RTP (return to player) and house edge are two ways of writing one number. If a game returns 96% of what is staked over the long run, its house edge is 4%. Expressed as money, that is the expected cost of play: about CA$4 for every CA$100 you put through the game.
Expected cost per CA$100 staked is the most useful unit for comparing games, because it does not care how fast the game is or how big the wins look.
Hellspin
4.6/5- Licence
- not stated · Operating company not stated
- Coins
- 5: BTC, ETH, LTC, XRP, USDT
- Withdrawal cap
- €4,000 per day (clause 15)
Operating since 2021.
iWild Casino
4.9/5- Licence
- Curaçao OGL/2024/758/0228 · Goodwin N.V.
- Coins
- 11: BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, LTC, DOGE
- Withdrawal cap
- $1,000 per day (clause 7.15)
Operating since 2021.
Slotsgem
4.2/5- Licence
- Curaçao OGL/2024/1676/0905 · Latcas B.V.
- Withdrawal cap
- not stated
Operating since 2024.
Ordered by year of launch, longest-running first.
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What CA$100 of bets costs, game by game
| Game and bet | House edge | Expected cost per CA$100 |
|---|---|---|
| Blackjack, good rules, basic strategy | about 0.5% | about CA$0.50 |
| Video poker, 9/6 Jacks or Better, perfect play | about 0.46% | about CA$0.46 |
| Baccarat, banker | about 1.06% | about CA$1.06 |
| French roulette, even-money with La Partage | about 1.35% | about CA$1.35 |
| European roulette | 2.70% | CA$2.70 |
| Crash game returning 97% | 3% | CA$3 |
| Slot at 96.5% | 3.5% | CA$3.50 |
| American roulette | 5.26% | CA$5.26 |
| Slot at 88.4% (lowest version of some Hacksaw games) | 11.6% | CA$11.60 |
| Baccarat, tie | about 14.4% | about CA$14.40 |
Figures for table games are standard results with correct play; slot figures come from the providers' published RTPs.
Why the hourly cost differs from the per-bet cost
A game with a low edge played very fast can cost more per hour than a game with a higher edge played slowly. Our arithmetic:
- Live blackjack at CA$20 a hand, about 60 hands an hour: CA$1,200 staked, about CA$6 expected cost.
- A slot at CA$2 a spin, about 600 spins an hour: CA$1,200 staked, about CA$42 expected cost at 96.5%.
- A crash game at CA$5 a round, about 240 rounds an hour: CA$1,200 staked, about CA$36 at 97%.
Same total staked, seven times the cost from the cheapest game to the dearest.
The same slot, different RTPs
Slot providers often ship several versions of one game, and the casino chooses which one to run. Hacksaw Gaming publishes four for Wanted Dead or a Wild: 96.38%, 94.55%, 92.33% and 88.42%. Push Gaming publishes two for most titles. The version in use is printed in the game's info screen, and checking it takes ten seconds. See high-RTP slots.
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How bonuses change the maths
A bonus adds money, but it also obliges you to stake a multiple of it, and every dollar staked carries the house edge. Our worked example: a CA$100 bonus at 40x requires CA$4,000 of bets; at a 96% slot, the expected cost of those bets is about CA$160, more than the bonus itself. Lower wagering, a higher-RTP game, or no bonus at all can each be the better choice. See wagering requirements.
Table games usually do not count towards wagering at all: Hellspin weights table and live games at 0% (bonus terms 2a).
RTP is not a session forecast
Over a hundred spins, a 96% slot can return 30% or 300% of what you staked. RTP tells you which game is cheaper over many sessions; volatility tells you how wild one session will be. Both are worth knowing; see slot volatility.
Every cashier and payout rule is compared on our Interac casino Canada page.
Questions and answers
- What is RTP?
Return to player: the share of all money staked on a game that it pays back over the very long run. A slot with 96% RTP returns on average CA$96 of every CA$100 staked, so its expected cost is CA$4 per CA$100.
- What is the house edge?
The same thing seen from the casino's side: 100% minus the RTP. A European roulette wheel has a 2.70% house edge, so its RTP is 97.30%.
- Does RTP tell me what I will win today?
No. RTP describes millions of rounds. Over one session, results scatter widely around it, and the scatter is larger on high-volatility games. RTP is for choosing between games, not for predicting a session.