Las Vegas is one of the world’s most iconic casino gambling hubs, and when you visit here to play traditional table and card games, video poker, or slot machines, you can choose between two very distinct locations.
For example, the Las Vegas Strip is known as the glitzy and glamorous heart of the city. It’s home to numerous iconic land-based casinos and is the place to go if you want five-star luxury and prestige.
On the other hand, you have DTLV (downtown Las Vegas) and places like Fremont Street, which has more of a laid-back, vintage look & feel and is home to some of the city’s oldest casinos.
The question being asked here is, do downtown Vegas casinos offer better odds than ones on The Strip? Let’s dive straight in to find out.
Is It True That Dtlv Casinos Have Better Odds Than The Ones On The Strip?
Yes. It’s true. In many of the games you can play at land-based casinos in downtown Las Vegas, you can typically find slightly better odds than in those same games found at casinos on The Strip.
In fact, the trend even has a name. For example, slot machines found in downtown Las Vegas casinos are said to be up to 10% ‘looser’ than those on the strip.
Therefore, if you are looking for ways to reduce the house edge and play games that are more likely to pay out (but still never guaranteed to pay out more), and you are travelling from Canada to the United States, then you are better off playing at casinos on Fremont Street and the immediate vicinity.
In other words, if you don’t have much money and want to play it safe, then you might like to consider playing on DTLV instead of going to the bigger and more well-known land-based casinos on The Strip, because you can find slightly better odds at the casinos downtown.
You may have noticed that a similar thing also happens online. For example, the games found at the ideal online casinos in Canada will typically have slightly higher RTP% (return to player) payout percentage rates.
You may find that the online slots on today’s safest Canadian casino sites that are provided by top-tier, market-leading software providers and game development studios have a slightly higher ‘expected’ payout rate of around 97.00% to 98.00% or higher compared to websites with online slots from software providers that nobody has ever heard of, which may have average RTP payout rates of around 92.00% to 94.00% (or lower).
You are more likely to win (but still not guaranteed to win) on slots with higher RTP% payout rates, which is why so many Canadian players these days look for sites with high or above-average RTP payout rates. It’s also why savvy Canadians tend to play at the casinos on Fremont Street when they visit Las Vegas instead of going to the ones on The Strip.
Which Online Slots In 2025 Are Known For Having High Or Above-Average RTP% Payout Rates?
If you enjoy playing online slots and want to know the names of ones that are considered to have high or above-average RTP% payout rates, then you might want to check out the following five online slot machines from various multi-award-winning iGaming software providers:
- The 1429: Uncharted Seas online slot from Thunderkick has an average 98.60% RTP payout rate
- The Starmania online slot from NextGen Gaming has an average 97.86% RTP payout rate
- The Blood Suckers online slot from NetEnt has an average 98.00% RTP payout rate
- The Maya Gold online slot from IGT Play Digital has an average 98.44% RTP payout rate
- The Jokerizer online slot from Yggdrasil Gaming has an average 98.00% RTP payout rate
You also have the Rainbow Riches: Pick ‘n Mix online slot from Light & Wonder, which has a 98.01% RTP payout rate, and some of the other famous online slots with a 97.00% to 98.00% or higher RTP payout rate that you might want to check out are Playtech’s Halloween Fortune slot, Big Time Gaming’s White Rabbit Megaways slot, Blueprint Gaming and Reel Time Gaming’s Fishin’ Frenzy slot, and SG Digital’s Medusa Megaways slot, plus countless others.
If a slot machine has an expected RTP payout rate of around 95.00%, then, theoretically/mathematically speaking, it should pay back $/€/£95.00 in winnings for every $/€/£100.00 wagered.
However, the most important thing to remember about this is that you still aren’t guaranteed to receive a minimum of $/€/£95.00 for every $/€/£100 that you wager on a 95.00% RTP payout slot.
In other words, winning and losing all still boils down to luck, whether you are playing online slots on a legally permitted Canadian casino site or at a land-based casino on The Strip or in downtown Las Vegas.
Final thoughts
The easiest way to mitigate risk when playing at online or offline casinos is to look for games with the highest payout (best odds) and avoid placing bets with long odds that are less likely to occur. Playing it safe means you are more likely to hold onto your bankroll for longer periods, although the average wins will be much smaller in value.
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