Introduction to Wisconsin Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Wisconsin slot machine casino gambling consists of 24 tribal casinos. Illegal video gambling machines exist in bars and taverns throughout Wisconsin.
If the restaurant, bar or convenience store has five machines or fewer, it falls under the Wisconsin Department of Revenue’s jurisdiction. Under Wisconsin state law, a video gambling machine (also. Bars With Slot Machines in Mchenry, IL 1. Mchenry, IL 60050 Really like the new bar and the atmosphere. Mchenry, IL 60050 Emily, the owner did a great job on my hair, but then she ruined the entire experience. Mchenry, IL 60050 4. They were followed by the Mills Novelty Company in 1910. The reels on these slot machines included cherry, melon, orange, apple, and bar symbols with non-cash payouts in the form of fruit-flavored gum, allowing machine owners to avoid prosecution under the anti-gambling laws of that time. Book Your Consultation.
Tribal-state gaming compacts have minimum and maximum theoretical payout limits. Annual return statistics are publicly available for all tribal casinos.
This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.
Keep Reading … or Watch Instead!
Or … Listen Instead!
Subscribe to my Professor Slots podcast at Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Amazon Audible | Gaana | Stitcher | Pandora | iHeart Radio | Tune-In | SoundCloud | RadioPublic | Deezer | RSS and everywhere else you find your podcasts!
Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Wisconsin*
The minimum legal gambling age in Wisconsin depends upon the gambling activity:
- Land-Based Casinos: 21
- Poker Rooms: 18
- Bingo: 18
- Lottery: 18
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18
Tribal casinos in Wisconsin have negotiated tribal-state gaming compacts. However, each city or county must agree to both the development of a local tribal casino as well as the games offered at its site.
Further, many bars and taverns in Wisconsin have illegal video gaming machines. Having up to five machines results in civil forfeiture without legal repercussion while more than five machines are, instead, a criminal offense.
Anyone playing pay-to-play, bar-based slot machines must be at least 21. Otherwise, owners break a different law, this one having severe legal consequences for their business.
Electronic gaming machines in bars and taverns which are free to play with no prizes of any value are not illegal under Wisconsin’s gaming regulations.
*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.
Slot Machine Private Ownership in Wisconsin
It is legal to own a slot machine privately in Wisconsin if it is 25 years old or older.
Gaming Control Board in Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s Gaming Division has gaming regulatory responsibilities including:
- Licensing procedures
- Background investigations
- Regulatory enforcement activities
The Division’s area of focus for tribal gaming is the Office of Indian Gaming and Regulatory Compliance created by tribal-state gaming compacts. The Office’s purpose is to ensure regulation of Class III games at casinos operated by Wisconsin’s eleven tribes.
Casinos in Wisconsin
There are 24 American Indian tribal casinos in Wisconsin.
The largest casino in Wisconsin is Potawatomi Hotel & Casino with over 2,500 slot machines.
The second-largest casino is Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells with 2,200 slot machines.
Commercial Casinos in Wisconsin
There are no commercial casinos in Wisconsin.
Tribal Casinos in Wisconsin
There are 24 tribal casinos in Wisconsin:
- Bad River Lodge Casino in Odanah, 45 miles east of Duluth.
- Grindstone Creek Casino in Hayward, 140 miles northeast of Minneapolis.
- Ho-Chunk Gaming Black River Falls, 110 miles northwest of Madison.
- Ho-Chunk Gaming Nekoosa, 50 miles north of Wausau.
- Ho-Chunk Gaming Tomah, 81 miles north of Madison.
- Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells in Baraboo, 40 miles northwest of Madison.
- Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg, 30 miles east of Wausau.
- Lake of the Torches Resort Casino in Lac du Flambeau, 225 miles north of Green Bay.
- Legendary Waters Resort & Casino in Red Cliff, 80 miles east of Duluth, Minnesota.
- Menominee Casino Resort in Keshena, 40 miles northwest of Green Bay.
- Mole Lake Casino & Lodge in Mole Lake, 100 miles northwest of Green Bay.
- North Star Mohican Casino Resort in Bowler, 55 miles northwest of Green Bay.
- Oneida Casino – Irene Moore Activity Center (IMAC) in Green Bay.
- Oneida Casino – Main-Airport in Green Bay.
- Oneida Casino – One-Stop Packerland in Green Bay.
- Oneida Casino – Travel Center in Pulaski, 12 northwest of Green Bay.
- Oneida Casino – W. Mason in Green Bay.
- Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee
- Potawatomi Carter Casino Hotel in Wabeno, 85 miles north of Green Bay.
- Sevenwinds Casino, Lodge & Convention Center in Hayward, 75 miles southeast of Duluth, Minnesota.
- St. Croix Casino – Danbury, 62 miles south of Duluth near the border to Minnesota
- St. Croix Casino – Hertel in Webster, 83 miles south of Duluth near the border to Minnesota.
- St. Croix Casino – Turtle Lake, 76 miles northeast of Minneapolis near the border to Minnesota.
Other Gambling Establishments
As an alternative to enjoying Wisconsin slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Wisconsin is:
- North: Michigan Slots
- East: Lake Michigan
- South: Illinois Slots
- West: Iowa Slots and Minnesota Slots
Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Wisconsin.
Our Wisconsin Slots Facebook Group
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Wisconsin? If so, join our Wisconsin slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.
There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Wisconsin. Join us!
Payout Returns in Wisconsin
Written into Wisconsin’s tribal-state gaming compacts are minimum and maximum theoretical payout limits. These limits apply over the expected lifetime of the game.
Each tribal-state compact has set minimum and maximum payout limits. However, there are two sets of limits, both of which apply over the expected lifetime of the game:
- Games-of-chance (slot machines): 80% and 100%
- Games-of-skill video games (poker, blackjack, etc.): 83% and 103%
For each machine, tribal casinos report to the state both its theoretical payout and actual return statistics. However, this valuable information is not available to the public.
An annual return statistic is publicly available for all tribal casinos combined in Wisconsin, although casino hold% comes from dividing Tribal Net Win by Handle Data. Player win% is from subtracting hold% from 100%.
In 2019, the most recent year available, the annual return statistic was 92.76%. This player win% is up from 2017’s 92.48% and 2018’s 92.61%.
Summary of Wisconsin Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Wisconsin slot machine casino gambling consists of 24 tribal casinos. Illegal gaming machines exist at many bars and taverns, but only five or more machines results in a criminal offense.
Tribal-state gaming compacts have established two sets of theoretical payout limits, including minimum and maximums. For games-of-chance such as slot machines, these limits are 80% and 100%. The 2019 return statistic was 92.76%.
Annual Progress in Wisconsin Slot Machine Casino Gambling
In the last year, there has been no significant changes to the slots gaming industry in Wisconsin.
Related Articles from Professor Slots
Other State-By-State Articles from Professor Slots
- Previous: West Virginia Slot Machine Casino Gambling
- Next: Wyoming Slot Machine Casino Gambling
Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC
Most people look at the vast array of casino slot machines and assume they are all alike. They see a handle, a coin slot, flashing lights and figure one is as good as another. However, in making this assumption, they fail to see a lot of valuable information to help determine if they should play a particular slot machine.
Bar Top Slot Machine
Surprisingly perhaps, machines aren't all the same. The best way to separate one from another is to learn how to “read” a machine by looking at the payout schedule on the front. Let’s see what information can be found on a typical slot machine.
Casinos here in the U.S. and abroad keep several types of slot machines in play at any given time. A few you'll most often see:
Multiplier: This machine has a payout for a certain symbol and the number of coins played multiplies it. If the machine pays 5 coins for three lemons when you play one coin, it would pay 10 for the second coin and 15 for three coins played. This machine does not penalize you for not playing maximum coins. If you plan to play only one coin at a time, this is the type of machine you should look for.
Bonus Multiplier: This machine operates like the multiplier but offers a bonus when you play maximum coins and hit the jackpot. Three 7’s may pay 1,000 for one coin, 2,000 for two coins and 10,000 for maximum coins. The central question is whether the bonus is worth playing the extra coin.
Multiple Payline: These machines have more than one line of play. Each coin activates a particular line. If you hit a winner on a line that is not activated, you will not receive anything. The older machines used to have three lines but the newer video slots can have up to nine lines.
Buy-a-Pay: These are the most misunderstood machines in the casino. Each coin activates a different payout. You need the maximum coins to receive the largest jackpot.
One example is the Sizzlin' 7s machines. This machine will pay on cherries, bars, and sevens. The sevens pay 1,000 coins. If you play one coin you collect only on the cherries. If you play two coins you collect on cherries and bars.
Three coins are required to collect on the Sizzlin' 7s. If you hit the jackpot with one coin in you will not win anything -- do not play this machine under any circumstances unless you are playing the maximum coins.
Progressive Slots: The progressive slots take a certain percentage of the money played and add it to a pool for the top jackpot.
First and foremost, It is never wise to play a progressive machine with less than the maximum coins -- stories abound of people losing out on lesser progressive jackpots because of short coin play.
Slot Machine Gold Bars
Some casinos link machines together within their own facility to offer mini-progressive jackpots.
Megabucks and Quarter Mania are examples of machines from several casinos linked together to offer 'life-changing jackpots'. It's important to keep in mind that payback percentage on lesser wins is lowered to allow for these jackpots.
All of the information you need is posted on the front of each slot machine. Before sitting down to play, taking a minute to “read” the machine will help make you more knowledgeable in determining which machines may be best suited for you.
Slot Machines In Bars In Illinois
Until next time, remember:
'Luck comes and goes...Knowledge Stays Forever.'