Return to player (RTP) is very important in regard to the long-term chances of winning with slots. RTP (a.k.a. payback) refers to how much slot machines are programmed to pay out in the long run.
The best paying slot machines take you from hero to zero even with a small bet. Finding which slot machines pay the best involves looking at RTP, bonus features, paylines and the minimum bet amounts amongst other things. To get the highest payout, you must play slots with the best. Pragmatic Play Slots RTP If you do get the urge to get stuck into playing any of the large number of Pragmatic Play designed slot machines, then you are going to be very impressed by each of their unique themes, bonus games and huge jackpots too, and they have launched a massive suite of them over the year as well.
Higher payback means that a game gives you a stronger chance of winning. Therefore, you’ll do well to know the RTP behind any game that you play.
You’ll discover that it’s really easy to find payout percentages for online slot machine games. A simple Google search will produce the RTP for most internet games.
Unfortunately, you’ll have a much tougher time figuring out the RTP of land-based machines. In fact, this information is rarely available.
Is there still a way for you to determine payout percentages for slot machines in brick-and-mortar casinos? I’ll answer this question by covering more on the difficulties of finding RTP for land-based slots and if it’s ultimately possible.
Why Isn’t RTP Available for Land-Based Slots?
Unlike with many online slots, you can’t just find the RTP for land-based slot machines through Google. Your efforts will turn up little to no results.
The problem with slots in brick-and-mortar casinos is that they don’t have uniform payback across every casino. Instead, game developers allow casinos to select payout percentages based on a list of options.
Here’s an example on how this works:
- WMS is offering Monopoly Party Train slot to Vegas casinos.
- They feature the following RTP options: 92.5%, 93.5%, and 94.5%.
- Caesars Palace orders this game at 93.5% payback.
- The Venetian orders Monopoly Party Train at 92.5% RTP.
- Treasure Island orders this slot at 94.5% RTP.
You can see the obvious challenge in trying to provide payback numbers for such games. A website could list Monopoly Party Train at 93.5% RTP, which is middle ground.
Most online slot providers differ because they offer their games at a uniform RTP across every casino. For example, Rival Gaming will feature Spy Game with 95.1% payback at each online casino it serves.
Some exceptions do exist in the online gambling world. RealTime Gaming (RTG), for instance, allows its casino clients to choose 91.5%, 95%, or 97.5% RTP for a given game.
You can’t find payout percentages for RTG games either. Nevertheless, you can still learn the payback for the vast majority of internet slots.
How Can You Figure out the RTP?
You won’t be able to find the exact payout percentages for most land-based slot machines. But you can at least get a good idea on the matter through a few different methods. Here are some ways to learn the RTP for brick-and-mortar casino slots.
Make General Guesses Based on Coin Denominations
Casinos like to reward gamblers who are willing to risk more money per bet. Therefore, they order higher RTP for games with larger coin denominations.
Here’s an example on how this works:
- Penny slot machines = 88% to 90% RTP
- Nickel slot machines = 91% to 94% RTP
- Quarter slot machines = 93% to 95% RTP
- Dollar slot machines = 94% to 96% RTP
- $5 slot machines = 95% to 97% RTP
Penny slot machines are almost always the worst games with regard to payout percentages. Larger denominations ranging from a nickel to $5 are all closer in terms of payback.
Your theoretical losses will be higher on nickel games and up just because you’re betting more per spin. Nevertheless, you can still get more value per dollar wagered with the higher-denomination machines.
Read State Gaming Reports
Rather than making generalizations about coin sizes, you can always check out state gaming reports. These reports show the average payout percentages (or house edges) for each coin denomination within a given state’s casinos.
For example, you might look at a Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) release and see that dollar slot machines are offering 94.79% RTP on average.
Interestingly enough, the NGC reports specific payout information for Megabucks. This IGT product is the most popular slot in all the popular Las Vegas casinos and warrants more detailed info.
You won’t find the exact payout percentage for an individual game, but you’ll at least have a better guideline with these reports.
Email a Casino and Ask
One more option involves emailing a casino directly and asking them about their RTP for a specific slot machine.
The problem here is that customer service will often state that they don’t have this information available. But in certain cases, you may actually receive a real answer.
You shouldn’t count on this method majority of the time. It’s at least worth trying, though, if you’re desperate to find out the RTP for certain slots.
What to Avoid When Searching for Land-Based Slots Payback
You can see that there are a few different options for determining the payback for land-based slot machines. But there are also measures that you want to avoid on your payback-finding quest, including the following.
Relying on Signs Inside of Casinos
Many casinos hang signs above a bank of slot machines that will read something like, “Pays up to 99%.”
These signs are very effective at drawing players to slot machines. After all, who wouldn’t want to play a slot that only has a 1% house edge?
Unfortunately, these signs are also very misleading. Only one of the machines within the section has to offer 99% RTP.
The rest could pay as low as 90% RTP and still make the sign valid. Therefore, you can’t rely on much information that the casino supplies you with.
Using One Good Session to Determine Quality Payback
Slots are extremely volatile games that may pay a lot one session, then offer very few prizes for the next five sessions. Therefore, you can never use any single outing to judge how a game pays.
Many gamblers still make this very mistake. They’ll have one hot session with a game and believe that it offers a high payout percentage.
It would be great if finding RTP for land-based slot machines was really this simple. The reality, though, is that it’s anything but.
Blindly Believing Ads for the “Loosest Slots”
I’ve seen plenty of ads for loose slot machines when driving on the interstate. These billboards suggest that a given casino features slots with high RTP or frequent payouts.
However, “loose” is a broad term that doesn’t really mean anything. State gaming laws don’t put parameters on what constitutes a loose game.
Casinos can make this claim, regardless of whether it’s true or not. That said, you should take any such advertisement with a grain of salt.
Conclusion
You may think negatively about land-based casinos upon being unable to find RTP for their slots. After all, you don’t have to spend much time at all finding payback for online slots.
However, providers are the ones who choose whether to or not to release payout percentages. They can’t accurately do this with slot machines at brick and mortar casinos, because providers feature different RTP options.
One casino may order a slot at 93% payback, while the next orders it at 95% RTP. Developers are therefore unable to offer a uniform payout percentage for each slot.
The good news, though, is that you don’t have to give up hope. Instead, you have a few options for finding general RTP figures.
The easiest method is to make generalizations based on coin denominations. Simply put, the higher coin denominations usually offer better payback.
You can also read state gaming reports. These releases show the average amount that each coin denomination pays out within a given state’s gambling venues.
Finally, you can always email a casino directly and ask about a specific game. You won’t get the desired answer most of the time, but it’s worth trying.
In summary, finding the RTP for an individual land-based slot is impossible in most cases. But you’ll still have a general idea on how much these slots pay by following the previously covered tips.
There is only really one thing you need to know when choosing just which slot machines to play, and that is the RTP of each slot, for that is going to give you a very good insight into whether you are likely to have a long slot playing session or a very short one.
However, I do know and fully understand that it can get very confusing for first time and even some experienced slot players to get their heads around what RTP’s are and how they can and will affect the type of slot playing experience you will have, and that why I strongly advise you to read through the following guide.
Below you will find out everything there is to need to know about slot machines RTP’s, and once you know which slots do payback more than any other slot, then you will have some of the best slot playing experiences when playing those slot games.
Best RTP Slots
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What Does RTP Stand For?
The very first thing you will need to know is just what does RTP stand for, and it simply means Return to Player, and is a vital piece of information for anybody that is thinking about playing real money slot machines in any playing environment.
The RTP of each slot is going to let you know just how much of all players combined stake money played through any slot machines is paid back out to players as winning pay-outs, and the figure will be presented to players as a percentage.
It is important for you to fully understand however that the RTP of any slot machine is how much that slot machine will pay back over the long term, and bot the short term, and that therefore means that when playing any slot you could win or lose, and whether you will or not will be determined at random by the random number generator each slot machine has attached to it or built into it.
Many players will simply call the RTP of a slot machine the pay-out percentage, it is both the same thing, and the savviest players are of course going to be looking for that important information when they are playing at any casino site or on any casino app, for it will give them a true insight into just which slot machines are going to pay back more to players over the long term.
Each slot machine as mentioned is completely random, so never expect to achieve the exact RTP a slot machine has been set to pay-out to players on any one single session, as you would achieve a much lower one or a much higher one, dependent on just how lucky you are when playing.
So you now know just what RTP stands for, let me now pass onto you another very vital piece of information and that is just where to look to find the RTP’s of any slot machines you fancy playing, as they can be listed or published in one of many different places.
Where Can I Find Slot Machine’s RTP?
You will of course have to have some idea of just where to look to find the all-important pay-out percentages of any slot machines that you are thinking of playing, and with that in mind allow me to point you in the right direction as to where most casinos and slot game providers list their slot machine pay-out percentages.
The first place that you will often find the RTP of each slot machine is on the pay table of that slot, so give the pay table button a click and look there. If you do not find it listed on a slot games pay table then look at the help files attached to the slot as that is often where some players prefer listing their slot machine RTP.
Failing that you should take a look over the casino sites website at the casino site that you are thinking about playing slot games at, as many Gambling Commissions and Gaming Authorities now force their license holder to list the pay-out percentages of every single slot machine that they have on offer on their respective websites, so that is somewhere else that you should be looking or that information.
How to Work Out the Single Session RTP You Achieved
If you want to work out what pay-out percentage you achieved when playing slot machines then you will be surprised at just how easy it is to do just that, you simply need to know how much you wagered when playing any one slot, and how much you won on that slot too during the course of your session.
Simply divide your winnings, that being the amount you were paid out during any one single slot playing session by the total amount you wagered on that session, and then do one of two things.
If you answer begins with a zero followed by a decimal point, then remove the zero and that decimal point and the first two digits you have left is your pay-out percentage of that session.
But if you end up with a number that begins with anything higher in value than a zero, for example 1 then remove just the decimal point from your answer and the first three digits you are left with is the pay-out percentage for that session, so for example 0.88992 would be an RTP of 88% and 1.9373 would be payout percentage of 193%, it is as simple as that to work out RTP’s.
Why Do Slot Machines Have Different RTP’s?
It is purely based on the way that a slot machine has been designed as to just what pay-out percentage it will be offering you over the long term, and as you have already found out and will continue to do when you look around this website, slot machines can be both low and high RTP’s.
Slot designers do have to take a lot of things into account when they are designing any new slot machines, such as the base game winning pay-outs that slot will be offering players and also the winning pay-outs that can be achieved via any bonus games and bonus features too.
But I do think that it is very safe and fair to say that the forward thinking slot machine designers are always going to be designing slot machines that have higher than average payout percentages, as players will like the way they win regularly when playing those slots.
However, a casino operator may have their own ideas as to just how much they want to offer by way of RTP’s on their slot machines, which is often why you will find some casinos offering slots with lower RTP’s than other casinos.
Can Casino Operators Adjust RTP on Their Slot Games?
It is all down to just which slot machine designers have supplied the slot games and slot machines at any casino site as to whether the operators of those casino can adjust and alter the RTP attached and on offer on their range of slot machines.
It is often the case regarding online and mobile slot machines that there will be serval different versions of those slot games available which whilst identical to look at will have one of usually three or four different RTP.
So it is perfectly feasible an possible that a casino operator will adjust the payout percentage son their slot machines, so that is something that you should be making a point of finding out based on just where you wish to play slot machines.
Land based casino operators do have as much control over the RTP on their slot machines as online and mobile slot machine operators, so do keep that in mind when you play in such a venue, as you may find one casino has set their slot machines to payback much lower amounts of cash than another local casino, it will all be down to their unique business model as to which RTP they choose to make use of on their slot machines.
Do Identical Online and Mobile Slots Have the Same RTP?
As you will soon discover when reading through this guide slot machines that are the same may have been set with a different long term expected payout percentage depending on which casino sites you are playing them at.
However, it is also worth me pointing out that you will often find online slot machines are also available as mobile slot games and you may be wondering whether there are any differences in the pay-outs that online and mobile slot app games have been set to payout to players at the same casino sites and on their apps too.
Well in most instances you are not going to find any different what so ever when playing online or mobile slots at one single casino site, but there are some slot machines that do offer a slightly lower RTP when you are playing hem on a mobile device or vice versa when playing them online.
That is why it is always going to be important that you double check the RTP’s of any slot machines you are thinking of playing either online or via a mobile casino app, to see if there are any different regarding the long term RTP’s those slot game shave been set to return to players.
Where Do Land Based Casinos Place the Best Slots?
Now, one very interesting thing that I would like to point out to you regarding slot machines that are found in a land based casino rather than online and mobile casino slot machines, is that the operators of those casino venues will often place their high paying slots, those with the highest and best RTP’s in certain locations on their respective gaming floors.
They do that for a reason and a good reason too, by placing a slot machine that has been set to pay out more of players stakes over the long term then by placing them in a busy area of the casino other players will often spot those slot machines paying out.
If other players do see a lot of slot machines paying out, then they are much more likely to want to play other machines in that casino, as they may feel their luck will be in like those players playing the higher paying slot machines located in those busy areas of the gaming floor.
So, when you do set about playing at a land-based casino venue keep in mind the best paying slots will often be where the most people congregate or pass by when wandering through the casino.
Do Slot Machines Have Higher RTP’s When New?
It can be the case that when some new slot machines make their initial appearance onto a land based casinos gaming floor they are going to be offering players some much higher pay-out percentages and RTP’s than they will do once those slot machines have become established.
What I have often found casino operators will do is to increase the pay-out percentage son any new slot machines that they do roll out onto their gaming floors or a week or so whilst those machines are getting established on those gaming floors, then the RTP’s will be lowered by those casino operators.
The reason they do that is quite simple to understand, slot players are always going to be very eager to play brand new slot machines and will end up playing them regularly if they do feel they are paying out well when they first try those slot machines.
By setting the RTP’s on new slot machines nice and high then players will like the way they play and pay when new and are much more likely to want to play them again at a later date, when unbeknown to them their RTP’s have been lowered back down.
Are There Any Laws Surrounding RTP’s?
It is all dependent on just where a slot machine is located as to whether there are going to be any laws surrounding the operation of those slot machines, much more so in regards that RTP’s that they can be set to pay-out to players.
Take for example when you are on a cruise or are on a ferry, as soon as the ships get 3 miles away from land they are then in international waters, and as such they can set their slot machines to return any RTP they want.
As such you are often going to find slot machines available on a shop are going to return some very low pay backs when compared to casinos that are available on land, so keep that in mind as you are always going to want to get the maximum winning chances when playing such slot machines.
Fruit machines on he other hand which are a type of slot machine can legally be operated with some very low pay-out percentages, and I have come across many jurisdictions where they are no laws in place what so ever regarding what RTP as a minimum a slot machine must pay-out.
Why Don’t All Casinos List Their RTP’s?
Only those online and mobile casino sites that are licensed in a certain country that requires by law for them to publish the payout percentages of all their slot machines are going to be guaranteed of publishing those RTP’s somewhere.
Some casinos may have their own unique and exclusive slot machines and may not want players to know what the RTP’s of their slot machines are, much more so if they are very low RTP’s, and that is something you should always keep in mind.
I have also often found out that when playing in some land based casino venues you will find it impossible to get information on just how high or just how low the RTP’s are on any of their slot machines, and as such you will have to take it on trust or simply guess whether they have set their slot machines with some high payout percentages and RTP’;s or not.
I would therefore suggest you stick to playing online at casinos that do publish all of their slot machine and slot game RTP’s so you have some idea as to which ones you should be playing, those being the ones with the highest payout percentage of course.
Can RTP’s on the Same Slots Differ at Different Casinos?
RTP’s can and most certainly will vary depending on just where you set about playing them, even slot machines that are the same ones, so that is something else that you are always going to have to be aware of when it comes to you selecting where to play.
As mention previously you are going to find the pay-out percentages of all slot machines available online or at a mobile site published on the websites of casinos that are fully licensed and regulated, so I would strongly suggest that you stick to playing at those casino sites.
If you play at a casino site that isn’t licensed anywhere, and there is always the risk that you could do, then you may find that the slot machines do not have published RTP’s and that means they could offer the very lowest possible payout percentages.
In fact, some players have experience slot playing sessions playing at some unlicensed casinos that do not pay anything out to players of their slots, so stick to playing at any of our featured casinos, all of which do hold a full and valid gambling license.
Are RTP’s Lowered When I Play with a Bonus?
When you sign up as a new first time player of any online or mobile casino site, you are of course going to be offered some form of bonus, and you may be wondering whether when you are playing with bonus credits that will have any effect on the RTP of the slot you can play at those casino sites.
High Rtp Slots
It is not the case that a casino can lower or increase their payout percentage quickly and whilst for example a player is part way through playing with a casino bonus in their account, as the slot needs to be taken offline and the new software fitted.
But one thing is important to note, and that is those casino sites, both online and mobile casino sites and apps that always tend to offer huge valued deposit match type bonuses to their players are much more likely to have the very lowest RTP’s attached to their slot machines.
Take for example Real Time Gaming software powered online and mobile casino sites, I am aware that the operators of those casino sites can opt to have one of three different RTP’s attached to their slot machines, that being a low, mid ranged and high RTP.
Those that do tend to offer their players lots of very high valued deposit match type bonuses are going to often be the casinos that have opted to have the very lowest possible RTP’s on their entire range of slot machines.
They do of course do that so that when giving away to their players high valued bonuses all the time, they are still going to have a fair chance of winning those bonus credits off players, along of course with the deposit those players made into their account to claim those bonuses with in the first place.
Are Some Slot Providers Famed for Low RTP’s on Their Slots?
It never ceases to maze me at just how low some slot machine designers have chosen to set on their slot machines, for at the end of the day slot players are a very savvy bunch and are always going to be making a beeline to play slot machines that they know do have high payout percentages.
However it is fair to say that it is only going to be the fruit machines that you will often find in pubs and clubs and amusement arcades that have terribly low RTP’s attached to them, and some of those paybacks can be a shockingly low as just 72%.
If you ever set about playing fruit machines or for that matter any type of slot machine that does have a payout percentage that very low then you are not going to get much play time out of your bankroll and will often find your slot machine and fruit machine playing bankroll will not last every long at all too.
So, the only really is on you to stick to playing only those slot machines that have pay-out percentages that have been set nice and high, so make sure that is something you can always make a point of doing.
What Other Casino Games Have RTP’s?
Casino Slots Rtp
You may be wondering, if you can look up the RTP’s of any slot machines, and then track down and get stuck into playing the highest paying slots with the best paybacks, whether it is possible to look up the RTP’s of any other casino games that you may occasionally also fancy getting stuck into playing too.
Well, when you set about playing video poker machines for example you will discover that they are a type of casino game too that do have their own unique pay-out percentages, and once again you will need to track down the ones that offer the highest paybacks.
Keep in mind though that it is the pay table attached to such games that will determine just what the long term expected pay-out percentage and therefore the RTP of those types of games will be.
Best Payout Slot Machine
You will also find that when playing other casino games such as Keno games, they too will also have their own set of RTP’s., however you will need to be aware of the fact that each number grouping you can choose to have on your Keno card will have its very own long term RTP attached to it too.
What is an Average Slot Machine RTP?
One final question that you may have and that is just what is an average RTP regarding slot machines, and that question is important for you will need to know what to look out for when you are comparing the pay-out percentages of any number of slot machines wherever you are thinking of playing.
I would say that from experience slot machines that have a pay-out percentage of between 94% and 96% are those that do have an average RTP, and as such to become much savvier slot player then do make sure that you always track down those slots that have a pay-out percentage of 96% only.
If you do not heed that advise, then you will find when playing most slot machines, you will not get much play time out of your bankroll and may also find your bankroll being eaten up very quickly too.