This story was published more than 1 year ago.
This week the gaming regulator Malta Gaming Authority announced the decision to lower the minimum return to player percentage for casino games, dropping the basement from 92% to 85%.
The move would help bring online casino games more in line with land casino games, which also have a bottom threshold of 85%. The drop comes after the MGA asked operators and game suppliers what they thought of lowering the number. Most backed the choice to go lower, but many believed that the ideal level for games was still somewhere in the 90's. With that said, many respondents said they'd likely lower the return numbers on their games.
In a statement, the MGA wrote: "All respondents welcomed the MGA's proposal to lower the RTP [threshold].
"One respondent clarified that removing the RTP requirement does not mean that operators will no longer strive to maintain adequate RTP levels to avoid risks relating to the well-being of customers, as the market conditions will force the industry to maintain an appropriate RTP standard."
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Comments
Wow, that's pretty crummy. The casinos don't make enough money, apparently. The MGA is very player-friendly in general, but this kinda dings their reputation in my eyes.
I think this is a terrible move and hope it does not start to trend throughout the rest of online casino industry , The main reason I prefer playing online to land based is for the higher RTP that online casinos offer compared to land based casinos , the extra playtime you get from the higher RTP is huge when comparing
Wow such a dramatic drop in RTP!
Very surprised to be reading this.
It is quite a low amount have to agree with the guys on that one. But just because it would be possible for a casino to offer such RTPs doesn't mean that game providers have games available with such RTP option, at least maybe not straight away. We'll have to see what the casinos will go for, as there's a risk of losing players when offering such RTP.
How scummy. And how disgusting that the justification was "we asked the casinos what they wanted". Of course if you ask them they are going to say that. One might think that the MGA's role is to protect players and perhaps they should have asked the punters instead, but no. The gambling industry basically rules employment and Malta's economy these days and this just goes to show ultimately where their priorities are now.
Actually some providers already have these low RTP settings just waiting to be used. One I know for sure is Play'n Go, who have had something like 84%, 87%, 91%, 94%, or 96% programmed into all their releases over the past few years. Plenty of Curacao clip-joint casinos have been using the low settings and trying to hide the fact from punters. The only thing stopping Malta licensed casinos from choosing the lower settings was the Malta rule that allowed no lower than 92% (not sure if that is the exact number).
So make sure you check your games people. And vote with your wallets - if they drop the RTP on you close your account and make sure you tell the casino why you're doing so.
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I think the number was 91% as some Aspire Global brands run Play'n Go games with 91% if I remember correctly. Regardless, it's a low amount. I have to say though, it will really show the better casinos from the crowd. Those who'll stay with high RTP games even though there will be lower options available.