1. An online casino website displays a value for "payout percentage." What is this?
The payout percentage is the portion of the total bets by players that the casino pays back to all of the winners. This value is expressed as a percentage.
2. To clarify this, what's the story if the casino lists a payout percentage of 97.3%?
This indicates that precisely 97.3% of all the stake money that goes into the casino will come out again in the form of winnings.
3. How important is this?
Very! Always look for the payout percentage - the higher it is, the more you'll get back on your wager if you win. In effect, a casino with a higher percentage payout is offering better odds than one where the percentage payout is lower.
4. How come this number always appears to range from 95% to 98% at any casino? Does this suggest there is some regulation of the payout percentage? If so, how does this work?
There must be a built-in "house edge" in every game or the casino couldn't make any profit and you wouldn't be able to play there! A random number generator in any gaming software generates the random outcome of a game. In this way the software makes the individual spin of a roulette wheel, for example, random and unpredictable. There is no way the casino can control or forecast the outcome and there may be fluctuating patterns of wins and losses, so the casino may periodically have to adjust the payout percentage a little above or below the "house edge" to balance things out.
5. How believable is the advertising on the website of an online casino?
This is probably the most crucial consideration. Some casino websites carry certificates; not all casino websites do. Look for these certificates at the top or bottom of the home page, usually. There may also be a link to "payout percentage". Trustworthy certificates are the ones issued by big, reputable auditing firms such as PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) or by the Online Players Association (OPA). You can read more about these organizations on our Verification Certificate page. A PwC or OPA certificate proves that the casino has been through the verification process and all of the numbers it displays are accurate. Such a certificate is our assurance that the casino is honest, safe and secure. Since the reputations of these large, independent auditing firms are above reproach, a certificate from one of them tells you the casino is above board, too.
6. How does this external verification work?
The auditors receive financial information from the casino and determine if the payout percentage is correct. If it's shown as 98%, they'll confirm that it actually is 98%. In this rigorous accounting investigation, the casino must be totally honest and disclose all of the required information before it can receive a certificate. The auditors usually check every month. The casino will frequently include the auditors' report on its website as further proof that the certificate is legitimate.
7. Does this have any effect on the software?
Auditing firms such as PriceWaterhouseCoopers offer independent verification that the random number generator built into the software does indeed deal cards randomly to players and the dealer. The software developer programs the random number generator into the software. The generator is a sophisticated mathematical algorithm that emulates the physical randomness of a shuffled deck of cards at a land based casino. In this way the software ensures that the cards are dealt absolutely fairly, and the random effect works just as well in roulette, slots and other non-card games.
8. Why not simply visit a casino where the payout rate is the highest?
You want to be at a casino where the payout percentage varies a little from month to month. Be cautious if the payout percentage is very high and never changes. A fair random number generating system and the house rate should inherently lead to fluctuations in the payout percentage.
9. What if a casino doesn't display verification certificates?
Maybe they've put their certificates in an obscure location on their website, or maybe they've used very small print. We recommend you check things out and even send them email asking if they do have certificates. Ensure your own ease of mind by finding out these things before you start playing there.
10. With so many thousand of online casinos, where do you suggest I start?
Right here would be good! Sites like this one provide excellent advice and information on gambling which you can put to effective use. Browse through the online casinos listed on our home page. Check out our review section. And when you do go to your casino of choice, be sure to look for those verification certificates.
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