On a three-coin dollar slot machines, for example, you can’t win the progressive if you bet only one or two coins. Instead, landing the top jackpot combination on the payline brings a reduced payoff at a fixed amount. The shooter made a few points, I put a dollar on 12 and it won, but instead of $30, I only got $29, along with my dollar staying out for the next roll. All slot machines have hot streaks, but.
Top Dollar Slot Machine Videos
Games offering progressive jackpots and bonus rounds are popular with players, but slots with the best payout rates or payback percentages are considered among the top prizes in the world of gambling. After all, even a couple of extra percentage points can make a major difference when calculating the profitability of an individual slot.
This article examines the definition of “payout percentage” and explains where to find the most generous slot games. While it won’t improve your actual chances of winning, the knowledge that you’re playing a more liberal slot machine should at least boost your confidence.
What Is a Payback Percentage?
The payback percentage—also known as the payout percentage or return to player—is the amount of money deposited into a slot machine that is eventually paid back to the customer. This percentage is not determined in weeks or months, but rather over the life of the machine.
For example, let’s say that $100,000 is inserted into a slot machine with a 92% payout percentage. According to the RTP (“return to player”), the slot should pay back $92,000 of the wager in the form of wins, while keeping the other $8,000 in profit. Keep in mind, however, that the true payout of a slot machine may take millions of spin to determine.
When a machine’s software is written at the factory, this is when the payback percentage is set in accordance with local laws. For example, slots in New Jersey must be set to pay back a minimum of 83%, while games in Nevada have a lower limit of 75%. On average, the payout percentage for most slots ranges from 82% to 98%.
Slots with a high RTP are known as “loose slots,” while their stingy counterparts are referred to as “tight slots.” Since these figures are rarely reported, it’s difficult for a player to accurately determine whether the machine they’re playing is loose or tight.
In previous years, the RTP was set at the factory and any additional manipulation by the casino required the software to be switched. Thanks to advances in computer technology, many casinos can now remotely manipulate the odds and payout, although they must wait until the machine has been vacant for at least four minutes (no mid-game manipulations).
How to Find the Highest Paying Slot Machine
Casinos love to promote their slots as being loose or easy to win slot machines, but they’re tight-lipped when it comes to actually identifying the machines. In most cases, a few loosest slots are sprinkled into rows of tight machines, which still give the casino the opportunity to brag about all the loose slots they offer.
Unless you happen to have a casino manager in your back pocket, it’s going to be difficult to determine a game’s true payback percentage. Gambling forums and chat rooms are often filled with people who claim to know the RTP for various machines, but you should only trust those sources with impeccable credentials. Otherwise, it’s probably an educated guess or outright lie.
Games with Top Payback / Payout Percentages
While it may be disappointing to hear, a so-called list of loose slot machines is useless. There are a couple of reasons for this, which I will explain below.
Varies by Machine – Just because one slot machine from a certain series pays back 96%, another identical machine may only pay back 89%. These differences aren’t listed by the casino, so the player is left to play a guessing game.
Location – Even if you somehow learn that the fifth machine on the fourth row pays back 97%, it’s only a matter of time before the casino changes its physical location.
When searching for the best RTP, the best strategy is to look at the minimum paybacks allowed by law. Any law-abiding casino cannot go below this number, which at least gives you a worst case scenario for the rate of return. Unfortunately, not all states have a minimum, and establishments aren’t always required to disclose their payback setting (especially Indian casinos, who regulate themselves). Still, I’ve included what meager information I could gather.
- Arizona – 83% minimum payback
- Delaware – Their video lottery terminals must pay between 87% and 95%.
- Kansas – 87% minimum (80% at Indian casinos)
- Louisiana – Casino slots must pay no less than 80% and no more than 99.9%. The minimum return at locations other than casinos is 80%, with a maximum of 94%.
- Maine – 89% minimum payback
- Maryland – 87% minimum payout
- Minnesota – RTP must be between 80% and 95%.
- Nevada – 75% minimum RTP
- New Jersey – 83% minimum payback
- New Mexico – Between 80% and 96%, although Indian casinos have a required minimum of 80%.
- North Carolina – Payout must fall between 83% and 98%.
- North Dakota – Slots carry a minimum return of 80%.
- West Virginia – Carries of minimum requirement of between 80% and 95%.
- Wisconsin – Minimum return of 80%.
Slots with the best payback percentage are highly coveted in the world of gambling, so expect a feeding frenzy whenever a game’s true RTP becomes known. This doesn’t happen very often, though, as casinos love to move machines around to keep savvy patrons guessing. Ultimately, your best chance comes from reading the rules, understanding the pay table, and keeping your expectations in check. Once you meet these requirements, you’re a lot more likely to walk away from the casino with a smile on your face.
Introduction to Illinois Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019
Illinois slot machine casino gambling consists of ten riverboat casinos, the second U.S. state to offer them, as well as video gaming terminals (VLTs) in small businesses approved by local governments.
Illinois’ riverboat casinos have both minimum and maximum payout limits and monthly return statistics publicly available.
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.
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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Illinois*
The minimum legal gambling age in illinois does not depend upon the gambling activity:
- Casinos: 21
- Poker Rooms: 21
- Bingo: 18
- Lottery: 18
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18
The Illinois Riverboat Gambling Act enacted in February 1990 legalized riverboat gambling on open water outside of Cook County. This restriction protected wagering on horseracing in the Chicago area, approved in 1927.
Since 1990, Illinois has offered only ten gaming licenses for riverboat casinos. Originally, riverboat casinos in Illinois had to cruise, but a new state law in 1999 allowed permanent docking.
Each riverboat is legally authorized to have up to a total of 1,200 gaming machines including positions available at table games. The Illinois Gaming Board assumes each craps table offers ten positions while all other table games and keno offer only five gaming positions.
In 2005, the Illinois state legislature established an admissions tax of $2 or $3. Admission is $2 at Jumer’s Casino Rock Island and $3 at all the other riverboat casinos. Illinois riverboat casinos also has restricted hours of operation, closing for two hours each day, usually around 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.
In 2009, the Illinois state legislature passed the Video Gaming Act, allowing video gaming terminals in “Licensed Retail Establishments, Truck Stops, Veteran and Fraternal Establishments.”
The Act also offered local municipalities the ability to opt-out of hosting these video gaming terminal locations. Nevertheless, it took until 2012 for the Illinois Gaming Board to provide mass approvals for these video gaming licenses to many license applicants.
The Illinois Gaming Board hosts a website with extensive and thoroughly detailed descriptions of its state gambling laws for Casino Gambling and Video Gaming.
*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 Illinois
In Illinois, it is legal to own a slot machine privately if manufactured 25 or more years ago.
Gaming Control Board in Illinois
The Illinois Gaming Board provides gaming regulations and tax collection for slot machine gambling activities in Illinois. It also has gaming control commissions for other forms of gambling including the Illinois Lottery and the Illinois Racing Board.
Further, the Illinois Casino Gaming Association (ICGA) represents nine of the ten riverboat casinos. The ICGA provides statistics on charitable giving by the riverboat casinos as well as supporting responsible gaming.
Casinos in Illinois
There are ten riverboat casinos in Illinois.
The largest casino in Illinois is Hollywood Casino Joliet with 1,177 gaming machines, 20 table games, and five poker tables.
The second-largest casino is Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino with 1,172 gaming machines, 21 table games, and five poker tables.
Commercial Casinos in Illinois
The ten riverboat casinos in Illinois are:
- Argosy’s Alton Belle Casino located 158 miles south of Peoria and across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri.
- Casino Queen in East St. Louis located 165 miles south of Peoria and across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri.
- Grand Victoria Casino Elgin located 42 miles west of downtown Chicago.
- Harrah’s Joliet located 45 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.
- Harrah’s Metropolis located in the southernmost tip of Illinois or 167 miles southeast of St. Louis, Missouri.
- Hollywood Casino Aurora located 42 miles west of downtown Chicago.
- Hollywood Casino Joliet located 45 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.
- Jumer’s Casino & Hotel in Rock Island located 101 miles northwest of Peoria on the Mississippi River border to Iowa.
- Par-A-Dice Casino in East Peoria located three miles northwest of Peoria.
- Rivers Casino in Des Plaines located 20 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.
In November 2019, 7,149 retail locations in Illinois offered video lottery terminals. In total, there are 33,019 active VLT gaming machines. Given riverboat casinos have at most 1,200 slot machines each, VLTs at local businesses equate to nearly 30 casinos of a similar size.
Tribal Casinos in Illinois
Illinois has no federally-recognized American Indian tribes. Therefore, there are no tribal casinos in Illinois.
Other Gambling Establishments
As an alternative to enjoying Illinois slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Illinois is:
- North: Wisconsin Slots
- East: Indiana Slots
- Southeast: Kentucky Slots
- West: Iowa Slots and Missouri Slots
Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Illinois.
Our Illinois Slots Facebook Group
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Illinois? If so, join our new Illinois 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 Illinois. Join us!
Payout Returns in Illinois
Illinois has established payout limits of 80% and 100% over the lifetime of a slot machine. Further, the Illinois Gaming Board provides monthly return statistics for Casino Gaming as well as for Video Gaming.
The November 2019 report on return statistics for the month of October at the ten riverboat casinos of Illinois include the following Player Win%:
- Argosy’s Alton Belle Casino: 90.94%
- Casino Queen: 91.57%
- Grand Victoria Casino Elgin: 90.97%
- Harrah’s Joliet: 92.24%
- Harrah’s Metropolis: 89.17%
- Hollywood Casino Aurora: 90.14%
- Hollywood Casino Joliet: 91.15%
- Jumer’s Casino & Hotel: 90.18%
- Par-A-Dice Casino: 91.06%
- Rivers Casino: 90.47%
Obtain player win percentages from the report by subtracting the entry for Electronic Gaming Device Adjusted Gross Return Percentage (EGD AGR %) from 100%.
In the month of October 2019, the statewide player win percentage was 90.91%. The highest payout return was Harrah’s Joliet at 92.24% while the lowest was Harrah’s Metropolis at 89.17%
For VLTs, the statewide player win percentage was 91.7%. Detailed monthly reports at Video Gaming Revenue Reports offer the player win percentage at each of the more than 7,000 retail businesses with VLTs. To determine the win percentage for where you play VLTs, divide Amount Won by Amount Played in the VGT Wagering Activity section.
Summary of Illinois Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019
Illinois slot machine casino gambling consists of ten riverboat casinos and VLT electronic gaming machines at 7,149 local businesses such as bars, restaurants, and other licensed non-casino locations.
Minimum and maximum legal limits for slot machines are 80% and 100%, respectively, over the lifetime of the game. Further, monthly return statistics are publicly available.
Annual Progress in Illinois Slot Machine Casino Gambling
In November 2019, there were 7,149 VLT locations with a total of 33,019 VLTs, a 12.4% increase in locations and a 16.7% increase in terminals from the previous year. Annual income tax revenue from gaming increased by nearly 17%. This tax income increase included a share of $83M for local municipalities which offer video gaming.
Up to six new casinos may come to the Chicago area, including a Hard Rock Casino in the city of Rockford. Submitted casino proposals arrived at the Illinois Gaming Board in October 2019.
Further, in November 2019, the Illinois Gaming Board approved Rivers Casino to no longer be a riverboat casino. Instead, it has become a land-based casino with unlimited slots and table games. Other Illinois riverboat casinos will also become land-based casinos as part of a planned massive gambling expansion.
Archive: Illinois Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2018
Other State-By-State Articles from Professor Slots
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Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC