What Players Miss When They Judge an Online Casino by RTP Alone
The RTP (Return to Player) percentage is one of the most important factors in game selection for many players but if you select an online casino purely based on the RTP for the games it provides, there are lots of crucial details you could be missing.
Although RTP will be important if you want to improve the chances that your long-term playing delivers the minimum expected returns, there are other details that will affect your playing experience and returns potential.
These include:
Bonus Offerings
The types of bonus that a casino offers can be just as important in making your money go further as RTP. Most casino users will look at the different welcome bonuses that each casino offers when they are deciding on one to join but it is not just the welcome bonus that can provide a decent funds boost.
Online casinos that offer regular cashback on losses can also help to stretch funds and if you have a bad week, you will still have something to show for your efforts.Some online casinos offer cashback of 10% to 20% or sometimes more in VIP schemes, for example. Cashback is usually guaranteed too, unlike other types of bonus where you need to meet challenging wagering requirements before you can claim a bonus.
Some casinos, such as Tikal Casino’s site also offer weekly bonuses on deposits, so when you have played through the welcome bonus, you can still boost your funds if you are making regular deposits.
Security Measures
When you are playing online casinos with real money and making large financial transactions, the security of the site in general and the payment gateway should also be a key consideration. Playing games with your preferred RTP rate will soon become insignificant if you end up choosing a casino site that does not have strong security measures. The risks of hackers taking your money or accessing your bank details could cause you a lot more than a variance in RTP rate.
Licensed casinos are required to meet their regulator’s minimum security requirements, so checking the licensing details can help to avoid using sites that leave you more vulnerable to online dangers. You can also look at the URL address to ensure that there is a SSL certificate, which will be shown through the start of the URL having ‘https://’ and a padlock icon next to the address bar. This indicates that the website has encryption which makes it more difficult for hackers to access.
Using casinos with secure payment gateways like PayPal or cryptocurrency is also a safer option than many other payment options, so this is another thing you will miss if you are choosing a casino based on RTP alone.
Trustworthiness and Fairness
When your focus is on RTP, you will also want to be confident that the RTP is genuine and that the outcomes of games are fair. Licensed online casinos are required to prove that the games run fairly with RGN audits that confirm that outcomes are random and not rigged.
They also have audits for proving that the RTP is accurate. This means if a casino advertises as having a game with 97% RTP, independent lab testing has proven that this is accurate when tested over a long period of playing.
Volatility
Even games that have an above average RTP might not meet the returns that a player is looking for if the game has high volatility. With high volatility games, wins will be less frequent but will usually be higher amounts when the player does strike lucky.
The RTP is still accurate but it generally takes longer for the RTP to seem realistic, as the rarer high payouts contribute towards the RTP. These are common with games that have progressive jackpots, and players who do not want to spend a large budget on their games might find that their money quickly runs out, even if there is a high RTP.
With fewer wins, high volatility games can be less enjoyable for casino players who are cautious about betting larger amounts and keep a smaller budget.
Withdrawal Times
When you base your casino choice on RTP, another frustrating issue that you might encounter is long waiting times for withdrawals. The speed of withdrawal processing varies across different platforms and the payment method that you use can also lead to slower payment processing.
All of these factors can easily be missed when you concentrate on finding games and casinos that offer better RTP percentages and the impact it can have on your gaming experience can be significant.