In this article, we look at land-based casinos versus online video slots. We will cover topics such as what RTP means, why it is higher for some online casino games, and we’ll also look at how land-based casino floor space can affect the theoretical RTP the casino sets on its slots!

What is meant by “Return To Player”

All slot machines have a return to player rating defined usually with a percentage. The return to player, also known as RTP, is basically how much a player can expect to win from the game over the long term. Online casinos have more RTP information readily available to players, offering them more value in a bid to attract new players as well as keep existing ones.

Why is RTP higher for online casino games?

The RTP for online video slots is higher than that of a land-based machine. One factor for this is the speed at which the game can operate at. For online slots at casinos like Mega888, after signing into the player’s account, a previous session can be continued.

These settings include quick and easy access to your favourite game, payline settings as well, turning on and off the video animations. More players accessing and playing video slots brings in more money potentially than that of their land-based counterparts, allowing for an increase in the RTP.

With online video games being widely more accessible than land-based machines, means a network can be formed amongst players playing that particular game live and increasing the bonuses and jackpots accordingly. More players operating faster means more money is being spent to accumulate across the network.

For a land-based machine, someone has to be present physically playing and machines will be linked to only a few players who have been present at the casino, therefore there has been less money coming into play.

Land-based casinos’ rent affects RTP

A casino will have to rent land-based machines which also take up physical space in the casino. This also affects the RTP as the casino has to cover these expenses as well as the maintenance for these machines. Slots are a negative expectation game, with the house usually holding an edge on each wager placed. Over an average session, a casino will usually claim some of the starting stakes of a player to compensate for the expenses of hosting the machine itself. With the number of spins being less due to the speed of a physical machine, the bonuses and jackpots are less likely to be hit.

Another important factor that affects the RTP is the overhead expenses a casino must pay, floor staff such as croupiers and cocktail waiters, cash attendants, and other employees all affect the payouts at a land-based casino. This is probably why on average the RTP for an online casino game will be in the region of 96% or higher. Land-based casinos fall between 92%-94% on average because of their expenses, which online casinos will not have to worry about.

More players turning to online video slots

With online video slots, there are no expenses for renting the machines, the number of spins can be increased, and the animations canceled so there is a greater chance of hitting a winning line in the same amount of time spent on a physical machine. This gives players more value and increases the overall appeal of playing online as well. With so many more games available, competition amongst online sites, this also means they will try to entice players by increasing the overall RTP for a player using online video slots, there are many players moving to online casino gaming over playing slots at a land-based casino more so than ever before.