One of the greatest slots myths has to be the belief that there are 'loose' (slots which offers generous payouts) and 'tight' (ones which rarely pay out) slots games. Harking back to the days of one armed bandits in Vegas saloons, unaccustomed players still believe that a casino, whether it's in Las Vegas or online, can set the payout on every single slot machine it offers. In turn, this belief means players often single out slots machines they believe are loose, or avoid casinos which they feel offer only tight slots. However, this commonly held view has been the downfall of slots players worldwide and it's only those who know the real truth behind slot machine payouts who realise that rather than heading to Vegas, online slots offer a viable and entertaining alternative to the allegedly tight slots in land-based casinos.

Over the past 20 years Las Vegas has been transformed from "sin city" to a den of gambling regulation and rules. The Nevada Gaming Commission controls the ins and outs of casino games and it's this governing body which decides the payouts for slots machines. The Gaming Commission recently ruled that all slots games in the Nevada area (including those on the Vegas Strip) have to have a minimum payout percentage of 75%, which means that, on average, the maximum the house can claim over slots players is 25% of their wagers.

To understand how this slots payout regulation affects players, it would be useful to examine hypothetical gameplay on a slots machine which has a minimum payout percentage of 75%: If you played $100 entirely through a slots machine which had a payout of 75%, hypothetically you'd expect a return of $75, with the house keeping $25. Furthermore, if you played your remaining $75 through the same slots machine again, you'd be left with $56.25, with the casino keeping, $18.75; 25% of your $75. Of course, these figures are hypothetical and may vary from one slot machine to another, but they are useful as a guide.

Indeed, it's not just Nevada which adheres to the regulations set by a gaming board. Most, if not all, States in the US which offer slots machines have a similar regulatory body. Similarly, online casinos all tend to be regulated by their respective gaming bodies. So, what does this mean in relation to the idea of loose and tight slots? Well, for a start, if all slots machines are governed by payout percentages set by their gaming bodies, then you'll rarely find slots games that are ridiculously tight, as that would no doubt contravene the regulations which have been set. While gaming bodies do set a minimum payout, they rarely set a maximum, so there is still some hope of finding a loose slots machine.

Most define a loose slot machine as a game which has a payout percentage of between 95-99%. From recent figures, the casino nearest to offering loose slots in Las Vegas is Palms resort, which has an average games payout percentage of 93.42%. However, this figure includes all the slots machines available in the casino resort and therefore can't pinpoint any loose slots in particular, which leaves the player pretty much where they began; with no idea of differentiating which slots are loose, or indeed, which are tight.

With the emergence of online slots though, all of this has changed and players who want a chance at discovering a loose slots machine are quickly heading to online casinos. Payout percentages on online slots tend to be much higher than Las Vegas casinos simply because they attract far more players and can therefore afford to be a little more generous. Recent payout reports from certain online casinos have revealed average payouts on online slots of 95%, meaning they fall within the category of loose slots. Again, while these figures can't tell you how loose any slot in particular is, online casinos tend to provide regular payout percentage information, so you can monitor whether their online slots have loosened, or tightened up slightly.

Players will never truly be able to know which slots, whether they're online or offline, are the loosest. But let's remember; slots games are primarily a game of luck and after all, isn't part of the attraction to slots games the idea that you're never really sure what the outcome will be? By researching your casino of choice, you can find out whether it offers the best payout percentages for you, and with so many casinos now available online, even if you can't find the right casino in Vegas, you can easily access your perfect online casino in the comfort of your own home.