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Payouts Down In Casinos Across Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Casinos across Pennsylvania are issuing fewer payouts.

Since the advent of live table games in the state, more gamblers are moving to poker, blackjack and the like.

When it comes to slots, the automated table games, which are considered slots, are being removed from the gambling floor. Penny machines are becoming progressively more popular and more prevalent.

All of that adds up to lower payouts for those playing slot machines.

Under state gaming laws, every slot machine must pay out a minimum of 85 percent of money wagered on it over the life of the machine. The casino can set the payout rate anywhere it wishes above that minimum.

An industry consultant in New Jersey with Spectrum Gaming Group who has been looking at the drop in payouts in Pennsylvania agrees that the introduction of live table games in July changed the dynamics of the gaming floor.

The electronic table games had much higher payouts. Once they were gone, the popular penny and two-cent games offer much lower payouts.

He believes that casinos in the state will continue to tweak the mix of games and payout ratios to stay competitive and give customers what they want.

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