Do Casinos Put Their Best-Paying Slots On The Aisles?

Do casinos really place their best paying slot machines at the ends of aisles? Are some machines set to pay out more than others? Can you tell when a machine is ready to hit?

According to Steve Bourie, author of "American Casino Guide - 2001 edition" ($14.95 at bookstores and participating AAA offices, or call 800-741-1596) and a former executive in the gambling industry for more than 25 years, the answers are no, yes and no.

"There's no such thing as a machine that's ready to hit," says Bourie who conducted extensive interviews with casino slot managers and state gaming regulators in Nevada and New Jersey. "Everything is controlled by a computer chip which is programmed to pay back a set percentage of the money it takes in and the odds remain constant on every pull of the handle. It's all luck,"

Bourie's "American Casino Guide" has been published annually since 1992 and is the #1 bestselling book in the U.S. on the subject of casino gambling. Bourie writes gaming articles for numerous travel and gaming magazines and also maintains a website at www.americancasinoguide.com with a directory of all U.S. casinos; information on casino travel specials, promotional contests and giveaways; a casino discussion board; how-to-play tips; and links to hundreds of gambling-related sites.

The current 2001 edition of the "American Casino Guide" gives detailed information on more than 600 casinos in 33 states. It includes comprehensive stories on how to play all casino games, strategy charts for blackjack and video poker, slot machines payback statistics for each state and stories on how to take advantage of casino promotions and slot clubs. The book also comes with 81 coupons providing more than $1,000 in savings at various casinos and travel companies. Also included are informative maps of each state showing casino locations, plus detailed maps of Las Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City, Biloxi and Tunica.

"There's also no truth to the rumor that casinos put their best paying machines at the ends of aisles, or by their front door" says Bourie. "Actually, all of the machines within a particular denomination (dollar, quarter, nickel, etc.) are set to pay back approximately the same percentages no matter where they're located. The only exception would be the progressive games with large jackpots which always return less because they need to keep more to help build up those big jackpots."

Bourie does, however, agree that some machines are set to pay back more than others."The higher the denomination, the more it's set to pay back," he says. " In Nevada's last fiscal year the average nickel machine on the Las Vegas Strip returned just less than 91% while dollar machines returned almost 95%."

"American Casino Guide - 2001 edition" is $14.95 at bookstores, participating AAA offices, www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.americancasinoguide.com, or by calling 800-741-1596.