RTP is an acronym that stands for Return to Player and is a theoretical measure that indicates the expected payback percentage of slots. It is calculated using simulations of hundreds of millions or billions of game rounds, so its value carries weight over long distances.
Generally speaking, when talking about casino games, “house edge” is a commonly used term. For example, French roulette is said to have a house edge of 1.35%. This means that the casino expects to win that percentage of your bet every time you bet in the long run. This is the fee the casino charges for providing its services and allowing you to gamble. At a poker table, this fee is called rake.
As mentioned earlier, the RTP metric will tell you how much you are expected to pay back over time (long term), in fact it can take a huge amount of spinning to see numbers close to this theoretical number.
Why? Because when slot games are produced, their mathematical formulas decide how this payback amount should be paid out. This means that one game may pay out larger sums (High Variance) but less often (Low Hit Frequency), while other games may pay out smaller sums (Low Variance) more often (High Hit Frequency). And as with progressive slots, a lucky player can get most of the total payback amount in the form of a Jackpot.
Hit Frequency is a metric that describes how often a player will get the winning combination. This metric is available on in-game product pages and can be viewed online for any winning combination or a specific feature in the game, such as a particular Free Spins mode or bonus game.
As discussed, these metrics are very theoretical and these numbers are based on millions of spins. The important thing to know is that your outcome in a game, whether above or below the expected results, can vary because it is governed by Random Number Generators, also known as RNGs. Random Number Generators ensure that the results are unbiased.
Yes, this is the case with some specific games and some game providers. Here we will go into the details of the different situations and give you suggestions on what actions you can take to make sure you are properly informed about the game you want to play.
Basically, in today's slot gaming industry, the RTP level of a game can vary according to four different factors:
As well-oriented players and industry insiders know, some game providers certify their games at several different RTP levels, giving operators a way to adjust certain settings for their services.
Some game providers have produced games where the player is presented with an in-game choice that affects RTP. This could be a character choice, mode choice or similar.
Some games have different RTP levels according to the bet size the player chooses.
Some games have different RTP levels depending on the paylines the player chooses.