Understanding casino payout percentages
Doing your research before choosing
an
online casino is always your
safest bet. Among factors like
technical support, game selection,
payment options, currencies and
welcome bonuses, payout percentages
are a very important consideration
when choosing an online casino.
Payout percentages reveal key
information about an online casino,
including its reputability,
integrity of its software and most
importantly, your odds of winning.
First of all, it’s important to
understand the definition of the
term ‘payout percentage’ and how it
is calculated. Simply stated, a
payout percentage is the total
amount of money bet by players that
a casino pays out in winnings. For
example, if an online casino
reports a 98% payout percentage for
its
fruit machine games, it means
that for every $100 that players
bet at the slots, $98 is paid out
in winnings. Payout percentages for
land-based and online casinos are
calculated using the same formula
but online casinos generally have
higher payout percentages.
Reputable online casinos publish
their monthly payout percentages by
game type on their websites. The
percentages should be verified by a
third party. This ensures that the
casino is reputable and a safe
place to bet your money. Look for
online casinos that are audited
monthly by the Online Players
Association,
PricewaterhouseCoopers, eCogra,
Gaming Associates.
Since wins and losses at fair
online casinos naturally fluctuate
from month to month, so do their
payout percentages. If a casino’s
percentages do not change on a
monthly basis, it may be a sign
that the casino is using poor
quality software. Online casinos
that are powered by top quality,
industry leading gaming software
developed by Cryptologic,
Microgaming or Playtech guarantees
that you’re playing fair games at a
trusted casino.
Of course your odds of winning are
better at online casinos with
higher payout percentages. But,
before choosing an online casino
because it advertised a 98.9%
payout percentage last month, it’s
a good idea to look at its
percentages averaged over a longer
period of time. Keeping in mind the
randomness (variance) of casino
games, the 98.9% payout
percentage could have been because
a large progressive jackpot was
paid out that month. To get an
accurate representation of a
casino’s payout percentage, average
the percentages over a six months
period. As a rule of thumb, an
online casino with a six month
average of 96.5% or higher has a
good payout percentage.
By understanding payout percentages
and what they reveal about online
casinos, you can be confident that
you’ll be playing a reputable, fair
online casino with good odds
of winning!