by Jose Menendez

RTP and RNG are terms very familiar with regular serious players of either land based casino games or online versions such as at easy slots. Both are entirely different things but do impact each other. 

A RNG is a random number generator. It is a device that generates a sequence of numbers or symbols that can only be predicted by random chance and not by any other means such as a strategy or trying to work out the game. There is no working out, it is purely random.  The random number generator is often deemed as the brains of the slot machine. Most players do appreciate that there is a computer chip inside of the slot machine responsible for picking numbers but not everyone understands how it works and this can lead to misconceptions of the RNG. Some players believe that the RNG is similar to that of a progressive jackpot slot game and therefore runs on a cycle and eventually will hit and pay out. The RNG generates random numbers regardless of whether the machine is being played or not and it keeps repeating the process several billions of hundreds times per second.  A dice, for example, is a manual random number generator, the dice is rolled and a random number from one to six appears. Rolling the dice in a particular way will not change the outcome of the number it gives. 

A RTP is an acronym short for Return to Player. It is a percentage that indicates to the player the odds of winning while playing an online slot machine or any other form of gambling with a set calculated house edge. The Return to Player percentage is calculated over millions of spins, not just from one specific player but from other players at the casino or online globally. Therefore, the winnings won’t be produced every time a player plays the game, however, eventually the player should win, in theory. The Return to Player percentage is theoretical and like the random number generator is exactly random.  Slot game developers must advise players what the Return to Player percentage is and some casinos may group the highest Return to Players slots together. The only way a player can work this to a win despite the randomness of it all is to focus on the hit variable and the volatility of the game. For the beginner this is probably way too strategic but for the seasoned player it can work. A slot game with a high Return to Player percentage will have added features such as wilds, scatters, free spins and multipliers to not only make the game more exciting but to help obtain the Return to Player percentage. 

There are different ways to win on a slot machine, not every game has the same pay line opportunity. The traditional slot machines otherwise known as fruit machines that were first introduced and therefore mechanical and not video slots generally had three pay lines and to day we see on average five or ten pay lines and some games even more. Don’t forget the ‘243 ways to pay’ system and the Cluster Pays system too.