For slot machine enthusiasts, there’s no place on Earth quite like fabulous Las Vegas. Most of the 40 million tourists who flock there each and every year stay on the Strip, where corporate operators like MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment run mega-casino resorts.
But during its heyday, all the action was confined to Downtown Las Vegas, where iconic casinos like the El Cortez and Golden Gate lined fabulous Fremont Street. Over time, Las Vegas’ outlying areas—including the suburbs of Summerlin and Henderson, the “Boulder Strip,” and North Las Vegas—attracted mid-market operators like Station Casinos and Boyd Gaming.
If slots are your game of choice, ditching the Strip is best. This page presents the seven best off-Strip casinos in Las Vegas for slot players based on the venue’s average payback percentage.
At Caesars Entertainment's Harrah's Cherokee in North Carolina the slot machines outnumber table games nearly 25:1 while in Las Vegas Flamingo and Paris resorts are only about 10:1.
- The slot machine that’s the best fit for you depends on your motivation for visiting a casino. If you primarily want to be entertained by the machines, consider themes that most appeal to you.
- There’s bound to be a lot of disagreement about what the best games in the casino are.After all, different gamblers have different preferences. I might enjoy playing blackjack because I count cards, while you might play slot machines because you don’t want to have to think about what you’re doing.
A Quick Look at Las Vegas Slot Payback Percentages
According to the latest Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) survey of Las Vegas casino operators and their respective slot machine payback percentages, which are commonly referred to as return to player (RTP) rates, the Strip is home to the “tightest” slots in town.
Las Vegas Slot Machine Payback Percentage Rates (by Region)
Region | Average Payback |
---|---|
The Strip | 91.47% |
Downtown | 92.67% |
Boulder Strip | 94.34% |
North Las Vegas | 93.53% |
The NGCB also provides data on regional slot machine payback averages broken down by the player’s preferred coin denomination.
Las Vegas Slot Machine Payback Percentage Rates (by Coin Denomination and Region)
1¢ Slot Machines
Region | Average Payback |
---|---|
The Strip | 88.38% |
Downtown | 89.15% |
Boulder Strip | 90.38% |
North Las Vegas | 90.88% |
5¢ Slot Machines
Region | Average Payback |
---|---|
The Strip | 91.64% |
Downtown | 93.40% |
North Las Vegas | 95.29% |
Boulder Strip | 96.21% |
25¢ Slot Machines
Region | Average Payback |
---|---|
The Strip | 89.35% |
Downtown | 94.25% |
North Las Vegas | 96.41% |
Boulder Strip | 96.13% |
$1 Slot Machines
Region | Average Payback |
---|---|
The Strip | 92.43% |
Downtown | 94.63% |
North Las Vegas | 95.39% |
Boulder Strip | 96.13% |
$1 Megabucks Machines
Region | Average Payback |
---|---|
The Strip | 87.83% |
North Las Vegas | 88.52% |
Downtown | 89.07% |
Boulder Strip | 91.35% |
As you can see, the data reveals the Strip to be the worst place in Las Vegas to find “loose” slots, or machines which offer a higher than average payback percentage.
If you don’t mind ditching the fountain shows and $14 cocktails behind for a better bargain, taking your slot machine bankroll to an off-Strip casino offers the best bang for your gambling buck. Keep reading for the seven best off-Strip casinos to play loose slots in Las Vegas.
1 – Palms Casino Resort
The best slot machine selection in Las Vegas can be found at the Palms Casino Resort, home to more than 1,500 machines which combine for an average payback rate of 93.42%.
Given the 91.47% and 92.67% payback rates found on the Strip and Downtown, respectively, spinning slots at the Palms immediately provides an improvement of over 1% over the long run.
And fortunately for the folks who still like hitting the Strip for shopping or a show, the Palms is located just minutes from all the action.
Just head to Caesars Palace and turn westbound onto Flamingo Road, cross over the Interstate 15 bridge, and drive for another minute or so before looking to your left for the ultra-modern Palms tower.
You can’t miss it either, what with a recent remodeling project by new owner Station Casinos giving rise to a “floor to roof” video panel that advertises all of the Palms’ latest entertainment offerings in style.
Locals love the Palms for combining the look and feel of casinos on the Strip with perks like 3:2 blackjack, single-zero roulette, and of course, the loosest slots in Las Vegas.
![What Are The Best Slot Machines To Play In Vegas What Are The Best Slot Machines To Play In Vegas](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/J-Tu0K7A2NU/maxresdefault.jpg)
You’ll find all of the greatest slots here too, including Megabucks and its $10 million starting progressive jackpot award, Wheel of Fortune with its unique prize wheel waiting up top, and every major new release from designers like Aristocrat, Scientific Games, and International Game Technology (IGT).
2 – Gold Coast Hotel and Casino
If the loud music and pool parties that make the Palms so attractive for younger gamblers just aren’t your thing, don’t fret, because the nearby Gold Coast boasts a completely different vibe.
Located directly across Flamingo from the Palms, Gold Coast is a classic “old school” off-Strip casino. The same staff members have worked here for decades, so they know their regulars by name and treat them like royalty.
The odds are always the best available on table games and video poker, and the slot machine menu running 1,900+ machines strong sports a 92.84% average payback rate.
One of the iconic venues operated by Boyd Gaming, the Gold Coast supplements its casino with a massive bowling alley upstairs, and comfort food like Subway and TGI Fridays.
While the amenities lean towards the quaint and casual side, the Gold Coast offers one of the more modern slot machine menus in Las Vegas. Using the website’s convenient slot search tool, you can easily pull up complete listings for either reel-based or video slots that can be further sorted by coin denomination. Free spins slots real money.
The reel-based lineup includes staples like 88 Fortunes, Blazing 7’s Progressive, Double Diamond, Megabucks, and Super Times Pay.
And over in the video slot section, you’ll find popular titles like 50 Dragons, Aztec Temple, Buffalo, Geisha, Mr. Cashman, Sex and the City, and White Orchid.
When you use the search tool, don’t forget to click the little “MAP” tab to the right of every game’s entry. This will pull up a color-coded map of the Gold Coast showing the section where your favorite slot machine games can be located.
3 – Ellis Island Hotel, Casino, and Brewery
You’ll only find a couple hundred slot machine installations at the independently owned Ellis Island Hotel, Casino and Brewery, but it’s the last part there that makes this place something special.
Well, all the cold suds you can drink and a 92.56% average slot payback rate, that is…
Located on Koval Lane, just east of Las Vegas Boulevard on Flamingo, Ellis Island is a tiny brewery and restaurant that happens to offer casino-style gaming in limited form.
The bulk of Ellis Island’s selection is devoted to slots and other machines, but you’ll also find a few blackjack, craps, and roulette tables, too.
It’s the slots that bring sharp spinners here though, as the overall payback percentage is better than any of the glitzier and more glamorous casinos towering overhead on the Strip. And whether you win or lose, you can always tip back a brew or two straight from the source.
4 – El Cortez Hotel and Casino
If you appreciate a sense of history to go along with your gambling, paying a pilgrimage to El Cortez downtown is a true “bucket list” item on the agenda.
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After first opening its doors in 1941, El Cortez hasn’t closed them for 77 years and counting, making it the longest continuously operating casino in Las Vegas.
Frogger slot machine. The joint was owned by legendary mobsters Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Gus Greenbaum, and Moe Sedway in the early days, and with its exterior signage unchanged all this time, El Cortez is home to an unmistakable air of nostalgia writ large.
Fittingly, you can find over 200 coin-operated three-reel slots that still use nickels and quarters to grease the reels. That lineup is supplemented by hundreds of modern video slots as well, a combination providing the best of both worlds for players. And so does the 92.56% average payback rate, which makes El Cortez the loosest slot parlor found along famous Fremont Street.
5 – The Orleans Hotel and Casino
Another member of the Boyd Gaming family, the Orleans Hotel & Casino is like a slightly more hip, Mardi Gras-themed version of the Gold Coast.
To get there, take Tropicana Avenue westbound from the Strip, then hook a right on Arville Street. When you do, you’ll see the standard, mid-size off-Strip casino design, along with an attached arena where concerts, rodeos, and other events are held regularly.
In the casino, hundreds of slot machines ranging from traditional to modern will be running to the tune of 92.56% payback.
6 – Fiesta Rancho Hotel and Casino
The wilds of North Las Vegas are home to the best penny slot machines in Sin City at an average payback rate of 90.88%.
And of all the North Las Vegas casinos to choose from, the best of the bunch is Fiesta Rancho, which combines class-leading penny slots with higher denominations for a 92.53% overall payback average. Big ben slot machine free play.
Getting here is a bit of a trek. Take the I-15 North to Highway 95, head west, then hit the 95 northbound for a while. But trust us, this Station Casino property is worth the extra mile.
Per the Las Vegas Review-Journal annual rankings, Fiesta Rancho regularly earns the “Best-Paying Slots” and “Best Slot Club” awards as judged by local players.
7 – Arizona Charlie’s (Decatur and Boulder)
The two Arizona Charlie’s casino locations in Las Vegas can be found on Decatur Boulevard and Boulder Highway.
Both offer a generous 92.50% payback rate on average for slot players, along with a long lineup of new games, including the exciting titles found below:
- $1 Wheel of Fortune
- Bally Quick Hits
- Buffalo Legends
- Buffalo Golds
- Buffalo Grands
- Dollar Mega Bucks
- Downton Abbey
- Elvira
- Good Fortune
- Konami Selexion
- Lightning Link
- Lock It Link
- New Generation Megabucks
- Space Invaders
- Wacky Races
- Walking Dead II
- World of Wonka
Conclusion
Venturing away from Las Vegas Boulevard to score improved odds has been a time-honored tradition among savvy gamblers for decades now. Forced to compete with their corporate counterparts on the Strip just to survive, off-Strip gambling halls like the seven listed above do everything in their power to attract customers.
That means selecting slot machines that offer generous payback percentages across the board, while still providing the best in modern slot game design.
The infamous gambling capital, Las Vegas, is home to more than 100,000 slot machines. The old one-armed bandits have been around for nearly a century now, and over all that time, they’ve evolved to say the least.
Las Vegas reigns supreme when it comes to the slots. The city’s epicenter shifted from Downtown to present-day Las Vegas Boulevard, and the Strip is home to over 30 casino resorts. If your main focus is finding the best places on the Strip to play slots, this page is for you.
Using the latest payback percentage rates, which are also known as return to player (RTP) rates, a team of gambling researchers from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) recently conducted a survey of every Las Vegas casino’s slot machine inventory.
Based on that payback percentage data, the list below presents the seven best places to play “loose” slots, or machines which offer a higher than average payback percentage, whenever you visit the heart of Las Vegas.
1 – Circus Circus Hotel and Resort
So, let’s start with the glass half empty side of the Circus Circus to get it out of the way… This place is kind of a dump.
The big top theme hasn’t been interesting in 20 years, and nothing else inside of the Circus Circus has been updated either. Renovations were announced in the latter half of 2019, but the décor at the time of this writing is significantly dated.
On the other hand, if you don’t mind “slumming it” for a spell, playing slots at the Circus Circus scoresan average payback percentage of 92.56%, the highest offered by any casino on the Las Vegas Strip. And if you happen to have the family in town, Circus Circus is still the best casino in town in terms of non-gambling entertainment for the kids to enjoy.
As for the adults, you can play Circus Circus slots for $0.01 per spin all the way up to $25 a play at any of the properties four distinct casinos—Main, West, Skyrise, and Slots A Fun.
The aptly named Slots A Fun has been a staple of old-school Las Vegas gambling for generations now, and this gritty gambling hall is home to a diverse collection of “Classic Coin Machines.” These are the big iron boxes of old, which still take quarters and use a pull-lever to send the reels spinning. You’ll also find Classic Coin Machines for $1 a spin over at the Main casino.
Circus Circus’ sterling 92.56% payback rate, which outdoes the Strip’s overall average of 91.47% by more than a full percentage point, is bolstered by the popular Magnificent 7 slot machine. This three-reel design classic produces an average payback rate of 97.4%, good for some of the most favorable slot machine odds out there.
The Magnificent 7’s machine uses a $1 coin denomination, and because it pays out the $1,000 jackpot with such regularity, many slot fans exclusively play this game.
If you’re in the mood for a something a little different, take a whirl on the Carousel, a spinning platform outfitted with penny slot machines and offers a great view of the daily Circus performance.
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2 – Luxor Hotel and Casino
Even if you didn’t know its name, the Luxor is likely the first casino resort on the Strip to catch your eye during the initial after-hours excursion in Sin City.
A gleaming black pyramid seemingly taken straight out of the Egyptian sands and relocated to the Mojave Desert, the Luxor Hotel & Casino is best known for shining a bright beam of light straight from its peak into the skies above. This obelisk of light can be seen from miles away, making it one of the dominant features of the Strip’s skyline.
Head inside, and you’ll find more than 1,100 slot machines at the Luxor, one of Las Vegas’ largest inventories. They collectively offer an average payback rate of 91.92%. The massive selection covers everything, from classic three-reel machines to modern video slots equipped with movable seats and sound effects, so slot players of all stripes will feel at home.
Coin denominations here range from $0.01 to $100, and those bets put players in the mix for jackpots that can eclipse the eight-figure plateau. As an MGM Resorts operated casino, the Luxor makes sure to spread all of the best progressive jackpot slot games, including Megabucks, Wheel of Fortune, and Millionaire 777’s.
3 – Paris Las Vegas
If you’re loyal to Caesars Entertainment properties and their Total Rewards program, rather than MGM Resorts and the M life card, you can head across Las Vegas Boulevard to Paris and find the exact same 91.92% overall payback rate.
The slot selection at Paris is impeccable, with more than 1,700 different machines dotting the well-appointed casino floor.
I’m talking everything a slot player could ask for—three-, five-, and even six-reel games, the perfect blend of traditional machines, and their modern video counterparts, and all of the topline progressive jackpot networks.
Playing slots at Paris is a treat in more ways than one, thanks to the property’s world-class dining, shopping, and entertainment options.
4 – Excalibur Hotel and Casino
A step up from Circus Circus if you’re visiting Las Vegas with little ones, Excalibur is famous for its medieval castle theme.
You’ll be greeted at the entrance by “town criers” dressed in traditional medieval garb, complete with Old English dialogue all the rest. Every night sees the white and black knights battle it out in a full-on jousting tournament, while audience members munch on oversized turkey legs and swill wine from a goblet.
Indeed, the ambiance at Excalibur is certainly unique to say the least…
As for the slot lineup, you’ll find hundreds of slots at Excalibur, running the gamut from $0.01 to $100 stakes. All of the most popular machines are here too, including 88 Fortunes, Buffalo Grand, Dancing Drums, Monopoly Hot Shot, and so much more. All told, Excalibur’s slot menu offers a 91.84% payback rate on average, good enough to beat the baseline for casinos along the Strip.
One of the coolest things about playing slots at the MGM-owned Excalibur is the seasonal tournaments that run once every month or so. Tournaments like the “Excaliventure” or the “Riptide Reels” offer $25,000 prize pools in a unique format, as players try to spin their way to the highest profits over a given period of time.
5 – Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel and Casino
The Caesars-owned Bally’s makes up for its worn-down appearance and generally uninspired interior with a long lineup of high-paying slots.
All told, the hundreds of slot machine games spread by Bally’s combine for an average payback rate of 91.82%.
That’s a decent level higher than the Strip average, making Bally’s a great option for budget-minded visitors to Las Vegas who don’t need marble floors and museums to go along with their gambling.
Bally’s is the definition of a “no-frills” casino at this point, so expect to find all of the slot industry’s staple titles and jackpots without much in the way of cutting-edge technology.
But while the machines here might be dated, the players grinding them have a much higher chance to win than across the street at Bellagio, where the luxurious surroundings and fancy amenities mask one of the Strip’s worst payback rates at 87.42%.
6 – O’Sheas Casino
If the vibe at Bally’s is a no-frills affair, playing slots at O’Sheas is like stepping into another world altogether.
This Irish-themed casino within a casino is technically part of the LINQ, a relatively new addition to the Strip’s landscape which was rebranded in 2014 by Caesars Entertainment. If you visited Las Vegas before that, you probably know The LINQ as The Quad or Imperial Palace.
As for O’Sheas, it previously occupied a location of its own near the Flamingo before relocating to the LINQ in 2013. But moving didn’t do a thing to change O’Sheas famous Irish pub-inspired ambiance, which is best known for $1 drinks, beer pong tables, and an intimate setting.
The slots at O’Sheas average a 91.48% payback rate, so even though the selection might be a bit limited compared to other venues on this list, you’ll still be above the Strip average.
7 – New York-New York Hotel and Casino
Coming full circle, the New York-New York casino is what Circus Circus could be if the latter had any ambition.
This MGM Resorts property boasts all of the “extras” gamblers today have come to expect, complete with cafes and restaurants, retail shopping outlets, a variety of bars, and in-house shows. Kids are welcome here too, what with a full-scale video game arcade, carnival games, and the famous roller coaster twisting and turning outside.
New York-New York is also home to more than 1,500 slot machines covering all the bases, including the ubiquitous brands shown below:
- Wheel of Fortune
- Megabucks
- Jackpot Party
- Blazing 7’s
- Top Dollar
- Sex and the City
- Monopoly
- Goldfish
- Wizard of Oz
Add them all up and you’ll find an average payback rate of 90.99%. That’s only 1.57% lower than the Circus Circus, making New York-New York the perfect alternative for sharp gamblers who know the value of a family-friendly casino that’s also safe and clean.
Conclusion
Playing the slots is a time-honored ritual among recreational gamblers, and for many visitors to Las Vegas, it’s the only game they’ll ever play. Knowing that any spin can potentially produce a life-changing jackpot sets the slots apart from more modest table games like blackjack and baccarat, and the thousands of themes ensure one session will seldom sound, look, and feel like the next.
Naturally, the slot scene along Las Vegas Boulevard is just as eclectic as its multicultural-inspired skyline and carnival-like sidewalks. The games, stakes, themes, and jackpots span the spectrum from traditional to postmodern, but armed with this list of the seven best slot machine venues found on the Strip, you’ll always enjoy the best odds around.