Our next stop on the slot payback journey takes us to Delaware, where casinos are overseen by the Delaware Lottery. However, they are standard slot machines with an RNG.
Delaware does not break down payback by denomination, instead offering payback on a monthly basis. By Delaware state law, all games must return between 87% and 95% of all wagers on an annual basis, but games can return above 95% with the Delaware Lottery Director’s approval.
There are three casinos in Delaware: Casino at Delaware Park, Dover Downs and Harrington Raceway. Here’s the overall payback for the last four fiscal years for each casino, which run from July 1 through June 30 of the following year. The years listed below are the year that the fiscal year ends (so 2019 is July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019).
Casino | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Delaware Park | 91.92% | 91.83% | 91.99% | 92.11% |
Dover Downs | 91.87% | 91.87% | 91.91% | 92.58% |
Harrington Raceway | 92.28% | 91.93% | 91.90% | 92.04% |
Some thoughts on the numbers overall:
- All three casinos are remarkably consistent, both year to year within the same casino, as well as against each other. Over a four-year range, the difference between the biggest and smallest numbers were about six-tenths of a percent. Clearly things didn’t change between before and after the pandemic.
- These numbers compare favorably to other casinos in neighboring states like Pennsylvania and New Jersey. That can add up over time, so if Delaware casinos are within reach, they may be worth prioritizing for your casino play.
- There’s no one stand out winner as it happens, although Harrington Raceway takes the leadership position on payback the last two years. If their 2021 results were displayed in 2022, however, they’d be practically at a tie with Delaware Park.
Overall, there’s not much variation to be had, so you can feel pretty comfortable at any of the three casinos and figure you’re going to have a similar opportunity relative to the others.
Do you play at any of the Delaware casinos? Which do you prefer? Share in the comments!