RTP in Casino Games – How to Make a Smart Choice

What are the main criteria for you in choosing the perfect game to place a winning bet? Thematic design solutions, special features, providers' reputations, or promotional offers? These are usually major factors influencing the choice of many users but hardcore players steer towards slots with the highest RTP. So let's dwell on RTP in detail and find out what it is and why it remains the determining factor for whether to click on a game or not.

What is RTP?

RTP stands for Return To Player. It describes the amount a slot pays back to the players over a large number of spins, usually expressed as a percentage. For example, a slot with an RTP of 97% will give back $97 for every $100 that goes into it. Taking into account a 'house edge' that is a platform's profit, RTP is always below 100%. So you can see if a slot is generous by checking its RTP figure.

How is RTP calculated?

RTP is calculated over the long-term, not per wager. So a player could walk away with an $80 win on a $10 wager or with a completely empty bankroll. Slot games are completely random, but the Return to Player value gives a helpful indication.

Each game is required to undergo randomness testing from such independent auditing agencies as eCOGRA, iTech Labs, and TST. These companies have auditing programs that can run hundreds of thousands of spins in a short period of time. The resulting data is used to determine how much of each dollar wagered is going to be returned to the player based on the game’s pay chart. This determines the RTP percentage.

Can iGaming platforms manipulate RTP figures?

Since IGaming platforms don’t own the slots that they offer for play, so they don’t have any access to change core settings such as RTP. Only a provider that developed a slot is liable for payout settings.

Why is RTP important?

A high RTP is crucial for players with forward-looking perspectives. If you are a casual user enjoying slot games for a short period, RTP is not particularly significant. You can choose your preferred slot based on the aesthetic of the game, rather than calculating the most optimal options. However, for players who gamble frequently, RTP is a critical statistic in determining which game to play.

What’s the fundamental difference between RTP and Variance?

Variance is often confused with RTP. To put it simply, variance is the reason why two games that payout at different frequencies can have the same RTP. Variance basically defines the way in which a game’s RTP is realized.

Lower variance slots are programmed in a way where you’ll have frequent smaller hits, which will help you keep your head above the water and play many spins without busting.

Higher variance games usually have a lot of their RTP situated in bonus features and can provide some really big hits. However, to compensate for these big hits, these slots don’t have as many small to medium wins in the base game.

Slots with a lower variance will have small, frequent payouts, while slots with higher variance will pay out large amounts through infrequent jackpots or bonus features.