How do Connecticut’s casinos stack up against casinos in other states?
Those of us who try our luck on the slots at Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun hope the next pull of the lever will be life changing. But what are the odds you’ll really walk away with cash?
Because of the percentage payouts and internal limits they use, slot machine games don’t have to be reprogrammed to improve casino profits. Everything is designed to run with as little intervention as possible.
Connecticut’s two tribal casinos rank in the middle of the pack in terms of slot payouts when compared with other states around the country.
According to the Connecticut Gaming Commission, Foxwoods' slot payout average is 91.85 percent. Mohegan Sun pays back at a rate of 91.71 percent. That means Connecticut has the eighth-highest payout rate of the 20 states requiring casinos to report.
Investigations
The best payout percentage by state is in neighboring New York. The Empire State, with its nine reporting casinos, pays back 93.75 percent. Resorts World in Queens, New York, pays the highest returns, at 95.05 percent.
Slot Machine Payouts By Casino
The second state by average is Nevada, at 93.54 percent. West Virginia is at the bottom of the list, with an average of 89.12 percent payback.
- NEW YORK – 93.75 percent
- NEVADA – 93.54 percent
- COLORADO – 92.85 percent
- MISSISSIPPI – 92.77 percent
- FLORIDA – 92.46 percent
- DELAWARE – 92.36 percent
- **KENTUCKY– 92.06 percent
- *CONNECTICUT – 91.77 percent
- NEW JERSEY – 91.41 percent
- SOUTH DAKOTA – 91.36 percent
- ILLINOIS – 91.00 percent
- RHODE ISLAND – 90.88 percent
- LOUISIANA – 90.74 percent
- INDIANA – 90.71 percent
- IOWA – 90.69 percent
- MAINE – 90.68 percent
- MISSOURI – 90.64 percent
- OHIO – 90.34 percent
- PENNSYLVANIA – 90.16 percent
- WEST VIRGINIA – 89.72 percent
Percentages for include slots, blackjack, keno and video poker unless otherwise noted.
*Only slot machines
**Historical Horse Wagering
It’s not an exact science. Most states include video poker, Keno and video blackjack in their percentages, which tend to give better odds. Connecticut is the only state to include only slots. States like Nevada and Louisiana report area averages, not individual casinos. Other states, like New York and Florida, exempt tribes from reporting.
The NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters sorted through slot revenue reports submitted to gaming, lottery and racing commissions for all reporting states. The Troubleshooters found that the areas with more competition tend to pay out higher averages.
Also, the lower the denomination, the lower the payback. Penny slots at both Connecticut casinos pay lower than 90 percent and receive almost half the total money wagered. The highest payouts at Foxwoods are the multi-denomination machines. They pay out 95.77 percent. Mohegan Sun’s $10 machines return 96.96 percent.
Foxwoods: July 2014 - May 2015
- $0.01: 89.34 percent
- $0.02: 90.83 percent
- $0.05: 90.40 percent
- $0.25: 92.06 percent
- $0.50: 91.47 percent
- $1.00: 93.50 percent
- $2.00: 93.34 percent
- $5.00: 93.96 percent
- $10.00: 94.70 percent
- $25.00: 94.25 percent
- $100.00: 95.56 percent
- Multi-Denomination: 95.77 percent
- Total: 91.85 percent
Mohegan Sun: July 2014 - May 2015
- $0.0025: 85.84 percent
- $0.005: 85.45 percent
- $0.01: 88.93 percent
- $0.02: 89.21 percent
- $0.05: 88.39 percent
- $0.25: 91.64 percent
- $0.50: 91.94 percent
- $1.00: 93.04 percent
- $2.00: 96.62 percent
- $5.00: 93.82 percent
- $10.00: 96.96 percent
- $25.00: 95.38 percent
- $100.00: 93.85 percent
- Multi-Denomination: 95.19 percent
- Total: 91.71 percent
Mohegan Sun president Bobby Soper argues his casino is as competitive as any around the country. He points out the economy and amount of free play credits they give to entice bettors plays a big part in keeping them from being even higher on the list.
'There are certainly a higher percentage of penny machines and nickel machines than previous,' said Soper. 'That across the board, across the industry is going to drive hold percentage.'
This investigation comes at a time when Connecticut is exploring the option of allowing Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun to jointly operate a third state casino, off tribal land, north of Hartford.
Locations being considered include the Enfield Square Mall, the Bradley Off-Track Betting property in Windsor Locks and the former Showcase Cinemas property in East Windsor.
The legislature approved the right for tribes to consider proposals from towns willing to host a satellite casino. Soper expects its cost could save thousands of jobs in the state and cost close to $300 million. It will include slots, table games and a poker room.
Soper hopes to see it as close to the Connecticut border as possible. Just 5 miles from the border, MGM is building a $1 billion resort casino in Springfield. A spokesman for MGM estimates its slot payouts will be in the mid-90 percent.
State Sen. John Kissel believes casino expansion is bad policy. He argues a casino in his area of North Central Connecticut will not stop people, especially high-end gamblers, from traveling to Springfield.
'They’re aware of payouts and they’re going to travel,' said Kissel, a Republican from Enfield. 'If Massachusetts is better than Connecticut, all the high-end gamblers are going to Massachusetts and the people that are struggling to just make ends meet are going to end up in North Central Connecticut.'
In Connecticut, the tribes are required to pay 25 percent of all slot revenue to the state. They don’t need to pay anything on table games. The state has received nearly $7 billion total since Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods opened in the 1990s.
It’s impossible to predict if a slot machine will pay out at a specific moment; anyone claiming otherwise either doesn’t understand how slot machines work or they work as a casino promoter.
If it were possible to identify precisely when a slot machine is about to pay, then the casinos would lose money, and we are all aware of the fact that it usually doesn’t happen. Internet gaming establishments are well-oiled machines built to provide you with entertainment in exchange for money.
However, don’t close this article just yet. The fact that there is no foolproof way to win money on slot machines every time doesn’t mean that it is impossible.
As you probably already know, the odds included in slot machine games are based on the mathematical probability. So, if you learn how those odds work, you might be able to use these findings to your advantage and make some profit.
What we’re actually saying here is that with a good strategy in play and a decent understanding of how to recognize (or at least assume) when a particular slot is about to pay out, you can increase your chances of winning.
Do Casinos Control Slot Payouts
We’ve done our homework and poured over countless slot machine tips and tricks in order to learn how to recognize the moment when a slot machine is about to pay out. Online casino texas hold em. After a lot of digging, we were able to create a list that shows the most effective strategies you can implement to overcome the ‘randomness’ of slot machines.
Can Casinos Control Slot Machine Payouts
Play Only Slots With the Biggest Payouts
This piece of advice seems rather obvious but bare with us for a moment. Everyone who has played in either a brick-and-mortar or an online casino is familiar with the phrase ‘house edge’. For those who have heard about this term but aren’t quite sure what it means, we’ll try to clear things up a bit.
The term ‘house edge’ refers to the mathematical advantage that the gaming establishment has over players. This advantage results in a guaranteed percentage that is returned to the online casino over time. In other words, casinos always beat the players in the long run since the odds are stacked in their favor. You must have heard about the phrase ‘the house always wins’? Well, the house in this phrase is a casino, and you can see for yourself why it always wins.
However, don’t fall into despair yet as all is not lost.
Although the odds are stacked against players, it’s still possible to win. In fact, every slot machine has a theoretical return to player based on statistics which is called the RTP (Return to Player).
Take the Martingale progressive betting system, for instance. This necessitates the doubling of your bet each time you are on the losing end of a slots spin, in the view that you will recoup your losses on the next winning spin. https://ninairport3.netlify.app/three-cherries-on-a-slot-machine.html.
The average RTP for most slot games is somewhere between 90–96 percent. Therefore, every slot game that has the RTP over 96% is always a good option. A couple of percentage points difference may seem meaningless, but trust us — it makes a lot of difference over thousands of spins. For those reasons, it’s always a good idea to do a little digging before you start spinning the reels.
How to Find the RTP of a Slot Game?
Finding out the RTP of a particular slot game is quite easy. There are plenty of websites which review online casinos and write about their game selection, as well as their respective RTP’s.
Simply put, you stand a better chance with the higher RTP slot games. This particularly is the case when you’re playing through bonus spins.
Entertainment vs Big Wins?
This factor is almost as important as the RTP when it comes to choosing an online slot game. Volatility, sometimes called variance, in slot games measures how often and how much you can expect to win during your playing sessions.
Higher volatility slots usually feature long dry strakes with occasional big wins. Since the payouts are substantially higher with high volatility slots, you might sometimes end up clicking the Spin button relentlessly, only to watch your bankroll dwindle. However, when everything lines up perfectly… boom! You’ve hit the jackpot that made the long dry spell worth it! One of the best high volatility slot games is the Book of Ra, created by Novomatic.
On the opposite side of the coin are the low volatility games where payouts are much more frequent but more much smaller. We are not saying that large wins are impossible with these games — far from it. It’s just when they do happen, they are not on the same scale as the ones available with the high volatility games.
It’s really up to the player and his preferences — if you prefer playing games where little wins pop up every couple of spins, then go for the low volatility games. On the other hand, if you are hoping for making the big bucks and are willing to take necessary risks, then we recommend high volatility games.
Online casino platforms aren’t quite eager to hand out the information about the game’s volatility, but it becomes obvious after playing it for a certain time. There isn’t such a thing as a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ volatility — it’s just a question of gambling style and personal preference.
Use the Bonuses in Your Favor
One way to put up a fight against the house edge is by taking advantage of the bonuses. As most of you probably already know, the majority of casino sites offer free spins/free money/ bonuses as incentives to lure new customers. Those bonuses can prove beneficial and turn the odds in your favor.
Of course, don’t expect that the bonuses will last forever. But while they last, you can definitely make the most out of them and clean up some easy cash. On that note, there is no reason why you shouldn’t search around and take advantage of different promotions.
Slot Machines FAQ
Below we’ve answered some of the most frequent slot-related questions. We know that slot machines pose a mystery, and we’ll help you unravel it.
Is gambling on a slot machine really random?
Yes, it is. All slot machines in all online casinos operate by using the RNG, a computer-run program that randomly chooses numbers. A reliable RNG generates numbers that are not related to each other in any way, thus ensuring that your games are fair and random. All types of bonus rounds are predetermined by algorithms, regardless of which slot game you play.
Are slot machines really streaky?
Yes, slot machines are streaky, and they tend to get cold and/or hot. But it’s all the same for you as you have no way of predicting when a slot machine will become hot or cold. These patterns that happen from time to time look like streaks of bad luck or good luck, but they are not based on anything — that’s just the nature of random events.
How can I find a slot machine that suits my gambling style?
It depends on your preferences — if you’re up for cheap entertainment, you should find games that allow a cheap max bet.
If you’re looking to win a massive jackpot, you should concentrate on progressive games and games that feature lots of bonus rounds. These games have high volatility, which means that payouts don’t happen very often, but when they do, they are substantially bigger.
If you just want to have a good time and money isn’t an issue, look for the latest developments. These games feature plots and characters from popular TV shows, movies, sports, and so on, and offer bonus rounds and other fun extras.
Is there a strategy I could implement to increase my chances of hitting the jackpot?
Unfortunately, there isn’t. All possible outcomes are controlled by a Random Number Generator and there is no betting amount or a specific strategy that will make it more or less likely for you to hit the jackpot. However, have in mind that in most online casinos (and land-based for that matter) you have to bet max in order to qualify for the slot jackpot payouts.
Can Casinos Change Slot Payouts
What’s a good strategy for playing slot machines?
Before you start spinning the reels, find out the payout percentage of the selected slot machine — don’t play anything that has the RTP below 95 percent. If you are a high roller, go for the high volatile games and chase the main jackpot. Make the most out of the available casino bonuses — they can increase your winning chances by providing extra spins. Avoid the latest licensed slots if possible because, according to various sources, they are more likely to feature fewer payouts.
The fact that matters is that you can’t use some special skill to outsmart a slot machine and change the payout percentage of it. But you can try certain strategies that can maximize your chances of winning.