Loosest Slots In Atlantic City

Posted on  by

Steve Callender is a very busy man who suddenly finds himself a tad busier thanks to his new role with Caesars Entertainment.

  1. Newest Slots In Atlantic City
  2. Best Slots Atlantic City Casinos
  3. Hottest Slots In Atlantic City
  4. Loosest Slots In Atlantic City

As the Northeast regional president for Caesars, he is always on the move. And now that the Caesars-Eldorado merger is complete, his responsibilities are expanding.

The six properties that now fall under his watch are:

Would like recommendations for great buffets and loosest slots! Atlantic City Tourism Atlantic City Accommodation Atlantic City Bed. Additionally, Prairie Meadows in Iowa hold the reigns for top in the state, getting the loosest slots crown at 91.78 percent. In Atlantic City, it was Harrah’s that topped the list across 2017 with a 91.73 percent payback. Harrah’s was followed closely by Borgata at 91.63.

  • Caesars AC
  • Harrah’s AC
  • Tropicana AC
  • Bally’s AC
  • Harrah’s Philadelphia
  • Horseshoe Baltimore
  • We do NOT currently have any offers for Tropicana Atlantic City Casino & Resort. However, if you have NOT played at Tropicana Atlantic City Casino & Resort for 2 years or more and typically play at the levels outlined below, the URComped team will try our best to help you get COMPED by connecting you directly with an on property host.
  • Best loose slots in Atlantic City, NJ. Sort: Recommended. Sponsored Results. Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. Casinos (609) 317-1000.
  • As always, our Loosest Slots results are certified by the Ventnor, NJ, accounting firm Rimm, Lavinsky, Horowitz and Pollard LLC. To all of our Loosest Slots winners, congratulations from Casino Player. You have proven you know how to give slot players a fair shake. 5¢ Borgata 90.74 Trump Marina 90.33 Trump Taj Mahal 89.93.

But six could become five before the end of the year. The pending sale of Bally’s to Twin River Worldwide Holdings is expected to close during the fourth quarter.

Play NJ caught up with Callender for an exclusive chat. With all that has changed in the Atlantic City casino market, and for Caesars in particular, there are quite a few things on Callender’s mind. Updates to existing properties, a new casino to oversee and a global pandemic top the list.

Sounds like a lot to manage, but Callender said he is excited about expanding his role and excited for Atlantic City.

Loosest

“You know, it’s two great companies combined into one. It’s going to be a great team,” said Callender. “I am sure we will be very successful. It’s certainly going to be challenging, but I am looking forward to it.”

Day-to-day routine mixed with a pandemic and a merger

2020 is one of those years the gaming industry will never forget.

The global COVID-19 pandemic forced casinos around the world to close for extended periods of time. In New Jersey, a state mandate forced all nine Atlantic City casinos to close on March 16. But no one, including Callender, thought the shutdown would last 100-plus days.

The Trop reopened on July 2. Caesars, Bally’s and Harrah’s welcomed back customers the following day.

And while the reopening plans were coming together, the Caesars and Eldorado teams were busy finalizing a merger.

Callender, who also serves as president of the Casino Association of New Jersey, had an active role in Atlantic City’s reopening plans.

“With the COVID-19 [pandemic], we were spending a lot of time on the telephone building protocols for reopening with the Casino Association team, AtlantiCare and the Division of Gaming Enforcement,” said Callender.

A lot of meetings and phone calls went into putting the pieces in place for reopening. But the result is that AC is open and people are back at work. The long hours were all worth it, according to Callender, who said:

“I am thrilled to have the casinos back open again, to be able to walk the casino floor and talk to some guests. We have a lot of our [team] members back, which is a great sign.”

Callender spends much of his time introducing himself and visiting the different properties he now oversees. He already knew a lot of people in the Atlantic City market.

Senior vice president of operations, eastern region, for Eldorado Resorts was his previous title.

A big to-do list for Caesars

The $17.3 billion merger, for those who didn’t tune into last week’s Casino Control Commission hearing, finally got the state’s stamp of approval. But it came with some stipulations that Caesars must follow.

One of the biggies is making capital investments to the tune of $400 million within the next three years.

Obviously, we are not talking about small projects here. And believe it or not, Callender and his team are already putting together a to-do list.

“We kind of have it broken up into three buckets,” said Callender.

Here is how Callendar said the ideas are organized:

  • What needs to be done and done right away.
  • Crazy ideas, things that nobody has thought of.
  • What Caesars would really like to see fixed.

Callender noted that the team has already started looking at designs for hotel rooms at Caesars and Harrah’s. The management team isn’t wasting any time in getting that to-do list finalized and completed.

Once the prime summer season ends, Callender said, come September, “we’ll be working.”

“We have some challenges,” he added, “but we have some bright people that are going to figure it out.“

Caesars Atlantic City comes first

Not surprisingly, Caesars Atlantic City, which is at the center of the Boardwalk, tops the list of properties in desperate need of some TLC.

Part of that comes with the territory. Caesars AC has been around since gambling first took root on the Jersey Shore. That’s 40-plus years.

But there is another factor: Previous owners have not made the necessary improvements to keep up with the times. The DGE and CCC are making sure the flagship property will finally get the attention it needs.

That’s why one of the conditions focuses specifically on Caesars AC. A minimum of $150 million needs to be spent on improvements at Caesars over the next three years.

For instance, the casino floor at Caesars Atlantic City near the valet entrance is empty. It’s just a blank space with nothing to wow guests or entice bettors to come inside.

That “sense of arrival,” as Callender terms it, is not a good way to introduce tourists to Caesars. It needs an update. And Callender said his team is up to the challenge.

“I think it’s a great opportunity,” he said. “The sense of arrival is very important to us and for our businesses. It is at the top of our list to address.”

Will the Playground Pier live up to its potential?

There is an intriguing component to the property. The building connects to the Playground Pier via an enclosed walkway over the Boardwalk.

Earlier this year, developer Bart Blatstein, who owns the Showboat and has grand water park plans, sold the shopping and entertainment complex to a subsidiary of Caesars Entertainment.

High-end retailers such as Tiffany’s, Apple, Gucci and Louis Vuitton all previously operated out of this space. Today, the vacancies far outnumber the occupied spaces.

And the fact that there is no indoor dining isn’t helping things.

So what does one do with a massive space that resembles a ghost town?

“It’s a challenge, but it’s something I really need to get my head around,” said Callender.

“We are meeting with a group that is going to make a proposal with some things they would like to do at the pier. We will take a look at that and see if we can find a plan that encompasses that great space into something that makes sense and that we would be happy to have our name on.”

Sounds daunting, but once again, Callender remains positive:

“We have a lot of creative people in our company, and we are going to find something to make that work.”

Newest Slots In Atlantic City

Tropicana’s past, present and future

Callender is experienced with overseeing extensive capital improvements. He was part of the Tropicana Atlantic City team during its renovations. But back in 2010, the Trop was in bad shape.

“Frankly, the property was in terrible condition,” Callender said.

He noted that aside from The Quarter, the Havana-themed entertainment complex, the building was in need of a lot of repairs.

The escalators, elevators, roofs and boiler rooms all got addressed first. But the bigger projects soon followed.

“Once we started to get rolling, we spent $300 million [at Tropicana],” said Callender. “We remodeled the entire casino floor. We refurbished three hotel towers out of our five. We actually bought the Chelsea Tower when we needed more rooms and brought it back to life, which was great for the city.”

And last year, just in time for March Madness betting, the Trop unveiled its permanent William Hill sportsbook.

“We’ve done a lot. It’s a completely different property and something we are very proud of,” said Callender.

And as far as future upgrades go, there is always more work to be done.

“We never stop. We will continue to update our casino floor. We are actually looking at redoing the West Tower, which is another 500-room tower that we would like to get to. That’s in our plans right now,” said Callender.

Harrah’s is getting upgrades, too

Over in the Marina District, Harrah’s is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

Whether or not there will be some grand celebration is still to be determined. The pandemic may delay the party.

Harrah’s Resort is unique, as it has its own convention center. Plus, there is The Pool, which doubles as one of Atlantic City’s more popular nightlife destinations. Unfortunately, nobody knows when it will be safe to resume the business.

The bottom line is that the property is in better shape than Caesars AC. Still, the management team sees areas that need to be addressed.

So what are some of the things planned for Harrah’s?

Callender notes that some of the changes won’t necessarily give customers something new to look at or drive business but will make the business easier to run. A high-speed slot floor falls under this category.

Those upgrades to the casino floor and IT systems will help Caesars compete in the AC market. “Those things need to be done,” said Callender.

The Pool and convention center areas could see upgrades as well.

“I look at The Pool over there. That is probably [Harrah’s] greatest nongaming amenity. And that needs a little bit of work, too. So we will be spending some money there,” said Callender.

“The convention center is probably the best part about it. We certainly want to take advantage of that. We are looking at making a few little changes there that might make that a better concept for us.”

And upgrades to the hotel product? Yes, those are also on the list.

Back in December, Caesars Entertainment announced a $24 million investment dedicated to its newly rebranded Laguna Tower.

The project has been delayed as a result of the pandemic. Work should resume in September.

Bally’s, a property in transition

Like Caesars, Bally’s has been a mainstay at the center of the Boardwalk over the last four decades. And it’s another property needing a makeover.

Caesars will be keeping the Wild Wild Westportion of the casino, and that includes the giant sportsbook, The Book at Bally’s. The rest of the complex will fall under the purview of its new owners.

But for now, until Twin River gets licensed, Callender will be keeping a close eye on things.

“My instructions are we run it like we own it until we don’t own it anymore,” said Callender. “It’s not just overseeing, it’s lending support and advice. When a deal gets done, then I’ll stop worrying about it. Until then, it’s part of our [responsibilities].”

And here is something else to consider. Once the sale is completed, the Roman-themed Caesars and the Wild West-themed casino will be combined into one property. Granted, the two spaces currently connect via an indoor escalator.

Whether or not the latter theme remains intact is something Callender and his team will evaluate down the road.

“Whether the theme changes or not, I am not sure yet, to be honest with you. I don’t think it will be too hard to move away from it,” he said.

“A lot of people like it. People are sentimental. It’s a good space, and we want to take advantage of it. I am sure we will figure it out.

“Right now, we have to concentrate on upgrading the room product across our brands [and the] sense of arrival at Caesars. [Those] are probably our biggest priorities we have right now.”

Staying positive for Atlantic City

Even with the pending Bally’s sale, there is obviously a lot of work for Callender and his team to get done. Details on the specific projects will come at a later date.

And keep in mind, the current Atlantic City casino market is facing challenges like it’s never seen before. There are the wild cards of indoor dining, and smoking and drinking on the casino floor.

Casinos are currently operating at 25% capacity, too. Sure, something is better than nothing. However, if Atlantic City hopes to return to pre-pandemic levels, the restrictions will need to be loosened.

But when? That decision remains in Gov. Phil Murphy’s hands.

To Callender, the updates to Caesars’ properties are required, yes, but important. Simply put, “I am still very pro-Atlantic City,” he said.

“It’s really a shame. We had great momentum going on in the city. We went a few years and were growing. Unfortunately, we were stopped dead in our tracks. … It’s going to take us a while. I certainly understand that. We will be patient, and when it’s safe to get back out, we will be here and we will be ready.”

AP Photo/Wayne Parry

For decades, the majority of the advertising you may have seen for Atlantic City casinos has centered around how loose the slot machines are.

Slots are the most popular games in any casino and Atlantic City casinos have been trying to draw you in by promising the loosest slots in town. What they’re really saying is their slots pay out at a better rate than the competition. Some can even prove it using data from the New Jersey Department of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE).

The NJDGE puts out the Atlantic City Casino Industry Casino Win Data report annually. It lists, by denomination, how much money the slots at every Atlantic City casino is taking in every year and how much of it they’re keeping. From there, it’s easy enough to extrapolate the Return To Player rates for slots at all nine Atlantic City casinos.

If you’re playing slots online you might not think this has much to do with you. That’s wrong. For the most part, the online slots you find at New Jersey online casinos are the very same ones you see on the gaming floor at Atlantic City casinos.

These days, almost 99% of slot machines are computerized. At Atlantic City casinos, the computer programs that run the slots are housed in the slot cabinets you find in banks all across the gaming floor. At NJ online casinos the very same computer programs run on servers you can access on the internet.

Since most of the games are the same, it would follow that the Return To Player rates for most of the slots at Atlantic City casinos are the same as the ones you’ll find at online casinos or in some cases, better.

Casinos with Better Paying Slots than Atlantic City Casinos

What Does Return to Player Mean?

Best Slots Atlantic City Casinos

The odds of winning at any casino game are often expressed in something called the Return To Player rate (RTP). It’s the opposite of the house edge the casinos enjoy on the games.

Essentially, return-to-player is the expected return a player can see, also referred to as payout percentage. The return is based around the life-expectance of the game, which in the case of online slots, is essentially infinity.

That means a game with a 90% RTP will pay back $90 for every $100 played on it.

The thing is, the payout percentage is based on long term performance of the slot machine. In other words, you’re not guaranteed to get $90 out of a game you just put $100 into.

It will take many, many sessions before you can estimate the RTP.

However, the slot machine payout percentage is a strong indicator of what you can expect from a casino game over the long haul. For slots in particular, RTP is far and away the best way to tell if a game is loose or tight.

Atlantic City Slot Machine Payouts

A look at the numbers in the 2018 Atlantic City Casino Industry Casino Win Data report tells us that Atlantic City casino slots had an overall average RTP of 92.11% in 2018. That’s a pretty good number for players because it means $92.11 of every $100 put into Atlantic City casino slots was paid back in prizes to those same players.

So, who really had the loosest slots in America’s playground in 2018? Here’s a look at the best Atlantic City slot machine payouts.

  • Golden Nugget 93.15%
  • Borgata 92.01%
  • Harrah’s 91.97%
  • Resorts 91.89%
  • Tropicana 91.81%
  • Bally’s 91.73%
  • Caesars 91.67%
  • Ocean Resort 91.45%
  • Hard Rock 91.28%

Golden Nugget Atlantic City had the loosest slots in 2018. In fact, Golden Nugget’s $0.50 slots were the loosest in all of Atlantic City paying out a 98.5% RTP on the $2,750,730 they took in.

Penny slots might be the most attractive in Atlantic City casinos because they appear to cost the least to play. However, the average RTP of 88.7% for $0.01 and $0.02 slots in Atlantic City casinos in 2018 suggests they may not be the best bet. In fact, the $0.01 and $0.02 slots at Bally’s and Harrah’s offered the worst RTP in AC at 87.6%.

Ultimately, the data suggest if you can find a $.50 slot machine at an Atlantic City casino you should probably play it. The average RTP for $.50 slot machines at all Atlantic City casinos is 94.1%.

The next best bet is the high roller $25 slot machines, which posted an average RTP at all Atlantic City casinos of 93.4%.

AC Slots vs. Online Slots

Unfortunately, the NJDGE does not release this kind of specific Casino Win Data for NJ online casinos. That means we can’t tell you how online slot machines actually performed over that same period of time.

Fortunately, some real money casinos list the expected payout percentages for most slots in the description of the game. That means we can look at a selection of games you can find both at AC casinos and online and figure out an average expected RTP for those slots online.

Top 10 AC Slots Available Online

Here’s a look at the Top 10 AC Slots that are also available online and the RTP listed for the games at Golden Nugget Online Casino:

  • Quick Hit Platinum:A retro Vegas classic five-reel and 30-payline slot with an RTP of 94.06%. Features include a progressive jackpot, free games, wild symbols, and the instant-win Quick Hit pays feature.
  • Wolf Run: Forest-themed five-reel and 40-payline slot with an RTP of 94.98%. Features include an Auto Play function, bonus rounds, stacked wilds, free spins, and high quality wolf graphics.
  • China Shores: A Chinese panda-themed five-reel and 30-payline slot with an RTP of 96.10%. Features include Asian-inspired symbols, a progressive jackpot, free games, and the ability to exchange free games for a random prize.
  • Fu Dao Le: An Asian-inspired five-reel and 243-ways-to win slot with an RTP of 96%. Features include clumped wilds, mystery symbols, a free games bonus feature, a Red Envelope Jackpot, and a jackpot bonus feature with three jackpots.
  • DaVinci Diamonds: An old-world Italian artistry themed five-reel and 20-payline slot with an RTP of 94.94%. Features include tumbling reels, free spins, scatters, and a bonus round.
  • Hot Roll Super Times Pay: A classic Vegas dice game-themed five-reel and 20-payline slot with an RTP of 93.4%. Features include wilds, Hot Roll symbols and bonuses, and wild multipliers.
  • Siberian Storm: An Siberian winter and white tiger-themed five-reel and 720-ways-to win slot with an RTP of 95%. Features include free spins and wild symbols. There’s also a Dual Play version of the game with 1440 / 2880 lines and an RTP of 94.22%. It’s features include the MultiWay Xtra feature with 1440 ways to win, a stacked wilds feature, and free spins bonus.
  • 88 Fortunes: A classic Chinese-themed five-reel and 243-ways-to win slot with an RTP of 96%. Features include a free games feature, Fu Bat pick win bonus round, and Fu Bat Jackpot symbols giving you a chance to win one of four progressive jackpots.
  • Dancing Drums: Another Asian-inspired five-reel and 243-ways-to win slot with an RTP of 96%. Features include wilds, free spins, scatters, the FU BABIES Jackpot Bonus and Free Spins Bonus.
  • Zeus: A greek mythology-themed five-reel and 30-payline slot with an RTP of 95.97%. Features include free spins and a free games feature offering up to 100 free games.

RTP online versus live

The 10 slot machines listed above have an average payout percentage of 95.15%, which is even better than the AC best 93.15% RTP average of all slots on the Golden Nugget Atlantic City casino floor posted in 2018.

This suggests you’d be better off playing the games online than at a land-based casino. That may very well be the case, but before we declare that the slots at online casinos are looser than the same games at land-based casinos in AC, we should remind you of some important distinctions between the numbers.

Hottest Slots In Atlantic City

First of all, the land-based casino RTP numbers are based on real data over the course of a year provided to the NJDGE by Atlantic City casinos. The online casino RTP numbers are basically theoretical and could take longer than a year to be realized.

Plus, the land-based casino RTP numbers are formed using actual data from every slot on the floor of an Atlantic City casino in 2018. The online casino numbers are theoretical RTP figures for just 10 games found at both land-based and online casinos in New Jersey.

Can I earn comps at AC casinos for playing online?

If you play slots online instead of at an Atlantic City casino you might think you’ll miss out on all kinds of comps, bonuses, and player loyalty rewards you’d otherwise earn. That’s wrong. Several online casinos offer the same comps, bonuses, and player loyalty rewards you earn on the gaming floor at Atlantic City casinos.

In fact, many online casinos will provide loyalty programs that allow you to earn points at their land-based locations or earn credits for the land-based program, thereby allowing you to both earn and redeem at the online casino or retail location.

Here’s a list of the online casinos where players can earn comps at Atlantic City casinos when they play online:

Caesars Casino & Sports – Caesars Rewards Card

Caesars Rewards offers the Tier and Reward Credits for betting online at the Caesars Online Casino. Caesars Rewards properties in Atlantic City include Bally’s Atlantic City, Caesars Atlantic City, and Harrah’s Atlantic City.

BetMGM – iRewards Loyalty

BetMGM offers two rewards programs, one for online players, called iRewards Loyalty Program and the other for brick-and-mortar players. You can exchange your iRewards Points into Express Comps and use it at any MGM Resorts destination in the US, including Borgata in Atlantic City.

Golden Nugget Online Casino – Golden Rewards Program

Golden Nugget offers its own proprietary Golden Rewards program online. However, Golden Rewards members enjoy benefits and perks at Golden Nugget Atlantic City.

Harrah’s Online Casino – Caesars Rewards Card

You can earn comp points at Harrah’s online casino and convert them to your standard Caesars Rewards account.

SugarHouse Online Casino – iRush Rewards Program

SugarHouse provides a unique rewards program called iRush Rewards program. The rewards program is available at both both NJ and PA casinos. You can use these comp points at the Philadelphia SugarHouse Casino.

Loosest Slots In Atlantic City

The online slots advantage

The truth is that online casinos are a lot more convenient for most people than their land-based partners.

If you want to play slots at an Atlantic City casino you must go out of pocket for transportation costs and unless you live next door to one, it’s going to take some time to travel there.

In contrast, you can login and start spinning online in a matter of minutes with no additional travel costs.

Since the slots are mostly the same at AC casinos and NJ online casinos, the fact online is more convenient and less costly makes NJ online casinos the obvious choice between the two. Plus, even though it’s theoretical, the fact you might enjoy a better RTP online than live makes the decision between the two a no brainer.

With RTPs over 90%, we recommend doing both. But if you have to choose one or the other there’s simply too many advantages to playing slots online over AC casinos to ignore.