\With traditional Vegas-style slots and a random number generator (RNG), the payback is set on a per-machine basis and the outcomes regulated by that internal RNG, with the payback being achieved in the long run based on the array of outcomes and the RNG expected to reach each outcome roughly with the same frequency.
But there’s a growing number of alternatives to the RNG that determine the outcome of game play. Today’s question focuses on one of those, Historic Horse Racing (HHR).
The casino near me is actually a “Gaming Hall” that uses HHR. Is it better to try my luck when there are less people inside? Or is it the same as any other casino?
Chase
HHR focuses on the outcome of historical horse races. Its legality often links to a location’s ability to offer traditional pari-mutuel horse betting, which is the method in which wagers are also placed on HHR. One element to that is the percentage of wagers that go to the prize pool that are paid out – bets are pooled together, a “takeout” (its version of the house hold) is removed, and the remainder is distributed among the bettors and wins.
In practice, the fact there’s a percentage paid out over the long run may sound really familiar to those who have heard us talk about random number generator machines, which does the same thing just on a machine by machine basis.
More people playing more Vegas-style slots mean, numerically, there will likely be more winners. There were also be more losers – because there are more overall people playing. You can expect the same thing with an HHR facility, as more people playing mean there will be more of everything, but that percentage of prizes paid out to players over time will remain the same.
So ultimately from that perspective not much is different than any other casino. The one benefit you may encounter, because of how HHR works, is the casino hold may be lower, particularly on lower denomination machines, than their slot counterparts.
It’s not uncommon for penny slots to pay as low as 85 percent in some markets, where as many HHR markets see payback percentages closer to 90-93 percent. We’ve also seen similar scenarios at the New York racinos, where all machines have to pay at least 90 percent, which means low denomination machines are a third less stingy (giving players, on average, a longer runway to play than adjacent markets like Atlantic City where a number of casinos offer 85 percent averages on their penny slots).
So you don’t have to worry about timing your trips for a busier casino floor – play when you wish and enjoy your entertainment budget!
