RTP in casino games: What does it mean?

Online players will no doubt have heard the term RTP, with the phrase mentioned in relation to popular table games and slot titles. Whether you are reading the latest casino reviews, assessing the top free bets comparison sites, or scanning informative gambling articles, RTP is rarely too far away.

However, familiarity with a term doesn’t automatically translate to an understanding of its meaning. With that in mind, here we take a closer look at a term that is viewed as an essential part of betting decisions by some but almost completely ignored by others. Read on to discover what RTP is and the difference it can make to your betting bottom line.

RTP defined

First things first, the acronym RTP stands for Return To Player. Expressed as a percentage, an RTP value signifies what proportion of stakes is returned to players for a specific game or slot title.

For example, an RTP of 96% signifies that a game returns 96 cents out of every $1 staked.

Variance dictates that individual players will experience varying results. Some will lose more than 96% of their stakes, while others may hit the jackpot. RTP represents the return produced over a large sample size, rather than the results of an individual player.

What is the purpose of RTP?

RTP is the means by which online casinos make money. In the case of a 96% RTP, the casino retains 4% of all stakes. After all, casinos are in the business of making money and must build a margin into their games in order to cover costs and produce a profit. It may only look like a small percentage, but it is this small percentage that helped build Las Vegas.

Why does RTP matter to players?

The lower the RTP is, the lower the amount of money returned to players. It therefore follows that high RTP games represent better value to online casino gaming fans.

At first glance, the difference between a 96% RTP and 92% may appear negligible. This is true over a single hand of a table game or a spin of a slots title. However, the difference becomes more significant over a large number of bets.

For example, a player placing 10,000 x $1 bets on a 96% RTP game can expect to lose $400. On a 92% game, this rises to $800, and on an 88% title, to $1,200.

Slot games: beware the variable RTP

The most popular table games, such as Blackjack, Roulette, and Craps, tend to have fixed RTPs that do not vary between one online casino and another. However, this isn’t true of all slot titles. While some slot titles come with a fixed RTP, others are released with a variable RTP.

A variable RTP presents an online casino operator with a range of RTP settings for the game, e.g. 85%, 91%, or 95%. The operator decides which setting to use on its platform. As such, the same slot game may have an RTP of 85% at one site and 95% at another.

When playing slot games, the best advice is to check the information section of the game to discover the RTP setting in use.

RTP of popular casino games

Hopefully, the above information should give a better idea of what RTP is, why it matters, and how much difference it can make to your betting balance. For those thinking of including RTP in their decision about which game to play, standard RTPs for the most popular casino games are as follows:

• European (single zero) Roulette - 97.30%
• American (double zero) Roulette - 94.74%
• Blackjack (when playing perfect strategy) - 99.45%
• 3-Card Poker - 98.24%
• Craps - 98.64%
• Baccarat - 98.94%
• Slots - 90-99%

Disclaimer: Players must be 18 years + to partake in any gambling, betting or casino activity. Players are urged to seek help if they require it. Players play at their own risk.