Las Vegas Receives Failing Grade For Air Quality: Breathing Danger

If you've ever seen a cloud of "dust" covering the Las Vegas valley then you've witnessed air pollution.

The American Lung Association recently ranked Las Vegas as #15 for "metropolitan areas with the worst air pollution."

The article essentially ranks different cities across the country in terms of their air quality. Las Vegas came in #15 out of 227 metropolitan areas, putting us at a top notch for cities with the worst air quality.

"Particle pollution is a general term for a mixture of solid and liquid droplets suspended in the air," according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

According to the study by the lung association, Las Vegas ranked at #31 for having the "worst" 24-hour particle pollution out of 223 metropolitan areas. Along with that, we ranked at #31 for worst annual particle pollution out of 200 metro areas. So overall, we have a high amount of particle pollution in the valley compared to other cities.

However, compared to Los Angeles, both LA and Las Vegas received an "F" grade when it came to the amount of "high ozone days."

According to the EPA, ground-level ozone can trigger a variety of health problems. High ozone days are when pollutants emitted by cars, power plans. boilers, refineries, chemical plants, etc. react with certain environmental factors like sunlight. This reaction then creates "ground-level ozone," which can worsen asthma, COPD, can damage lungs and overall cause many more detrimental health effects.

Las Vegas had an average of 16 "high-ozone days" while Los Angles/Long Beach had 177 high ozone days.

Being ranked high on this list isn't a celebratory achievement either. The American Lung Association states that air pollution can cause a plethora of health issues and -- in some cases -- premature death.

Conditions like asthma, COPD, cardiovascular diseases and more can extremely worsen due to poor air quality. And other statistics like infant mortality, reduced lung development and impaired lung function in children, impaired neurological development and cognition are higher in areas with heavy air pollution, the American Lung Association states.

"The State of Air" study the American Lung Association conducted further said that 120 million people in the U.S. live in areas with unhealthy levels of ozone and particle pollution.

There's something comforting about the ringing sounds from slot machines in Las Vegas.

Lined across casino floors, slot machines are almost like the front-line soldiers when it comes to gambling.

For some, slot machines offer quintessential Sin City entertainment. These machines also may seem less intimating compared to other games with complex rules, etiquette and more.

If you're a gambling rookie then the bright, flashy machines can be overwhelming. But, we're here to help.

Other than the rare nickel slot machines (which only exists in old school Las Vegas casinos), the best payout comes from the $5 slot machine, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Casinos had a 5.46% win percentage in 2022. In comparison, the $25 slot machines had a 5.86% average when it came to casinos winning. This figure was only higher for multi-denomination machines, which saw a 6.13% of casino winnings in 2022.

There's also a term of "loose" slot machines. This is essentially a gambler's myth that some machines pay out more than others.

Overall, your best chances of finding some "loose" slot machines will be located off The Strip and off Fremont Street. Casinos that are located in North Las Vegas or Henderson will probably have a better chance of getting a pay out per VegasFoodandFun.com's report.

Along with that, Nevada's Gaming Control Board states that, "All gaming devices must: (a) Theoretically pay out a mathematically demonstrable percentage of all amounts wagered, which must not be less than 75 percent for each wager available for play on the device."

This means that Nevada has a "Return to Player" of 75%.  This means that -- in theory -- the player should get their money back 75% of the time, and the casino would get 25%.

However, just because "75%" is the minimum doesn't mean a casino will go that low. So, take this with a grain a salt. And the best rule of Las Vegas: The house always wins.

But despite the slim odds, sometimes slot machines can pay off. If you're a Las Vegas local or a tourist then scroll down below for the best machines to play in Las Vegas! This list is compiled from local reviews and media sources that are Las Vegas-based.

According to GamblingNews.com, the Wheel of Fortunate slot machine pays out jackpots "habitually." There are tons of features and some multipliers to "keep you going in the base game." And according to Casino.org, there are 720 ways to win.

Simple and no-nonsense. There are five pay lines. There are great bonus rounds with multipliers that help you win "big," according to Casino.org.

The Buffalo Grand is a fan-favorite among many slot players. With fun animations and an "all-ways winning system," this machine has two bonus wheels and the big jackpot prizes right at the top of the machine. The retriggers are easy when it comes to free spins and multipliers, according to OnlinegamblingSites.com. Win-lines are not needed. However the symbols on consecutive reels from the left trigger wings. While most of the symbols require three in a row, the higher paying Buffalo and Elk symbols only need two.

Joe Jonas once posted on Instagram about this slot machine, so it must be good right? Well, we're not too sure that this machine being "Joe Jonas" approved means it's a good one. However, it's definitely a popular machine that's favored among many. You can earn tons of free spins -- up to 100! It's a progressive jackpot with 50 paylines, according to JackpotParty.com.

The Monte Carlo slot machine is another "reputable" or "well-known" game in Sin City. The multipliers, promotions and free spins makes this slot an encompassing experience. Along with that, the machine blends roulette with the foundational game of slots. The mixture of roulette, slots with other incentives makes this a popular machine for many tourists.

The Diamond Queen is a five-reel machine with 20 paylines and scatter pays, free game bonuses  and multiple winning combinations. It's another hit on the Vegas casino floor for many seasoned slot players. You can chose from different coin denominations for this machine as well. The theme is fun and it's a great machine to start with.