How to Check Your Casino's Real Slot RTP
The same slot can run at different RTPs depending on which casino you play it at. Sweet Bonanza has a published RTP of 96.48%, but I've found UK casinos running it at 94%. That 2.48% gap costs you an extra £2.48 for every £100 you wager. Over a few hundred spins, it adds up.
Most players don't know this. Most review sites don't check. They copy the provider's published figure and move on. I check the version running on each site I test, and this guide shows you how to do the same in about 30 seconds.
Why the Same Slot Has Different RTPs
Slot providers like Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, and Play'n GO don't sell a single version of each game. They offer casinos a choice of RTP settings. Pragmatic Play is the most common example in the UK market. A game like Sweet Bonanza is available in three configurations:
96.48% (the default, full version)
95.00% (mid-range)
94.00% or lower (reduced)
The casino picks which version to configure when it adds the game to its lobby. The choice is commercial. A lower RTP means the casino keeps a bigger share of every bet. The difference between 96.48% and 94% is 2.48% of every pound you wager going to the house instead of back to you.
I've worked on the operator side of this industry for 10 years, and I can tell you that this decision is made quietly. There's no big announcement. The casino doesn't flag "we've chosen the 94% version." It just appears in the info panel if you know where to look.
NetEnt games like Starburst typically run at a fixed 96.09% across all casinos. Play'n GO games like Book of Dead are usually fixed at 96.21%. But Pragmatic Play, one of the UK's most popular providers, gives casinos the option to reduce. That's why checking matters most on Pragmatic Play titles.
How to Check: Step by Step
This works on any UKGC-licensed casino, desktop or mobile. It takes about 30 seconds per game.
Step 1: Open the slot. Load the game you want to check. You don't need to place a bet. Most games let you access the info panel before spinning.
Step 2: Find the info panel. Look for one of these icons, usually in the bottom-left or bottom-right corner of the game screen:
An "i" icon (most common)
A "?" icon
A three-line menu icon (hamburger menu)
A gear/settings icon
Tap or click it.
Step 3: Find the RTP figure. Scroll through the info panel until you find a section labelled "Return to Player," "RTP," "Theoretical Return," or "Payout Percentage." It's usually near the top of the game rules or at the bottom of the paytable.
The number you see is the RTP configured at that specific casino. Not the provider's published default. Not a theoretical figure. The actual version you're playing.
Step 4: Compare it to the provider's published default.
Here are the published default RTPs for the UK's best online slots:
| GAME | PROVIDER | PUBLISHED DEFAULT RTP |
|---|---|---|
| Starburst | NetEnt | 96.09% |
| Sweet Bonanza | Pragmatic Play | 96.48% |
| Book of Dead | Play'n GO | 96.21% |
| Gates of Olympus | Pragmatic Play | 96.50% |
| Big Bass Bonanza | Pragmatic Play | 96.71% |
| Gonzo's Quest | NetEnt | 95.97% |
| Wolf Gold | Pragmatic Play | 96.01% |
| Immortal Romance | Microgaming | 96.86% |
| Razor Shark | Push Gaming | 96.70% |
| Dead or Alive 2 | NetEnt | 96.82% |
If the figure in the info panel matches the table above, you're playing the full version. If it's lower, the casino has configured a reduced version.
What I Found at 10 UK Casinos
I checked Starburst, Sweet Bonanza, and at least one other game at every site I tested in January and February 2026. Here's what the info panels showed:
| SITE | OPERATOR | STARBURST | SWEET BONANZA | OTHER GAMES CHECKED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JeffBet | ProgressPlay Ltd | 96.09% ✓ | 96.48% ✓ | Full provider rates confirmed |
| Sun Vegas | VF2011 Ltd | 96.09% ✓ | N/A (Playtech-focused) | Age of the Gods: 95.02% |
| MrQ | Lindar Media Ltd | 96.09% ✓ | 96.48% ✓ | Big Bass Bonanza: 96.71% ✓ |
| PlayUK | Grace Media | 96.09% ✓ | Not checked | Standard rates on NetEnt titles |
| Fruity King | ProgressPlay Ltd | 96.09% ✓ | 96.48% ✓ | Some Pragmatic titles reported at 94% |
| NetBet | NetBet Enterprises | 96.09% ✓ | Not checked | Book of Dead: 96.21% ✓, Gates of Olympus: 96.50% ✓ |
| All British | L&L Europe Ltd | 96.09% ✓ | Not checked | Standard rates confirmed |
| Monster Casino | ProgressPlay Ltd | 96.09% ✓ | Not checked | Book of Dead: 96.21% ✓ |
| Britain Play | Jumpman Gaming | 96.09% ✓ | Not checked | Limited Pragmatic selection |
| Conquer Casino | ProgressPlay Ltd | 96.09% ✓ | Not checked | Immortal Romance: 96.86% ✓ |
Key finding: Starburst runs at the full 96.09% everywhere I checked. That's expected because NetEnt doesn't typically offer reduced versions. Sweet Bonanza at 96.48% was confirmed at JeffBet and MrQ, but there's credible reporting that some Pragmatic Play titles at Fruity King (also ProgressPlay, same UKGC licence 39335) may run at 94%.
MrQ publicly commits to using the highest available RTP versions from every provider. I confirmed this across three games. If RTP transparency is your priority, MrQ is the safest choice I've tested.
What Reduced RTP Actually Costs You
People hear "2% difference" and think it's nothing. Here's what it actually costs at different betting levels:
| SESSION | BET PER SPIN | SPINS | TOTAL WAGERED | COST AT 96.48% | COST AT 94% | EXTRA COST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quick session | £0.20 | 200 | £40 | £1.41 | £2.40 | £0.99 |
| Average session | £0.50 | 300 | £150 | £5.28 | £9.00 | £3.72 |
| Longer session | £1.00 | 500 | £500 | £17.60 | £30.00 | £12.40 |
| Heavy session | £2.00 | 500 | £1,000 | £35.20 | £60.00 | £24.80 |
"Cost" here means expected loss, the amount the maths says you'll lose on average over that many spins. At £1 per spin over 500 spins, the reduced version costs you an extra £12.40 compared to the full version. Over a month of regular play, that gap widens. Over a year, it's significant.
This is why I check RTPs at every site I review. The info is right there in the game. It takes 30 seconds. There's no reason not to look.
Which Providers Offer Reduced Versions?
Not all providers give casinos the option. Here's what I've seen from the UK's most common providers:
Pragmatic Play. offers reduced RTP versions on most games. This is the provider to watch. Sweet Bonanza, Gates of Olympus, Big Bass Bonanza, Wolf Gold, and others can all run at 94% or lower depending on the casino. Always check.
NetEnt. fixed RTPs on most games. Starburst is 96.09% everywhere. Gonzo's Quest is 95.97% everywhere. You generally don't need to worry about reduced versions on NetEnt slots, though a few newer titles have introduced variable settings.
Play'n GO. fixed on most popular titles. Book of Dead is 96.21% across all casinos I've checked. Some newer Play'n GO games offer variable RTPs, but the classics are consistent.
Microgaming. mostly fixed. Immortal Romance runs at 96.86% across the board.
Big Time Gaming. fixed RTPs. Megaways titles like Bonanza and White Rabbit run at their published rates.
Blueprint Gaming. mostly fixed. Fishin' Frenzy and its variants run at published rates.
The pattern is straightforward: Pragmatic Play is the one where you need to check every time. With other providers, spot-checking a couple of games at a new casino is usually enough to confirm they're running standard versions.
What the UKGC Requires
The UKGC mandates that every licensed casino must display the RTP of each game "in a way that is accessible to the customer." This is covered under the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice. In practice, this means the RTP must be available in the game's info panel.
What the UKGC doesn't require is that casinos use the highest available RTP version. A casino running Sweet Bonanza at 94% isn't breaking any rules, as long as that 94% figure is displayed in the info panel. The regulation covers disclosure, not the setting itself.
This is why checking matters. The casino is technically telling you the RTP. It's just not shouting about it. You have to open the info panel and look. Now you know how.
Quick Checklist
Before you deposit at any new UK slot site:
Open one Pragmatic Play game (Sweet Bonanza or Gates of Olympus)
Tap the info icon
Check the RTP figure
If it shows 96%+ you're on the full version
If it shows 94% or 95%, the casino is running a reduced version
Decide if you're comfortable with that before depositing more
It takes 30 seconds. It could save you hundreds of pounds over the course of a year.
FAQ
Can casinos change the RTP after I start playing?
Technically, yes. The casino can request a different RTP version from the provider at any time. In practice, changes happen when operators renegotiate contracts or switch platform configurations, not mid-session. The RTP you see in the info panel is what's running at that point.
Is a slot "rigged" if it runs at 94% instead of 96%?
No. The game is still random. The RNG (Random Number Generator) still determines every spin independently. A lower RTP means the game is configured to return less to players over time, but each individual spin is still unpredictable. It's not rigged. It's just a more expensive version of the same game.
Why don't casinos advertise which RTP version they use?
Because lower RTPs are more profitable. Advertising "we use the cheap version" isn't a selling point. The UKGC requires the information to be accessible in-game, but there's no requirement to feature it in marketing. Sites like MrQ that publicly commit to full RTPs use it as a competitive advantage because most operators don't.
Do free spins use the same RTP as regular play?
Yes. Free spins on a game use whatever RTP version that the casino has configured for that game. If Sweet Bonanza runs at 94% at a site, your free spins on Sweet Bonanza also run at 94%.
Does the RTP version affect bonus wagering?
Yes. If you're clearing a 10x wagering requirement on a game running at 94% instead of 96%, your expected loss is higher. On a £100 bonus at 10x wagering, the difference is £20 (£60 loss at 94% vs £40 loss at 96%). That's a 50% increase in clearing cost. For more on this, read my breakdown of the UKGC 10x wagering cap.