If you’re betting 75 cents a spin on a video slot, and I’m betting 75 cents a spin on a three-reel game with no bonus events, then I bet more money per hour than you do because I’m not getting that free time. Is your bonus decided before you play a pick’em bonus round, or do your choices matter? Your choices do.
The game is fun and addicting which is exactly why so many people lose. Rather than come up with good strategies and budgeting wisely, most beginners launch into the game until their money is gone. You can use self-control to avoid losing at penny slots. All penny slots look like innocent games stacked with attractive lights.
So if you use a penny slot with a rate of 75%, you will get back $4.50, so you will lose $1.50 an hour. If you play the dollar game with a 93% payout ratio, you get $558 back, so you lose $42. Of course, these are theoretical sums that apply to an infinite number of spins.

This percentage allows you to estimate how much you hope to win after spending a certain amount of money on a game of slots. For instance, if the payout percentage of a dollar or penny slot is 96%, it means that 96 cents for every dollar bet are given back to players. Thus if you intend to spend a total of $100, then you can expect to win back. The first time I saw one of these games, a friend of mine called them “penny slots.” The minimum bet was 10 cents per payline and the game had 25 paylines. The minimum bet was, to my way of thinking, $2.50. You could never bet just a penny on that “penny slot” game. The maximum bet was $1 per payline.

If you have ever been to a casino before, you have likely seen hundreds of old ladies in front of slot machines spinning hundreds of times in a single go. Often times you will find yourself laughing at these people wasting their time, but this is not always the case. Penny slots, though their name may imply otherwise, are not as big of a waste of time as you might be led to believe. In fact, as far as risk and reward are concerned, there are few games that require you to risk less with the allure of winning more. Penny slots may not have the best odds in the casino, but they do offer you a unique opportunity to make a lot of money in a short period of time.

Slot Machines Are Everywhere

Even if you are at an incredibly small casino, the fact of the matter is that slot games exist everywhere. In almost every case where slot games are, there are also likely penny slots. Online casinos and brick and mortar casinos alike are often more filled with slot games than they are any other casino game. This is not an accident, because slot games are easy to use and great for people of all ages.

Penny Slots Growing in Popularity

Since the dawn of slots, penny slots have been right there attracting gamblers from all walks of life. Since day 1, penny slots have been adored by the general public because they feature what every gambler loves: the chance to win a lot of money without having to risk a lot of money. Basically, what it boils down to, is people hoping that they will hit a mega-jackpot without having to spend an insane amount of money just to get there. This is really the dream when it comes to casinos, because everyone wants to both win a lot of money and in the same breath spend as little of their own money as possible.

At both brick and mortar and online casinos alike, penny slots can be found in most places. In fact, even the smallest sites and locations tend to have a penny slots bank because that is a game that can be played by anyone and everyone. Of course, other slot games are popular too, but few have stood the test of time as well as penny slots have. As we have moved forward throughout recent history it has become clear that these slot games are not going anywhere soon.

For beginning slots players, there are so many advantages to starting out with penny slots as opposed to more elaborate, more expensive, and more confusing slot games. First and foremost you will be able to get a hang for how slot games function without having to spend a lot of money. There are many other advantages, but the most basic and most obvious have to relate with how penny slots can teach you so much about how slot games, in general, work.

Slot Games Online

Penny slots at online casinos are something that have existed since online casinos were first brought about in the mid-1990s. Just as is the case with brick and mortar casinos, you will find that most online casinos also offer an absolute plethora of slot games, and especially penny slots. While some sites may offer more slot games than others, you will find that the existence of slot games is something that is a constant across the industry.

Penny slots online, just like the slots that exist at brick and mortar casinos, are verified for randomness and ensure that the casino is not setting you up and stealing your money. People have a difficult time trusting online casinos, but the fact of the matter is that slot games online are just as random and trustworthy as slot games at brick and mortar establishments.

Penny Slots FAQs

If I am only betting pennies, will I be able to win any substantial amount of money?

Most people think that because you are only wagering a few cents at a time, you never really have the opportunity to win big. This is not always the case because there are some penny slot games that offer absolutely massive jackpots.

Are penny slots a good way to learn more about higher-stakes slot games?

Yes, they are exactly that. Penny slots are a great way for someone who is interested in slot games to learn more about them without having to sacrifice a large quantity of their own money. After all, your gambling with just a few pennies at a time.

Are penny slots common at online casinos?

Though you may know that online casinos host penny slots, you may be wondering just how common they are. The fact of the matter is that most every casino that offers slot games will also offer penny slots.

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It wasn't that long ago that if you wanted to gamble, you had to travel a long way. Today, to shoot craps or play slots, all you have to do is get in your car: there's probably a casino in your state, or right next door.

There is now casino gambling now in 38 states, which use the revenue from gambling to help solve their bloated budget deficits.

The main attraction at these gambling halls is now the new slot machines - there are close to 850,000 of them in the United States, twice the number of ATMs.

We Americans spend more money on slots than on movies, baseball and theme parks combined.

But with the modern slot machines, there is a greater potential for a dangerous side effect: gambling addiction, as more people are addicted to slots than any other form of gambling.

Playing the Odds
If you're casino bound, remember, the house always has the upper hand, but there are ways to increase your odds of winning. And ways to avoid becoming a 'problem gambler.'

The Big Gamble

Why Do Penny Slots Make So Much Money Today

Extra: Slot Machines and 'The Zone'
Extra: Slot Addicts' Burnout
Extra: Can Machines Cause Addiction?
Gamblers Anonymous
National Center for Responsible Gaming
Stop Predatory Gambling Money

Arnie & Sheila Wexler Associates
Old fashioned slot machines let gamblers pull the handle and hope for three of a kind, but the modern slots are like high tech video games that play music and scenes from TV shows.

You can play hundreds of lines at once and instead of pulling a handle, you bet by pushing buttons, which means each bet can be completed in as little as three and a half seconds. It looks like great fun, but it can be dangerously addictive.

'Whether or not it's their intention, the gambling industry is designing machines that can addict people,' MIT anthropology Professor Natasha Schull told '60 Minutes' correspondent Lesley Stahl.

Schull has studied gambling addiction for over 15 years. She has interviewed gamblers, casino owners and slot machine designers.

'Do you think that most people would even think that a machine could addict you? That a machine could do the same thing that a drug could?' Stahl asked.

'What add