How much does a slot cost per hour?

How much does a slot cost per hour? The formula

Every slot keeps a share of what is staked, its house edge, which is 100% minus the RTP. Multiply that edge by the total you stake in an hour and you get the average hourly cost, sometimes called your theoretical loss.

Hourly cost = stake per spin × spins per hour × house edge

Worked example: 20p a spin, a steady 900 spins an hour (one every four seconds) and a 96% RTP. Total staked is 20p × 900 = £180. The house edge is 4%, so the average cost is £180 × 0.04 = £7.20 an hour. Change any of the three inputs and the cost moves in proportion: double the stake and it is £14.40; play half as fast and it is £3.60.

The figure is an average over a very large number of hours. In one hour you might lose £40 or finish £60 up; over many hours, results drift towards the formula. More money questions are answered on our questions hub.

Slot cost per hour by stake and speed

Online slots in Great Britain must take at least 2.5 seconds per spin, with no autoplay, turbo or slam-stop, under the Commission’s summary of changes to the remote technical standards (opens in a new tab). That makes 1,440 spins an hour the absolute ceiling. Most people play slower once features, pauses and decisions are included, so the table shows three paces, all at 96% RTP.

The jump from 20p to £1 multiplies the hourly cost by five; the jump from 600 to 900 spins an hour adds half again. The £5 row applies only to players aged 25 and over: the Commission’s online slots stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab) caps 18–24s at £2 a spin. See how long is a slot spin in the UK? for the timing rule.

How RTP changes the cost of a slot per hour

Holding stake and pace fixed at 20p and 900 spins an hour (£180 staked), the RTP sets the price. The examples use figures from our verified facts.

Moving from a 95% game to a 98% game more than halves the hourly cost at the same stake and pace. Many games run in several RTP versions, so the figure in the help screen at your casino is the one to use; see slot RTP variants.

Work out your own slot cost per hour in five steps

1. Note your usual stake per spin, for example 30p.
2. Count your pace: time how many spins you make in five minutes and multiply by 12. If you make 60 spins in five minutes, that is 720 an hour.
3. Find the RTP in the game’s help screen and subtract it from 100 to get the house edge, for example 100 − 96.5 = 3.5%.
4. Multiply: 30p × 720 × 0.035 = £7.56 an hour on average.
5. Compare that with your budget. If you planned to spend £15 tonight, the average says about two hours, but set a hard stop because real hours vary.

Our slot cost calculator does the sum for you; the how to use the slot cost calculator guide explains each box.

Why one hour on a slot rarely costs the average

The formula is an expected value. Over one hour, 900 spins are far too few for results to settle, and volatility decides how widely outcomes scatter. On a low-volatility game like Starburst, most hours land within a modest band around the average. On a high-volatility game like Gates of Olympus (96.50%, high), many hours cost far more than the average, and an occasional hour with a big feature win pays much more than it cost.

That spread is why the average is best used for planning across weeks and months, while a session budget and time limit protect you within any single hour. Our page on slot machine standard deviation puts numbers on the spread.

How much does a pub fruit machine cost per hour?

The same formula works on land-based machines, but two inputs change. The stake on a Category C pub machine is capped at £1, and the payout figure is the theoretical target percentage displayed on the machine, which has no legal minimum. Pace varies too, because holds, nudges and feature boards add decisions.

As an illustration only: 300 plays an hour at 50p is £150 staked. If the label showed 85%, the house edge would be 15% and the average cost £22.50 an hour; at 80% it would be £30. An online slot at 96% with the same £150 staked costs £6 on average. Read the actual label before you play; our guide to reading a machine label shows where the figure is.

Do features and free spins change the hourly cost?

Bonus features are already counted in a game’s RTP, so they don’t change the long-run hourly cost. They do slow you down, because free spins rounds and animations take time without new stakes, which can trim the hourly figure slightly in practice.

Casino offers are different: free spins from a promotion add stakes you didn’t pay for. 100 spins at 10p are £10 of stakes, worth about £9.60 on average at 96% RTP. Since 19 January 2026 bonus wagering in Great Britain is capped at 10x, which limits how much extra play an offer can demand. See wagering requirements on slots.

Myths about what slots cost

• ‘Playing faster gets me to the bonus cheaper.’ It gets you there sooner but at the same cost per spin; the hourly cost rises with pace.
• ‘Max bet is better value per hour.’ On most slots the RTP is the same at every stake, so a higher stake raises the hourly cost in direct proportion.
• ‘Winning sessions mean the cost doesn’t apply to me.’ Short-term wins are variance; over enough hours, the average catches up.
• ‘Low-stake slots are free entertainment.’ Even at 10p and 96%, an hour at 900 spins costs £3.60 on average.

Keeping your hourly slot cost in check

Three levers lower the cost per hour: a smaller stake, a slower pace and a higher RTP version. A fourth lever, playing for less time, matters most of all. UK-licensed sites must prompt you to set a financial limit before your first deposit, and they offer reality checks and time-outs; the Commission’s rules on remote time-out facilities (opens in a new tab) set out the breaks they must provide. If the cost stops feeling like entertainment, the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 is free and open 24/7. Our slot session limits guide shows how to set each tool.

Where to play online slots with published RTPs

Knowing the RTP is the first step in working out the hourly cost, and our partners show it in each game’s help screen; game availability varies, so search the lobby. Coral gives new players 100 free spins after a £10 deposit and £10 of slot bets: 10p per spin, selected games, 48 hours to accept, valid 7 days, no wagering on winnings, and some payment types excluded. Ladbrokes, operated by the same group, gives 50 free spins a day for 10 days (500 maximum) after £10 of slot play, 10p each, no wagering.

PlayOJO offers 80 no-wagering free spins at 10p on Big Bass Bonanza with a first deposit of £10 or more, with winnings paid as cash, for new UK customers excluding Northern Ireland. 18+, terms apply.

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.