90%. Sounds simple, right? Now consider that some modern slot games have more than 200, unequally likely ways to win. Calculating an RTP by yourself is impossible over 10 spins, never mind the millions of spins that are used to produce the data that is available to players today.

Types of Slots and Their Payout Ratios

Technological advancements in digital gaming and the switch to software-based slot machines somewhat diversified the market. As a result, it’s easier to categorise our favourite slot games into four main groups to differentiate between the what is a typical RTP and how to spot a bad one.

Progressive Jackpot Slots

There’s no doubting that progressive jackpot slots are the headline acts of this market. Progressive jackpots are the result of thousands of players working together to build big prizes at ridiculous speeds. Slots that have a progressive jackpot are linked together across several games, casinos and even countries. As a result, the RTP of these games tends to be on the low side.

A game like Mega Moolah, for example, has an RTP of around 88%. However, this is countered by the fact that when it pays, it pays big.

Classic Slots

Classic slots that stick to the traditional fruit machine formula tend to have what we call ‘fixed jackpots’. This means that the largest prize does not change regardless of how many people around the world are losing money on it. As a result, the base payout ratios of these games tend to be a little higher than a progressive jackpot slot.

A classic slot such as Jackpot 600, for example, has an RTP between 95.1% and 98.9%. These slots payouts won’t make you an overnight millionaire but are perfect for longer playing sessions.

Video Slots

Video slots are modern incarnations of classic slots. They vary in style, formats and payout ratios, but in general when we refer to video slots, we mean the computer-generated, video-gaming-looking games such as Gonzo’s Quest. There’s really no general rule for RTPs with these games, given the openness of the way they are designed.

A video slot can have one payline or 243, and the slots payout ratios vary in much the same way. The best thing to do is check the RTP of the game – by searching through the help sections – before you begin to spin.

Franchise Slots

Today’s online slots market is filled with popular franchise slot machine from your favourite TV shows and Hollywood movies. The franchise model really came to life with the rise and fall of the Marvel slots. Despite Disney pulling the plug of the superhero games that proved such a big hit, the Marvel games proved that franchise slots had a place in this market.

Today, games such as Universal Studios’ Psycho and Game of Thrones reign supreme. These games tend to have a lower payout ratio than non-licensed slots due to the higher costs to software providers or using the official characters and branding.

How to Find the Best Payout Slots

Depending on whether you play slots offline or online, these casino games of chance can have lower or higher payout ratios. In terms of differences between software provides, there tends to be very little. Choosing a software provider is a matter of game preference and experience, rather than favourable RTPs. The same goes for mobile games. The payout ratio of a mobile slot is the same as it is when you play it on desktop. Slots payout ratios are particularly important if you are planning on playing slots for high-stakes, as you’ll want to find the best RTP possible to protect your significant risk.

If you want to check the slot payouts of online casinos for yourself, search the online casino site for possible reports from independent auditing firms. You can check the slot payouts at each casino by looking for reports from Technical Systems Testing (TST), a Gaming Laboratories International third-party auditing company. The company tests electronic gaming equipment and makes sure it produces random results. Regarding slots, it conducts rigorous tests on their RNG and ensures it creates fair outcomes. You can also look for reports from eCOGRA, an independent and internationally recognised testing company established in 2003 and based in the United Kingdom. The agency specialises in the certification of online gaming software and systems and some of its activities focus on fair gaming by evaluating the RNG and RTP of games, providing secure and safe gaming environment and preventing underaged and vulnerable players from gambling. Online casinos usually offer reports from TST or eCOGRA on their websites and display seals of approval on their homepages.

Discover Top Online Casino Slot Payouts

Understanding Slot Machine Payouts Jackpot

The competition in the online slots market is so intense that software developers and casinos are scrambling to create games that offer the best payout ratios possible, whilst still generating profit for the operators. Modern online casino fans are savvy, and gambling companies know this. RTP is becoming more and more of a common term amongst even casual fans, and we predict it will be a more prominent unique selling point for new games in the future.

Slot Machine Payout Chart

A common question we get asked when talking to slots players on this subject is: Do some online casinos have better payout slots compared to others? The short answer is no. The payout rates are determined by the software provider. These RTPs are audited by third party companies and companies can get into big trouble for messing around with the random number generator or the game’s inner workings after it has been certified as fair and safe. One thing that can change from casino to casino, though, is the maximum bet and/or coin limits. These do not directly affect the percentage payout rate, though. It’s also worth remembering that even games that can be found both online and offline will not have the same payouts.

Where Are the Best Land-Based Casino Slot Payouts?

Bricks and mortar casinos work differently from online casinos in terms of operation, functionality and many other factors. When it comes to their payout ratios, at land-based casinos they are roughly between 84% 86% and they are calculated based on restrictions such as costs of development and manufacturing as well as costs of the massive overhead. These costs leave a big cut for bricks-and-mortar casinos and therefore, they have to offer lower payout ratios than those of Internet casinos to stay afloat.

Illinois Bar Slot Machines Payouts

For online casinos, the payout ratios of slots are much different. They are much higher or approximately between 90% and 97%. The biggest reason behind this is that the costs associated with running an online casino site are lower than the costs of running a land-based casino. Expenses connected with massive overheads or manufacturing are irrelevant for online casinos so no wonder why the payout ratios of games are higher. You can find land-based casino slots at any major high-street casino. Today, you’ll even find popular online games at your local branch. However, do be aware that despite the gameplay being the same, the payout ratio will be lower than it is online.

Curious Payout-Related Behaviour at Land-Based Casinos

There are some curious behaviour patterns that we’ve observed when playing land-based slots. There’s no telling how well these tricks and ‘hacks’ work – while some are simply quirky and potentially good for thwarting off boredom at a brick and mortar gambling joint, some verge on misleading superstitions. We’ve summarised our favourites below.

• Timing the machine: Some punters monitor a slot for when it pays-out, and dive in after a certain amount of time has passed
• Popularity contest: If others are staying away, the logic goes that it is for good reason
• Identifying patterns: Loitering around a slot, watching others play, and noting down the payout frequency
• Rotation: Avoiding sticking at the same machine because it surely must payout soon!
• High-limits: Punters pick slots that require higher wagers, but have higher payouts

It Is All Really Worth the Effort?

The important thing to take away from this guide to payout ratios is that nothing is permanent in this fast-moving market. The only way to really stay on top of the game is to take an interest in the industry as a whole. The best way to find the absolute highest RTP possible is to check out plenty of slots games and casino reviews. The other option, of course, is to forget about RTPs, payout ratios and all that technical stuff, and to just play the games and have fun. Remember, even the best payout slots ratio imaginable is still going to favour the house. With that in mind, it might be better to just enjoy the ride, have fun, and forget about trying to maximise your winnings. At the end of the day, whether you win or lose comes down to luck, just as it always has, and always will.