Once a month this column will answer reader questions about things you experience in Bay Area card rooms. The following recently came in from a player in the North Bay:
Question
If you’re looking to find loose slot machines to play, then these tips are going to help you increase your chances of winning the jackpot! The first thing to remember is that slots win at random, so you should never count on a slot machine to give you certain results, but there are still some things you can do to increase your odds of winning.
'On a recent visit to the Bay Area I visited a casino in the North Bay and overheard some other patrons describe the slot machines there as 'loose.' What does this mean? Are some slot machines really more likely to pay out jackpot money than others? How can you tell loose machines from 'tighter' ones?'
Answer
Here's what Russell Kinney, vice president of slot operations at Cache Creek Casino in Brooks (Yolo County), had to say:
'When casinos talk about slots being 'loose,' they're talking about the payback percentage. Machines are set to pay back a certain percentage of everything that players put in. The catch is that this is calculated over millions of pulls. Most $1 machines and above pay back at 95 percent, so long as you are playing (the maximum number of) coin (lines). Over 1 million pulls, this means you'll make back 95 percent of what you put in. Of course if you sit down with $100 and play for 20 minutes, it is possible for the machine to take your money and not give you anything.'
'Payback percentage also relates to entertainment value. If you walk into a Strip casino in Vegas, and you put in $100 but only get 32 minutes of entertainment, that's not the best entertainment value. Well, if you go to a local casino and you get 45 minutes of entertainment for the same amount of money, you're getting more value, and the paybacks on the local machine are probably better.'
'For the best entertainment value, guests need to look for machines with the lowest top award. Think about it - at a payback of 95 percent or better, these machines are going to have a higher frequency of hits. If you have a $1 machine that has a top award of $1,000, it is going to hit over and over and over again for $10, $20, $50 and so on. Let's say you find another machine with a $50,000 top award. The program running that machine was written in such a way that it won't give you as many small pays because it has to pay out $50,000 at the top end. It's a trade-off; machines with higher top awards will take your money faster, but you have the opportunity to win big.'
'Of course the most aggressive paybacks - the 'loosest slots' - in the casino are usually video poker; paybacks here can be up to 103 percent. If you find a poker machine that has a 7/10 payback, I'd play it. That means that when you win, you get seven coins on a flush and 10 coins on a full house. Most paybacks in California are 5/8. Every once in a while you see a 6/9. Keep in mind that these rates are only if you play max coin, and only if you play by the same rules as the computer itself.'
For slot machine grinders like me, the Holy Grail that motivates me to keep playing is the pursuit of loose slots.
Now, before I go any further, let’s discuss what the term loose really means in the slot machine industry.
Many players mistakenly believe that individual machines can be programmed to play loosely – paying out winning spins more frequently – while others are programmed to play tight. In fact, as you make your way through the slot world, you’ll meet players who believe with all their heart that loose machines are always placed on the end of a machine bank, or casinos loosen the games on weekdays, or any number of similar myths and misconceptions.
Fortunately for reasonable slot enthusiasts, that’s just not how it works.
Any given slot machine model is designed and manufactured by a particular company –Aristocrat, International Game Technology (IGT), WMS Industries and so on. Before a machine ever hits the casino floor, these companies build random number generators (RNGs) into the game cabinet, and these RNGs provide truly random results on the reels.
Those results are based on the game’s probability of hitting certain combinations on the reels, and the payouts are related to those combinations. That’s it, and that’s all.
A machine can be designed to payout small winners relatively often, with large jackpots sprinkled in as long shots. Or, the designer may opt for a flatter pay out scheme, with small and large wins occurring with the same frequency. That’s all up to the folks creating the game, and with thousands of slot machine models out there today, you’ll find plenty of variety when it comes to payback percentage.
When a machine arrives at the casino, operators there have no control whatsoever over those probabilities and payouts. They’ve been pre-programmed into the random number generator, and for the duration of the machine’s life, they’ll remain constant and steady.
Most slot machine beginners don’t realize this is how it works, which is where the idea of loose and tight machines, as it is commonly understood, came from. After all, wouldn’t casinos want to tightly control the odds being offered to players?
Well, they do just that.
But not by influencing an individual machine’s pay out frequency from on high. Rather, a casino can modulate its own slot machine payout rates by choosing which types of slots to carry.
Remember, some slots are designed to be “people pleasers,” paying out small winners every other spin or so. These games run with payback percentages between 93 percent and 97 percent, and can occasionally go even higher.
On the other hand, many machines – especially those offering progressive jackpots – pay out winners much less often. But when they do, the returns are typically larger than the people-pleaser games. For these machines, the payback percentages usually range from 87 percent to 92 percent – rates I’d refer to as “tight.”
While a casino operator can’t control each machine’s payback percentage, they can pick and choose how many of the loose and tight machines are offered on the floor. One venue may elect to spread 20 loose games to 10 tight games, while the joint next door rolls with a 20 tight/10 loose arrangement.
In this way, every casino you visit will hold an inherent payback percentage for its slot games, which is calculated by averaging the payback rates for all machines on the floor. When a casino operator wants to tinker with its own paybacks – perhaps to provide a higher profit margin for owners – it doesn’t need to reduce the “looseness” on individual machines. Instead, the operator can simply remove a few high payback machines from the floor, while replacing them with lower paying machines to bump the casino’s overall average payback rate down.
Now that you know what loose slots really are, let’s dive into the important stuff: where to find the loosest slot machine games in your area.
The following guide is intended to help players anywhere in America locate the nearest loose slot games. I’ll run through as many individual states as possible, but before I do, take a look below at a prime directive for finding loose slots:
Popular Spots = Tighter Slots
One item of advice that regular slot players will regale you with involves the old Strip vs. Downtown dichotomy.
Boiling it down, these players believe that casinos on the Las Vegas Strip run much tighter slots than you’ll find elsewhere in the Off Strip or Downtown areas of Sin City. Unlike the many slot machine myths out there, however, this one is definitely true.
Take a look at the following table, provided by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, which covers July 2015 through June 2016:
$1 Slot Machines in Las Vegas
| Area | Average Payback Percentage |
| The Strip | 93.03 percent |
| Downtown | 94.78 percent |
| Boulder Strip | 95.60 percent |
| North Las Vegas | 95.74 percent |
As you can tell, slots found on The Strip average a much lower payback rate (93.03 percent) than their counterparts Downtown (94.78 percent), on the Boulder Strip (95.60 percent) or in North Las Vegas (95.74 percent).
The reason for this discrepancy is quite simple to grasp, and is based entirely in economics.
Casino operators on The Strip – and any area’s most popular casino destination for that matter – know that a steady stream of recreational gamblers will be flocking to the floor. These venues are practically guaranteed to receive action from the hordes of tourists wandering about, so they don’t need to offer competitive payback percentages.
Venues on The Strip tend to spread slightly tighter machines, thereby bringing their property wide average down.
And why not?
The players will be there regardless, spinning away without paying close attention, so ensuring a slightly higher profit margin is in a business’ best interest.
On the other side of the coin, casinos in the Downtown district, the Boulder Strip, or North Las Vegas don’t receive the same guaranteed flow of patrons like venues on The Strip. These properties must compete for a smaller slice of the Las Vegas gambling market, and competition always provides a better climate for customers.
For this reason, casino operators running things at an Off Strip venue tend to purchase looser slots, increasing the average payback percentage across the property.
Knowing these facts, you should always be prepared to go off the beaten path as you pursue the loosest slots around. Generally speaking, the more popular a casino is, the tighter its machines will be – so branch out and explore some of the lesser known gambling halls in your area.
Pay the Piper for Higher Paybacks
This one’s simple, so we’ll keep it short and sweet.
No matter where you play, the coin denomination you use tends to be linked directly to average payback rates.
For penny slot players, the average will lean towards the lower end of the spectrum. High rollers, on the other hand, are afforded a higher average overall.
With this in mind, remember that the high limit slot parlor in your local casino will always offer a higher average payback than the regular machines. And even if you don’t make your way to the high limit room, moving up in stakes from penny slots to nickel, quarter, or dollar is a surefire way to increase your average payback.
State by State Slot Guide
Every state that offers legalized gambling, either in commercial or tribal casinos, is subject to its own gaming regulator.
In many cases, these regulators mandate a “floor” for slot machine payback rates, ensuring that a minimum payback is met. Otherwise, some unscrupulous casinos would simply spread the worst paying games in the world, counting on players to not know any better and blow off their bankroll in a hurry.
The Arizona Department of Gaming, for example, requires any tribal operator to run slot machines with an average payback between 80 percent and 100 percent. In Maine, the Gaming Control Board mandates an 83 percent payback rate or higher for slot games.
These statewide systems can vary wildly, so it can be useful to break things down on a state by state basis to see where the loosest slots in your area can be found.
Below, you’ll find a listing of all states that make their slot machine payback rates public, complete with venue or area specific payback rates. If you don’t see your state listed here, that’s because regulations don’t require slot machine payback information to be released.
Arkansas
The Oaklawn Racing and Gaming facility is the state’s best slot destination, with an average payback rate of 93.23 percent
Southland Park Gaming and Racing is quite close, however, averaging a payback of 93.11 percent.
Colorado
Payback rates for the three major casino regions in Colorado are below, with the highest for a given region in bold:
| Coin | Black Hawk | Central City | Cripple Creek |
| 1¢ | 88.66 percent | 90.23 percent | 91.68 percent |
| 5¢ | 93.01 percent | 94.34 percent | 93.41 percent |
| 25¢ | 93.01 percent | 94.25 percent | 95.17 percent |
| $1 | 93.86 percent | 95.23 percent | 95.12 percent |
| $5 | 94.32 percent | 93.09 percent | 94.94 percent |
| All | 92.51 percent | 92.56 percent | 93.55 percent |
| Average | 92.56 percent | 93.28 percent | 93.98 percent |
Connecticut
The table below highlights average payback rates at the Foxwoods casino complex – and its main rival, Mohegan Sun – as recorded by the Connecticut’s Division of Special Revenue:
Foxwoods
| Coin | Payback |
| 1¢ | 89.45 percent |
| 2¢ | 91.42 percent |
| 5¢ | 90.33 percent |
| 25¢ | 91.84 percent |
| 50¢ | 90.94 percent |
| $1 | 93.26 percent |
| $5 | 93.79 percent |
| $10 | 94.74 percent |
| $25 | 94.43 percent |
| $100 | 94.75 percent |
| Average | 91.93 percent |
Mohegan Sun
| Coin | Payback |
| 1/4¢ | 86.06 percent |
| 1/2¢ | 85.83 percent |
| 1¢ | 89.13 percent |
| 2¢ | 89.58 percent |
| 5¢ | 88.16 percent |
| 25¢ | 91.76 percent |
| 50¢ | 92.45 percent |
| $1 | 93.36 percent |
| $5 | 93.87 percent |
| $10 | 96.46 percent |
| $25 | 94.15 percent |
| $100 | 94.77 percent |
| Average | 91.86 percent |
Delaware
Per data released by the Delaware Lottery, which covers the period between July 26, 2015 and June 26, 2016, slot machine paybacks at the state’s three “racinos” breaks down as follows:
| Dover Downs | 92.60 percent |
| >Delaware Park | 92.31 percent |
| Harrington Raceway | 91.73 percent |
Florida
Average payback rates – as recorded by the state’s Division of Pari-Mutuel Gaming from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016 – are as follows:
| Magic City | 93.87 percent |
| Casino Miami | 93.80 percent |
| Hialeah Park | 93.49 percent |
| Dania Casino | 92.21 percent |
| Gulfstream Park | 92.39 percent |
| Mardi Gras | 91.95 percent |
| The Isle | 90.98 percent |
| Calder | 90.89 percent |
Illinois
Property averages, provided by the Illinois Gaming Board, can be found below:
| VENUE | PAYBACK |
| Casino Queen | 92.63 percent |
| Harrah’s Joliet | 92.07 percent |
| Par A Dice | 91.22 percent |
| Argosy Alton | 91.11 percent |
| Grand Victoria | 91.08 percent |
| Hollywood Joliet | 90.96 percent |
| Jumer’s | 90.75 percent |
| Hollywood Aurora | 90.61 percent |
| Rivers Casino | 90.03 percent |
| Harrah’s Metropolis | 88.99 percent |
Indiana
Property averages, provided by the Indiana Gaming Commission, can be found below:
| VENUE | PAYBACK |
| Hoosier Park | 91.59 percent |
| Rising Star | 91.55 percent |
| Indiana Grand | 91.53 percent |
| Blue Chip | 91.48 percent |
| French Lick | 91.38 percent |
| Belterra | 90.91 percent |
| Majestic Star | 90.42 percent |
| Ameristar | 90.38 percent |
| Hollywood | 90.38 percent |
| Tropicana | 90.11 percent |
| Horseshoe Casino | 89.92 percent |
| Majestic Star | 89.83 percent |
| Horseshoe Hammond | 89.82 percent |
Iowa
Property averages, provided by the Indiana Gaming Commission, can be found below:
| VENUE | PAYBACK |
| Prairie Meadows | 92.02 percent |
| Wild Rose Jefferson | 91.56 percent |
| Wild Rose Emmetsburg | 91.35 percent |
| Catfish Bend | 91.09 percent |
| Riverside | 91.01 percent |
| Rhythm City | 90.84 percent |
| Wild Rose Clinton | 90.84 percent |
| Mystique Casino | 90.61 percent |
| Diamond Jo Dubuque | 90.52 percent |
| Grand Falls | 90.60 percent |
| Mystique Casino | 90.58 percent |
| Diamond Jo Worth | 90.40 percent |
| Ameristar | 90.37 percent |
| Lakeside Casino | 90.35 percent |
| Hard Rock | 90.21 percent |
| Isle Bettendorf | 90.21 percent |
| Lady Luck | 90.04 percent |
| Isle Waterloo | 89.72 percent |
| Harrah’s | 89.63 percent |
| Horseshoe Council Bluffs | 89.31 percent |
Louisiana
Regional averages, provided by the Louisiana State Police Riverboat Gaming Section, can be found below:
| Coin | Baton Rouge | Lake Charles | New Orleans | Shreveport/Bossier City |
| 1¢ | 88.74 percent | 88.23 percent | 88.60 percent | 88.64 percent |
| 5¢ | 91.94 percent | 92.64 percent | 93.96 percent | 91.79 percent |
| 25¢ | 92.57 percent | 92.84 percent | 92.47 percent | 91.21 percent |
| $1 | 93.64 percent | 92.07 percent | 93.20 percent | 92.48 percent |
| $5 | 94.28 percent | 93.53 percent | 93.28 percent | 92.80 percent |
| All | 91.17 percent | 91.01 percent | 90.47 percent | 90.30 percent |
Maine
Per the Maine Gaming Control Board, between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016 the average payback percentage for the state’s various slot providers breaks down as follows:
| Oxford Casino | 91.44 percent |
| Hollywood Casino | 89.88 percent |
Mississippi
Regional* averages, provided by the Mississippi Gaming Commission, can be found below:
| Coin | Coastal | North | Central |
| 1¢ | 91.66 percent | 91.37 percent | 91.71 percent |
| 5¢ | 94.68 percent | 93.97 percent | 95.14 percent |
| 25¢ | 94.45 percent | 92.83 percent | 93.55 percent |
| $1 | 93.88 percent | 94.20 percent | 94.11 percent |
| $5 | 94.39 percent | 95.36 percent | 95.38 percent |
| All | 92.50 percent | 92.09percent | 91.98 percent |
*Key
- Coastal = Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay Saint Louis
- North = Tunica, Greenville and Lula
- Central = Vicksburg and Natchez
Missouri
Property averages, provided by the Missouri Gaming Commission, can be found below:
| VENUE | PAYBACK |
| River City | 91.00 percent |
| Ameristar K.C. | 91.00 percent |
| St. Jo Frontier | 90.80 percent |
| Ameristar St. Charles | 90.80 percent |
| Hollywood | 90.70 percent |
| Mark Twain | 90.60 percent |
| Isle of Capri/Booneville | 90.40 percent |
| Harrah’s K.C | 90.40 percent |
| Argosy | 90.30 percent |
| Lumiere Place | 90.2 percent |
| Isle of Capri/Girardeau | 89.80 percent |
| Lady Luck | 89.20 percent |
| Isle of Capri K.C. | 88.80 percent |
Nevada – Las Vegas
What Are Loose Slot Machines Without
Regional averages for The Strip, Downtown, the Boulder Strip, and North Las Vegas can be found below:
1¢ Slot Machines
| The Strip | 88.45 percent |
| Downtown | 88.66 percent |
| Boulder Strip | 90.42 percent |
| Las Vegas | 90.71 percent |
5¢ Slot Machines
| The Strip | 91.84 percent |
| Downtown | 92.08 percent |
| Boulder Strip | 95.73 percent |
| North Las Vegas | 95.38 percent |
25¢ Slot Machines
| The Strip | 90.59 percent |
| Downtown | 94.48 percent |
| Boulder Strip | 96.39 percent |
| North Las Vegas | 96.58 percent |
$1 Slot Machines
| The Strip | 93.03 percent |
| Downtown | 94.78 percent |
| Boulder Strip | 95.60 percent |
| North Las Vegas | 95.74 percent |
$1 Megabucks Machines
| The Strip | 87.10 percent |
| Downtown | 87.55 percent |
| Boulder Strip | 88.91 percent |
| North Las Vegas | 87.53 percent |
All Slot Machines
| The Strip | 92.12 percent |
| Downtown | 92.87 percent |
| Boulder Strip | 94.42 percent |
| North Las Vegas | 93.62 percent |
Nevada – Laughlin
Average payback rates by coin denomination for Laughlin’s casinos, as provided by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, are as follows:
| COIN | PAYBACK |
| 1¢ | 88.94 percent |
| 5¢ | 93.12 percent |
| 25¢ | 94.27 percent |
| $1 | 95.04 percent |
| $1 Megabucks | 86.98 percent |
| $5 | 94.91 percent |
| All Slots | 92.34 percent |
Nevada – Reno
Average payback rates by coin denomination for Reno’s casinos, as provided by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, are as follows:
| COIN | PAYBACK |
| 1¢ | 92.67 percent |
| 5¢ | 94.14 percent |
| 25¢ | 93.86 percent |
| $1 | 95.90 percent |
| $1 Megabucks | 84.72 percent |
| $5 | 95.43 percent |
| All Slots | 94.83 percent |
New Jersey
Property averages, provided by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, can be found below:
| VENUE | PAYBACK |
| Harrah’s | 91.70 percent |
| Borgata | 91.60 percent |
| Bally’s A.C. | 90.90 percent |
| Caesars | 90.80 percent |
| Golden Nugget | 90.70 percent |
| Resorts | 90.60 percent |
| Tropicana | 90.60 percent |
New York
Property averages, provided by the New York Lottery, can be found below:
| VENUE | PAYBACK |
| Resorts World | 95.28 percent |
| Empire City | 92.95 percent |
| Monticello | 92.16 percent |
| Saratoga | 92.05 percent |
| Tioga Downs | 91.92 percent |
| Finger Lakes | 91.81 percent |
| Fairgrounds | 91.32 percent |
| Batavia Downs | 91.29 percent |
| Vernon Downs | 91.27 percent |
Ohio
Property averages, provided by the Ohio Casino Control Commission, can be found below:
| CASINO | PAYBACK |
| JACK Cleveland | 92.25 percent |
| Hollywood Columbus | 91.80 percent |
| JACK Cincinnati | 91.61 percent |
| Belterra Park | 91.30 percent |
| Miami Valley | 91.28 percent |
| Scioto Downs | 91.03 percent |
| Hard Rock | 90.89 percent |
| Hollywood Toledo | 90.8 percent |
| JACK Thistledown | 90.49 percent |
| Hollywood Dayton | 90.23 percent |
| H wood Mahoning | 89.92 percent |
Pennsylvania
Property averages, provided by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, can be found below:
| VENUE | PAYBACK |
| Parx Casino | 90.76 percent |
| Valley Forge | 90.27 percent |
| Mohegan Sun | 90.17 percent |
| Mount Airy | 90.13 percent |
| Harrah’s Philadelphia | 90.00 percent |
| The Meadows | 89.95 percent |
| Sands Bethlehem | 89.91 percent |
| The Rivers | 89.73 percent |
| Nemacolin | 89.48 percent |
| Sugar House | 89.48 percent |
| Presque Isle | 89.52 percent |
| Hollywood at Penn | 89.29 percent |
Conclusion
Finding the loosest slot machine games depends on where you’re located and how far you’re willing to travel. Use this guide of where to find the loosest slot machine games right now the next time you want to venture out to play slots.