How we check slot RTP at each casino
The same slot can pay back less at one casino than at another, because providers sell several RTP versions and each casino picks which one you play. This page explains how we check the version a casino runs, and how to read the result on its review.
Key takeaways
- Many popular slots come in several RTP versions, and each casino chooses which one you play.
- We record the RTP each game states in the casino's real-money lobby, with the date, a screenshot and the name of the editor who checked it.
- Every reading is compared with the provider's default and its lowest version.
- The result sits beside the Terms Safety Score on each review but is never counted in it.
If you are new to the term itself, our guide to what RTP is and how it works in slots covers the basics. This page explains our check.
Why we check it
Take Starburst. NetEnt sells it in versions from 90.05% up to a default of 96.08%. On 12 October 2026 we found it at 96.09% at Riobet, 94.05% at Emperia and 92.05% at iWild.
92.05% in the real-money lobby, against the provider's default of 96.08%
Read on 12 October 2026. The lowest version NetEnt sells is 90.05%.
It is the same game with the same reels. Over the long run, though, the lowest version returns about £6 less for every £100 you stake than the default. Casinos rarely tell you which version they run, and their terms almost never mention it, so we look on your behalf.
How we check a casino
Every check follows the same steps, at every casino.
- Pick three games We choose three popular slots from providers that sell several RTP versions, such as NetEnt, Pragmatic Play and Hacksaw Gaming. If a casino does not carry one of them, we check another popular slot and name it on the review.
- Note the provider's range We write down each game's default RTP and the lowest version the provider sells, using the figures the provider publishes for that game.
- Open the real-money game We sign in and open each game in the casino's real-money lobby, never the demo, because a demo can run a different version.
- Read the game's own RTP We open the game's info or paytable screen and read the RTP the game itself states.
- Take the screenshot One screenshot per game shows the RTP line, the game's name and the casino, with account names and balances cropped out.
- Save the reading We save it with the date, the name of the editor who made it and the screenshot, and it appears on the casino's review.
Readings are never edited afterwards. When we check a game again, the new reading is added and the review shows the latest one.
When a casino shows no RTP
A missing RTP is a result, not a skipped game. Before we record one, we look in every place you could:
- Game info screenNo RTP
- PaytableNo RTP
- Help screenNo RTP
- Every page of the game rulesNo RTP
- The casino's RTP page, if it has oneNo RTP
Recorded as Not shown
If none of them states the RTP, we screenshot the rules screen as it stands and record "Not shown", with a note saying where we looked. We never guess which version is running, and a figure printed outside the game does not count: only the game itself confirms the version.
No RTP stated in 3x Wow Wheels, Fu Long Treasures or Shadow Gods
Checked 15 October 2026. See the Brango review.
How to read the game RTP check
Each review shows one card per game. Here is a real one, part by part.
94.05%1 2.03% below default2
- The RTP the game stated in the casino's real-money lobby on that date.
- How far it is from the provider's default, the game's standard version. Green means at or above default, amber means below.
- Where it sits in the provider's range, from the lowest version it sells on the left to the default on the right. A bar that is empty means the casino runs the lowest version. With no lowest figure, the card shows "Provider default" instead of the bar.
- When we read it and who, with the screenshot behind the figure.
- at defaultThe casino runs the provider's standard version, or a better one ("0.11% above default").
- 2.03% below defaultThe casino runs a lower version, by the gap shown.
- Not shownThe game states no RTP at this casino. The note under it says where we looked.
Real readings, side by side
We checked the same three games at Riobet, Emperia and iWild on 12 October 2026. Same games, same day, three different results.
| Game | Provider default | Riobet | Emperia | iWild |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| StarburstNetEnt | 96.08% | 96.09%0.01% above | 94.05%2.03% below | 92.05%4.03% below |
| Sweet BonanzaPragmatic Play | 96.49% | 96.60%0.11% above | 95.50%0.99% below | 95.50%0.99% below |
| Wanted Dead or a WildHacksaw Gaming | 96.38% | 96.38%at default | 92.33%4.05% below | 92.33%4.05% below |
Over a long session, those gaps decide how much of your stake comes back. A casino that runs the default or better gives you the game as the provider designed it.
Why RTP is not part of the Terms Safety Score
Terms Safety Score
- Rates what the casino puts in writing
- Argus checks those documents every day
- A change is published as a dated record
Gives the 0 to 10 score
Game RTP check
- Reads a setting inside the game
- The casino can switch it at any time, without notice
- Each reading is dated
Shown beside the score, never counted
Where a review shows both, you can weigh them together. Read more about how the Terms Safety Score works.
What the check cannot tell you
A casino could run the default on the slots we test and lower versions on the rest.
A casino can switch versions after we check, so a reading shows what we found on its date, not what you get today.
Where a game states no RTP, we cannot tell you which version is running.
Even the default version can leave you down after an evening, since RTP only evens out across a huge number of spins.
Before you spin: if a game you like is not one we checked, open its info screen yourself. Where a casino hides the figure altogether, we would ask why before depositing.
Ask us to check a game
Missing a game, or a casino? Tell us which one. Requests decide what we check next, and every reading goes on the casino's review with its date.
Corrections
Think a reading is wrong? Tell us and we test the game again, then publish the new reading with its date. The old one stays in the history.
Report a readingQuestions
Is a casino doing something wrong if it runs a lower RTP?
Providers sell these versions to casinos, and which one to run is the casino's choice. It does mean you get back less over time from the same game, which is worth knowing before you choose where to play.
Does a lower RTP mean I will lose?
Not in any one session, because RTP is a long-run average across millions of spins. Over time, though, a lower version pays back less of what you stake.
How often do you check?
Each reading shows the date we took it. When we check a game again, the new reading is added with its own date and the review shows the latest one. Argus separately watches each casino's terms for changes every day.
What if the RTP I see is different from yours?
The casino may have switched versions since our check, so the figure in the game you open is the one that applies to you. Tell us through our corrections policy and we will test that game again before updating the review.