Pokies maths

Same Pokie, Different RTP: How to Check the Version Your Casino Runs

Last updated 23 October 2026 · by the Aussie Top Casinos editors

The same pokie can pay 96.50% at one casino and 94.50% at another. Here is how to read the build in the game rules and what the gap costs in A$.

Zeus video pokie with its reels and bet panel lit up on the screen — Photo: brownpau / Flickr, CC BY 2.0

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Two casinos can list the same pokie, with the same reels, symbols and bonus round, and still pay back different amounts over the long run. The reason is that several large studios ship one title in more than one return-to-player (RTP) build and let the operator choose which one to switch on. This guide explains how those builds work, how to read the figure the casino is actually running, and what the gap is worth in Australian dollars for every A$1,000 you put through the reels.

Why one pokie can carry several RTP figures

RTP is the share of all money staked on a game that the maths model is designed to pay back over a very large number of spins. Gambling.com's RTP guide describes it as a long-term statistical average, calculated over millions of simulated spins rather than a single session. The figure is fixed in the game's maths before release and certified by a testing lab, so a casino cannot nudge it up or down on a whim.

What a casino can do is pick between certified versions. The same guide names NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, Play'n GO and Red Tiger among the providers that release multiple RTP configurations of the same slot, and states that an operator can choose which configuration to offer. The artwork, features and maximum win usually stay the same. What changes is the internal weighting of outcomes, which the player never sees spin by spin.

Gates of Olympus is a well-documented case. Pragmatic Play's own game page lists the RTP as 96.50%. OLBG's review of the game states that Pragmatic Play offers casinos two other versions, at 95.51% and 94.5%, and tells players to open the paytable wherever they are playing to check the rate. So a single title can legitimately appear at three different returns depending on the site.

What the difference costs per A$1,000 turnover

Turnover is the total of every bet you place, including bets made with money you have just won. If you start with A$100 and play A$1 spins until you have made 1,000 spins, your turnover is A$1,000 even if your balance never went above A$150. Expected loss is simply turnover multiplied by the house edge, which is 100% minus RTP.

RTP build	House edge	Expected loss per A$1,000 turnover	Per A$10,000 turnover
96.50%	3.50%	A$35.00	A$350
95.51%	4.49%	A$44.90	A$449
94.50%	5.50%	A$55.00	A$550

The table uses the three Gates of Olympus figures above. Moving from the 96.50% build to the 94.50% build raises the expected cost of the same play by A$20 per A$1,000, which is a 57% increase in the house edge (5.50 divided by 3.50). The reels look identical; only the long-run price of entertainment changes.

Where it bites hardest: bonus wagering

The gap matters most when turnover is forced on you. A A$100 bonus with a 35x wagering requirement on the bonus means A$3,500 of turnover before the bonus can be released (the full maths is in our explainer on casino bonuses). Worked example:

On a 96.50% build: A$3,500 x 3.50% = A$122.50 expected loss while wagering.
On a 94.50% build: A$3,500 x 5.50% = A$192.50 expected loss while wagering.

The A$70 difference is most of the bonus's value. A bonus that looks fair on the low-RTP build can be close to worthless, which is why the RTP check comes before the bonus maths, not after it.

How to find which build a casino runs

The only figure that counts is the one inside the game at the site where you play. Provider pages, review sites and app-store blurbs usually quote the highest build. Gambling.com advises looking for the info or help icon, and notes that the RTP is usually listed inside the paytable or rules section.

Open the game in real-money mode, without spinning. A demo hosted on a review site or the provider's own page tells you nothing about the build this casino has switched on, so check the version you would actually stake on.
Tap the menu, "i" or question-mark icon. On most modern pokies this opens the paytable and a separate game rules page.
Scroll to the end of the rules. The RTP line usually sits near the bottom, often next to the maximum win and the note about malfunctions voiding pays and plays.
Note the exact figure, including decimals. 96.50% and 95.51% are easy to confuse at a glance on a small phone screen.
Look for a second figure. If the game has a bonus-buy or ante-bet option, check whether the rules give a separate RTP for that mode.
Repeat at the next casino. If two sites show different numbers for the same title, you have found two builds.

What the RTP line does not tell you

RTP says nothing about how the return is distributed. A high-volatility pokie can sit at 96.50% and still go hundreds of spins without a meaningful win, while a low-volatility game at 94.50% may feel kinder over a short session. Over a few hundred spins, luck dominates. The build only shows its effect over large turnover, which is exactly what wagering requirements and long sessions create.

Reading published RTP figures correctly

When a provider's website lists one number, treat it as the reference build, not a promise about every casino. Pragmatic Play's Gates of Olympus page shows 96.50% under its basic game info; the lower builds exist because the studio supplies them to operators. The same caution applies to listicles of "highest RTP pokies": they normally copy the top figure. Our guide to the best paying online pokies in Australia explains why the in-game figure is the one to trust.

A few patterns help when scanning a lobby:

A game whose rules page shows a figure lower than the provider's headline number is running a reduced build.
If several titles from the same studio all show reduced figures at one casino, assume the rest of that studio's catalogue there may be on reduced builds too, and check before you play.
A figure that matches the provider's headline number on one site and not on another is the clearest sign that two builds are in circulation.

Why casinos choose lower builds

For the operator, a lower build means a higher expected margin on the same traffic. Sites that hand out large match bonuses or frequent free spins sometimes offset that cost with a lower RTP tier. That is a commercial choice, not a rigged game: the lower build is also lab-certified. The issue for players is transparency. Gambling.com's guide says reputable operators disclose which setting they use, and a site that hides the figure deserves less of your money.

Australians should keep the legal context in mind too. Online casino-style games are not licensed for supply to people in Australia, so the casinos that accept Australians are offshore operators working under foreign licences. There is no Australian regulator checking which RTP build they run, which makes the in-game check your own responsibility. Our pages on online gambling in Australia and how we rate casinos cover what we look at in published terms and game information.

Key point: the same pokie can run at 96.50% at one casino and 94.50% at another. On A$1,000 of turnover that is A$35 versus A$55 in expected loss, and on a A$3,500 wagering requirement it is A$122.50 versus A$192.50. Check the RTP line in the game rules at the casino itself before you play, especially with a bonus.

A practical checklist before you spin

Check the in-game rules, not the review. The figure on the casino's own build is the only one that applies.
Compare two or three casinos for the pokies you play most. If one consistently shows the top build, that is useful information when you choose where to deposit.
Do the turnover maths. Expected loss equals turnover times (100% minus RTP). Keep a rough log of how much you actually stake, not just what you deposit.
Prefer top builds for wagering. If you take a bonus, play eligible pokies that show the highest RTP you can find, within the bonus rules.
Check bonus-buy modes separately. If the rules list a figure for that mode, it applies only when you buy the feature.
Treat RTP as price, not prediction. It is the long-run cost of play, never a forecast of what one session will return.

If you mainly play titles from one studio, our pages on Pragmatic Play casinos and Play'n GO casinos list where those games are offered, and the online pokies hub explains volatility, features and paytables in more depth.

FAQ

Can a casino change the RTP of a pokie whenever it likes?

No. RTP is fixed in the certified maths of each build. The casino can only choose between the versions the studio supplies, such as the 96.50%, 95.51% and 94.5% builds reported for Gates of Olympus.

Where do I find the RTP of the version I am playing?

Open the game at the casino, tap the info or menu icon and read the paytable or game rules. The RTP line is usually near the end of the rules.

How much does a 2% lower RTP cost?

Expected loss equals turnover times the house edge. On A$1,000 of turnover, 96.50% costs A$35 on average and 94.50% costs A$55, a difference of A$20.

Does a higher RTP mean I will win in a session?

No. RTP is a long-run average over millions of spins. Over a short session, volatility and luck matter far more than the build.