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Ask the Slot Expert: Are there rules for minimum paybacks for the slots in Indian casinos?11 October 2017
A few weeks ago a reader asked for a recommendation for a video poker app for iOS. Being a Windows/Android guy, I was of no help. A reader who uses Apple products mentioned VP Pocket, which has a tutorial feature. He also mentioned that you have to be careful that apps work with your version of iOS.
Answer: The offshore casinos are regulated by the jurisdictions in which they operate. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which passed in 2006, didn't specifically make it illegal for U.S. residents to gamble online. It did make it illegal for banks and other financial institutions to process transactions between residents and offshore sites. Other readers have written me to say that they won on the comp spins and lost on the real spins. The fix must be in. I take these e-mails with a grain of salt. First, no one is going to write me to complain about losing on the comp spins and winning on the real ones. In addition, many players who lost on the comp spins won't deposit money to play for real. We don't know whether they would have won or continued losing on the real spins.
Answer: Nope. Makes no sense. The results on a slot machine are determined at random without regard for what has happened in the past. The fact that a lady just hit a $2,200 jackpot doesn't make it any less likely to hit on the next spin or the next hundred spins. The odds of hitting a particular winning combination don't change from spin to spin. You could have played at the quarter level and had the same chances of hitting a $2,200 jackpot for yourself. Similarly, what happens at one denomination has no effect on what happens at another denomination.
Answer: If the tribe has a compact with the state and the tribe has Class III slot machines in its casino, the regulations probably apply. There's a heredity in slot regulations. New Jersey modeled its regulations on Navada's. Newer jurisdictions based their regulations on New Jersey's and Nevada's. Each state personalizes the rules, like setting minimum slot payouts, and some throw in bizarre twists (e.g., New Jersey did not allow casinos to advertise payback percentages and cocktail waitresses were not allowed to offer alcoholic drinks -- they said, "Coffee, tea" and not "Cocktails"; in Mississippi casinos had to be on water). But the regulations governing how machines operate are pretty much the same everywhere. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act doesn't specify a minimum payback and the National Indian Gaming Commission doesn't enforce a minimum. If the tribe has a compact with the state, the compact may specify a minimum. And as far as Class III slots go, I don't think I've ever seen a machine that had a reel layout that paid less than 80%. Although paybacks may not be regulated, other aspects of tribal casinos are. Some tribal casino operators have told me that they have more regulations to follow than some non-tribal casinos. Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert™, at slotexpert@slotexpert.com. Because of the volume of mail I receive, I regret that I can't reply to every question.
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