One of the biggest terms in the world of gambling is RTP, otherwise known as the Return to Player rate. It relates to how much you can expect to win and walk away with after playing, so it’s important to know! 

What is RTP?

The Return to Player rate (RTP) refers to how much the player can expect to be returned to them over time. 

So, if your bankroll for the night is $100 and you’re playing at a slot with a RTP rate of 90%, then you can expect to walk away at the end of the night with $90. Not $190, like you might expect. Just $90. 

You see, the RTP rate has been named very particularly to make it seem like you will get more than you think. This is one of the reasons some people incorrectly refer to RTP as the Win Rate, which is something different again. 

It’s also important to understand that an RTP rate isn’t a guarantee by any means, either. Just because a casino game has a certain RTP percentage, that doesn’t mean you could walk out with the same amount. Considering the random nature of these games, there’s no way to tell what will happen. 

Even though people usually bring up RTP when talking about slots, almost all casino games will have a Return to Player percentage. If you’re wondering what the RTP of Blackjack is, then don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. 

Can RTP rates change?

Yes, RTP rates can change. 

First of all, RTP rates can change depending on which variant of a game you’re playing. For example, European Roulette has a much higher RTP rate than American Roulette, because it has one green pocket rather than two. 

Another aspect which can change RTP rates are any mini-games, which are most often seen in slot games. If you trigger a bonus round or free spins, then the RTP rates will likely be different during them than in the main game. If a slot says that its RTP Ranges, then this is what it’s referring to. 

Should I play slots with high RTP? 

It’s only natural to wonder whether it’s best to play slots with high RTP or not. After all, isn’t some of the fun wondering if you’re going to walk away with a big win or not?

However, if you’re only concerned about which slots will pay the most, then you’re going to get bored of playing them pretty fast. Slots will always be random on whether they pay out or not, even in the best US online casinos, so it’s always more important to find a game that you enjoy playing.

If you want to feel like you’re winning a lot when playing slots, then another aspect to watch out for is the volatility rates. 

Slots with high volatility will ‘win’ infrequently, but will typically cash out much higher when they do. With low volatility slots, they will win often, but will pay out much lower amounts. A lot of people confuse RTP with volatility, thinking that a high percentage of one will mean the other will be just as high.