Slot Machines in Las Vegas

About

A slot machine is a gaming device that pays according to a posted pay table when certain symbols line up. Whether the reels are physical or on a video screen, the result of every spin is decided by software, not by the reels.

Inside each machine is a random number generator. The Wizard of Odds explains that it is constantly drawing random numbers, even when nobody is playing, and the numbers drawn at the moment you press the spin button decide where the reels stop and what you win. The spinning reels are a display of a result that has already been chosen.

Nevada sets minimum standards. Under Nevada Gaming Commission Regulation 14.040, every gaming device must theoretically pay out a mathematically demonstrable percentage of all amounts wagered of not less than 75% for each wager, must decide outcomes by chance, skill or both, and must display its rules of play and the amount paid on winning wagers. Once a game has started, its rules and probabilities cannot be changed, and a device must not alter any function based on its actual hold percentage.

Each machine's payback is a long-run average over a very large number of spins, not a promise for one session. The house edge is the difference between that payback and 100%.

What to expect

Before you play, read the machine's rules and pay table. Nevada requires every machine to display, accurately and without misleading, its rules of play, the amount required to wager, the amount paid on winning wagers and the total amount you have wagered, so the cost of a spin and what each combination pays should be on the screen or the glass.

Machines on a shared progressive jackpot must display how the jackpot is equalized between denominations. If a machine's rules or probabilities change between games during your session, Nevada requires a prominent notice to the player.

For 2026, the IRS reporting threshold for slot winnings on Form W-2G is $2,000, and the casino will ask for a taxpayer identification number; if the winner does not provide one, backup withholding at 24% applies. The threshold is adjusted for inflation in later years.

Other casino games

• Blackjack
• Craps
• Roulette
• Baccarat
• Poker

Before you play

• Las Vegas casino guide for beginners
• How casino comps work

Good to know

• Slots are generally the most expensive way to gamble in a casino. The Wizard of Odds puts it plainly: between the high house edge and the fast rate of play, there is no quicker way to lose your money. A machine that takes the same percentage as a table game still costs more per hour, because you can make many more bets.
• Lower denominations keep more. In calendar 2025, according to UNLV's summary of Nevada Gaming Control Board data, casinos statewide kept 9.09% of what was played on 1-cent slots, 7.58% on 25-cent slots and 6.37% on $1 slots. On the Las Vegas Strip the figures were 10.79% on 1-cent and 7.48% on $1 slots. These are averages across thousands of machines; any one machine can differ.
• A machine is never 'due'. The Wizard of Odds states there is no such thing as hot and cold cycles, and that the ups and downs are just normal random variation. Your chance on the next spin is the same whether the jackpot hit a minute ago or not all day.
• Payback cannot be changed under you while you play. Regulation 14.040 bars changing a game's rules or probabilities once a game is initiated, and requires prominent notice to the player if they change between games during a session.
• Set a budget in advance and treat it as the cost of entertainment. Because the result of each spin is random and independent, no betting pattern changes the odds; the Wizard of Odds also notes that a slot manager cannot tighten the game you are playing on a whim.
• Nevada law gives players a route if a payout is disputed. Under NRS 463.362, a casino must immediately notify the Nevada Gaming Control Board of a dispute with a patron involving $500 or more; for smaller disputes it must tell the patron of the right to ask the Board to investigate.
• If gambling stops being fun, the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling lists 1-800-GAMBLER and 1-800-522-4700 as its helpline numbers; the line is answered 24 hours a day, calls are confidential, and it connects callers to treatment and support resources in Nevada. Setting a spending limit before you sit down, and not raising bets to win back losses, is advice Caesars gives its own players.

Questions about Slot Machines