Slot Payout Percentages By State

Dollar slots nationwide typically pay back about 97 percent because you’re putting in more money. Penny and nickel slots offer a lower payout percentage that’s typically 90 percent or lower. Requirements by State. Some states regulate the payback percentages for their slot machines by law. Sep 15, 2020 The State of Florida requires casinos to supply a minimum 85% payout percentage and therefore the casinos also must publish averages that include all of their gambling machines. Counting on the world, averages range from 90.91% all the high to 93.55%.

Introduction to Pennsylvania Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020

Pennsylvania slot machine casino gambling consists of twelve casinos of which six are pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines, four are standalone casinos, and two are casino resorts.

Pennsylvania has both minimum and maximum theoretical payout limits. Return statistics are publicly available online.

This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.

Keep Reading … or Watch Instead!

Or … Listen Instead!

Find my podcast wherever you listen to audio!

Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Pennsylvania*

The minimum legal gambling age in Pennsylvania depends upon the gambling activity:

Land-Based Casinos: 21
Poker Rooms: 21
Bingo: 18
Lottery: 18
Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18

In 2004, the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act passed. This Act legalized slot machines at fourteen locations. Of these locations, gaming licenses have yet to be issued for a standalone casino and a pari-mutuel racetrack with slot machines.

Since July 2010, table games are in Pennsylvania casinos.

In October 2017, the state legislature legalized casino gambling at truck stops, airports, and online. This bill also authorized ten new satellite casinos with location restrictions.

Satellite casinos of existing casino operators must be within 25 miles of their existing Pennsylvania casino. Further, local municipalities may prohibit such a casino. These satellite casino licenses allow up to 750 slot machines and 50 table games.
Racetracks and standalone casinos can have up to 5,000 slot machines and 250 table games, while casino resorts can have up to 600 slot machines and 50 table games. Truck stops approved by their county may have up to 5 slot machines.

Casino operators may operate a gambling parlor at any of Pennsylvania’s international and regional airports, assuming successful agreements with the airport authority. None have yet opened, but expected in 2020.

To gamble within a casino resort, players must be a guest there. Put another way, the gaming floors within the casino resorts are not open to the public.

*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.

Slot Machine Private Ownership in Pennsylvania

It is legal to own a slot machine privately in the state of Pennsylvania if it is 25 years old or older.

Gaming Control Board in Pennsylvania

The state gaming commission is the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). The PGCB is responsible for overseeing slot machines and casino gambling in the state.

Two different state gaming commissions are each responsible for the state lottery and charitable gaming.

Casinos in Pennsylvania

There are two casino resorts, four standalone casinos, and six racetracks with slot machines in Pennsylvania.

The largest casino in Pennsylvania is Parx Casino with 3,238 gaming machines during the last week of January 2020.

The second-largest casino is Wind Creek Bethlehem with 3,046 gaming machines during the last week of January 2020.

Commercial Casinos in Pennsylvania

The two casino resorts in Pennsylvania are:

Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, 69 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.
Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia, 21 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

The four standalone casinos in Pennsylvania are:

Mount Airy Casino Resort Spa in Mount Pocono, 31 miles southeast of Scranton.
Rivers Casino Philadelphia, 3 miles northeast of the downtown area.
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh in the downtown cultural center.
Wind Creek Bethlehem, 58 miles north of Philadelphia.

The six pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines in Pennsylvania are:

Slot Payout Percentages By State Per

Harrah’s Philadelphia in Chester, 18 miles southwest of Philadelphia.
Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, 17 miles northeast of the capital of Harrisburg.
Mohegan Sun Pocono in Wilkes-Barre, 15 miles southwest of Scranton.
Parx Casino in Bensalem, 19 miles northeast of Philadelphia.
Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie, 126 miles north of Pittsburgh.
The Meadows Casino Racetrack Hotel in Washington, 26 miles south-southwest of Pittsburgh.

Tribal Casinos in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has no federally-recognized American Indian tribes. Therefore, Pennsylvania has no tribal casinos as allowed by the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1989.

However, Pennsylvania is one of the few U.S. states with commercial casinos owned and operated by an American Indian tribe:

Mohegan Sun Pocono is owned and operated by the Mohegan Indian Tribe of Connecticut through their Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment corporation.
Wind Creek Bethlehem is owned and operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians through their Wind Creek Hospitality corporation.

Other Gambling Establishments

As an alternative to enjoying Pennsylvania slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Pennsylvania is:

North: New York Slots and Lake Erie
East: New Jersey Slots
South: Delaware Slots, Maryland Slots, and West Virginia Slots
West: Ohio Slots

Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Pennsylvania.

Our Pennsylvania Slots Facebook Group

Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Pennsylvania? If so, join our new Pennsylvania slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.

There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Pennsylvania. Join us!

Payout Returns in Pennsylvania

The theoretical payout minimum for slot machines in Pennsylvania is 85%. Further, the maximum theoretical payout limit may not equal or exceed 100%. Both limits apply to each single play.

The PGCB makes monthly return statistics publicly available for Fiscal Year 2019/2020 for each gaming facility. To calculate player win%, divide payouts by wagers provided in each report.

For February 2020, the player win% at slots for each casino and statewide were:

Harrah’s: 89.47%
Hollywood: 89.38%
Mohegan Sun: 89.63%
Mount Airy: 90.35%
Nemacolin: 89.18%
Parx: 90.43%
Presque Isle: 89.43%
Rivers Philadelphia: 90.49%
Rivers Pittsburgh: 89.68%
The Meadows: 90.11%
Valley Forge: 90.25%
Wind Creek: 89.98%
Statewide: 89.97%

For February 2020, the highest player win% went to Rivers Philadelphia at 90.49%, followed closely by Parx and Mount Airy. The lowest player win% went to Nemacolin at 89.18% followed closely by Hollywood Penn National and Presque Isle.

Summary of Pennsylvania Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020

Pennsylvania slot machine casino gambling consists of two casino resorts, four standalone casinos, and six racetracks with slot machines. Other locations should still open in 2020.

The theoretical payout limits are a minimum of 85% and a maximum of up to 100%. Monthly return statistics by casino are available online from the state gaming control board.

Annual Progress in Pennsylvania Slot Machine Casino Gambling

In the last year, the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem became Wind Creek Bethlehem, acquired by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians through their Wind Creek Hospitality corporation for $1.3 billion.

Otherwise, there have been numerous casino name changes including:

Lady Luck Nemacolin became Nemacolin Woodlands Resort.
Valley Forge Convention Center Casino became Valley Forge Casino Resort.
Mount Airy Resort & Casino became Mount Airy Casino Resort Spa.
Sugar House Casino became Rivers Casino Philadelphia.

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 Vegas Strip has its own set of numbers, given that it’s the key attraction of Nevada’s gambling industry.

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.

Keep in mind that these are merely averages from a single year. But the percentages are fairly accurate when considering how many bets are taken into account each year.

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:

Slot Machine Payout Percentages By State

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.

Of course, it’s important to realize that these figures don’t necessarily represent what the machines are programmed to pay. They instead only account for what was realized last year.

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.

Casino Slot Payouts By State

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.

Oklahoma Slot Machine Payouts

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.

Online casinos allow you to play penny slots with 95% RTP or better. Land-based casinos, on the other hand, can’t do this and still make money due to their overhead costs.

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.

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.

Casino manhattan