Visitreno

[alison]

Hi,
I found this article on the striclty slots page. I have posted parts of it. And people wonder why we enjoy reno so much?? Hmm......Not hard to figure that one out. I always do better in Reno!

And the Winners Are…This year’s survey, in a way, validates last year’s survey, at least where it concerns the place players can find the loosest slots in the nation. Our 2005/06 survey marked the first year in more than a decade that the state of Nevada did not have the loosest slots in the country.

The casino that wrested that crown from Nevada was a three-deck riverboat casino across the river from Missouri in East St. Louis, Illinois, the Casino Queen.

Casino Queen has done it again—for the second consecutive year, the riverboat wins the distinction of having the loosest slots in the nation. For the 12-month survey period, Casino Queen (which now calls itself the “Home of the Loosest Slots”) returned 94.95 percent of all slot wagers to players as jackpots—a couple of points behind the 95.13 percent returned last year, but still enough to top the industry.

Barely enough, that is. The casinos of the Reno/Tahoe area in Northern Nevada returned 94.88 percent of all wagers, only .07 percent behind Casino Queen, and the locals casinos on the fringes of the Las Vegas and elsewhere in Clark County—the “Balance of County” designation—were only .02 percent behind Reno for number three in the nation at 94.86 percent. The Boulder Strip, home of Sam’s Town and Boulder Station, were close behind that at 94.77 percent.

What these numbers mean is that Casino Queen, while on top, ended up in a virtual dead heat with the three top Nevada regions for the loosest slots in the nation.

Notably absent from the top three in Nevada was North Las Vegas, once the perennial Loosest Slots winner. While still offering top payback in the dollar denomination (an impressive 97.02 percent) and making good showings in quarters and nickels, the casinos in the northeast suburbs of Las Vegas have largely slipped off the Loosest Slots radar.


Nevada

5 Cent
1) Boulder Strip 94.21
2) Mesquite 93.89
3) North Las Vegas 93.86

25 Cent
1) Boulder Strip 96.22
2) North Las Vegas 95.96
3) Balance of County 94.96

$1
1) North Las Vegas 97.02
2) Boulder Strip 95.99
3) Reno 95.87

$5
1) Laughlin 95.93
2) Reno 95.77
3) Boulder Strip 95.67

Overall
1) Reno 94.88
2) Balance of County 94.86
3) Boulder Strip 94.77

[Let-it-ride]

I still laugh everytime I hear the phrase "loosest slots".

LOL

They are money sucking machines.....period.

[alison]

I know what you mean. NO slot is loose.

I should have said, hightest payback or something i guess. Maybe i will edit it.

[remano]

I believe those statistics combine video poker results with all other slot machines. The Vegas locals casinos have traditionally done well because they offer a high concentration of full pay video poker to a knowledgeable clientele who can maximize their results. Reno, too, has a pretty good selection of video poker games. To compensate for that, the other slot machines must return less than average results.

[CaSwede]

Remano- good point. You are correct about them combining VP and slots. A person can read a VP paytable and calculate the maximum return- not so with a slot machine.

The LV strip is always the worst in returns for a few reasons. The VP paytables are generally poorer than the rest of Las Vegas, and the players are just tourist that do not know proper strategy. Also, the mix of VP and slots is heavier toward the slots, as that is what the tourist in for a week will play. Remember- slot returns are usually much lower than VP.

Those areas that have more VP will generally be the places that are really returning more to the gambler.

If you are reading these statistics to make a conclusion about how "loose" the slots are, you are just making an assumption.

However, it is good to see some good numbers next to Reno!