Return to player percentages have always been a way of estimating what a slot pays back over a large number of spins. Setting up RTP for slots is a complicated process, a difficulty which can then overflow into how the customer understands the concept.
In this week’s SlotBeats Spotlight, we have asked five game developers for their views on RTP and what can be done to improve education of what the values truly mean.
SlotBeats: What more can operators and suppliers do to further educate players on RTP?
Tamas Kusztos, Kalamba: I don’t think RTP is particularly helpful to many players, and it’s something that is easily misunderstood. At the number of rounds any given player can actually play, it’s not always a very useful indicator as to whether they are going to win or not because even if a game has a lower RTP, the hit frequency may be higher.
Players may have a longer game play with lots of smaller wins or be chasing infrequent bigger ones. I believe that ultimately what we should be doing is simplifying things for players and perhaps using different terminology where relevant, rather than just a number that only describes one aspect of a game.
Rob Lee, Realistic Games: The most important thing about the RTP is that it is clear, accurate and doesn’t vary on the same game from site to site. Operators and suppliers have a duty to the players to ensure this transparency.
We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that lots of players don’t necessarily know what we’re talking about when it comes to RTPs. Some just don’t have that product knowledge. They may have arrived at a slot via sportsbook or lottery. For those players we should provide a simple explanation, so they know what they are playing and how it varies from title to title.
Arcangelo Lonoce, Habanero: Communication is key. An educated player is more likely to be conscious of how exactly they are spending, and the risk of misunderstanding is reduced.
From an operator’s perspective, player protection is maximised if you have a mature, educated and experienced customer base. However, it is nevertheless possible to act responsibly when appealing to new players – so long as you are proactive about clearly explaining features such as RTP.
Ivan Kravchuk, Evoplay Entertainment: Clearly outlined visual guidance is the right place to start – now more than ever. We’ve seen a significant influx of players getting into slots and instant games in the last few months, and the need to educate new players on RTP during this current time is essential.
With a wealth of trusted B2C gambling media platforms emerging, such as AskGamblers and BitStartz – suppliers would do well to leverage these relationships to produce a range of educational topics in an accessible format for the new generation of players.
Carl Ejlertsson, Red Tiger: There are plenty of ways, but I would also caution that over-emphasis on RTPs in isolation is not always helpful, as they are only one of several factors that dictate the player experience. Communicating all of those factors would be too complex a message for the average consumer.
Making it available in the help file, where it is one click away from the game and players can actively seek it if they want, is probably the best way of presenting the information. In my view, it is not particularly broken, therefore – and doesn’t need fixing.
Jan Urbanec, Endorphina: Educating players about the games they play is just as important as the general marketing of games. RTP is just one of the aspects of the slots, but players react to it very strongly as they feel it is the most important one.
It is in the interest of suppliers to not only have the information about the slot theoretical RTP out there, but to also have as much information about the game’s volatility, mechanics and the design choices available.
Placing context transparently is very important. If the operator lists only the RTP value of a game next to the icon, the player will not get the full picture of the experience being offered.
