Understanding RTP in Crypto Casinos – the Ultimate Guide

What Return to Player Really Means and Why It’s Important

This original CoinBets guide will demystify RTP (return to player), particularly in the context of crypto casinos. We’ll break down exactly what RTP is and how it functions in the cryptocurrency gambling space.

Most importantly, we’ll explain how you can harness this knowledge to maximize your chances of success. In fact, whether you’re a seasoned pro dipping your toes for the first time, knowing what RTP is and how it functions will help you play smarter.

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What Is RTP?

One of the most important but often misunderstood elements in gambling is the concept of RTP (return to player). This is especially true in the rapidly evolving crypto casino space, where new technologies and features are changing the way we gamble.

RTP stands for “Return to Player” and is used to indicate what percentage of money a player can expect to win back from a particular game (or from a casino as a whole).

For example, let’s say a slot game has an RTP of 96%. In this case, a player can expect to win back $96 of every $100 they wager. The remaining $4 represents the “house edge”, which is the casino operator’s margin (more on that later).

Simple, right? Well, yes and no. You see, while the basic principle is straightforward, context is everything. Specifically, the official theoretical RTP for any game is calculated over millions of test spins. Because an average player won’t play anywhere near that many spins of a particular game, the actual RTP experienced will be most likely be very different.

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How RTP Relates to Crypto Casinos

The basic concept of RTP is the same in any gambling, whether at a land-based casino, a traditional online casino, or a crypto casino. However, the latter does introduce some important new angles.

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Provably Fair Systems

The most fundamental difference between traditional online casino games and blockchain-based crypto casino games relates to trust. With traditional games, you have to put your trust in the casino operators regarding game RTP, but crypto casinos enable provably fair RTP rates.

Reputable game developers use RNGs (Random Number Generators) certified by test labs like eCOGRA, BMM, and iTech Labs to generate game results. But, players still have to trust that casino operators haven’t tampered with things.

While this isn’t a big concern at casinos licensed by strict regulators like the UKGC (UK Gambling Commission) and MGA (Malta Gaming Authority), it can be a concern at others. Why? Crypto casinos tend to be licensed in jurisdictions with “less exacting” auditing requirements, like Anjouan.

This is where blockchain-based provably fair games are, well, a real “game changer”. By running server and players seeds through an algorithm, players can independently verify a game’s results are random. This unprecedented level of transparency is simply impossible at traditional online and land-based casinos.

If you’re interested in finding out more about provably fair RTP and games, check out the CoinBets.com Introduction to Provably Fair Gaming.

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Unique Features in Crypto Casinos

Crypto casino operators can typically offer games with higher RTPs compared to those at traditional online casinos. Primarily, this is because of lower operational costs – especially payment processing fees. This is especially true when it comes to truly decentralized peer-to-peer gambling platforms, which also save on staff, admin, legal, and infrastructure costs.

To illustrate this, here are some typical RTPs for popular provably-fair games. You’ll find many crypto casinos now offer in-house versions of these:

• Crash – 96% to 99%
• Plinko – 96% to 99%
• Limbo – 96% to 99%
• Hi-Lo – 98% to 99%
• Dice – 88% to 98%

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Instant Payouts and RTP

Complementing the higher RTP games found at crypto casinos are instant payouts. Again, these are enabled by the fact that using cryptocurrency enables site operators to bypass the traditional financial system. Hence, they avoid the high fees and lengthy processing times that come with using conventional payment processors.

The integration of Web3 cryptocurrency wallets like MetaMask and TrustWallet can also make this process seamless, while still maintaining a good level of security. Needless to say, instant payouts enhance the overall gaming experience, but critically, they also reinforce the trust between the gambler and the casino.

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Why RTP Matters in Crypto Gambling

As you can see, it’s hard to overstate the importance of RTP in crypto casinos. Simply put, the higher the RTP, the more wagered money will be returned to players over the long term, reducing the casino’s edge. But, as previously explained, RTP is a theoretical long-term rate, so how can you, as an individual player use it to your advantage?

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Maximizing Your Chances

Mathematics is a science and numbers don’t lie. Technically, playing a game with a higher RTP does mean that you have a higher chance of winning. For example, if you’re choosing between two slots, one with an RTP of 90% and the other with an RTP of 96%, the latter is, statistically speaking, the better bet.

However, it’s important to appreciate relativity.

If you play a million spins on a single game, the RTP you experience is probably going to be very close to the game’s official RTP. But, in reality, most people aren’t going to do anywhere near that many spins. So, even if you choose a game with a high theoretical RTP, you could spend an hour playing and experience a much lower or higher real RTP.

A good way of thinking about it is to visualize a Bitcoin or stock price chart. If you look at it over a year, there will be a certain trend. But, if you zoom in on a particular month, it will look very different. And, if you zoom in even further to the hour scale, it will look completely unrecognizable.

The official game RTP is equivalent to the year scale trend, and the individual players’ sessions are equivalent to the hour or minute scale trends. They are both the same reality, but depending on the scale, things will look very different.

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Strategic Betting

Crypto casino RTP rates are also something to consider when formulating more nuanced betting strategies. For example, you can look for correlations between RTP and volatility for particular game providers, or search for special RTP rates – casino’s sometimes do boosted RTPs on specific games.

Again, here it is critical to consider scale. If you intend on playing steadily over the long term, then you may want to stick with high RTP, low volatility games. This will give a higher chance of steady, consistent returns. While if you only intend to play in short sessions, high volatility games with lower RTPs may be worth risking if you want to see any big wins.

For example, in 2024 a Coolbet player won nearly $12 million on the Wolf Blaze WowPot! slot, and a Videoslots player scooped almost $7 million on Absolootly Mad Mega Moolah. The RTP of Wolf Blaze WowPot! is a meagre 86.93%, while Mega Moolah’s standard RTP rate barely breaks above 92%.

There are endless combinations and strategies you can try. However, you should remember that if you’re a casual player, long-term macro-scale statistical values and trends – like those expressed by RTP rates – aren’t going to mean much.

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Common RTP Rates for Popular Crypto Games

The RTP of specific crypto casino games can vary significantly, even when comparing the same type of game. So, let’s look at what you can expect.

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Crypto Slot Games

There are thousands of different slot games available at crypto casinos, with a huge variety of themes, mechanics, and RTPs. As a rule of thumb, slots with an RTP of 96% or above are considered to have a “high” payout rate. But you’ll find slots with RTP percentages ranging from 85% to 98%.

You should also note that some slot titles, for example, Mega Moolah and Book of Dead, can have varying RTPs at different casinos. This doesn’t mean they aren’t delivering fair results – sometimes game developers release a few different versions.

Popular High RTP Slot Games at Crypto Casinos:

Slots Title	Provider	RTP
Ryse of the Mighty Gods	OneTouch	99.1%
Mega Joker	NetEnt	99%
Book of 99	NetEnt	99%
Jackpot 6000	Relax Gaming	98.9%
Gold Digger: Mines	NetEnt	98.99%
Ugga Bugga	iSoftBet	98.74%
Multi-Spin Slot	Playtech	98.6%
1429 Uncharted Seas	Thunderkick	98.12%
Marching Legions	Relax Gaming	98.08%
Cowboy Coins	Pragmatic Play	98%
Blood Suckers	NetEt	98%
Jokerizer	Yggdrasil	97.73%
Zeus Lightning: Power Reels	Red Tiger	97.66%
Blood Suckers Megaways	Red Tiger	97.34%
Big Bad Wolf Christmas	Quickspin	97.24% to 97.77%
White Rabbit Megaways	Big Time Gaming	97.24% to 97.77%

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Table Games and RTP

In common with land-based casinos, the most popular table game at crypto casinos is blackjack. Many variants exists, in both RNG-based and live dealer format, but they all have high RTP rates – as much as 99% or more when played with an optimal strategy.

The RTP varies considerably depending on which version you’re playing. If you want the best chances of winning, you should play European roulette which has an RTP of just under 98%. American roulette, while still popular, has an RTP of around 94%.

When it comes to baccarat, banker bets have a high RTP of around 98.9%, with side bets coming in much lower at about 89.6%.

The large element of skill in poker games means the RTP in more difficult to pin down. But, good players can expect some versions to actually exceed 100%. However, Deuces Wild, Jacks or Better, Tens or Better, Aces and Faces, and Bonus Poker, will often deliver RTP rates above 99%.

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RTP vs. House Edge

In the traditional gambling world, you’ll often hear the term “house edge”. This is essentially the other side of the coin to RTP. If a game has an RTP of 97%, then the house edge is 3%. If the house edge is 5%, then the RTP is 95%.

Simply put, whereas RTP refers to the percentage of wagers players can expect back, the house edge refers to the percentage of wagers the casino can expect to keep.

Imagine a blockchain-based slot game with an RTP of 95%. The house edge in this case would be 5%. This means that for every 1 BTC wagered, players can expect to win back 0.95 BTC over time, while the casino keeps the remaining 0.05 BTC.

So, for the best chances of winning (statistically speaking, of course), players should look for a high RTP and a low house edge.

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How to Use RTP to Your Advantage

Choose High RTP Games

Choosing high RTP games like specific slots, blackjack, or poker, is one of the easiest ways to increase your chances of winning at a crypto casino. Any game with an RTP above 96% falls into the “high RTP” category and will, theoretically, increase the chances of seeing a return on your wagers over time.

Some casinos display the RTP of games on the thumbnails or cover images in the lobby. At others, you’ll need to launch the game and open the info tab. If you can’t find the RTP for a game, you can always check the developer’s official website for the full specifications.

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Balancing Risk and RTP

As we’ve already seen, RTP is representative of long-term odds and doesn’t guarantee immediate wins. The key to formulating a successful strategy in crypto gambling is balancing your personal risk tolerance with RTP rates. Remember, depending on your playing habits and strategy, tactics like choosing higher RTP, less volatile, or lower-risk games may actually hurt your chances of landing big individual wins.

So, always consider RTP in the context of how much you are going to play. If you’re a casual player having a few spins a week, you’re unlikely to notice a correlation between the official RTP and real RTP. However, if you are a regular player, given enough time you will start to notice a closer relationship.