As a trusted information source to UK players, TheSlotzBuzz provides factual and reliable details needed to make well-informed choices. It’s a new modern era in which people rely on reviews and articles before making decisions or choices. To offer the same information regarding online games at gambling sites, not only the use of mathematical measurements are necessary but also effective ways to communicate it to anyone who enjoys online casino games.
Return to player (RTP) is not only a fascinating topic but also a useful reference point, the UK Gambling Commission requires all games at online and land-based casinos to clearly display return to player rates. At the same time, the return to player rate is an average percentage across multiple rounds, uses, or spins and not a guide for every time a particular slot game is played. Generally return to the player is measured across around 100,000 or more rounds.
Apart from the mathematical advantage a lot of psychology goes into how players view a game, in terms of past experiences a big win in the first session, or failure to trigger the main bonus feature in around 200 or 300 spins can leave a lasting impression. How an online slot plays is a complex issue once human nature and mathematics are considered.
Online Casino Games vs Land-Based Casino Game
Games at online casinos fare higher when it comes to the return to player rates, mainly due to lower overheads and cheaper operating costs. Online casino game developers offer slots with a return of 98% or in some instances even higher.
Land-based casinos offer an overall experience that may include access to refreshments, VIP exclusive gambling lounges and other comps. Playing slots in world-renowned establishments such as Macau or Las Vegas casinos is part of a dream holiday and RTP percentages, win variance, house edge, and hit frequency are less important. The ambience of the gambling site and the social aspect plays a much bigger part.
Online Slots RTPs with Progressive Jackpots
In progressive jackpot slots, a small portion of the wager goes towards the progressive jackpot pool/s. A part of the return to player percentage is also reserved for jackpots, which explains the lower return to player rate. Mega Fortune, for example, is a highly popular progressive jackpot by NetEnt with an overall return to player of 96.5%, of which the base game is 62.8%, bonus game 9.3%, free spins 16.8% and 7.6% is reserved for jackpots.
The same is evident in comparing slot games offering huge jackpots by some of the other premier software developers in casino gambling. Looking at the differences between some of the best-known online slot game standards and jackpot versions offering the same features highlights the significant differences.
- NetEnt Progressives: Mega Fortune 96.6% with progressive jackpot 89.9% without, Hall of Gods 95.7% with progressive and 88.7% without.
- Microgaming Progressives: Mega Moolah progressive 93.42% without 88.12%,
- Playtech Progressives: Jackpot Giants progressive 94.22% without 91.24%, Age of the Gods progressive 95.02% without 94.03%.
Online Casinos Offering High Return to Player Games
Gaming machines and slot machines can offer different return to player percentages at online casinos. Previously, only the game creator could decide the game or slots return to play, several online software providers now add return-to-player ranges instead of fixed return-to-player percentages.
Return to player ranges enables casinos to select from a range in general of between 94% to 97%. It explains why a specific game or slot can have a higher or lower return to player value at different online casinos. For example, Play’n Go offer several versions of the slots and other games with varying return-to-player rates, 7 Sins slot could offer 95% at one operator and 96% at another. Online casinos regulated by the UKGC must display the correct RTP to players. Average return to player game rates by Red Tiger Gaming is 94% up to 96%, NoLimit City %95.5% up to 96%, Pragmatic Play 95.8% to 96%, and NetEnt 95.5% up to 99%.
Highest Slots Return to Player Percentages Currently in the UK
The highest slot return to player percentages in the UK depends on the game’s variety and the developers. At Playtech casinos, the 99.32% return to player percentage of Goblins Cave slot or the 99.07% of Ugga Bugga impress. Depending on the casino Mega Joker can offer a theoretical average player return of 99% and Couch Potato by Microgaming 97.43%. Our list of highest slot return percentage games includes titles available at a large number of UK casinos.
Book of 99 – Relax Gaming
Relax Gaming gets a forceful grip on the attention of all mobile and online players searching for the best payout percentages with the release of the Book of 99 Slot. The wild is also the scatter in the 10 paylines video slot with five reels, featuring expanding scatter pays, and 10 free spins. The free spins bonus can be activated in more than one way in this high volatility Ancient Greece-themed slot offering a maximum win up to 5,000x. Book of 99 is one of the most popular slots at UK online operators and offers the best return to player percentage of 99%.
1429 Uncharted Seas – Thunderkick
Thunderkick answer the call from casino players for a slot that offers it all, from frequent spins to frequent wins. 1429 Uncharted Seas slot is a five-reel low to medium volatility slot featuring 25 paylines. The sensational selection of bonus features in die adventure-themed slot offers enthusiasts expanding wilds which increases the chance of winning significantly, and up to 50 free spins with payouts up to 125,000. It’s a wild sea monster chasing expedition favoured for its higher RTP of 98.6% available at many online casinos in the UK.
Blood Suckers – NetEnt
NetEnt’s Blood Suckers slot machine is equally popular with online and mobile players with a preference for high return to player, slot games. The five-reel, 25-payline video slot inspired by vampires offers low volatility play which is bankroll management friendly due to more frequent winning combination payouts. Several bonus features contribute to the overall enjoyment of NetEnt slot fans and include free spins, multipliers, wilds, and scatters. Like all their games, Blood Suckers offer a great experience completed by a decent maximum win up to 1,014x and the game’s return to player is 98%.
Jokerizer Slot – Yggdrasil Gaming
Jokerizer slot by Yggdrasil Gaming offers a high-variance world-class gaming experience across 10 paylines set on five reels. Optimised for mobile to offer fast loading times and portrait mode gameplay the carnival hunt leads to an adrenaline outburst during the Jokerizer mode awarding mystery payouts. Jokerizer is one of the online slots with an incredibly high return to player rate of 98% highly favoured by slot players at all UK online casinos. Apart from the high payout percentage the video slot also offers a huge max win of up to 12.000.
Starmania Slot – NextGen Gaming
Starmania is one of the online slot games by NextGen Gaming responsible for players shifting from land-based slots to playing online due to impressive slots RTP. Available at the best internet casinos, the 10 payline, five reel slot offers both-way wins. The dazzling online video slot offers bonus features such as extra wilds during the free spins, a free spins bonus, and stacked wilds. It’s the perfect online slot for slot enthusiasts who enjoy games with low to medium volatility, while it also draws the attention of high return to player gamblers due to its 97.68% RTP and maximum payouts worth up to 4,600.
Is there a legal limit to how high and low the RTP can go in a slot game?
The United Kingdom Gambling Commission lists the legal requirements for gaming or gambling machines and casino games at land-based and online casinos. No minimum or maximum return to player requirements are listed although the minimum average return to player percentage must be available to players for each game.
The minimum return to players displayed also needs to be verified by a UKGC accredited test house or the game manufacturer or game developer. The theoretical return to player percentage must indicate the average measured across a large number of spins or games, which vary over sessions due to game volatility.
The Malta Gaming Authority lowered its minimum return to player required threshold from 92% in 2021 to 85%. The reason for the change according to the MGA was to bring it in line with that of operators in the land-based sector.
Our Verdict and Where you should Play
Return to player percentages is an extremely useful tool in the hands of serious online slots and casino game players and a guide to the best betting values. The best online slot games with the highest return-to-player rates provide a higher return to the player over the long run, while the potential of huge jackpots is often measured according to average return-to-player rates.
The UK Gambling Commission insists that all UK licensed casino members have access to the correct return to player percentages for each game. TheSlotBuzz highly recommends membership at the Best Slot Sites in the UK, which guarantees players access to correct return to player percentage information certified by UKGC-approved testing auditors.
