The more savvy casino players out there will probably already be familiar with the term return-to-player percentages (or RTP’s for short) but for those who aren’t, the term refers to the percentage of wagered money which will be paid back to the players over a given period of time; this is an important consideration for both gamers and casinos alike. Gaming machines offer many different prize amounts depending on which category they fall into and companies are now required by law to make details about the RTP’s of their machines clear and available for users to examine at their leisure. The mechanics behind RTP’s seem fairly simple on the surface and dictate that after a specific amount of games, you should receive a certain percentage of the money that you’ve staked. But is it really that simple?
RTP Is One of Many Tools Used To Attract Players
It follows that slot machines and games with higher RTP’s are going to be of massive interest to even the most casual of gamers and, as has been previously mentioned, gaming companies must now publicize their RTP’s in order to give paying members of the public an idea of their chances. It’s important to note that RTP’s don’t necessarily tell you how often you can expect to win. Take for example two machines that both have 97% RTP’s – on the surface, it sounds like you’re onto a winner with either machine and this is an attractive proposition to any gamer.
However, while one may produce a winning combination every ten spins, the other may pay out after only three and so it really does depend on the kind of gamer that you see yourself as. Do you prefer waiting for your chance or is the instant gratification associated with smaller and more frequent wins enough to get your juices flowing? With all of this being said, it, therefore, follows that slots with higher win frequencies will pay out more often but less lucratively, while slots with lower frequencies will return larger sums but less often.
The large majority of slot games all rely on the same psychological principles documented by behavioural psychologist B.F Skinner in the 1960’s. There are a number of books available on marketplaces such as eBay which go into significant detail about his work but, in the main, he demonstrated how variable ratio enforcement is a key player in the gambling industry- put simply, RTP’s can be seen as another way of making slot games more attractive to potential customers and they increase the curiosity and determination associated with the desire to keep on spinning even when things might not be going your way. Again, the constant need for instant gratification is a driving force behind modern-day gambling and Amazon has a number of books available which perfectly sum up the phenomenon in relation to gaming.
RTP Percentages and Jackpots
A common misconception with regards to RTP’s relates to the probability of payout and the associated percentages. If a machine has a 97% RTP, there are a good number of people out there who believe that they will win $97 for every $100 staked but this is simply not the case – the percentage is a calculated average over thousands and thousands of games and it is this mistaken belief which can affect a player’s psyche and decision making when playing a certain game. As a general rule, the higher the RTP of a machine, the more chance you have of winning but it’s important to consider that slot games aren’t always as cut and dry as this and it’s your responsibility to pick and research the games you think will suit your playing style and give you the best possible chance of success.
Knowledge of RTP’s Is Important But Not Vital
At the end of the day, slot games are there to be enjoyed and overthinking about win percentages and other technicalities can sap the enjoyment out of playing. While there’s no doubt that a better understanding of returns to the player will benefit you in the long run, it’s best to pick a game which looks attractive to you and which you think you’ll have the most fun with. If you win, great; if not, then there’s always next time and, as long as you know when to walk away and cut your losses, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy your favorite games without becoming a probability nerd. Happy gaming.
