What is RTP in slot games?
If you want to get the most out of playing slot games, RTP is one of the terms you might want to know. RTP stands for Return to Player, and knowing exactly what this means will help you understand how these types of games work and what your chances of winning are.
What is Return to Player?
The RTP ratio for each slot game is a number expressed as a percentage. It represents the amount of money that you can theoretically expect to have returned to you in winnings, as a percentage of the money you spend on that particular slot. It’s important to remember that the RTP is an indication of what will be returned to players over the lifetime of the slot. It certainly doesn’t guarantee that you’ll receive that amount in any one session, or even over time, no matter how long you play the slot for.
Example of RTP
As an example, if a slot has an RTP of 93%, this means that for every £100 you spend on that slot, you would expect to win £93. Again, remember that this is not a guarantee. You could win much less, or, of course, a lot more. It’s common for online slots to have an RTP in the 90s. Notice that the RTP is never more than 100%. You’ve probably heard that the house always wins, right? Statistically, that’s true. The games are not made to allow casinos to lose out over time. If they were, the casinos would go out of business pretty quickly. However, there is obviously still potential for players to win, so the arrangement is pretty mutually beneficial!
How does slot volatility vary due to RTP?
Slots can be high volatility, meaning that they pay out less often, but larger amounts when they do, or low volatility, meaning that the prizes are smaller and more frequent. However, it’s perfectly possible for a high volatility slot and a low volatility slot to have the exact same RTP. This is because the RTP is calculated over such a long period of game play, and it is the amount returned to the players who play that slot, not to each player.
Say there are two games, one high volatility and one low volatility, and they both have an RTP of 95%. For every £100,000 wagered on the game, in theory, £95,000 will be paid out. However, the situation could play out differently on the two different slots. On the low volatility game, the winnings might come as thousands of wins, split between thousands of players. However, on the high volatility game, one player could hit a huge jackpot and win £95,000 in one spin, or even more. This example is a little extreme, but hopefully it gives you an idea of how two very different types of slots can have the same RTP.
Are higher RTP games necessarily better than low RTP games?
This depends on what you mean by better. Generally speaking, a higher RTP is considered a safer bet than a lower one, but RTP is not the only thing that most players will consider. A higher RTP does not necessarily mean that you will win more – it just indicates that your chances of winning are better in the long run. If a game has a low RTP and a huge jackpot, then you could potentially win that huge jackpot. If you play a game with a low RTP and a low jackpot, you stand a better chance of winning the low jackpot, but no chance at all, of course, of winning a bigger one.
Add to this the fact that most players consider a lot of different factors when playing slots. Each slot game comes with different features. They might include features such as scatters, wilds, free spins, bonus rounds, stacking wilds, and all kinds of extras. Some players choose their slots more on the gameplay and bonus features. Others might choose based on a theme, graphics, or even a cool soundtrack. There are plenty of reasons why players may have a preferred game that doesn’t have a particularly high RTP.
How RTP differs between land-based and online casinos
Slots in both land-based and online casinos have a set RTP, but online casinos generally offer a better RTP than land-based ones. This is because land-based casinos have much higher expenses. They are running a physical venue that requires them to pay rent, supply staff, and keep the lights on. Most slots in online casinos have an RTP in the 90s, with an average RTP generally being between 95% and 97%. Some slots may have an RTP of 98% or more.
However, in land-based casinos, slots may have an RTP as low as 75%. Now, obviously playing in a land-based casino is a different experience. It’s something that tends to be a social event, often enjoyed with friends. There are certainly reasons why you might want to go to a traditional brick-and-mortar casino, but RTP will not be one of them.
How RTP is calculated
The RTP of any slot, or any other casino game, is calculated by taking the total amount returned to players, and dividing it by the total amount gambled by players, on that particular game.
Let’s take that theoretical example above. If players are winning £95,000 for every £100,000 gambled, then:
95,000 divided by 100,000 = 0.95 (which is 95%)
As already mentioned, the RTP is a theoretical figure that should apply over the very long term. In the short term, it might differ, but if it has been correctly calculated, it should be fairly close. It’s worth noting that low volatility games are statistically likely to ‘match’ their theoretical RTP in the short term, more than high volatility games, which might return a much lower, or higher, amount due to how spaced out wins tend to be.
What is regarded as a good RTP?
Each player will have their own opinion on the RTP they are happy with, but the industry standard for online slots is generally between 95% and 97%. You might occasionally find slots that have an RTP of 98% or even 99%, and you’ll also find some that are much lower, sometimes around the 90% mark or even lower. It’s possible, and quite common, for an RTP to come out as a decimal, such as 96.3% or 94.06%. Most players would consider a slot of 95% to 96% to be around average, with anything over 97% generally considered a good RTP.
As we’ve already mentioned, this doesn’t mean that slots with an RTP of lower than 95% are bad games. They might be great fun to play. You also might win as much on a slot with a lower RTP as on one with a higher ratio. The random nature of slots means that the winnings you gain in any one session might not reflect the RTP at all.
Why do blackjack and roulette have a higher RTP than slots?
The term RTP doesn’t just apply to slot games, though that’s where you will probably hear it discussed the most. All casino games have an RTP, though with card and table games, you might more often hear it referred to as the ‘house edge’.
With games such as blackjack and roulette, the house edge can be very small – or to put it another way, the RTP ratio can be nearly 100%. Note the use of the word ‘nearly’. The house always wins, remember. There is always a factor that tips the odds in the casino’s favour, even if there appears to be a 50/50 chance of winning.
Take roulette, for example. If you bet on red or black, there should be a 50/50 chance of winning, right? Well, no, not quite. There is a zero on the wheel in European roulette, and two zeros on the wheel in American roulette. If the ball lands on zero, and you’ve bet on red or black, you don’t win, so you’re still slightly more likely to lose than win.
Blackjack is similar. You play against the dealer, who represents the casino. Blackjack is a simple game to learn and is largely based on luck, so there should be a 50/50 chance of winning or losing. However, when the player goes bust, the dealer does not have to play their hand, giving the dealer (AKA the casino) a slight advantage.
Even so, roulette and blackjack have a very low house edge, or to look at it another way, a high RTP, so you might want to give these games a go, even if you usually only play slots.
By now, you should have a good idea about how RTP works, so you’ll be able to consider it whenever you play at your favourite casino. Online casinos generally show the RTP for their slots right there on the screen, though you may have to look in the game info section. You can also usually find the RTP of any slot by searching for it on the provider’s website. They tend to list all the slot details there, including RTP.