Video slot payout rate or RTP – is one of the key indicators of all licensed games in the online casino. Knowing this parameter gives an idea of the generosity of the slot, and also helps to choose the optimal betting strategy. Therefore, it is worthwhile to understand what RTP is and how knowledge of this figure is useful to the player.
Definition of video slot RTP
Slot payout rate, RTP, theoretical return percentage is all the same parameter. RTP is an abbreviated “return to player”. The term is official and is used in land-based and online casinos for all types of gambling.
Usually, the return to player is expressed in percentages and is calculated using a simple formula:
RTP = payout size / bet size * 100%.
For example, RTP of the popular Wolf Cubs slot machine is 96.34%, and Gnome Wood slot has 96.63% RTP.
Important! All slot machines in land-based and online casinos must indicate the exact rate of return. This is one of the main requirements for the developer for being licensed. At the first test, the controller must check the compliance of the claimed “return to player” value with the developer, and issue a license to the game only if this parameter is specified correctly. After a while, the machine goes to a second check.
It is not enough to know the payout rate of slot. It is also important to understand how it works in practice. RTP = 96.34% means that the player will return 96.34% of all bets made on the machine. It is not true that if you spend 100 coins for 10 or 100 spins, you will definitely win 96.34 coins. The minimum length of the game session is 1000 spins. Regulators and the developers themselves test the return on several million rotations.
The opposite indicator to RTP is House Advantage – the advantage of the casino. It is also calculated by a simple formula:
House Advantage = 100% – RTP
Accordingly, for the Wolf Cubs slot machine it will be 3.66%, and the Gnome Wood slot has 3.37% House Advantage. This means that after long game session casino will take just over 3% of all bets made by the player.
What are the values of RTP exists?
All casinos operating under license use only slot machines with return to player size required by the laws of the certain country.
Since the cost of land-based casino maintaining is much higher, return to player in the slot halls range from 75% to 95%. And in different countries, these indicators are different: in Russia the RTP of a slot cannot be below 90%, and in Australia – at least 85%. In different states of the USA, indicators also differ and are fixed in gambling legislation.
The RTP of slots varies between 90% and 98%, but in recent years this indicator has increased. Large developers rarely create games with RTP below 95%.
How does developer set RTP for the slot?
The value of the RTP slot is laid in the software for both gambling machines in a real casino, and virtual slots.
For real machines, developers created special chips that contain the program of the entire game operation, the RNG algorithm, and RTP parameters. The chip is programmed once and tested. If the test is successful, the chip is mounted in the machine and sealed.
As for virtual casino games, the percentage of return is also a part of the program code created by the developer. When the development is completed, the claimed return to player is checked by the regulator. Only after its successful test, the slot is released and placed on licensed playgrounds.
Can casino change the RTP?
This issue is very interesting for all players, and the answer to it is always the same. Casinos cannot change the stated RTP. This applies to real and virtual casinos, but only those whose activities are confirmed by the license.
As we said above, the real slot gets a chip with hard-wired RTP. To change it, you need to remove the seal, remove the chip, use specialized equipment and software to perform the change. This procedure is carried out only when the machine needs a repair or the time of the next check has come.
The licensed online casino also does not have the ability to receive the settings of RTP. Virtual casino is essentially a convenient platform that provides access to slots, conducts financial transactions, organizes tournaments and other entertainment for its users. All gaming transactions occur exclusively on the servers of the developer company. The addresses of these servers are well known, and we already wrote how to test the game server in the article about licensed and fake machines.
Attention! Licensed casinos cannot change the payout rate of the slot, but this does not apply to gambling halls and virtual sites operating without a license. Scammers have many ways to change the settings of machines. Therefore, in order to receive the guarantee of fair play and the possibility of a real win, it is necessary to check the availability of a license. Otherwise, the player agrees to play without any rules.
RTP of slots: Conclusions
The modern system of gaming machines, controlled by regulators, gives players not only the opportunity to have a pleasant time but also certain security. And even with a little experience of playing in the licensed online casino, using RTP percentage of the slot, you can predict its behavior and make a convenient scheme for the game.
