When players choose where to play, payout percentage is often considered just as important as bonuses and promotions. It’s a clear, numerical indicator of how much a casino gives back over time, and for many, that long-term value matters more than a single bonus offer or familiar brand name.
This focus on value is especially strong in mature markets like Canada, where players are becoming increasingly informed. Instead of chasing headlines, some players are researching which operators have the best payout percentages.
Image: Ville Saari
To see how important this player base is, we spoke to casino expert Ville Saari. He leads the team of expert testers and reviewers at the popular UK comparison site Bojoko.com, and is himself an avid gambler. In this conversation, we will cover to what extent players consider payout-related data when searching for the best paying casinos and what operators need to get right to earn long-term trust.
How important is RTP in the real-world player journey today? Does it still carry meaningful weight when players choose where to play?
Absolutely. RTP is still one of the most visible and impactful ways for players to assess value. It’s not buried deep in the mechanics—it’s measurable and easy for players to compare. Experienced players already check and play to the RTP on slots and other casino games, but there is a clear niche that is quite concerned about the RTP of the casino as a whole as well.
From our side, we see a decent number of acquisitions directly tied to RTP-related searches. It’s clear that Canadian players are actively searching for fair casinos. When they want to double-check, they go to pages such as our overview of the highest payout online casinos in Canada. Research is incredibly important to these players, who do their due diligence.
These players use RTP as a first layer of trust, which says a lot about how aware and value-focused today’s audience is.
Are small differences in RTP important for these players?
While a slight difference in RTP might not decide the outcome of a single session, for consistent or high-volume players, even a slight edge can make a noticeable impact over time, and experienced players know this.
That said, the payout percentage is just one piece of the puzzle. At Bojoko, our team looks at various factors that players care about. Most are, granted, tied to better payouts in one way or another, such as bonuses, but there are key features, from payment methods to deposit limits, that have huge sway.
At the end of the day, small differences in the payout percentage will only matter to players who are exclusively looking at this attribute, and nothing else, and the majority cares about far more factors.
Do high-paying casinos appeal more to seasoned players than to newcomers?
It is hard to get data on this, but the answer is undoubtedly yes. You simply need some knowledge to know that the payout varies from casino to casino. There are many factors for this, but high payout casinos are more likely to offer honest and valuable bonuses and use higher RTP settings on their games.
Now that more players are becoming aware of how the same games have different RTP settings, I think less experienced players will start to care more.
As you mentioned, some games come with variable RTP settings. How much does this factor into your evaluations at Bojoko?
It’s one of the most important behind-the-scenes factors in evaluating game value, and yes, more players should absolutely know about it. We are clear about this in our reviews, and it is an increasingly important detail, as games that players may expect to be around 96% are suddenly below 90%. That’s a huge difference, long-term.
Of course, this is not the only factor in a casino’s RTP, and individual game RTPs are not a part of our assessment of the highest payout casinos in Canada. Instead, we are looking at the overall payout.
It is also worth mentioning that player choices can affect the RTP. If, for instance, a casino's demographic leans more towards slots than table games, the overall payout percentage will likely be lower, even if they use high RTP settings for their slots. Table games generally have better odds.
We have mainly discussed how high payout percentages are important for acquisition, but what is the impact on long-term player retention, too?
Player retention is where having a high payout percentage becomes especially powerful. Yes, for a niche set of players, it is a way to get them through the door, but for everyday players, excellent service, fair bonuses, and good odds are key parts of what will likely make them want to return.
