The internet came with some of the most mind-blowing advancements in casino gaming. Prior to the dot-com era, people had to physically visit brick-and-mortar casinos to play their favorite games. Today, you don’t have to, as you can easily access your favorite game from the comfort of your home. You are no longer confined to a couple of hundred games but can pick from thousands at a go. This, plus the fact that you can claim bonuses using special codes such as the Ice Casino bonus code, access the real casino experience through the live dealer platforms, and play mobile games conveniently from your home, makes online gambling more advantageous.
While these are all good attributes of online casino gaming, none matters the most, like profitability. Whether you are playing casino games for fun or looking to win money, it’s only natural that you will get mainly attracted to the more profitable games. In this article, we will fully explore everything you need to know about profitability in gambling – both online and offline.
What Are Casino Odds?
To best understand the profitability of online casino games, you must first understand what odds are and how they influence your chances of winning. In the simplest definition, they refer to the mathematical chance of losing or winning a bet while playing casino games. They are usually expressed as a ratio like 1:1 or 1 in 1 chance of winning. However, in most cases, the online casino will express these odds as a percentage, usually referred to as the RTP or house edge. Let’s discover more details:
- RTP. Stands for Return to Player percentage. Every casino game, both online and offline, has an RTP, which is usually a figure expressed as a percentage. This theoretical figure shows you how much the game is expected to pay out after a certain number of rounds or spins. This number is usually arrived after a few million simulations. As a rule of thumb, the higher the RTP, the better the chances of winning.Â
- House edge. This is the complete opposite of the RTP. In fact, you will arrive at the house edge by subtracting the RTP from 100. So, for example, if the game has an RTP of 97%, the house edge is 3%. This figure basically shows you what the house keeps from every bet you make, in this case, 3% of your bet. The lower the house edge figure, the better your chances of winning. Again, this is only a theoretical figure.Â
- Game odds. The game odds show your likelihood of winning your bet in a particular game. For instance, if you have a 1:5 or 1 in 5 odds, it means there’s a 20% chance you will win the bet.Â
Online vs. Offline Odds
Having looked at the three most important areas of any casino game, which platform offers you the best chance of winning and becoming profitable?
For starters, many other factors determine whether you will have a profitable experience or not. For example, if you are playing a game like poker, your skill and mastery will influence how often you win. The same might be said about blackjack because you must know how to hit, stand, when to split, or even take insurance. Second, it is also determined by the game you are playing. RNG-based games generally rely on software to generate results. Both online and offline, live games have a human touch. This is why playing blackjack, poker, and other skill-based games at the table offers you better chances of winning compared to playing these games through the RNG-based mode. Slots, roulette, and dice games all rely on luck, and it’s always a gamble when playing them. However, in games such as roulette, certain bets offer you a much better chance of winning than others. The lower the odds, the better the chance of winning.
Lastly, there’s the aspect of overheads that has been discussed for many years and which greatly influences your chances of winning. Due to the overheads involved in land-based casinos, the establishments tend to have a high house edge to remain profitable. As such, it’s much easier to win money playing, say, for example, live roulette, at an online casino compared to a brick-and-mortar establishment.
The Best Profitable Casino Games
Having compared online and offline casinos in terms of profitability, which games should you consider playing if you are looking to win more frequently? These are some of the best examples you can pick online:
- Cash or Crash – this is a game show from Evolution Gaming. It has a house edge of about 0.4% and an RTP of 99.6%
- Live Blackjack – most of the games following the basic blackjack rules have a house edge of about 0.72%. This can be lowered if you play with a strategy such as counting cards
- Live Baccarat – with a house edge of about 1.06%, baccarat is one of the games with the lowest house edge. This game has many variations, including Punto Banco, Chemin de Fer, Mini, and Baccarat Banque.
Play at a Licensed Online Casino
After all is said and done, it’s important to play at a licensed and regulated online casino site. This is the surest way of knowing you have a fair gaming experience. Run a background check before signing up with a casino to ensure it holds a valid license.
