RTP and House Edge: Reading the Numbers Honestly
Return-to-player is a long-run average, not a promise for your session.
RTP is a long-run average
Return to Player (RTP) is the theoretical percentage of wagered money a game returns to players over a very large number of plays. A 96% RTP does not mean you get 96% back in your session; it is an expected value across millions of rounds.
House edge is the flip side
House edge = 100% - RTP. A 4% house edge is the operator's theoretical margin. It is unrelated to any single outcome and says nothing about short-term variance, which can be enormous.
Why this matters for bonuses
Because wagering requirements force large turnover, the house edge quietly determines the expected cost of clearing a bonus. The calculator estimates this so the trade-off is visible before you commit.