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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.
 

 

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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!

 

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