There are plenty of great reasons to play penny slots, but one of the best reasons definitely has to be that you get the most comps here. In fact, if you were to compare penny slots to blackjack, you might get anywhere from double to 10X the amount of comps with penny slots. But why exactly is this the case? Let’s discuss the matter below along with why more slots comps aren’t always better.
Theoretical Loss in Penny Slots
The big reason why penny slots lead to more comps than blackjack is simply because the average player’s theoretical loss is greater. Theoretical loss is what most casinos use to measure comps, and this breaks down into: hands/spins played x average bet x house edge. Just to state the difference between blackjack and slots, take a look at these realistic land-based casino scenarios:
Slots Theoretical Loss – You’re on a penny slots game where you must put at least a penny on all 25 reels to play, and the house edge is 90%. At 800 spins per hour, you’d theoretically lose $20 an hour ($0.25 x 800 x 0.10).
Blackjack Theoretical Loss – You’re on a blackjack table where the minimum bet is $25 and you’re facing a 1% house edge (combo of rules and a few strategy mistakes). At 50 hands per hour, you’d theoretically lose $12.50 per hour.
As you can see, you’re more lucrative to the casino as a penny slots player, so they’re willing to dish out a few more comps.
Online Slots vs. Online Blackjack
Online casinos can skew comps even more towards slots players. The reason why is because online blackjack usually offers the best rules, meaning you’ll only be facing around a 0.5% house edge with perfect strategy. Combine this with $1 minimum bets, and you won’t be getting many comp points through blackjack. Online slots, on the other hand, has around a 5% house edge and most players wager just as much in these games.
When considering how much more casinos make off penny slots players, it’s easy to understand why they can afford to give out more comps to those spinning the reels. In fact, it’s to the casino’s benefit to comp slots players more to encourage continual play in the future.