Casinos often use the term penny slots to attract low rollers. After all, what could be the harm in playing a penny slot machine?
But if you take a deeper look into the matter, you’ll notice that penny slots aren’t exactly what they seem. Let’s discuss why these games are misleading and how you can play slots for cheap.
What is a Penny Slot?
The average player may think that penny slots only cost a penny to play. This is sometimes the case. But other times, you have to spend much more to play.
Many “penny slots” I’ve seen require you to bet $1 or more per spin.
How is this possible?
The term penny slot means that you can bet as little as one cent per line. This sounds like a sweet deal in theory. But the problem comes in when you’re forced to play 50 or 100 paylines.
This bumps the cost up to $0.50 or $1.00 per spin.
Die-hard players won’t be bothered by this amount. But low rollers don’t jump on penny slot machines to bet $500 or more per hour.
High-Cost Penny Slots are Normally in Land-based Casinos
The problem described above is most common in brick-and-mortar casinos. And there’s a simple explanation why: land-based casinos can’t afford to let you play for $0.01 per spin.
These venues have high overhead costs, and the slot cabinets themselves are expensive.
Sure, it can be misleading to get players onto machines with the promise of penny bets. But the casino won’t make any money if they really let people play for such a small amount.
Play Online Slots for True Penny Slots
If you don’t mind spending $1 or more to play penny slot machines, then by all means visit brick-and-mortar casinos.
But if you want the cheapest games possible, then you’ll find these at online casinos.
Going further, many internet slots let you play one line at one penny per spin. You can’t win much this way, but at least you’re only betting a penny.
That said, head to online casinos for true penny slots and test them out first before betting.