Dollar Slots vs. Penny Slots – Deciding Which Casino Game Is Best

An interesting question that was put to me recently was along the lines of is do dollar slots pay better than penny slots?

What’s funny about this query is that there appears to be something of a debate around it. One that I will be answering for you today.

Furthermore, this post will refer to this bone of contention as the penny slots vs. dollar slots debate. 

So, which type of slot machine pays more on the best USA online casinos? Should you play dollar slots or penny slots? And what exactly discerns one from the other?

It’s my mission to find out. Let’s get right into the dollar slots vs. penny slots comparison to find out which is the better option.

The first thing we should do is figure out the difference between dollar slot machines vs. penny slot machines and how they work.

Penny slots fundamentally work the same way as other traditional slot machines. You enter money, spin, and hope to win. Of course, the name can confuse some.

You’ll struggle to find slots that only cost a penny per spin. Perhaps as rare as encountering Elvis sipping margaritas with an alien. 

To make matters even more confusing, most penny slots will cost a dollar per spin. This is down to the credits required per pay line or, in some cases, the max bet function.

As the odds of winning big are higher with the max pay function selected, some won’t even class the machines we call penny slots as such.

The driving force behind why most of us online slots for real money is to make a profit. Otherwise, we’d just be playing for fun. Simple, right?

A good question to ask yourself before you spin is, do penny odds have better odds than dollar slots? The answer is no.

Typically, a penny slot will have a worse return to player (RTP) percentage than its big brother.

Some of the lower-end slot machines have RTPs of less than 86%. That’s crazy. But when you consider that casinos don’t make as much from these machines, you can understand why they program them to return less.

Want to learn even more about penny slots? Check out this guide.

The penny slots vs. dollar slots debate probably has no shelf life. Well, until penny slots are completely removed from casinos, that is.

But a major part of why casinos have penny slots in the first place is due to tourism.

Some folks, especially those with an eye on a budget, cannot justify spinning for $5 at a time. They want fun without potentially losing a lot of money in the process. The simple solution? You got it.

On the other side of the coin are players that would be driven demented by wasting hours for little to nothing in return. The question of “Do dollar slots pay better than penny slots?” is not exactly one that requires much thought.

Although you are likelier to walk away with bigger wins from the former, you can still win jackpots on penny slots. But again, major jackpots on dollar slots will be far greater.

There is much more to comparing dollar slots and penny slots. So, let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons of both.

Dollar slot machines vs. penny slot machines — who ya got? If this were a fight, dollar slots would be on course to earn a first-round knockout. Or so many players believe.

But is that really the case? Or does siding with the smaller denomination machines in the argument of penny slots versus dollar slots make more sense in the long run?

Let’s strip things down to the basics here.

As you can see, you can still hit the jackpot by playing penny slots. Most sites require you to spin at a certain amount to qualify for jackpots, but there are a few out there that give you a chance.

Bovada’s Aztec’s Treasure is one to consider, and not just because it’s one of the best treasure slots ever made. They have a $0.01 slot minimum and a 97% RTP, in addition to a progressive jackpot.

Check out this Bovada review, or head directly to their site to start playing!

If penny slots allow you the chance to hit the jackpot, why bother with dollar slots if they are more expensive?

Well, the jackpots are even higher for dollar slot machines. There’s also more dollar slots that are up-to-date compared to their counterparts.

One of which is Spin It Vegas, which can be found at Wild Casino. Wild Casino is one of the top casinos for all kinds of slot machines. They offer a 250% welcome bonus (up to $5,000) for new users.

Visit Wild Casino to play Spin It Vegas to play now!

As you can tell, there are strong arguments for playing both. Ultimately, the type you gravitate to will be influenced by your own circumstances.

For instance, someone with a smaller bankroll is not as likely to play large spins simultaneously. It might make much more sense to play penny slots and hope to win a larger bankroll to take across the floor. 

As you can see from the pros and cons above, this is just one area that contributes to the idea that they are better than what you can find across penny slot machines.

Still, there is a lot of subjectivity in that statement. For instance, anyone who has enjoyed glittering success with these machines would probably beg to differ.

A woman won a $2.9 million jackpot from a dollar slot in Las Vegas in 2010, and there have been other stories of people scooping major prizes since then. 

Of course, progressive jackpots have never been more popular. But when compared to winning money on these games or losing loads, your profit margin will depend on various factors.

We can introduce a whole host of factors to support our arguments for which is the best casino game. Something specific to the penny slots vs. dollar slots debate is which pays better.

Are we talking over the course of an hour or a year?

For example, if I have stakes $300 in penny slots this year and am up by $95, that means I have a profit margin of +$95. However, if the guy next to me has wagered $50,000 and has won back $35,000 of it, he is down $15k. 

So, which pays better? The answer will be, according to this example, the penny slots. But that is not where the dollar slots vs. penny slots debate ends. It’s just one example.

If we had access to quick data comparing the aggregate win/loss ratios of those playing both types of these slots, we might be somewhat surprised. Then again, we might not.

Also, we don’t have that information to hand, which might appear to make the last few sentences I have written to be absolutely pointless. But hold on just a second!

Anyone asking, “Do penny slots pay better than dollar slots” can look at the RTPs of those games. As there is no definitive answer to give, just a few indications, your choice will come down to how you feel about things.

In other words, it’s subjective.

If so, good luck. As a strategy, it’s not exactly robust.

Someone targeting dollar slots to win decent amounts of money more frequently might be much better off in the long run. But that’s not guaranteed.

As they are pumping the last of their $50,000 bankroll into a machine, the last thing they want to hear is a siren going off to indicate a $15 million penny slots jackpot has gone off with someone spinning for 50c at a time.

And you know what? That happens. 

Regardless of which type of slot you go with, knowing when to cash out at the casino could be a lifesaver.

Advice for Knowing When to Cash Out at the Casino

Adjusting your expectations is one of the top tips for knowing when to cash out at a casino. Paying attention to your bankroll and setting loss limits stops you from losing too much. Setting a target profit goal helps prevent you from getting too greedy and...

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So, who should we declare the winner of the dollar slots vs. penny slots debate? As you can’t give me an answer in real-time, I will go ahead and carry on.

Deciding between penny slot machines vs. dollar slot machines is really down to you. Your circumstances, budget, and aims will determine your choice on the matter.

Sometimes, you might be in a position to spend thousands on your favorite dollar slots. At other times, penny slots could be your only option.

As for the penny slots and dollar slots comparison? Or which type of slot pays the most? 

As I don’t have a lot of time to sit there and keep spinning for hours on end, I’ll take dollar machines every time. Also, they are usually more engaging.

Slot machines aren’t nearly as engaging as the poker vs. blackjack debate, but you still want some element of excitement.

That’s a wrap for my comparison of penny slots and dollar slots. If you’re looking to get more into gambling from home or on the go, you’ll find this online casino tutorial very useful.

Footnote:

• Las Vegas Sun provided details for the $2.9 million jackpot winner.