RTP calculator, because 96% sounds like you lose almost nothing. You bet £1 a spin, about 600 spins an hour, for two hours. That’s £1,200 through the machine. The house keeps 4% of that on average: £48.
Not 4% of your balance. 4% of everything you bet. That’s the bit most people miss.
What the RTP calculator shows
House edge = 100% − RTP Total bet = bet size × bets per hour × hours Expected loss = total bet × house edge
Play the same session on a 97% slot and it’s £36. A point of RTP is worth twelve pounds here. Doesn’t sound like much, until you add up a year of sessions.
Speed matters as much as RTP
Compare blackjack with decent rules, around 99.5%. £10 hands, maybe 60 an hour at a live table. Two hours is the same £1,200 wagered, but the expected cost is £6. Eight times cheaper than the slot, with ten times bigger bets.
That’s why slots with turbo spin and autoplay cost more per hour. Same RTP, more spins, more money through the machine.
None of this depends on the currency. A 4% edge on 1,200 of anything costs 48 of it. Switch the currency at the top if you’d rather see your own.
A few honest caveats
This is an average. Over a two-hour slot session you can easily win £200 or lose £150. The expected loss is what it costs over many sessions, not the next one.
And RTP isn’t always what you think. Plenty of popular slots come in several versions, from around 88% up to 96% or more, and the casino picks which one you get. The game’s info or help screen usually shows the real number. Check it.
RTP of common casino games
| Game | Typical RTP | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Blackjack (good rules, basic strategy) | about 99.5% | about 0.5% |
| Baccarat, banker bet | 98.94% | 1.06% |
| Craps, pass line | 98.59% | 1.41% |
| European roulette | 97.30% | 2.70% |
| Online slots | usually 94% to 97% | 3% to 6% |
| American roulette | 94.74% | 5.26% |
The table-game numbers come from the rules themselves, so they’re the same everywhere. Slots are set by the provider and the casino, which is why you need to check each one.
The house edge always wins over time. Set a budget before you play. If it stops being fun, BeGambleAware.org can help.