Contained in the below table are third party tested return to player (RTP) rates for a number of live casino operators for the month of July 2014, unless otherwise noted.
The scope scope of testing varies depending on operator and testing agency, but in general can be summarised as follows:
- Where testing is done by GLI/TST, results from live games are incorporated in the results for, ‘Card Games’ and/or ‘Table Games’ as appropriate (eg live blackjack & baccarat will be included in both; live roulette in ‘Table Games’ only). That is, RTP rates for RNG and live games are reported together.
- Where testing is done by eCOGRA, and the operator uses a live games provider other than Microgaming, the RTP figures will pertain to RNG games only and live games are not tested. This is in line with eCOGRA’s typical test process: live dealer RTPs are not included in the RTP certificates on operator sites. These cases are noted below as ‘RNG only‘.
- Where testing is done by eCOGRA, and the operator uses Microgaming as a live games provider, then the RTP figures shown (and report/certificate linked to) are those resulting from eCOGRA’s test of the Microgaming Live Dealer studio.
Further notes and observations are set out below the table.
Casino | Test agency | Note on live dealer games | Table Games | Card Games | Roulette | Blackjack | Baccarat | Certificate |
888 | eCOGRA & ITL | RNG only | 97.43% | 98.10% | 99.08% | |||
William Hill (Playtech) | GLI / TST | reported within ‘Card Games’ ‘Table Games’ | 97.35% | 97.83% | ||||
William Hill (Ev Gaming) | GLI / TST | reported within ‘Card Games’ ‘Table Games’ | 97.35% | 97.83% | ||||
bet365 | GLI / TST | reported within ‘Card Games’ ‘Table Games’ | 97.45% | 98.15% | ||||
32red | eCOGRA | Microgaming live dealer studio results | 97.68% | 97.65% | 95.48% | |||
Unibet | GLI & ITL & GA | RNG only | ||||||
Betfair | GA | not published | ||||||
BetVictor | eCOGRA | Microgaming live dealer studio results | 97.68% | 97.65% | 95.48% | |||
BetFred | GLI / TST | reported within ‘Card Games’ ‘Table Games’ | 97.03% | 97.22% | ||||
Party Casino | ITL | RNG only | ||||||
Paddy Power | not published | |||||||
EuroGrand | GLI / TST | reported within ‘Card Games’ ‘Table Games’ | 96.84% | 96.65% | ||||
Betsson | GLI / TST & SKL | not published | ||||||
Paf | eCOGRA | not published | ||||||
Platinum Play | eCOGRA | Microgaming live dealer studio results | 97.68% | 97.65% | 95.48% | |||
Bwin | eCOGRA & GLI / TST | not published | ||||||
Ladbrokes | GLI / TST | link broken | ||||||
Betway | eCOGRA | Microgaming live dealer studio results | 97.68% | 97.65% | 95.48% | |||
Bodog88 | GLI / TST | not published | ||||||
SKY | GLI / TST | not published | ||||||
SuperCasino | Not specified | Average RTP specific to live games | 98% | |||||
Royal Vegas | eCOGRA | Microgaming live dealer studio results | 97.68% | 97.65% | 95.48% |
Observations & comments
The figures give diluted insight where live game results are reported as part of larger category, including related RNG games. Unfortunately, this is the majority case.
The GONG for most thorough presentation of audited results goes to BetFred. Their ‘Fair Gaming‘ page which is very easy to find contains links to TST audit reports for every month dating back to September 2007.
The BOOBY prize for worst presentation of audited results goes to all those casinos brandishing a nice testing agency logo and a spiel about how fair their games are, with no disclosure of test outcomes (see ‘not published’ above).
With regard to BetVictor, it’s worth noting that while their RNG games are tested, and the results from their Microgaming live casino (Club Victor) are tested via the studio test, they have 4 other live casinos that are not included in either of these results.
About RTP
Return to player rates are an expression of the percentage of total player stake won back by the player. As an example, an RTP rate of 98% indicates that for every $100 wagered by players, $98 was returned to players as winnings and $2 was lost. This may also be expressed as a 2% house edge.
Theoretical RTP versus Actual RTP
Theoretical RTP refers to a game’s returns under the assumption of optimal play (ie optimal bet/play choices made, always). As most players don’t play optimally, actual RTP rates will usually be different.
Theoretical returns do not change over time (unless the game’s rules change). Evolution Gaming publish the theoretical RTP rates applying to each of their games in the respective games rules section (click on ‘?‘ button on game UI). These are as follows:
- Live Baccarat: 98.94%
- Live Blackjack: 99.28%
- Live Roulette: 97.30%
- Live Poker (Hold’em – Ante bet): 97.84%
Testing agencies
- eCOGRA: eCOGRA
- ITL: iTech Labs
- GLI: Global Laboritories International
- TST: Technical Systems Testing (a GLI company)
- GA: Gaming Associates
- SKL: National Laboratory of Forensic Science