It would make life easier for us as players if slots were uniformly set. But are they even somewhat similarly set?
Do casinos set all their slot machines at the same percentage?
Dianne R.
They don’t, and there’s a variety of reasons for this.
Denominations
The most well-known aspect of things is that casinos tend to offer better paybacks as you increase in denomination, as the expectation on higher denominations is that more money will be wagered through at a higher denomination, so the house advantage doesn’t need to be as high.
This is slowly changing, as penny denomination machines begin to allow as high as $30 a spin, and some dollar machines are capped below that. But this shift is slow and, accordingly, this means machines aren’t set uniformly in every case.
Owned vs. Leased
While casinos will set paybacks that will help them achieve the goal for their casino floor, they will often offer a bit lower payouts on games that are licensed/leased vs. core games they own. This is because a core game is purchased and then owned by the casino for however long they wish to offer it, whereas a lease continues to be paid the longer it stays on the casino floor.
They won’t necessarily be drastically different, and the game makers also make other adjustments, like bigger bet increments, to get players to spend more on the machine, but it’s worth noting.
Data-Driven Changes
More recently, data-driven solutions are equipping casinos to have a better understanding of which payback option among those a slot maker offers is the optimal one for casinos to put out there.
This doesn’t mean the lower paying one, either – tests putting two banks in a casino of the same game, one paying lower than the other, has shown players gravitating to the better paying back within 90 days, for instance.
So the fear of a race to the bottom when it comes to payouts in favor of quicker profits is showing to not be true, in that casinos taking a more balanced approach may find players actually pay longer and spend more money than if they feel like their money is burning down too quickly.
Takeaway
So no, slots aren’t all set to pay the same percentage. There are a variety of elements that can come into play, and while we won’t see the specific payback printed in the pay table on casino slots like you can online, there are still things you can look for, such as higher denomination options, that can work in your favor.
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