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Slot Machine Odds

Attempting to pinpoint the odds for slot machines is a daunting task. With such a variety of machines and games available, the odds can vary a great deal. Generally slots odds are expressed in the form of a payback percentage. The closer to 100%, the better. Some machines even pay back at percentages greater than 100%, giving the lucky players who find them a positive expectation for winning. These "loose slots" are frequently mixed into the sea of machines on a casino gaming floor. For a while, casino operators placed the highest paying machines in high traffic areas like entrances, bars, and near lines for buffets or shows - basically any place a crowd of people was likely to be. The strategy behind the prominent placement of higher paying machines was that since they produced winners more frequently, they would also generate more interest from passers-by, making other players more likely to play at average or low-paying machines.

It didn't take long for avid slots players to figure out this simple strategy, so managers shuffled things up a bit. Reverse strategies were employed, putting low-paying machines in high traffic areas, and vice versa. These days, there really is no standard procedure except that the slot machines, themselves, still offer a mix of payout percentages with some high and most being low to average. However, a few rules of thumb will hold true regardless of where you play.

Article Highlights:

Slot Payouts at Land Casinos   |   Slot Payouts at Online Casinos

Average Slots Payout At Land Based Casinos

When playing at land casinos, you will likely have the option of playing at slot machines that offer .01, .05, .25, 1, 5, and 100 credit betting denominations. Which ones offer the best return rates? The highest denomination ones of course! Casinos generate more revenue by getting a large monetary turnover. Operators know that less overall money will go in and out of a .05 credit slot machine during the course of a day, than will in a one credit machine. Because more money turns over in the higher-denomination machines, casinos can afford to offer higher return rates for players. Your bankroll may not be able to support playing a five-credit machine for several hours a day, but with a 98.4% payout, it offers significantly better odds than a .25 credit slot. To take it a step farther, although you'd really have to be a high roller, the one hundred credit slots offer a near-100% return rate. Even though the machines don't see nearly as much action as the .25 and one credit slots, so much is at stake on a single pull that allows the casino to offer a near even money return.

So how much bankroll do you need to play the different denominations of slot machines? Based on a three-coin maximum bet averaging ten spins minute, and matched against the according payout rates, to play for an hour you would need:

• 6.75 credits to play the .05 credit slots
  
  
• 26.75 credits to play the .25 credit slots
  
  
• 74 credits to play the one credit slots
  
  
• 145 credits to play the five credit slots
  

Keep in mind that these bankroll figures are only estimates, based on the average payout across all slots. While playing, your actual return may vary a good bit from these numbers. To be conservative, you might try doubling the amounts listed above to ensure one hour's worth of play, if the length of your session is a concern. Lots of players have won giant jackpots with small bankrolls. In 2001, an Arizona businessman on holiday at Harrah's Las Vegas won the multi-million dollar Megabucks jackpot after investing a mere 22 credits. The simplicity of the game, and the high win potential is a big part of what fuels the popularity of slot machines.

Average Slots Payout at Online Casinos

Like their land-based counterparts, online casinos are capable of producing large slots wins. Not only have the number of online slots choices, or 'online pokies' as they're known in some parts, matched the variety found in land casinos, but their payout rates tend to be even higher. Depending on the frequency and size of large jackpots, online casinos may occaisionally even top the 100% mark for overall slots payouts in a given month.

The numbers on the chart above represent the top five online casinos in terms of slots payouts based upon an unbiased monthly audit by one of the largest international accounting firms for the most recent audit period. All of these casinos' slots games are tested using rigorous accounting standards to ensure fairness for players, and that the casinos are providing a consistently high rate of return.

If you'd like to try your luck playing slots online, feel free to browse our list of approved online casinos, which features only reputable establishments offering a large variety of slots.