Most online casino games are available in two formats – players can either deposit and play for real money or load the demo versions of the games and bet with free in-game credits instead. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. The demo versions allow you to test the waters when you join an online casino and try new games in a risk-free manner.
With that said, all winnings you generate during free play are non-withdrawable as the demo credits have no redeemable cash value. Those who deposit and play for real money can cash out their profits but the downside is they also risk losing their entire balance during bad streaks.
One question that commonly arises is whether the chances of winning during free play coincide with those advertised for the real-money versions. Some people argue the demo versions offer better odds to trick players into depositing only to find their luck has suddenly run out when they start playing with cash. So are these suspicions groundless or is there any proof to substantiate them? Let’s find out.
The RTP of Online Casino Games in Short
The abbreviation RTP stands for the term Return to Player, which indicates what percentage of all wagers a given casino game will pay back to gamblers over time. If an online slot has an advertised RTP of 95%, for example, this generally means it will return only ¢95 of every dollar staked in the long term.
RTP and House Edge
Short-Term vs. Long-Term RTP
The Number of Plays Matters
RTP and House Edge
The remaining 5% reflects the house edge, which is the percentage of profits the casino will collect from this game over time. Casino games are built in such a way so as to always ensure a steady flow of profits for those who operate them. This is not to say you will lose this exact percentage from every bet or series of bets. You need a large enough sample size to achieve the actual theoretical return.
Short-Term vs. Long-Term RTP
Many licensed gambling sites update their theoretical return percentages regularly and you might notice some discrepancies in the numbers if you look closely enough. Gaming operators can determine the actual return of a game by dividing the winnings paid to players by the overall amount wagered within a given period. Below is an example to demonstrate this point.
- An online slot has been designed to yield a 96.52% RTP.
- The slot generates $1,500,000 in turnover within a single month of play.
- The game pays back $1,390,000 to winning players during this period.
- The actual RTP this slot has achieved within one month is equal to ($1,390,000 / $1,500,000) x 100 = 0.9266 x 100 = 92.66%.
- This is 3.86% less than the advertised percentage.
The Number of Plays Matters
While there is indeed a discrepancy between the above-listed percentages, this obvious difference does not necessarily mean the casino has tampered with the game. The volatility of the slot and the number of rounds played also bear consideration.
A smaller number of plays typically accounts for greater deviations from the return percentages listed in the games. These discrepancies gradually diminish as the volume of bets grows. The actual return percentage is bound to even out with the advertised RTP after a significant enough number of trials, usually over one million.
Why Do Online Casinos Offer Demo Versions?
Most interactive gambling operators offer free versions of their games to attract new customers, get them to register, deposit, and play for real money. The libraries of modern online casinos often comprise thousands of releases, ranging from video slots and various card games to live dealer tables and scratchcards.
Players have the ultimate freedom to pick from hundreds of options but testing all games in real-money format is practically impossible. As a solution to this problem, most online casinos allow their customers to fund their play with free in-game credits and test as many releases as they wish.
Players who exhaust their free credits must simply reload the game to replenish their demo balance. The demos are identical to their real-money versions, allowing players to practice, master the different bet types available, and test new strategies at no risk of loss whatsoever.
Due to this, many customers perceive free-to-play games as a value-added attraction and prefer casinos that offer them over those that do not. While there is no discernible difference in terms of gameplay, however, you can never win actual cash because no real money changes hands when you play the demos.
Live dealer tables are the only exception and are never available for free play. Streamed in real time from dedicated studios, they are
a prerogative of depositing players only. They require real-money deposits due to the considerable expenses associated with their upkeep. After all, paying the live dealers and maintaining the gaming equipment both cost a lot of money.
A Real-Life Example of Higher RTP in Demo Mode
There have been claims in the past that some software providers intentionally alter the theoretical return percentages of their games so that bigger and more frequent wins occur during free play compared to the real-money versions. One example that comes to mind is the incident with an online slot developed by the GameArt software studio.
Turning $500 in Demo Credits into $100,000
Huge Wins Occurred Consistently during Free Play
The Supplier Admitted RTP Is Different
Turning $500 in Demo Credits into $100,000
It dates back to early 2018 when a player started a discussion on the Casinomeister forum, claiming that the online slot Thunder Bird produced abnormally large wins during free play. The person in question started with an initial bankroll of $500 in demo credits and placed bets within the range of $10 to $40, eventually winning $100,000 within thirty or so minutes.
Huge Wins Occurred Consistently during Free Play
A representative of the online casino where this occurred initially responded that the game’s return percentages were the same in both modes. The original poster then insisted that he had tested the demo version on multiple occasions and almost always enjoyed huge wins. He attributed this to the abnormally frequent triggers of the bonus game during free play.
Consistent windfalls occurred only in the demo, while the real-money version of the game behaved normally. These disturbing findings caused the online casino to contact the supplier and inquire about the issue. The response of the software studio was that the free version was no different than the real-money game.
The Supplier Admitted RTP Is Different
After the original poster raised the alarm, other members of the Casinomeister forum tested Thunder Bird on their own only to reach the same conclusion. The game indeed produced vastly different results when played in demo format, with players consistently generating five-figure winnings within a very short time.
Many forum members argued the free version had an RTP that went way beyond 100%. The online casino where this debacle occurred proceeded to launch a detailed investigation into the matter.
Shortly after, the supplier admitted the demo indeed had a higher return percentage compared to the real-money game. The online casino referred to this practice as “unacceptable” and subsequently took down the game until the developer fixed the issue.
Closing Thoughts
Players at licensed and strictly regulated gambling sites have no reason to fear the demo versions of casino games could have different characteristics than the real-money ones. Online casinos rarely use proprietary software and typically offer games developed and configured by third-party suppliers.
Even if there is an issue of this kind, both parties involved will step up their efforts to ensure it is resolved as soon as possible, as you saw from the case we discussed earlier.
Multiple safeguards are in place to prevent such misleading practices. Both software companies and gambling operators undergo regular audits to ensure their games yield their advertised returns in both free and real-money mode.
