Slot Machine Volatility Explained: Everything You Need to Know

Slots are one of the most loved and exciting casino games found at online and mobile casinos. They include three, five, six, and seven reel layouts that offer payouts in different ways, with set paylines, winning ways, and group payouts being the most common. Extra bonuses and many different special features include free spins, changing and expanding symbols, pick-and-win games, instant random payouts, and many other special bonus opportunities. When playing slots, a random number generator controls the game, giving players random payouts and bonus boosts. However, the games can be described as volatile or with a high return to the player.

Volatility Versus High Return to Player in Slots Games

When looking at the slots of games, players need to not only find a game that is exciting and interesting to them but also one that offers good returns. The return to player is a percentage return that is promised in the game over time. In other words, if the return to player is 97.5%, then over time, players will get 97.5 Dollars or Euros back if betting one hundred Dollars or Euros. This is how the percentage return to play is quantified. The volatility of a game is entirely different. The volatility is the uncertainty or risk involved in the game. The higher the risk factor, the higher the potential payouts. What this means in slots terms is that a highly volatile slots game does not pay frequently, but when it does pay, the payout is much more likely to be high. A low-volatility game will pay frequently but in small amounts. When playing slots, the general recommendation is to choose a game that is medium volatility, which gives the player a bit of both options and less frequent payouts that can be higher. Players who like the thrills of high risk can choose a high-volatility game, and players who have a lower budget and are more cautious go for the low-volatility games. And most of all, it is always important to remember that all games are controlled by a random number generator, and there is no way to predict what the outcome of a slots game will be.