How to compare slots

How to compare slots: the short version

Two slots can share a theme, a layout and even an RTP and still behave very differently. Comparing them well means separating what you can measure from what you can only feel. The measurable side comes down to six things, all of which you can find in the game’s rules or the developer’s specifications:

• RTP: the long-run share of stakes paid back, which sets the average cost.
• Volatility: how unevenly the wins are spread.
• Max win: the largest prize, as a multiple of the stake.
• Layout and ways to win: reels, rows, paylines, ways or pays-anywhere.
• Features: what happens in bonus rounds and how they are triggered.
• Stake range: the lowest and highest bet, within UK limits.

Everything in this guide builds on those six. If any of the terms are new, our slot machine guides start with the basics, and the side-by-side comparisons on this site apply the same method to popular pairs of games.

A slot comparison scorecard you can reuse

Use this as a checklist whenever you weigh up two or three games. The ‘where to find it’ column matters: a number from the wrong place can make the comparison meaningless.

The Commission’s standard on game rules and the likelihood of winning (opens in a new tab) requires UK games to make the RTP (or an equivalent measure of your chances) and the prize information available before you stake, so the first and third rows should always be fillable. Our guide on finding a slot’s RTP shows where to look.

Comparing slots side by side: a worked example

Here is the scorecard applied to three well-known games with very different designs, using the figures in our slot facts (developer specifications).

Read across the rows and a picture forms. Starburst has the lowest RTP of the three but also the lowest volatility and a modest ceiling, so it suits steady, low-drama play. Big Bass Bonanza has the highest RTP here, but its volatility means long quiet spells are part of the design. Gates of Olympus uses a pays-anywhere grid and has the highest ceiling, which goes hand in hand with high volatility. None of them is ‘best’: each is the better choice for a different kind of player.

Comparing slots by cost per 100 spins

RTP turns into pounds with one formula: stake × number of spins × house edge. The house edge is 100% minus the RTP. It gives the long-run average cost, which is the fairest way to compare price between games.

The differences look small per 100 spins, and over a short session volatility will swamp them. They add up over many sessions, though. To turn this into an hourly figure, multiply by the number of spins you play in an hour; UK online slots allow at most one spin every 2.5 seconds. Our page on what a slot costs per hour and the slot cost calculator do the sums for you.

Comparing max wins at UK stake limits

A max win is quoted as a multiple of the stake, so its pound value depends on what you bet. Since 2025 the maximum online stake is £5 a spin for players aged 25 and over and £2 for 18 to 24-year-olds, per the Gambling Commission’s stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab).

Treat these as ceilings, not targets. Top prizes are designed to be extremely rare, and a high multiple is usually paid for with higher volatility. Some games also cap a single win in pounds whatever the multiple; check the rules and our explainer on max win caps.

Comparing slot volatility when there is no number

Unlike RTP, volatility has no standard scale. Some developers use words (low, medium, high), some show a rating inside the game (Sweet Bonanza 1000’s rules use a 5-out-of-5 scale), and some say nothing. When the label is missing or the scales differ, these clues help:

• A higher max win multiple usually points to higher volatility.
• Games where most of the value sits in a bonus round tend to swing more than games that pay steadily in the base game.
• A large gap between the lowest and highest symbol pays in the paytable suggests a bumpier ride.
• Multipliers that grow during a feature push results towards rare, large outcomes.

Avoid comparing on ‘hit frequency’ or ‘bonus every X spins’ figures unless the developer publishes them. Many sites quote numbers taken from small samples of play, which can be badly wrong.

Comparing a slot with its sequel or alternative version

Comparisons between versions of one game are where the scorecard earns its keep, because the artwork can be nearly identical while the maths shifts.

• Gates of Olympus and Gates of Olympus 1000: both list 96.50% RTP, high volatility and a 6×5 scatter-pays grid, but the max win rises from 5,000x to 15,000x. Our Gates of Olympus vs Gates of Olympus 1000 page goes through the changes.
• Fishin’ Frenzy and Fishin’ Frenzy Megaways: RTPs are close (96.12% and 96.10%), but the move from 10 paylines and medium volatility to up to 15,625 Megaways and high volatility, with a 10,000x ceiling instead of 5,000x, changes how sessions play. See Fishin’ Frenzy vs Fishin’ Frenzy Megaways.

Our slot sequels guide looks at how follow-ups tend to change the original formula.

How to compare two slots step by step

1. Open both games, in demo or real-money mode, and find the RTP in each help screen.
2. Write down volatility, max win, layout and the main feature for each.
3. Work out the average cost of 100 spins at your usual stake for both.
4. Convert each max win into pounds at that stake.
5. Play a short demo session of each to judge the pace and presentation (free demo play, after age verification).
6. Decide which profile suits your budget and the kind of session you want, not which game seems ‘due’.

Comparing an online slot with a pub fruit machine

The same scorecard works for land-based machines, with a few changes. A pub fruit machine is usually Category C, so stakes stop at £1 and prizes at £100 under the Gambling Commission’s gaming machine categories (opens in a new tab). The machine displays a theoretical target RTP instead of a help-screen figure, and features such as holds and nudges add choices that online slots don’t have. Our article on whether online slots have better odds than pub machines compares the two in depth.

Mistakes people make when comparing slots

• Judging a game on one session, yours or someone else’s. A few hundred spins say very little about a game’s maths.
• Comparing a jackpot slot’s base RTP with another game’s total RTP.
• Using a review site’s RTP when the casino runs a different version.
• Trusting lists of ‘hot’ or ‘loose’ slots. Results don’t run in streaks a player can predict.
• Assuming more ways to win means better value. Ways change how wins form, not the RTP.
• Letting a bigger max win stand in for a better game. A bigger ceiling usually comes with bigger swings.

Which slot profile suits which player

Once the numbers are side by side, matching them to a player is fairly simple:

• Small budget, longer sessions: low volatility and a high RTP, with a modest max win.
• Learning the mechanics: a simple layout with one main feature, tried first in demo mode via our demo slots guide.
• Comfortable with long quiet spells: high volatility, accepting that most sessions will end without a big feature.
• 18 to 24-year-olds: remember the £2 stake cap when converting max wins into pounds.

Comparing the slot offers on this page

Offers can be compared with the same discipline as games. The three below are for new customers aged 18+, terms apply, and each needs a real-money deposit first.

Some payment methods (including PayPal, Skrill, Neteller and prepaid cards) don’t qualify for the Coral and Ladbrokes offers, Coral’s runs from 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027, and PlayOJO’s excludes Northern Ireland. Coral and Ladbrokes have the same operator, so check whether you can claim both. Eligible games change, so check each lobby; our PlayOJO page covers that casino in detail.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Decide a budget before you play: plan a slot budget. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.