Slot Machine Hold Percentage Explained
Hold percentage is the casino industry's preferred way to express machine profitability — and it's the inverse of RTP. A machine with 6% hold returns 94% to players. Understanding hold percentage unlocks the publicly available state gaming board data and lets AP players benchmark machine performance against industry averages.
Hold vs. RTP: The Simple Relationship
Hold percentage and RTP are two sides of the same coin:
Hold % = 100% - RTP
RTP = 100% - Hold %
- 94% RTP machine = 6% hold
- 92% RTP machine = 8% hold
- 97% RTP machine = 3% hold
- 88% RTP machine = 12% hold
State gaming reports publish hold; casino operators and AP players typically use RTP. Knowing the conversion lets you read regulatory data directly.
Nevada Data: The Nevada Gaming Control Board publishes monthly slot machine win reports showing average hold by denomination for individual Las Vegas Strip properties, downtown Las Vegas properties, and Reno properties. These reports are free and publicly available at the NGCB website. AP players use them to benchmark whether specific casinos run tighter or looser than the statewide average for each denomination.
Reading State Gaming Board Hold Reports
Public gaming board reports present hold data aggregated by denomination and property type. How to interpret them:
- These are averages across all machines of that denomination at that property — not data for any specific machine
- High variance in short periods — monthly hold figures are noisy; annual averages are more reliable
- Denominations are self-reported by casinos — a “penny” machine that charges $2/spin may still be classified as penny denomination based on credit value
- Comparison use: If Property A shows 12% average hold on penny machines and Property B shows 9%, Property B's penny section is materially better on average — useful for selecting between competing properties in the same market
Theoretical vs. Actual Hold
A machine's theoretical hold is fixed by its software — 6%, 8%, 12%, etc. The actual hold in any reporting period differs from theoretical hold due to variance. In a month with many jackpot hits, actual hold will be lower than theoretical. In a month with few jackpots, actual hold will be higher. Over millions of spins, actual hold converges on theoretical hold.
For AP purposes, the theoretical hold (from PAR sheet or machine analysis) is the relevant figure for EV calculations. State report data is useful for market-level benchmarking, not for individual session decisions.
Access all 150+ machine guides with analyzed RTP and hold data for specific machines — the machine-level detail that state board reports cannot provide.
View Membership OptionsFrequently Asked Questions
What is hold percentage on a slot machine?
Hold percentage is the casino's share of coin-in — it is the complement of RTP. If a machine has 94% RTP, it has 6% hold. A 92% RTP machine holds 8%. Hold percentage = 100% minus RTP. The terms are inverse: higher RTP means lower hold (better for players); higher hold means lower RTP (better for the casino). State gaming board reports typically publish hold percentage rather than RTP — converting is simple arithmetic.
Where can I find slot machine hold percentage data?
State gaming control boards that require public reporting publish hold percentages in monthly or annual reports. States with public payback reporting include Nevada (Nevada Gaming Control Board), New Jersey (NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement), Mississippi (Mississippi Gaming Commission), and several others. These reports show average hold by denomination across all machines in a jurisdiction — not for individual machines. Nevada monthly reports are the most detailed, showing average hold by denomination at individual casino properties in Clark County and Washoe County.
What is a typical hold percentage for different denomination machines?
Typical hold percentages by denomination, based on state gaming board data: penny machines 8-12% hold (88-92% RTP); nickel machines 5-9% hold (91-95% RTP); quarter machines 5-8% hold (92-95% RTP); dollar machines 3-7% hold (93-97% RTP); $5 machines 1-4% hold (96-99% RTP); $25+ machines 1-3% hold (97-99%+ RTP). Higher denomination machines hold less — more favorable to players.
Is hold percentage the same as house edge?
Hold percentage and house edge are related but measure different things. House edge is a theoretical rate calculated from the game's probability structure — it tells you what the casino should earn on average per dollar wagered. Hold percentage is an observed figure calculated from actual gaming results over a period: (coin-in minus coin-out) divided by coin-in. For slot machines at scale over time, hold percentage closely approximates house edge. But in short periods, variance causes actual hold to diverge significantly from theoretical house edge.
Can you find the hold percentage of a specific slot machine?
Not directly from public records. State gaming reports show averages by denomination, not by individual machine. The machine's PAR sheet (paytable and reel strip) contains the theoretical RTP and therefore the theoretical hold — but PAR sheets are not publicly available and are proprietary manufacturer documents. AP resources that have analyzed PAR sheet data or documented machine behavior over time can provide RTP estimates for specific machines and configurations. This is one of the primary values of SlotStrat machine guides.
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