Have you ever wondered why online casinos always seem to win? It comes down to two key numbers, the house edge and RTP (Return to Player). In this guide, our Canadian gaming experts break down what each term means, how they’re connected, and how they influence your real chances of winning.
By understanding these two numbers, you’ll know how to spot games that give you the fairest shot – and how to make your bankroll go further. Our casino reviewers have tested hundreds of games first-hand to unpack these two concepts and show what really shapes your odds.
Why House Edge Controls Your Winning Chances
The house edge is a percentage that the casino expects to make when players play a certain game. For example, if the house edge is 5% on a slot machine, then they will make 5% of all of the money played on that game over time.
Don’t expect the 5% to be a strict number for every hand, spin or play. It’s a number that manifests in the long run. From day-to-day, from game-to-game, the house might win or the player might win, so keep this in mind.
RTP Can Help You Make Better Gaming Decisions
RTP is the acronym for “return to player”, which is essentially the opposite of house edge. RTP is a theoretical average for how much of the total wagers the game pays back over an extremely long period.
According to Canadian-industry sources, RTP is calculated over millions of game rounds, making it a long-term average rather than a short-term guarantee. While no Canadian regulator publicly states the exact number of rounds, major providers and testing labs consistently refer to “many millions” of spins when deriving RTP.
However, keep in mind that RTP is almost exclusively used for slots in terms of jargon and not for other casino games. You’ll often hear a player ask if RTP refers to all games, but really, if you’re talking about blackjack, you’re just talking about the house edge.
If it’s a slot, you’re actually referring to RTP.
Here’s how it usually works
If the house edge on a slot machine is 5%, the RTP will be 95%.
What that translates to is the rough percentage that you would expect to get back – as a player – if you played that slot. If the RTP is 95%, you would roughly expect to get back $95 if you sat there and played $100 worth of spins.
How Volatility Affects RTP Accuracy
The RTP is not a hard and fast number for the short term. It is also important to understand the volatility of online slots. Volatility (or variance) describes how that RTP is distributed. For instance, whether payouts are frequent and small, or rare and large.
In the long run, it’s a lot more accurate. In the short term, however, there can be a lot of volatility. While RTP tells you how much a game pays back over time, volatility tells you how it pays it back.
From spin to spin, there can be great variance. Someone might hit a jackpot and then the next 100 people might all lose. Or maybe all of them will win or lose. Games with higher RTPs tend to offer more frequent but smaller wins, while lower RTPs often mean fewer wins with bigger payouts.
That said, the two aren’t perfectly tied, developers can design high-RTP slots with high volatility by redistributing payouts toward rarer jackpots. In the long run, over the course of months or years, the RTP percentages will be accurate.
That mysterious “who knows when or what you’ll win” feeling, is what makes slots so appealing. In short, RTP affects your expected return while volatility affects your experience of getting there.
Read RTP and House Edge Like a Pro in Five Minutes
Here’s a quick comparison of RTP vs. house edge:
| Metric | Definition | Applies To | Example |
| RTP | Percentage returned to player over time | Slots | The breakdown of 95% RTP: $95 returned on $100 wagered |
| House Edge | Casino’s expected profit margin | All games
| The breakdown of 5% house edge: casino keeps $5 per $100 wagered |
Understand the concepts of RTP and house edge at a glance:
- RTP (return to player) shows the average percentage of wagers a game pays back to players over time
- House edge represents the casino’s built-in profit margin, this is what the house keeps in the long run
- The two are mathematically inverse, where a 95% RTP means a 5% house edge
- High RTP or low house edge, indicates better long-term value for your bankroll
- Volatility shapes your gameplay
- High volatility means fewer, but larger wins while low volatility gives smaller, but steadier payouts
- RTP is about the expected return
- Volatility is about the pattern of payouts
Best Casino Games with a Low House Edge
If you’re looking to play the games where your money might go the furthest (or last the longest), these are your best bets:
| Game | House Edge |
| Blackjack | 0.42% – 2% |
| Baccarat | 1.06% – 14.36% |
| Slots | 1.2% – 14% |
| Craps | 1.36% – 1.41% |
| Single Zero Roulette (European) | 2.7% |
While these are the games with the lowest house edge, keep in mind that it also depends on what you bet in the game. For example, European Roulette can have good odds for you if you play red or black. If you go and bet on one of the numbers on the board, your odds of winning go way down and the house edge increases.
It’s the same with blackjack. If you can play with perfect strategy, the house edge is around 0.42%. If you’re going to play on instinct and just gamble, the house’s chances of winning go way up.
High RTP Games That Could Transform Your Winning Strategy
When it comes to the slots with the highest RTP, here are five of your best bets:
| Game | RTP |
| Mega Joker | 99% |
| Blood Suckers | 98% |
| Starmania | 97.87% |
| White Rabbit Megaways | 97.7% |
| Medusa Megaways | 97.63% |
I’ll have to give you some caveats, though. To start, there are always new games coming out, so it’s hard to keep track of which games have the best RTP. Generally speaking, it’s pretty well known that Blood Suckers and Mega Joker have exceptionally high RTPs. If you ask some seasoned casino players, they’ll tell you – especially, Blood Suckers.
The other caveat is that not all of these games are available everywhere. A game such as blackjack is going to be available at pretty much every casino. On the other hand, Blood Suckers may or may not. That game is pretty widespread, but let’s say something such as Medusa Megaways, it’s not everywhere.
Why should you care about the highest RTP?
There’s a debate among slot players as to whether or not they really care about the RTP. Here’s why: the highest RTP games are generally safer when it comes to your money, but they’re often a bit more boring.
No, it’s not that the visuals are bad or the bonus rounds are worse; it’s that the games just have less volatility.
Most people play slots for fun and entertainment, and the debate among them is whether or not winning a little really excites them. If you’re playing slots, it gets exciting when you hit 10x your bet or more; while 2x doesn’t exactly give you goosebumps.
If you’re choosing an online slot that’s slow and steady, go for a higher RTP. That means you’re more likely to have small, but frequent wins as you spin and play.
If you’re looking for a slot that will deliver a juicy jackpot, don’t focus so much on how high the RTP is. Look for games that have lower RTP and higher volatility. That means you’ll win less often but when you do win, it’s more likely to be a big score.
The Truth About RTP That Could Save Your Bankroll
Knowing the difference between RTP and house edge gives you more than knowledge — it gives you control. You can’t change the odds, but you can choose where they work hardest for you.
For more on this topic, read our blog that analyzes casino odds to discover which titles give you the strongest long-term value and the fairest shot at potential real wins.
Get the Edge with These Player Guides
Now that you understand the basics of RTP vs. house edge, master the basics of smart play with our handy casino guides crafted by experienced casino analysts:
FAQ
The house edge is the opposite of the RTP. If the RTP is 95%, that means the house edge is 5%. If the RTP is 93%, then the house edge is 7%.
Slots with a higher RTP tend to be less volatile. They are usually slow and steady: pay more frequently but you don’t have such huge winnings. Slots with lower RTP’s tend to be more volatile as you win less frequently but win bigger amounts.
No, that doesn’t exist because then there is no edge for the house. The highest is usually around 98% or 99%, but never 100%.
Most online casinos will give you the opportunity to check out the game information or details. There you’ll find all sorts of key data, including the RTP. If you can’t find it there, you can always check through the game developer too (by going to their site).
