Slot games typically show their return to player (RTP) as a percentage, usually 96%-98%, although a 98% RTP slot is rare. The actual RTP is more likely to look something like 96.2% or another decimal-point number.
Usually, slots have some sort of bonus mechanism, like multipliers or bonus rounds, and they do have a direct impact on slot machine RTP. Read on to find out how.
What Does Theoretical Slot RTP Mean?
Theoretical slot RTP is the percentage of all money wagered that a slot is mathematically designed to return to players over a massive number of games.
So, if you’ve got a slot with a 96% theoretical RTP, it doesn’t mean you’ll win $96 back for every $100 you wager. You could win more, lose everything, or somehow end your session almost exactly on 96%.
The word to focus on is theoretical.
Developers calculate RTP using every possible outcome programmed into the game. They then attach probability and payouts to those outcomes.
And that calculation doesn’t only include standard reel wins. Free spins, multipliers, jackpots, and other bonus mechanics can all contribute to the final percentage.
Slot mechanics aren’t the only thing driving that gap between theoretical and actual returns. Crash games run on the same RTP logic, just with a different presentation. South Africa’s most popular crash game, Aviator, uses a live multiplier instead of reels, but the same principle applies: the RTP is baked into the math before you ever place a bet.
What’s the Actual Slot RTP?
The actual RTP is slightly different. Actual RTP uses what has actually happened during real gameplay.
The calculation is:
Actual RTP = Total winnings paid ÷ total turnover x 100
We’ll use a game designed with a 91.68% theoretical RTP as a hypothetical example. After $1.2 million of turnover and $1.085 million in winnings, its actual RTP was 90.42%.
So why aren’t the two numbers identical? Randomness and volatility.
If you only look at a relatively small number of games, some players might have landed massive bonuses while others haven’t landed anything decent. As more and more games are played, the actual RTP should gradually move closer towards the theoretical figure. Because of randomness and volatility, that doesn’t always happen.
Bonus Mechanics Influence on Theoretical Slot RTP
Developers have to mathematically account for anything that can pay you money, so that’s why bonus mechanics have a direct impact.
Imagine a slot has a 96% RTP, but some of its biggest potential payouts are hiding inside free spins. A portion of that 96% has therefore effectively been allocated to outcomes involving those free spins rather than standard base-game wins.
That can include mechanics like the following:
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Free spins
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Multipliers
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Wild features
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Respins
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Hold-and-win rounds
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Pick-and-win bonuses
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Progressive jackpots
What’s more important is how frequently each feature triggers and how much it can potentially pay.
A bonus that triggers constantly and pays tiny amounts contributes differently to the game’s mathematics compared with a feature that almost never appears but can suddenly give you a 10,000x win.
And bonus mechanics can also influence volatility. If a decent chunk of the game’s return is tied up inside rare, massive bonus payouts, you’re naturally going to have more variation between individual results.
It doesn’t mean the bonus is adding extra RTP on top; it just means the bonus is already part of the theoretical RTP developers programmed into the game.
Do Bonus Mechanics Help You Win Slot Games?
Realistically, it depends. They can obviously produce winning payouts. You could enter a free-spin round, get multiple wilds and multipliers, and have far more than you’d win from a normal spin.
That said, playing a slot with loads of bonus mechanics doesn’t give you a better chance of winning overall. Those features are already included in the game’s mathematical model.
A slot could have one basic bonus feature and a 97% RTP, while another could bombard you with free spins, multipliers, expanding wilds, and jackpots and only have a 95% RTP.
More bonuses don’t automatically mean better odds.
And landing a bonus doesn’t suddenly mean the slot has become more generous because you’ve been losing for 50 spins. Random games don’t compensate you because you’re having a bad session, and previous wins and losses shouldn’t change the probability of the next independent outcome.
Bonus mechanics are already programmed into the RTP when the game is developed, so the RTP percentage you see is what you get. You can’t go onto a game with bonuses and think you’ve got more chances of winning, sadly, but you can play and hope for the best.