Despite being a crucial part of the gambling equation, RTP isn’t well-defined by casino operators, developers, or regulators. In fact, I’ve spoken to hundreds of gamblers over the last decade or so, and very few can tell me what RTP means in casino gaming.
I don’t want you to be one of those players, which is why we’re going to tackle this often-overlooked concept right now. Indeed, because every game is different, you can only make optional choices if you know how RTP casino values can affect your potential win rate.
So, what does RTP mean, and how do gambling experts use it to make smart decisions when playing online casino games?
Return to player definition
The RTP gaming meaning you need to know if you want to play slots, blackjack, roulette, and other popular online casino games is:
Return to Player, often referred to using the acronym RTP, is a measure of a casino game’s theoretical payout potential.
In simple terms, RTP is the percentage of money you can expect to get back over time based on the amount you wager. I could say that RTP or return-to-player values represent your odds of winning, but that’s not strictly true because there are other factors to consider.
Before I unpack the concept of casino gambling odds in its entirety, let’s make sure we’ve covered the basics of RTP. As I’ve said, RTP in gambling is the expected returns from a game over time. That means values are calculated over the course of 1 million bets or more.
Determining RTP values over time eliminates the impact of volatility, a concept I’ll explain in the later section. For now, just know that RTP values are an average return based on millions of bets.
Factors influencing the return to player percentage
Some casino games have fixed RTP values, and others allow individual operators to adjust the RTP within a specific range. For example, my favourite slot machine, Big Bass Bonanza, was created by Reel Kingdom.
This software provider gives casino operators the ability to adjust the RTP within a specific range. One casino’s RTP for Big Bass Bonanza could be 95.67%, and another casino’s RTP could be 95.76%.
This tells us two things. Firstly, it’s important to find casino games with high RTP values. Secondly, make sure the casino you choose has the highest values possible for your chosen games.
Calculating casino RTP: a step-by-step guide
Let’s give some context to our RTP meaning with an example. I’ll use Big Bass Bonanza because it’s one of my favourite online slot games:
- Big Bass Bonanza RTP value = 95.67%
The 95.67% RTP value means you’ll win 95.67% of the time. In the context of Big Bass Bonanza, we can say you’ll win (i.e. the game returns) $95.67 for every $100 wagered.
This, of course, is theoretical. You might not wager $100. However, I like to think of the potential returns in this way because it’s a nice even number that makes the payout rate easy to understand.
Now, you’ll notice that I’ve used the words “theoretical” and “potential” a lot. That’s deliberate because RTP-based returns are what you could expect to receive if you had an infinite amount of time and money.
None of us have those luxuries, unfortunately, so you might never achieve the exact RTP. Even if you played the game for 10 years straight, you might only come close to the exact RTP. Therefore, we have to be guided by the theoretical value and base our decisions on one casino game’s RTP vs. another.
Understanding averages in casino gaming
What happens if I wager $100 on Big Bass Bonanza? Will I always get $95.67 back? No. Statistical averages are a product of the following equation:
- The sum of all your results / the total number of results
This means you need to add up all of your wins and losses, then divide the total by the number of sessions you’ve played. Again, you’d have to do this for over 1 million bets to see the results converge around the average.
What I want you to understand, however, is that the RTP doesn’t determine your win rate in a single session. It’s your long-term expected payout.
Therefore, you’ll have sessions where you win $150 for every $100 wagered, and some sessions where your returns are less than your outlay. Over a very long time, though, we can expect your average return to move toward the expected RTP.
RTP for different casino games
Every casino game has its own payout potential. This applies within specific games as much as it applies across gaming categories. For example, one dice game could have an RTP of 97.4%, and a similar dice game with different rules could have an RTP of 97.6%.
Because of this, I can’t give you specific RTP values for every single online casino game. What I can do, however, is give you some averages. Before that, let me quickly talk about how I can talk so confidently about RTP values.
Random number generators
An online casino game’s RTP is upheld by a random number generator (RNG). This is a complex algorithm that produces random results each time you place a bet. These results are random in the sense that you can’t predict the outcome with any degree of certainty.
This randomness is defined within the parameters of an RTP value. Therefore, it’s not truly random in the strictest sense, which is why RNGs are technically called pseudo-random number generators. The point here is that online casino games are random within defined RTP ranges, thanks to RNG technology.
The RNG of every game and online casino is tested by independent companies such as iTech Labs and eCOGRA. These companies ensure that RNGs are fair and that the information provided to you (as players) is accurate. All regulated Canadian online casinos must have game integrity certificates as part of their licensing conditions.
Top 5 slots by RTP in Canadian online casinos
Slots don’t always have the highest RTP values, but they do offer the biggest prizes. Therefore, when you’re looking for the best online slots in Canada, you need to strike a balance between RTP values and jackpots. The following games, in my opinion, offer the best of both worlds.
| Slot Name | RTP | Jackpot |
| Magic Joker | 99% | 2,000x |
| Marching Legions | 98.12% | 10,000x |
| Sweet Bonanza | 96.51% | 21,100x |
| Sugar Rush 1000 | 97.5% | 25,000x |
| Immortal Romance | 96.86% | 12,150x |
Roulette RTP
The RTP for roulette depends on the number of numbers you can bet on. This is best exemplified by the difference between American and European roulette.
RTP in American vs European roulette
European roulette has 37 numbers and a maximum payout of 35:1 (35x). This gives the house an edge of 2.70%. American roulette has 38 numbers due to the fact that there is a double zero (00) in play. This increases the house edge to 5.26%, which means it offers a worse long-term payout rate than European roulette.
The average RTP for roulette is:
- European roulette RTP = 97.30%
- American roulette RTP = 94.74%
Table game RTP
The average return to player values for the most popular online casino games in Canada are:
- Blackjack RTP = 99%
- Casino poker RTP = 97.5%
- Baccarat RTP = 98.7%
- Craps RTP = 98.6%
- Video poker RTP = 98.3%
The difference between house edge and return to player
People often assume that house edge and RTP mean the same thing. They’re not. They’re connected but different concepts. House edge refers to a casino’s advantage in a given game. It’s the difference between a casino game’s true odds and the odds you receive as a player.
For example, the house has a 2% edge in casino poker variants such as Ultimate Texas Hold’em. In other words, the casino has a 2% advantage, or, in theory, it keeps 2% of every bet you make.
Like RTP, house edge is calculated over the long term. This means you won’t lose 2% of every bet you make. But if you played forever and didn’t have a strategy to overcome the house edge, you would lose 2% overall.
Games have standard house edge values, but every casino can alter them slightly. These alterations, in tandem with RTP ranges, can affect the payout potential of online casino games.
The difference between volatility and return to player
Volatility, which can also be referred to as variance, describes the distribution of results around the mean. Think of RTP as a horizontal line running across the page. Mark each win higher than the RTP above the line and every result less than the RTP below the line. This fluctuation of results is the game’s volatility.
Practically, the distribution of results (the volatility) tells you how often you’re likely to win and, in turn, the average value of prizes. Specifically, volatility in casino games, particularly slot machines, is split into three categories:
- Low volatility = frequent but small wins, on average
- Medium volatility = a balance between low and high-volatility payouts
- High volatility = less frequent but bigger wins, on average
FAQs about RTP in gambling
That’s just about all you need to know about RTP values. Remember: every online casino game has its own RTP. Therefore, if you’re devising a strategy for success, it can be useful to find games with high RTP values.
That being said, it’s just as important to remember that these percentages are long-term averages, which means you can win in any game. It all comes down to finding casino games you enjoy, playing responsibly, and learning to flow with the natural variance of gambling.
1. How is RTP regulated in online casinos?
RTP values are calculated by running 1 million+ trials of a specific game to obtain an average payout. For example, a 98% RTP means that, over an infinite amount of time, a game will return 98%, i.e. you stand to win $98 for every $100 wagered.
2. Do online slots have a higher RTP than slot machines in land-based casinos?
Yes, online slots typically have higher RTP values than their land-based counterparts. This is due to a variety of factors, most of which come down to running costs. Online casinos have different overheads to land-based casinos, so they can reduce their edge which, in turn, increases a game’s RTP.
3. Is a high slot RTP good for big wins?
Not necessarily. A high RTP value predicts, in theory, that you’ll win more over time than you would from a slot with a lower RTP. The value of what you win, however, is determined by a variety of factors, including the game’s volatility rating and jackpot. A high volatility rating means that you typically wait longer for prizes to hit, but when they do, the average value is high. Low volatility slots pay more frequently, but the prize value is typically lower.
About the author
Daniel Smyth
Daniel Smyth has seen the online poker, casino, and betting industry from every angle. He previously played poker semi-professionally before working at WPT Magazine as a writer and editor. From there, he transitioned to online gaming where he’s been producing expert content for over 10 years.
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Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Responsible Gambling Council – https://www.responsiblegambling.org/
For help with a gambling problem, call the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health on 1 800 463-2338.
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