If you’ve played online scratch cards, you’ll have come across the acronym RTP. But what does RTP mean for you the player? Below I will give you a brief outline of the meaning and how it affects you and the scratchcards you play.
WHAT DOES IT STAND FOR?
RTP stands for RETURN TO PLAYER; you’ll often see it expressed as a percentage rate. When you play a casino online, you’ll see a figure which looks like this (RTP 96%). Below you can see an example of an RTP displayed at an online casino.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
So what exactly does this mean for you? The figure and percentage rate is how much money a player can theoretically expect a scratch card or any casino game, including blackjack online, to payout out. For example; a card with a stated RTP of 96% will return to a player £0.96p for every £1.00 wagered.
You’ll have noticed that I used the phrase ‘theoretically’. That’s down to the way the RTP percentage is calculated. You MUST NOT assume when playing a casino game that YOU will achieve the stated RTP percentage. You could wager £100 and lose it all!
A player would be forgiven for thinking that a game which offers a 96% RTP would result in them losing a maximum £4? But that’s not how it works, and I’ll explain why.
Like I said early, the RTP is theoretical. The percentage rate is calculated over a long period. In some cases, a casino will give the RTP rate over 1 million plays of a game, as it’s unlikely a single player will play one million times! So each individual player will experience different RTP rates from other players.
JACKPOTS & RTP
Another factor to consider when thinking about RTP ratios are those big jackpot games. If a scratch card has a massive top prize, the jackpot could be seeded by the loses of 1000s of individual players. When one lucky player scoops the jackpot, the games overall RTP is unchanged. However, 1000s of the players might have experienced a higher loss rate than advertised. However, the total RTP is still 96% as a jackpot WAS won (returned to player) BUT the returns accumulated to just one jackpot winner.
WHAT’S A GOOD RATE?
So now you know a little more about RTP and how it affects your chances of winning. Let’s take a look at what represents a good RTP. Despite all you’ve read above, the RTP is still the only way you can assess a games ‘fairness’ or probability.
You should be looking for games with a higher RTP. For instance, a card with a 98% RTP is better than a game with 80% RTP. I would advise against playing cards with an RTP below 85%. Always check a games rate before you play for real money. Remember, the RTP is a theoretical rate and not a guarantee of the returns you can expect playing a game.
SCRATCH CARDS WITH HIGH RTP
I’ve reviewed 100s of scratch card games and noticed that the RTP rate varies dramatically from game to game. Below I’ve listed a couple of fun scratch cards that offer industry-standard or better RTPs. Click on the title of the game to read a full review.
LOVE ISLAND (90.96% RTP)
25K SCRATCH CARD (91.62% RTP)
RUBY WALSH SCRATCH CARD (91.93% RTP)
CRYSTAL MAZE (94.58% RTP)
PLAY OFF PALACE (94.58% RTP)
