Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
If you visit an online casino, there is often plenty of choice in all kinds of slots, video slots and more. This is nice, because everyone naturally has their own preferences in terms of style and type of game. In many casinos, it is also possible to try out a demo version, where you play the game in an identical way to ‘normal’, but against fictitious credits.
In other words, you then play without investing any money in it, so you can get to know the game a little. This is nice, as it helps you discover whether something is worthwhile or not. But when you actually start playing, it is important to keep an eye on another element: the RTP. This is perhaps even more important than your own preference, and why this is so, we will now explain.
RTP is an important factor
We have dropped the term RTP more than once in our articles and also provided a brief explanation, but there is a reason why it invariably comes back and why it requires further explanation. This is because the RTP is a common factor among all digital slots games that you should always look at. This is quite simple, as the RTP is denoted as a percentage and most online casinos clearly indicate this.
RTP stands for ‘Return to Player’. Briefly, this means what the amount of money you get back after you put money in. The higher this percentage is, the higher your chances of getting money back on your investment. However, an RTP will never be able to be at 100% because the casino also has to earn from the players. Nevertheless, high RTP percentages are more the rule than the exception.
How the RTP works
The concept behind the RTP is quite simple. If you decide to throw £100 into a particular slot machine and the RTP is at 93.40%. Then the theory behind this is that you can get back a ‘maximum’ of £93.40 of the amount spent. So theoretically you will never get your £100 back when you play, but the exception is of course if you win. In that case, it may exceed the £100, but of course that’s the gamble you take.
So, according to the picture outlined, on average, on the £100 you will always lose £6.60. That too is variable, as the RTP is not set per individual player. This is because the RTP is calculated over thousands of players and rounds of play, from which an average then rolls out and that is shown as a percentage indicator with the game in question. So the percentages displayed are a potential maximum.
So there is a pretty good chance that of that £100 you will only see half of it back, either more or less. If you exceed the £100 deposit, you’ll book hefty profits. Nevertheless, the RTP is an important factor to keep an eye on. Because while an RTP of 80% may seem very high on paper, in practice it is not. Indeed, the average RTP is often between 91 and 99%. Here, even the low 90% could still be considered a ‘risk’, as it means that 9% of the deposit is by definition for the casino.
An RTP of 99% is rare, but these are on average the safest slot machines on which you will lose as little as possible. Incidentally, the RTP is mostly between 93 and 95% and if that is the case with your favourite slot, then you are dealing with a game that will generally not bring your budget to zero in a very quick time. However, winning is no guarantee.
Conclusion
Now that we have explained how RTP works, you have a good idea of this concept. It is important to play on slots that have an RTP of 91% or higher. But know at all times that this is an average over thousands of players and rounds of play, so in practice it is no guarantee of a low loss on bet.
