Long-term payback on Megabucks

Hi John,

I've read what the odds are of hitting Megabucks, and know that it only makes sense to max bet in order to qualify for the progressive. My question is if somebody does not play the max, how much would the payback percentage actually decrease? I would think that when casinos report a 90 percent-plus payback for this game, that this would include the infrequent but massive progressive payouts. If you're not even eligible, wouldn't it be safe to assume the the payout percentage would drop dramatically?

Thanks very much,
Ivan

Dear Ivan,

You're absolutely right. The long-term payback drops significantly when you don't play maximum coin and, thus, aren't eligible for the progressive jackpot.

When you don't play maximum coin on a Megabucks machine, your long-term payback is about 82 percent, making it one of the worst bets in the casino.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
John

Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert, at slotexpert@comcast.net. Because of the volume of mail I receive, I regret that I can't reply to every question.