Which casinos do people have the best luck at? I've read some seem looser than others.

Hello, i am a las vegas resident. The best places to gamble are off the strip where locals go. The Regent, Palace Station, Texas, Gold Coast, Orleans are built to attract locals so slots are much looser. As for the strip, I've heard that the MGM and Ceasar's Palace are better but you're chances there are significantly less that ones above. Also, look for machines that say "98% payback".

The idea that one casion is "looser" than the others is what the casino wants you to believe. In the end the truth is the same - you lose at all of them. If you are interested in winning instead of enjoying the "sport" and the "entertainment value" then just stay home.

Try the nickel slots at the Golden Nugget. they always seem to make a buck go far. They also don't water down their draft beer like some of the others.

If you're going to Vegas with the express purpose of winning money playing slots, of course, odds are that you'll be heading home disappointed.
Last year the average visitor dropped just over $500 per stay, and slots are by far the biggest source of revenues for the casinos.

As they say, "Vegas wouldn't exist if it weren't for a whole lotta losers!"

If you want to contribute to the casinos fortunes, but at a minimal rate, gamble off the strip. Don't play machines near pedestrian traffic paths.
As you may know, the casinos can set machines tp pay out more or less $$ depending on their goals. They usually set the payouts lowest on machines which attract more traffic. Larger bet ($1 and up) machines are typically set to pay lower.
Check local ad pages for recent data on which casinos and what denominations have had best payouts during the preceding month.

5 cent machines have the lowest payouts, the casinos want gamblers to play more $$. Law requires machines to have a 75% payback rate. Most people play quarters. Dollar slots and up do payout more but you can drop hundreds in minutes so be careful. The best bets are table games like Baccarat and Blackjack. The worst table games are Roulette and Pai Gow (where a person's odds of winning are 1 in 50,000). I know this because my fathers friend in a dealer on the strip. Just be wise about your spending, know the facts, and let the good times roll as they say.

It's called gambling for a reason. As the poster above mentioned, slots are long shot at best. However, they can be fun and with some luck you can win some $$$. While I've never won big on the slots, I've hit up to 1,000 on a couple of occasions and several hundred $$ on numerous occassions. If you're really wanting to win, by a book and study craps and/or blackjack. These have the lowest house percentages.

That's right David. With careful study you will lose money the slowest at BJ and craps.
House odds are 1.4% at 'strip rules' BJ and as low as 0.9% on craps if you back up all bets.
In fact, there is one game in which the Vegas gambler can have a slight advantage over the house...legally. It's Jackpot video poker. With 'perfect play', averaging out the length of time it takes to win jackpots, the gambler will come out on top, but the length of time it takes to hit the jackpot is the key. The average is on the order of 25 hours, as I recall from reading about this a few years ago. And even then, the gambler's advantage is less than 1%.
So if your idea of a fun vacation is plunking coins for a full 25 hours at the same machine, never once straying from perfect card play, have at it.
(I'd rather watch grass grow, however).

We went last June and one of us did real well at the Stratoshere!

Ross, I think you miss the point. However, I am impressed (not favorably but impressed none the less) at you accurate house % / advantage. Playing BJ & Craps for $$ can hardly be compared to watching grass grow?

No, I think you misconstrued my point, David.
My last statement was that watching grass grow would be more entertaining for me than playing 25 straight hours of video poker so I could get an edge on the house.
Losing a few bucks at BJ or craps as an entertainment expense is many people's idea of fun, and that's fine by me.