Slot Machine Percentage Paybacks

The paybacks on pennies were still 88 percent and remained 95 percent on dollars, but the overall floor average decreased to 88.7 percent. Real casinos have more slot denominations attracting.

For most casino table games, a straightforward calculation will reveal the House edge—i.e., the amount the casino can be expected to retain out of every dollar played. That advantage ranges from a low of less than one percent on blackjack (when played with the optimum strategy) to 1.41% on Pass/Come bets at the craps table and 5.26% for American roulette.

Slot machines, however, are an enigma. Without knowing the number of “stops” (resting positions) associated with each symbol on the reel, no such calculations can be made. Even then, the payouts are complicated by the number and frequency of bonus games and multipliers built into the pay tables for maximum bets. Therefore, the most accurate indicator of how much of every wagered dollar the casino expects to keep can only be found in “slots payback percentages.”


  1. Recently, a slot channel said in jest (at least I think so) that louder slot machines have a higher payback. It sent some in the slot community searching for confirmation of this. So let me help you out: STATUS: Sound settings do not impact slot payout.
  2. 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.
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Payback Is Predetermined

The payback percentage of any given slot machine is the total amount of cash it has paid out divided by the total amount of cash accepted by that machine over a specified period of time, i.e. the ratio of winnings to wagers. If a player bets $1 on each spin for 100 spins and ends up with $97, then the payout is 97:100 or 97%. That’s equivalent to a House edge of 3.0%, which is referred to in slots play as the “hold percentage.”

For each machine, the payback percentage will vary somewhat from hour to hour or day to day, but over the lifetime of the machine it will approach a specific number that was incorporated into its programming at the factory. In fact, casinos select the targeted payback/hold percentages when they order the units from the manufacturer, so the numbers are by no means arbitrary.

Nor do the casinos and manufacturers have unlimited freedom to choose any payback percentage they like. To protect consumers, a minimum threshold is fixed by law. The percentage may not fall below whatever standards have been set by the local regulatory authority. In some jurisdictions, the minimum may be as low as 75%. Typically, there is no maximum limit, but in order for the slot operator to make a profit, the targeted percentage must obviously be less than 100%.

Legal payback percentages are not based on averages, either. Most jurisdictions are like Nevada, where the Gaming Control Board requires that each and every machine in the state must meet minimum payback percentages. The payouts are monitored so that any noncompliant machines can be removed from play and recalibrated. This serves two purposes: protecting players from an unfair House edge and ensuring that the casino earns a predictable income.

Playing by the Percentages

Most slot operators realize that it is to their advantage to offer slots with payout ratios well above the minimum required by law. Market economics is the key determinant. With a payback percentage close to 99%, the casino’s margin is tiny, but volume will be high because players will risk and bet much more money. Conversely, when the payback percentage is low, the profit per wager may be higher, but the volume of play will drop as soon as players figure out how difficult it is to win. They will start taking their business elsewhere.

That means the challenge faced by every casino is how to set the slot payback percentages for optimum profitability. The point of equilibrium may be very elastic—anywhere between 80% and 95%, as a rule. The problem for players, of course, is that the casinos do not make this information readily available. At best, they publish a monthly “average,” including the payback rates of all machines in a single figure. Customers have to discover on their own which slots are “loose” (high payback percentages) and which ones are “tight” (low percentages).

It is worth noting that online slots typically offer higher payback percentages than those found in land-based casinos. That’s because they have less overhead and more competition. Also, slots located in rather isolated areas, such as on Native American Indian reservations, may have much lower payback percentages, owing to the lack of local competition. It certainly pays to shop around and seek out the loosest games available.

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Slot game payback or payout percentage is commonly called the slots Return to Player (RTP) and is the overall percentage that a casino slot machine or game will return to the player either during a playing session or over the life of the slot machine, whether it's a land casino slot or an online casino slot. Hold percentage is the amount kept by the casino or the casino profit. The RTP can be measured by the formula Amount Returned to Player / Amount Wagered by Player.

When it comes to land casino slots, there are many factors that are taken into consideration before the slots hit the casino floor. In the USA location, competition, profit and state regulations can affect how and why a slot machine end ups with a certain payback percentage.

When land casinos purchase slot machines from the manufacturer, they order the slots with a set payback percentage. Similarly Online Casinos license the game software with a set payback percentage. Many Las Vegas casinos offer slot payback percentages in the 98% range while state operated and tribal casinos are in the 92% or lower range.

Today slots run on a network. Visit a land casino in the early morning hours and you can see banks of slot machines disabled while the slot techs swap out the cash boxes.

Years ago to change the RTP the slot would have to be opened and a new computer chip containing the RTP algorithm installed. However, back in 2006 some land casinos were experimenting with updating the slots payback percentage directly via a simple download from the network computer. Most likely that is how its done these days.

Many gamblers play online slots as they offer a higher slot pay back than most land casinos. Land-based casinos offer payout percentages in the range of 87% to 92% with some highly competitive areas like Las Vegas offer slots with a 98% payback.

Some of higher pay out slots are the video bonus slots available at Slots Village Casino and for classic or traditional slots Slotland Casino.

Many slot players believe it is the slot machines Random Number Generator (RNG) that determines the payback percentage, however this is incorrect, it is the reels or reel strips that determine payback percentage. The RNG just determines which combination of symbols the spin will stop on. Change the number of times a symbol appears on a reel and you've changed the slot machines payback percentage.

Slot machine percentage paybacks against

When a casino wants to change the payback percentage of a slot machine they change the reels or in the case of video bonus slots, the virtual reels.

Land slot machine manufacturers send their RNG algorithm to an independent lab for testing before releasing the machines to the casinos. Similarly the software makers of online casino games do as well.

The Random Number Generator (RNG) algorithm used in our recommended Real Time Gaming Casinos and recommended Playtech Casinos is tested for fairness and randomness by Technical Systems Testing.

Slot Machine Percentage Paybacks Against

Technical Systems Testing (TST), is an internationally recognized accredited testing facility. Some of their clients include International Game Technology (IGT), Aristocrat, Mikohn and the Massachusetts, Michigan and Ontario Lotteries. In 2010 TST became part of Gaming Laboratories International (GLI).

Both online and land based casinos record every coin in, won and cashed out of a slot machine. Sometimes the casino floor technician needs to remove a jammed bill and the audit slip will print out. The audit slip shows the grand totals for the coins in, coins won and coins cashed out. By crunching these numbers you can get a good idea of the long-term payback percentage. However, this information is readily available if you know where to look for it.

Trusted online and land casinos hire or staff independent auditors to review this information monthly. For example Foxwoods Resort Casino publishes slot handle payback information in their array of Media Relations Press Releases and Mohegan Sun publishes Slot Machine Statistical Reports on their Investor Relations page.

Microgaming is one of the largest online casino game manufacturers and contracts the non-profit organization eCOGRA. (eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) to review and certify their casino payback percentages.
eCOGRA is the independent standards authority for the online gaming industry. eCOGRA helps players identify online casino and poker sites that are safe, fair and responsible.
What does the eCOGRA Seal mean?The Play It Safe Seal is awarded to operators that fully comply with eCOGRA's strict standards for player protection, fair gaming and responsible operator conduct. Sites and their player policies are checked and rechecked on an ongoing basis to ensure their compliance with these standards, as well as your safety online. The Seal has become a homepage symbol of documented, objective, fair play.
All our Recommended Microgaming Casinos display eCOGRA Seal of Approval on the bottom of their web sites. When you click on the icon you can see the certified monthly audit reports for their casino and individual game line up.

Although playing a slot machine with the highest pay back percentage is recommended, it is not because you'll necessarily win more playing it, it is because it will eat through less of your bankroll, which in turn will give you more spins. By getting more spins out of a machine you'll increase the likelihood of hitting more winning combinations and perhaps walk away a winner.

Slot Machine Percentage Paybacks Losers

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Every time you pull the lever it is RNG, same odds each time you pull the lever. The RNG just happened to come up with something for me that time. Where is tiny tina slot machine.

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