Return to player (RTP) is very important in regard to the long-term chances of winning with slots. RTP (a.k.a. payback) refers to how much slot machines are programmed to pay out in the long run.
Higher payback means that a game gives you a stronger chance of winning. Therefore, you’ll do well to know the RTP behind any game that you play.
You’ll discover that it’s really easy to find payout percentages for online slot machine games. A simple Google search will produce the RTP for most internet games.
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Unfortunately, you’ll have a much tougher time figuring out the RTP of land-based machines. In fact, this information is rarely available.
Is there still a way for you to determine payout percentages for slot machines in brick-and-mortar casinos? I’ll answer this question by covering more on the difficulties of finding RTP for land-based slots and if it’s ultimately possible.
Why Isn’t RTP Available for Land-Based Slots?
Unlike with many online slots, you can’t just find the RTP for land-based slot machines through Google. Your efforts will turn up little to no results.
The problem with slots in brick-and-mortar casinos is that they don’t have uniform payback across every casino. Instead, game developers allow casinos to select payout percentages based on a list of options.
Here’s an example on how this works:
- WMS is offering Monopoly Party Train slot to Vegas casinos.
- They feature the following RTP options: 92.5%, 93.5%, and 94.5%.
- Caesars Palace orders this game at 93.5% payback.
- The Venetian orders Monopoly Party Train at 92.5% RTP.
- Treasure Island orders this slot at 94.5% RTP.
You can see the obvious challenge in trying to provide payback numbers for such games. A website could list Monopoly Party Train at 93.5% RTP, which is middle ground.
Most online slot providers differ because they offer their games at a uniform RTP across every casino. For example, Rival Gaming will feature Spy Game with 95.1% payback at each online casino it serves.
Some exceptions do exist in the online gambling world. RealTime Gaming (RTG), for instance, allows its casino clients to choose 91.5%, 95%, or 97.5% RTP for a given game.
You can’t find payout percentages for RTG games either. Nevertheless, you can still learn the payback for the vast majority of internet slots.
How Can You Figure out the RTP?
You won’t be able to find the exact payout percentages for most land-based slot machines. But you can at least get a good idea on the matter through a few different methods. Here are some ways to learn the RTP for brick-and-mortar casino slots.
Make General Guesses Based on Coin Denominations
Casinos like to reward gamblers who are willing to risk more money per bet. Therefore, they order higher RTP for games with larger coin denominations.
Here’s an example on how this works:
- Penny slot machines = 88% to 90% RTP
- Nickel slot machines = 91% to 94% RTP
- Quarter slot machines = 93% to 95% RTP
- Dollar slot machines = 94% to 96% RTP
- $5 slot machines = 95% to 97% RTP
Arizona Casinos By Number Of Slot Machines In Each One Different
Penny slot machines are almost always the worst games with regard to payout percentages. Larger denominations ranging from a nickel to $5 are all closer in terms of payback.
Your theoretical losses will be higher on nickel games and up just because you’re betting more per spin. Nevertheless, you can still get more value per dollar wagered with the higher-denomination machines.
Read State Gaming Reports
Rather than making generalizations about coin sizes, you can always check out state gaming reports. These reports show the average payout percentages (or house edges) for each coin denomination within a given state’s casinos.
For example, you might look at a Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) release and see that dollar slot machines are offering 94.79% RTP on average.
Interestingly enough, the NGC reports specific payout information for Megabucks. This IGT product is the most popular slot in all the popular Las Vegas casinos and warrants more detailed info.
You won’t find the exact payout percentage for an individual game, but you’ll at least have a better guideline with these reports.
Email a Casino and Ask
One more option involves emailing a casino directly and asking them about their RTP for a specific slot machine.
The problem here is that customer service will often state that they don’t have this information available. But in certain cases, you may actually receive a real answer.
You shouldn’t count on this method majority of the time. It’s at least worth trying, though, if you’re desperate to find out the RTP for certain slots.
What to Avoid When Searching for Land-Based Slots Payback
You can see that there are a few different options for determining the payback for land-based slot machines. But there are also measures that you want to avoid on your payback-finding quest, including the following.
Relying on Signs Inside of Casinos
Many casinos hang signs above a bank of slot machines that will read something like, “Pays up to 99%.”
These signs are very effective at drawing players to slot machines. After all, who wouldn’t want to play a slot that only has a 1% house edge?
Unfortunately, these signs are also very misleading. Only one of the machines within the section has to offer 99% RTP.
The rest could pay as low as 90% RTP and still make the sign valid. Therefore, you can’t rely on much information that the casino supplies you with.
Using One Good Session to Determine Quality Payback
Slots are extremely volatile games that may pay a lot one session, then offer very few prizes for the next five sessions. Therefore, you can never use any single outing to judge how a game pays.
Many gamblers still make this very mistake. They’ll have one hot session with a game and believe that it offers a high payout percentage.
It would be great if finding RTP for land-based slot machines was really this simple. The reality, though, is that it’s anything but.
Blindly Believing Ads for the “Loosest Slots”
I’ve seen plenty of ads for loose slot machines when driving on the interstate. These billboards suggest that a given casino features slots with high RTP or frequent payouts.
However, “loose” is a broad term that doesn’t really mean anything. State gaming laws don’t put parameters on what constitutes a loose game.
Casinos can make this claim, regardless of whether it’s true or not. That said, you should take any such advertisement with a grain of salt.
Conclusion
You may think negatively about land-based casinos upon being unable to find RTP for their slots. After all, you don’t have to spend much time at all finding payback for online slots.
However, providers are the ones who choose whether to or not to release payout percentages. They can’t accurately do this with slot machines at brick and mortar casinos, because providers feature different RTP options.
One casino may order a slot at 93% payback, while the next orders it at 95% RTP. Developers are therefore unable to offer a uniform payout percentage for each slot.
The good news, though, is that you don’t have to give up hope. Instead, you have a few options for finding general RTP figures.
The easiest method is to make generalizations based on coin denominations. Simply put, the higher coin denominations usually offer better payback.
Arizona Casinos By Number Of Slot Machines In Each Ones
You can also read state gaming reports. These releases show the average amount that each coin denomination pays out within a given state’s gambling venues.
Finally, you can always email a casino directly and ask about a specific game. You won’t get the desired answer most of the time, but it’s worth trying.
In summary, finding the RTP for an individual land-based slot is impossible in most cases. But you’ll still have a general idea on how much these slots pay by following the previously covered tips.
Introduction to Arizona Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Arizona slot machine casino gambling consists of 25 American Indian tribal casinos offering slot machines, video poker, video blackjack, and video keno.
I’ve dedicated this weekly series to slot enthusiasts such as yourself as you master casino slots and win your way to success by using this State-By-State Online Resource to improve your slots gambling performance by reviewing your state’s slots gaming industry.
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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Arizona*
The minimum legal gambling age in Arizona depends upon the gambling activity:
- Land-Based Casinos: 21
- Poker Rooms: 21
- Bingo and Pull-Tabs: 18
- Lottery: 21
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 21
In 1993, 21 tribes established an approved gaming compact with Arizona. Much later, in 2017, the Hopi tribe obtained an approved gaming compact.
These gaming compacts limit the total number of Vegas-style gaming machines to 20,576 in the state, occasionally adjusted for population growth. At the time of this writing, there are about 15,600 gaming machines in operation.
The maximum bet on gaming machines is $25.
Slot Machine Private Ownership in Arizona
It is legal to own a slot machine privately in Arizona.
Gaming Control Board in Arizona
Arizona Casinos By Number Of Slot Machines In Each One Year
In 1995, due to the growth of tribal gaming in Arizona, the state legislature created the Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) a few years after the successful negotiation of tribal-state gaming compacts.
ADG’s purpose is as an independent regulatory body with expertise in gaming. This tribal gaming oversight is in partnership with Arizona’s 22 American Indian tribes with tribal-state compacts.
In 2015, ADG’s responsibilities expanded to include oversight of pari-mutuel wagering, racing, boxing, and mixed martial arts events conducted in Arizona.
Casinos in Arizona
Arizona has 25 American Indian tribal casinos and non-tribal pari-mutuel wagering without slot machines.
The largest casino in Arizona is Casino Del Sol having over 1300 gaming machines.
Arizona Casinos By Number Of Slot Machines In Each One Direction
The second-largest casino is Desert Diamond Casino – West Valley Resort having 1,136 gaming machines.
Commercial Casinos in Arizona
Pari-mutuel wagering of races is available in Arizona, but these facilities do not offer slot machines.
Tribal Casinos in Arizona
The 25 American Indian tribal casinos in Arizona are:
- Apache Gold Casino Resort in San Carlos, 90 miles east of Phoenix.
- Apache Sky Casino in Winkelman, 70 miles north of Tucson.
- BlueWater Resort & Casino in Parker, 160 miles west of Phoenix.
- Bucky’s Casino in Prescott, 91 miles southwest of Flagstaff.
- Casino Arizona in Scottsdale, 15 miles northeast of Phoenix.
- Casino Del Sol in Tucson.
- Casino of the Sun in Tucson.
- Cliff Castle Casino Hotel in Camp Verde, 50 miles south of Flagstaff.
- Cocopah Casino & Resort in Somerton, 13 miles southwest of Yuma.
- Desert Diamond Casino – Sahuarita, 20 miles south of Tucson.
- Desert Diamond Casino – Tucson.
- Desert Diamond Casino – West Valley Resort in Glendale, a northwestern suburb of Phoenix.
- Desert Diamond Casino – Why in Ajo, 125 miles southwest of Phoenix.
- Gila River Hotels & Casinos – Lone Butte in Chandler, 10 miles southwest of Phoenix.
- Gila River Hotels & Casinos – Vee Quiva in Laveen, 10 miles southwest of Phoenix.
- Gila River Hotels & Casinos – Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, 25 miles southeast of Phoenix.
- Harrah’s Ak Chin Casino Resort in Maricopa, 25 miles south of Phoenix.
- Hon-Dah Resort Casino in Pinetop, 190 miles northeast of Phoenix.
- Mazatzal Hotel & Casino in Payson, 90 miles northeast of Phoenix.
- Paradise Casino Arizona in Yuma, 244 miles west of Tucson.
- Spirit Mountain Casino in Mohave Valley, 120 miles southeast of Las Vegas.
- Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, 15 miles northeast of Phoenix.
- Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort, 40 miles east of Flagstaff.
- Wekopa Casino Resort in Fountain Hills, 25 miles northeast of Phoenix.
- Yavapai Casino in Prescott, 91 miles southwest of Flagstaff.
Other Gambling Establishments
As an alternative to enjoying Arizona slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Arizona is:
- North: Utah Slots
- East: New Mexico Slots
- South: Mexico’s states of Sonora and Baja California
- West: California Slots and Nevada Slots
Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Arizona.
Our Arizona Slots Facebook Group
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Arizona? If so, join our Arizona slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to freely join this closed Facebook Group community.
There, you can meet online and privately share your slots experiences with local slots enthusiasts about playing slot machines in Arizona. Join us!
Payouts and Returns in Arizona
The tribal-state gaming compacts between Arizona and its tribes have placed limits on theoretical payouts for gaming machines based on the type of game.
The minimum theoretical payout limits for Class III machines, during the expected lifetime of the game and including bonus games, are:
- Games-of-chance (Vegas-style slot machines): 80%
- Games-of-skill (video blackjack and video poker): 83%
- Video keno: 75%
Return statistics are not publicly available.
Summary of Arizona Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Arizona slot machine casino gambling consists of 25 tribal casinos with 15,600 Vegas-style gaming machines offering slots, video poker, video blackjack, and video keno.
Annual Progress in Arizona Slot Machine Casino Gambling
Over the last year, Harrah’s Phoenix Ak-Chin Casino Resort has fallen to the third-largest casino in Arizona with 1,135 slot machines, with Casino Del Sol Resort now taking second-place with one more slot machine than Harrah’s Ak-Chin in Phoenix.
Otherwise, the Fort McDowell Casino in Fountain Hills has re-opened as the Wekopa Casino Resort.
Related Posts from Professor Slots
Other States 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