[quote=nickysam]Slot machine payout percentages are set at the factory. The manufacturer will offer a certain type of slot in various denominations in with a variety of payout percentages. For example, a casino might order 25 cent "Blazing 7's" slots with an 86.7% payback. Or it might order the same slot with an 89.5% payback percentage. The casino bases the payback percentage on several factors. In super competitive s like Atlantic City or Las Vegas, where results are published frequently, a casino cannot afford to lag too far behind its competition. Therefore, it has to set its machines close to the level set by nearby competitors.



====================
Hey Nickysam:

While Las Vegas may seem competitive, there are only a few companies who control most of the big casinos on the strip. The MGM casinos tend to have very similar payback percentages. From my experience, the Las Vegas strip is not much better (if at all) than my local race track slots in Ontario, Canada. Nickels here are set to around 91.5% for your typical stand-alone IGT video slot.

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