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What is Casino RTP?

If you’ve ever wondered what the term "RTP" means when gambling online, then you’re not alone. Many players see this term thrown around a lot, but they don’t always know what it actually refers to. In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about casino RTP, including what it stands for, how to calculate it, and more.

Written By:   Dan James     Facts Checked By:   Charlie Morin 

Contents on this page

Highlights:

  • 1.

    RTP stands for “Return to Player.”

  • 2.

    The higher the RTP, the better for you.

  • 3.

    97% RTP and more is considered a good RTP in slots.

  • 4.

    Blackjack is the casino game with the highest RTP.

  • 5.

    It is not possible to beat an online casino in the long term.

Casino RTP Explained

RTP stands for “return to player.” It’s a percentage that tells you how much money a casino game is expected to pay out over time. For example, a game with an RTP of 95% will pay out C$95 for every C$100 wagered.

Of course, no game ever pays out exactly its RTP. That’s because RTP is a long-term average. You’d need to play thousands of hours of a game to see exactly its RTP. In the short term, anything can happen. A game could pay out way more than its RTP, or it could pay out less.

How Do I Calculate RTP?

Calculating RTP is actually pretty simple. All you need to do is take the amount of money paid out by the game and divide it by the total amount of money wagered on the game.

For example, let’s say a game has an RTP of 95%. That means for every C$100 wagered; the game will pay out C$95 on average. So if you wager C$200 on the game, you can expect to get back about C$190. And if you wager C$500, you can expect to get back about C$475.

Of course, as we said before, RTP is a long-term average. So in a single session, you could win way more than your wager or lose it all.

So It Is Not Possible To Beat The Casino and Win Money In the Long Term?

If you have been thinking otherwise, we have bad news for you. It is mathematically impossible to beat the casino and win money in the long term. This is because all casino games have a built-in house edge that gives the casino an advantage over time.

So, even if you’ve won a $1 million jackpot from a single spin, the online casino would still technically win because they would have made more money from all the other players who lost. For example, If you played slots or any other game for a few hours every day, you would eventually lose the million after a few years anyway.

The only way to beat the casino is to get lucky with a jackpot and quit playing. But, of course, this is easier said than done, which is why most players end up losing money in the long run.

What is a Good RTP?

A high RTP is always better than a low RTP. But what is considered a “good” RTP? That really depends on the game you’re playing. For example, most slots have an RTP between 92% and 97%. Anything above 97% is considered a great RTP for a slot game. 95-97% is about average, and anything below 95% is considered to be a low RTP.

Table games tend to have higher RTPs than slots. For example, blackjack has an RTP of 99.6%, while baccarat has an RTP of 98.9%. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. You can find some slots with higher RTPs than table games, and vice versa

Casino Games With The Highest RTP

Playing games with a high RTP is always a good idea and will help you minimise your losses over time. Here are some of the highest RTP casino games:

Game Type of Game RTP Software Provider
Lightning Blackjack Blackjack 99.56% Evolution
Ugga Bugga Slot 99.07% Playtech
Mega Joker Slot 99% NetEnt
French Roulette Roulette 98.65% Various sofware providers
European Roulette Roulette 98.37% Various software providers

House Edge Explained

The house edge is an advantage that an online casino has over players. It’s expressed as a percentage and is always higher than 0%. So, for example, if a game has a house edge of 5%, that means for every $100 wagered, the casino will make an average profit of $5.

House edge is a reversed version of RTP. So if a game has an RTP of 95%, its house edge is 5%. If a game has an RTP of 90%, its house edge is 10%. And so on. The higher the house edge, the worse it is for players. That’s because the casino is more likely to win over time.

Myths About RTP

There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about RTP and house edge. Some players believe in conspiracy theories that online casinos are somehow manipulating the games to make them less likely to pay out. Others believe that it’s possible to beat the casino by finding “loose” games with higher RTPs. It’s time to clear up these myths once and for all.

Myth 1: “Online casinos manipulate RTP”

This is not true. Online casinos are regulated by strict laws, and they have to adhere to strict standards. Manipulating RTP would be illegal and would get the casino into much trouble. Fast payout casinos don’t develop their own games; basically, they ‘rent’ them from game providers (examples: NetEnt, Microgaming, or Endorphina). So, it’s the game providers that determine the RTP of their games, not online casinos.

Most of the time, the games are stored on the game provider’s servers, so the online casino doesn’t even have access to them. Therefore, they can’t manipulate the RTP, even if they want to.

Myth 2: “RTP doesn’t matter, it’s all about luck”

This is not true. RTP does matter because it determines how much money you will lose over time. The higher the RTP, the less you will lose in the long run. Of course, luck is the main factor, but it’s not the only one. Anyway, a game with 97% RTP will play better than one with 90% RTP in the long run.

Myth 3: “You can use a system to beat the casino”

This is not true. No system can beat the casino in the long term. The house always has an edge, no matter what. People who sell systems and strategies are simply scamming others. They will take your money, and you will never win.

Myth 4: “Progressive jackpots influence the real RTP of a slot machine”

That’s true most of the time. For example, some slots are advertised with an RTP of 96%, but in reality, the RTP is lower when the progressive jackpot is not won.

Summary

RTP is a long-term average, and it doesn’t determine how much money you will win or lose in a single session. However, it is better to play games with a higher RTP because you will lose less money in the long run. Keep in mind that online casinos have no control over the RTP of any game.

These numbers are set by the game developers and are based on mathematical formulas. We also recommend checking the RTP of any game before you start playing. Looking for something else? Check out our guides to instant withdrawal casinos or the best payout casinos.

Author Dan James

Online Casino Expert

Hey! I'm Dan James, and I handle everything from content writing to quality assurance at Casino Owls. I've been around the online gambling industry since 2015, and also did seven years as a poker pro before that.