Guru Gwen
11 Jan 2022
•
18 min read
Walk into any casino—online or land-based—and you'll hear players talk about slots being "hot" or "cold," "due for a payout," or "tight after a big win."
None of that is real.
Slots don't have memory. They don't get hot or cold. They don't know you just lost 20 spins in a row, and they don't care. Every spin is statistically independent, governed by a Random Number Generator (RNG) programmed to return a specific percentage to players over millions of spins.
That percentage? It's called RTP (Return to Player), and it's the single most important number you need to understand if you gamble on slots.
This guide explains what RTP actually means, why short-term results feel nothing like the published percentage, and how to use RTP data to choose games that give you the best chance—or at least, lose slower.
The bottom line: RTP is real. Your "system" for beating slots isn't.
RTP (Return to Player) is the percentage of all wagered money that a slot machine is programmed to pay back to players over its lifetime.
A slot with 96% RTP means that for every $/€100 wagered across all players over millions of spins, the slot will return $/€96 to players and keep $/€4 for the casino.
Translation: A 96% RTP slot has a 4% house edge. Over time, you're expected to lose 4% of every bet you make.
Here's where players get confused: RTP applies over millions of spins, not your session.
You sit down with $/€100 at a 96% RTP slot. You might:
None of these outcomes contradict the 96% RTP. They're all within normal variance.
RTP is like flipping a coin. Over 1,000,000 flips, you'll get close to 50% heads and 50% tails. But in your first 10 flips? You might get 7 heads and 3 tails. That doesn't mean the coin is rigged—it means small sample sizes are volatile.
Slots work the same way. The 96% RTP will happen—but only after millions of spins across thousands of players. Your 200-spin session? That's noise.
Game developers (NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, Microgaming, etc.) program the RTP into the slot before it's released. The casino does not control the RTP of individual games.
Reputable slots are audited by third-party testing labs before they're licensed for real-money play:
These labs run millions of simulated spins to verify that the slot's actual RTP matches the developer's claim.
Unlicensed casinos or sketchy operators using pirated/"fake" versions of games. These can have RTP tampered with.
How to protect yourself: Only play at licensed casinos that display audit certifications and publish RTP data.
RTP and house edge are inversely related:
House Edge = 100% - RTP
The higher the RTP, the slower you lose. That's it. You're still losing—just at different rates.
If you're going to play slots, always choose the highest RTP available. The difference between 96% RTP and 88% RTP is massive over time.
You play 1,000 spins at $/€1 per spin ($/€1,000 wagered).
You'd lose 3x more on the low-RTP slot. Same playtime, same bet size, vastly different outcome.
Two slots can have the same RTP but feel completely different to play. That's because of variance (also called volatility).
Variance describes how wins are distributed:
Slot A: 96% RTP, Low Variance You win $/€5-$/€10 every few spins. Your bankroll decreases slowly but steadily.
Slot B: 96% RTP, High Variance You lose 50 spins in a row, then hit a $/€500 win. Overall RTP is the same, but the experience is wildly different.
The Trap: High-variance slots feel rigged because you can lose for long stretches. But statistically, the RTP is still accurate over millions of spins. You're just experiencing the volatility that's built into the math.
RTP varies significantly across game types. Here's the breakdown:
Variance: High variance in many modern slots
Variance: Low to medium
Variance: Medium
Variance: Medium to high
Variance: Medium
Variance: Extremely high
Good casinos display RTP openly. Bad casinos bury it.
Red Flag: If a casino doesn't publish RTP or makes it hard to find, that's a warning sign. Transparency = trust.
Reality: High RTP means you lose slower, not that you win more often. Variance determines frequency, not RTP.
Reality: No betting system overcomes house edge. RTP is applied to every bet, regardless of bet size or pattern.
You can't beat RTP. But you can use it strategically:
If you're playing slots, choose games with 96%+ RTP. The difference compounds over time.
BetEdge RTP Database: [Search High RTP Slots →]
Progressives have lower RTPs (88-94%) because they fund the jackpot pool. If you're playing for entertainment and want your money to last, skip them.
If RTP matters to you, blackjack and video poker have the best player odds (99%+ with strategy). Slots are entertainment, not optimal RTP.
RTP guarantees the house wins long-term. Accept that slots are entertainment spending, not investment opportunities.
RTP is the most transparent, honest metric casinos provide. It tells you exactly how much you're expected to lose over time.
The problem: Most players don't understand it, so they invent superstitions to cope with variance —"hot" machines, "cold" streaks, "due" payouts. None of it's real.
Do this, and you'll gamble with eyes open—not chasing myths.
[Search BetEdge RTP Database →]
[Read Next: Understanding Variance & Volatility →]
[Calculate Bonus Value →]