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Slots returns or payback - a brief introduction Yield, return to player (RTP), payback, returns...all different terms or essentially the same thing - how much of the cash that is being put into a slot game does that slot game pay back to the player as winnings. There is very little skill involved in a game of slots. It is essentially a game of chance, where you choose your game (machine), select the amount you want to bet per spin, the number of lines you wish to play, and you hit the spin button. You really can not impact the games payback significantly through skilled play (although there are a couple of tips you should be aware of...see our slots playing strategy page for details). In fact, the return to player rate, for a given slot game is programmed to a predetermined rate, that is usually expressed as a percentage. A return to player rate of 86% means that for every $100 you put in the machine, you will be paid back $86. Some players will win, some will loose, but in the long run the machine's return will tend to its preset rate. Terrestrial casinos or slot machine venues usually have prescribed minimum return to player rates set by gaming regulators in that particular jurisdiction. Online casinos, being largely self regulated do not have any minimum returns imposed on them. This then begs the question, are returns at slot games online as good as those offered by traditional slots games? Below are summary findings of a more detailed analysis that follows, to answer this question. Findings Summary...
The outcome of our analysis revealed that online slot games returned substantially more to players than traditional slot games. The average return for online slots was nearly 6% higher than traditional Australian slots, and 2.5% higher than traditional US slots. Considering that traditional slot venues have significantly higher overheads to fund, this result is not really surprising.
Detailed analysis Traditional slot returns...reported statistics Below are a range of reported return to player statistics provided by a number of gaming regulators from different jurisdictions around the world. The list is reasonably comprehensive, but obviously only includes jurisdictions where rtp rates are reported and published for public consumption. (eg slots on international water cruises where there is no governing authority do not have to publish rtp rates)
a. US Where actual rates are reported: A number of jurisdictions are required to make publicly available their actual historical slots payback rates. These are set out below: Unless otherwise stated, stats are for period 1 July 1999 to 30 June 2000.
* This rate includes all machine games, ie slots, video poker and video keno. Video Poker RTP rates are generally significantly higher than slots, so the slots RTP would likely be less than the figure reported. Where actual rates are not reported: Regulations governing gaming in certain jurisdictions set RTP limits that must be adhered to but, do not required that actual rates be made publicly available by operators. We will only look at actual historical rates so cannot include these jurisdictions in the analysis, but as a matter of interest, regulatory minimum RTP rates are set out below. Operators are free to set their slots returns anywhere above the minimum.
b. Australia While a much smaller market than the America, in per capita terms, Australia has 5 times as many slot machines as the United States. The following data is extracted from the Tasmanian Gaming Commission's 'Australian Gambling Statistics 1973-74 to 1998-99'. This report provides comprehensive gambling statistics compiled from data obtained from relevant state gaming authorities, as follows:
The following stats apply to Slot Machines in the year ended 30 June 1999:
The stats...online slot returns Set out below are audited return to player rates applying to slots games only, for a number of different online casinos. The casinos listed run on different software, are all recognised leaders in the online gambling industry (in terms of size, reputation and longevity) and collectively offer most of the slot games reviewed here at Slots Jackpots. The RTP rates presented have been reviewed and verified by a well known 'big 4' audit firm. Unless otherwise stated, rate applies to the period 1 April - 30 April 2003
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