“This is leisure time for most people, and whether they win or lose isn’t important,” said Browne, an entertainment promoter visiting from Massachusetts. They probably figure what you don’t know won’t hurt you.” “And since they don’t have to report them, they won’t. “The odds here probably aren’t that great,” Smith said, looking across the wall-to-wall rows of slots, whose carnival lights colored the faces of glassy-eyed players. The Sherman Oaks saleswoman was spending a recent Friday night at the Pechanga Casino, where she had just dropped $40 at a 25-cent machine. The casino’s ultimate take, however, is often greater because so many players feed their winnings back into the machines, bet after losing bet - the “grind,” in casino parlance.Įventually, 92% of a dollar becomes 92% of 92 cents, then 92% of 83 cents, and so on, until the player’s last nickel is gone.Ĭindy Smith, 45, knows how that goes. A 92% rate means that a machine is programmed to pay back, over time, 92 cents for every dollar wagered. Most states also set payout minimums - typically 75% or 80%. The rates, determined by computer chips embedded in the machines, generally range from about 92% in Atlantic City and Connecticut to a tad shy of 95% in Nevada.

States with reporting regulations make the numbers public, either by region - the Las Vegas Strip, for example - or by individual casinos.