RTP explained

RTP explained: the percentage behind every game

Return to player is a design figure. When a studio builds a slot or a table game, it sets the pay table so that, averaged across an enormous number of rounds, a known share of the money wagered flows back to players as wins. That share is the RTP. Whatever is left is the casino's margin, better known as the house edge.

The Gambling Commission's guidance calls the figure for games of chance 'the average theoretical return to player percentage'. Each word matters. It is an average, so individual results scatter widely around it. It is theoretical, calculated from the game's maths rather than measured from last week's play. And it is a percentage of turnover, the total amount staked, not of the money you deposit.

This page sits within our casino maths section, which covers the related ideas of variance, expected value and probability.

Converting RTP into pounds

The quickest way to make an RTP useful is to turn it into a cost. Subtract it from 100% to get the house edge, then multiply by the total you expect to stake.

1. Find the RTP in the game's information or help panel, for example 96.21%.
2. Subtract from 100% to get the edge: 100 − 96.21 = 3.79%.
3. Estimate your turnover: stake per spin × number of spins. At 50p for 400 spins that is £200.
4. Multiply: £200 × 3.79% = £7.58. That is the average cost of those 400 spins.
5. Remember the range: in a real session you could lose your whole budget or finish ahead.

Turnover is usually bigger than people expect, because winnings get re-staked. Someone who deposits £20 and plays 10p spins can easily wager £100 or more before the balance runs out, since every small win goes back into the machine. The RTP applies to all of that turnover, so the deposit is not the right number to multiply.

RTP across slots, tables and game shows

Published RTPs vary widely across game types. The figures below come from developers' published numbers and standard game maths; where a game runs at more than one setting, that is noted.

Some of those games have their own pages: Blood Suckers, Big Bass Bonanza, Book of Dead, Starburst and the Crazy Time game show. Our list of high RTP slots groups the slot figures together.

Why one slot can have several RTPs

Many studios supply the same slot at more than one RTP setting, and the casino picks which version it runs. Wizard of Odds notes that a single title's RTP can also change from one country to another. Money Train 4 from Relax Gaming is a good example: its default RTP is 96.1%, but a 94% version is reported to be the one most UK casinos use. NetEnt's Dead or Alive is listed at 96.82% for its highest version, which implies lower versions exist too.

Two percentage points sound trivial, but on £500 of turnover the gap between 96.1% and 94% is £10.50 of extra average cost. The practical rule is simple: never assume the RTP quoted on a review site or in a developer's press release is the one in front of you. Open the game at the casino you are using and read its own information panel, which reflects the build that casino runs.

UK rules: how casinos must show RTP

The Gambling Commission's RTS 3 standard on rules and the likelihood of winning (opens in a new tab) exists, in its own words, 'to enable customers to make informed decisions about whether to gamble based on their chances of winning'. It sets out several requirements for online casinos licensed in Great Britain.

• 3A: the rules of the game must be easily available before you commit to a bet.
• 3C: you must be given information that lets you judge your chances, which may be the house edge (or margin), the RTP percentage or the probability of winning events.
• 3D: prizes and payouts, or how they are calculated, must be available before you bet.

The guidance makes a few exceptions where a return cannot be stated in advance, such as peer-to-peer games that depend on other players and bingo, where the prize depends on how many people buy tickets. The RTS sections on game information require disclosure rather than setting a minimum return, so the figure on show is the thing to compare. Our pages on UK RTP display rules and the wider RTP information rule cover the detail.

RTP for games with choices and multiple bets

In games where your decisions matter, the published RTP assumes a particular strategy. Commission guidance says it should be calculated from either the auto-play strategy or a standard or published strategy. The 99.54% figure for 9/6 Jacks or Better only holds if you hold and discard perfectly; careless play gives back much less. Blackjack figures likewise assume basic strategy.

Other games quote a range because each bet has its own return. Crazy Time runs from 94.41% to 96.08% depending on which segment you back. Wizard of Odds' figures for MONOPOLY Live run from 91.30% on the 5 to 96.23% on the 2. A headline 'up to 96%' therefore tells you only about the best bet on the board. Our game show RTP guide lists the ranges show by show.

RTP and progressive jackpots

Progressive jackpot slots split their return between ordinary wins and a contribution to the growing prize pool. Mega Moolah's 88.12% is quoted for the base game, excluding the jackpot contribution. The total including jackpots is higher, but most of that extra return is concentrated in very rare, very large prizes, so the day-to-day experience feels like a low-RTP game. See progressive jackpot maths and our Mega Moolah review.

Who checks that the RTP is real

A published RTP would mean little if nobody verified it. The Commission's testing strategy for remote games (opens in a new tab) says test houses examine game design, the software build and the actual RTP using simulation, emulation and manual testing. The random number generator must also meet RTS 7, which bans games that adjust their odds to make up for past results. Our pages on how casino games are tested and the test houses themselves explain the process.

RTP myths that cost players money

• 'A 96% slot gives back £96 when I put in £100.' Only across a vast number of spins and players. Your £100 could vanish in minutes or turn into more; the RTP describes the average, not the individual.
• 'A slot that has not paid for a while has built up RTP.' Online games in Great Britain may not compensate for past results. Every spin has the same odds. See can a slot be due a win.
• 'Higher RTP always means better.' It means cheaper on average. A high-volatility slot with a strong RTP can still drain a small budget fast. Our answer to is a higher RTP slot better weighs both.
• 'Casinos lower the RTP at busy times.' The RTP is fixed by the game build the casino has installed. Comparing the figure in the help panel tells you which build it is.

What RTP means for a £20 budget

Take a 96.21% slot and a £20 budget. At 10p a spin, £20 buys 200 spins before any wins come back; at 50p it buys 40, and at £1 just 20. If you stopped after exactly £20 of turnover, the expected cost would be about 76p. In reality wins are re-staked, so turnover and cost both climb the longer you play. The RTP sets the slope of the slide, and volatility decides how bumpy it is.

In Great Britain online slot stakes are capped at £5 a spin for adults aged 25 and over and £2 for those aged 18 to 24, according to the Commission's online slots stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab). Choosing a smaller stake stretches the same budget over more spins, but every one of those spins still carries the edge. Our slot RTP guide applies these numbers to individual games.

RTP and the casino offers on this page

These are welcome offers, and RTP still applies to every pound wagered with them. Casumo: 18+, new customers who opt in get a 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of £20 or more, wagered 10x within 7 days, £5 maximum bet, with game, play and payment restrictions. 10bet: 18+, new UK customers get a 100% match up to £25 on a first deposit made within 7 days, wagered 10x on slots within 3 days, maximum bonus winnings £1,000, Skrill and Neteller excluded. Coral: 18+, new players who deposit and bet £10 on slots get 100 free spins at 10p each on selected games, accepted within 48 hours and valid for 7 days, with no wagering on winnings; some payment methods do not qualify.

Terms apply to all three. Table and live games are often excluded or weighted lower for wagering, so read the terms before using bonus money anywhere other than slots.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.