Can casinos change RTP? Yes, by choosing a lower version
Yes, but it's not like most people think. A casino can't make a slot machine pay less to a player on a given day. What a casino can do is select which version of a slot it runs, from the versions the studio supplies.
That is real and easy to see. Out of the 10 casinos we review, the same Hacksaw slot runs at 4 different RTPs, and the game's information page shows which one is selected.
By Owen Sheridan · Updated
Can casinos change RTP? The short answer
Online slot games are developed by gaming studios like Hacksaw Gaming, Pragmatic Play and Quickspin, and not by online casinos. Many game studios release multiple versions of the same slot game that differ only in their return to player percentage (RTP), the share of all bets the game pays back over a very large number of spins.
The online casino gets to decide which version to release and hence the same slot game with the same image, name and features can pay back 96.38% at one casino and 92.33% at another.
Online casinos do not alter the RTP of a game while you play. The RTP is set in stone in the game you load and is declared in the game's rules.
The ranking of best payout online casinos shows which of the ten casinos we review run the top version of every slot checked.
How casinos change RTP: one slot, several versions
Studios announce their versions themselves, and these are three examples from the studios we check the most:
- Hacksaw Gaming
Wanted Dead or a Wild: 96.38%, 94.55%, 92.33% and 88.42%, all listed on the game's page at hacksawgaming.com.
- Quickspin
Quickspin has said Sakura Fortune "comes with two well-engineered RTP models: 90%, and 96%". Big Bad Wolf is at 97.34% or 90.01%.
- Pragmatic Play
For public information, it only shows one figure. Its client hub for casinos shows the other figures: Gates of Olympus at 96.50%, 95.51%, and 94.50%.
- What stays the same
The name, artwork, features and maximum win are the same for all versions. Payback percentages differ.
Wanted Dead or a Wild: what each version keeps from €1,000 of spins
- 96.38% · Winna, Bitz, HellSpin, 7Bit, BetLabel, 22bet€36.20
- 94.55% · TonyBet, Rakebit, Glorion€54.50
- 92.33% · Kings Game€76.70
- 88.42% · none of the ten€115.80
The game is the same for all versions. At Kings Game, the casino keeps €76.70 of €1,000 on average; at the 6 top-version casinos, the casino keeps €36.20 on average.
Averages based on many spins. One session can end way above or way below them.
Each RTP version is a separate game build
A version is not a setting. It is a different game build, with a different ID. You can see it in the web address casinos load the game from.
Hacksaw's Wanted Dead or a Wild is a good example, where each different build (ID) has a different RTP. The info screen of that build states it.
So, when a casino "changes the RTP", it means swapping one game build for another. Sometimes casinos keep two game builds side by side. For Big Bad Wolf, 97.34% and 90.01% are both listed by TonyBet, under the same name.
- Wanted Dead or a Wild, ID 1067
- 96.38%, the top version
- Wanted Dead or a Wild, ID 1114
- 94.55%
- Wanted Dead or a Wild, ID 1115
- 92.33%, the build Kings Game loads
- Le Bandit, IDs 1309 / 1310 / 1311
- 96.34% / 94.23% / 92.17%
When a casino's RTP claim is wrong
The figure in the game rules is the one that is official. A casino's description may state something different.
Big Bad Wolf: what 7Bit says against what the game says
At Big Bad Wolf, 7Bit shows a short description with "97.34% RTP". The game rules show 90.01%, the low version. Gates of Olympus' description says 95.51% RTP and for real money the game runs 94.50%.
Descriptions like these show what the game can pay out somewhere; they don't reflect what the casino runs.
Does a lower RTP version mean the slot is rigged?
No. A lower version is a different, published set of maths. Each individual spin remains randomly determined. The game simply pays out a smaller percentage of all bets over time.
Rigging a game means the game acts differently to you, to boost or reduce the payout based on your previous wins or losses. Regulators call this a compensated game. The UK Gambling Commission's requirement 7A bans it outright: "Adaptive behaviour (that is, a compensated game) is not permitted."
So the honest worry is not a hidden switch. It is a casino quietly running the 92% build when the 96% build of the same slot exists, and a rules screen nobody opens.
Our guide to theoretical and actual RTP explains why a single session can still end far from the figure.
| Lower RTP version | Rigged game | |
|---|---|---|
| Published by the studio | Yes | No |
| Stated in the game's rules | Yes | No |
| Same odds for every player | Yes | No |
| Reacts to your results | No | Yes |
| Allowed by the UKGC | Yes | No |
What a casino's RTP change costs you over a month
A few points sound small, so put it in euros. Say you play €50 a day on one slot for a month: €1,500 of spins, about 750 spins at €2.
At the top version of Wanted Dead or a Wild that costs €54.30 on average. At 92.33% it costs €115.05, and at the 88.42% version €173.70. The spins, the screen and the fun are the same.
Bonuses increase the gap. Wagering requirements amplify the house edge. Use the wagering requirement calculator to figure out the cost.
Why 92.33% keeps twice as much as 96.38%: house edge vs RTP.
Average cost of €1,500 of Wanted spins
- 96.38% version€54.30
- 94.55% version€81.75
- 92.33% version€115.05
- 88.42% version€173.70
Averages over many spins.
Are casinos allowed to change RTP?
Choosing between a studio's versions is permitted, and regulators pay more attention to ensuring players can view the RTP before playing, and that free play doesn't offer more than real play.
The UK Gambling Commission's technical standards say so directly. Requirement 3C asks for the return to player percentage, or similar information, to be easily available before the customer gambles. Requirement 6A says free-play games must use the same rules as the real-money game on the same site.
The Curaçao, Anjouan, Tobique, or Estonia-licensed casinos we review don't have to adhere to these standards. Hacksaw, Pragmatic and Quickspin games still display the RTP in their rules.
For more on free play, see our demo slots and RTP guide.
Play-for-free games must implement the same game rules as the corresponding play-for-money games offered on the same facilities (that is, the same website).
How to make sure a casino has not lowered the RTP
This takes less than a minute per slot. You only need to do this once per casino.
Find where each studio's RTP versions are published in our slot RTP versions guide.
Every studio's button and the exact line to look for: how to check slot RTP.
The Hacksaw Gaming casinos ranking already indicates which casinos offer the top version of Hacksaw slots.
- Open the slot in demo mode
Typically you do not need to create an account to do this.
- Open the rules
Hacksaw: menu, then INFO. Pragmatic: i, then turn the pages. Quickspin: menu, then ?.
- Compare with the studio
If the number is lower than the studio's top version, the casino has selected a lower version. Play the slot at another casino.
- Check again after logging in
A casino can set the demo and real money modes differently.
Can casinos change RTP? FAQ
Can online casinos change the RTP of a slot?
A casino can choose which version of a slot to run from the variations the studio gives them. Wanted Dead or a Wild comes in four variations, from 96.38% to 88.42%.
Can a casino change the RTP while I am playing?
The specific version of the game the casino loads has rules that state the figure. Changing it means loading a different build, with a different game ID.
Why do casinos choose a lower RTP version?
Generally, a lower version keeps more of every bet on average. For example, on €1,000 of spins on Wanted, the 92.33% version keeps €76.70, as opposed to the 96.38% version, which keeps €36.20.
Is it legal for casinos to lower the RTP?
It is allowed to choose a version that the studio supplies. Regulators such as the UK Gambling Commission require the RTP to be easy to find before you play.
How do I know which RTP version a casino runs?
Open the slot, and read the rules. In Hacksaw games it is shown under INFO, in Pragmatic games it is shown under the i button, and in Quickspin games it is shown under the ? button.
Can I trust the RTP a casino prints next to a game?
Not always. In the case of Big Bad Wolf at 7Bit, the text states 97.34%, while the game is actually running at 90.01%. The game's rules screen is the figure to trust.