Las Vegas vs Native American Casinos

     When my husband and I retired from snowy Indiana to sunny Southern California, we discovered a new favorite pastime — playing the slots. San Diego  and Riverside Counties have a lot to choose from, 21 in just those two counties. Something for every taste — from the opulent Pechanga Resort in Temecula to the tiny tent that houses Cahilla Creek near Anza. We spend a lot of time playing in the closest of these Native American Casinos - probably more time and definitely more money than we should. In my book “Spin to Win,” I dedicate an entire section to describing our favorite places to play — how they differ and how they have changed since we moved West in 2002.

     We spend a lot of time in Las Vegas also. But it’s a long drive to Vegas. Even though our mid-week rooms are generally comped because of our play, and even though many of our Paris buffets are paid for with the tier points on our Total Reward’s Player’s Card, Vegas isn’t cheap. Every time we go, when we get ready to start the long drive home, we question whether we would be better off giving our money to the near-by Native American gambling houses instead.

     One factor that enters into that decision is: where do we make more money — or perhaps I should say, where do we lose less money? There’s not much difference in the slots available to play in Vegas or SoCal. The casinos are all replacing the less popular old machines with the new flashy ones introduced at the Global Gaming Exposition last October. We’d all like to try out these new games, and we wonder where’s the best place to do it.

     I found a popular internet site called americancasinoguide.com that posts the average payback for slots in each state compiled by the various state gambling commissions. It’s interesting reading, but not too helpful in solving the Vegas/Native American competition (at least for California Native American casinos.)  CA does not require the tribes to release information on their payout percentages. They could be anything. Las Vegas Nevada requires a payout greater than 75%, and it usually is in the low 90%. You might want to take a look at the figures in the Guide yourself.

     We all enjoy watching new and classic games on YouTube videos. We can sometimes learn a lot about the games we’re wanting to try by watching others play them. Now we might even be able learn whether we should play these games at the Native American casinos close to home - or whether it’s worth making the trip to Nevada.

     I recently started watching a new series on YouTube. It's called Las Vegas vs Native American Casino Series. Two friends have come up with a friendly competition this month, and it may help influence your decision where to play. Each plays the same machine on the same day, but one is playing in a Southern California tribal casino Harrahs (Rincon) Resort Southern California. The other is playing in an off strip casino in northern Las Vegas. The competition is double or nothing. They each feed in a $20 and wager the same amount on every spin. Whoever doubles his money to $40 wins. If both exceed $40, its whoever wins the most.  If nobody hits $40, whoever can play the longest on his stake claims the victory. 

     So far this month there have been four match ups. Episode 1 (April 1) they both played “Buffalo Deluxe.”  Episode 2 (April 8) they tried “Bier Haus.” Episode 3 (April 15) “Jewell of the Dragon” was the pick. Today (April 22) ShinobiYT and VegasLowRoller posted Episode 4 Gypsy Fire.

Here's a sample of how their Video Battles Work:

ShinobiYT playing Bier Haus

VS.

VegasLowRoller on the same game.



     I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you who won the first four matches — Las Vegas or Native Americans — but it’s been unanimous so far. 

     Who do you think won? Watch ShinobiYT and VegasLowRoller on YouTube and find out. View the games at “Las Vegas vs Native American Casino Series.” If you don’t want to watch all four matches, I’d recommend the “Bier Haus” battle as the best. You can find more of their videos HERE.

[UPDATED -- JULY 02, 2015]

       For all you fans of Bier Haus out there, there is a brand new version out that promises to be even more exciting and fun: Colossal Bier Haus! You can read my review HERE and watch a video of all the action. It's out in Canada right now, but hopefully will be here in the States soon.