Online Slots’ RTP Average Was Lower in 2022 – What Can You Do?

Return-to-player percentage (RTP%) is generally higher at online gambling sites than in land-based casinos. This is great news for slots players — you can usually count on winning more at mobile casinos.

Unfortunately, a new trend seems to be developing that’s lowering payout percentages. This trend involves game developers giving their casino partners the option to choose lower slots RTP figures.

You obviously don’t want to play slots that pay back less money. Before you pull another virtual lever, learn why online slots’ RTPs are falling – and how you can keep earning sweet payouts in spite of them.

The Traditional RTP for Online Slots, & Where We Are Today

Casino RTP is the percentage of the player’s investment that they earn back on average.

Online slots payback has enjoyed a steady rise of the years. Internet slots used to offer anywhere between 92% and 95% RTP when they first came out in the mid-1990s.

And this is the main reason why most slot machine players are going to be better off if they start playing different online casino games with higher return percentages.

For perspective, many land-based slot machines only offer between 92% and 94% payback. Therefore, online slots have usually been the best bet. There are even  99% RTP slot machines online if you know where to look!

More Developers Give Online Casinos RTP Options

Many game developers are engaging in a new trend in which they offer variable slots RTP ratios to casino operators. This means casinos can choose from a variety of payout percentages to enforce for the game on its site:

Here’s an example of what a casino might be able to choose from:

Hopefully, the majority of online casinos continue picking higher payback options. As seen above, though, they have the choice not to.

Payback Options Decrease — Not Increase

The problem with variable RTP is that it starts at the old industry average and goes down from there. The example above, which is taken from Play’n GO’s Hugo Carts, begins at 96.23% — a very respectable figure.

Rather than offering higher and lower payout percentages, though, developers only provide lower options. At worst, an online casino can opt for 84% payback.

For perspective, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) requires all of its land-based casinos to offer at least 83% slots RTP.

That said, gaming sites probably shouldn’t have an option to choose RTP worth less than 90%. Nevertheless, slots providers are giving them this very choice, one of several ways online slots RTP can deceive you.

What’s the Average Online Slots RTP Now?

The industry average for mobile slots payback has risen to around 96%. As for what the current average is, I have no idea.

The variable payouts percentages are skewing the standard online slots payback. As a result, it may be difficult to determine an industry average for years.

The good news is that casino operators realize that a balance must be struck between profits and players’ odds. Gamblers are unlikely to return to casinos where they quickly lose.

This is exactly why New Jersey casinos don’t offer a bunch of slots with the minimum 83% RTP. They want players to get entertainment out of their bankrolls and even have a chance to win sometimes. This way, gamblers leave the casino with a good feeling and are more likely to return.

With hope, online casinos are taking a page from the land-based industry and not opting for extremely low payback. Choosing the lowest-RTP slots and watching customers quickly lose would be shortsighted.

Tips for Continuing to Enjoy High Payout Percentages

Ideally, the majority of mobile casinos take a page from the land-based industry and still offer fair payback. However, you can’t necessarily expect this in every case. Use these tips to take matters into your own hands and win more when playing online slot machines:

1. Don’t Play at Online Casinos With Low RTP

Some mobile casinos are inevitably going to opt for lower payback. For example, they may choose RTP settings ranging from 92% to 95%. Such gaming sites are more on par with land-based casinos.

Fortunately, nothing compels you to play at these sites. The gaming industry is filled with hundreds of mobile casinos. You can easily move down the line and find another online casino.

Top Recommended Online Slots Casinos

Certain operators fully understand the value of giving players fair odds and getting repeat business. These are the online casinos that you want to choose.

2. Always Check the Info Section

The majority of online slots developers list payout percentages within their games’ info sections. Therefore, you can visit the info screen (usually marked “i”) and check out the given payout percentage.

This practice has always been helpful in the past for ensuring that you’re playing online slots games with decent RTP. It’s even more important today now that casino operators can choose much lower payback.

Unfortunately, not all developers list payout percentages. You may consider avoiding these providers games due to how you won’t have any idea what your chances of winning are.

Assuming you still want to play these slots, then you might consider betting less on them. This way, you aren’t risking too much on unknown odds.

3. Look for Older Games With High Payback

The number of developers that are providing RTP options to casinos is higher than ever before. However, that doesn’t mean every game is subject to variable payout percentages.

In fact, plenty of older games exist that have uniform payback across all casinos. You can look for a high-paying slot and still enjoy a great opportunity to win.

NetEnt’s Blood Suckers is a perfect example of this. Released in 2009, this legendary vampire slot offers 98% RTP, thus making it one of the highest-paying games of all time

As covered earlier, a number of developers still exist that feature uniform payback for their games. You can simply opt to play slots from these providers if you don’t like the variable aspect.

4. Research Slot Machine RTP

Assuming you have no idea where to begin with slots payout percentages, then you can hit a search engine and start doing research. Luckily, this research shouldn’t take too long.

You can enter simple phrases like “highest online slots RTP” to find what you’re looking for. You can then sift through the various results to find games or casinos with high payout percentages.

You can apply your newfound research skills to finding RTP for land-based slot machines, too.

5. Learn Which Providers Consistently Offer High Payback

Some developers have a reputation for offering high payout percentages. As indicated by Blood Suckers, NetEnt is one such slots provider.

Once you figure out which developers offer several high-paying slots games, you can start browsing their library. You’re bound to find some favorable RTP in this case.

Of course, you should still check the info screen at a given online casino. Any developer could feature variable RTP nowadays and offer lower payout percentages at certain gaming sites.

Profiting, or Moving On

I can’t pinpoint the exact industry average for online slots RTP these days. However, I’m certain that it’s falling due to variable payout percentages.

Many developers now give their casino clients options regarding payback. The problem with this is that the options start at the old industry average and descend from here.

At worst, a gaming site can choose just 84% RTP for a slot. You’re going to get a better deal in brick-and-mortar casinos at this rate.

You don’t want anything to do with games this unprofitable. Always check the info screen before playing.

Assuming you find lots of lower-RTP slots at a particular casino, move on to other top online casinos. With some effort, you’ll find a gambling site with consistently fair payout percentages.