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When you visit a casino, all the action appears to be happening at the tables. But when it comes to ease of play and popularity, slots come out on top. In fact, casinos dedicate roughly 80% of their gaming floor to slots. Only 20% is for table games.
The reason? Slots are more popular and account for more revenue than all other gambling sources combined. And for good reason. Playing a slot machine doesn’t require any gambling knowledge. On top of that, you can bet as little as $0.01.
What slots and table games have in common, however, is the enforcement of a withholding tax. If you’re one of the millions who visits Las Vegas annually, you need to remember that your winnings could be subject to a 30% withholding tax by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Fortunately, Refund Management Services (RMS) can help you reclaim a portion or all of your withheld winnings.
Finding the Loosest Slots in Las Vegas
It’s not hard to find a slot machine in Nevada. In fact, there are over 490,000 slots and gaming machines in Clark County alone (the county where you find Las Vegas). And they’re not just located in casinos. You can find slot machines in the airport, gas stations, and convenience stores.
What is hard, though, is finding slot machines with the best payouts. After all, no one likes to go into a casino and lose $100 on the slots in 30 minutes. The goal is to win, or at least make your money last longer.
Thanks to increased competition in gambling hubs like Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City, casino operators are battling for customers. To keep customers coming back, many casinos are increasing the number of jackpots at their slot machines.
All slot machines work on a payback percentage that the casinos can set. They can make a slot machine tight or loose. Loose slot machines increase the chances of a player hitting a payout. This creates excitement and helps keep players in their seats on the gambling floor.
Mgm Grand Las Vegas Slot Machines
For slots aficionados, it’s all about finding the loose machines. Not surprisingly, casinos do not advertise which machines are loose or the payout percentages of individual machines.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t do a little digging and find out which kinds of slot machines have the biggest win percentages. It turns out, you need to spend money to make money in Las Vegas.
Best Slots to Play in Las Vegas
Statistics from the Nevada Gaming Control Board show which slots offer the best payouts in the order of the denomination played. In June 2016 in Clark County, Megabucks progressive slots posted the worst win percentage at 85.15%.1
What that means is, for every $100 you spend, you can expect to win $85.15. Megabucks progressive slots generally have the worst win percentage because the huge jackpot outweighs the bad odds.
The best win percentages came from high-roller slots. Slots that accept denominations of $5, $25, and $100 returned 94.05%, 94.97%, and 94.35%, respectively. While you can lose your money faster with high-roller slots, the payout percentages are always better (on all slots regardless of the denomination) if you get the maximum amount on each spin.
The most fruitful games, when it comes to odds and cost, are the nickel and quarter slots. In June, nickel slots had a win percentage of 94.2% while quarter slots paid back 93.06%. Next to Megabucks, penny slots have the worst win percentage, returning 88.83%.
Casinos with the Most Slots in Las Vegas
The Orleans Hotel and Casino
The Orleans is a Mardi Gras-themed casino hotel located a few minutes west of the Strip. The casino floor covers 137,000 square feet and has over 2,600 slot machines. There is also a high-limit slot salon.2
The casino also has over 60 table games and a 35-table poker room. You can also find a seat in the 125-person race and sports book with 13 betting windows.
MGM Grand Las Vegas
The MGM Grand is located at the south end of the Strip. It’s easy to spot the MGM Grand casino—it’s a massive emerald-coloured complex with a 45-foot bronze lion out front.
The MGM Grand covers over 170,000 square feet and has 3,000 slot machines (with denominations ranging from $0.01 to $1,000. There are also around 200 table games, a 24-hour poker room, and a race and sports book.3
Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall
Sam’s is a sprawling casino resort 10 km east of the Strip. The 120,000-square-foot casino is spread out over three floors where you’ll find over 3,100 slot machines, 50 table games, an 11-table poker room, a 570-seat bingo room, and a 60-screen race and sports book.4
Casino Slot Winnings Subject to 30% Withholding Tax
Non-U.S. residents who win a significant amount of money playing the slots at any casino or gaming facility in the United States are subject to a 30% withholding tax by the IRS.
In the U.S., winnings from casino games and other games of chance (racetrack, game show) are considered income. If you win $2,000 playing the slots, the casino will pay you $1,400. The IRS keeps the rest. But if you live in a country like Canada, which has signed a U.S. tax treaty, you may be eligible for a refund.
There are a number of countries that currently do not have a U.S. tax treaty. However, if you reside in any of the following countries, you could still be eligible for a refund: Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kuwait, Mexico, Malaysia, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and the U.A.E.
To see if you meet the criteria and are eligible to get some or all of your withholding tax back, contact RMS.
RMS, the Easiest Way to Get Your 30% Withholding Tax Back
If you’ve visited the U.S. and had 30% of your casino winnings held back by the IRS, Refund Management Services (RMS) can help you reclaim a portion or all of your taxable winnings.
Founded by a Canadian chartered accountant, RMS is Canada’s most reliable and experienced gaming and casino tax refund provider. Over the years, RMS has helped thousands of people around the world recover taxes on their U.S. gaming wins. We’ve also never been refused an eligible refund.
Only RMS has the One Simple StepTM process with an easy online form to fill out. After you complete the form, our customer service agents take care of the rest, processing and submitting it to the IRS. It can take a minimum of one year for the IRS to review the claim and for RMS to receive the refund.
Contact RMS today by calling our toll-free number at 1-855-860-2610 or by e-mailing us at [email protected].
Sources:
1. “June Gaming Revenue Report,” Nevada Gaming Control Board web site; http://gaming.nv.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=11262.
2. “Play,” The Orleans Hotel and Casino web site; http://www.orleanscasino.com/play.
3. “Casino,” MGM Grand Las Vegas web site; https://www.mgmgrand.com/en/casino.html.
4. “Play,” Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall web site; http://www.samstownlv.com/play.
- Appendices
- Slots Analysis
- Miscellaneous
Introduction
Lion's Share was a three-reel progressive slot machine found at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Given how old the machine is, and the high rate of turnover in the gaming business, nobody seems to know for sure the history of the game. However, I think it can be said it is the oldest slot machine in the MGM and the jackpot has not been hit in many years. By today's standards, it is very out of date, with mechanical reels, blurry graphics, and any cash-out requiring a hand pay.
After the original publication of this article, the jackpot was hit on Aug. 24, 2014 for $2.4 million. The rest of this article is unchanged from it's original publication, before the jackpot was hit.
Here are some of the rumors about Lion's Share.
- It has been on the floor since the casino opening in 1993. — I'm not sure if it was there on day one, but based on the look of it, if it wasn't, it dates back to near the beginning.
- Whoever hits the jackpot will get to keep the machine. — I've never seen anything official that says this, but I don't doubt it. The machine is clunky and old and I think the MGM won't want it any more after it hits. The value of an old slot machine like Lion's Share is about $500 at best, so I don't see why the MGM would want to keep it.
- The MGM can't get rid of it until the progressive hits. — There is a lot of truth to this. Some player must win the accumulated money in the progressive, as it is considered player money. The Nevada Gaming Control Board wouldn't let the MGM just keep it. However, they would be allowed to let them move the money to another game, if their proposal of how to do it is accepted by Gaming.
- The jackpot has never been hit — I've heard both this and it was hit twice in the early years but never hit again. I don't know which is true. A change in the EPROM chip could make it more difficult to hit.
- The jackpot started at one million dollars — I can't confirm this either, but assume it to be true below.
Sometimes it is rumored in player circles the game may have a player advantage since the progressive has been growing for 20 years. That is where I come in. This page details my analysis of the game to determine how good of a bet it is.
Rules
The game is a $1 3-coin game. The following is the pay table.
Lion's Share Pay Table
| Win | 1 Coins | 2 Coins | 3 Coins |
| Three Lions — On Payline | $25,000 | $50,000 | Jackpot |
| Three Lions — Off Payline | $500 | $1,000 | $10,000 |
| Three sevens | $100 | $200 | $300 |
| Three 3-bar | $50 | $100 | $150 |
| Three 2-bar | $20 | $40 | $60 |
| Three 1-bar | $10 | $20 | $30 |
| Any three bar | $5 | $10 | $15 |
| Any two lions | $5 | $10 | $15 |
| Any one lion | $2 | $4 | $6 |
The lion is wild in any position on the reel. Three positions are visible.
As of May 28, 2014, the jackpot was at $2,378,882.
Analysis
Wizard Data Only
I started playing this game on Jan 14, 2014. Between my own play and 153 spins seen on YouTube videos I have recorded how often each reel lands on each symbol. The following table shows my results.
Lion's Share Reel Survey
| Symbol | Reel 1 | Reel 2 | Reel 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lion -- on payline | 15 | 10 | 10 |
| Lion -- off payline | 38 | 36 | 21 |
| Seven | 91 | 70 | 81 |
| 3-bar | 202 | 295 | 81 |
| 2-bar | 469 | 716 | 102 |
| 1-bar | 914 | 265 | 860 |
| Blank | 777 | 1,114 | 1,351 |
| Total | 2,506 | 2,506 | 2,506 |
Based on the pay table and observed results, the following table show the probability and return of each event. The return column is the product of the win, probability, and (1/3). The reason for dividing by 3 is the bet amount of $3. In other words, the return column is relative to a $3 bet.
Lion's Share Return Table — Wizard Data Only
| Win | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Lions -- On Payline | $2,378,882 | 0.0000000953 | 0.075579 |
| Three Lions -- Off Payline | $10,000 | 0.0000047070 | 0.015690 |
| Three sevens | $300 | 0.0001140740 | 0.011407 |
| Three 3-bar | $150 | 0.0006140249 | 0.030701 |
| Three 2-bar | $60 | 0.0033567039 | 0.067134 |
| Three 1-bar | $30 | 0.0170215402 | 0.170215 |
| Any three bar | $15 | 0.1267797886 | 0.633899 |
| Any two lions | $15 | 0.0003959927 | 0.001980 |
| Any one lion | $6 | 0.0367851279 | 0.073570 |
| Total | 0.1850720544 | 1.080176 | |
So, based on this small sample size, the game returns 108.1% of money bet. With one or two coins bet, the return drops to 99.4%. Based on the small sample size, I would consider these results rough.
Wizard, AxiomOfChoice and SmokaLott Data Combined
On March 2, 2012, somebody named SmokaLott posted at Vegas Message Board that he played Lion's Share 10,000 times and got a lion on the center payline 33 times on reel 1, 42 on reel 2, and 34 on reel 3.
In early February, 2014, forum member AxiomOfChoice sent me his data on payline lions. In 1,896 spins he got the lion on the center payline 5 times on reel 1, 4 on reel 2, and 6 on reel 3. Looking at center payline lions only, here is the combined data.
Center Payline Lions
| Player | Reel 1 | Reel 2 | Reel 3 | Spins | Lions per 100 Spins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wiz | 15 | 10 | 10 | 2,506 | 1.40 |
| AxiomOfChoice | 5 | 4 | 6 | 1,896 | 0.79 |
| Smokalot | 33 | 42 | 34 | 10,000 | 1.09 |
| Total | 53 | 56 | 50 | 14,402 | 1.10 |
Combining this data, here is the center payline lion probability on each reel.
- Reel 1: 0.0036800
- Reel 2: 0.0038883
- Reel 3: 0.0034717
Assuming these probabilities, and otherwise using the data from my spins for the other symbols, the return table looks as follows.
Lion's Share Return Table — Combined Data
| Win | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Lions -- On Payline | $2,378,882 | 0.0000000525 | 0.041647 |
| Three Lions -- Off Payline | $10,000 | 0.0000041103 | 0.013701 |
| Three sevens | $300 | 0.0001090687 | 0.010907 |
| Three 3-bar | $150 | 0.0005989446 | 0.029947 |
| Three 2-bar | $60 | 0.0033113213 | 0.066226 |
| Three 1-bar | $30 | 0.0168744217 | 0.168744 |
| Any three bar | $15 | 0.1266965675 | 0.633483 |
| Any two lions | $15 | 0.0003578085 | 0.001789 |
| Any one lion | $6 | 0.0349819170 | 0.069964 |
| Total | 0.1829342121 | 1.036408 | |
The lower right cell shows a total return of 103.6%, based on three coins bet. With one or two coins bet the return drops to 98.4%.
Based on this combined data, the probability of hitting the jackpot is about 1 in 19.0 million. It is my understanding the jackpot started at one million dollars. If that is the case, and assuming everybody bets $3 at a time, the game would have been played about 60 million times. In this many spins, the expected number of jackpots is 2.9. The probability of never hitting a jackpot in 60 million spins is about 5.4%. I should remind my readers that each spin is independent, so the odds of hitting the jackpot are the same as it was for every other spin.
AxiomOfChoice is a good member on my forum, so I have no compunction about using his data.
As a scientific kind of guy, I hate to use data from somebody I've never heard of from a two-year-old forum post as the basis of my analysis of a game. However, The SmokaLot data looks reasonable to me, and his results are similar to the combined results of AxiomOfChoice and I.
I would like to return to gather more data, or hire somebody else to do it, but since a recent wave of publicity in the media it has been getting difficult getting on the machine. I would also hate to hog it for hours with a line waiting. For this reason, I am also publishing my results both ways, with my data only as well as the combined results of me, AxiomOfChoice, and SmokaLott.
Mgm Grand Best Slot Machine
Miscellaneous pieces of information about Lion's Share.
- Based on the 'combined data,' the probability shown of the jackpot equates to a probability of 1 in 19,040,226.
- The meter goes up by 0.75% of money bet.
- Based on an Internet post, the jackpot was at $2,229,097 on March 19, 2011. This suggests a rate of increase of $167 per day.
- For the lowest-level player, slot play earns free play and comps both at a rate of 0.33% of money bet.
More Photos
External Links
- Lion's Share official web site.
- Discussion of Lion's Share at my forum Wizard of Vegas.
- The legend and cult of the $2.345 million Lion's Share slot machine at MGM Grand — Article in the Las Vegas Sun