What is RTP in Slots

RTP (Return to Player) is the percentage of all bets that a slot returns to players over a very long series of spins. For a game with 96% RTP, out of every 100 rubles wagered by all players combined, 96 are returned, and 4 remain with the casino.

Where this number comes from

RTP is not measured by eye. It is built into the game's math during development: the studio knows the probability of each combination and the size of its payout, multiplies one by the other, and adds them up. This results in a precise number like 96.21% — as with Book of Dead. Then the game is sent to an independent laboratory: eCOGRA, GLI, or iTech Labs. There, billions of spins are run, and the actual results are compared with the declared ones. A discrepancy of hundredths of a percent is allowed. Therefore, you can trust the number in the game description — lying about it would be more expensive than complying.

Why 96% doesn't mean you'll get 96 rubles back out of a hundred

This is where people most often make mistakes. RTP is an average over a huge distance, not a promise for your session. Take Starburst with its 96.09%. Make a hundred spins at ten rubles each, which is a thousand rubles in turnover. You might end up with zero, or you might take home three thousand. Both outcomes are absolutely normal. The declared 96% will only accumulate over tens of thousands of spins, and they will be accumulated from all players combined, not just from you. The remaining 4% is not "you will lose four rubles out of a hundred," but a commission on turnover. With a thousand rubles in bets, the mathematical expectation of loss is forty rubles. But this is an expectation, not a fact: the actual result of a hundred spins will fall anywhere in the range from minus a thousand to several thousand in profit. That's why we created a simulator: you choose a slot, a bet, and the number of spins, and you see how the balance fluctuates around the expectation. Over a thousand spins, the spread is wild. Over a hundred thousand spins, the curve noticeably hugs the calculated line.

What RTP is considered normal

In our catalog, we have 456 games for which the provider has published the exact value. The average for them is 95.64%. The range is from 91.93% to 98.04%. The distribution is as follows: almost half of the games, 41%, fall into the 95–96% corridor. Another 36% are above 96%. And only 8% exceed 97% — this is already a rarity, and almost all such releases are from Pragmatic Play. From this, a simple guideline emerges. Anything below 95% is a bad deal; 15% of the games in the catalog are like that, and there's no point in playing them when the same thing with better returns is available. 96% and above is good. Above 97% is excellent, but rare, and almost always, a high RTP comes with increased volatility.

RTP and volatility are different things

Two games with the same RTP can behave completely differently. Starburst has 96.09% and low volatility: it pays out frequently and in small amounts, the balance dwindles slowly and predictably. Gates of Olympus has 96.50% and high volatility: long empty streaks, but one rare big win covers them all. RTP answers the question "how much will be returned," while volatility answers "by what means." Choosing a game based solely on RTP is pointless. With a small bankroll, high volatility will deplete it before anything interesting happens.

Where to find the RTP of a specific game

There are three places:

• The game's own menu. The section with rules or the paytable is the most reliable source because it shows the number for the exact version you are playing.
• Developer's website. Official values are available there, but sometimes only for the latest releases.
• Our catalog. RTP and volatility are listed directly under the game's name, with a free demo spinning nearby. If the number is nowhere to be found, the game is likely little-known, and no one has published data on it. We mark such games as "~96% (no data)". We don't invent the value.

One game can have different RTPs

Few people know about this. Providers often release several versions of the same slot: 96.5%, 95.5%, 94%, and lower. The casino decides which one to use. The game looks the same, the name is the same, the pictures are the same, but the return is different. So you should check not by an online review, but in the game menu on the site where you are playing. The difference is significant. Between 96.5% and 94% lies two and a half percent of turnover that additionally goes to the establishment. Over a distance of one hundred thousand rubles in bets, this is two and a half thousand rubles in difference.

What to do about it

Look at RTP together with volatility, not separately. Check the number in the game menu on the specific site, not in someone else's review — versions differ. And don't expect RTP to guarantee your evening: a hundred spins don't decide anything; this number works on a different scale.