Understanding the Casino's Advantage
If you’ve ever played at an online casino, you may have wondered how the house makes a profit. The familiar adage “the house always wins” might have crossed your mind. But how does it work?
There are many myths about how casinos make their money. Some believe games are always rigged to lose. That definitely isn’t true for most credible platforms. They don’t need to cheat to make a profit. Legitimate casino games are unbiased and produce random results.
They set a margin in provided games, ensuring profitability in the long run. This advantage is called the ‘house edge,’ often expressed as a Return-to-Player (RTP) percentage.
House Edge: In a Nutshell
The house edge is the percentage of each bet the casino expects to keep over the long run. From traditional land-based casinos to online bookmakers and modern cryptocurrency casinos, all gambling operators maintain a house edge, which may vary between sites and games.
In this guide, you will learn how casino games can remain random and fair while giving the casino an advantage. The house always wins—using a transparent mechanism you can manage.
Casinos always operate with predefined margins to ensure long-term profitability.
What Is a House Edge?
The house edge concept is relatively simple: it’s a mathematical advantage that casinos keep for themselves to remain profitable. This advantage translates into an average loss percentage you can expect from your initial bet.
To understand how it works, let’s look at how it’s applied to a standard European Roulette with 37 numbers, including the zero:
- The ball can fall into any of the available 37 slots.
- Therefore, you have a 37-to-1 chance of winning the round, but the casino pays out only 36-to-1 for a simple bet
- That equals for a house edge of 2.7% that you will lose in the long run on every your bet
It’s important to note that while that 2.7% edge is programmed, the outcome of every spin is still random. Because luck isn’t linear or predictable, you can still win in a long streak.
Even if you win big, the casino profits from all the game rounds played by all players, so it’s in its best interest to keep results as random as possible, allowing for big, life-changing wins. The randomness, combined with the possibility of achieving that once-in-a-lifetime lucky strike, is what makes gambling so thrilling.
House Edge vs. RTP
A house edge and the Return to Player (RTP) are closely related concepts in gambling, but they describe opposite sides of the same coin.
House Edge represents the casino’s margin, indicating the house’s advantage over the players. A game with a higher house edge means more profit for the casino and less favorable odds for the player.
For example, in a game with a 5% edge, the operator makes an average profit of $5 for every $100 wagered over time.
Return to Player (RTP) is the flip side—the percentage of the total amount of money wagered by players that a game pays back over time.
If a game has an RTP of 95%—players can expect to get back $95 for every $100 wagered.
In essence, RTP and house edge are mathematically related: RTP = 100% – House Edge. This relationship means that if you know one, you can easily calculate the other. Convert between these two using our RTP → House Edge Calculator.
Why Is The House Edge So Important?
Why should even a recreational player care about all of this? Knowing the house edge of a game can be a powerful tool:
- Tells how much the game pays out
- Give you data to compare similar games
- Can moderate your expectations and help you gamble safer (especially in the long run)
We can’t understate the importance of understanding how the house edge will always benefit the casino over time. We strongly discourage chasing losses and pushing your luck on big wins. But you can utilize such information and use it to your favor.
Maximize your winnings: Inform yourself about RTP and choose high payout games.
Games with the Lowest Edge
From traditional slot machines to sports bets and even government-run lotteries, all games of chance have a house edge. You can’t escape it. Pick the games with the lowest house edge and casinos with bonuses that boost your overall RTP %.
That is also an area where crypto casinos excel. Many leading Bitcoin gambling sites offer a collection of in-house games with an RTP of 98-99%, the highest in the business. Play Dice, Plinko, Crash, Limbo, and others for the maximum chance of winning a session.
Besides crypto games, Blackjack and Baccarat have higher RTP %. Conversely, slots have the highest house edge. Despite this, slots are still the number one game category in online gambling. They’re popular due to their potential to win big and engaging visuals and sounds.
| Low House Edge | High House Edge |
|---|---|
| Dice | Slots |
| Plinko | Sports Betting |
| Crash | Lotteries |
| Blackjack |
Provably Fair
Blockchain casinos and gambling Dapps often develop their games to provide a fully transparent and fair gaming experience. An in-house gaming solution allows complete control over the evolution of games and potentially more built-in features.
Play these high RTP games and enjoy even better bonuses. For example, BetFury offers over 99% RTP for higher VIP players. Another benefit is that these games are supported by the Provably Fair mechanism, ensuring random results. Look for Provably Fair games and rest assured about the integrity of online gaming. Everyone can verify the fairness of each round.
Bitcoin Casinos Offering Provably Fair Games
Look at the list of top-tier crypto casinos with a collection of Provingly Fair games and a combination of high RTP. Play these sites’ games for maximum payouts and worry-free excitement.
| Casino | Bonus | Features | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
- |
|
GO TO CASINO |
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360% Up to $20K |
|
GO TO CASINO |
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590% Welcome Bonus |
|
GO TO CASINO |
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125% Exclusive Bonus up to $700 |
|
GO TO CASINO |
Optimize Your Play with House Edge Knowledge
Wrapping up this guide to RTP and house edge at crypto casinos, it’s clear that understanding these concepts can significantly enhance your gaming experience. We’ve examined what games and casinos provide the highest RTP in the business.
You can use this new knowledge to start choosing high-payout games or simply continue enjoying your favorite titles. The choice is yours. We recommend keeping an eye on the RTP, which can give you a better idea of what you can expect to pocket over time while being mindful of the casino’s margin.
