Gambling terms, explained straight

Slots & Gaming Machines

Slot machine hold percentage

Slot machine hold percentage is the casino's retained share of the total amount wagered, expressed as a percentage.

Also called
Hold, take, or (in some contexts) house edge23
Measured as
A cash-flow percentage over a sample period, not a fixed number12
Regulatory limits
Nevada: up to 25%; New Jersey: 17%3

Key points

  • Hold percentage compares what the casino keeps to total money put into play during a measured period.12
  • In table games, hold can exceed 100% if players bring chips from elsewhere, and is often much higher than house edge.24
  • For slot machines, hold is the complement of return to player (RTP): if RTP is 90%, hold is 10%.56

Where this term is used

Slots Slot machine A gambling device that accepts cash or credits and pays out based on random outcomes. Slots Slot machine jackpot The top prize on a slot machine, often a large sum for a rare combination. Slots Slot machine reels The spinning columns on a slot machine that display symbols to form winning combinations. Slots Slot machine price The cost to purchase or lease a slot machine for a casino or private use. Slots Slot machine payouts The amounts paid to players for winning symbol combinations on a slot machine. Slots Casino slots Slot machines found in casinos, offering various themes, paylines, and jackpots.

Sources

  1. House Edge of Casino Games Compared wizardofodds.com Defines hold percentage and gives table-game examples.
  2. Gambling Glossary wizardofodds.com Explains hold as a cash-flow measure and distinguishes it from house edge.
  3. Baltimore Sun Slot Machine Article wizardofodds.com Provides regulatory hold limits for Nevada, New Jersey, and Maryland.
  4. General - FAQ - Wizard of Odds wizardofodds.com Shows how hold can exceed 100% in table games.
  5. Return to player - how much gaming machines payout gamblingcommission.gov.uk Explains RTP and its relationship to hold percentage.
  6. How to calculate return to player (RTP) - Gambling Commission gamblingcommission.gov.uk Describes how to calculate RTP, which is complementary to hold.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.