When you gamble on Blackjack, Keno, Roulette -- or any other table game, the house advantage is easy to find. With one of the more favourable payback percentages, Blackjack has become one of the most popular games.

Why then, is the payback percentage of a slot machine such a secret? The casino does not want us to know the payback percentage. It's no secret that the slot machine is the "cash cow" of the casino floor. If you knew machine "Machine X" has a better payback percentage than "Machine Y" would it cause you to make a different choice? If you knew Casino X has a lower payback percentage than "Casino Y", would you reconsider your casino destination. They kinds of questions shake the very foundations of a casino operation.

I think you should be asking your state or provincial government to legislate that every machine should post the payback percentage. In the lottery, I can check how many tickets are printed, and how many prizes there are ... but I have no idea what my odds are on my favourite slot.

/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\