What Is Slot RTP And Does It Matter?
What Is Slot RTP And Does It Matter?
If you’re new to the bright and enchanting world of online slots, you’re probably a bit baffled by the numbers. Beneath the alluring gems, cherries and fantasy-themed reels, there are also a few facts and figures to sink your teeth into.
One of these is what’s known as a slot RTP – or slot return to player rate. This is what defines how much a slot machine will pay over its lifetime.
Get your head around this, and you could just be on your way to a few more strategic wins.
What is a slot machine RTP?
You’ve probably heard of the phrase “the house always wins”. With slot machines that is no exception.
Every casino game, whether it’s in-house or on a gaming website, statistically has the house edge in its favour. But it’s not as big an edge as you might think.
In Blackjack, one of the most profitable casino games around, the RTP is 97% in your favour, for example. In slot machines that number is around 95% to 97%.
So just because the online casino has a slight edge, that’s not to say you should stop playing altogether – rather, you should pay attention to the specs of the game and adjust your strategy.
How the RTP works:
The return to player rate is measured as a percentage. It is essentially what percentage of your bet you will win back, so it’s virtually always less than 100.
Let’s say you bet $€£10 – 100x 0.01 bets on a slot machine. Statistically, you’ll win back a percentage of this. If the return to player rate is 97%, for example, you’ll win back €$£9.70 over time, and the casino will keep 0.30 in their pocket.
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If you’ve played casino, even for a night, you’ll probably raise your eyebrow and tell us that when you walk in with 10 in your pocket, you don’t walk out with 9.70 each time.
Because, of course, that’s not accounting for myriad factors, including progressive slots, bonus rounds, high and low volatility slots, or just plain luck. Because the RTP of a machine is calculated as a value of its lifetime – over billions and trillions of spins.
More importantly, it redistributes this RTP to players in a far more volatile way. So 10 players will walk away with nothing, and then player 11 will walk away with an extra £€$97 in their pocket.
In a sense, it’s what makes casino games fun: that thrill of chasing bigger wins, all whilst playing a captivating game of chance. Meanwhile, it’s also what allows casinos to pay wages; knowing that in the long run, they get that 3%.
So, how can we use the return to player rate in our favour?
Finding the best RTP slots
Generally speaking, you’re looking at an average of around 95 to 97% RTP for most online slots.
However, some of these can vary over longer time periods, dipping as low as 80 and then rising to over 100 (statistically speaking, not in general!) but you would have to be prepared to play the long game.
For the best RTP slots, try these:
Mega Joker
NetEnt’s Mega Joker slot takes the lead with an eye-watering 99% RTP. It’s also renowned for paying out huge prizes – just ask Simon, who cashed out on a very appealing £18,000 prize. The tradeoff? You have to be willing to bet all your wins back in the Jokerizer mode.
Pirates’ Charm
In close second with 98.5%, the Pirates Charm slot takes users through more than 200 ways to win, so there’s a big chance you’ll cash out big. You can also start with bets as small as 20p, allowing for all kind of budgets.
Goldilocks and the Wild Bears
Who doesn’t love a modern twist on an old school classic fairy tale? As we write in the Goldilocks and the Wild Bears slot review, this offers just shy of 98% RTP, with a medium volatility rate that makes it perfect for gamers just starting out who want bigger prizes. (We’ll cover volatility below.)
Egyptian Rise
Another one that’s teetering near the 98% mark, the Egyptian Rise video slot takes the best of those classic Egyptian Themes in this brightly coloured slot. Again, we have 243 ways to win here, as well as free slot bonuses, so give it a go if you love Pyramids, Pharaohs and riches.
Bork the Berzerker
We all love a good game protagonist – especially one who’s like a bull in a china shop. The Bork the Berzerker slot has an RTP of just over 97%, and also features fun bonuses like expanding wilds and brilliantly funny graphics. You can place a bet from just 10p.
What other stats should I look out for?
Stats, specs, features – whatever you call them, there are fundamental differences between slot games that will affect your gameplay. Having a high RTP means nothing if you have a crappy paytable, boring bonuses, or are just not having a good time.
Here’s some other things you need to take into consideration:
High and low volatility slots
These will affect how long you play the game for, and how much you spend. A low volatility slot will pay out more often, but the pay-outs will be small and frequent. You may also be able to start with a smaller wager – great if you’re a beginner.
High volatility slots, meanwhile, are for those on the next level – which is mostly what you’ll find here at Slotsumo.com. We don’t write low variance reviews, unless they have a jackpot, instead, we prefer medium to high variance as they give us that big win thrill.
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They require a greater degree of strategy – the rewards will be worth it as they award huge bonuses, but you’ll have to be prepared to wait for your prize or even walk away empty-handed.
Of course, you can have the best of both worlds and starts with a medium volatility slot such as the Machine Gun Unicorn game with an RTP of 97.187%.
Minimum and max bet
Always keep an eye out for what the minimum bet per spin, as well as the increments you can move up if you wish to. Some people prefer to set this manually and may change their wager amount for each spin, increasing as they win, or decreasing as they lose.
Others use autoplay on a singular bet level, but you should always keep an eye on your spending, or make the calculation of how much you’ll spend over those 10/20/100 autoplay spins.
Only ever bet amounts that you’re comfortable with – whether that’s 0.10 or 100 a spin. Don’t be tempted to bet more to try a new machine just because ‘it looks cool’.
There are thousands of slots out there, you can find your perfect game using our advanced search tool, in the home page, under the search bar.
You can search by betting level, volatility, theme or even RTP.
Bonuses and paytables
Look out for features like wildcards, free spins and other games within a game. These can all affect your winnings, but always look at your bankroll to make sure you’re not too drawn in by the bonuses.
90% of the reasons why people read the paytable of a slot, but then they miss the most important part – the actual value of the symbols. We tend to look at the top 4 high paying symbols and figure out how much we’d get for a 4 or 5 of a kind win, and see if it’s worth our while.
Then we look at paylines.
Paylines and bonuses
These concern how many different ways you can win – it’s all about the sequence of matching symbols and how they appear on the reels. The more paylines or ways to win you have, the less the value of the paytable symbol. A 9 payline slot should have really strong 5 of a kind wins, or big multipliers somewhere.
Megaways slot machines can afford to have small pay 5 of a kind wins because you are looking to get up to 117,649 ways to win with one symbol. So the paytable may not look as generous, but with those paylines and the bonuses, it makes it worth your while.
Ultimately, it’s up to you how you choose to play, but as the old adage goes, only bet what you can afford to lose. It’s good fun, but always remember to gamble responsibly, and to gamble smart.
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What is RTP in Gambling and Does it Really Matter?
Here at Lord Ping , you’ll find a huge selection of top online casino games at our online casino. All these games from table games to slots and live casino games have something in common; an RTP percentage. But what is RTP and does it really matter? Keep on reading to learn more.
What is RTP?
The RTP of a slot machine stands for “return to player”. This is the potential amount that the player could expect to receive back out of their total bet when playing casino games. RTPs are displayed in percentages, allowing the player to assess how much the slot may pay out.
On a slot with a 95% RTP, a £100 wager may result in a £95 return. A slot with a 94.85% RTP would have an estimated payout of £94.85 on a £100 bet, and so on.
As you can see, the RTP percentage is never 100%. The leftover percentage is known as the ‘house edge’ which is the advantage the casino has over the player in the long term (hence the phrase ‘the house always wins’). This means that a game with an RTP of 96% (the current industry average for slot games) has a house edge of 4%.
Given this logic, playing games RTP should result in a better return on investment, which is why they are still popular among a wide spectrum of players. However, it is always important to remember that this percentage is simply theoretical and not guaranteed. Slot games are fundamentally a game of chance, thus there are no guaranteed winnings. It is also worth noting that RTP and house edge percentages are formulated over hundreds of thousands of games, which means that in the short term, random chance is more of a factor, which is why some players ‘beat the odds’ and end their session in profit.
Why Does RTP Matter in Online Slots?
Yes and no! RTP (Return to Player) reveals how much a slot is designed to pay out on average over the long term. It’s an important stat but just one part of a larger picture. RTP is calculated over hundreds of thousands of spins, so it becomes more relevant the longer you play.
For example, with a £100 budget, a 96% RTP slot might return £96 on average, while a 97.5% RTP slot might return £97.50. Though £1.50 seems minor, at £1,000, the difference grows to £11.50, and at £10,000, it’s £150. While this may not matter to casual players, choosing a higher RTP slot is statistically smarter.
Remember, RTP reflects averages, not guarantees. Luck plays a bigger role in the short term. When combined with factors like hit rate, volatility, and variance, RTP helps paint a clearer picture of a slot’s potential.
Lord Ping’s Tip!
Online game RTPs can sometimes change, especially during promotional periods or in different jurisdictions. Always check the game’s information panel or the casino’s terms to ensure you’re playing with the expected RTP. This helps you avoid surprises and make informed choices.
Some High RTP Slots on Lord Ping
The following Lord Ping online slots have some of the best RTP percentages around. Of course, remember statistics are always subject to change but will always be clearly shown on the game information page and inside the games’ paytable.
Wolf Gold – 96% RTP
Pragmatic Play’s Wolf Gold slot is a North American animal game with bonus rounds including 3×3 mega symbols. The Money Respins feature allows you to earn jackpots of up to 1,000x, with an overall maximum prize of 2,500x your bet.
Sweet Bonanza – 95.45% RTP
Sweet Bonanza slot is Pragmatic Play’s renowned candy-themed game, complete with cascades, free spins, and massive multipliers worth up to 21,100x the wager.
Age of the Gods: God of Storms – 95.15% – 96.14% RTP
Age of the Gods: God of Storms is the eighth instalment in Playtech’s Age of the Gods series, and it is dedicated to Aeolus, a deity keeper of winds in Greek mythology. It has features like Respins with Walking Wilds and Multipliers, as well as the opportunity to win one of four progressive jackpots.
Rainbow Riches – 95% RTP
Rainbow Riches slot is a popular Irish-themed game from developer Barcrest that was the first game in one of the most well-known slot series out there. It has three different fascinating bonus games with payouts of up to 500x the bet.
Gates of Olympus – 94.5% RTP
Pragmatic Play’s Gates of Olympus slot is a Greek-themed game with lucrative extra features and mechanics that may pay out up to 5,000 times the bet.
Your RTP Questions Answered
Does RTP guarantee how much I’ll win?
No, all casino games are games of chance, and therefore no wins can be guaranteed or predicted. The RTP only serves as a statistic that players can use as an estimation.
Are high RTP casino games better for beginners?
In any casino game the higher the RTP the better regardless of a player’s skill level or experience.
Is RTP the same as volatility?
No, but these terms are often conflated. Volatility refers to the statistical frequency and value that the machine will payout at, while RTP presents the average percentage players should get back from their initial wager.
Play the Finest Online Casino Games on Lord Ping
RTP is a useful statistic for players to know as alongside the volatility and variance of a game can give players an at-a-glance picture of the type of experience offered by a casino game. In general, the higher the RTP the better, but be sure to consider other aspects such as volatility and theme, before committing to playing.
At Lord Ping, you’ll discover a huge selection of the best online casino games with high RTPs including slots, table games, and live casino games too. Sign up and play today.
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