The 5 Best Penny Slot Machines to Play at the Casino (In 2026)

This post identifies the 5 best penny slot machines to play at the casino.

Before I get into the reviews of each game, here they are in a list:

1. Joker Pro by NetEnt
2. Deal or No Deal by IGT
3. Rakin’ Bacon by AGS
4. Zhao Cai Jin Bao by Playtech
5. Buffalo Diamond by Aristocrat

Penny slots get a lot of coverage because people are drawn to them.

Sometimes, this is misguided. Gamblers may think penny slots are the cheapest slot game to play. This is not usually the case, especially for gamblers who like to place maximum bets.

The industry is crowded with slot machines you can play for a penny.

Check out this post on dollar slots vs. penny slots for more information.

I thought back on my recent experience playing penny slots in casinos around the country and identified 5 games that I think represent the best penny slots have to offer.

I’ve reviewed each game below. I’ve also given some commentary about how each of these games represents a larger category of penny slot machines.

Look for Classic-Style Penny Slots like NetEnt’s Joker Pro for an Old-School Feel

When I’m looking for a good penny slot, classic-style games that can be played for a penny catch my eye.

These games don’t always have the best penny slot odds, but they’re worth investigating further when you find them.

Joker Pro is a classic slot machine revived by NetEnt as a modern video slot. It has a wide range of available denominations and bets. It can be played as a penny slot, though a max bet is 100 credits. That’s $1 per spin.

Joker Pro is a 5 reel slot with 3 rows of symbols per reel. You have to bet on all ten pay lines to play, but you can bet between 1 and 10 credits on each of those lines. That sets the max bet at 100 credits. You can play Joker Pro at the following denominations:

• $0.01
• $0.02
• $0.05
• $0.10
• $0.20
• $0.50
• $1.00

When you set the denomination to $0.01, a max bet of 100 credits covers every line and gives you the best possible payouts.

It’s not just a boring classic slot that you’ll get sick of in a few spins. It has replay value, mainly because of one feature.

The game has a wild symbol (the joker) that substitutes for all other symbols to form winning combinations. If you land a joker symbol on the second, third, and fourth reels, you also trigger the Joker Pro Re-Spins feature.

During the free spins that follow, the first and fifth reels turn permanently wild. The symbols that triggered the bonus also lock wild. A Hot Spot forms on the center on the field of play – if you spin wild symbols in these Hot Spot positions, you win 1,000x your stake.

For penny slot players that means an instant $1,000 payout on a spin that cost just $1.

Some Licensed Slots (like IGT’s Deal or No Deal) Can Be Played for a Penny

Deal or No Deal by IGT is based on the game show of the same name.

Licensed games are popular because people are familiar with them. The game show Deal or No Deal has a universal appeal thanks to the “pick the right briefcase” mechanic. People like to watch the game because they think they can beat the banker.

These features also make Deal or No Deal a perfect fit for a slot machine translation.

The slot has 5 reels with 3 rows of symbols per reel. You can bet on up to 20 pay lines. It’s a multi-denomination game, allowing bets between $0.01 and $25 per credit.

The max bet at the one cent denomination is $0.20 per spin. The top payout at the penny slot level is $625.

Bonus Features

The big chase here are the game’s three bonus features which are triggered by landing specific combinations of scatter symbols:

• The Reel Banker is a free spins round. It’s triggered by three or four scatter symbols. The free spins aren’t numbered; they continue indefinitely until the banker symbol appears on the third reel. During those free spins, all wins are doubled.
• The Banker’s Best Offer gives you a series of ten cash amounts that you have to decline or accept. You can’t accept any offer you’ve previously declined, and the offers don’t always go up. This round is also triggered by three or four scatter symbols,
• Deal or No Deal Jackpot is the big chase event of the game. It’s triggered by five scatter symbols. This replicates the original Deal or No Deal game. You pick different cases and fend off banker offers hoping to win a progressive jackpot.
• Multi-Denomination Slots (like Rakin’ Bacon by AGS) Can Be Played as Penny Slots

The days of the true penny slot are ending. You won’t find nearly as many slots with a fixed $0.01 denomination now as you did ten or twenty years ago.

Multi-Denomination Slots

These days, multi-denomination slots are the norm.

Lucky for penny slot fans, most of these games allow play in the classic one-cent denomination.

For a look at a typical multi-denomination slot game that you can play as a penny slot, check out Rakin’ Bacon by American Gaming Systems. AGS is becoming a big name in the Class II and Class III slot machine industry in the US.

Rakin’ Bacon is a 243 Ways to Win slot with 5 reels and 3 rows of symbols per reel. The game has an odd range of available bets, from 88 to 176 credits per spin. At the $0.01 denomination, your max bet is $1.76 per spin.

The big chase of the game is the Jackpot Pick Bonus. You enter this bonus round by landing the game’s wild symbol (a pig-face coin) on the second, third, and fourth reels. It’s a typical pick’em game with a three-tiered progressive jackpot at stake.

You can win up to 15 free spins when you land at least three of the game’s scatter symbol across active reels. This round also allows you to choose your volatility, with up to 3,125 ways to win available during free play.

Asian-Style Penny Slots (like Playtech’s Zhao Cai Jin Bao) are Exploding in Popularity

“Zhao cai jin bao” is a traditional New Year’s greeting in Mandarin. It looks like this: 招财进宝.

Zhao cai jin bao basically means “I wish you wealth and prosperity.” It’s a lovely thing to say to someone. Even lovelier to experience for yourself.

It’s not the only way people greet each other at the New Year, but it is a traditional greeting.

Asian Slots

Asian-style slots are popping up everywhere. The reasons behind the spread are many; the Asian-American population in America is growing, as is tourism from Asian countries. Much of Southeast Asia is culturally pro-gambling. When they visit or set up new homes here, they bring their gambling traditions with them.

Whatever the reasons for the new interest in Asian-themed slots and slot machines made for Southeast Asian gambling tastes, we’re all reaping the benefits. The games are fun. They have unique mechanisms. They’re bright and loud and exciting.

Added bonus – they also tend to be available to play for a penny per credit.

Cheap Slots

For people who want a cheap slot machine they can play at a max bet, Asian-style slots are a good go-to. You can play a max bet (all nine lines) for $0.01 per line. That’s $0.09 per spin. Your max payout at $0.01 per line is $50.

Also, the game is fun. It’s a typical 5 reel game with three rows of symbols per reel. There’s a wild symbol that doubles all winning combination it forms. There’s also a scatter symbol, though it doesn’t lead to any free spins or bonuses, it just pays out an instant credit prize.

Besides being a good stand-in for Asian slot machines in general, Zhao Cai Jin Bao is a great example of a low volatility penny slot with a low max bet. If you want to play a long session without a huge bankroll, penny slot games like Zhao Cai Jin Bao are a perfect fit.

Penny Slots Aren’t Always Cheap – Look at Aristocrat’s Buffalo Diamond for an Example

Some newcomers to slots assume a penny slot is a cheap slot.

That can be the case. A couple of the slots on this list have a max bet of $0.20 or less per spin.

But if you look at Aristocrat’s Buffalo Diamond slot, you’ll see that some penny slots cost a lot to play. More even than some nickel or quarter slots.

Aristocrat’s Buffalo series has become ubiquitous in American casinos. Dozens of variants of the game exist, and it seems like new versions appear on a monthly basis.

Why Buffalo Slots Are So Popular

Buffalo Diamond is popular in every casino I’ve ever found it in.

I think it’s popular because you can play for $0.01 per credit but it’s a feature-stuffed game with lots of bonuses and special features. In other words, it feels like you’re getting a bargain by playing this game for “just a penny.”

The max bet is 400 credits. At $0.01 per credit, that’s $4 per spin.

Because you don’t have access to the game’s best features without betting the maximum, you pretty much have to bet at least $4 per spin on the game.

Basically, you won’t be able to chase the three-tier progressive jackpot or go after free spins without placing a $4 bet on the penny denomination.

Conclusion: The Best Penny Slot Machines

That’s my list of the 5 best penny slot machines to play in the casino.

The 5 games here are an excellent stand-in for the American slot machine industry as a whole.

So long as you understand the risk involved in playing a penny slot, there’s no harm in pushing a few bucks through a low-cost slot machine.