Iowa Slots Tighter than Most States

iowa-casinosIf you’ve got casino options in your area, then it pays to know where the best/worst slots payback is. After all, this allows you to visit casinos where your chances of winning are better while avoiding slot machines that just keeping taking your money. This being said, Iowa is one state that you’ll want to avoid if you hate tight slots.

According to a study by the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, Iowa only offers an average of 90.63% payback. In comparison, consider that Nevada casinos deliver a more-generous 93.60% payback on average.

Brian Ohorilko, administrator of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, told USA Today that Iowa slots have tightened considerably over the past decade.

“There’s no question the overall hold at Iowa casinos has declined the last 10 years,” said Ohorilko.

The gaming commission administrator was questioned about how we know that the payout percentages are accurate. And Ohorilko explained that the machines are programmed with specific payback and tested by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission beforehand. He said that while the commission has found games with outdated software, they’ve never found any intentional tampering with the machines.

wild-rose-casino-iowaGoing back to Iowa slots payback, Altoona’s Prairie Meadows was found to have the most-generous payback at 92.1%, followed closely by Jefferson’s Wild Rose at 91.9%.

If there’s a casino that you want to avoid playing at, it’s Horseshoe Council Bluffs, where payout percentages only average 89.2%. Harrah’s in Council Bluffs is yet another dicey proposition since you’re facing 89.5% payback.

From an overall perspective, you can see that certain Iowa casinos aren’t so bad for playing slots. However, on average, you’ll want to avoid most slot machines in the Hawkeye State and look to cross state borders or play online slots.