What is RTP in Casino and Gambling? Casino Return Rates Explained

Anyone who steps inside a casino or plays at a real money online casino has a goal of winning — and winning big. To obtain that thrill of victory, however, it pays to be aware of each game’s RTP (Return to Player).

In this guide on RTP, we'll go over exactly what RTP is, as well as which games offer the highest RTP percentage. This will give you an idea of what to expect if you're in Las Vegas or playing from the comfort of your home (or anywhere, since you're on a mobile device). 

❓ What is RTP in casino and gambling?

Savvy gamblers are aware of each game’s RTP, which is short for "Return to Player."

RTP is the average percentage of your bets that a game returns to you over time. For example, if a slot machine has an RTP of 96%, players can expect to receive 96% of the amount they bet to be returned to them over an extended period of time.

Your personal RTP is anecdotal. Let's say you played a slot that had an RTP of 96% and you made 100 spins, you wouldn’t necessarily get exactly 96% back. It would simply be in the neighborhood.

Perhaps in the first 100 spins you made, you only received 95% of your wagered amount back. And the next 100 spins you made, you received 98% back. It would average out to 96.5% RTP over 200 spins.

RTP calculates infinite spins, or infinite bets.

% What is a good RTP percentage?

Table games typically have a higher RTP percentage than slots.

There are, of course, plenty of slots with high RTP. Some are even in the 97% to 98% RTP range.

But, with slots, there is a pretty wide RTP percentage range:

• “Good” RTP is generally in the 96% range.
• “Very good” RTP is around 97%.
• “Excellent” RTP is 98% or higher.

⬆️ What casino games have the highest RTP?

This table shows the types of casino games and some select slot titles that have the highest RTP rates.

⬇️ What casino games have the lowest RTP?

You generally want to avoid airport slot machines and penny slots. These slots have an RTP that can be as low as 80%.

Keno is a low RTP game that can go as low as 75%.

🏠 What is the difference between RTP and house edge?

In addition to RTP, you will also hear gamblers speak of the “house edge.” House edge is the inverse of RTP.

While RTP calculates the percentage of wagered money a game pays back to the player, house edge calculates the built-in advantage of the casino.

In short, gamblers want to play games with a low house edge and a high RTP.

You can also think of it like this. If a game has an RTP of 97%, the house edge is 3%.

♠️ Blackjack RTP

There are many reasons why in-person and online blackjack are so popular, and chief among them is the game's amazing RTP percentage, which can get to as high as 99.5%.

Unfortunately, there is a catch here.

This high RTP is only valid if the player is using basic strategy, which is a set of mathematical rules that removes luck from the game. Luckily, we've got you covered with our guide to online blackjack strategy.

♣️ Baccarat RTP

Baccarat is right there with blackjack in terms of high RTP. If you bet on the Banker hand in baccarat, you’ll get an RTP of around 98.9%. The Player’s bet has an RTP of around 98.7%.

A Tie bet will get you an RTP of around 85.6%.

🎲 Craps RTP

The RTP in craps depends on which kind of bets you make. The pass line and don’t pass line have an RTP percentage of around 98.6%.

Meanwhile, an odds bet in craps has a 100% RTP!

On the other hand, a fire bet in craps has an RTP of just 75.3%.

🔴 Roulette RTP

Roulette RTP depends on which version of the game you are playing. European roulette offers an impressive 97% RTP, while American roulette is less favorable at around 94%.

🎰 Slots RTP

There is a wide variety of RTP with online slots, but some select games can compete with the big boys on this list.

Blood Suckers and Starmania have RTPs of 98% and 97.8%, respectively. Try and avoid slots with RTPs in the 80-90% range.

👀 How to find RTP

By law, casino games must display the RTP somewhere within the game’s settings.

With online casino games, the RTP must be displayed on the information panel. Be on the lookout for “help” menus, question marks (?), and/or paytables to find out everything you need to know about the game you’re about to play.

You can also just Google the game name, plus “RTP” to get a general idea of what the game’s RTP is. For instance, if you wanted to know more about American Roulette, you could just search, "American Roulette RTP."