House Edge on Slot Machines: Payout Percentages

A “Payout Percentage” on a slot machine is what tells you how heavily the machine is weighted in favour of the casino. This sort of information is hard to find in offline casinos, but thanks to the strict regulations and rules followed by online casinos, this information is widely available. To understand these house edges, they are typically in the high percentages. If a slot machine has a payout percentage of 95%, this means that for every $100 you stake, you stand to earn an average of $95.

All of the slots below are available on Microgaming, the biggest and best provider and one that licenses its games out to casinos such as Spin Palace and Royal Vegas Casino.

The Best

One of the best payout percentages of any online slot, not just Microgaming, is Hot Ink. This is actually quite rare and not all Microgaming casinos have it, but if you can find it then you should definitely play, as the payout percentage is 97.5%. Extreme Heat and Big Kahuna also have big payout percentages above 96%, whilst one of the most popular and widespread games that comes with a great payout percentage is Thunderstruck II, which is 96.65%

There are 243 pay lines on Thunderstruck II and, as a sequel to one of their most popular games and one of their most respected titles, Thunderstruck II seems to be close to Microgaming’s hearts. This has a fantasy, war-God theme, not unlike Thor, with plenty of features to keep you entertained, along with a generous base game.

Although it might not feel like it when you first play, the payout percentages on the the three Chain Reactors games are also quite high, with most players winning steadily over the course of extended play. The best of the three games is Chain Reactors Super Trails, but all are worth a play.

The Worst

As for the games that have the worst payout percentages, offering the lowest chances of winning over the course of play, one of the biggest offenders is Deck the Halls. The payout percentage here is just 95% or so, and whilst this might not seem like a huge difference, it’s all about fine margins here and this actually accounts for quite a lot over the course of extended play. This seasonal game is not alone, and in general you should avoid the majority of slots that are released to appeal to a seasonal crowd, as the Santa Claus themed Ho Ho Ho slot is also on this list.

Break Da Bank Again is another low paying game. This is a very fun game and was, at one point, one of our favourites, but you have much less chance of winning big here than you do on many other games and the payout percentage is an entire two percentage points lower than games such as Hot Ink.

Other games that you should reconsider playing include the tennis themed Centre Court, and the Tomb Raider Secret of the Sword slot machine, which is based on the famous video game and film franchise.