{"id":8954,"date":"2025-04-28T12:09:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T11:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/?p=8954"},"modified":"2025-04-28T12:09:00","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T11:09:00","slug":"what-is-volatility-in-slots-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/matched-betting\/casino\/what-is-volatility-in-slots-games\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Volatility In Slots Games?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re just getting started with casino offers, you\u2019ll probably come across tons of terminology that doesn\u2019t mean a lot to you. RTP? RNG? EV?<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, the Oddsmonkey team is here to guide you through all the jargon – you\u2019ll be sailing through <\/span>casino offers<\/span><\/a> before you know it!<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019re tackling <\/span>volatility <\/b>(also known as variance) – a term for how much variation there is in the average size and frequency of wins on a slots game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How Do Slots Games Work?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Slots games almost all work on the basis of several reels, each of which spins before landing on symbols from a predetermined range<\/b>. If you match a certain number of symbols (usually at least three), either in a row or along specified paylines, you win.<\/span><\/p>\n

The amount you win depends on which symbols you\u2019ve matched, as each has a different value. The higher value symbols appear less frequently, meaning that a small win is more likely than a large one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most modern slots games also offer bonus features<\/b>, which either give you free spins or begin a mini game if you land at least three bonus symbols in a spin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are nigh infinite variations on the traditional slots format, with new, weird, and wild extra features being developed all the time, but the vast majority of slots games work roughly along these lines.<\/span><\/p>\n

The outcome of the spin itself is determined by a Random Number Generator<\/b>, or RNG, which is built into the game software. Each possible outcome is assigned a number, and weighted according to how frequently it should occur.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This ensures that the outcome is fair, but also that it\u2019s reliable, with the \u2018correct\u2019 amount in winnings being awarded on average.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Difference Between RTP And Volatility<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u2018Return to player\u2019 (RTP) and \u2018volatility\u2019 are somewhat related concepts, and people often get confused between the two.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To make sure you never have that problem, we\u2019ll give you a rundown of how each differs from the other.<\/span><\/p>\n

RTP<\/b><\/h3>\n

Return to player, or RTP<\/b><\/a>, tells you the average percentage return players receive on the amount staked.<\/b><\/p>\n

For example, for a game with an advertised RTP of 96.51%, on average players will receive \u00a396.51 for every \u00a3100 wagered.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to note that this doesn\u2019t give you any information about the size of those wins, or the frequency of those payouts. RTP is reached over millions of spins, so, unless they pour vast amounts of money into a slots game, an individual player isn\u2019t particularly likely to see results that reflect the RTP.<\/span><\/p>\n

Volatility<\/b><\/h3>\n

Volatility, meanwhile, doesn\u2019t tell you anything about the average return to player, but does tell you about <\/span>the<\/b> typical size and frequency of payouts<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

A high volatility game will pay out less frequently, but has a higher chance of a larger payout. A low volatility game, meanwhile, will pay out more frequently, but typically at lower values.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is Low Or High Volatility Better?<\/b><\/h2>\n

The answer is that it depends. For many avid casino fans, high volatility games are more exciting, because the chance of a major payout is a little higher, even though the risk of winning nothing at all is larger too.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re getting started with <\/span>Oddsmonkey\u2019s casino offers<\/span><\/a>, however, we\u2019d recommend sticking to low volatility slots games as far as possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019re less likely to win a big jackpot, but your results are likely to be closer to the advertised RTP of the game, with low volatility increasing your chances of modest wins over the course of your wagering and free spins.<\/span><\/p>\n

We also recommend using low stake sizes for any wagering you have to do, which should reduce variance in your results – this also helps to get you closer to the advertised RTP.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Are Examples Of Low And High Volatility Games?<\/b><\/h2>\n

It can be difficult to establish the volatility of a slots game. Not all providers list the volatility of their games, so tracking down the most advantageous eligible game when completing an offer can be tricky.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Volatility can also vary somewhat for the same game between different bookies, meaning you can\u2019t necessarily rely on a game to have identical mechanics across different providers.<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, as a general rule the following titles can be considered examples of low and high volatility games:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Low volatility<\/b><\/td>\nHigh volatility<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Blood Suckers<\/span><\/td>\nImmortal Romance<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jumanji<\/span><\/td>\nDead or Alive<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Crystal Vault<\/span><\/td>\nBig Bass Splash<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Starburst<\/span><\/td>\nGates of Olympus<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Age of the Gods: God of Storms<\/span><\/td>\nEye of Horus<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

How Do Casino Offers Work?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Casino offers are pretty simple really! <\/span>Usually, you\u2019ll be required to wager a certain amount of your own money in order to receive a number of free spins.<\/b><\/p>\n

Sign up offers for new customers are the most generous, but you can still make excellent profits from reload offers for existing customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Based on the RTP of a slots game, you can work out the estimated value of any offer you see (though our helpful casino guides will also do this for you!).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, let\u2019s consider a typical sign up offer to receive 100 free spins if you wager \u00a310 of your own money.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the slot game in question has an RTP of 95%, you\u2019d expect to win \u00a39.50 on average from your \u00a310 wagering, meaning a 50p loss.<\/span><\/p>\n

But your free spins, if they have a typical value of 10p each, are also worth \u00a310 – and if you again play them on a slots game with a 95% RTP, you can expect to make another \u00a39.50 in winnings.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, you would end up with an average of \u00a39 in profit from the offer – not bad going at all!<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to be aware that there is risk in completing casino offers<\/b>. You won\u2019t get results that precisely match the advertised RTP of a game over the course of just a couple of hundred spins – and in theory you could lose your \u00a310 and win nothing from your free spins.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the likelihood is that you will end up in profit overall, and this is ever more likely as you complete more offers, reducing the variance in your results.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other Ways To Make Money From Online Betting Sites<\/b><\/h2>\n

Casino offers are a great way to make money from the comfort of your own home, but they do involve an element of risk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though you are likely to end up in profit on average from following our casino guides, you shouldn\u2019t ever stake more than you can afford on casino offers, as there is a risk of losing your initial stake.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re starting out with a relatively small kitty, you can look at building up your bankroll with Matched Betting before you embark on casino offers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Matched Betting is a strategy that involves betting both for and against the same outcome, and using freebies from bookies to come out in profit. Oddsmonkey\u2019s handy tools and guides make this a super straightforward process, even for complete newcomers to sports betting.<\/span><\/p>\n

To find out more, take a look at our <\/span>beginner\u2019s guide to Matched Betting<\/span><\/a> – or if you prefer to learn by doing, <\/span>give our free trial a go<\/span><\/a> and earn your first \u00a329 in Matched Betting profits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re just getting started with casino offers, you\u2019ll probably come across tons of terminology that doesn\u2019t mean a lot to you. RTP? RNG? EV? Fortunately, the Oddsmonkey team is here to guide you through all the jargon – you\u2019ll be sailing through casino offers before you know it! In this article, we\u2019re tackling volatility […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":8956,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_breakdance_hide_in_design_set":false,"_breakdance_tags":""},"categories":[87],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[663,6611,150,3813,109],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8954"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8954"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8958,"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8954\/revisions\/8958"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8954"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=8954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}