Basically, when it comes to slot machines, strategy boils down to this: Know the rules, your probability of winning, and the expected payouts; dispel any myths; and quit while you’re ahead. If you win $100, cash out $50 and play with the rest, for example. How many parts does a slot machine have? In general, traditional slot machines are made up of six parts. When you insert your money, these parts work together to activate the mechanism: The coin slot.

If you are a keen slots player then you will know that one of the most useful pieces of information about a slot that you can discover is the payout percentage for the game.

Unfortunately, the term is ripe for misunderstanding and novice slot players often misunderstand what the term actually means, which can lead to them having totally unrealistic expectations of how much they can expect to win on a slot from any given session.

This can then lead to them feeling frustrated, cheated even and less inclined to play the slot again, which is a shame as it is their misunderstanding that is the issue, not the slot or casino in question.

The problem often stems from misunderstanding what the term 'payout percentage' actually means and how it is applied on the slot.

So in this article, we'll attempt to explain clearly what this means.

What is a payout percentage?

A payout percentage is simply the percentage of the total amount of money that the slot will take in over a typical amount of time, that it will pay out back to players in the form of winnings.

That percentage can range from as little as 75 percent up to around 98 percent.

In essence, that is what payout percentage is. There is nothing more to it, but unfortunately, many people choose to think that this means that out of all the money they spend, they will expect to receive back between 75 and 98 percent back in winnings.

That is indubitably not the case and this misunderstanding occurs because people do not understand how the payout percentage is worked out, nor how the winnings used to calculate that amount, are paid out to players.

Suffice to say that a payout percentage is absolutely NOT a statement of how much of your wagering money you can expect to receive back in payouts on average.

Here's why:

Payout percentage - The number of spins

The first thing to note is that when an organisation such as eCOGRA tests the veracity of the claim that a slot has a payout percentage of X per cent, then they run a series of tests to authenticate that claim.

This involves spinning the reels of the slot millions of times in order to generate what the actual payout percentage is of the slot.

It is only when the reels of the slot are spun a huge amount of times that the payout percentage shows any meaning. As such, it is a statistic which is only meaningful for the casino, rather than the player who is unlikely to have the funds or time to spin a slot the many hundreds of thousands of times needed in order to generate payouts of the percentage levels of the slot.

On fewer spins, numbering 10,000, 1,000 or less, there can be a huge difference to the stated payout percentage. A slot may seem to run 'hot' and payout considerably more than the payout percentage (even run at a loss over that period of spins), whereas at other times it may seem to run 'cold' and pay out considerably less than the stated payout percentage.

The key thing to note here is that for a player, the number of spins they play is usually so small, that payout percentage is almost irrelevant. The more spins you play the more relevant the payout percentage becomes, but only if you spin the reels thousands of times over a sustained period.

Even then the payout percentage is still only an average mark. Sometimes the slot will pay out more over one million spins than the stated percentage, other times less, but usually these measures will average out to give a mean percentage level.

Therefore, it is best to view the payout percentage as simply a measure of how much the machine pays out over millions of spins and not really relevant to your chances of success.

Payout percentage - Structure of payouts

The other key aspect to the payout percentage to understand is how the payouts of a machine are structured and that this is equally important to understanding why you are not likely to earn back 75 to 98 percent of what you spend.

The best way to do this is via a hypothetical example. So let's say I developed a slots machine that has a payout percentage of 95% and let's say that in a typical month, this machine generates 1,000,000 in revenue from players playing 1,000,000 spins in that period.

If my hypothetical machine then followed the payout percentages exactly, then 5 percent of that 1,000,000 (50,000) is the casino's operating profit from the machine. That leaves 950,000 to be shared between all the players.

However, slot machines are designed to offer a range of awards, paying out smaller rewards more often and the big jackpot prizes less frequently. Let's say that my machine has paid out one large jackpot prize of 500,000 in the last month, plus three other smaller jackpot prizes of 100,000 apiece.

That means just four lucky players have accounted for 800,000 of the payout percentage. Out of 1,000,000 spins, that means just 0.0004 percent of players have accounted for 84.2 percent of the total payout percentage.

That means the remaining 99.9996 percent of players have just 150,000 in winnings to share amongst them from 9,999,996 spins. You don't need to be a mathematics genius to realise that therefore the vast majority of players of this hypothetical slot would receive a payout that is nowhere near the stated payout percentage.

However, four lucky players have receive a payout well in excess of the payout percentage! Sounds a bit like a lottery, right?

The structure of how your slot pays out is key to understanding that payout percentage is not a figure of how much you will win on average, but simply how much the machine pays out on average over a massive number of spins. Furthermore, how often a machine pays out top prizes, will also mean that the vast majority of players will not experience a payout percentage anywhere near what is stated.

That isn't an error, or misleading, simply a fact that over small sample sizes, the averages stated in the payout percentage are irrelevant.

So while payout percentages may not be useful in letting a player understand how much of their stakes they'll win back, where they are useful to punters is in giving them a comparative measure to judge which machines are most likely to offer them a return.

In theory, you are more likely to win playing a slot with a 95 percent payout percentage than you are a slot with a 75 percent payout percentage.

However, once again, because the number of spins you play will be so small, the chances of you noticing a difference between the slots is negligible. It is entirely plausible that you will play the 75 percent pay out slot and win more than the 95 percent payout percentage slot.

So the key lesson to learn about payout percentages is not to think they are stating how much you will win back on average in your session, but that they are a simple, general tool to assess how profitable the machine is for the casino.

Playing games of chance, which includes lotto, keno, scratch cards, slots, and many other games, can bring massive wins for the lucky. Take these games for what they are. And remember, there's no harm in trying your luck!

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The thrill of slots lies in the potential for a big payout. Whether you’re looking for the big jackpot or trying to grind out a steady profit, it’s what the machine gives you back that’s the most important. But are all slot machine payouts equal? Is there any truth to the myth that some games are more generous than others? If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, then you’ve come to the right place.

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On this page, we’ll go over the best payout slots in the UK today, plus tell you exactly how you can check the slots payout ratio of any game you come across. Remember, the UK gambling scene is completely licensed and regulated. Consequently, casinos must be transparent about how much money they are making and paying back out in jackpots and winnings. The information is not always sitting right in front of your nose, but it is there to find if you know where to look.

Slot Machine Payouts – In a Nutshell

So how exactly does a slot payout ratio work? The amount that a slot machine pays out can, and is, calculated by both casinos and regulators. Modern online slots call this value RTP – or return-to-player. The figure is given as a percentage and is used to provide customers with an accurate prediction of how much of the money staked on a game is paid out in prizes. There are a couple of things you need to understand about RTPs, however, before you wander off in search of the highest rate.

RTPs are theoretical. We cannot stress this enough. If you find a game with a reported theoretical RTP of 98%, it does not mean you are guaranteed to have 98% of your stake returned in a single gaming session. Sometimes, you can find data for actual RTP rates. Actual RTPs are more accurate than theoretical ones, but it’s important to realise that they represent the rate of payouts in the past, and do not necessarily reflect what that machine will pay out in the future.

Let’s look at an example to better explain how RTP is calculated in the online casino industry. Say, for example, that you are playing a slot that had one payline, and the chance of winning on that payline is equal for every spin you take. If, after staking a single coin on 10 spins, you have received a total of 9 coins in return, your actual RTP would be 90%. Sounds simple, right? Now consider that some modern slot games have more than 200, unequally likely ways to win. Calculating an RTP by yourself is impossible over 10 spins, never mind the millions of spins that are used to produce the data that is available to players today.

Types of Slots and Their Payout Ratios

Technological advancements in digital gaming and the switch to software-based slot machines somewhat diversified the market. As a result, it’s easier to categorise our favourite slot games into four main groups to differentiate between the what is a typical RTP and how to spot a bad one.

Progressive Jackpot Slots

There’s no doubting that progressive jackpot slots are the headline acts of this market. Progressive jackpots are the result of thousands of players working together to build big prizes at ridiculous speeds. Slots that have a progressive jackpot are linked together across several games, casinos and even countries. As a result, the RTP of these games tends to be on the low side.

A game like Mega Moolah, for example, has an RTP of around 88%. However, this is countered by the fact that when it pays, it pays big.

Classic Slots

Classic slots that stick to the traditional fruit machine formula tend to have what we call ‘fixed jackpots’. This means that the largest prize does not change regardless of how many people around the world are losing money on it. As a result, the base payout ratios of these games tend to be a little higher than a progressive jackpot slot.

A classic slot such as Jackpot 600, for example, has an RTP between 95.1% and 98.9%. These slots payouts won’t make you an overnight millionaire but are perfect for longer playing sessions.

Video Slots

Video slots are modern incarnations of classic slots. They vary in style, formats and payout ratios, but in general when we refer to video slots, we mean the computer-generated, video-gaming-looking games such as Gonzo’s Quest. There’s really no general rule for RTPs with these games, given the openness of the way they are designed.

A video slot can have one payline or 243, and the slots payout ratios vary in much the same way. The best thing to do is check the RTP of the game – by searching through the help sections – before you begin to spin.

Franchise Slots

Today’s online slots market is filled with popular franchise slot machine from your favourite TV shows and Hollywood movies. The franchise model really came to life with the rise and fall of the Marvel slots. Despite Disney pulling the plug of the superhero games that proved such a big hit, the Marvel games proved that franchise slots had a place in this market.

Today, games such as Universal Studios’ Psycho and Game of Thrones reign supreme. These games tend to have a lower payout ratio than non-licensed slots due to the higher costs to software providers or using the official characters and branding.

How to Find the Best Payout Slots

Depending on whether you play slots offline or online, these casino games of chance can have lower or higher payout ratios. In terms of differences between software provides, there tends to be very little. Choosing a software provider is a matter of game preference and experience, rather than favourable RTPs. The same goes for mobile games. The payout ratio of a mobile slot is the same as it is when you play it on desktop. Slots payout ratios are particularly important if you are planning on playing slots for high-stakes, as you’ll want to find the best RTP possible to protect your significant risk.

If you want to check the slot payouts of online casinos for yourself, search the online casino site for possible reports from independent auditing firms. You can check the slot payouts at each casino by looking for reports from Technical Systems Testing (TST), a Gaming Laboratories International third-party auditing company. The company tests electronic gaming equipment and makes sure it produces random results. Regarding slots, it conducts rigorous tests on their RNG and ensures it creates fair outcomes. You can also look for reports from eCOGRA, an independent and internationally recognised testing company established in 2003 and based in the United Kingdom. The agency specialises in the certification of online gaming software and systems and some of its activities focus on fair gaming by evaluating the RNG and RTP of games, providing secure and safe gaming environment and preventing underaged and vulnerable players from gambling. Online casinos usually offer reports from TST or eCOGRA on their websites and display seals of approval on their homepages.

Discover Top Online Casino Slot Payouts

The competition in the online slots market is so intense that software developers and casinos are scrambling to create games that offer the best payout ratios possible, whilst still generating profit for the operators. Modern online casino fans are savvy, and gambling companies know this. RTP is becoming more and more of a common term amongst even casual fans, and we predict it will be a more prominent unique selling point for new games in the future.

A common question we get asked when talking to slots players on this subject is: Do some online casinos have better payout slots compared to others? The short answer is no. The payout rates are determined by the software provider. These RTPs are audited by third party companies and companies can get into big trouble for messing around with the random number generator or the game’s inner workings after it has been certified as fair and safe. One thing that can change from casino to casino, though, is the maximum bet and/or coin limits. These do not directly affect the percentage payout rate, though. It’s also worth remembering that even games that can be found both online and offline will not have the same payouts.

Where Are the Best Land-Based Casino Slot Payouts?

Bricks and mortar casinos work differently from online casinos in terms of operation, functionality and many other factors. When it comes to their payout ratios, at land-based casinos they are roughly between 84% 86% and they are calculated based on restrictions such as costs of development and manufacturing as well as costs of the massive overhead. These costs leave a big cut for bricks-and-mortar casinos and therefore, they have to offer lower payout ratios than those of Internet casinos to stay afloat.

For online casinos, the payout ratios of slots are much different. They are much higher or approximately between 90% and 97%. The biggest reason behind this is that the costs associated with running an online casino site are lower than the costs of running a land-based casino. Expenses connected with massive overheads or manufacturing are irrelevant for online casinos so no wonder why the payout ratios of games are higher. You can find land-based casino slots at any major high-street casino. Today, you’ll even find popular online games at your local branch. However, do be aware that despite the gameplay being the same, the payout ratio will be lower than it is online.

Curious Payout-Related Behaviour at Land-Based Casinos

There are some curious behaviour patterns that we’ve observed when playing land-based slots. There’s no telling how well these tricks and ‘hacks’ work – while some are simply quirky and potentially good for thwarting off boredom at a brick and mortar gambling joint, some verge on misleading superstitions. We’ve summarised our favourites below.

• Timing the machine: Some punters monitor a slot for when it pays-out, and dive in after a certain amount of time has passed
• Popularity contest: If others are staying away, the logic goes that it is for good reason
• Identifying patterns: Loitering around a slot, watching others play, and noting down the payout frequency
• Rotation: Avoiding sticking at the same machine because it surely must payout soon!
• High-limits: Punters pick slots that require higher wagers, but have higher payouts

It Is All Really Worth the Effort?

Slot Machine Payout Sound

The important thing to take away from this guide to payout ratios is that nothing is permanent in this fast-moving market. The only way to really stay on top of the game is to take an interest in the industry as a whole. The best way to find the absolute highest RTP possible is to check out plenty of slots games and casino reviews. The other option, of course, is to forget about RTPs, payout ratios and all that technical stuff, and to just play the games and have fun. Remember, even the best payout slots ratio imaginable is still going to favour the house. With that in mind, it might be better to just enjoy the ride, have fun, and forget about trying to maximise your winnings. At the end of the day, whether you win or lose comes down to luck, just as it always has, and always will.