Weighing Costs vs. High Payback of Dollar Slots

dollar-slotsOne very attractive thing about dollars slots (and higher) is that the payback is normally better. For instance, you might be facing 95% payback on a dollar game versus around 88% payback for a penny slots game. Based on this alone, it would seem that dollar slots are definitely superior; however, it’s worth discussing what considerations you should know regarding the costs.

Dollar Slots are More Expensive

Some simple math will reveal that, despite its higher payback, dollar slots are definitely more expensive. Below you can see an example of how much you’d (theoretically) spend on dollar versus penny slots over 500 spins:

Dollar Slots – $1 x 500 x 0.05 (house edge) = $25 per hour
Penny Slots – $0.20 (20-payline minimum) x 500 x 0.12 = $12 per hour

As you can see, even with a higher house edge and 20-payline requirement on some penny slots, these games are cheaper. If you’re dealing with a small bankroll, then it would certainly be smart to stick with penny games to make your money last.

Dollar Games are Great for Short Sessions

The other side of the equation here is if you’re not concerned about stretching your bankroll. Furthermore, you might not want to play slots for hours and simply desire shorter sessions. In these cases, you’ll find dollar slots to be extremely beneficial.

The higher payback ensures that you’ll theoretically earn more back for your overall money wagered. Going further, if you wagered $500 on both dollar and penny slots, using the examples above, you’d earn $475 back with the dollar game and $440 with the penny game.

So there are some definite considerations to take into account with dollar slots games. And if you have the bankroll to play them, they can definitely be worth it for shorter sessions.