Question of the Day - 12 January 2026

Neither casino hold (win) nor drop (handle) for slot, keno, or video poker machines is publicly broken out in gaming-revenue reports. Official sources, such as the American Gaming Association and Nevada Gaming Control Board, aggregate all electronic gaming devices under "slots," which include both traditional slots and video poker.

For example: In Nevada in 2024, "machines" generated about $10.5 billion in win, representing 67% of total gaming revenue. This figure lumps video poker in with slots. Nationwide, slots accounted for roughly 73% of traditional casino revenue.

We know from anecdotal evidence, however, that video poker represents a fairly small portion overall. Casino forums, gambling analysts, and various reports suggest that video poker accounts for not more than 5% of total machine handle/revenue in most markets and even less in high-traffic areas like the Las Vegas Strip, where casinos prioritize higher-hold slots.

The "Video Poker Machines Market Size, Share & Outlook to 2035" report was published earlier this year by Market Growth Reports. It estimated video poker revenue at between $170 million and $375 million; compared to the $36 billion earned by slots in 2024, even the high end would represent roughly 1% of total machine revenue. That seems ludicrously low to us; even 5% does. But 10% is perhaps more intuitively accurate, at least based on the total amount of floor space occupied by video poker compared to slots.  

On the other hand, even advantage players have transitioned from video poker to slots, so that might depress the percentages somewhat, as would the number of high-limit slots (upwards of $5,000 a spin) compared to high-limit VP ($500 on a $1 100-Play machine).