RTP, House Edge & Hold — What the Percentages Mean
Three numbers describe the mathematics of every casino game. Understanding them is the difference between reading the market honestly and being misled by a headline.
Return to player (RTP)
RTP is the share of total wagers a game is designed to return to players over the very long run. A game advertised at 96% RTP is built to pay back C$96 for every C$100 wagered — averaged across millions of rounds. It says nothing about any single session, where results swing widely in both directions.
House edge
The house edge is simply the flip side: 100% − RTP. A 96% RTP means a 4% house edge — the mathematical advantage that, over time, makes gaming revenue for the operator and, in a regulated market, revenue for the province. Every legal game has a house edge; that is how the market exists.
| Game | Typical RTP | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Blackjack (basic strategy) | ~99.5% | ~0.5% |
| Baccarat (banker bet) | ~98.9% | ~1.1% |
| Roulette (single zero) | ~97.3% | ~2.7% |
| Roulette (double zero) | ~94.7% | ~5.3% |
| Online slots (typical) | ~92–97% | ~3–8% |
Ranges are illustrative industry norms for orientation; the exact RTP of a specific regulated game is published by its supplier and verified under AGCO standards.
"Hold" — the market-level view
At the level of a whole market, analysts talk about hold: gaming revenue as a percentage of total wagers. It is the real-world, all-games-combined counterpart to house edge, and it is why a market can report enormous "wagers" while actual revenue (player losses) is a small fraction of that figure. We spell out both numbers wherever we can — see Online vs Retail.
The honest takeaway
Over enough play, the mathematics favour the house on every game. RTP is a long-run design figure, not a promise for your session. Set limits, treat any spend as the cost of entertainment, and if it stops being fun, step back.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-29.