We vowed to never return to Las Vegas because the powers that be tightened up the slots so bad that it was no longer fun.

My question is: Have they loosened the slots up so we can enjoy our gambling jaunts again?

Each casino uses different tactics to turn a profit, so it’s impossible to draw one conclusion about all slot machines in Southern Nevada. But if you’re painting the situation with a broad brush, Anthony Curtis, publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor newsletter, says there’s a convincing case to be made that slots are tighter than they were before the economic downturn.

Curtis cites three factors.

The first is that video poker payouts — which unlike slot payouts can be determined without insider information, using the pay tables on the machines — are down, and that likely means the same is happening with slot machines.

“You can look at a slot machine and without inside information you can’t say what it’s paying, but you can with video poker .. and we absolutely have witnessed a tightening of video poker payouts,” he said

Publicly reported statistics are Curtis’ second indicator.

Gaming Control Board figures show slot payouts declining in recent years. (It bears noting, however, that the numbers also reflect a move to more penny slot machines, which tend to be tighter.)

The third factor Curtis cites is the widespread perception among gamblers that slots have tightened. Though the experience of an individual gambler isn’t an indication of much of anything, when thousands of gamblers report their experiences a meaningful trend can take shape, Curtis said.

About 2,300 people responded to a recent Las Vegas Advisor survey and 61 percent said they were convinced slots are tighter.

“If you harness the opinions of all the people you can get a perception that you can put some credence in,” he said.