Casino games and the odds: the house edge of every game in one list

Every casino game has a price, and it can be written as one number: the house edge, the share of every stake that the casino keeps on average over the long run. The other side of the same number is RTP, the return to player: a game with a 2.70% house edge has an RTP of 97.30%. This article puts every game on our site in one list, from cheapest to most expensive, and turns each figure into what it costs on average per €100 staked. Each game links to its own page and, where we have one, to a deeper guide.

What the number means

A house edge of 2.70% means that, over many bets, you lose on average €2.70 for every €100 you stake. It does not mean you lose €2.70 in a session. In a short session anything can happen - a big win or losing the whole budget. The edge describes where the result moves as the number of bets grows.

It is also a price per bet, not per deposit. If you stake €100 ten times over (by recycling your winnings), you have staked €1,000, and the expected loss is calculated on that.

Every game, from cheapest to most expensive

The figures assume correct play where the game involves decisions, and the usual rules described in each linked guide.

• Blackjack, played by the strategy chart - house edge about 0.43%: €0.43 per €100. Eight decks, dealer stands on 17, blackjack pays 3:2 (our simulation). See our blackjack page and the strategy chart.
• Video poker, 9/6 Jacks or Better, perfect holds - house edge about 0.46%: €0.46 per €100. The 8/5 version costs €2.70 (video poker pay tables).
• Baccarat, Banker bet - 1.06%: €1.06 per €100. The Player bet is 1.24% (baccarat page, baccarat rules in numbers).
• French roulette, even-money bets with la partage - 1.35%: €1.35 per €100 (roulette page).
• Casino Hold'em, correct calls - 2.16% of the ante: €2.16 per €100 placed as antes (Casino Hold'em explained).
• European roulette - 2.70% on every bet: €2.70 per €100. Lightning Roulette is the same on all bets except straight-ups, which cost 2.90% (Lightning Roulette explained).
• Slots - depends on the game. The slots in our reviews return between 92.13% and 96.09%: a house edge of 3.91% to 7.87%, or €3.91 to €7.87 per €100 (slots page, RTP and volatility).
• Live game shows - depends on the bet. Evolution publishes an RTP of 96.08% for Crazy Time - an edge of at least 3.92% (live casino shows).
• Caribbean Stud - 5.22% of the ante: €5.22 per €100 in antes.
• American roulette - 5.26% on every bet: €5.26 per €100. The extra double zero makes it roughly twice the price of the European wheel.
• Baccarat, tie bet at 8:1 - 14.36%: €14.36 per €100.

Keno and bingo have no single figure. The return depends on the game and, in keno, on how many numbers you pick; it is shown in the game's info panel. Read it before you play - see our keno and bingo pages for how each game works.

Side bets cost the most

Side bets sit next to the main bet and look small. Their price is not:

• Casino Hold'em AA bonus - about 2.97%.
• Blackjack 21+3 - about 3.70% (eight decks, common pay table).
• Blackjack Perfect Pairs, 25/12/6 - about 4.10%.
• Blackjack insurance - about 7.5%.
• Baccarat Player Pair or Banker Pair at 11:1 - about 10.36%.

A blackjack player who plays the chart and adds Perfect Pairs to every hand pays almost ten times more on that side bet than on the main bet.

What the list does not show

Correct play. The figures for blackjack, video poker and Casino Hold'em assume the right decision every time. Playing by feel costs more, sometimes much more. In roulette, baccarat and slots there are no decisions that change the edge.

Speed. The edge is a price per bet. A game that settles bets every few seconds, like a slot, adds up the same percentage many more times an hour than a live table where a hand takes a minute. A low edge on a fast game can cost more per hour than a higher edge on a slow one.

Volatility. Two games with the same edge can feel completely different. A slot with rare large wins and Lightning Roulette's multipliers spread the same expected loss very unevenly; an even-money roulette bet spreads it smoothly.

The legal floor in Latvia

Latvia's gambling law sets a minimum: a slot machine must pay out at least 80% of the money staked in it, and the same 80% threshold applies to interactive roulette, card and dice games. The games people actually play return far more than that. Our article on RTP and volatility explains the rule.

How to use the list

A lower house edge does not make a game a way to win. It means your budget lasts longer for the same stakes. If you play for entertainment, the list tells you what that entertainment costs: about €0.43 per €100 at a blackjack table played by the chart, about €14 per €100 on the tie in baccarat. No betting system changes these numbers - our roulette strategies, tested shows why.

Play within your limits

Decide your budget before you choose the game, not after. Set deposit and time limits in your casino account - our guide to responsible gambling tools shows where - and visit the responsible gambling page if gambling stops being fun. All the casinos we review are on our all casinos page.