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By Cannot spot a slot’s payout percentage? We know that this information is crucial when deciding on a title. So, we came up with three easy methods to find it.
Shall we begin?
What is slot machine payout percentage?
Slot payout refers to the average amount a game is expected to return in winnings, compared to the sum the player wagers on it. Essentially, this is the same as the RTP (Return to Player).
Although it seems quite complex, the RTP is actually an easy-to-understand concept. For example, if a slot’s RTP is 90%, it should theoretically give back 90% of your total staked amount.
Don’t get the RTP confused with the house edge!
While the RTP refers to the amount received by the player, the house edge represents the percentage the casino earns from a particular game. If the RTP is 96%, the house edge would be 4%.
Important
The RNG system guarantees the slot machine payout and house edge. This technology allows the game to provide fair payouts based on completely random outcomes.
Method 1: Navigate the casino’s website
According to UKGC regulations, all casinos licenced by this organisation are bound to display the RTP of their games somewhere on the website. As we list only UKGC approved gambling sites, finding the slot machine payout will be effortless.
Before diving into that, we shall mention that the average industry RTP is 96%. Some of the best slots websites on the market will mostly offer gaming options with a higher percentage.
Where can you find the RTP listings?
1. In the casino’s footer
The easiest way to find the slot machine payout percentages is to look for a specific list. If such a record is available, it will usually be located in the casino’s footer, next to the other informational pages.
You may recognise the section by the following names:
- RTP
- Return to player
- Game payouts
- System fairness
Each site may have a different terminology when referring to the RTP list. Yet, all of them display the same information. You should find an extensive list containing all the slots available on that platform, alongside their payout percentages.
A practical way to find a casino’s payout
Scan our list and claim the latest card registration bonuses. Choose one that fits your style of play and experience a hands-on trial of the casino’s payout rates.
Tips
Sometimes, a general RTP value will be calculated per casino as an average between the payout percentage of all of its games. Have a look at our list of 15 best payout casinos to find out what these are.
2. Hidden links
There might be times when an RTP list is more difficult to find. In these cases, the list can be placed within other sections, such as:
- General terms and conditions
- Bonus policy
- Fair gaming policy
To find the link more easily, look for a suitable context involving games, bonuses and fairness.
Recommendation
Should you not be able to find the link to the RTP list, we suggest chatting with the casino’s support team. This will help you locate the list or even redirect you to the exact page.
3. In the game’s specifications
When the casino doesn’t offer a complete list of its products’ RTPs, the remaining option would be looking for them separately. Usually, all games will have the payout percentage listed in their details.
There are two places where you can explore the RTP of a specific game:
Within the info tab
Some gambling sites make everything easier by adding an infobox on all their games. This usually contains the RTP and other useful details, such as the minimum and maximum bet or the number of reels and paylines.
To find it, look for a small icon on the game’s tab and click on it.
Inside the game session
In some cases, the payout percentage will be listed within the slot’s rules or settings, located inside the session.
Open the game and look for a ‘Help’ or ‘Rules’ button. Remember that you might have to scroll through a few sections until finding what you’re looking for.
Be aware
Due to strict regulations, some UK gambling sites won’t allow their customers to access a game before creating an account and verifying it. If that’s the case, opt for other methods of finding the slot machine payout percentages.
Method 2: Consult third party organisations
This method involves third party entities or organisations. It’s efficient not only when it comes to online slots but also in the case of physical slot machines.
Online slots: the safe option
If you feel like navigating a website to find the slot machine payout is time-consuming, this alternative might be more appealing to you. Have a look at online reports and statistics from relevant gaming jurisdictions!
According to UK’S gambling laws, casino operators should have their games tested by an authorised institution. Hence, the payout percentage is also guaranteed by such organisations.
First of all, the online casino sites we list on CasinoAlpha are all licenced by the UKGC. Therefore, they follow strict guidelines regarding fairness and responsible gambling. This means that most of them offer products approved by eCOGRA or by an independent game testing organisation.
Here are some examples:
- iTech Labs
- Gaming Laboratories International (GLI)
- Software Quality Systems (SQS)
- Technical Systems Testing (TST)
The easiest way to find the payout percentage of a particular slot, attributed by one of these institutions, is to perform a quick Google search. It is as simple as typing the slot’s name along with ‘RTP’.
Sometimes, testing organisations may even calculate the average RTP per casino. So, don’t hesitate to check out annual gaming reports!
Land-based slot machines
Finding the payout percentage is a bit more complicated when it comes to land-based slots.
Why? Because land-based casinos are not as transparent as some of the best online casinos out there.
While some machines display their theoretical RTP, others don’t have such labelling. So, it’s up to the punter to find it!
As it isn’t as easy as asking the casino’s staff, the only option would be searching for the answer online. Usually, the same regulatory bodies that licence online casinos are also in charge of the land-based ones. Thus, institutions like the UKGC and MGA should have the key to your query.
Information about payout slot machine is usually displayed in online reports. It might not be 100% accurate, but it sure helps!
Be aware
Some slot machine developers may offer multiple RTP versions of the same game. Hence, the slot machine payout may differ according to region or even casino.
Can online casinos control the RTP?
No! Most casinos don’t develop their own games. They have partnerships with various software providers that supply slots and other gaming products.
As the provider is the one that establishes the game’s payout percentage, the casino has no control over this matter. However, there might be cases where a game developer has different agreements on the same product.
Example
Play’n Go offers the Book of Dead slot with an average RTP of 96%. But, if a casino wants an exclusive deal, both parties can agree on a higher RTP, and a special partnership will be signed. Yet, the agreed RTP cannot be significantly lower or higher than the original one.
Average RTP per provider
| Provider | Number of slots | Average RTP |
|---|---|---|
| Play’n Go | 250 | 94-97% |
| Netent | 250 | 93-98% |
| Microgaming | 350 | 91-97% |
| Playtech | 400 | 90-97% |
| Pragmatic Play | 250 | 91-96% |
| Red Tiger | 200 | 94-96% |
Method 3: Calculate it yourself
When there is no other way of finding the RTP of a particular slot, you can attempt to calculate it based on your own gameplay. Still, you have to remember that the results won’t be as precise as those determined by authorised institutions.
Be aware
To determine an RTP as close to the real one as possible, you would have to spend a significant amount of money. So, we do not encourage using this method regularly.
The mathematical formula
Before starting to calculate a theoretical RTP, you’ll have to consider the following:
- Set a standard value per spin;
- Choose a number of spins per hour;
- Establish a playing time and a budget;
- Keep track of your total winnings.
Example
Suppose you place 500 spins per hour. Each spin has a standard value of £0.20. This means you are betting exactly £100 per hour. You are playing for 5 hours. So, you spend £500 in total.
At the end of the playing session, your winnings equal £450. This means an average loss of £10 per hour. As your total staked amount was £500 and the winnings £450, the approximate RTP would be 90%.
Important
Unlike other casino games that have particular betting strategies, slots don’t involve any. So, you cannot determine how often you should expect to win a round with a specific combination. This is why the actual RTP is calculated over a long period of time, based on the results of thousands of players.
Try out this method with bonuses
We recommend using bonuses to help you with calculating a slot’s RTP. In this way, you won’t have to spend your real funds to test our formula!
Some of the best casino promotions offer both bonus funds and bonus spins. While spins are sometimes tied to specific slots, bonus funds are usually compatible with a wide range of games. Therefore, you can use both incentives to ease your mission.
No deposit bonuses
If you don’t feel like claiming a deposit bonus, you may redeem offers that don’t require any funds. These usually refer to free spins that are given out to new players.
By claiming such a promotion, you’ll not only be able to test multiple games without using your cash balance but also experiment with our slot machine payout formula.
And if you’re interested in a particular slot, you may redeem special offers tailored to it. For instance, you may encounter free spins Book of Dead promotions or other bonuses linked to popular titles.
Deposit bonuses
When you feel prepared to dive even deeper into this method, you can explore a variety of deposit bonuses.
To boost your playing experience, you may claim a 100% deposit bonus or a 200% deposit bonus. In this way, you will credit your account with a certain amount and receive double the sum in bonus funds.
Besides that, you’ll also have your initial deposit to play with when the bonus credit runs out. When calculating a slot’s payout, don’t forget to gamble responsibly!
Payout slot machine: 3 common myths
There is a common misconception that specific elements influence the slot machine payout. Let’s see what these myths are and why they might mislead players!
1. Hot and cold slots
These refer to the volatility of the game. You may also encounter this term as ‘variance’ or ‘payout frequency’.
Hot slots are the ones with high volatility, while cold slots have low volatility.
So, what does this mean exactly? Let’s have a look:
- High volatility – pays less often, but in larger amounts;
- Low volatility – pays out small amounts on a regular basis.
Tips
There are also slots with medium volatility. This means that the winnings come in average amounts and intervals. When you see no ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ symbol on a game’s tab at a casino that categorises them in this way, it most likely has a medium variance.
Think of it this way
- You use precisely 100 spins of the same value on a hot slot. Out of 100 rotations, 40 of them are winning rounds, and the total amount resulting from the playing session is £
- Now, let’s take it the other way! You place 100 bets of the same value on a cold slot. This time, you win 75 rounds out of 100, but the total winnings are also equal to £
All in all, we want to highlight the fact that a hot slot can have the same payout percentage as a cold one.
Both of these terms refer to the payout frequency and not to the total amount the game is expected to return to the player. Hence, the connection between a game’s RTP and its volatility remains a myth among gamblers.
2. Hit ratio
At first glance, this concept may seem difficult to understand. Still, you will get the hang of it in no time!
The hit ratio, also known as the hit rate, refers to the likelihood of a slot machine hitting a winning combination instead of landing none of them.
For instance, if a slot comes with a hit ratio of 40%, it will pay out 40% of the time, no matter the symbol combinations it lands on. This means that it has nothing to do with the amount it pays out. So, the connection with the RTP is, once again, non-existent.
Fun fact
Slot machines have been designed as negative expectation games. This means that the odds of winning a round are significantly lower than the ones of losing. Slots have an average hit rate of 20-30%. Because of this, casino operators will never display this information.
3. The paytable
A game’s paytable displays all the possible symbol combinations and their associated payouts. Essentially, a large number of combinations is linked with a higher hit ratio.
Yet, this is not a general rule! Each slot has its own unique paytable that must be consulted before starting to play.
A complex paytable with a larger number of possible combinations might mean more possibilities to win a round. However, there is no connection to the amount that might result from a winning round. Thus, the return to player won’t be influenced in any way, as this refers to the sum you should expect to win and not to the frequency of winnings rounds.
What you know by now
- The industry average when it comes to payout slot machine is 96%;
- All online casinos licenced by the UKGC are bound to display the slots’ RTP somewhere on the website;
- Links to a casino’s payout percentages list may be secluded in the terms and conditions, the bonus policy or the fair gaming policy;
- Some gambling sites may display the average RTP per casino;
- Sometimes, you won’t be able to see the slot machine payout percentages before passing the KYC procedure;
- Online casinos are usually more transparent than land-based casinos when it comes to displaying the slots’ RTPs;
- Casinos cannot manipulate the payout of their games;
- Sometimes, you may encounter the same game with different RTPs due to special casino-provider agreements;
- Calculating the RTP of a slot yourself can be a time-consuming process that requires a significant amount of funds;
- You can calculate the payout percentage safely by making use of bonuses;
- The RTP is not influenced by the volatility, paytable or hit ratio of a slot.