Casinos don't charge admission. They charge by the hour, quietly, through the house edge. Here's roughly what an hour costs at typical stakes and speeds.
| Game | Bet | Bets/hour | Wagered/hour | Average cost/hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online slots (96% RTP) | $1.00 | 400 | $400.00 | $16.00 |
| Land-based penny slots | $1.00 | 400 | $400.00 | $40.00 |
| European roulette | $5.00 | 40 | $200.00 | $5.40 |
| American roulette | $5.00 | 40 | $200.00 | $10.52 |
| Blackjack, basic strategy | $10.00 | 60 | $600.00 | $3.00 |
| Baccarat, banker bet | $10.00 | 50 | $500.00 | $5.30 |
| Craps, pass line | $10.00 | 24 | $240.00 | $3.38 |
| Video poker, 9/6 Jacks or Better | $1.25 | 600 | $750.00 | $3.45 |
Two things decide the hourly cost: the house edge and how much money goes through the game. Slots look cheap with a $1 bet, but even at a relaxed 400 spins an hour you put $400 through the machine. A $10 blackjack hand feels like more money, yet a careful player loses less per hour than a slot player betting a tenth of the amount.
Speed matters as much as the edge. Online and auto-roulette spin much faster than a live table. At three times the speed, the hourly cost triples too.
The house edges in the table come from the rules of each game. The speeds are typical estimates, and yours may be faster or slower.
These are averages. In any single hour you could win, and plenty of people do. The average is what you pay if you keep coming back. Put in your own numbers with the calculator.
Sources
- Wizard of Odds: House edge of casino games compared
- Pahrump Valley Times: Why nickel slots might be a gambler's best bet (penny slots held 9.85% in 2021)
- GWW: Why blackjack shuffle frequency changes the flow of a live table (Kilby figures)
- Las Vegas Advisor: Video poker speed