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.
- A solid rule-of-thumb is the more active a bank of slots is, the higher the payouts tend to be. Casino regulars see patterns, so follow their lead. It's also good to know that the higher the machine's denomination, the more generous and frequent the payouts.
- There is also a very large locals market in Las Vegas and those casinos are shown in the gaming revenue report as the Boulder Strip and North Las Vegas areas. When choosing where to do your slot gambling, you may want to keep in mind the following slot payback percentages for Nevada's fiscal year beginning July 1, 2018, and ending June 30, 2019.
You can win cash prizes when you play Vegas slots at one of our trusted real money casinos. Spin the reels of the hottest video slots at a quality casino site to take advantage of lucrative payouts. You can even play progressive jackpot titles to be in the chance of winning life-changing real money prizes. Slot machines in Las Vegas are required by law to payout 75% of the money that goes into them, actual payout in Las Vegas is approximately 95%. Will you be the one that takes the money instead of gives it?
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.
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 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:
- 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.
What you can do, though, is combine proper bankroll management with reasonable expectations. Vegas strip no deposit bonus codes 2016. 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.
All of us have, at least once in our life, thought about winning a huge amount of money by playing a game of chance. Many people are buying lottery tickets or going gambling or betting. You never know, right? Of course, when we think of gambling, most of us think of Vegas – the city that never sleeps. Filled with bright, shiny lights and fancy casinos, it almost makes a promise of glamourous life. Unfortunately, winning the prize that could set you up for life is not a very common occurrence. The probability of winning the top prize on a slot machine ranges from 1 to 33,554,000! But then again, it's not entirely impossible. So who are those lucky ones?
The biggest of them all
The exact identity of the person who holds the record for the biggest Vegas win in history is unknown. This incredibly lucky software engineer won a whopping $39,710,826 on a slot machine! 40 million dollars is a sum so big many of us can't even hope to earn it in a lifetime! And he was there simply waiting for a basketball game!
Seventeen years later, he still holds this record. Maybe it's your time to break it, who knows?
Fortune and misfortune
Working on a full-time job as a cocktail waitress, Cynthia Jay-Brennan probably never imagined herself becoming an overnight millionaire. Still, luck moves in mysterious ways. One night at the Desert Inn, she decided to play a MegaBucks machine and the rest is history…Well, ‘the rest' was worth 34,955,489 dollars!
Sadly, soon after her extraordinary win, Cynthia had a tragic accident. She was left paralyzed, and she ended up losing her sister. The news of this tragedy spread like wildfire. From then on, many different stories and urban legends about Vegas winners and how their luck quickly tends to turn on them were born.
A two-timer
Winning a jackpot sounds almost impossible- until you meet Elmer Sherwin. This WWII veteran won a slot machine jackpot not once, but twice! At 76 years old, this incredibly lucky man won just a little over four million dollars. He decided to travel and experience the world. But this was not enough for him! He was determined to be the first person who won not one but two Vegas jackpots…And he succeeded sixteen years later at 92. This time around he won over 20 million dollars and reached his goal in becoming the first person in history to achieve this. Before passing away, Elmer decided to leave the most of this money to his family as well as donate a large portion to charity.
What a story! Club player no deposit bonus codes 2016.
A breakfast from heaven
Johanna was on her way to have breakfast when the thought of trying her luck in a nearby casino struck her mind. We imagine she had a very pleasant breakfast that morning since her unplanned visit to the casino won her 22,618,156 dollars! Was it fate or just pure luck, nobody will ever know.
At first, she thought it was a little over 2 million until she noticed the extra decimal. Imagine her delight when she finally realized how huge her win actually was!
Business or pleasure?
Amy Nishimura was frequently vacationing in Vegas. On one of her trips, when she was 71 years old, she went to play on her favorite slot machine at the Freemont Hotel. She would always play the same machine as if she knew her loyalty to it would pay off eventually. And it really did, big time! She won close to 9 million dollars.
What a great vacation story!
Anonymous man of charity
This Vegas local just wanted to pass the time at his favorite Rampart Casino and ended up Winning over 14 million dollars. He proceeded to donate large portions of his prize to various charities and churches.
He put only 20 dollars into the machine and went out of the casino as a millionaire. He was lucky enough to win this amazing prize, and he was kind enough to share his incredible luck with others through charity. His story is probably the most inspiring one on this list.
A dream come true…or not?
In 1996 Mr. Tippin went on a Vegas vacation and managed to return 11 million dollars richer! He later went on to write a book about his experience. Strangely enough, his experience as told in his 'I Did It! My Life After Megabucks' was far from what he initially imagined. He talks about the different negative impacts his win had on his life, including ruined relationships, loneliness, and paranoia. The book is a great reminder that life is not always black and white. You win some and you lose some in the game of life.
These stories of extreme luck can be very inspiring. This is what keeps the casino business running after all. If nobody ever won, nobody would play. Still, going to Vegas just to try your luck is not always an option. Luckily for everyone inspired by these stories but also unable to make the trip to Vegas, in today's times, everything can be found online. Yes, everything is accessible from the comfort of your own home, and well, that goes for casinos too. Of course, you should be careful when searching for online casino services, so our advice is to find a reliable resource like Slots-O-Rama for example, which gives you information about casinos such as Villento Casino.
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Of course, these stories are not an everyday occurrence, and one should be careful not to get carried away with them. While there is nothing wrong with wanting to try your luck, sometimes people become obsessed. As long as you don't let this happen, you should be fine! Every single one of these stories should be a reminder that everything is possible, and that more often than not, good fortune comes knocking unexpectedly! So, what would you do if you became an overnight millionaire?
