Should You Play the Slot Machines at Las Vegas Airport?

You may have a layover at McCarran airport. Or, you may just have some time to kill before you catch your Las Vegas flights. Right in front of you are catchy, cool-looking, exciting slot machines. The slot machines in the airport are hard to miss as there is close to 1,300 through-out the location. They are so tempting to play, but should you spend your hard earned money giving the slot wheels a spin?

That all depends on what your purpose for the playing the machines is. If you are just trying to get some entertainment to kill the time, go for it. But, if you're playing for both fun, and the chance of winning some money, you need to know how often the machines pay off.

A percentage of the money that a machine takes in, needs to be paid back. That is a Nevada state law. Plus, no one would play the machine if it did not pay out any money. The question is, what percent of money played gets returned to players on average?

In the past, the slot machines at the Vegas airport paid out large sums of wins to people who were fortunate enough, but these instances were quite rare. Unlike the winnings at the casinos in Las Vegas, the scale of the larger wins at the Vegas slots actually seem incomparable. There is in fact a significant margin at which the winnings actually lag.

In general, the slots that are present at the Vegas airport and locations around it, are considered to be much tighter than usual. This means that more money is paid back by regular slot machines present at casinos compared to the slot machines at McCarran airport.

Studies have shown that the average slot machine payback in Las Vegas is within the range of 88 to 97 percent. The same studies have found that the slots at McCarran Airport pay-off at a lower 80 to 85 percent range.

In other words, the odds of you winning more than you gamble in Las Vegas airport slot machines is not high. So if you are playing the slots to try to make money, it is better to save your cash to spend in the actual Vegas casinos. However, if you just want some entertainment and are willing to spend some money, then playing the slots is a fine option to pass the time in the Vegas airport.