Regular (class III) slots use a random number generators (RNG) that generate thousands of random numbers each second. When you hit spin, that RNG locks in the value at that moment. Then the slot assigns reel positions to parts of the random number and evaluates your win (if there is one).
- Class Ii And Class Iii Slot Machines
- Difference Between Class 2 And Class 3 Gaming Machines
- How To Tell The Difference Between Class 2 And Class 3 Slot Machines
- Class Ii And Class Iii Gaming Machines
- Difference Between Class 2 And Class 3 Slot Machines
Class III Slot Machines. Typically known as ‘Vegas-style’ or traditional slots, these are what most people think of when they envision a slot machine. Each terminal is independent from the rest, with players competing against the house or casino for a pay-out prize. If looking at two slot machines, side by side, how can you tell which one is Class II and which is Class III? In Class II, all it takes is a look at the slot machine screen. There is a one-inch picture of a bingo card in the bottom left corner. Externally, a player cannot tell the difference. Inside is a different game. Yet, as technology has. Video Lottery Terminals (Class II machines) VLTs are most often found in Indian gaming casinos or “racinos” (location with both a horse racetrack, as well as a casino). Each machine or terminal in a casino is linked together, forcing players to compete against one another for the prize, and with a set number of wins and losses, the group of machines is preprogrammed to payout at specific. There is a lot of confusion surrounding the differences between Class II and Class III video poker games. Class III games are what you usually find in Las Vegas. With these machines you play against the casino with the results of each play randomly determined.
Introduction to New York Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019
New York slot machine casino gambling consists of four casino resorts, nine pari-mutuel racing racinos, and eleven tribal casinos. Each tribal casino has either Class II and Class III gaming machines. Cruise ships to international destinations with onboard casinos depart from the New York Manhattan Cruise Terminal. Canadian casinos in Ontario are readily available across the border from Buffalo and in Montreal.
Only VLTs at Class III tribal casinos have a legally set minimum payout return. Payout returns for the commercial casino resorts are the only statistics available to the public.
This post continues the weekly series Online Resource: A State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambling enthusiasts to success. Each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or the federal district.
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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in New York*
The minimum legal gambling age in New York depends upon the gambling activity:
- Land-Based Casinos: 21/18
- Poker Rooms: 21
- Bingo: 18
- Lottery: 18
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18
The legal age for gambling is 21 for casinos run by the Seneca Nation of Indians through the Seneca Gaming Corporation, but 18 for other casinos in the state of New York.
Tribal casinos in the state of New York had only Class II bingo halls until 1993. That year, a successfully negotiated state-tribal compact was approved for Class III Vegas-style gaming by the federally-recognized St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.
Per such tribal-state compacts, slot machines at all Class III tribal casinos are video lottery terminals (VLTs) controlled by the New York State Lottery. While these electronic games appear as typical video slot machines, the results of a bet are instead determined by the central lottery system.
At non-tribal casinos, the result of a bet on a slot machine is not determined by the state lottery server, but instead by a microchip in the machine itself or by a central computer located in the casino.
*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws apply to various forms of gambling. This information is not intended to provide legal advice.
Slot Machine Private Ownership in New York
It is legal to privately own a slot machine in the state of New York if it is 30 years old or older.
Gaming Control Board in New York
Created in 2012, the New York State Gaming Commission was merged from the New York State Division of Lottery and the New York State Racing and Wagering Board. As a result, the Commission regulates all aspects of gaming activity in the state of New York including charitable gaming.
Casinos in New York
Residents of the state of New York have many types of casinos available to them, including:
- 4 commercial casino resorts
- 11 American Indian tribal casinos
- 4 tribal casinos with Class II competition-style slots
- 7 tribal casinos with Class III Vegas-style slots
- 9 pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines (racinos)
- Cruise ships departing from the New York Manhattan Cruise Terminal
- Canadian casinos across the border to the Province of Ontario
- Canadian casinos across the border to the Province of Quebec
The largest casino in New York is Resorts World Casino New York City in Jamaica, a pari-mutuel racino having 4,995 gaming machines and 475 table games.
The second largest casino is Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel in Niagara Falls, a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming having 3,300 gaming machines and 100 table games.
List of Casinos in New York
The 13 casino resorts and pari -mutual wagering facilities with slot machines in New York are:
- Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel a pari-mutuel racino in Batavia found 44 miles east of Buffalo.
- Del Lago Resort & Casino a commercial casino in Waterloo found 47 miles west of Syracuse.
- Empire City Casino a pari-mutuel racino in Yonkers found 22 miles North-northeast of New York City.
- Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack a pari-mutuel racino in Farmington found 64 miles west of Syracuse.
- Hamburg Gaming at The Fairgrounds a pari-mutuel racino in Hamburg found 13 miles south of Buffalo.
- Jake’s 58 Hotel & Casino a pari-mutuel racino in Islandia found 50 miles east of New York City.
- Monticello Gaming & Raceway a pari-mutuel racino in Monticello found 95 miles northwest of New York City.
- Resorts World Casino New York City a pari-mutuel racino in Jamaica, Queens found 17 miles east of New York City.
- Resorts World Catskills a commercial casino in Kiamesha Lake found 96 miles northwest of New York City.
- Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady a commercial casino in Schenectady found 128 miles east of Syracuse.
- Saratoga Casino Hotel a pari-mutuel racino in Saratoga Springs found 139 miles east of Syracuse.
- Tioga
Downs a commercial casino in Nichols found 102 miles south of Syracuse. - Vernon Downs Casino Hotel a pari-mutuel racino in Vernon found 39 miles east of Syracuse.
List of Tribal Casinos in New York
The 11 Class II bingo-style and Class III Vegas-style tribal casinos in the state of New York are:
- Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming in Hogansburg found 176 miles northeast of Syracuse on the Canadian border near Montreal, Quebec.
- Lakeside Entertainment a tribal casino with Class II bingo-style gaming in Union Springs found 41 miles southwest of Syracuse.
- Point Place Casino a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming in Bridgeport found 15 miles northeast of Syracuse.
- Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming in Salamanca found 63 miles south of Buffalo.
- Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming in Buffalo.
- Seneca Gaming – Irving a tribal casino with Class II bingo-style gaming in Irving found 29 miles southwest of Buffalo.
- Seneca Gaming – Oil Spring a tribal casino with Class II bingo-style gaming in Cuba found 69 miles southeast of Buffalo.
- Seneca Gaming – Salamanca a tribal casino with Class II bingo-style gaming in Salamanca found 63 miles south of Buffalo.
- Seneca Niagara Casino a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming in Niagara Falls found 19 miles northwest of Buffalo on the Canadian border to Quebec.
- Turning Stone Casino Resort a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming in Verona found 35 miles east of Syracuse.
- Yellow Brick Road Casino a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming in Chittenango found 16 miles west of Syracuse.
Other Gambling Establishments
As an alternative to enjoying New York slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. New York is bordered by:
- North: Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec
- East: Connecticut Slots, Massachusetts Slots, and Vermont Slots
- South and West: Pennsylvania Slots and New Jersey Slots
Each of the links above will take you to my state-specific blog for that bordering state to New York.
Canadian casinos exist across the international border from the State of New York in the Niagara Falls area near Buffalo as well as the upstate New York area in Montreal.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the Ontario government’s gaming control agency, is switching operators for the casinos near Buffalo in the summer of 2019. Individually, Casino Niagara and Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort will no longer be operated by Falls Management Group LP but instead by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment.
Payout Returns in New York
Given the many types of gaming regulations for slot machines in the state of New York, payout return limits and reporting statistics come in several varieties. I will review each.
Class II competition-style electronic gaming machines at tribal casinos are subject to tribal-state compacts only, which do not set limits nor require public reporting.
Class III Vegas-style tribal casinos have VLTs controlled by the New York State Lottery. These VLT slot machines have a minimum payout return of 92%. No actual payout return statistics are publicly available.
Betting results for slot machines at commercial casino resorts and pari-mutuel racinos are controlled on location per usual machine internal microchip or casino central server.
Commercial casino resorts and pari-mutuel racinos do not appear to have a minimum payout return limit. Actual payout returns are publicly available for both from the state gaming commission, but on separate webpages. These are weekly and monthly reports.
Be aware that win% is not provided directly in the monthly reports. For slots, a small calculation is necessary. Specifically, divide the Credits Won column by the Credits Played column then multiply the result by 100% to get the percentage of payout returned to the player.
For the weekly reports, the formula for win% is slightly different. In these reports, Credits Won is not directly available but calculated by adding together the two columns Promotional Slot Gaming Credits and Slot ETG GGR.
These reports are in pdf format but also as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet which, if you already use and have Excel, makes this calculation relatively easy. The payout return for the current fiscal year is at the bottom of the Credits Won column.
Payout return statistics for each casino resort is publicly available at the Commission’s Commercial Gaming Reports webpage. The monthly payout return for February 2019 at each casino resort was:
- Del Lago Resort & Casino: 90.79%
- Resorts World Catskills: 90.98%
- Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady: 90.55%
- Tioga Downs: 91.38%
In February 2019, the highest payout return for a commercial casino resort was at Tioga Downs with 91.38% while the lowest payout return was at Rivers Casino with 90.55%.
Payout return statistics for VLT-style video slot machines at racinos is publicly available at the Commission’s Video Gaming Reports webpage. The monthly payout return for February 2019 at each racino including an entry for all racinos in the state was:
- Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel: 91.52%
- Empire City Casino: 92.99%
- Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack: 92.18%
- Hamburg Gaming at The Fairgrounds: 91.53%
- Jake’s 58 Hotel & Casino: 93.88%
- Monticello Gaming & Raceway: 92.44%
- Nassau Downs at Resorts World New York City: 97.39%
- Resorts World New York City: 94.17%
- Saratoga Casino Hotel: 92.17%
- Vernon Downs Casino Hotel: 91.40%
Microstrip patch antenna ground plane. In February 2019, the highest payout return for a pari-mutuel racino was at Nassau Downs at Resorts World New York City with 97.39% while the lowest payout return was at Vernon Downs with 91.40%. For the same month, the overall state total was 94.08%.
Our New York Slots Facebook Group
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in New York? If so, join our new New York slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to freely join this closed Facebook Group.
There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in or near New York. Come join us!
Summary of New York Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019
New York slot machine casino gambling consists of four casino resorts, nine racinos, four tribal casinos with Class II bingo-style machines, and seven tribal casinos with Class III Vegas-style slots. Residents of the state of New York also have international cruise ships and Canadian casinos available to them.
Only VLTs at Class III tribal casinos have a legally set minimum payout return, which is 92%, as they are operated by the state lottery. Tribal casinos do not offer payout return statistics, but casino resorts and racinos have extensive weekly and monthly public reports available online.
Annual Progress in New York Slot Machine Casino Gambling
The Monticello Casino & Raceway has announced it will be closing on April 23, 2019, at which point it will be uniting with Resorts World Catskills.
In the summer of 2019, the Ontario casinos across the Canadian border from Buffalo will be changing operators to Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment as arranged by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the Ontario government agency responsible for conducting and managing casino gaming in Ontario.
The number of slot machines at Resorts World Casino New York City have been reduced by 10%, from 5,550 to 4,995. Finally, in the last year the new Class III Vegas-style tribal casino Point Place Casino opened in Bridgeport.
Archive: New York Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2018
Related Articles from Professor Slots
Other State-By-State Articles from Professor Slots
Class Ii And Class Iii Slot Machines
- Previous: New Mexico Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019
- Next: North Carolina Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019
Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC
The Gambling Act 2003 classifies gambling based on the amount of money spent and the risk of problem gambling associated with an activity. Classes of gambling range from Class 1, representing low-stake, low-risk gambling, to Class 4, which represents high-risk, high-turnover gambling. Casino operations and lotteries run by the New Zealand Lotteries Commission are treated as separate classes within the Act. The Act also defines Private Gambling.
Difference Between Class 2 And Class 3 Gaming Machines
- Class 1 and 2 Gambling
- Class 3 Gambling
- Class 4 Gambling
- Private Gambling
Class 1 and 2 Gambling
- No commission is offered or paid to, or received by a person for conducting the gambling
- No remuneration is offered or paid to, or received by a person for conducting the gambling, except a caller of housie or an authorised representative of a society
- The gambling activity must comply with the relevant game rules
- The gambling does not use a gaming machine either directly or indirectly.
Class 1 Gambling
- Prizes or potential turnover* for one session does not exceed $500 (The value of any non-cash prizes is the retail value.)
- If the gambling activity is run by individuals (e.g. office sweepstakes), all the profit (ticket sales less any actual and necessary expenses) must be used for the prizes
- If the gambling activity is run by a society the proceeds must be applied to authorised purposes (see: gambling proceeds)
- Does not need a licence
- The gambling activity must follow the relevant game rules
Class 2 Gambling
- Prizes for one session do not exceed $5000 (The value of any non-cash prizes is the retail value.). Potential turnover* in one session does not exceed $25,000
- Must only be run by a society
- The proceeds must be applied to authorised purposes (see: gambling proceeds)
- Consumer information must be clearly described at the point of sale (e.g. the name of the society, the authorised purposes, the number of tickets, the closing date for entries, the prizes (including their retail value) and when and how any draw will be made)
- Does not need a licence
- The gambling activity must follow the relevant game rules
How To Tell The Difference Between Class 2 And Class 3 Slot Machines
Class 3 Gambling
- Prizes offered or awarded in the gambling activity, or in one session of the gambling, exceed $5,000 (The value of any non-cash prizes is the retail value.)
- Larger-scale lotteries, housie, instant games and other forms of gambling such as 'gaming sessions (also known as 'casino evenings') are common forms of Class 3 gambling
- May only be run by a society (and in the case of regular gambling, such as housie, must be run by a corporate society)
- The gambling activity must comply with the relevant game rules
- Does not involve a gaming machine, directly or indirectly
- The Department of Internal Affairs must be satisfied that the activity is financially viable and the costs will be minimised and returns to the community maximised
- The purpose must be to raise money for an 'authorised purpose'
- Must have a licence.
![Difference Between Class Ii And Class Iii Slot Machines Difference Between Class Ii And Class Iii Slot Machines](/uploads/1/2/5/2/125215893/691075860.jpg)
Class 4 Gambling
- Any activity that involves the use of a gaming machine outside a casino
- May be run only by a corporate society and only to raise money for authorised purposes.
Class Ii And Class Iii Gaming Machines
Private Gambling
Private gambling is not a 'Class' of gambling. It is not covered by the 2004 game rules for each specific type of activity. However, it must comply with the definition in the Act or it will become illegal gambling and participants will be subject to the possibility of prosecution.Difference Between Class 2 And Class 3 Slot Machines
Private gambling is gambling by persons at a private residence where:- All the stake placed is distributed as a reward to the winners
- The gambling is, primarily, a social event or entertainment
- No remuneration, commission, or reward is paid to, or received by, a person for conducting the gambling
- Persons who do not live at the residence are not induced, formally or informally to participate in the gambling by advertisement, notice, or other means
- If the gambling involves playing or staking against a person who has the role of ‘bank’, that role passes from one person to another by chance or by regular rotation among all without charge or other conditions
- All participants have an equal chance of winning
- No person other than a participant has a chance of winning
- No one pays for admission, directly or indirectly
- There are no deductions of any kind from a participant’s stakes or winnings.