RTP (RETURN TO PLAYER)
What is RTP?
Return To Player (RTP) is the term casinos use to describe the percentage of all wagered money a slot machine will pay back to players over time. This means if you play on a slot machine with an RTP of 96% and start off with $100, then in 100 spins you should get $96 back.
Now you might think, “last time I played on a 96% RTP slot, I didn’t end up with nearly as much.” And there’s a simple explanation for that.
When RTP is calculated, it isn’t only for you and the spins you do on the slot machine. The RTP and house advantage are calculated long term, and that’s why you can end up winning almost nothing, or winning a whole lot. Although, in the long run the slot you are playing does have a 96% RTP.
The RTP is really just the house advantage explained, so if you play on a 85% RTP slot, then the house advantage is 15%, meaning that over time the machine will keep about 15% of all the money bet and will return the other 85% to players in wins.
It’s important to really understand that RTP is calculated long term, meaning it’s based on a huge number of spins – usually millions.
Truths and Myths about RTP in slots
Out on the internet there’s a lot of truths and myths about the RTP in slots, and these myths usually come from players, who have developed ideas throughout the years. A lot of the myths told are usually incorrect, and that’s why we want to cover some of them in this guide.
RTP is irrelevant for a single session
In the beginning of this guide we told you about how the RTP is calculated throughout an extended amount of time. This doesn’t mean that it’s completely irrelevant when playing a single session. If you choose to play on a slot with a 95%+ RTP you should win more often, than if you play on a slot with 80% RTP. This means you can still lose your money on both slots, but the higher the RTP, the more often you’ll win.
Online Casinos can manipulate the RTP
Online casinos cannot manipulate the RTP of the slots they provide through their site, since they don’t own them, and don’t have that kind of access to the slots setup. The slots are owned by the developers, and usually stored on their servers as well, this means the casinos can’t in any way tweak on the RTP.
Progressive jackpots influence the RTP of a slot
When playing on a video slot with a progessive jackpot, the RTP advertised is calculated with the progressive jackpot as a part of it. This refers back to what we told you about regarding the long run. This means that the RTP for just spinning, without winning the jackpot, is lower than the actual RTP advertised.
Where do I find the RTP?
The RTP of the different slot machines are usually listed in the description of the slot. If they’re not listed directly in the description, they can usually be found in the payment table or in the information tab you find on the slot.
Please keep in mind, some providers do have different versions of a slot machine, meaning it can have an RTP of 96% on one casino and an RTP of 94% on another casino.
