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Where is it more profitable to play online and offline slots?

13 May, 2025

Nick Davis

If you've ever played slots, whether online or offline, you've probably wondered: where is it more profitable to spin the reels? Where are the chances of really getting something worthwhile, and where are you just throwing money into a bottomless pit? At first glance, it seems that there is not much difference. The reels spin, symbols fall out — both in a real casino and through the phone at home on the sofa. But in fact, the differences are much deeper than it seems. And they directly affect your wallet. In this guide, I will tell you without embellishment:

Why RTP is not just a boring number, but your main ally.
What is the difference between playing offline and online in practice?
Where you can really count on a return, and where you are more likely to just pay for the atmosphere and emotions.

How Offline Slots Work
How Online Slots Work
Why RTP Decides and How to Check It
Special Risks of Offline Casinos
Where it is really more profitable to play
How to choose a place to play

How Offline Slots Work

Offline slots are the same machines that are in real casinos, slot machine halls, bars, sometimes even in airports and hotels. The same ones with physical buttons, levers and sometimes very cheerful flickering lights. How they work: Technically, there is a random number generator (RNG) inside, almost like online. But there is a caveat: the parameters of this generator can be adjusted much more harshly in favor of the casino. What is the RTP: In offline, the RTP is considered to be around 85%-92%. Sometimes a little more, if it is a really top casino like Las Vegas or Macau, where the competition for customers is high, and if it is some slot machine hall in a roadside hotel or a local casino without a name, be sure, there can easily be machines with an RTP of about 85% and below. Pros of playing offline:

Atmosphere. After all, a live casino is a show: lights, clinking coins, a real crowd.
Emotions. Psychologically, the winnings seem "bigger" – even if you are actually in the red, the process itself is catchy.
Social effect. You can communicate, get acquainted, spend an evening, feel the excitement of the crowd.

Cons of offline slots:

Lower RTP. You play less time for the same money.
It is more difficult to verify honesty. Most players do not think at all about what the RTP of the machine is and whether it is possible to find it out.
Tweaks and unstable settings are possible. Especially in small halls without a normal license.
Smaller payouts. Offline, you will rarely find a slot machine with megavines, unlimited multipliers and jackpots of millions, as it happens online.

Playing offline slots is not so much about earnings as it is about emotions and atmosphere. You need to go there with the understanding that you are paying for the show, and not for the chance to hit a big jackpot.

How Online Slots Work

Online slots are the very games that you can enter through your computer or phone without getting up from the couch. In terms of technology, they work on the same principle of a random number generator (RNG), only the whole process goes through the provider's servers or casinos. How it works: Most normal online casinos don't make their own slots. They rent them from providers like Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Play'n GO, Bgaming and others.

The RTP of online slots is often higher (but it is important to be able to check it — more on this later).

What about RTP: On the Internet, an RTP of around 95%-97% is considered normal.And sometimes even higher - some slots give out an honest 97%-98% in the basic version. This is not a joke: for the same money, you get a much longer game and really higher chances of normal wagering or profit. Pros of playing online:

Higher RTP. More return, longer you play, more chances for something big.
Huge selection of slots. From 3-reel classics to insane megavines with 100,000+ ways to win.
Bonuses. Deposit bonuses, free spins, cashback — this is not even close to offline.
Convenience. You go in two clicks, play whenever and wherever you want.

Cons of online slots:

Risks of getting into a bad casino. If the platform is not fair, the RTP can be reduced or even faked the slot.
Lack of a lively atmosphere. Everything is through the screen - someone lacks it.
Lags, bugs and crashes. If the connection crashes at the time of free spins, it can be really stressful (although normal casinos keep their progress).

Playing online is about numbers and math. If you choose a normal casino and check the RTP, the chances are really higher than offline.

Why RTP decides and how to check it

Let's be honest: most people don't bother with what RTP is at all. They spin slots at random, rejoice at winning, get angry at losing — and do not even suspect that the outcome of almost everything that happens on the screen is already embedded in the mechanics of the game itself. What is RTP in simple words: RTP (Return to Player) is not magic or a secret number for the elite. It is just an indicator of what percentage of all bets the slot theoretically returns to players in the long run. If the slot has an RTP of 96%, it means that at a distance of 1000€ made by bets, about 960€ will return to the winnings of the players. And only 40€ will be kept by the casino as a net profit. And here lies the most important topic:

If the slot has an RTP of 88% (as often happens offline), then the casino immediately cuts off a fat 12% of all the money you bet.
If the slot has an RTP of 96% (as it happens online), the casino keeps only 4%. The difference is three times!

A simple example:

You have placed bets worth 1000€ offline with an RTP of 88%. ➔ On average, you will return 880€, minus 120€ – goodbye to the money.
You have placed 1000€ worth of bets online with an RTP of 96%. ➔ Get back 960€, minus 40€ is a completely different movie, right?

Why it matters: When you play a slot for a long time, the RTP begins to play a huge role. This is not about one session for 10 minutes, but about months or years of play. And the difference of even 1-2% in RTP really translates into hundreds and thousands of euros, if you count it for a long time. How to check the RTP:

In online slots, there is usually an "Information", "Rules" or "Paytable" button right in the game itself. There, somewhere among the conditions, the RTP is indicated. ⚡ Important: sometimes the RTP can be different — providers release several versions of the same game.
On the casino website – sometimes the RTP is indicated in the description of the slot, but not always.
On independent sites, such as RTPCheck, for example, where the actual RTP of different slots is checked and warned about understated settings.

Special Risks of Offline Casinos

An offline casino is a whole world with its own quirks. And if in normal establishments everything is more or less ok, then in small or "gray" dots there are really creepy moments. **Bet twists: ** Some machines are set up so that the player loses more often. This is not always an outright "hard twist", but there can be tricky settings for probabilities, payout limits, etc. Licenses:Online: You can at least check the license yourself. Offline, everything is on faith: there is an iron box, the drum is spinning — try to find out what law it works by. **Local jackpots: ** Sometimes offline casino jackpots seem tempting. But often the chance of winning them is microscopic, plus the conditions can be murky (for example, the jackpot is only activated when betting the "maximum" or under special conditions that you don't even know about). Plus: It is more difficult to track how much you have actually lost offline. There is no report, no session history. A person is more prone to excitement, and this plays into the hands of the casino.

Where it is really more profitable to play

If you look soberly, without rose-colored glasses, it is more profitable to play online. Period. Online Slots:

Higher RTP is almost always.
It is possible to choose licensed casinos.
You can check the information on the slots before the start of the game.
Access to bonuses and cashbacks that further reduce losses.

Offline Slots:

This is more entertainment for the sake of the atmosphere.
Yes, you may be lucky once, but you have less chance at a distance.

My advice: If you want to get high, go for a walk with friends – okay, offline also has the right to exist.
But if you want to play more consciously and with a chance not to be a regular donor of the casino, online rules.

How to choose a place to play

If online:

Only licensed casinos (Curacao, MGA, UKGC, and other serious regulators).
Check the RTP of slots.
Choose platforms with a good reputation on our site — reviews, ratings, complaints.

If offline:

Go to large online casinos in well-known cities.
Avoid single small halls.
If you have a choice, it is better to play slots from well-known brands (IGT, Novomatic, etc.), they at least have higher standards.

Life hack:
In large casinos, where there are a lot of tourists, machines are sometimes placed a little "softer" so as not to scare people away with hard drains. But still, the RTP there is unlikely to reach online.

Bottom line: how to play consciously and not lose too much

If you care about the chances of a real win, and not just emotions, choose online slots with a high RTP.
Check the RTP always, even if you like the slot visually or theme. Numbers are more important than appearances.
Playing offline is fun. You pay for it in the form of a lower RTP and a higher risk of losing.