Slots RTP Explained & Highest RTP Slots List

game thumb 1

In the gambling world, when searching for the best casinos with high payout rates in the UK (or anywhere else), you should think about different perks before signing up. The first thing that comes to mind is finding the best payout online casino UK as well as easily finding the slots’ payout percentage values. The best practice is definitely finding casinos with top paying slot games.

There’s an intricate connection in online gambling between the best payout online casinos and the best RTP slots. Separately amazing, when online casinos and epic slots are together, you’re in for the best casino experience, the most fun and the highest winnings. Sure, slots are about luck, but you can greatly improve your odds of winning by playing the best payout slots with high RTP and the right volatility at top Canada online casinos, UK or Germany.

Slots gambling, poker and casino games, every game related to gambling that you can play in a casino is strongly connected to payouts, RTP percentages and volatility. 

In this article, we will break down for you all the key elements that can bring you the best success rate. After reading it you will know exactly what to play and where to play it. So carry on if you want to be the best slots player!

What Does RTP Stand For?

RTP is the short form of Return to Player, a term that casinos use to describe the percentage of all the real money wagered on a slot machine that a machine will pay back players over time. 

Case in point: a hundred £1 bets on a slot machine with an RTP of 96% will theoretically pay out £96 in wins. While the house advantage and the RTP in casinos are calculated long term, in the short term you can have both big wins and losses because of volatility.

The RTP is the flip side of house advantage. They are each other opposites as a 5% house advantage means a 95% RTP. Thus you could possibly get 95 back (from 100 £1 bets), more or less, but the house will keep its 5% advantage so that it can make a profit. The best RTP slots UK accepted will offer bigger RTPs and lower house edge which makes them perfect for players. If you want to have a better understanding of what the casinos get, check out our extensive and complete article on understanding the house edge for online slots.

Who Verifies RTP Data?

Especially qualified and independent firms will verify statistics to make sure that everything is in order. One such company is eCOGRA and on their website, you can find information about how everything works clearly explained, as well as the results of the tests conducted on thousands of casinos and games. 

eCOGRA is licensed as a testing agency in 29 countries and is the biggest independent firm to conduct the tests on RTPs, but there are several other companies that have the same job:

  • GLI – GLI stands for Gaming Laboratories International and their mission is to provide testing, certification, and professional services to the global gaming industry and do so with integrity.
  • iTech Labs – active since 2004, iTech Labs is a world-leading testing and certification laboratory with offices in Australia, Asia and Europe.
  • BMM – BMM Testlabs is the oldest gaming testing laboratory as it’s been in the business for over 40 years. 
  • Quinel – QUINEL has been acting for more than a decade. It has offices in Italy, Malta and the United Kingdom.

How Do I Find the Slot’s RTP?

This should be an easy task as most legal online casinos will post the RTPs of their games on a page on their website in the form of a list so you can easily consult it and see what you want to play. This way if you’re looking for the best RTP Microgaming slots it will be a breeze to find them. 

Still, some online casinos don’t offer this information mostly because they have the average value. To get the general information you can check out each game that interests you on SlotsCalendar and on the review page you will also be able to see a table that has all the information that could interest you, including RTPs and volatility levels.

What Is the Difference Between RTP and Hit Frequency / Volatility?

Now that you know what an RTP is it’s time to figure out the rest of the determine which games are the best payout online slots. While the return to player percentage is highly important in this equation, there are other factors that will affect it, like the hit frequency or volatility. 

Hit frequency is the term used by casinos to describe how often a machine will stop on a winning combination. For example, a 10% hit frequency on an online slot means that the machine will stop on a winning combination approximately 10% of the time. 

Many video slots will allow players to bet on multiple lines for each spin, which means that theoretically, you could get more possible winning combinations per spin (and several losing ones as well). While it might seem that this way you are winning more, over time the winning combinations and losing combinations will level the playing and you’ll get pretty close to that 10%.

Hit frequency has great variation from game to game, while it can go very low, it can also go very high. While high hit frequency seems like you’ll almost on every spin, remember that most of these times you are just getting your initial bet back and not more. Then again, having the same money when you finish a gambling session is still a win and not a loss. 

Also, a low hit frequency can also mean that you have a chance at winning a progressive jackpot which is harder to get but so much bigger than any other prizes you could possibly get. 

The hit frequency is given to you in percentage, but the term that you will come across more often is that of volatility (variance). It’s basically the same thing, only simpler and easier to remember. There are three main types of volatility: low volatility, medium volatility and high volatility. Low volatility slots will give you many small wins very often, medium volatility slots will give you constant and medium wins but less often than the previous ones, while high volatility slots will come with big wins but seldom. 

To sum up, the hit frequency or the volatility will tell you how often winning combinations will form when playing a slot game, while the Return to Player (RTP) will tell you what percentage of all the money wagered on a machine will be returned over time to players. 

Like everything in life, everything should be balanced so you have to take into account both the volatility and the RTP in casinos when looking for the best online slots payout percentage. Obviously, it’s your choice what you pick between high RTP with low and medium volatility or lower RTP with high volatility and much bigger prizes, even progressive jackpots, but you’re best chances of winning come from the first combination, while the biggest prizes come from the latter.

Which Slot Machines Have the Highest RTP?

Return to Player percentages differ for each type of game and from each individual game to another. The best payout games at casinos don’t necessarily have to be slots if you wish to spice things up and try other things from time to time. 

Even casino games can have huge RTPs. Blackjack, baccarat, craps, roulette, and all types of poker (three card poker, Texas Hold’em poker, Caribbean Stud Poker etc), in mostly this order, have a low house edge and high RTPs. Still, it’s slot games that are the most prefered by players from all over the world, so what online slots payout the most?

This is the complete top 10 of the slot games with the highest RTPs, volatility levels slightly differ, but most of them payout quite often:

These are the best slots RTP percentages, but there are many other slots that have big RTPs that you can try if you would like different levels of volatility or more bonus features. Check out our selection of top slots with bonus features or branded slots like book of ra deluxe slot and we’re sure you’ll find some amazing options.

The top above is an all-time top that covers all slot games ever made, but if you’re looking for new additions that are high enough to be part of the best RTP slots 2023 collection, make sure to keep an eye on our calendar of slots or check the free slots  category from time to time to try everything new.

Do Casinos Manipulate Slot Machines?

If you’re thinking that casinos do illegal things and rig slot machines to make them unwinnable then the answer is a resounding no. If you’re thinking that they choose the RTP and every other part of the mechanics, then of course they do. 

The RTP that’s given to online slot games is a theoretical RTP that software providers will assign to the slot when it’s developed. Every single spin you make on a slot game is determined by a Random Number Generator (RNG) so everything is random and cannot be rigged.

This randomness has a code built in that will keep the house edge over infinite spins. There is still variance on every spin which means that you might win (big or small) or lose but if you keep spinning and spinning, the average RTP will get closer to its stated value. 

If you still have doubts regarding the fairness of casino and about the presence or lack thereof of manipulation on slots, you should know that while in the past the slots’ RTP was tested before their release, since 2016 the UK Gambling Commission requires all operators to keep checking their slots.

This is because some thought that the RTP could modify over time or that there could be hidden codes or bugs that could affect it. This is the reason why slots are periodically verified (sometimes even by licensed third parties) and tested for fairness. 

So, to answer your questions, casinos do not change slots to con you, slots can’t be tampered with, RTPs (although they are just theoretical values over a very long period of time) are constantly tested and everything is legal, fair and safe.

Is It Better to Bet Max on Slot Machines Or Can You Win Big with Small Bets?

The world of online slot games is marvellous as there are a whole lot of options. No matter if you’re a beginner making minimum bets or a veteran high roller, there are games for each type of player. There is no stopping you from making the type of bets you want and you will have the same chance of winning only the winnings will be directly proportional with your bets. 

The only difference is when you’re playing progressive jackpots. Most of them will only be able to be triggered when playing at max bet. When playing progressive jackpots it’s not worth it if you’re playing small bets since the volatility is high and the RTP is pretty low. So when playing the best payout Microgaming slots with progressive jackpots it’s key to go for the max bet.

But as far as regular slot games are concerned, you should bet the biggest bet you’re comfortable with and can afford. If that’s the smallest bet then so be it. You should never bet money you are not comfortable losing and always play responsibly. 

Why Do Progressive Slots Have Lower RTP percentages?

If you’ve looked at RTPs of many different slot games, you’ve probably noticed that progressive jackpots slots usually have lower RTP percentages than the rest (while some are not that much lower, others can go in the low 90s or even high 80s). 

The reason why this happens is pretty simple. It’s because when a player triggers the jackpot the slot game will have to pay out some exceptionally large sums and, for this reason, the developer will put money aside to make sure they can cover this. 

Their way to make sure that they are covered for when a player gets even millions is to lower the RTP a little to have money put away especially for this moment so that they don’t have to close up shop. 

Jackpot slots are pretty similar to playing the lottery. They might be hard to win, but if you win you’ll be winning life-changing money. It’s up to you if you want to risk big to win big or be much safer and have better chances of winning, but smaller amounts. 

Is RTP the Same as Payout Rate?

They are very similar but not entirely the same thing. The RTP (return to player) is a theoretical calculation, while the payout rate is not theoretical, it’s the actual amount that a particular casino has paid out to its customers as compared to the funds that have been deposited. 

The RTP is for games, while the payout rate is for casinos. It’s a calculation based on countless hours of simulated pay, an average if you will, but it’s not always an accurate indication of what your results playing that game will be. 

But they are correlated because a casino with a high payout rate will have in its collection many high RTP games. And, of course, the lower the house edge in general, the better your chances of getting some nice winnings are. That’s why you should pick one of the best payout online casino UK sites and play the casino games with the biggest RTPs.

Tips & Tricks for the Best Paying Slots UK RTP

  • Bonuses – never pass on a great bonus. Read the terms and conditions and make sure that you agree with everything, but if it’s a good offer you shouldn’t miss out on it. A welcome bonus, reload bonus or even VIP promotion can help you pay less, risk less, play more and have better chances of winning. 
  • No Deposit offers – while bonuses, in general, can help, no deposit bonuses, either in cash or with free spins, are even better. And if you can combine free spins bonuses with in-game free spins bonus rounds then you’ve already vastly improved your strategy. 
  • Demo mode – test every game for free in demo mode before you decide to play it for real money. This way you get to understand the game, decide if you like it, see if it’s likely to pay out, and not waste any of your funds. 
  • Learn more about the games – read reviews, do your research and take into account not just the RTP, but also the volatility, hit rate, bonus features and other things that might influence your winning chances. 

Conclusion

The RTP isn’t the easiest concept to understand, especially if you’re a new player and this is your first contact with the casino world. But once you grasp it, it will vastly improve not only your general experience playing online casino games but also your chances of winning. 

You should try to only play high RTP games, or at least average if you really enjoy the gameplay or the theme, but never go under 94% because you’ll end up at a loss. Remember to play smartly and responsibly and everything should be fine!

Like our page and get special bonuses

    Report Issue

    Submit