Many people don’t realise that computer-generated online pokies use highly sophisticated and frequently tested Random Number Generators (RNGS), which are essentially mathematical algorithm programs, to produce the outcomes/results that occur after each time a player hits the spin button.
Therefore, the results are pre-determined, and the animated sequences that show the spinning of the reels (and how the reels come to randomly rest in a specific sequence) are all just an illusion.
However, the results produced by RNGs are designed to be as fair and realistic as possible and without any obvious and discernible pattern. Most online pokies are programmed to pay back, on average, anywhere from 93.00% to 98.00% for every $/€/£100 wagered.
This percentage is known as the RTP (Return to Player) payout rate, so, mathematically speaking, online pokies with high RTP% payout rates should pay more than low RTP pokies, but exactly how true is that?
Let’s take a closer look.
The RTP% payout rate tells us, on average, how much that game is expected to pay back after a certain amount has been wagered.
For example, if an online pokie has a 98.00% RTP % payout rate, then for every NZ$100 wagered, it should, theoretically/mathematically speaking, pay back NZ$98.00 in winnings, and the remaining NZ$2.00 (or 2.00% house edge) will go to the casino operator as revenue.
As mentioned, most online pokies today from the industry’s top-tier, market-leading software providers typically have anywhere from a 92.00% to 93.00% RTP payout rate (although it can be slightly lower) up to 97.00% or 98.00% (can be higher).
Also, some online pokies are programmed to pay smaller wins more often (known as low volatility pokies), and others pay bigger wins less often (high volatility pokies). You also have low-to-medium, medium, and medium-to-high volatility pokies.
Casino.org checks pokies for their average RTP% payout rate of pokies online, meaning you can now visit this site if you want to play online pokies on a legally permitted NZ casino site. You can click or tap on any of the links in the reviews and then go straight to the safest site with games that have high RTP payout rates of around 97.00% or higher, and you can avoid playing online pokies with an RTP payout rate that’s anything lower than this.
It’s a great strategy to have, but don’t forget that you still aren’t necessarily guaranteed to win more.
Reading online pokie reviews from the experts can help you narrow down your search to quickly find games that you will enjoy playing.
When reading the reviews, some of the things to pay close attention to are the rating (how many stars out of five has it achieved), what the maximum win per spin is, whether it’s a low, medium, or high volatility pokie, what kind of theme it has (e.g., fishing, leprechauns, ancient Egypt, and so on), and which company made the game.
The average RTP payout rate can be calculated in several ways, and it’s usually calculated by the software providers that make them, by the casino operators that host them on their platforms, and various internationally accredited, non-profit online casino testing agencies, such as eCOGRA.
Third-party testing agencies like eCOGRA use their cutting-edge testing systems to play millions, sometimes billions of spins at the same stake per spin for a period of, say, four to six weeks, to see how much money that pokie paid back during that time. Based on how much money was spent and paid back tells us the average RTP payout rate to a much higher degree of accuracy.
Similarly, if thousands of online casino players collectively spend $/€/£100,000 on the same online pokie over a one-week period, and it pays back NZ$95,000.00 in winnings, it means that for this period under review, the game had a 95.00% RTP payout rate, which is considered fairly standard/average.
Therefore, the house edge for this particular game was 5.00%, and the operator would have collected N$5,000 as revenue.
Understanding percentages in online pokies doesn’t guarantee that you will win more. However, you are still more likely to win on a 98.50% RTP pokie than one with a 92.50% RTP payout rate, but the important thing to remember is that it doesn’t always work out this way.
Winning and losing is still random. Sometimes you will win, and other times, you will lose, because you have to factor in the sheer volume of players that all play the same online pokies at the same time.
For example, you might only wager $/€/£10 on a 95.00% RTP pokie and end up winning $/€/£200, whereas another player might spend $/€/£50 on that same game and only win $/€/£20.00. It’s all still random.
It’s just the ‘expected’ pay back rate and doesn’t guarantee that for every NZ$100 that you wager on a 95.00% RTP pokie that you will win at least NZ$95.00 back in winnings. It doesn’t work like that.
To sum up, understanding online pokie percentages can give you a slight edge over the house because you can avoid playing ones with a higher house edge (with lower RTP% payout rates) and stick to playing ones with a lower house edge (and higher RTP payout rate).
The important thing to remember is that winning and losing are all about luck and randomness, and there’s nothing that you can do to affect the outcome.
However, to mitigate as much risk as possible and to avoid spending more money than you can afford, always gamble responsibly and use any safer gambling tools that your operator may provide.
Setting session time reminders, deposit limits, win/loss limits, spending caps, and so on, and devising a sensible spending budget before depositing, will help ensure you remain well within your budget.