Valley of Gold by IGT, what's the base return?

Denomination=1¢.
Played $5/spin.(30 Lines=50 credits, 10x Bet)

Minor Max=$25
Minor Reset=from $15 up to a random number
Meter Rate=$1.5

Major Max=150
Major Reset=from $100 up to a random number
Meter Rate=$2.5

Start play when:
Major=$141.18, Minor=$21.36
1st hit Minor at $22.54, reset to $23.01.
2nd hit Minor at $23.86, reset to $19.02.
3rd hit Minor at $24.65, reset to $20.03.
4th hit Major at $147.5, reset to $130.02.
5th hit Minor at $24.49, reset to $23.04.

Coin-in total: $1818
Net result: -$615.36

Unlike Ainsworth and AGS must-hit slots that the jackpots won't hit until the very end, IGT must-hit seems legit to me, the jackpot drops fairly random.
This guy hit the major at $113.71.
1:13 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zztpi_w5qY

However, from what I've experienced last night, the base game seems awful.
Nothing pays anything to make up the turnover losses.
I hit some 5-of-a-kinds which pay little.
I guess the return is heavily based on the free game feature, but I didn't hit any Free Play probably due to bad variance.

What's the approximate base return of this game, without Major and Minor?

Average Major value when hit=($150+$141.18)/2=$145.59
Average Major meter increase=$145.59-$141.18=$4.41
Average Coin-in to hit the Major=441*$2.5=$1102.5
Return Contribution from Major=$145.59/$1102.5=13.205%

Average Minor value when hit=($25+$21.36)/2=$23.18
Average Minor meter increase=$23.18-$21.36=$1.82
Average Coin-in to hit the Minor=182*$1.5=$273
Return Contribution from Minor=$23.18/$273=8.491%

If the base return is 80%, and the jackpots drop evenly random, it should be a positive play.
80%+13.205%+8.491%=101.696%
I feel the base game return is too low, I don't even believe it's more than 75%.

Quote: WalterW

Denomination=1¢.
Played $5/spin.(30 Lines=50 credits, 10x Bet)

Minor Max=$25
Minor Reset=from $15 up to a random number
Meter Rate=$1.5

Major Max=150
Major Reset=from $100 up to a random number
Meter Rate=$2.5

Start play when:
Major=$141.18, Minor=$21.36
1st hit Minor at $22.54, reset to $23.01.
2nd hit Minor at $23.86, reset to $19.02.
3rd hit Minor at $24.65, reset to $20.03.
4th hit Major at $147.5, reset to $130.02.
5th hit Minor at $24.49, reset to $23.04.

Coin-in total: $1818
Net result: -$615.36

Unlike Ainsworth and AGS must-hit slots that the jackpots won't hit until the very end, IGT must-hit seems legit to me, the jackpot drops fairly random.
This guy hit the major at $113.71.
1:13 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zztpi_w5qY

However, from what I've experienced last night, the base game seems awful.
Nothing pays anything to make up the turnover losses.
I hit some 5-of-a-kinds which pay little.
I guess the return is heavily based on the free game feature, but I didn't hit any Free Play probably due to bad variance.

What's the approximate base return of this game, without Major and Minor?

I've noticed that with Electric Boogaloo Slot. The Progressives are easy to get(Just make sure you have a flame symbol at the end of a line/reel and just .50 cents can net you roughly $40 many times(So 80 times your bet, not too shabby), but to make up for that , the base game is a lot less lucrative than many games. For example, The Dancing Queen, the top symbol in Electric Boogaloo is only worth a very paltry $2. In Treasures Of Troy, Helen, the top symbol is worth a good profit of $50. 25 times more than EB. But TOT has no Progressives, so it kind of evens out. Do you want better base pays? Or better chances of winning a Progressive?

Quote: Nathan

I've noticed that with Electric Boogaloo Slot. The Progressives are easy to get(Just make sure you have a flame symbol at the end of a line/reel and just .50 cents can net you roughly $40 many times(So 80 times your bet, not too shabby), but to make up for that , the base game is a lot less lucrative than many games. For example, The Dancing Queen, the top symbol in Electric Boogaloo is only worth a very paltry $2. In Treasures Of Troy, Helen, the top symbol is worth a good profit of $50. 25 times more than EB. But TOT has no Progressives, so it kind of evens out. Do you want better base pays? Or better chances of winning a Progressive?

I'd like the return to be heavily weighted on the progressive, so I have a better chance of finding beatable situations.

I'd never sit lower than $143.

Quote: BTLWI

I'd never sit lower than $143.

Start points vary from casino to casino...with guesstimates of overall returns 85%-92% (Haven't seen a par sheet yet, not sure what the true range is... These are guessed returns, not actual observations.)

Ainsworth progressives have unbiased drops in my experience.

I've played these quite a lot in the UK. The casinos here run slots at 94.06% and there is a slight difference in that Major is must hit by £150 and minor is must hit by £50. Meter rate on minbet (50p stake) is 1% for major and 1.5% for minor.

In isolation (e.g. minor not guaranteed to hit when chasing major) I won't take on major at below 145, and I wouldn't even expect to win every time playing at this level. Minor pot I've toyed with lower values but have settled on something like £46.50 unless I think there's at least a small chance that major will hit (e.g. major is say £140ish).

If you aren't lucky enough to get the bonus on your chase, the base game on these is awful. I don't have concrete figures but if you don't hit a bonus, I'd be amazed if it ran at above 70%, and probably lower. The payout on these is hugely biased towards the bonus and the pots.

Are these online casinos you refer to with the 94.06% returns?

Edit - I guess not since we're talking about small progressives...