Images Of Vegas Slot Machines El Cortez Hotel

For slot machine enthusiasts, there’s no place on Earth quite like fabulous Las Vegas. Most of the 40 million tourists who flock there each and every year stay on the Strip, where corporate operators like MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment run mega-casino resorts.

But during its heyday, all the action was confined to Downtown Las Vegas, where iconic casinos like the El Cortez and Golden Gate lined fabulous Fremont Street. Over time, Las Vegas’ outlying areas—including the suburbs of Summerlin and Henderson, the “Boulder Strip,” and North Las Vegas—attracted mid-market operators like Station Casinos and Boyd Gaming.

From our exciting penny and nickel machines to our video poker, video keno, video reels, and multi-game machines, El Cortez is one of the only places in Las Vegas where patrons can enjoy both ticket and coin-operated machines. With slots that are 40% looser than the Las Vegas Strip, we are the home of winning. Screaming Images is testing its dividers on some gaming machines and tables at the longtime downtown Las Vegas property El Cortez. The company is also pitching its products to other casino operators. In preparation, the El Cortez casino and hotel in downtown Las Vegas has already installed acrylic barriers separating slot machine players from those beside them, while other electronic slot.

If slots are your game of choice, ditching the Strip is best. This page presents the seven best off-Strip casinos in Las Vegas for slot players based on the venue’s average payback percentage.

A Quick Look at Las Vegas Slot Payback Percentages

According to the latest Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) survey of Las Vegas casino operators and their respective slot machine payback percentages, which are commonly referred to as return to player (RTP) rates, the Strip is home to the “tightest” slots in town.

Las Vegas Slot Machine Payback Percentage Rates (by Region)

The NGCB also provides data on regional slot machine payback averages broken down by the player’s preferred coin denomination.

Las Vegas Slot Machine Payback Percentage Rates (by Coin Denomination and Region)

1¢ Slot Machines

5¢ Slot Machines

25¢ Slot Machines

$1 Slot Machines

$1 Megabucks Machines

As you can see, the data reveals the Strip to be the worst place in Las Vegas to find “loose” slots, or machines which offer a higher than average payback percentage.

If you don’t mind ditching the fountain shows and $14 cocktails behind for a better bargain, taking your slot machine bankroll to an off-Strip casino offers the best bang for your gambling buck. Keep reading for the seven best off-Strip casinos to play loose slots in Las Vegas.

1 – Palms Casino Resort

The best slot machine selection in Las Vegas can be found at the Palms Casino Resort, home to more than 1,500 machines which combine for an average payback rate of 93.42%.

Given the 91.47% and 92.67% payback rates found on the Strip and Downtown, respectively, spinning slots at the Palms immediately provides an improvement of over 1% over the long run.

And fortunately for the folks who still like hitting the Strip for shopping or a show, the Palms is located just minutes from all the action.

Just head to Caesars Palace and turn westbound onto Flamingo Road, cross over the Interstate 15 bridge, and drive for another minute or so before looking to your left for the ultra-modern Palms tower.

Locals love the Palms for combining the look and feel of casinos on the Strip with perks like 3:2 blackjack, single-zero roulette, and of course, the loosest slots in Las Vegas.

You’ll find all of the greatest slots here too, including Megabucks and its $10 million starting progressive jackpot award, Wheel of Fortune with its unique prize wheel waiting up top, and every major new release from designers like Aristocrat, Scientific Games, and International Game Technology (IGT).

2 – Gold Coast Hotel and Casino

If the loud music and pool parties that make the Palms so attractive for younger gamblers just aren’t your thing, don’t fret, because the nearby Gold Coast boasts a completely different vibe.

Located directly across Flamingo from the Palms, Gold Coast is a classic “old school” off-Strip casino. The same staff members have worked here for decades, so they know their regulars by name and treat them like royalty.

The odds are always the best available on table games and video poker, and the slot machine menu running 1,900+ machines strong sports a 92.84% average payback rate.

One of the iconic venues operated by Boyd Gaming, the Gold Coast supplements its casino with a massive bowling alley upstairs, and comfort food like Subway and TGI Fridays.

While the amenities lean towards the quaint and casual side, the Gold Coast offers one of the more modern slot machine menus in Las Vegas. Using the website’s convenient slot search tool, you can easily pull up complete listings for either reel-based or video slots that can be further sorted by coin denomination.

The reel-based lineup includes staples like 88 Fortunes, Blazing 7’s Progressive, Double Diamond, Megabucks, and Super Times Pay.

And over in the video slot section, you’ll find popular titles like 50 Dragons, Aztec Temple, Buffalo, Geisha, Mr. Cashman, Sex and the City, and White Orchid.

When you use the search tool, don’t forget to click the little “MAP” tab to the right of every game’s entry. This will pull up a color-coded map of the Gold Coast showing the section where your favorite slot machine games can be located.

3 – Ellis Island Hotel, Casino, and Brewery

You’ll only find a couple hundred slot machine installations at the independently owned Ellis Island Hotel, Casino and Brewery, but it’s the last part there that makes this place something special.

Well, all the cold suds you can drink and a 92.56% average slot payback rate, that is…

The bulk of Ellis Island’s selection is devoted to slots and other machines, but you’ll also find a few blackjack, craps, and roulette tables, too.

It’s the slots that bring sharp spinners here though, as the overall payback percentage is better than any of the glitzier and more glamorous casinos towering overhead on the Strip. And whether you win or lose, you can always tip back a brew or two straight from the source.

4 – El Cortez Hotel and Casino

If you appreciate a sense of history to go along with your gambling, paying a pilgrimage to El Cortez downtown is a true “bucket list” item on the agenda.

After first opening its doors in 1941, El Cortez hasn’t closed them for 77 years and counting, making it the longest continuously operating casino in Las Vegas.

The joint was owned by legendary mobsters Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Gus Greenbaum, and Moe Sedway in the early days, and with its exterior signage unchanged all this time, El Cortez is home to an unmistakable air of nostalgia writ large.

Fittingly, you can find over 200 coin-operated three-reel slots that still use nickels and quarters to grease the reels. That lineup is supplemented by hundreds of modern video slots as well, a combination providing the best of both worlds for players. And so does the 92.56% average payback rate, which makes El Cortez the loosest slot parlor found along famous Fremont Street.

5 – The Orleans Hotel and Casino

Another member of the Boyd Gaming family, the Orleans Hotel & Casino is like a slightly more hip, Mardi Gras-themed version of the Gold Coast.

In the casino, hundreds of slot machines ranging from traditional to modern will be running to the tune of 92.56% payback.

6 – Fiesta Rancho Hotel and Casino

The wilds of North Las Vegas are home to the best penny slot machines in Sin City at an average payback rate of 90.88%.

And of all the North Las Vegas casinos to choose from, the best of the bunch is Fiesta Rancho, which combines class-leading penny slots with higher denominations for a 92.53% overall payback average.

Getting here is a bit of a trek. Take the I-15 North to Highway 95, head west, then hit the 95 northbound for a while. But trust us, this Station Casino property is worth the extra mile.

Per the Las Vegas Review-Journal annual rankings, Fiesta Rancho regularly earns the “Best-Paying Slots” and “Best Slot Club” awards as judged by local players.

7 – Arizona Charlie’s (Decatur and Boulder)

The two Arizona Charlie’s casino locations in Las Vegas can be found on Decatur Boulevard and Boulder Highway.

Both offer a generous 92.50% payback rate on average for slot players, along with a long lineup of new games, including the exciting titles found below:

• $1 Wheel of Fortune
• Bally Quick Hits
• Buffalo Legends
• Buffalo Golds
• Buffalo Grands
• Dollar Mega Bucks
• Downton Abbey
• Elvira
• Good Fortune
• Konami Selexion
• Lightning Link
• Lock It Link
• New Generation Megabucks
• Space Invaders
• Wacky Races
• Walking Dead II
• World of Wonka

Conclusion

Venturing away from Las Vegas Boulevard to score improved odds has been a time-honored tradition among savvy gamblers for decades now. Forced to compete with their corporate counterparts on the Strip just to survive, off-Strip gambling halls like the seven listed above do everything in their power to attract customers.

That means selecting slot machines that offer generous payback percentages across the board, while still providing the best in modern slot game design.

Las Vegas is home to over 197,000 slot machines. That’s roughly one for every three residents. With so many slot machines to choose from, it should be no surprise that you can find some interesting ones hiding around town.

This is especially true in downtown Las Vegas, known to many as “Old Vegas.” Fremont Street specializes in keeping the old-time feel alive. This is where you will find all sorts of buildings, stores, merchandise, and yes, even slot machines from the early days of Las Vegas history.

Below you will find a list of some of the interesting, fun, vintage, or downright weird slot machines you can find in downtown Las Vegas.

Coin-Operated Slot Machines

Coin-operated slots are one of the most sought-after unique slot machines found in Las Vegas. They bring a bit of nostalgia back to the game. These are getting harder to find. Many casinos have a hard time finding parts for repair, which has caused most to get rid of coin-operated slots altogether.

The evolution of our U.S. currency has had a dramatic impact. The D Hotel and Casino has phased out all of its coin operated slot machines. For a place specializing in vintage slots (they have an entire floor devoted to these), why would they do this?

Turns out, the machine’s bill reader cannot recognize our newer versions of U.S. currency in $5 and $20 bills. These bill readers cannot be swapped, and old currency is hard to keep in supply. All of this works out to be too much of a headache for the casino.

With that said, there are still a few places in downtown Las Vegas that offer the chance to play coin-operated slot machines. They are:

• California Hotel and Casino
• El Cortez Hotel and Casino
• Fremont Hotel and Casino
• Main Street Station Hotel and Casino
• Plaza Hotel and Casino

Sigma Derby

Sigma Derby is a retro horse racing game. It made its debut in 1985 and was quite popular at the time. In today’s casinos, it’s nearly impossible to find. Just like coin-operated slot machines, parts for Sigma Derby games are hard to find when the game is in need of repairs.

El Cortez Casino In Las Vegas

In addition to having a difficult time keeping the Sigma Derby machines operational, the casinos make a very small profit on them. They are coin operated and run on just a few quarters. The machines also take over a minute to complete one round.

Because of this, almost every Las Vegas casino has done away with Sigma Derby machines. In fact, there is only one such machine in all of downtown Las Vegas. This machine is at The D Hotel and Casino. Or, if you’re willing to venture to the Las Vegas Strip, there is one other Sigma Derby machine located at the MGM Grand.

Silver Strike

Silver Strike slot machines have an incredible fan base. They appeal to both slot machine players and to collectors. This is because, rather than winning cash, you win silver coins. Well, partially silver coins.

The coins used to be .999 silver. Now they are usually a mix of silver and copper. The variance is due to the fact that each casino is responsible for producing their own silver strike coins. This brings in the collector’s aspect, as there are many different coins to try to win.

The machine has a $3.00 max spin, which you must bet to have a chance at the silver coin bonus. If you get a silver strike logo on the third reel, you win a silver strike coin. Most of these coins are worth roughly $10; however, you have a chance at randomly receiving one worth up to $300.

There are varying values within each casino, plus several different casinos offering their own coin variations. The cost associated with producing the silver strike coins has deterred many casinos from carrying the machines. In downtown Las Vegas, there are two casinos who still have the game on their floor:

• The Four Queens Hotel and Casino has four machines
• El Cortez Hotel and Casino has one machine

Jumbo Slot Machine

The Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino is home to one of the largest functioning slot machines in all of Las Vegas. This slot machine is over eight feet tall! It is a 4-reel machine that works in dollar denominations. You will find this slot machine in the lobby by their front entrance. Such a massive machine can draw a lot of attention. It’s not unusual to see a crowd surrounding the machine, watching the player.

It does have an arm mechanism on it; however, this is no longer how the slot machine reels are spun. This is done with a spin button. One old-time aspect that still remains is that the payout from the machine is given in quarters. It’s a fun experience everyone should try once.

Vintage Slot Machines

If you’re looking to see some gambling history, Las Vegas is the place to do it. Even more specifically, looking through downtown Las Vegas, where the city got its start. Fremont Street is where the big casinos of Las Vegas originated. It is where it all began in the evolution of what Las Vegas is today.

This rich history is displayed throughout downtown Las Vegas. One of the crowd favorites in nostalgic merchandise is slot machines. There are two displays featuring retired, vintage slots. These are no longer functional but are still amazing to see. They are located at:

• The Golden Gate Hotel and Casino
• Main Street Hotel and Casino

If you’re looking for a large selection of vintage slot machines you can still play, your go-to destination should be The D Hotel and Casino. Their entire second floor is devoted exclusively to vintage slot machines. While they have all been converted to TITO (Ticket In/Ticket Out) machines, they still maintain the vintage gameplay options.

SlotZilla Zip Line

If you’re looking for unique slot machines that you can wager money on, the SlotZilla slot machine on Fremont Street is not for you. That’s because it’s not actually a slot machine, but a giant model of a slot machine. In fact, it’s the most giant one in the world. The SlotZilla slot machine holds the world record for the largest slot machine, standing at 128 feet tall.

It is truly a sight to see. It doesn’t stop there, though. The SlotZilla machine is actually a zip line. The zip line originates at the top of the 12-story-tall slot machine replica. From there, riders will fly down Fremont Street, just below the lighted canopy. There are two versions you can try: the zip line and the zoom line.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for something slightly different to do in Las Vegas, or simply trying to change up your usual gambling routine, this list has you covered. Everything on this list should be seen once if you’re a fan of slot machines or Vegas history.

Cortez Hotel Las Vegas

Not only will you be able to play some of the oldest functioning slot machines around, but you will also get to see amazing pieces of Las Vegas culture. You can cap it all off with a ride on Vegas’s own slot machine zip line.