 Every
player must consider a very important factor when playing at online
casinos.... the Casino Payout Percentage. Most online
casinos publish their payout percentages. It is vital to check that
the Casino Payout Percentage has been verified by a trusted third
party. Payouts that are audited contribute significantly to the trust
and fairness of an online casino. This section explores this important
aspect of choosing an online casino.
The way that payout percentages are calculated by land-based
and online casinos is very similar.
Online casinos however, will generally have better odds than their land-based
counterparts. Players at online casinos have to consider factors like the odds
on hand, the regulations on software, the principal of fair online gaming and the payout percentages.
The leading Online Gaming Software suppliers are Microgaming,
Playtech and Cryptologic. Their
Software, usually available as free downloads, drives the majority of highly
regarded online casinos. The Software for games such as slots, poker,
roulette and blackjack integrates Random Number Generators (RNGs) that randomize the outcome
by using complex mathematical algorithms. The online roulette wheel thus behaves just like a
land-based one.
The casino payout percentage
shown at a casino indicates what proportion of the total money bet by players is
being paid out as winnings. ie: If the payout percentage is 97.2%, then 97.2% of all the money
bet at the casino is paid out to winners, and the casino gets to keeps 2.8% of the total
bets. Most online casinos also publish individual payout percentages for game
such as slots and video poker.
The first question is, does the casinos actually pay this percentage out? A verification certificate
(usually found on the home page of the casino website should confirm this). Such certificates are valid and genuine
only if issued by independent organizations - any of the top 3 authorities - the
Online Players Association (OPA),
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) and
eCogra (e-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance). Once a casino
has made the effort of obtaining certification from one of these bodies, a
player can be confident that the casino maintains a strict code over its
practices and its software and is committed to fair gaming with truly random RNG
and an honest payout percentage rate.
The second questions is, what is a good payout percentage? To
answer this question is difficult. You can not look at one moneht's percentages
in isolation. The casino, by virtue of the randomness of games, could have paid
out some large jackpots over that month, making the percentages seem very good.
It is better to look at payout percentages averaged over 6 months. In our
opinion a good yardstick for payout percentages is over 96.5%, which means the
casino is retaining 3.5% on a net wagering basis. This compares well with land
based casinos and is a conservative number.
A good online casino will update its certificates monthly and its percentage payout rates will
vary slightly on a monthly basis.
Players must help themselves to stay informed. These notes on payout rates and verification will assist in making informed
decisions on where to play and hopefully enhance the online gaming experience.
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