Understanding RTP: How We Collect and Slot RTP Data and Help Slot Players Find Better-Paying Slots
The payout rate of a slot (RTP or Return to Player) is a term that is often used in reviews of online slots, articles about slots and reviews of online casinos.
But why is this payout rate so important? What does it mean exactly, and how is the payout rate of a slot machine calculated?
When do we consider a slot to have a high RTP, and when is it considered poor? How can you benefit by playing slots with high RTPs? And why should you always check the RTP before playing with real money?
CasinoWizard collects REAL RTP data for all major online slots from the UK’s biggest and most popular online casinos.
This process allows us to compare casinos by the slot’s payout rate: Casino A might offer the slot at a 94% RTP while Casino B may offer the same slot at a higher payout rate of 96%. You would want to play the slot at the highest possible Return to Player – your hard-earned money is at stake.
Don’t believe us? You will be surprised by some results. We guarantee it.
What is The Payout Rate of a Slot Machine?
The payout rate is a percentage representing the portion of bets a slot pays out to the player, on average. This payout rate is measured over millions of spins.
The higher the payout rate, the more a slot returns to the player.
A payout rate of 97% means that for every £100 staked, the slot pays, on average, £97 back to the player.
When a slot has an RTP of 94%, only £94 is returned for every £100 staked – a difference of £3 that goes straight into the casino’s pockets.
This can also make a big difference when getting free spins on slots.
How We Collect Slot RTP Data
CasinoWizard’s team of slot data analysts have been tracking actual RTP data from licensed UK online casinos and providers for years. By doing so, we have built an enormous database comprising thousands of new and older slots and their payout percentages per casino.
This valuable database is unique: no other platforms offer real, up-to-date slot payout data. They might tell you the different RTP versions available on the market, but they won’t be able to tell which casino offers which RTP version of a slot.
Through our free RTP Tool, CasinoWizard can direct you to the best-paying slots based on actual research and data-checking.
We get our data from the source as soon as it is available – when a slot goes live in the casino, not before.
Why RTP Matters to Players
Most online slots are released in several RTP configurations, often ranging from the default RTP of around 96% to as low as 84%.
That’s a difference of 12% between the best and worst options!
But what does that mean in practice? A whole lot.
Playing high RTP slots gives you more playing time, a better chance of winning and more value for money.
Book of Dead example
A great way to explain the effects of a lower RTP versus a higher RTP is to look at how many spins you will get, on average, before your money runs out.
For this example, we look at the popular Book of Dead slot by Play’n GO. This slot has five possible payout settings: 96.21%, 94.25%, 91.25%, 87.25%, and 84.18%.
Based on a starting balance of £100 and a stake of £1 per spin, we can determine per RTP configuration how many spins it will theoretically take (excluding variance) before you run out of funds.
With an RTP of 96.21%, you will lose 3.79p per spin on a £1 stake. With an RTP of 94.25%, you will lose 5.75p per spin on a £1 stake, etc.
How many spins does it take before your balance goes below £1?
| RTP | Loss per spin | Number of spins |
| 96.21% | 3.79p | 2,612 spins |
| 94.25% | 5.75p | 1,721 spins |
| 91.25% | 8.75p | 1,131 spins |
| 87.25% | 12,75p | 776 spins |
| 84.18% | 15.82p | 625 spins |
As you can see, the difference between the different payout versions is significant.
If you play Book of Dead with an RTP of 96.21%, you get nearly 900 (!) more spins before you theoretically run out of funds compared to playing the 94.25% RTP version.
That’s 900 more chances for you to hit a big win just by playing in a casino that offers the best-paying version of a slot versus a casino with a lower payout percentage.
When do we consider the Payout Rate of an Online Slot ‘High’?
An average online slot machine has a default RTP of 96 – 96.5%. Mind you, you might be playing a version with a much lower RTP!
We consider a payout rate ‘high’ if it is over 97%. There are even slots that run up to 98% or 99%. Are you looking for a simple way to find these slots?
Then check out our online slots finder, where you can select the payout rate using the handy filter. You can also read our article about the best-paying slots, which rank in the top 10 highest RTP slots you can play today.
You will immediately know which slots to play and which you’re better off avoiding.
However, it is good to note that the payout rate is calculated over a comprehensive range of outcomes. Consequently, a small sample says nothing about your odds of winning in the short run.
Payout Rate vs House Advantage: What’s the Difference?
The payout rate is the part of the bet that returns to the player. The house advantage (also called house edge) is the part of the bet that stays with the house – the (online) casino.
Suppose an online slot has a payout rate (RTP) of 96%. The house edge for this slot would be 100%-96% = 4%.
In this example, online casinos keep an average of £4 for every £100 wagered.
Naturally, online casinos love games with a higher house advantage: they earn more from them.
Real-Time RTP Tracking
Our slot RTP database is kept accurate and updated through numerous checks and data-collecting.
You can find out instantly which casinos offer the best possible RTP configurations by visiting our slot reviews. If the slot is live in casino slot lobbies, we will show you real-time options sorted by casino.
Click on the casino with the highest RTP to be taken straight into the action at the best odds available.
For example, if you click on our review of the Reactoonz slot, we will show you the best RTP choices for your convenience.
Finding a Slot’s Official RTP
Finding slots’ official RTPs is easy on a case-by-case basis but challenging when you want to find the best RTP versions, as it’s a time-consuming and manual process to check hundreds of slots on multiple online casinos.
So, how do you find out the RTP on a slot machine?
Per the UK Gambling Commission’s rules, online casinos are legally required to show players the theoretical RTP of each casino game. The RTP info is located in slightly different places depending on which game and studio the slot comes from.
Let’s look at some of the most popular slots from leading game studios to get an idea.
We use the popular online casino LeoVegas to showcase where to find the RTPs on online slot machines.
Sweet Bonanza from Pragmatic Play:
First, you need to find the requested slot on the online casino where you are playing.
The game can be located on the casinos’ top lists or by searching for it using the casinos’ search bar.
Once Sweet Bonanza is loaded, click on the information icon labeled “i”.
Click the green play button until you reach the info where the RTP information is revealed.
Legacy of Dead from Play’n GO:
When playing Play’n GO slots like Legacy of Dead, you find the RTP information by clicking the question mark (?) next to the menu button.
Next, scroll down until you see the “Game Rules” visible. Here, you will see the RTP version you are currently playing at your chosen online casino.
Wanted Dead or a Wild from Hacksaw Gaming:
Hacksaw Gaming slots have gained in popularity in recent years due to their games’ impressive quality and entertainment value.
One of their hit games is Wanted Dead or Alive. Let’s look at how to find the RTP info in Hacksaw Gaming slots.
Start by clicking on the menu button.
Choose the “INFO” option.
Within the game info, you need to scroll down until you find the RTP information underneath the symbol payouts.
How to use a slot’s RTP to your advantage and beat the casino
It seems like a no-brainer: the higher a slot’s Return to Player percentage, the better it is for you, the player.
Right?
While it is correct to assume that a higher RTP benefits the player, it raises another question immediately.
What exactly does it benefit?
Why should you, as the savvy slot player, always check a slot’s RTP before you start playing for real money? And how can you earn money by looking for the best-paying online slots?
It’s pretty simple. You need to calculate a bonus’s Expected Value (EV) by using the slot’s RTP to your advantage.
When the EV is positive, you will, on average, be able to earn money from a casino bonus. If the EV is negative, you should skip the bonus. Choosing which slot you play the bonus money on significantly impacts what a bonus is worth in Expected Value.
Sounds complicated? We will show you how to end up in profit by logically making clever use of casino bonuses.
Using welcome bonuses and slot RTPs to gain a real edge over online casinos
A slot’s Return to Player can positively influence your playing time and chances of winning.
If you play a fixed number of spins, a higher RTP will ensure you lose less, on average.
However, there are other ways to use a slot’s RTP to your advantage.
A slot’s RTP can be used, under strict conditions, to earn money from casino welcome bonuses.
Although you may not get rich from this method, welcome bonuses are a great way to beat the online casino at its own game.
We must clarify a few things before we tell you how to use a slot’s Return to Player to gain an edge over online casinos.
- A slot’s RTP is calculated over millions, if not billions, of spins.
- You cannot predict when a slot machine is due to the Random Number Generator, which ensures each spin is independent and random.
- The Return to Player is an average percentage where factors such as variance have been evened out over time.
- Our method is a great tool to determine if a welcome bonus is “worth it”.
- Due to said variance (or luck, as people tend to call it), there is no guarantee every casino bonus will end up positive.
Disclaimer: Taking advantage of welcome bonuses is not illegal, but casinos may choose to ban you from bonuses or even close your account when you do. It is up to you to decide if you want to take that risk.
How to calculate a casino welcome bonus’s actual worth using RTP
To calculate if a casino’s welcome bonus is worth taking, there are three simple things we need to know:
- What is the % of the bonus that you will receive?
- What is the wagering requirement?
- What is the RTP of the slot that you will play?
Many focus on finding bonuses with low wagering requirements, but that is only part of the solution.
To illustrate how the method works, let’s do two examples.
Example 1:
- We will deposit 100 pounds and receive a 100% bonus of £100, for a total starting balance of £200.
- The wagering requirement is 35x the bonus amount.
- We will be playing Starburst at an RTP of 96.1%.
We will play the slot at a stake of £1 per spin, which means we must complete the wagering by playing 3,500 spins.
With an RTP of 96.1%, the house edge is 3.9%. In other words, on every spin, we would lose £0.039.
After playing through 3,500 spins, we lost £3,500 x 3.9% = £136.50.
After “grinding through” the bonus wagering requirements, your total balance is £200 -/- £136.50 = £63.50.
As you deposited £100 and ended up with £63.50, your total loss is £36.50.
That doesn’t sound too great.
Example 2:
Let’s pick another slot with a higher RTP.
Instead of Starburst, we will go for Quickspin’s classic slot Big Bad Wolf.
This slot comes with an RTP of 97.34%.
The rest of the bonus details remain unchanged.
- Again, we will deposit £100 and receive a 100% bonus of £100 for a starting balance of £200.
- The wagering requirement is 35 times the bonus (just like in the first example).
- Only this time, we will play Big Bad Wolf at an RTP of 97.34%.
With an RTP of 97.34%, the house edge is 2.66%. In other words, we would theoretically lose £0.0266 on every spin.
After playing through 3,500 spins, we have theoretically lost £3,500 x 2.66% = £93.10.
When subtracting this loss from the starting balance, we get an end balance of £200 -/- £93.10 = £106.90.
As you deposited £100 and ended up with £106.90, your total win is £6.90.
So, just by choosing a slot with a higher RTP, you have gone from a significant loss (a negative EV) to a modest win (a positive EV).
How cool is that?
The great thing is that you can calculate the net worth of every casino bonus by following these simple steps.
- Determine the total wagering amount.
- Find a slot with a high RTP.
- Calculate the theoretical loss.
- Subtract the theoretical loss from your starting balance to determine your end balance.
- Subtract the end balance from your deposit to determine a win or a loss.
- If there is a win, the Expected Value is positive. If there is a loss, the Expected Value is negative.
What are the RTP break-even points for profitable casino bonuses?
We have calculated the break-even points to help you determine whether a welcome bonus will, on average, result in a net win.
These break-even points are directly correlated with the wagering requirements.
You need to find a slot with an RTP higher than the break-even number to make a net profit from the bonus.
The lower the wagering requirement, the lower the break-even Return to Player:
- Wagering of 10x bonus: 90%
- Wagering of 25 x bonus: 96%
- Wagering of 30 x bonus: 96.69%
- Wagering of 35 x bonus: 97.15%
- Wagering of 40 x bonus: 97.50%
Please be advised that online casinos hate losing money and that these calculations are based on a 100% bonus.
Most casinos prohibit the play of specific high-RTP slots with bonus money to prevent players from profiting from their welcome bonuses.
Before you take a welcome bonus, check if the slot you want to play with is not on the excluded list by checking the bonus rules.
Start turning your Welcome Bonus into real money
With all the knowledge you have acquired from this article, you know which steps to take to determine if a welcome bonus has a positive Expected Value.
Here are some great choices.
Transparency and Trust
We believe in empowering players with clear and accurate RTP data to ensure a fair gaming experience.
Players who deposit hard-earned funds and play real-money casino games have the right to know exactly how big the house edge is and to play games that offer the best chances of winning.
We are confident that our real-time RTP tool helps players make informed choices, which will benefit them in the long run by helping them lose less, enjoy longer playing time, and get more spins for their money.
It will not. Even slots with a high RTP still have a house edge; ultimately, the casino always wins.
If a slot has not yet been released but is available in a demo version, we may review it before it goes live. In such cases, we do not yet have the real-time RTP data.
We have thousands of slots in our RTP database from all the major providers, such as NetEnt, Play’n GO, Relax Gaming, Nolimit City, Hacksaw Gaming, Big Time Gaming, Quickspin, Thunderkick and many more.
We also collect the maximum win, max win probability, variance, hit frequency and bonus round frequency.
These are two entirely different things that do not correlate. The RTP is the payback percentage, and variance (also called volatility) is an indicator of risk vs reward. High variance means high-risk, high-reward, while low variance is used to describe low-risk, low-reward slots.