“The flip side is that the hold would increase. “The patrons would end up receiving less,” said Charles LaBoy, the state’s assistant director for gaming. The casinos want to lower the minimum payout to 85 percent, which would increase the casinos’ “hold” - the amount of wagers retained from slots play. Under the proposal, the state would relax a requirement that each casino must pay out an average of 90 percent to 95 percent of the money bet at its machines over the course of a year. The request was included among a group of recommendations the casinos recently submitted to the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, according to documents obtained by The Baltimore Sun in a Maryland Public Information Act request. Maryland’s five casinos have asked the state to let them reduce required payouts on slot machines - a move that could shift tens of millions of dollars in winnings from customers to the casinos, state records show. Baltimore Sun eNewspaper Home Page Close Menu
