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What is RTP (return to player)?

Article updated: Portrait of KirillKirill

For games with published payout tables, RTP is calculated exactly:

RTP = Σ probability(outcome) × multiplier(outcome)

Example - Dice. A 2× payout with a 49.5% chance: 0.495 × 2 = 99% RTP.

Example - Plinko. Multiply each slot's probability (from the binomial distribution) by its multiplier and add up all slots. Our claim checks do exactly this for operators' published tables.

What RTP doesn't tell you:

  • How a single session will go. With high variance, sessions land far above or below RTP.
  • How often you'll lose. A 99% RTP table can still pay less than your bet on most drops.

RTP describes the game over millions of bets, not your evening. The rest of every bet is the house edge.

In ProvablyHero tools

Session RTP vs theoretical RTP in the demo; convergence chart in the simulator; RTP by operator in multiplier tables.

  • What is expected value (EV)?Expected value is the average result of a bet over many tries. How to calculate EV for casino games, why it's always negative, and what it doesn't tell you.
  • What is a multiplier?A multiplier is what an outcome pays relative to your bet. Why most Plinko multipliers are below 1×, and how multipliers and probabilities make RTP.
  • What is variance?Variance measures how widely results spread around the average. Why high-risk Plinko swings harder, how it relates to RTP, and how to see it in a simulator.
  • What is the house edge?The house edge in plain words: how it relates to RTP, how to calculate expected loss, and why no betting system can get around it. With examples.