What is RTP?

The RTP (return to player) is the theoretical return to the players. On slot machines in online casinos, the RTP is around 96%. In land-based casinos, the RTP is around 88-90%.

If you want to know more about certain terms in the casino world, read the following article.

How does RTP work?

The RTP is calculated on tens of millions of spins. Before a slot machine receives authorisation from the authorities, it undergoes tests, in particular on the RTP, which is calculated on millions of spins.

For example, when a machine has an RTP of 96%, this means that for every €100 invested you should have, on average, €96 in return. Of course, this is only theoretical. If you're lucky, you can win €120-130, just as you can only get €70 in return. This is only an average calculated over millions of rounds.

RTP is calculated over the very long term!

As you can imagine, online casinos as well as land-based casinos calculate the RTP over millions of spins and therefore over the very long term. If Bidule often repeats that "the casino is a winner in the long run", it is not for nothing, it is only due to the RTP.

The more you play a slot machine, the closer you get to the theoretical RTP of that slot machine.

There is no slot machine in online casinos as well as in land-based casinos that has a PTR higher than 100, which means that in the long run this slot machine would not make any money in the casino - a total heresy.

What is the difference between RTP and variance?

RTP and variance are two completely different things. The RTP is calculated over the very long term, as opposed to the variance, which is only calculated over the long term.

The RTP can change depending on how you play... so can the variance!

Indeed, depending on how you play, the RTP will not be the same. For example, when you play blackjack, without side-bet, the RTP will be around 99%. However, the variance will also be very low. The lower the RTP, the lower the variance/volatility.

On the other hand, if during a blackjack session you decide to bet on side-bet, your RTP will be much lower (around 95-96%), the variance will be much higher.

The most telling example is roulette. If you play on the colours: red - black, the roulette RTP will be very high, but the variance will be very low because the gain is only x2. However, if you decide to bet on specific numbers, your long term RTP will be lower, but the variance in the very short term will be drastically higher.

When betting on colours, you can only win twice your initial bet, whereas if you bet on numbers, the final win is 36 times your initial bet.

Variance/volatility is not just something reserved for online games. Indeed, if you are playing on a slot machine such as Da Vinci's Treasure, the variance will be extremely high. If you want to get the biggest bonus, you might spend hundreds of Euros to get it without being sure that you will get money back. However, if your luck is with you, the explosiveness of this machine means that you can walk away with thousands of Euros with a very small bet.

The variance according to your balance ...

If you are looking for a boost balance, you will tend to play on highly volatile slots. As explained with the Da Vinci's Treasure example, if you are lucky, you can walk away with a much higher balance than when you arrived. But since the variance is extreme on these slots, it is very likely that you will spend a lot of money without getting any bonus behind it.

Your bet also affects your variance. If you start with a balance of €100 and decide to bet €0.50 per spin, your variance is very high: if you are lucky, you can drastically increase your balance, but if not, your session at an online casino could end very quickly.