Of the slots I have reviewed, thirteen ship in more than one version, and only two studios in that set name the alternatives. The return printed on a review site is the headline figure. The one your casino bought is in the game menu, and that is the only place it is ever true.
This page exists because I kept writing the same paragraph into every review. A studio publishes 96.21 percent, a database repeats it, and a version returning 84.18 percent is running in some lobby under the same name and the same artwork.
Everything below comes from the reviews on this site, where I read each studio’s own page before writing the number down. Nothing here is copied from a slot database.
Where a Slot’s RTP Is Actually Printed
Every licensed slot has to show its return somewhere inside the game. It is usually in the information screen, reached from the menu button, and it is often on the last page of the paytable rather than the first.
That screen is served by the casino you are logged into, so it reflects the version that casino licensed. A review site cannot do that. Neither can the studio’s own page, which shows what the studio built rather than what your operator bought.
So the order is simple. Read the studio page to learn what versions exist, then open the game menu to find out which one you are sitting at. Most players do the first and skip the second.
Every Slot I Have Reviewed, and What Its Studio Publishes
Read the last two columns together. A high headline figure means very little if four lower versions of the same game are in circulation and nobody will tell you which one you opened.
| Slot | Studio | Headline return | Versions | Studio names them | What that means |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Moolah | Microgaming | 88.12% through the reels, 93.42% with the jackpot pools | one | Single value | Both halves published, which is rare and correct |
| Book of Ra | Novomatic | 92.13% | one | Single value | A single value, and the lowest headline figure here |
| Pirots | ELK Studios | 94.00% | one | Single value | One fixed build and no operator range, but ELK publishes the figure on no page of its own |
| Gonzo’s Quest | NetEnt | 95.97% | one | Single value | One value on the studio page |
| Duck Hunters | Nolimit City | 96.05% | one | Single value | One value |
| Fire in the Hole | Nolimit City | 96.06% | three | Yes | Names them. DX1 at 94.11% and DX3 at 90.02% |
| Starburst | NetEnt | 96.09% | six | No | Five lower versions in circulation, down to 90.05% |
| Money Train 5 | Relax Gaming | 96.1% | four | No | Versions at 94, 92 and 90 percent also ship, none of them named |
| San Quentin Manhunt | Nolimit City | 96.15% | three | No | 94.13% and 92.07% exist. The studio calls 96.15 the default and stops |
| Book of Dead | Play’n GO | 96.21% | five | No | Four lower versions, down to 84.18%. The widest gap here |
| Immortal Romance II | Games Global | 96.30% | one | Single value | One value with no alternative build listed |
| Eye of Horus | Merkur | 96.31% | five | No | Four lower builds, down to 90.25% |
| Wanted Dead or a Wild | Hacksaw Gaming | 96.38% | four | No | All four printed in one line with no label saying which is which |
| Sweet Bonanza Xmas | Pragmatic Play | 96.49% to 96.60% | three ranges | No | Six numbers across three unlabelled ranges |
| Gates of Olympus | Pragmatic Play | 96.50% | one | Single value | One value, published plainly |
| Gates of Olympus 1000 | Pragmatic Play | 96.50% | one | Single value | The ante bet returns the same figure |
| Sugar Rush | Pragmatic Play | 96.50% | one | Single value | On paytable page four of seven, published but buried |
| Reactoonz | Play’n GO | 96.51% | more than one | No | Called the default build, with the others unnamed |
| Sweet Bonanza 1000 | Pragmatic Play | 96.53% | one | Single value | One value |
| Legacy of Dead | Play’n GO | 96.58% | five | No | Four lower builds behind the default |
| Sweet Bonanza | Pragmatic Play | A range topping out at 96.6% | range | No | The paytable gives a range rather than a number |
| Thunderstruck II | Microgaming | 96.65% | three figures seen | No | 96.56 and 96.10 also circulate |
| Razor Shark | Push Gaming | 96.70% | two | Yes | Names the second build at 94.06% |
| Big Bass Bonanza | Pragmatic Play | 96.71% | one | Single value | One value |
| Big Bass Splash | Pragmatic Play | 96.71% | one | Single value | One value |
| Dead or Alive 2 | NetEnt | 96.80% | one | Single value | A single value with no lower build listed |
| Immortal Romance | Games Global | 96.86% | unknown | No | The studio publishes nothing. Every figure comes from third parties |
Sorted by headline return, lowest first. Every row links to the full review, where the figure was checked against the studio’s own page rather than a database.
Half of These Games Ship in More Than One Version
Of the twenty seven reviewed so far, thirteen carry more than one return in circulation. Another thirteen publish a single value and stand behind it. One, Immortal Romance, has a studio that publishes nothing at all, so every figure you can find for it comes from somebody else.
Of those, exactly two studios name the alternatives on their own material. Nolimit City labels the Fire in the Hole builds DX1 and DX3 with their returns. Push Gaming lists the second Razor Shark build at 94.06 percent. That is the whole list.
The rest publish one number and leave the others to be discovered. Hacksaw Gaming prints all four returns for Wanted Dead or a Wild in a single line with no label saying which market gets which. Pragmatic Play gives Sweet Bonanza Xmas six numbers across three unlabelled ranges. Nolimit City, the studio that got this right on an older game, calls 96.15 percent the default on San Quentin Manhunt and never mentions the other two.
I am not claiming any of this is hidden illegally. The versions are licensed and tested, and the figure is always in the game menu. The point is that the number you read before you play is usually not the number you play.
What the Difference Between Versions Costs per Hour
A percentage point sounds small. Turned into money at a normal pace it stops sounding small. These figures use six hundred spins an hour at fifty cents, which is the same model I use in every review on this site.
| Slot | Best version | Worst version | Cost per hour, best | Cost per hour, worst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book of Dead | 96.21% | 84.18% | €11.37 | €47.46 |
| Wanted Dead or a Wild | 96.38% | 88.42% | €10.86 | €34.74 |
| Money Train 5 | 96.10% | 90.00% | €11.70 | €30.00 |
| Eye of Horus | 96.31% | 90.25% | €11.07 | €29.25 |
| Fire in the Hole | 96.06% | 90.02% | €11.82 | €29.94 |
| Starburst | 96.09% | 90.05% | €11.73 | €29.85 |
| San Quentin Manhunt | 96.15% | 92.07% | €11.55 | €23.79 |
At €0.50 a spin and 600 spins an hour. Book of Dead is the extreme case, where the worst version costs 4.2 times the best one for the same hour at the same stake.
These are averages across millions of spins rather than a forecast for your session. What they do show is the size of the thing you cannot see, which is the whole argument for spending one minute on the check below.
The Five Step Check That Takes One Minute
Do this in the free demo before you deposit anything. It costs nothing and it answers the only question that matters about price.
First, open the game and find the menu button, usually three lines or a gear in a corner. Second, choose information, help or paytable from that menu. Third, scroll to the last page, because the return is almost never on the first one. Fourth, read the figure and compare it with the headline in my review of that game. Fifth, and this is the step people skip, open the same game at a second casino and compare. If the two differ, you have just found out that the version matters.
You can run all five steps on the free versions in my slot library without an account. The demo runs the same mathematics as the real money game.
What to Do When Nothing Is Published
Sometimes the information screen gives you a range instead of a figure, or the studio publishes nothing and the game menu is thin. Immortal Romance is the clearest case in my table, where every number in circulation comes from a review site rather than from the people who built it.
My rule is to treat an unpublished return as the bottom of the plausible range rather than the top. If a game is known to ship between 96 and 90 percent and your casino will not say, price your hour at 90 and decide whether you still want to play it.
The second rule is to prefer the games that tell you. There is no shortage of slots, and a studio that labels its builds has already told you something useful about how it treats players. The full house edge picture across every game type sits on my games guide.
Where to Go Next
The two games worth reading first are the opposite ends of this argument. Fire in the Hole is the studio naming its own reduced builds, and Wanted Dead or a Wild is four returns printed in one line with no labels at all.
For the price of an hour on every game type rather than on slots alone, start at my games guide. For the full scored catalog, the slot library holds the reviews and the free demos together. The game providers page takes the same material and orders the studios by how much each publishes.
FAQ About Slot RTP
What does RTP mean on a slot machine?
Return to player is the share of all money staked that a game pays back across millions of spins. A 96 percent figure means the game keeps four cents of every euro wagered, on average, over the long run rather than over your session.
How do I find the RTP of a slot?
Open the game, press the menu button, choose information or paytable, and scroll to the last page. That screen is served by your casino, so it shows the version you are actually playing rather than the one a review site found.
Can the same slot have different RTP values?
Yes, and it is common. Thirteen of the slots reviewed on this site ship in more than one version, with Book of Dead running anywhere from 96.21 percent down to 84.18 percent under the same name.
Which slot has the highest RTP on this site?
Immortal Romance carries the highest headline figure at 96.86 percent, although its studio publishes nothing and that number comes from third parties. Dead or Alive 2 at 96.80 percent is the highest figure that a studio actually stands behind.
Why do casinos use lower RTP versions?
A studio builds several versions and licenses them at different prices, so an operator can choose a cheaper one. Nothing about it is illegal, and the figure is always disclosed inside the game, just not in the advertising.
Does the demo version have the same RTP?
Yes, the free demo runs the same mathematics as the real money game at that casino. That is why checking the paytable in the demo first is worth the minute it takes.
What is a good RTP for an online slot?
Anything from about 96 percent upward is normal for a modern online slot, and below 95 percent deserves a second look. Context matters more than the number alone, because volatility decides how you experience it.
Does a higher RTP mean I will win more?
Not in any single session. A higher return lowers the average cost per hour of play, which is a long run effect, while what happens in one evening is decided almost entirely by volatility.
Where does a studio publish its RTP?
Usually on its own game page and in the data sheet it gives to affiliates. Nolimit City and Push Gaming also name their reduced builds there, which almost no other studio in my set does.
What should I do if my casino does not show the RTP?
Treat the unpublished figure as the bottom of the known range rather than the top, and price your session on that. If a game is known to ship between 96 and 90 percent, assume 90 and decide whether it is still worth playing.
Who Wrote This
I built this table one review at a time, by opening each studio’s own page before writing a number down. That is slower than copying a database, and it is the reason the last two columns exist at all, because a database will not tell you that four other versions of the same game are running somewhere.
The table grows as the catalog gets reviewed. If you open a game and the figure in its menu does not match the row here, that is worth telling me, because it means a casino is running a version I have not recorded yet.
18+. Gambling can be addictive. A higher return does not make a slot safe or profitable, it only makes the average hour cheaper. The figures here describe millions of spins and say nothing about your session. If gambling stops being entertainment, stop and seek help.
