Las Vegas NowGaming Expert Sees Casinos Tightening Up

Gaming Expert Sees Casinos Tightening Up

Gaming revenues in Nevada have been on the decline for a year. With casinos taking in less money, gamblers want to know if their odds of winning have also suffered as the economy takes a dive.

In the bad economy, many have a feeling that slots and video poker machines have been tightened up. One expert says that's probably a safe bet.

Strip fortunes have tumbled like a house of cards. Big gaming is losing money and some companies now on the brink of bankruptcy. The crisis has hurt casinos and their balance sheets and many bettors feel gambling isn't paying off like it used to.

"You don't hear much money coming out anymore, like ching, ching, ching. It's slow. It's slow," said tourist Trevor Sinclair.

"Of course they're not going to pay out as much so they can keep their employees and keep the doors open," said slot player Amanda Beaver.

Anthony Curtis is billed as the most recognized and quoted Las Vegas expert in the world. He's seen a distinct trend, "I think the tightening has been going on since things began to look pretty dismal, and that goes back eight to 10 months."

And he says it starts with video poker. "You can look at a machine and you can tell mathematically what their pay schedule returns. Not so with slots," he said. "So typically, if video poker is down, you have to assume that slots are also going down."

Curtis says Gaming Control Board statistics don't tell the full story of whether there's a tightening on the casino floor, "It's very hard to look at Gaming Control Board statistics and tell exactly what's going on."

Even table games are seeing some tightening. More casinos are paying 6 to 5 on blackjack when it was 3 to 2. You want to look for a place that stands on soft 17.

Curtis says casinos won't get too tight because word will spread about the more loose places. Right now, Curtis has two picks, "The two places that I have seen recently that are making conscious efforts to say, ‘We are looser,' and they are backing it up with schedules that I can see that they are, are M Resort and Eastside Cannery, and that's just the fact of it."

Curtis has put his cards on the table. He feels most places aren't paying off like they used to, "I don't even have to name names. I think in general, we are seeing a tightening up throughout almost, I'd say, 90-percent of the operators."

Eyewitness News contacted several gaming giants that have been hit hard by the economy. Both MGM Mirage and Harrah's Entertainment say they haven't lowered payouts on machines because that would drive the customer base away. Las Vegas Sands and Station Casinos did no respond by airtime.

Gaming is the lifeblood of Las Vegas, but no matter where you place your bet, you'll still need a lot of luck. No matter what you do, remember the old saying, "the house always wins."