What does RTP Slots mean and how does it work at Online Casinos
RTP (Return to Player) is the percentage of wagers a player can expect to get back in the long-term. A slot with an RTP of 96% will give you back €96 for every €100 played. This explains how much you can lose by playing that slot.
It is important to understand that this number is calculated on an extremely long high number of spins, usually millions. So, over a short session of a few hundred or a thousand spins, everything can happen, which is exactly what makes slots exciting.
A slot game is always programmed in a way to give back a percentage of the total money that it collects. The distribution of the RTP can be different, but at the end of a day, a slot with a 98% RTP will give back 98% of all the money that it collects over an infinite number of spins.
You can also see RTP as the other side of the house margin. If you, for example, know that a casino table game like European roulette has a house advantage of 5%, the RTP could be seen as 100% – 5% = 95%. Obviously, it’s after a high number of sessions.
What are the differences between Payout Frequency and RTP?
RTP is not connected to payout frequency, and doesn’t tell how often you will win. For example, an online slot with an RTP of 96% and a low frequency of payouts might only have a winning combo once in ten/twelve spins on average, while another 96% RTP slot might have winning combinations once in every four spins on average. The catch is that slots with higher win frequencies pay out more often but in smaller amounts, while slots with lower win frequencies pay out larger sums every once in a while.
Variance & RTP: The same, but different
RTP is often mistaken for the variance (volatility) of a game. Although these two concepts are usually similar and related, they aren’t the same thing. We’ve already explained Return to Player and what it means.
Variance defines the way in which a game’s RTP is realized, as explained in the article (slots volatility). Lower variance slots are programmed in a way where you get frequent small wins, which will help you keep playing many spins with no big losses. Higher variance games usually have a lot of their RTP situated in bonus features and can provide some really big wins. However, to compensate for these big hits, these slots don’t have lots of medium or small wins.
This is to say that not all slots with high RTP are necessarily very friendly on your bankroll. In general, games with higher RTP are always a better choice than the ones with a lower percentage, but if you selected a slot is with high volatility, you can go through many thousands of spins before coming anywhere close to the true RTP.
How to calculate RTP?
The formula to calculate RTP is simple: The total amount of money paid back to players divided by the total amount wagered by players. But remember that exact RTP of online slots is based on the long run and millions of spins.
RTP is much simpler in games like Blackjack where you know you will win around half the bets you place. However, online slots can have big jackpots or payout small wins often. The end result will always be the same over a longer period of time.
You can check the RTP of the most popular casino games below:
- -Online Slots –
RTP 93%-99%
- -European Roulette – with only a single zero, the house edge is 2.70%, which means the
RTP is high at 97.3%.
- -American roulette with both zero and double-zero, the
RTP is lower at 94.7%.
- -Blackjack – depending on the Blackjack type you play, the house margin is usually less than 1%. So the
RTP is above 99%.
- -Baccarat – a fast and easy game which is similar to blackjack. There are two parties involved, the player and the dealer, whose cards must reach as close to 9 as possible. However, all you have to do is bet on whether the player or the dealer will accomplish this, or whether it will be a draw. It is popular among high rollers offering an amazing
RTP around 99%. You can bet on the banker with a house edge of 1.01% or bet on the player, which gives casinos an advantage of 1.29%.
- -Craps
is a popular game in the US. It is a game where you bet on the outcome of a dice roll. Craps offers different types of bets which all change the house margins and odds. On average, the house margin is between 1 and 1.5%.
- -Video Poker – Video Poker has many different variations from Jacks or Better to Deuces Wild. Video pokers usually offers a
high RTP of over 99%.
Slots with the Highest RTP
Now that you know about RTP in online slots, let’s see what slot games offer you the highest RTP.
Mega Joker – RTP up to 99%
Mega Joker is a NetEnt slot with three reels and fruity symbols. The game’s RTP changes depending on the stake level you play and you’ll need to bet 10 coins. Additionally, there is a slight skill element to this game as you need to know when to collect the winnings from the Supermeter.
Bet with just 1 coin and the RTP is an underwhelming 76.9%. Play a max bet of 10 coins and the RTP will be around 89% – 99%.
Mega Joker provides big payouts and the Supermeter mode. In Supermeter mode, you have to choose the bet level and the optimum level at which to collect your winnings. This key feature increases the RTP. The vintage style and engaging gameplay make Mega Joker a real bestseller.
Jackpot 6000 – RTP up to 98.8%
Jackpot 6000 is another slot from NetEnt, which is very similar to Mega Joker. You have to play this game at the maximum bet of 10 coins and study the Supermeter strategy like for Mega Joker to increase the RTP.
This is the perfect game for players who want to show their skills.
With Jackpot 6000 you can play with up to 5 paylines active, betting between 1 and 10 coins per spin. It is highly recommended to play with the maximum bet of 10 coins because this creates the possibility of triggering the Supermeter mode.
In this game mode, you can win a mystery prize of between 10 – 6000 coins when just 2 joker symbols land anywhere on the reels. Also, getting 3 jokers on a payline in Supermeter mode guarantees a jackpot payout of 6000 coins. When you play Jackpot 6000 with 1 – 8 coins, the RTP is around 74.9% – 79.2%. Yet with 10 coins in play, the RTP ranges from 95.1% to 98.8%. The variance is because Supermeter mode is skill-based, so you can directly impact the outcome.
Chess Mate – RTP up to 98.7%
Chess Mate is a game from a small provider called Multi Slot. The slot offers 15 paylines, a couple of bonus features (including free spins with the win multiplier up to 9x), and a very high RTP of 98.7%. Although the game isn’t available at many online casinos, it is a definite must-try.
1429 Uncharted Seas – RTP up to 98.6%
Developed by casino provider Thunderkick, the 1429 Uncharted Seas slot is one of the older games from this developer, a very high RTP of 98.6% makes it worth a few spins.
Monopoly on the Money – RTP up to 98.1%
Developed by provider Barcrest, Monopoly on the Money is a slot themed on one of the most popular board games ever invented. In the base game, this slot has an RTP of 94%, but if you use the Big Bet mode the RTP can give you around 98.1%.
Bloodsuckers – RTP up to 98%
The Bloodsuckers slot is another popular game developed by NetEnt, this video slot has two different bonuses, 25 paylines across 5 reels, and very low volatility. If you like vampire-themed slots, Bloodsuckers is your best choice with its high RTP of 98%.
Starmania – RTP up to 97.87%
Developed by NextGen Gaming, Starmania is set among the stars with colorful symbols on the reels; The 10-payline slot pays both ways and offers an RTP of 97.87%.
Kings of Chicago – RTP up to 97.8%
The NetEnt slot game is based on poker. Instead of classic win combinations, you win with poker hands here, such as trips, straights, flushes, full houses, and quads. If you love poker and casino gambling, this game is a perfect combo for you, especially because of the high RTP of 97.8%.
Devil’s Delight – RTP up to 97.6%
This NetEnt slot Devil’s Delight offers an RTP of 97.6%. This slot has several bonus features and the entertaining Soul-O-Meter has to bet tried even without the high RTP.
Big Bad Wolf – RTP up to 97.4%
Quickspin’s best RTP game is Big Bad Wolf. Based on a popular fairytale, this slot is exciting with little pigs turning into wilds and symbols cascading on the reels. Of course, with a high RTP of 97.4% and low volatility, this game is a good choice if you like to play with a small bankroll and for as long as possible.
Simsalabim— RTP up to 97.5
This magical themed slot with symbols such as a magician’s wand and top hat, a caged dove, and a Houdini-style chained chest.
The hypnotist is wild, helping to complete winning symbol combinations. When you play keep your eyes peeled for 3 bunny rabbit symbols on the first 3 reels. These rabbits trigger the bonus game, where you pull rabbits from hats to reveal cash prizes of up to 50500 coins.
The slot also features a free spins round, which provides big wins thanks to triple payouts. All these features combine to provide a great RTP of 97.5%.
Jack Hammer 2 – RTP up to 97,1%
Jack Hammer 2 is a slot with a crime and adventure theme and comic book style. Jack Hammer 2 offers 99 bet lines with big chances to win. The Sticky Win feature sees any winning symbol combinations held in place for a free re-spin, and they continue until no new wins are created. Jack Hammer 2 has a free spin feature, where you get up to 20 free plays, where all wins are doubled and extra wilds randomly land on the reels. The RTP of Jack Hammer 2 is 97,1%.
In conclusion, progressive jackpot slots usually offer a lower RTP since each spin needs to contribute to the jackpot.
Volatility (variance) has a much bigger impact on your game sessions, while it is opposed by a 1-2% difference in RTP.
