If you find an area of slots with a sign without the 'up to' you may want to give it a try.Ī machine with a 98% payback give the house a 2% edge, which is comparable with craps and blackjack. It means that a casino could have only one machine set to pay back at 98% to comply with the sign. This means that over the long term the slot will pay out 98 cents of every dollar that is played. You will often see signs that say 'Up to 98% payback' indicating that they have loose machines. You typically won't find loose machines in areas where people stand idle. People who are stuck in long buffet and show lines are a captive audience who are likely to play machines next to them simply to kill time while they wait. Note that I said 'visible from' and not 'next to'. You're more likely to find a loose machine near the front desk where arriving players are standing in line watching the action, near 'the cage', on main aisles, or are visible from buffet and show lines or lounges.
They will usually disperse their looser machines in areas that are visible by the largest number of people.
If the casinos are going to reduce their take on a machine (in the form of a higher payback percentage) you can bet they want to get some bang for their bucks.
