Expected Reading Time | 4 Minutes
Last Updated: February 10, 2024
Written by Yvonne Greenwood
Do you want to find the RTP of a specific slot machine you are considering playing?
The RTP of a slot machine determines how much you will win (theoretically), so it makes sense to be aware of it before you play. Also, since online casinos now can change RTP for many slots, it makes more sense than ever to double check the RTP. Afterall, you could get different RTP rates for the exact same slot game depending on where you play it, and you always want to play with the highest RTP.
In this article, we will show you how you can find the RTP of a slot machine at an online casino.
- Method 1: Directly in the casino lobby (easiest)
- Method 2: In the paytable or the game rules of the slot (always works)
- Method 3: Ask support
- Method 4: Read slot reviews
WHAT IS RTP AND WHY SHOULD YOU CHECK IT?
RTP stands for Return to Player, and it is a term used in gambling to refer to the percentage of the initial stake that you get back when you place bets on a casino game or slot machine.
Let’s take an example. One of the most played online slots of all time, Starburst, has an RTP of 96.09%. So if you place bets for a total value of £100, then in theory you will get back £96.09 on average.
It is important to emphasise the words in theory and on average when we talk about RTP. The RTP of a slot game is calculated over millions of spins, so if you play a few hundred spins, or even several thousands, you can both win or lose more than the RTP that is stated on the slot game.
At the end of the day, the RTP of an online slot is just a number that indicates how much of your stake you should get back in theory if you play enough. However, your actual return percentage when playing will often be far from the theoretical RTP, so you cannot take this number too seriously.
Nevertheless, the fact still remains: the higher the RTP of a slot machine, the more of your stake is likely to be returned to you on average, so that is why it is important to check it.
Today, the average RTP for online slots is around 96%, so you want to look for slots with a higher RTP rate than that. If you do not want to do the research yourself, you can use our guide to high RTP slots where we have shortlisted online slots with RTPs above 97%.
However, if you plan to play slots regularly, we recommend that you familiarise yourself with checking the RTP. So let’s check out some different methods you can use to do so.
METHOD 1: FIND THE RTP OF A SLOT MACHINE DIRECTLY IN THE CASINO LOBBY
The easiest way to find the RTP of a slot is to check it directly in the casino lobby. Not all online casinos offer this option, but if they do, you do not even have to open the slot game to find the RTP.
Here is how we did it at MrQ Casino. To keep things simple, let’s take Starburst as an example again.
1. Use the search bar to find the slot you want to check the RTP for. In this case, we want to check the RTP for Starburst. So, we make a search for Starburst and then press the information button in the bottom left corner that appears when you hover over the game.
2. On the information page you can now see the RTP for Starburst along with other game information such as paylines, reels and min/max bet. As you can see on the image, MrQ has rounded up the RTP from 96.09% to 96.10%.
METHOD 2: FIND THE RTP OF A SLOT MACHINE IN THE PAYTABLE OR THE GAME RULES
Online casinos are obliged to display the RTP for every slot game they host, so you will always be able to find the RTP somewhere in the game. Depending on the game developer that provides the slot, you may have to look at different places, but the RTP is usually displayed either in the paytable or the game rules.
Let’s look at Starburst once again. This time, we tested it at Hyper Casino.
1. Open the slot game you want to check the RTP for. Since we want to check it for Starburst, we open the game. Once the game has started, click the question mark icon in the bottom left of the game panel.
2. Scroll down to the section “Return to Player”. As you can see, the theoretical RTP of the game is exactly 96.09% here.
METHOD 3: ASK CUSTOMER SUPPORT ABOUT THE RTP OF THE SLOT MACHINE
If you do not want to look up the RTP yourself, but still want to know what it is, you can always ask the customer support of the casino. They are obliged to let you know.
This is simple and you will always get the accurate figure. However, just keep in mind that this method can be time consuming. If the casino’s live chat is not open, it can take several hours to find out what the RTP is as you have to wait for an email response.
METHOD 4: FIND THE RTP BY READING ONLINE SLOT REVIEWS
The final method we will cover is reading online slot reviews at third-party websites.
While this is one of the easiest and quickest methods to find the RTP, it is not always 100% accurate. This is because many online slot games today have adjustable RTP ranges, which means that the casinos themselves can change the RTP (within predetermined limits).
So unless the review covers the RTP of the slot at all the different casinos, you may not get the exact figure for the slot where you play.
You can use our slot game reviews to find the RTP of hundreds of different online slots. We also try to highlight when a slot game has adjustable RTP ranges, so you know when to double check what it is where you play.
CONTRIBUTORS
Greetings, I’m Yvonne Greenwood
Yvonne Greenwood is our talented writer. In the office she goes by the nickname ‘The Machine’ because of her ability to always smash out excellent and relevant articles for our readers at SlotsHawk.com.
Content writer since 2020
