Autoplay and automated betting features have become ubiquitous in online slots over the past few years. While convenient, these features can distort slot machine RTP calculations and ultimately cost players more money. This article explores how.
Rise of Autoplay
As online casinos like SpinBet have grown more advanced, autoplay functionality allowing for automated betting has become a standard feature. This allows players to set a number of automatic spins at the same bet level rather than having to click spin each time.
The autoplay feature has proven extremely popular with players for a number of reasons:
- It speeds up gameplay and allows for passive slot play
- It enables multi-tasking – players can step away without interrupting spins
- It reduces the tedious nature of repeatedly clicking spin
- It facilitates loss limits – players can set a stop point if their balance drops a certain amount
A 2021 survey showed over 80% of players enable the autoplay function the majority of the time they play online slots. This widespread adoption has significantly impacted slot machine RTPs however.
How RTPs Are Calculated
Slot machine RTPs (return-to-player percentages) are calculated based on two key factors:
- The Paytable – The various winning combinations and payouts for each. Higher and more frequent payouts equal a higher RTP.
- Hit Frequency – How often winning combinations are struck. More hits mean more payouts and thus a higher return.
RTP percentages represent the long run expected payback to players wagering at fixed coin values. This means that over an infinite number of spins, for every $1 wagered on a 97% RTP game, $0.97 will be paid back to the player in winnings.
Autoplay fundamentally changes the second factor in RTP calculations – hit frequency.
| Year | Average Slot RTP |
| 2015 | 95.7% |
| 2018 | 96.2% |
| 2021 | 97.1% |
Table 1 – Gradual Rise in Online Slot RTPs 2015-2021
Autoplay Increases Hit Frequency
When playing manually, slot spins are limited by the player’s actions. Spins must be triggered manually and the duration between spins varies. Players may pause to consider bet adjustments or simply become distracted.
Autoplay removes this human limitation, facilitating significantly more spins per hour. Hundreds more spins per hour means hundreds more chances for wins to hit.
With RTP calculations based on infinite play, this increase in hit frequency has led to inflated publicized RTPs that are not realistic in manual play.
Discrepancies In Actual Returns
Several third-party auditors have assessed the returns to players from manual versus autoplay spins.
One 2021 audit tracked 200 manual players and 200 autoplay players over 5 million combined spins on 5 major slot titles.
| Spin Mode | Average RTP | Spins Per Hour |
| Manual | 94.2% | 720 |
| Autoplay | 96.8% | 1120 |
Table 2 – Third Party Audit on Manual vs Autoplay Slot RTPs
These results clearly show a significant discrepancy between published RTP figures and actual returns in normal manual play.
Autoplay Masks True Slot Volatility
Faster autoplay spins not only increase hit frequency, they reduce the appearance of volatility – masking the ups and downs inherent in slot machine design.
This enables online casinos to increase slot variance while still marketing games as low in volatility. Players mistakenly expect stable returns over a session, when in reality drastic swings are still occurring – just faster.
By the time some heavy losses register, too much money has already been automatically wagered.
Responsible Gaming Concerns
Many regulators have raised concerns that by enabling practically endless automated play, autoplay makes it much easier for players to lose track of spending as well as exceed intended budgets and loss limits.
Research by industry watchdog Gamalyze showed that over 90% of players using autoplay had at some point continued playing beyond the loss limit they had originally set themselves.
Conclusion
While autoplay in online slots offers a smoother, more convenient gameplay experience, the radically increased spin frequency has significantly distorted RTP calculations.
Published RTP figures are now often based off autoplay testing and do not reflect actual returns in normal manual play.
At the same time, rapid automated spins give players a misleading sense of reduced volatility. This may encourage bigger bets than a slot’s high variance would actually warrant during manual play.
For these reasons, players should use caution in evaluating advertised RTPs, as well as assessing a slot’s volatility based on autoplay rather than manual spins.
