Key Points:
- Slots in Downtown Las Vegas & Laughlin were among the tightest in Nevada in 2025.
- The loosest slots in (& near) Vegas were in the North Las Vegas and Boulder reporting areas.
- For the 6th consecutive year, slots on the Strip were looser than downtown.
Casinos across Nevada report revenue figures to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, including the percentage of wagers they held as profit on slot games.
A nerdy annual tradition of mine, I dig into the data to help you find the loosest slots in (and near) Las Vegas.
Unfortunately, the data we have access to isn’t granular enough to tell us how loose or tight slots were at individual casinos. Rather, the reporting will highlight groups of casinos based on their location (e.g., The Strip, Downtown, Boulder, etc.).
I’ll point out which casinos reside in zones with looser slots.
A quick housekeeping note:
Casino slot “win percentage” is the percentage of the total amount wagered by players that the casino held as profit.
A 10% casino win percentage means that, on average, the casino kept 10 cents of every dollar wagered.
Example: A player put $20 into a machine and played a total of $200 in spins before losing it all. The total amount wagered by the player was $200, and the casino won, or held, $20, resulting in a 10% casino win percentage.
Essentially, the higher the casino’s win percentage is, the worse it is for the player.
Where To Find the Loosest Slots in Vegas
Where you play matters.
The graph below shows casino slot win percentages by geographic area, lumping together all denominations.
It’s immediately clear that casinos in tourist centers are tighter than those off the beaten path.
As the graph above demonstrates, the best places around Las Vegas to play slots are the Boulder Area (6.48% casino win percentage) and North Las Vegas (7.47% win percentage).
As tends to be the case year after year, Reno is an outlier, boasting a player-friendly 5.47% casino win percentage.
Note that video poker is included in the slot statistics above. Lower casino win percentages away from the Strip are in part, but not completely, due to better video poker pay tables offered by resorts away from tourist centers.
Downtown Tighter Than The Strip Again in 2025
For the 6th year in a row, slots were tighter in downtown Las Vegas than on the Strip (8.30% downtown vs. 7.83% on the Strip).
Before this 6-year run, slots downtown were reliably looser than the Strip. I’m beginning to think this may be the new dynamic.
Slots on the Strip Trending Looser
Historically, slots on the Strip have almost always tightened slightly vs. the previous year.
That said, slots on the Strip hit “Peak Tightness” in 2021, at an 8.27% win percentage, but trended lower in 2022 (8.14%), again in 2023 (8.01%), and again in 2025 to 7.83% after a small increase in 2024.
Where to Find the Loosest Penny Slots in Vegas
Since penny slots are the most popular denomination with players, I also broke down where the loosest penny slots in Vegas can be found by region.
Since the data below looks exclusively at the penny denomination, it’s untainted by video poker, providing a clearer picture.
As evidenced above, there’s again a correlation between an area being “touristy” and higher slot holds.
Penny slots in Laughlin & Downtown came in as the tightest with casino win percentages of 11% and 10.95%, respectively.
Similar to the previous dataset covering all denoms, penny slots are more likely to pay out in the Boulder Area (8.72% win rate) and North Las Vegas (8.71% win rate).
Reno came in with a comparatively low 6.89% win rate, significantly more player-friendly than anything near Las Vegas.
So, What Casinos Have Loose Slots?
Although most players aren’t able to tell the difference between a “tight” or “loose” slot, the data suggests getting away from the Strip and Fremont Street will give you a slightly better chance.
Casinos in the looser Boulder and North Las Vegas reporting zones are broken down below.
Notable Casinos in the Boulder Area: Sam’s Town, Arizona Charlie’s, Boulder Station, Sunset Station, M Resort, and Green Valley Ranch.
Notable Casinos in the North Las Vegas Area: Jerry’s Nugget, Cannery, and Aliante.
The Denomination You Play Matters
Slot denominations also play a role in identifying loose machines, as shown in the graph of statewide data below.
In 2025, penny slots were the tightest denomination statewide by a large margin (9.09% win percentage), while quarters came in a distant second place (7.58% win percentage).
Although the data is heavily “polluted” by video poker at the quarter-denomination level and above, the graph’s visual is helpful, if only because it demonstrates how brutal penny slots are.
As a general rule of thumb, higher denominations tend to be looser.
All Non-Restricted Locations
If you’re a penny slot player who plays 75 cents per spin or more, you’d likely give yourself a better chance of winning by playing the same bet on a higher denomination machine.
Of course, never bet more than you can afford to chase better returns. Slots at any denomination are a losing bet.
I also recommend penny slot players brush up on their video poker skills, as the returns are more favorable.
While looking at the numbers is a fun exercise, the random number generator could select you as the next big winner anywhere. Ultimately, the best slots to play in Vegas lie away from the main tourist corridors and at higher denominations.
Feature Image: ©bloodua/123RF.COM
I’m a former software salesman turned Vegas aficionado. While the craps table is my preferred habitat, I pull myself away to explore new attractions, shows, restaurants, and outdoor activities around Las Vegas with the intent of sharing my experiences.
Ultimately, I just want to help folks plan a better trip and save a few bucks in the process.
christinasteward
Saturday 29th of March 2025
Can I get a free ride to my hotel on strip with a shuttle bus?
Jake
Sunday 30th of March 2025
@christinasteward, pretty sure most if not all free Strip shuttles have now died :(
Steve
Sunday 14th of July 2024
Are Durango, Red Rock, or Southpoint included in any of these categories? My guess is no, but if it was going to be one it'd have to be Boulder, right?
Jeff Lawlor
Tuesday 9th of January 2024
Great article and great site!
Nickels seem to be your best option by far according to the denomination chart. How come everyone isn't playing them? Are they hard to find? Playing with nickels rather than $25 per pull gives me a lot longer to let the odds play out!
Thanks!
Jake Hoffman
Thursday 11th of January 2024
I think there's a LOT of variation that plays into the numbers from year to year, especially on machines like nickels and high denomination in which there are very vew of in town. In general, I think that the rule of higher denom = slightly higher RTP on average is accurate, but not something that people would want to venture out of their comfort zone to chase.
Marje
Friday 5th of January 2024
Jake, I love seeing your name come up in my email. I can always know I'm going to learn some good information about Las vegas! I also know that you have your own opinion I will get enough information, with pictures to boot, to make my own decission. Your pictures are excellant and useful. I appreciate your honesty and trust your opinions. You make me feel as though I am at the places you talk about through your descriptions of them.
Thank You Jake
Marje Weatherly
Jake Hoffman
Thursday 11th of January 2024
Thank you! Glad to hear you're enjoying the newsletter. - Jake
Craig
Monday 1st of January 2024
What exactly makes up the "multi-denom" category? I ask because these days most penny machines can be switched from $.01/$.05/$.10/$1.00/$2.00 and up. Are these considered multi-denom or is that category reserved for the old school reel multi-denom machines only? Thanks!
Jake Hoffman
Monday 1st of January 2024
Great question - Any game that offers multiple denominations would fall into that multi-denom bucket, which is a LOT of machines. Looking at the Strip specifically in November 2023, there were over 18,000 multi-denom machines vs 12,000 pure penny slot games. In fact, there are more multi-denom slot games on casino floors than all other denominations (.1, .5, .25, etc.) combined.