The Las Vegas Strip is no doubt one of the most-popular places to play slot machines. Millions of tourists hit Las Vegas Boulevard every year to spin the reels.
Most of these gamblers aren’t too concerned about their exact chances of winning. They just want to enjoy fun games and get a few thrills.
Of course, your bankroll stands to last longer when you do choose slots with fair pay. Therefore, you might be interested to know how Vegas Strip slot machines stack up to the competition.
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Whether you’re going to Sin City anytime soon, or just thinking about it in the distant future, you’ll want to know the following info on Vegas Strip slots payback.
A Look at Vegas Strip Slots Return to Player (RTP)
The Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) regularly offers revenue reports on their casino gambling industry. These resources cover gaming wins for the past 12 months, including wins for slot machines.
You can get a composite view on how well Nevada slots pay and their house edges by looking at these reports. You’ll also be able to see a breakdown on prominent jurisdictions within the Silver State.
The NGC’s report breaks down how much the Strip’s slot machines pay based on coin denomination.
Here’s how much the most-popular coin denominations delivered in 2018:
- Penny slots – 88.30% RTP (11.7% house edge)
- Nickel slots – 91.63% RTP (8.37% house edge)
- Quarter slots – 89.40% RTP (10.60% house edge)
- Dollar slots – 92.30% RTP (7.70% house edge)
- Multi denomination – 93.61% RTP (6.39% house edge)
You can see that penny slot machines are at the bottom in terms of payback. They only offered 88.3% RTP, making them one of the worst choices of all casino games in terms of winning.
The multi-denomination machines featured the best rate at 93.61% RTP. You might want to stick with these games on the Strip, given that they both let you change the coin size and offer the best payback.
How Do Vegas Strip Slots Compare to the Rest of Nevada?
Knowing how much Vegas Strip slot machines pay is a great start. However, a reference point is needed to measure if the Strip’s slots do or don’t pay well.
Again, the NGC provides gaming win for the entire state as well as specific areas. These numbers can be pitted against the Vegas Strip’s figures to make a valid comparison.
Here’s how well slots paid throughout the Silver State in 2018:
- Penny slots – 90.0% RTP (10.0% house edge)
- Nickel slots – 94.39% RTP (5.61% house edge)
- Quarter slots – 92.83% RTP (7.17% house edge)
- Dollar slots – 93.61% RTP (6.39% house edge)
- Multi denomination – 94.74% RTP (5.26% house edge)
Comparing the numbers, the Vegas Strip definitely doesn’t pay slots players like Nevada as a whole. All of their coin denominations offer at least 1% lower RTP than the entire state.
The biggest difference can be seen in the quarter slots. The Strip only delivered 89.40% in 2018, while Nevada paid 92.83% overall.
Another large discrepancy can be noticed with nickel slot machines. The Strip delivered just 91.63% against 94.39% for the state.
Numbers Show That Vegas Strip Slots RTP Isn’t So Hot
Vegas Strip slot machines are far from generous. In fact, they’re some of the lowest-paying slots that you’ll find anywhere in the world.
The penny slots are especially awful. They only offered 88.3% RTP last year, which is about as bad as it gets with slot machines.
Penny slots are often thought of as “cheap” games, because they only require one cent per line. But you’re theoretically losing $11.70 for every $100 wagered on Vegas Strip penny games.
Surprisingly, the quarter slots barely paid better than the penny slots. The Vegas Strip’s quarter slot machines offered 89.40% RTP, which is really bad when considering the coin size.
Only nickel, dollar, and multi-denomination slots delivered over 90% RTP. Multi-denomination machines were the best deal at 93.61% payback.
Nickel slot machines paid 91.63% RTP, which is okay by the Vegas Strip’s standards. However, this payout percentage isn’t so great when looking across the board.
Why Don’t Vegas Strip Slot Machines Pay That Much?
The primary reason why Vegas Strip slots fail to offer reasonable payback is because they don’t have to. Casinos on the Strip can feature low slot machine RTP and still draw visitors.
This iconic four-mile stretch is home to some of the world’s most-lavish casinos. Bellagio, Caesars Palace, MGM Grand, and the Wynn are just some of the headlining establishments on the Strip.
Las Vegas Boulevard also offers many other attractions that draw tourists. The Park, LINQ Promenade, Neon Museum, and Fountain of Bellagio are some of the spectacles located here.
Few people go to the Vegas Strip in search of the highest-paying slot machines. The small number that do would be severely disappointed upon seeing the numbers.
The Vegas Strip is instead about the experience, with gambling mixed into the equation. Slot machines found here could probably pay even less, yet millions would still gamble on this famed boulevard every year.
But the fact remains that the Strip doesn’t offer good slots payback. It lags behind many other areas of Vegas and the rest of the state.
Vegas’ Boulder Strip exemplifies what good land-based slots payback should be. They offer some of the best-paying slots in the country.
Here’s the Boulder Strip’s slots RTP for 2018:
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- Penny slots – 90.21% RTP (9.79% house edge)
- Nickel slots – 96.23% RTP (3.77% house edge)
- Quarter slots – 95.93% RTP (4.07% house edge)
- Dollar slots – 95.13% RTP (4.87% house edge)
- Multi denomination – 95.42% RTP (4.58% house edge)
You can see a tremendous difference between slots payout percentages on the Vegas Strip and Boulder Strip. The latter offers around 2% or higher RTP with every coin denomination.
A glaring difference can be seen in how much each location pays on quarter slots. The Boulder Strip delivered 95.93% RTP in 2018 — over 6.5% higher than what the Strip paid.
Another notable difference included nickel slots RTP. The Boulder Strip featured 96.23% payback, versus just 91.63% for Las Vegas Boulevard.
However, the numbers are far enough apart to show that the Boulder Strip offers a much-better deal. The Vegas Strip, meanwhile, lags behind the state. But you also have to remember that Boulder Highway doesn’t exactly have the same ring to it.
The Eastside Cannery Casino Hotel, Sam’s Town Gambling Hall, and Boulder Station are all popular casinos. They just don’t have anywhere the amenities as a Bellagio or MGM Grand. You therefore want to consider if the higher slots RTP is worth it.
Getting the Most Bang for Your Slots Buck on the Strip
The Strip isn’t the greatest gambling destination in terms of slot machine RTP. But again, it’s not defined by offering great chances to win at casino games.
Las Vegas Boulevard is instead an all-around entertainment hub that gives you the opportunity to gamble. Nevertheless, you should at least know which games will help stretch your bankroll further.
The best deal is multi-denomination slots for two reasons:
- They offered an average of 93.61% RTP last year.
- These machines let you choose the coin size.
You should definitely seek out multi-denomination games when you’re in Vegas. They offered at least 1.31% higher RTP than the rest of the slots last year.
Dollar slot machines are your next-best bet purely in terms of payback. They delivered 92.30% RTP. But you’ll actually get more play out of nickel slots.
Here’s a theoretical comparison between both slots to show the difference:
- You perform 1,000 spins on dollar slot machines.
- House edge is 7.67%.
- 1,000 x 1 = $1,000 in total bets
- 1,000 x 0.0767 = $76.70 in losses on dollar games
- You perform 1,000 spins on nickel slot machines.
- House edge is 8.37%.
- 1,000 x 0.05 = $50 in total bets
- 50 x 0.0837 = $4.19 in losses on nickel games
The theoretical losses with both types of slots can differ when there are varying amounts of paylines involves. But if all lines are equal, then the nickel games are cheaper.
The same can be said of penny slot machines when compared to nickel slots. They only charge one cent per line, meaning they’re fairly cheap to play.
However, RTP is the problem with penny games. You have to weigh whether it’s worth facing 3.3% lower RTP with penny slots just to enjoy lower risk on a per-bet basis.
Do Some Bankroll Calculations Before Visiting the Vegas Strip
Slot machines aren’t cheap on the Vegas Strip. Penny slot machines are especially expensive, boasting an average house advantage of 11.70% last year.
You therefore want to have a strategy in place for handling your gambling funds before leaving for your trip. The first order of business is to make sure that you don’t bet money you can’t afford to lose.
A good way to do this is by going through your bills and figuring out how much free money you have each week or month.
You can then set aside a percentage of this amount (some should be used for savings) for a slots bankroll.
The next step is to think about important variables, such as your spins per hour, average bet, and hourly losses. You can either come up with these estimates by tracking them yourself or merely thinking about the proper numbers.
Most slots players spin the reels between 500 and 700 times per hour, depending upon breaks. You likely fall somewhere in this range too.
Your average bet size should be fairly easy to figure out. You probably have a typical wager size, such as $0.25 or $0.50.
Hourly losses can be difficult to determine, because they change based on the volatility and house edge of the games you’re dealing with. But a nice round number to consider is 250 lost bets per hour.
You’ll probably lose around 250 wagers each hour until you’re able to hit some big payouts. If you’re wagering $0.50 per spin, this equals $125 in losses per hour.
The final step is to run the variables and figure out how long your bankroll should last. The goal is to get an idea on if you should bring more money or make smaller bets to extend your entertainment.
Here’s an Example:
- You have a $1,000 bankroll
- Your average bet size is $0.25
- 1,000 / 0.25 = 4,000 total bets
- You lose 250 bets an hour
- 4,000 / 250 = 16
- Your bankroll will theoretically last for 16 hours
Slot machines are so unpredictable that it’s tough to determine if your bankroll will last X amount of hours, even with in-depth calculations.
But you can at least get a nice estimate on how long your bankroll will hold up. Of course, you could also win some huge payouts and be up big at the end of your session.
Play Some Online Slots on Your Vegas Trip
You’re probably heavily into the land-based casino experience if you want to play slots on the Vegas Strip. But you might try mixing up your play with online slots during the excursion.
Internet slots pay far better than those on the Vegas Strip or in any other land-based casino destination. The average online slot offers around 95% or 96% RTP, which is unrivaled in most brick-and-mortar casino hubs.
The aforementioned Boulder Strip is about the only place that compares to internet slots RTP. Even then, you have to bet at least a nickel per line to play games with 95% payback.
Again, you probably aren’t going to the Vegas Strip to sit in your hotel room and play online slots. But you might consider lounging around the hotel, a bar, or elsewhere and spinning the cyber reels for a little bit to preserve your bankroll.
Conclusion
It would be great if you could enjoy the amenities of a Mandalay Bay or Wynn and have a great change to beat slot machines. Unfortunately, you can’t because Vegas Strip casinos don’t offer great slots RTP.
Multi-denomination games led the way with 93.61% payback in 2018. But this figure is nothing to get excited about in the overall scheme of things.
Penny slot machines paid just 88.30% RTP on average last year. You’d therefore be facing an 11.70% house edge with the average penny slot, which is horrible.
You’ll get an okay deal with dollar slots (92.30% RTP). Then again, betting $1 per spin and still facing low payback isn’t anybody’s vision of gambling bliss.
The truth is that you should head elsewhere in Vegas, such as Boulder Highway, if you want the best chance to win. The Boulder Strip offered over 95% RTP for all of its denominations, except penny games, in 2018.
You can also play online slots on the side during your trip enjoy the best payout percentages of all. Of course, the key drawback here is that internet slots don’t offer the same experience as land-based casinos.
Overall, you can’t go into a Vegas Strip casino expecting to beat the slot machines. They just don’t pay enough to give you a strong chance of winning.
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What you can do, though, is combine proper bankroll management with reasonable expectations. Performing bankroll calculations helps you go into each slots session with a realistic mindset. This process also keeps you from betting money that you can’t afford to lose.
We have compiled a comprehensive selection of articles, YouTube videos, and podcasts about slot machines and how to win the slot machine jackpot! Learn how to play slot machines and how these complex machines work. Find out how to win on slot machines by reading these unique strategies from slot experts. Read and listen to interviews with the experts to learn slot machine tips and advice on the best slot machines to play.
Click the links below to read the articles and hear the podcasts.
- Video Podcast – Slot Machines – When to Bet Maximum Coins with Steve Bourie
- Video Podcast – Answers to Common Slot Machine Questions with John Grochowski
- Video Podcast – How to Win on Slot Machines with slot expert Frank Legatoi
- Video Podcast – Slot Machines how they work and how to win with Steve Bourie
- Video Podcast – All about Slot Machines with Michael “Wizard of Odds” Shackleford
- Audio Podcast – Everything you ever wanted to know about slot machines with slot expert Frank Legato
- Audio Podcast – Slot Machines, how to win and how they work with slot expert John Robison
- Audio Podcast – Winning on Slot machines with slots expert Frank Legato
- Audio Podcast – Slot machine myths with slots expert John Robison
- Audio Podcast – Slot machines with John Growchowski
A detailed look at slot machines and how they work
These gambling machines have three or more spinning reels which display symbols. The goal is to spin the reels and have the symbols match up to form winning combinations. In order to play, you would place a bet, spin the reels and hope for the best possible winning combination.
Over the years these machines have evolved and modern slots are more exciting than ever. The majority of slots are played online through online casinos. The best online casinos offer hundreds of slots titles to choose from, and these modern online slots can offer up to millions of dollars in rewards.
So where do you start?
How to play slot machines
The first step in spinning those internet reels is finding an online casino or a selection of online casino games that look promising to you. You can start by reading our online casino reviews to see which ones suit your personal gambling preferences. Online casinos are constantly trying to keep up with their competitors by having the best software, best game selections, and of course, the best offers.
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If you are interested in starting on the slot machines, it would be wise to look for those offers. With increasing competition comes better deals and more FREE MONEY! Online casinos love to boast about their long lists of slots titles and massive game selections. Therefore, you can often find casino bonuses that score you all kinds of free play on slots and other online casino games. The most common type of no-deposit bonuses is free spins bonuses. All you need to do is register with an online casino and start playing - no download or deposit necessary!
How to win at slots
Slot machines are much less intimidating compared to table games. There is not a huge deal of strategy involved. If you want to win the slot machine jackpot, you have to bet some money and for the most part, hope for the best. However, there are some slot machine tips that can increase your winning odds and help guide you to the best slot machines to play.
Modern-day slots are controlled by a random number generator (RNG) which is used to generate completely random number combinations. This controls the payback percentage for each slot machine. The RNG is programmed to have a specific payback percentage for its respective slot game. Usually, the more money the machine requires per bet, the higher the payback percentage will be. These payback percentages are rarely ever changed due to the amount of work it requires to make these revisions.
So how much are you willing to gamble? Knowing how much risk you are willing to take is an indicator of how much money you could walk away with. What kind of slots player are you? Are you someone who likes to go in big and take your chances at the progressive jackpot slots who are you okay will going in small and walking away with a bit at a time?
A game’s volatility refers to how much risk is involved with that game title. If you are aware of the volatility of the particular slots you wish to play, you will have an idea of how frequently you can expect the slot to pay out and how to win on slot machines. Low volatility slots will hit frequently but have lower payouts, while high volatility slots will hit less frequently, however, will payout in much higher amounts.
Once you have made this determination, then choose your slots accordingly. When playing slots, always bet high enough to activate a new set of winning symbols. This will increase the overall payback percentage. When betting on progressives, always play the games with the highest jackpots and be sure to bet the maximum amount of coins in order to be eligible to win this jackpot.
It is very important to familiarize yourself with the slots you choose to play. Different titles have different return-to-player (RTP) rates. RTP refers to the funds a player is expected to win back from a certain game over a predetermined amount of time. This percentage is a theoretical number usually used as a reference. The average RTP rate for online slots is 96% however, some online slots have extremely high RTP rates.
Scoring the slot machine jackpot
The best slot machines to play are arguably the progressive slots. These slot machine jackpots titles can pay upwards of $1 million. However, the odds of actually winning are extremely slim. Our experts have taken a look at these and have studied what increases your chances on how to win at slots with progressive jackpots.
The progressive jackpot slots are made from a percentage of the money played in the slot titles included. As more and more players put money into the progressive jackpot, the total grows until one lucky winner gets the winning combination. The payback percentage on the other winning symbols will pay out less and not all progressive slots will payout the same. It is a good idea to learn as much as you can about the types of slots you wish to play, so you can know what to expect from them.
Finding the best slot machines to play
The most advantageous way to browse slot machines is through finding bonuses and special offers. This way, you can try out different games without risking your own money. There are many different ways you can claim casino bonuses and these bonuses all come in different forms.
Oftentimes, online casinos will advertise their game selections by offering free play bonuses and free spins bonuses. These casino bonuses allow you to try out online casino games before registering with a casino or depositing your own money. Free play and free spins bonuses are a great way for online casinos to reel in new customers. There are so many casino options on the market, it can be tough competition for casinos.
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Once you have found an online casino or a few online casinos that you feel are a good fit, you can register and receive your welcome bonuses. Welcome bonuses are offered once you have signed up with an online casino. This is a great way for the online casino to reward you for choosing them. Welcome bonuses usually include a certain amount of free spins and free play as well, so that you can start feeling comfortable with the selection of games offered.
When you think you are ready to start depositing your own money, you can expect to start receiving the big bonuses. Online casinos will often offer first deposit bonuses, and some even offer second and third deposit bonuses! These are usually the biggest bonuses, oftentimes offering a 100% match bonus on the first (sometimes even second and third) deposit. This means that if you deposit $500 into an online casino to start playing, they will match you, giving you a FREE $500 to play with. Think of all the spins you can achieve with that!
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Of course, you will get to keep your winnings, however, most online casinos will have wagering requirements attached to their bonuses. Always read the terms and conditions before you deposit your money to avoid any disappointment.